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Apple Grower Pleased with Sawdust j .iulch 



Paul V.'ashburn of Leominster has been using spare time to good advan- 

 tage in transferring a huge pile of sawdust to a relatively droughty part of 

 his orchard. Using a truck body holding about S-g- cords he has spread 160 

 loads around the trees in a c-acre area. At 4 tons per load, that means a 

 total of 640 tons of wet sawdust. Making full allowance for the large amount 

 of water which it contains, that's a lot of sav/dust. Paul is delighted with 

 the results. Young trees which were not doing very well before are now making 

 good grov.'th. 



A liberal layer of sawdust on a hillside must aid very materially in 

 the penetration of rainfall. It must also prevent surface evaporation to some 

 extent, and if sufficiently heavjs it helps to hold dovm competing vegetation. 

 Unlike mulch materials containing more nitrogen, which decay rapidly, sawdust 

 is -/aluable mainly because it stabilizes the moisture supply in the soil. 

 ViTiere sav;dust may be had for thf hauling, this method of mulching may well 

 be considered as a means of utilizing labor and trucks at odd times. 



Seagraves Honored 



H. S. Seagraves, pioneer fruit grover of V.'est Newbury, was the re- 

 cipient of a set of Bailey's "Cyclopedia of Horticulture " at the final twilight 

 meeting of the season in Essex County. Meeting at the Brooksby Farm in Peabody 

 late in August this presentation from friends and neighbors came as a complete 

 surprise. After spending a number of years in the clothin^ business in Boston, 

 Mr. Seagraves took over the management of the Long Hill Orchards which he has 

 successfully managed for more than 20 years. During these years he has exerted 

 a real influence on the fruit industry in Essex County and has shov/n a spirit 

 of friendly cooperation. His friends and neighbors have also seen fit to con- 

 fer upon him the title, "Dean of Essex County Fruit Growers." V.'e join in con- 

 gratulating ?Iarry as he receives this unique honor. 



Sm.all Fruiis Investigations a t Beltsv ille, lid. 



At the recent horticultural "seminer in Amlierst, J. R. Magness told 

 of research now under v;ay in the breeding of cranberr^/ varieties resistant to 

 "False Blossom." Some of these ncv; varieties appear to b e more productive than 

 the varieties now being grown. Ho also stated that a new type of cranberry, 

 the cells of which possess double the normal number of chromosomes, has been 

 developed by the use of that magic chemical of plant breeders, colchicine. 

 Investigators arc also attempting to develop blueberries V;-hich will thrive on 

 upland soils, lie. stated that the Blakemore strawberry is now the most exten- 

 sively planted of all strawberry varieties. 



An Interesting Old Timer 



On the farm of V.'. J. Nutting in Leominster there stands one of the 

 largest Baldwin trees v;e have ever seen. The trunk circumference at a point 

 about a foot above the ground is 11 feet. Tiie circumference of the outer 

 branches is 129 feet. Iv.r. Nutting, v;ho has lived on this farm for about 75 

 years, says it v;as a large tree v.'hen he was a boy. He recalls harvesting 15 

 barrels of apples from this tree in a single season 50 years ago. It is in- 

 teresting to note that graft unions are still apparent on the branches. Evi- 

 dently this was a seedling tree grafted to Baldwin 100 or more years ago. 



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