IIASSACKUSETTS STATE COLLEGE 

 Ul^TED STATES DEPAP.TIEMT OF AGRICULTURE 

 AI^D COUl-ITY E:crSNSION SERVICES IN AGRICULTURE AND 

 HCI.IS ECOi'OIUCS COOPERATING 



FRUIT NOTES -, September, I936 



W. K. Thles 

 Extension Horticulturist 



The "Drought Spot" Situation 



In 1929 a number of cases of internal brovmin<^- of Cortland 

 and Mcintosh were reported by Professor Latiner in Nev/ Hampshire, 

 Other cases ha.ve since been reported from the Champlain Valley of 

 New York, from Vermont and nov; from several orchards in Massachu- 

 setts. At least eight such cases have come to the writer's at- 

 tention this fall. The term "drought spot" is used to describe a 

 brovmish condition of the flesh around the core, sometimes extend- 

 ing out to the skin. In severe cases the apple has a rough, v/arty 

 appearance. Drought spot seems to be related to a. water shortage 

 in the apple at a critical time. There is some evidence to show 

 that a drought when the apples are from one to one and a half 

 inches in diameter nay cause more injury than a shortage later in 

 the season. 



In the orchards observed thus far, we have noticed a number 

 of things v/hich point to a v.'ater shortage during the past summer. 

 In one orchard, the trees are underlain by a ledge v.'ith little or 

 no opportunity of seepage from a higher level. Drought spot seems 

 to be most severe v'here the ledge is nearest the surface. In an- 

 other orchard, where drou.ght spot was very noticeable, 'the root 

 system is shallovr owing to an unfr.voreble hardpan at 1-j to 2 feet. 

 Incidentally, this orchard is so vret in early spring as to inter- 

 fere vrith spraying. In a third orchard, trees vrhlch have been 

 heavily mulched showed decidedly less drought spot than nearby 

 trees without a mulch. In another case, young Mcintosh trees are 

 Interplanted in an old Baldwin orchard just coming into bearing. 

 Here, the ^"'ater shortage may be due to root competition. There 

 is considerable evidence to show that drought spot is more severe 

 in Cortland than it is in Mcintosh. Other observations point to 

 the serious handicap of close pla.nting on a droughty soil. A 

 planting distance of ^0 x ^0 plus a liberal mulch, may be one way 

 out of this difficulty in orchards already established. And in 

 choosing a site for the new orchard, the need for a careful inves- 

 tigation of the subsoil cannot be too strongly emphasized. 



The Curse of Close Planting 



A few days ago we visited a 15-year-old Mcintosh orchard 

 in eastern Massachusetts which ^'^'as planted 20 x 20 on a good soil. 

 To say that the orchard new resembles a jungle, is putting it 

 mildly. There was a heavy bloom last spring, and the ovaier went 

 through the motions of spraying five or six times. But scab ran 

 wild and v;hat should have been e. six bu. per tree crop of fancy 

 fruit is very largely a crop of culls. More salable fruit could 

 easily have been harvested from half the trees with much le ss ef- 



