5 OCTOBER 1951, Page 23

Biennial Cropping

Si,—Mr. Massingham in Country Life says he doesn't believe in "this biennial business" in apple-trees because his Ellisons Orange, reputed to be biennial, has fruited four years in succession. The research people told us some time ago that if we replaced the elements abstracted by the year's crop by putting in the required fertilisers for the purpose we could have a crop every year, but from my experience all varieties will not respond to this treatment. Take, for example, Peasgood Non- such: you will not alter its biennial habit. But you must remember it has a big crop of big apples, and you get as much weight in one year from it as you get from some others in two years.—Yours faithfully,