grov/ing upwara into the aecaying nay ana the soil just beneath. It 

 looks as though the trees get the required nitrogen in this v;ay. 

 If one aesires to try the mulching system it might be well to plow 

 ana cultivate the orchard for a fevi- years until weeas ana grass are 

 v/ell subduea una then apply, annually, enough waste hay to cover the 

 gi-ouna thoroughly. Perhaps the mulch can be omitted after two or 

 three years of application. It Iooks as though apple trees like 

 plenty of aecaying organic matter in tne soil. 



J. K. Shaw 



A National Tree Removal Program 



A comm.ittee of tne Massachusetts Jrult Grov/ers' Associ- 

 ation consisting of R. -a. Van Meter, R. ii. Peck, ana W. R. oole is 

 cooperating vvith a national committee in a program aesignea to aid 

 in the stabilisation of apple production through the removal in al3 

 apple growing sections of unaesirable varieties and poorly located 

 orcharas. The situation is briefly as follows: 



The aomestic market for apples In fresh form is limited 

 to approximately 75 milj-ion bushels if growers are to receive prices 

 which are in line witn proauction costs. In the past five years 

 the commercial apple crop has always been above 75 million bushels 

 and reached 115 million bushels in 1957. There v/ould seem to be 

 little chance for improvement in the foreign market in the near 

 future. The fruit grower's income is too low for a satisfactory 

 standard of living, ana the crop must be reauced if the efficient 

 grower is to make a reasonable profit. 



Consumer's stanaaras of qiiaiity are rising steaaily. 

 Cull apples sell more and more slowly at low prices ana tena to de- 

 moralize the market for better fruit. The increase in pests, the 

 equipment now requirea to grow good fruit, ana higher standards of 

 quality aeraandea by consumers have maae thousands of small orcharas 

 unprofitable. Given a minimum of attention or Vifholly neglect ea 

 they yet continue to produce a quantity of low-grade fruit which 

 is very large in the aggregate ana much of which finds its way to 

 market, where it tends to cause grave aisturbances. 



Unaesirable varieties also present a problem. While the 

 list of commercially aesirable varieties is not more than 10 or 15, 

 no fewer than 80 varieties were offerea to F. S. C C. buyers aur- 

 ing the winter of 19o9-40. Reauction in tne mimber of culls and in 

 the nomber of undesir-able varieties ihas become a major problem of 

 the industry. 



The National tonmiittee is maae up of four men: John 

 Chanaler, sterling Junction, Mass.; C. h. i^utton, Milfora Center, 

 Ohio; henry Vj. Miller, Jr., Paw Paw, w. Va.; ana Carl G. ^vooster. 

 Union Hill, N. Y. Thi;-; co'imiittee met witii Aaministrator Evans and 

 other officers of the a. a. a. in ^mshington on May 8, 1940, ana af- 

 ter full discussion of the entire subject, preparea recommendations 

 to the several state coiTimittees ana fruit growers' associations. 



Further aetails of this program v/ill appear in later issues of 

 x'Tuit Notes. 



