THINNING FRUIT.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19175, 5 December 1927, Page 10

THINNING FRUIT.

LECTURE TO ORCHARDISTS. "Thinning Fruit," was the subject of an address given by Mr L. Payntcr, Government Orchard Instructor, before a meeting of the Canterbury Fruitgrowers' Association on Saturday night. "The thinning of fruit for the purpose of improving that which remained on the tree is a practice much urged but not sufficiently followed," said Mr Paynter. It had been demonstrated time"and again that no work in fruitgrowing was more important. It was desired to realise the most profit from the fruit. People complained that the thinning of fruit was expensive and laborious. That was true, but the fruit had to be picked sooner or later and it did not cost very much more to pick it early in the season than to pick it late. The practice of thinning was now assuming very special importance, because of the'high class of systems of grading fruit. There were two methods of thinning fruits, by pruning, when the superfluous branches or even the fruit spurs were removed, and the other was the direct picking of the superfluous fruit. ■\Vhilo pruning might accomplish much it was not sufficient when the best fruit was needed. In some districts where 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 colour. At tho time of gathering the difference between the fruit on tho thinned and unthinned trees waa noticeable. Thinning also had an effect on the size of the fruit. Fruit of a fair size was in the best demand, small sizes being almost unsaleable. Size, colour, and general quality were improved by thinning. No exact rules could bo laid down for the thinning of fruit. Eequirements varied with individual trees, and with the same tree in different seasons. The amount of thinning should be suited to the conditions as shown by the age and condition of the tree". Experiments showed that early thinning was the best. It was customary to thin fruits as soon aa the danger of spring frosts and other seasonal risks were past. They should not be left till they 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, and it had come to be regarded as an indispensible element in successful fruitgrowing.