-6- 



anctj along tht*t linv^ this spring, th<j jjlxtunsion Sorvice will wdlcome an oppor- 

 tunity to pass judgmont on any sit a in which a grower is intisrusted. A few 

 ruqutists of this naturo have already como in. A telephone call to the county 

 office Vi'ill provide a rating of site and soil ut the earliest opportunity. Not 

 long ^go viQ 1-^arndd of th^^ ri^cent planting of on= fairly large commercial orchard 

 on onvi of the poorest soil types in the Northeast. A f>jw holes dug hure and there 

 to reveal internal drainage and aeration, or even a look at a Soils Map will go 

 a long way tow-.rd avoiding such pcirmanont mistakes. A rathur thorough study of 

 thi^ soil typiiS in Massachusetts provides thu basic information for ev,.luating 

 your prospective location. It ra^y be either better or v/orse than the oth^r side 

 of the hill. 



Gonsumor Varitjty Pr^furencas 



V». i. piper submits this story in the latest Apple Market Report. 

 "Interesting evidence of the consumer popularity of Mcintosh is revoaled in a 

 check-up of variety preference as a part of a retail apple market study conducted 

 by Phillip B- Sniff under the supervision of the State lixtension Service. Re- 

 tailers vi^ere asked to state what varieties were preferred. The number of times 



That there is still much room for consumer education is shovm by the fact that 

 only 4T/o of the apple consumers ask for apples by variety name. Most of the re- 

 maining 53/o ask for either "cooking" or "eating" apples. A few simply ask for 

 "appltts." Of the people who buy apples at chain stores, 51/J specify the variety 

 desired, of those who purchase from independent stores, 49/o specify varieties. 

 Patrons of medium and high class stores specify variety in 51/ of their apple 

 purchases, but patrons of low class stores specify variety in only 34/o of their 

 purchases. The practice of asking for a specific variety is more prevalent in 

 the Boston >^roa than in uny other region of the state. In this :^rea, 54/o of tha 

 apple consumers ask for apples by variety, in the western Massachusetts area, 

 51/c and in the Capo area, 39/o." 



Items From Here and There 



Avoiding Bark In.j ury. Bark injury to Mcintosh tree trunks may be avoided by 

 top working on hardy stocks. However, one should not expect a hardier top. 



