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Items From Here and There 



According to a report of recent investigations at the Mo. Exp. Sta., 

 relative size of apples on a tree is determined by two factors, leaf area near 

 the individual apple and number of seeds it contains. Observations on several 

 hundred bearing Wealthy spurs, collected at rcndom froci the interior and ex- 

 terior of a large tree producing a heavy crop, showed close relationship be- 

 tween v/eight of fruit and number of seeds and between weight of fruit and weight 

 of spur leaves. The author states that flowers poorly situ;',ted with ruference 

 to food supply, require more efficient pollination than those more fr.vorably 

 located. 



Productiveness and fr.vorable physical properties of the soil go hand in 

 hand \d.th the rate of humus renev/al, according to R. E. Stcvonson, viTiting in the 

 Rural New Yorker. He states that the penetration of v/ater is slow end sometimes 

 impossible when the humus is exhausted by too much cultivation. Soils rich in 

 humus not only favor the penetration of rainf:.ll but have a greater moisture 

 holding capacity. 



In a recent article in the Americr.n Fruit Grower, F. E. Gladwin states 

 thf-t the cross pollination of grape blossoms is brought about almost entirely 

 by air currents. Bcos or other insects play but a smcull part in the dissemina- 

 tion of grape pollen. His investigations show that grape pollen is carried by 

 air currents to a distance of about 16, feet. This suggests a need for surround- 

 ing self sterile and imperfectly fertile varieties with good pollenators in 

 order to take advantage of changing winds. Tests show that mr.ny varieties may 

 be made to boar more compact clusters through the artificial r.pplication of good 

 pollen. With the exception of the Brighton variety, most of our commercial var- 

 ieties arc inclined to bo self fertile. 



A comnercial appr.ratus for frost protection, advertised in California 

 operates upon the principle of moving the cold air out of the low places and drain- 

 ing v/arm air into its place. The outfit looks like an airplane beacon or a high 

 tension electric tov;er surmounted by a horizontally revolving airplane propeller 

 driven by a motor. 



From the standpoint of codling moth control, '. new material known as 

 Phenothiazine, is proving highly effective. Initial tests show that it is an 

 efficient means of preventing "stings" and that the residue is not harmful to 

 the consumer. But it has its disadvantages, in that it is likely to decrease 

 the color of the fruit, may affect the foliage somewhat and is irritating to 

 the skin of some individuals using it. 



A single anther, or pollen sac, in an apple blossom may contain as 

 many as 8,000 or 9,000 pollen grains. As pollen producers, Delicious and Stark- 

 ing vi.'ore found to bo among the highest v/hile Cortland, Mcintosh and Wealthy 'wore 

 in the low pollen group. Anthers in these varieties sonetimcs contain only h:;lf 

 as nany as in the Delicious. 



A so-called "dynamte" spray is attracting some attontion in the 

 Northwest. This material is an oil-lead arsenate coabination which scorns to bo 

 more effective against codling noth. Its virtue lies in the building up of a 

 load arsenate deposit. Obviously, the use of this material late in the season 

 greatly complicates the problem of spray residue rcuoval. 



Hov; the past six years have reduced orchard acreage by forcing out the 

 less profitable orchard is shown by a report from Yakana County, Washington. 

 In 1936, this county had 47,1322 acres of fruit as against 54,881 acres in 1930. 

 A similar sifting out of handicapped locations is taking pl;.cc in the Nortljcast. 



