1918] HOKTICULTURE. 143 



Pruning apple trees, J. B. Keil (Mo. Bui. Ohio Sta., 2 (1917), No. 9, pp. 

 304-307, flg. 1). — In the spring of 1912 following the regular pruning of the 

 station's variety test orchard a number of trees there in the nineteenth year 

 from planting were selected for a test of the following materials used as wound 

 dressings: Asphaltum-linseed oil, Hoyt's tree varnish, white lead a:id oil, a com- 

 bination of these preparations, and asphaltum varnolene. Trees were selected 

 wherever possible with 10 wounds of an inch or more in diameter. 



The general effect of all the dressings used was to retard the healing process. 

 The freedom from disease of the untreated wounds used as checks indicated 

 that no dressing was needed. At the end of three years many wounds of 1.25 in. 

 or less in diameter had healed over completely. The rate of healing was 

 greatest in wounds made on the trunk and main branches and least in wounds 

 made by cutting off tops or ends of branches. Wounds made in the early part 

 of the growing season tend to heal more rapidly than those made while the 

 trees are dormant. 



It is pointed out that the use of fungicidal sprays against fruit and tree 

 diseases would tend to obviate further the need for wound dressings, except In 

 special cases such as wounds made for the control of blight and blister cankers. 

 If any dressing is required, white lead in linseed oil Is the most durable and 

 only slightly more expensive per tree than the other dressings used. 



The handling- and storag-e of apples in the Pacific Northwest, H. .1. Ramsey, 

 A. W. McKay, E. L. Markktx, and H. S. Bikd {U. S. Dept. Agr. Bui. 587 {1917), 

 pp. 31, pis. 7). — This bulletin presents the results of extensive investigations 

 conducted by the department during the seasons of 1911-12 to 1914-15 to deter- 

 mine those factors which are of greatest importance to the successful storage 

 of the apples of the Pacific Northwest. The apples used in the work were 

 secured from the more important apple-growing sections of Washington, Oregon, 

 Idaho, and Montana. 



In the experiments apples held in storage at 32° F. showed a wide range In 

 the cold-storage keeping qualities of the different varieties, depending upon the 

 decay, skin blemish, texture changes, etc., which they develop. A two weeks' 

 delay between the picking and storage of apples often greatly reduces their 

 life in storage through more rapid ripening and the development of scald, 

 Jonathan spot, scab, and decay. The apples kept longer and in better con- 

 dition at 32° than at 35°, the difference in favor of the ftrmer temperature 

 increasing with the time in storage. 



Immature picking resulted in severe scald and early decay of apples in stora-ge 

 and the storage of over-mature apples was an equally bad or worse practice. 

 Well-colored portions of the skin seldom, if ever, develop scald. Apples from 

 orchards badly infected with northwestern anthracnose tend to decay early in 

 their storage life. 



It is pointed out that carelessness in handling previous to storage is respon- 

 sible for considerable decay of apples in storage, and that the successful cold 

 storage of apples depends as much on the treatment they receive before storage 

 as on the conditions and temperatures under which they are held in storage. 



In connection with the work as a whole some limited data were secured on 

 the common storage of apples. Although these data are not conclusive they 

 indicate at least that a common storage house cooled by natural circulation 

 only can not take the place of a cold-storage warehouse for long keeping of the 

 fruit. The bulletin concludes with tabular data and notes on the cold-storage 

 keeping qualities of varieties of apples grown in the Pacific Northwest. 



Strawberry culture in Tennessee, Kentucky, and West Virginia, G. M. Dab- 

 Eow (U. S. Dept. Ayr., Fanners' Bui. 854 {1917), pp. 23, figs. 11).— This dis- 



