MAoSAChU SETTS STATE COLLSGE 

 UNITED STATES DEFARTIVEMT OF AGRICULTURE 

 AND COUNTY EXTEIiSION SERVICES IN AGRICULTURE AND 

 ROUS ECONOLUCS COOPER-^iTING 



FRUIT NOTES - April, 1937 



iV. H. Thies 

 Extension Horticulturist 



Story of a Salva.^-ed Tree Top 



In the spring of 1933, Lloj'd G. Han-?ilton of New Salem obtained froir. a 

 neighbor the discarded top of a Kendall apple tree v/hicn the latter had just re- 

 ceived froa the Nev; York Fruit Testing Station in Geneva. Nine stubs were grafted 

 from this wood. One of the grafts, left undisturbed in the top of a bearing tree, 

 bore 7 apples in 1935. The eight remaining stubs v/ere cut rather heavily to ob- 

 tain additional scion material. Part of this material was passed around in order 

 that other growers niight graft a tree or tv/o, and thereby test a promising new- 

 comer among apple varieties. The same thing was done in 1936, and in 1937. No 

 less than 30 apple gro;/ers have been able to start a test of the Kendall variety 

 from the vegetative descendants of that tree top salvaged by Mr. Hamilton in the 

 spring of 1933. The original tree, so the story goes, has died, but its progeny 

 will make possible an earlier decision as to the fitness of a new variety to 

 Massachusetts conditions. It required many years for the Mcintosh and the Baldwin 

 to prove their worthwhileness. Today, through a more vddospread testing, v/e are 

 able to evaluate a variety in less than half the time. 



Do You ti'flke It '.Yith or Without? 



An Englishman visiting this country v/as conducted into a "Bingo Emporium." 

 On returning to England he attempted to describe to a friend this popular American 

 game which he called "aw nuts." His description was soniev/hat as follows. "We 

 went into a large room where there v/ere long tables with people sitting o.round them. 

 Presently a c:;rd was passed to each person. Then somebody began to cr.ll off numbers 

 and in a few minutes one of the players shouted 'bingo' and all the rest yollsd 

 'aw nuts.'" 



When wo have boon making grafting wax how many times we have felt like 

 saying "aw nuts" because the v/ax C".mc out full of lumps instead of having that 

 fine, smooth texture that v;c had expected . The difference between a lumpy wdx 

 and a smooth textured one is frequently due to the manner in which the mixture 

 is cooled. If the mcltod ingredients are poured into cold v/ater (45° F or loss) 

 in lots of not over one pint and allowed to cool thoroughly before attempting to 

 pull it, a smooth, pliable \ir.x \ri.ll usually result. Pouring large quantities of 

 the liquid into v;arm v/ater and then starting to pull it before the whole mass has 

 become completely hardened vi/ill invariably produce a lumpy product. (O. C Roberts) 



Cooporativo Or chards 



In order to test rather coraprohcnsively the value of certain clonal root 

 stocks for apple trees in I.'nssachusotts, the Pomology Experiment Station has fur- 

 nished more than 1,000 tost trocs this spring (mostly tv/o-ycar trees) to thirteen 

 growers scr.ttcrod throughout the fruit gro\7ing sections of the state. The number 

 of trcos per grower varies from 24 to over 400 depending in each case on the wishes 

 of the cooporator and the particular set-up available These cooperative orchards 

 are to bo mnintainod by the grower on a good commercial basis. The Pomology 

 Dcpr.rtmcnt will obtain yo.-.rly records of iTorforraancc of the individual trees in 

 the matter of grov/th. Y/c hope that \ihcn the trees be^in to boar, some records 

 of yield may be taken \;ith the assistance and cooperation of the growers. 



