Surface Area of an Ap ple Show s Surprisi ng R ate of Increase. The importance of 

 proper timing of the fir'st and second cover sprays was euiphasized oy a study made 

 last summer on the rate of increase of Gravenstein apples shortly after petal fall. 

 W. D. V^hitcorab measured a large number of apples on three successive days, May 19, 

 20 and 21. The average diameter on these three dates, measured in sixteenths of an 

 inch, amounted to 4.3, 4.9 and 5.9 respectively. By applying the formula for cal- 

 culfc.ting the ^rea of a sphere, the apples ware found to have 58 units of area on 

 f'ay 19 and 109 units of ureu on May 21. Thus, it was found that the surface -.rea 

 had pructicully doubled in two days. This helps to explain why the spray coverage 

 on a rupidly grov/ing apple is not as lasting as it might be. In the above experi- 

 ment a spray applied on May 19 would certainly be loss effective than one £.pplied 

 Vay 21 if curculio beetles were feeding most actively on the latter date. 



U. S. Leads in Superphosph ate Product ion. Production of superphosphate from phos - 

 phate rock w^.s st^;.rtcd in the Unitod St...tes in 1868, the year that the phosphate 

 rock minos in South Carolina were opened up. Production rose from 31,400 tons in 

 1868 to 4,005,000 tons in 1938. Since 1920 we h-ve produced each year between 16 

 and 27 per cent of the world's supply of superphosphate. There has been a pt.r- 

 ticul-irly sharp expansion in Russia in rec-int ye:.rs although Germany and Great 

 Britftin produce less than they did before the World IWar. 



And That 's a Lo t of F ertil izer. In 1928 farmers purchased 7,985,000 tons of 

 fertilizer containing 1,35'?, 000 tons of plant food at a cost of $275 ,OuO,000. 

 In 1938 they purchased 7,504,000 tons of fertilizer containing 1,380,000 tons 

 of pl^nt food at a cost of $192,000,000. as comp-.r^d with 1928, 1938 showed 6 

 per c«nt less tonnage, 30 per cent less cost, and 2 per cent more pl^nt food. 



Farm Machinery Pri ces H igher , ii-rly in May the Bureau of Agricultural ii^conomics 

 reported that prices pc.id by farmers for f-^rm machinery other than motor vehicles 

 in 1938 averaged 58 per cent above pro-Wu.r figures. Most types of m-.chines were 

 priced last year at 50 to 100 pur cent above the pre-war price. Smaller increases 

 wore reported for small gas engines and 2-bottora tractor-drawn plows. Seven foot 

 disk harrows :.re more than twice as high as they were <;5 ye^rs ago. 



Summer Sprays Importan t in Brooks Spot Control. In the l.L.y 1 issue of Seasonal 

 Fruit Notes prepared by H. A. Rollins, iixtension Fruit Specialist in Connecticut, 

 vi(e find this suggestion, "Experiments show that June and e^rly July will be the 

 critical period for the control of txiis disease. E. U- Stoddard has checked over 

 18 years' data on spraying experiments at New Haven and feels that the sulfur 

 spray program 'j.s recommended should give control of Brooks Spot, provided sulfur 

 sprays are applied at two-weok interv-als during June and early July. Brooks Spot 

 is a fungus disease and should not be confused v/ith Bddwin Spot." This diso^^se 

 caused much damage in certain orchards in southccstern Massachusetts It.st fall. 

 It was especially serious in one orchard on B-ldvd.ns raid Wugeners. But v/herever 

 fungicidal applications were made as suggested by Professor Rollins this diseaso 

 has not been troublesome in Massachusetts, l/heru wettable sulfurs are applied 

 for scab protection during June and July little dijncige from Brooks Spot should be 

 expected . 



Wax Emulsion s for Apples . An interesting experiment v/ith v-rious kinds of wax 

 emulsions is under way in New York State under the supervision of M. B. Hoffman. 

 He points out six instances where waxing may have some merit, as for example, 

 with Vcjrieties like Grimes Golden and Golden Delicious which tend to lose moisture 

 very rapidly unless stored under conditions of high humidity. Any grower interested 

 in further details m^-y drop a line to the Pomology Department, M.S.C, Amherst, 

 Mass . 



