-7- 



supplied in liberal amounts as this soil was low in these elements, and this 

 same year scorch appeared. Leaf analyses again showed high K and also low 

 Mg. These facts, together with corroborative evidence in England and Canada 

 on the relationship of Mg deficiency and high K availability, seemed to prove 

 that Mg shortage in our orchards Viras more than a myth. 



In October, 1941, soil was taken from this latter orchard for green- 

 house pot tests v»ith differential fertilizer treatments. Small apple trees were 

 planted on February 3 and 4. About the middle of April, symptoms of Mg defi- 

 ciency began to show up in certain pots. Now (April 27) the sj.Tnptoms are very 

 distinct. Wierever Mg was included (as llgCOs, MgS04, or I,Ig-limestone) no such 

 sj'-.iiptons appear. Where muriate of potash v/as the only fertilizer given, leaf 

 injury is severe and some of the older leaves have already dropped off. Trees 

 in pots fertilized with N-P-K show Mg deficiency, but those with N-P-K plus lig 

 show none whatever. The trees in the check pots where no fertilizer was added 

 also shov;' no deficiency sjonptons. This is further evidence that, with a soil 

 already low in Mg, N and especially K-fertilization may increase Mg deficiency 

 syiiiptoms . 



VJhether other orchards in Massachusetts suffer from a shortage of LIg • 

 is not known at the present time. However, it is a possibility that Mg de- 

 ficiency may be more general than realized. Grov;ers should be on the lookout 

 for the characteristic sjTnptoms, such as yellow mottling and brown d-;ad areas 

 on the edge or in the central portion of the leaf, and premature defoliation 

 of the older leaves. Often the foliage is a paler green than normal in the 

 initial stages. Growth is usually normal until late August and September vihen 

 the symptoms show up rather suddenly. 



ITe hope that growers will observe their orchards a little more closely 

 than usual this year and advis'^ us if suspicious symptoms become evident, 



Lawrence Southwick 



Amherst Rainfall 



Most of us remember the exceedingly dry month of April, 1941, when 

 only .55 inches of rain fell in Amliersti The month of April, 1942 brought 

 only a little more rain, ,96 inches. The normal for that month is 3.55 inches. 

 In comparing the month of March for the two years, we find only 1.63 inches 

 in 1941 and 7,89 in 1942. 



The severity of the drouth in 1941 is even more apparent w'hen we com- 

 pare the total rainfall in the two years for an eight-month period up to May 1, 

 From September, 1940 to May, 1941 the total rainfall in Amherst ainounted to 

 only 17,8 inches. Over a corresponding period, September, 1941 to May, 1942 

 we received 27.17 inches. In other v^rords, we start off this spring vdth 10.3 

 inches more than we had last spring. It is unfortunate that much of our pre- 

 cipitation during the past months came while the ground was frozen. All things 

 considered, however, the soil is better supplied with moisture at the present 

 tLme than it was a year ago. 



Jarring Proves Successful in Curc ulio Control 



Four thousand ninety one curculio beetles collected from 80 poach 



