Beach Plvu n Jelly Research Project 



Beach plums (Prunus narltina), growing wild in the colorful Cape Cod 

 area, have an astringency vfhich imparts to jellies and jar.is a delightfully 

 different flavor. Although these products enjoy a good sale at roadside stands 

 and by a few commercial specialty manufacturers, there is comparatively little 

 knov.Ti about the beach plum and its jelly making properties. 



The Department of Horticultural Manufactures at the Massachusetts 

 State College v;ill conduct an investigation of the beach plum for the purpose 

 of standardizing procedures for making jams, jellies, and other preserved prod- 

 ucts from this fruit. Such factors as the effects of variety, maturity, freez- 

 ing, and canning on the pectin, acid, and sugar contents vdll be studied. 

 The nutritive properties of the beach plum and its products v.dll be considered 

 also. 



Because of the growing demand and favorable publicity the beach plum 

 is receiving, an increase each year in the size of the crop is not unlikely. 

 The time is ripe for extensive studies of the beach plum so that it may soon 

 take its place with other better knovm fruits. A. S. Levins 



Apple Grower E nthusiastic about Irr igation 



L. B. IJichols"of Hanover Is sure that irrigation pays. He has sup- 

 plied additional water to his 25-year-old apple orchard for the past 4 years, 

 after 6 years without it. The yield has increased about 50^ under the same 

 fertilizer program, and most of his fruit is in the 2 3/4-inch or better class, 

 instead of 2 l/2. He harvested more than 1000 bushels of Mcintosh from a 2-acre 

 block this season. The color was exceptionally good. 



The irrigation layout is about as simple as one can imagine. Using 

 2 l/2-inch fire hose, bought 8.t 17/ per foot including couplings, the water is 

 raised to the highest point and allov;ed to flow over the surface v/hich is cov- 

 ered by a heavy grass sod. The hose is shifted occasicnalljr to provide dis- 

 tribution. The maximum lift in the orchard is about 35 feet. A 4 H.P. engine 

 operates the 200-gallon pur minute centrifugal pump. Mr. Nichols has no record 

 of the total amount of v'ater used, but it is safe to say that each of the 65 

 trees received at least 1500, and perhaps 2000 gallons during the season. 



Planting a New Orchard 



H. P. Gilmore of V.'estboro sends in this report of his experience in 

 setting out apple trees last spring: "On April 15 while the ground was still 

 wet we set out a 2-acre block of Mcintosh with Early Mcintosh for fillers. Be- 

 cause of the rush of early season work and lack of help we did not get a second 

 3-acre piece ready for setting before May 1, so heeled-in these trees in my 

 garden. About that time I read R. A. Van Meter's article in Fruit Notes stat- 

 ing that the first year in an apple tree's life was very important and that the 

 first month was the most important of all. I decided to set out the 3-acre 

 piece at once rather than wait a year, so the trees were set on the day of the 

 twilight meeting at my place, about May 10. We set the trees in one day in 

 rows 40 ft. apart, 20 ft. in the row, making about 54 trees per acre. That 

 afternoon we took the 500 gal. sprayer and puddled in each tree, sticking the 

 nozzle v;ell into the ground, using about 400 lbs. pressure until the ground 

 boiled. The nozzle was the same as was used in resetting hurricane damaged 

 trees. V'e unscrevred the 8-nozzlo cross head from the regular broom handle and 

 screvred on a single nozzle with one l/4" hole. A small handful of nitrate of 



