210 
Supplement  to  the  “ Tropical  Agriculturist^ 
[Sept.  1,  189G, 
TllINNl^HJ  OF  FUUIT. 
The  thinning  oi  fruit  is  an  iiuporUinl  ()i)cialion, 
particularly  \vhen.  the  individual  fruits  in  a bunch 
are,  as  often  happens,  much  crowded  toget  her.  One 
of  the  chief  results  of  pruning  is  I hat  the  sap  v\  hich 
is  dissipated  over  a large  luunher  of  branches  is 
reserved  for  the  developement  of  a few  chosen 
ones,  with  the  result  that  the  latter  are  rendered 
more  robust  and  fruitful.  A similar  result  fol- 
lows the  operation  of  thinning  fruit,  for  by  the 
removal  of  surplus  fruit,  what  is  left  is  allowed  to 
develope  more  perfectly.  Again,  where  there  is 
overcrowding  in  bunches,  light  and  air  are  not 
equally  supplied  to  the  individual  fruits,  some  of 
■which  become  totally  shut  out  from  the  influence 
of  these  necessary  agents,  which  control  proper  de- 
velopement and  maturing. 
Some  object  to  thinning  in  vine  cultivation 
on  the  score  that  a bunch  of  grapes  is  itself  a 
fruit,  and  therefore  wdll  not  suffer  being  interfered 
with.  This  is  a fallacy,  which  those  who  are 
unacquainted  with  structural  botany  are  apt  to  ac- 
cept as  fact.  A bunch  of  grapes  is  no  more  a fruit 
than  a bunch  of  plantains  or  a bunch  of  coconuts. 
A fruit  is  the  product  oi  a single  flower,  and  the 
fruits  of  the  grape  vine  are  true  berries.  There  are 
such  things  as  collective  fruits  which  result  not 
from  a single  flower  but  from  a number  of  flowers. 
Instances  of  these  are  the  fruit  of  the  tig,  jak,  and 
pineapple-  Botanists  are  careful  to  warn  us 
against  the  fallacy  above  alluded  to.  For 
instance,  in  the  te.vt-book  oi  structural  and 
physiological  Botany  by  Thome  and  Bennet,  special 
reference  is  made  to  the  fruits  of  the  grape  vine 
as  follows: — “The  product  of  an  inflorescence  such 
as  a bunch  of  grai)es  is  not  a fruit  but  rather  a 
group  of  fruits,  eacl>  separate  berry  or  grajie 
being  a distinct  fruit.”  Those  of  our  readers  who 
have  seen  the  marvellously  i)orfect  grapes  to  be  met 
with  in  fruiterers’  shops  in  London,  and  are  aware 
of  the  high  prices  they  realize  will  not  readily 
condemn  the  jjrocess  of  thinning  which,  as 
a rule,  the  English  gardener  adopts.  A gentle- 
man wliG  has  had  great  experience  in  growing 
table  fruit  writes  to  us “Thinning  is  a very 
necessary  and  important  o])eration  in  grape- 
growing, if  handsome  bundles  and  good-look- 
ing and  well-flavoured  fruit  are  desired.”  In 
"rowing  for  wine,  the  necessity  for  thinning 
does  not  arise. 
Mr.  P.  M.  Bailey,  f.t.  s.,  the  well-known 
Colonial  botanist,  in  his  “lialf-Century  of  Notes 
for  the  Guidance  of  Amateur  Botanists”  has  the 
following  note  on  tliinning  of  fruits : — “If  we 
were  noraware  of  the  fact,  a glance  at  tlie  bulk  of 
fruit  brought  into  the  city  of  Brisbane  for  sale 
would  at  once  show  to  the  practical  gardener  or 
fruit-grow'er  tliat  little  or  no  attention  was  being 
paid  Tn  Queensland  to  this  most  inportant  opera- 
tion. The  exhaustion  consequent  upon  tlio 
production  of  seed  is  a chief  cau.se  of  tiiu  decay 
of  plants.  This  exiilains  why  fruit  trees  are 
weakened  or  rendered  temporarily  unproductive, 
and  some  killed,  by  being  allowed  to  ripen  too 
large  a crop  of  fruit,  or  to  ‘over-bear’  themselves, 
as  it  is  termed.  It  is  to  be  sincerely  hoped  that 
amateurs,  who  one  may  hear  often  boasting  of  the 
breaking  down  of  these  trees  from  the  weight  of 
fruit  will  bear  this  in  mind.  All  wlio  under.-stand 
anything  of  the  subject  of  fruit-growing  con- id  r 
that  thinning  is  one  of  the  most  important  of 
opei'ations.  It  shouhl  be  done  with  a bold  and 
fearless  hand,  and  llii>  perfection  of  that  which  is 
loft  on  the  trees  will  ami)ly  leward  the  owner  at 
the  harvest  time ; and  his  reward  will  not  only 
be  in  t lie  sujie!  ior  fruit,  for  the  trees  being  kept 
un weakened  from  over-bearing  will  be  enabled  to 
mature  their  wood,  and  deja  sit  tlieir  store  of 
sap  to  aid  in  the  production  of  the  following 
year’s  crop.  Allow  the  air  and  light  toget  round 
each  fruit,  and  less  harbours  w'ill  be  found  for 
the  lodgement  of  insect  life.” 
