sections of the U. S. apples show a markedly improved color where the trees 

 are given an adequate water supply throughout the season. If v.'ater is with- 

 held at a critical time the color is dull and unattractive. During a dry- 

 season about ten years ago, a block of large, heavily-laden apple trees in 

 a Corjiecticut Valley orchard seemed to be functioning normally until mid-July 

 v;hen the leaves began to take on a lighter shade, the fruit stopped growing, 

 and the grass cover began to dry up. At harvest time few of the apples were 

 over Zjj inches in size, the color v;as abnormally dull and the flavor v^as 

 disappointing. After that disastrous season a simple irrigation system v/as 

 installed and enough water supplied during subsequent drouths to insure a 

 crop of at lee.st 300 bushels of good quality fruit per acre. 



Does Sawdust Tend to Ac i dify th e Soil? 



R. Vi'. Donaldson, Extension Agronomist, has called to our attention 

 the following report from Rhode Island Agr. Expt. Sta. 3ul . 251, "Comparative 

 Tests of Bedding Material." Three plots of land have received annual appli- 

 cations over a period of 18 years, as follov:s: (1) Manure and sawdust or 

 shavings. (2) Manure and straw. (3) Chemical fertilizers. Equivalent amounts 

 of lime have been applied to each plot. Sawdust or shavings v/ere applied to 

 Plot 1 at the rate of 39 tons per acre, 25 tons having been applied in the 

 last 9 years. Twenty-tv;o tons of straw were applied to Plot 2. These two 

 plots have received 218 and 244 tons of manure respectively. 



Recent acidity tests show the pH of Plot 1 to be 6.5, Plot 2 almost 

 exactly the same (6.49) while Plot 3 vrhich received the chemical fertilizer 

 is very slightly over 7. These data offer convincing evidence that sa^vdust 

 does not tend to acidify the soil more than straxv, v;hile the response of crops 

 proves that it leaves no detrimental residue in the soil. Any fruit grower 

 who may be hesitant about using sawdust as a mulch material for fear it may 

 make the soil too acid, should take courage as a result of these tests in 

 Rhode Island. Sawdust as a mulch material leaves much to be desired, since 

 grass tends to grov/ through it so readily. It does, however, provide some 

 of the desirable features of a mulch material, particularly in stabilizing 

 moisture relations. 



T he Farm Labor Situat ion in Ilass achusett s 



A 'ques'ti'onnarre"vms "recently sent to 600 farmers by R. E. Moser, 

 Extension Economist. Replies were received from 194. Tvro-thirds of this 

 number report that there is a shortage of farm labor in their tovms. A total 

 of 723 men were employed by these farmers at the time of the survey. The 

 average cash v;ages paid to these workers is $43.95 per month v;ith board. 

 TiTorkers who are not boarded are paid an average of $79.91 per month. Wages 

 paid per day are |1.84 v;ith board and ^3.04 without board. Eighty eight 

 farmers lost a total of 174 workers. One hundred and thirty of these were 

 lost to industry and 44 to military service. One hundred and forty seven 

 men or one-fifth of the workers are still subject to military service. Of 

 the 88 farm.ers v;ho lost workers 36 have not been able to replace them with 

 nevr labor. 



Probably the best ansv.'er given so far to the labor situation is 

 found in a report of the F;ural policy Sub-committee on Farm Organization and 

 Practice prepared by Jonathan Davis. The principal items in the report are 

 these: Massachusetts farmers are finding a shortage of farm labor which will 



