11)14. 
861 
SCIENTIFIC PRODUCTION OF FINE APPLES. 
From Plowing to Packing. 
Part II. 
T HINNING.—Size of fruit is also decidedly 
affected by the amount of fruit borne. Even 
with the best of culture, pruning and spraying, 
apple trees frequently set more fruits 
than they can properly mature. This 
also is partly responsible for off years 
in cropping. These difficulties can be 
greatly reduced by proper thinning of 
fruit. The production of large num¬ 
bers of seeds overtaxes the tree and 
detracts from its ability to produce 
size. In no case should fruits * be 
allowed to stand closer than four lo 
six inches. The proper time for thin¬ 
ning is during June, or after the 
usual “June drop.” Frequently the 
removal of dwarfed, gnarled and in- 
sect-bitten fruit is sufficient, and hence 
it becomes a mere matter of sorting, 
—which is always necessary,—and at 
the same time enables the tree to pro¬ 
duce better fruit as well as develop 
fruit buds for the next year's crop. 
Where thinning is necessary it is very 
seldom that the number of bushels is 
reduced owing to increased size, and 
the net returns are invariably in¬ 
creased because of improved quality, 
more regular crops, and simplified 
handling. 
ADDING FERTILITY.—If the ob¬ 
servance of the foregoing does not 
bring results or is not practicable, 
some form of fertilization may solve 
the difficulty. Barnyard manure used 
at the rate of eight to 12 tons per acre 
is highly satisfactory, although some¬ 
times color may be reduced, but this 
is largely overcome by allowing the 
fruit to hang a little longer. Where 
manure is not available, commercial 
fertilizer can be safely used instead, 
and, in fact, is frequently more eco¬ 
nomical provided the supply of humus 
is properly maintained by use of cover- 
crops or other means. The character 
of the soil has much to do with sys¬ 
tems of fertilization if maximum re¬ 
sults are to be had, but this is deter¬ 
mined only by local tests. In general, 
an application of 30 pounds actual 
nitrogen, GO pounds actual phosphoric 
acid, and 25 to 50 pounds actual pot¬ 
ash per acre of mature bearing trees 
seems to come nearest the average re¬ 
quirements. These amounts are ap¬ 
proximately supplied by 500 pounds 
of a G-10-5 mixture. For younger 
trees these quantities may be reduced 
according to the area covered. Where 
potash is known to be lacking the 
larger amount should be 
used, otherwise the smaller 
amount, according to Bulle¬ 
tin 121, Pennsylvania Ex¬ 
periment Station. 
With respect to the appli¬ 
cation of fertilizer, our ex¬ 
perience has been that sur¬ 
face dressings are perfectly 
satisfactory no matter in 
what form or under what 
system of culture they are 
used. There is no objection, 
however, to working the 
manure or fertilizer into the 
soil. Our system of appli¬ 
cation is to cover an area 
extending from within a 
short distance of the trunk 
to somewhat beyond the tips 
of the branches, making it 
heaviest under the outer 
two-tliirds of the latter. The 
best time to apply these ma¬ 
terials is possibly shortly 
after the fruit has set, as 
the rate of application can 
then be varied to corre¬ 
spond with the size of crop. 
COLOR.—Of the m a n y 
factors involved in produc¬ 
ing color maturity and sunlight appear most im¬ 
portant. It has been a common impression that 
THE RURAL, HEW-YORKER 
anything which tended to produce abundant gfdWtll 
of tree or large size in fruit directly interfered with 
the production of color. Hence nitrogenous fertilizers 
were thought to be injurious in this regard and 
should be used with care. The most recent study, 
however, tends toward the conclusion that the diffi¬ 
culty is largely due to the lengthening of the sea- 
A CERTIFIED BOY” AT THE LINCOLN DALE SCHOOL. 
