Newly developed one-man chain 

 saws, weighing around 40 pounds, 

 should make the job of felling and 

 bucking somewhat easier and less 

 expensive. 



Studies on three other plots of 

 somewhat similar nature are in pro- 

 gress. The total acreage on the 

 three plots is 21.84. 



L. C. Swain 



Fruits and Vegetables 



Hay Mulch in the Sod Orchard 

 Pays Dividends. Young Mcintosh 

 trees mulched with hay produced 

 twice as much fruit in 1949 as did 

 either unmulched or sawdust mulch- 

 ed trees in the same orchard. By 

 standard quick-test methods it was 

 found that available nitrate-nitrogen, 

 magnesium, potassium, calcium, and 

 phosphorus were present in greater 

 amounts in the top six inches of 

 soil under hay than under either 

 sawdust mulch or unmulched sod. 

 On the other hand, when trees were 

 mulched with seaweed, the amounts 

 of available nitrate-nitrogen and 

 magnesium in the soil were even 

 higher than under hay mulch, a con- 

 dition which was reflected in the ex- 

 treme dark green color of the foli- 

 age and by the delayed maturity of 

 the fruit. It was also noted that 

 some foliage injury resulted from 

 this treatment. Therefore seaweed is 

 not recommended as an orchard 

 mulch. 



In general, growers have been 

 under the impression that the use of 

 sawdust as a mulch may unduly in- 

 crease soil acidity, to the detrimenl; 

 of the trees. It was found, however, 

 that sawdust has had no different 

 effect on soil acidity than hay mulch 

 or sod without mulch. 



L. P. Latimer 

 G. P. Percival 



Caji High Concentrations of Car- 

 bon Dioxide Gas Be Maintained in 

 the Average Common Cold Storage 

 Plant for a Short Period of Time? 

 Rhode Island experiments have 

 shown that concentrations of 



around 50 per cent carbon dioxide 

 in storage air can lengthen consider- 

 ably the time during which some 

 varieties of apples can be kept iji 

 saleable condition. 



The walls and ceiling of the com- 

 mon cold storage plant at the Uni- 

 versity of New Hampshire are lined 

 with asphalt-impregnated cork block 

 and concrete mortar, and the floors 

 are of concrete. Experiments in this 

 storage show, however, that it is im- 

 possible to maintain above 21 per 

 cent carbon dioxide in the air inside 

 for more than two or three hours. 

 This is because of the permeability 

 of those walls through which the 

 gas escapes. This indicates that be- 

 fore attempting to use any ordinary 

 plant for gas storage of apples, for 

 e\en a short period, it will be neces- 

 sary first to gas-proof the walls, ceil- 

 ing, floor, and doors in order to 

 maintain the uniform concentration 

 desired, 



Russell Eggert 



Hay and Sawdust Mulches Main- 

 tain Uniform Soil Temperature 

 around Apple Roots. During the 

 exceptionally hot week of August 

 23-29. 1948, maximum air temper- 

 atures were 84°, 98°, 102°, 96°, 

 98°. and 94° F,, and mimimum air 

 temperature ranged from 53° to 75° 

 P., while the air temperatures at the 

 surface of unmulched soil rose to a 

 peak of 123° F. 



On February 12, 1949, when air 

 temperature dropped to -11° F., the 

 temperature under both hay and 

 sawdust mulches remained at 32° F". 



Russell Eggert 



25 



