-2- 



"loaft-r" tree hovering on the edge of production and nevor recoiving the care 

 which a respectable tree demands, because it doosn't seem to be worth it. A 

 ranrginal orchard to begin with, because the owner happened to plant the trees 

 on the v;rong side ox the road. Or perhaps he pickud tho wrong sito, and as a 

 result, frost damage is frequent. 



There are in Massachusetts many blocks of trees which suffer frost in- 

 jury around blossoming time, in at least one year out of three, just because 

 the cold air doesn't have a chance to slide off to a lov/er level. A poor site 

 often means an "in and out orchard," with a crop in big crop years, only, when 

 everybody has apples to sell. Air drainage and water drainage go hand in hand 

 to insure larger annual yields of fruit. A>solute elevation above sea level 

 is generally less important than the elevation with respect to adjacent areas. 

 And the direction of slope is not a critical factor although a slope of more 

 than 8 or lO^o tends to increase production costs. 



This brings us to the question of locating the next orchard* More trees 

 should be planted next spring on real fruit farms to replace recent losses and 

 to maintain a young orchard enterprise. Vi/e seem to have too many blocks of 

 trees in the 20 to 30-year group. iJew plantings may well be started by forward 

 looking fruit growers to replace these older trees as they pass their prime. 

 We can better maintain a reputation for our product from young trees than from 

 the ones that Dad planted. But let's make sure that we pick the best soil and 

 site on the farm and if there isn't a suitable location at home we ought to 

 know it before the trees are planted. 



Your county agricultural agent can help you interpret the soils map and 

 advise on the adapt t-.bility of your various soil types. The next orchard should 

 bo planted on a deep, well drained soil of good water holding capacity where 

 spring frosts are fev; and far between. 



"True to Name" Fruit Trees 



The usual examination of nursery trees for trueness to name v;as made 

 during August and September by Shaw, French, Roberts, and Southwick of the 

 Department of Pomology staff. l/Vhile the number of misnamed trees found was 

 smaller than in the early years of this work, there are still plenty of them 

 especially among sv/eet cherries and peaches. The identification of varieties 

 of theso fruits is still a difficult problem and a nursery containing about 

 40 varibtias of cherries and 60 varieties of peaches has been buddud to give 

 a battor opportunity to study them. A few thousand trees were certified for 

 the Massachusetts Fruit Grov/ers' Association and a label attached to each tree. 



Eighteen nurseries north and east from Virginia and Michigan were 

 examined. A list of these will be sent to any interested person who addresses 

 a request to the Department of Pomology, Massachusetts State College, Amherst, 

 klass. 



J. K. Shaw 



A Critical Tine in Mouse Control 



The follov^ing timely message comes from V/. W- Dykstra, Biological Survey 

 Agent in Vi/orcester; "The recent snowstorm has caught a lot of orchardists be- 

 fore they had the opportunity to complete their mouse control work this fall. 