1’HE OAK COTTAGE AT LINCOLN AGRICULTURAL SCHOOL. Em. 342. 
son of maturity, and that by allowing the fruit to 
hang longer the trouble is largely overcome. At 
the time excessive growth, particularly with 
mature bearing trees, from any source should be 
avoided, as it may not only interfere with color but 
actually reduce the quantity of fruit. As a matter 
of fact, however, nitrogen is very frequently a most 
important need in securing desirable size and yields, 
and if color should be a little tardy in developing 
this may be overcome by allowing the 
fruit to hang longer, by pruning so as 
to admit more light, and by fitting the 
system of soil management to these 
various needs and practices. Sod 
mulch appears to combine these two 
characters of yield and color in a 
very satisfactory manner. 
STRAYING.—Excepting mechanical 
injury the freedom of fruit from 
blemishes is very largely a matter of 
spraying. Undoubtedly pruning, loca¬ 
tion of orchard and general sanitary 
conditions have a decided influence on 
insect and fungus troubles, yet we 
must look to spraying as the surest 
and most standard means of control. 
It is difficult to give specific directions 
for spraying that will fit all cases. 
One recommendation w h i e h comes 
nearest applying generally is to make 
one application of lime-sulphur in late 
Fall or, even better, just before the 
buds open in Spring. This material 
is intended primarily for the San Jose 
scale, but it has so many benefits in 
addition that the treatment is regard¬ 
ed by many as an annual “house clean- 
ing,” and therefore necessary even in 
the absence of scale. 
The following table of treatments 
is designed to include the more com¬ 
mon insect and fungus troubles of the 
apple, although it is seldom that these 
are all combined in a single orchard. 
In fact, for growers other than those 
engaged in commercial orcharding, the 
treatments numbered 1-4 are usually 
adequate. Where but two applications 
are possible, as may be true for the 
home orchard, and where scale is not 
present, treatments 3 and 4 will possi¬ 
bly be the least amount of spraying 
permissible, if the fruit is to be mar¬ 
keted or if decent fruit is desired for 
the home. 
GENERAL SPRAY TREATMENT 
FOR APPLES. 
1. Lime-sulphur sp. gr. 1.03 in Win¬ 
ter, or preferably just before buds open 
in Spring, for scale. For aphids add 
“black leaf 40” (1 pt. to 100 gal.) and 
apply when buds show a little green. 
2. Lime-sulphur sp. gr. 1.01 when 
blossoms show pink, for scab. If canker 
worm or bud moth is present 2 lb. lead 
arsenate to 50 gal., and if aphids or red 
bugs, 1 pt. “black leaf 40” to 100 gal. 
3. Same as No. 2, with 2 lb. arsenate 
lead, for cureulio and Codling moth. Ap¬ 
ply when SO per cent of petals have 
fallen. If aphids or red bugs are pres¬ 
ent give same treatment as 
above. 
4. Repeat No. 3 12 to 15 
days later for scab and Cod¬ 
ling moth. 
5, G and 7. Beginning Au¬ 
gust 1, Bordeaux 3-3-5 every 
two weeks for bitter rot fruit 
and leaf spots, with 2 lbs. 
arsenate of lead to 50 gals, of 
No. 5 for second brood Cod¬ 
ling moth, and if necessary, 
same quantity of arsenate to 
G and 7 for leaf-eating cater¬ 
pillars. 
There is hope that lime- 
sulphur may entirely replace 
Bordeaux and thus avoid 
the injury (russet ing) 
caused by the latter. So 
far, however, Bordeaux ap¬ 
pears most effective against 
the bitter rot and the fruit 
and leaf spots. 
PRUNINU.—F rom the 
standpoint of q u a 1 i t y of 
fruit, pruning should aim at 
the development of low, 
open-lieaded trees, and thus 
permit of easy and thorough 
s p r a y i n g, and admit an 
abundance of air and sun- 
. light, which are so impor¬ 
tant in securing high color 
and freedom from fungus 
to "Let a little sunshine in.” 
R. H. BELL. 
-- • ** 
infection. Remember 
State College, Pa. 
