-3- 



Fruit Growers' Field Day in Granville sponsored by the Springfield Fruit Growers' 

 Association and Hcmpden County Extension Service, August 11, M. F. G. A» 

 meeting at the orchard of George Drew in Westford. A third get together in- 

 volving a tour of Franklin County Orchards will include growers from all of 

 the Comiecticut Valley Counties, Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden. Tho date 

 of this meeting has not yet been set. 



Relation of Bloo::i and Sot of Fruit 



YJhcn one trios to dcterniinc tho relation betv/een the mimbcr of 

 blossoms on a fruit troc in May and tho number of fruits in July, he very 

 soon roaches the conclusion that tho two are in no wTuy related. How often 

 we've hoard a remark like this, "¥/ith such a v/onderful bloom, I looked f jr 

 a hca\'y crop, but the apples seorn to be few and far between". This season 

 has done much to demonstrate the importancoj not only of bees in the orchcxdj 

 but of suitable -weather for bee flight, and of ample facilities for cross 

 pollination. It is safe to say that the bees had less than one full day in 

 which to pollinate some of the Mcintosh orchards in tt?.3sachu setts. Rain and 

 cold weather kept then inactive during much of the bless oining period. And 

 under such conditions it is highly important that the pollen for use in the 

 Mcintosh trees be close at hand. Where good pollenizers stand either adja- 

 cent to, or not farther than one row removed from the Mcintosh trees, the 

 set of fruit oootjc on the average to be much better this year than in solid 

 Mcintosh blocls. It is one thing to have fx'uit trees shov/ a mass of pink or 

 white at blooming tine, and somothing quite different to have the half dozen 

 essentials for a satisfactory sot of fruit. 



Tho Spray Injury Situation 



Tho absolute limit in chance taking is to be found in tho elephant 

 discovered leaning over a cliff, vri.th his tail v/rappod around a daisy. Some 

 fruit enterprises rest upon aliaost as shak]/' a support. Tho ovmcr ga.mbles 

 not only v/ith the vagaries of tho weather but v/ith a frosty location, a droughty 

 soil, and sometimos vdth unlcnown spray materials* And all too often a grower 

 gives his fruit problem, only a superficial scanning instead of getting at tho 

 underlying facts. Tlie present spray injury situation offers a good example. 

 More foliage injury has appeared in apple orchards this season tlian in many 

 seasons past. Tlic bettor grower is willing tc admit that he may have sprayed 

 when the tom.peratviro and humidity were tee high. His inexperienced nciglibor 

 prefers tc blame the condition on tho material used, little realizing tliat 

 an earlier scab infection or a starved condition in the tree renders foliage 

 much more susceptible to spray injury. 0. C. Boyd lists the following factors 

 as contributing to spray injury, in approxirjatelordcr of importances (l) 

 Extremely tender foliage that developed during the unusually cloudy, daxip 

 weather. (2) Cloudy, r^uggy, weather that vjas not conducive to drj'^ing of 

 sprayed foliage. (3) Lo\i vigor of tree. (4) Unusually hot,hiir.iLd period 

 from May 29 to June 1, prior to, during or follo-.dng which ixmy growers 

 sprayed either with lir.e-3ulfur alcne or v/ith lim.e-sulfur and lead arsenate. 

 (5) Necessity of using li:v.Q-sulfur in cover sprays in order to cope v/ith the 

 unusual scab situation. (6) Holding the spray nozzles too close to the 

 trees in some orchards. 