[Since  the  above  was  written  we  have  been 
favoured  with  a communication  (which  we  also 
publish  in  the  present  i.ssue)  from  Mr.  W.  Nock, 
Acting  Director  of  the  Royal  Botanical  Gardens, 
and  a horliculturist  of  large  experience,  whose 
opinion  on  the  subject  of  thinning  grapes  should 
dispel  any  doubts  as  to  the  efficacy  of  the  proce-^s 
from  the  minds  of  local  vine  growers. — Ed.  A. A/.] 
OCCASIONAL  NOTES. 
The  article  on  “Ceylon  Bee  Culture  ” gives  a 
record  of  what  has  been  hitherto  done  inthei.«Iand 
in  the  way  of  bee-keeping,  and  should  prove  inter- 
esting to  iiitcnding  apiarists.  So  far  atlemi»ts  at 
improved  bee-keeping  cannot  be  said  to  have  been 
attended  with  marked  siicces.s,  but  that  i.-  no  reason 
why  the  industry,  which  has  been  established  else- 
where, should  not  with  greater  care  and  perse- 
verance than  has  hitherto  marked  attemi)ts  at 
bee-keeping  in  Ceylon,  prove  both  pos.sible  and 
remunerative  with  us.  In  our  next  is.siie  we  ho])e 
to  refer  to  the  experience  of  another  Ceylon  ajn- 
arist,  and  also  touch  on  the  subject  of  hives. 
We  have  been  favoured  with  a co])y  of  the 
Annual  Report  of  the  Sericultural  Exjieriments  for 
1895-1896,  undertaken  at  the  iustunce  of  the  De- 
partment of  Land  Records  and  Agiiculture,  Bengal, 
and  a number  of  other  periodical  reports  by  Mr.  N. 
G.  Mukerji,  spcciali>t  in  sericulture.  We'hope  to 
deal  With  these  papers  in  our  next  issue. 
By  arrangement  with  the  Hull  Oil  Manufactur- 
ing Crmpany,  Limited,  we  shall  shortly  undertake 
a series  of  experiments  with  the  highiy-.qioken  of 
Jlomco  Raj)oMeal  Manure  so  well  rejiorted  uj)on  by 
Dr.  Bernard  Dyer.  The  manure  (to  which  reference 
■was  made  in  our  last  issue)  is  well  suited  to  take 
tl'.e  place  of  castor  cake,  and  we  shall  be  glad  to 
have  the  co-operation  of  coconut  idanters  and 
others  in  giving  the  fertilizer  a fair  trial. 
The  I’utent  Sultan  Water-lift  wliich  we  leleired 
to  and  de.scribed  in  our  issue  of  Febiuary,  1895, 
ajipears  to  be  rapidly  gaining  ])cpularily.  A com- 
munication from  the  Superintendent  of  the  Govern- 
ment Gardens,  Bangalore,  speaks  in  high  terms  ef 
the  lift,  which  we  should  greatly  desire  to  see  gium 
a trial  in  Ceylon. 
In  our  last  issue,  Mr.  E.  T.  Iloole  refers  to  the 
desirability  of  introducing  some  improved  f uni  uf 
Sowing  IMaclnne  to  the  notice  of  the  grain  cultiva- 
tors of  Ceylon.  Some  time  ago  we  conuniinicated 
with  Jlessrs.  Lanka.ster  & Co.,  the  web-kno  \n  im- 
plement makers,  with  reference  to  their  broad- 
cast hand  seed-sower.  The  Manager  of  the  firm, 
in  replying  to  us,  wrote  “ We  have  no  doubt 
that  this  machine  would  suit  the  needs  of  the  rice 
