Never did get the skinny on the reason it worked, but he swore by it; we never lacked for apples when I was growing up.
There was once a saying that went like this: "A woman, a dog, and a walnut tree, the more you beat them the better they be."
Yes, an atrocious sentiment. Nonetheless, a lot of people were convinced that whacking a walnut tree not only shook the walnuts off, but thinned out branches.
I remember older people doing the same thing to sugar maples and fruit trees when I was a kid, claiming it was to "help the sap flow." Weird as some of the old traditions sound, the best fruits and vegetables were usually those grown by people who planted by the moon phases and indulged in some of those seemingly odd old traditions.
Good to know I’m NOT the only one that had wacky relatives! :) I do like ‘Old Farmers Almanac’ for just that reason, though. Some of the Old Ways are still the Best Ways.
