"Glass Wool" as a Plant Mulch 



In a recent issue of Hossier Horticulture, J. A. McOlin- 

 tock reports on the effects of glass wool bats or blankets as a 

 mulch for small fruits ana young fruit trees. In aauitlon to con- 

 trolling- weeas between the strawberry rows, plant growth Vi'as con- 

 fijiea to a more restrictea area, fewer late plants aevelopea, ana 

 berries began ripening two aays earlier. In the raspberry planting, 

 new canes were more vigorous ana taller than plants of the same 

 variety (Latham) mulched with alrall'a hay or left unmulchea. Moist- 

 ure control was apparently an important factor. Both of the aoove 

 fruits showea increasea yields under the glass mulch. But this was 

 in airoct contr-^st -wiLh the results obtainea in mulching gooseberries, 

 where a heavy early arop of fruit occurrea. 



Trena of Apple Varieties in Western Ne'v York 



For many years the apple inaustry of western New York 

 has sufferea from having too many varieties, a carry-over from the 

 aays of tne home orchara v/hen a tree or two each of many varieties 

 providea apples ano ciaer for the farm faraily. Since 1900, tv.'o 

 varieties, Mcintosh ana khoae Islana Greening, have made up one- 

 third of the plantings in the area, v/ith percentages of 20.5 and 

 14.2 respectively. Five leading varieties (the above plus Delic- 

 ious, Cortlana ana Rea Rome) have account ea for two-thiras of the 

 plantings. Since 1950, these five varieties have maae up Vo'/o of 

 the trees set. 



Vitamin Content of Appxes 



vvinesap apples from plots receiving adaitional N, P, 

 and K are reportea in Washington bulletin ;r575 to have no higher 

 content of Vitamin than fruit from check plots. Jonathan ana 

 Delicious from the same trees but differing in the amount of red 

 coloring shov/ea no markea difference in Vitamin C content of highly 

 colorea and poorly colored fruit of either variety. The relative 

 amounts in Spitzenburg, Winter Banana ana Sta^-man v;ere 2, 1, and 

 .9, respectively. The peel of Richarea apple was found to be at 

 least five times as rich in Vitamin A as the flesh of the apple. 



Digestibility of Apple Silage 



i.:t,uoting from Viashington oulletin /f56£, "A mixture of SO^c^ 

 apples ana 20^o alfalfa hay was ensiled tv/o different years. The 

 digestibility was aeterminea during two years with sheep fed ex- 

 clusive rations of the silage. On a dry matter basis the apple- 

 alfalfa hay silage contained an average of 5.4% of aigestible crude 

 protein and 57.2^0 of total aigestible nutrients. In feeding trials 

 with cows, the experimental ration containing the apple-alfalfa hay 

 silage producea an average of 45.5 lbs. of 4^/a milk as comparea with 

 44.5 lbs. on the basal ration. Tnese experiments aemonstrate that 

 cull apples may be effectively utilizea as a feoa for dairy cows by 

 ensiling them v;ith alfalfa hay in the proportion of 80% apples ana 

 20% alfalfa hay." 



