Do You Know 



That high school students harvested many of the apples grov/n 

 in V.'ashington last season? V.Tien a serious labor shortage developed at 

 harvest time in the 'Venatchee-Okanogan apple belt, the high schools 

 closed and- 90^ of the students v;ent into the orchards and packing houses. 

 Seventy-four pupils of the Entiat (ViTashington) High School earned 

 $4,351.60, according to "Better Fruit." - R. A. Van Meter 



How many varieties of apples there are? Ragan's List of Variety 

 Karnes appearing in American publications from 1804 to 1904 includes 14,284 

 names. About one-half of these names are considered as synonyms. Evident- 

 ly, about 7,000 names of distinct varieties of apples were published during 

 that one hundred year period. J. K. Shaw 



That a recent Farmers' Bulletin discusses 19 parasitic, 10 non- 

 parasitic and 10 virus diseases of potatoes, a total of 39? The plight 

 of the potato grower seems to be getting tougher and tougher. Not many 

 years ago he was confronted Y.'ith only two diseases, early and late blight. 



J.K.S. 



That losses in unpacked colonies of bees in Ohio are so severe 

 that honey production is unprofitable in tv/o years out of five? The sit- 

 uation may be similar in some sections of Massachusetts. In Ohio, it has 

 been found that, with normal strength colonies having good and sufficient 

 stores and pollen reserves, winter losses can be practically eliminated 

 by supplying insulation equal to 4 inches on the sides and ends, 2 inches 

 on the bottom, and 8 inches on the top of the hives. L. Southwick 



That the use of ozone at a one or two parts per million concen- 

 tration for an hour each day will prevent the development of mold in stor- 

 ages? It Vvdll also retard tiie development of scab, rots, and scald. L.S. 



That the different "fractions" of soil water freeze at different 



temperatures? Free or gravitational water which moves dovmward in the 



soil readily un'de'r~the Trifluence of gravity freezes at or above 29.3° F., 



most of the capillary water between 29,3° F. and 24.8° F. , while the 



colloidally absorbed or combined vmter does not freeze even at a temper- 

 ature of 100" F. below zercT]! fTTis latter water is never available to 

 plants. L.S. 



That boron is icn-own to occur in 56 different minerals? The only 

 T^idely distributed one is tourmaline, a borosilicate of iron and aluminum. 

 Vjhen this mineral weathers, boron is washed out in tlie form of borates 

 which adcumulate in solution in lakes and oceans. L.S. 



That seleniium is the only mineral element definitely known to be 

 absorbed from the soil by plants in sufficient quantities to make them 

 lethal or deadly ti^ animals? This is the cause of "alkali disease" of 

 livestock in the V»est. L.S. 



That a mature apple tree will produce, on the average, about 3 

 pounds of carbohydrates a day throughout the growing season? In clear 

 vreather about half the daily output is produced between 9:30 A.M. and 2:30 

 P.M., according to A. J. Heinicke of Cornell University. He found that dark 

 green leaves produce 2 to 4 times as much as light green or yellowish leaves, 



L.S. 



