-7- 



inakes these recommendations: (l) Follow spray practices which v,'ill eliminate 

 the necessity of washing or brushing the fruit, (2) Pick the fruit carefully 

 in rig-id containers, employing;; pickers on a timo basis, (o) Yvhere possible, 

 pack directly from the picking containers without dumping, (4) V.Tien tender 

 varieties are packed in boxes with a bulge, the container should be stored 

 and transported on its side, (5) More educational work should be done with the 

 trade and retail handlers to prevent rough handling from orchard to consumer. 



That Ladino Clover is proving a soil conserver par excellenoe? 

 A, B, BeaiJimont, Extension Soil Conservationst says, "A newcomer ar.iong forage 

 crops bids fair to become one of our best soil conservers. Ladino, or giant 

 white clover was introduced into Massachusetts in 1923. The rapid increase 

 in the acreage of this legume in this state is remarkable: In 1940 there 

 vvcre a pproximately 2,000 acres of it. Its spreading habit, mat of tough 

 runners and branching root system make it almost ideal for, holding soil against 

 forces of erosion. Being a legume it is rich in protein and excellent for 

 pasture or hay. It thrives best on moist, fertile soils. It appears that 

 this cr<^P may persist indefinitely under favorable grovjth conditions, but 

 experience accumulated to date indicates that aproductive life of 3 to 5 

 years is a reasonable expectation in Ivlassochusetts." 



That Indian Orchard, near Springfield, may have derived its name 

 from the wild fruits harvested there by the Indians, County Agent Y.'. T. 

 Locke submits this statement found in the Springfield Library, "Below 'Great 

 Falls' v.'hich v/as Indian Leap, the Chicopee River widens forming v;hat ivas 

 knoivn as Big Cove, embracing nanj'' acres of comparatively still waters which 

 surrounded an island containing four acres of fertile land with grape vines 

 in abundance, also v;ild apples and plum trees. Some of the older residents 

 declare that this island r;as the 'Indian Orchard' from which our village 

 was named. The island is now covered by the flowagc from a canali' Mr. Locke 

 adds that the water impounded by the present dam could cover a good many 

 four acre islands, 



A_Tip from the Re tailer 



Retail storekeepers meeting v.dth- fruit growers in Springfield said 

 that they would welcome an apple grading law v^hich would require that apples 

 be correctly graded according to quality when on sale in retail stores. They 

 pointed out that if such a law were enforced, and the storekeeper himself were 

 penalized for deterioration in quality, ho would learn to be more careful in 

 handling his apples. He v;ould buy better quality to begin with and he would 

 so regulate his purchases that his fruit would be cleaned up before it had 

 a chanc i to deteriorate. Thus the consumer would get better quality fruit 

 and the conscientious retailer would benefit through the elimination of mis- 

 labeling by his less scrupulous competitors. J, IV. Dayton 



Public Hea lth Servi ce Finds S pra yed Appl es Not Dan gerous 



Most fruit groy;ers are aAvare that for the ptTst three years the 

 U. S. Public Health Service has been conductiz^.g an investigation of the dan- 

 ger to public health from lead and arsenic residues on apples. A 180-page 

 report of their work has been published, ivhich should be reassuring to any 

 wlio fear that their health may bo endangered by eating sprayed apples. Studies 

 were made of 1231 men, women, and children living in the apple grov/ing regions 

 of VJashington. Many of the individuals studied were engaged in orchard spray- 



