THINNING FRUIT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 6 December 1927, Page 6

THINNING FRUIT

ADDRESS TO GROWERS (By, Telegraph—Special to “The Mail”) . .. CHRISTQHmiCH,- Otli, Dec. 'The tluntfing of fruit for the purpose of .improving that which remained ,ou the tree i.s a practice much .urged, but hot sufficiently followed,” said Mr L. Paynter, Government orchard instructor in an address on “Thinning Fruit,” given before the Canterbury Fruitgrowers’ Association. , Time and again, he continued, it has been demonstrated that no work in fruitgrowing was more irriportant, and tlipugh people, complained that, thinning was expensive ~|ind Jaboripiis, which-was tine, the . fruit, had to he picked sooner or,,later and it did not cost very, much move to iriek -it early in .the season, than,to. pick it late. Because ! of. .the high of systems of gi-ading fruit, the practice of.thinning was now. assuming .very..special importance. There . were , two methods of thinning—one by pruning, when the superfluous branches or even the fruit spurs Were reriioved, and the other was the direct picking of the superfluous fruit, . , » ..... While pruning might accomplisn much, it was, not sufficient when the best fruit was needed. In spine districts where tlie fruit was systematically thinned, a uniform crop was. obtained every year. Some varieties tended to grow .in .clusters,,. and these should be reduced to one fruit. Generally speaking thinning improved the colour, size, and general quality and at the time of gathering the. .difference between the fruit on the thinned and unthinned trees was noticeable. - , ~- No exact rules coiild he laid down for: the thinning of fruit but the amount of' thinning should be suited tn conditions as shown by the age and conditions of the tree. Experiments showed that early thinning was best. , It was customary to thin.fruits as soon as danger of spring frosts and other seasonal risks were past; they should not.be left till r tliey became of such a size as to tax the tree. • It required more discrimination and judgment to thin fruit properly, than to pick it.-In many parts of the country thinning was systematically done arid it had pome ,to. be regarded as an indispensible element in successful fruitgrowing.. 41 .