"So I feel that the long depresiion, rather than the attitude of 

 apple growers has been responsible for so many poor apples appearing in the 

 markets with the consequent falling off of demand and the further depression 

 of prices. By the same token most apple jrov/ers have had their pride in, 

 and enthusiasm for, quality packs pretty well atrophied over a period of 

 many years, during which better packs have meant only added expense. Since 

 the present economic outlook indicatee the possibility of profitable years 

 aJiead for apple grov/ers, nov/ is the time to stress placing attractivf^ appl«?s 

 before the public as the best possible advertisement for our products. Good 

 packs of apples, plus the promotional machinery brought into existencfj through 

 the depression years, should restore apple production to a sound and profit- 

 able business," 



TIIE SIGNIFICAIICE OF SOIL ACID IT Y IN Tl iE ORCHARD 



For many yiars farmers have considered the various fruit crops as 

 being either very tolerant of acidity or as actually preferring a strongly 

 acid soil. An occasional orchard is found growing on a soil which is much 

 too acid for the grov^th of clover and other legumes. But vie should not 

 lose sight of the fact that cover crops in general have a shallower root 

 system than apple trees and are therefore influenced to a greater extent 

 by the acidity and availability of mineral elements in the surface layer. 

 Cur Massachusetts soils are generally more acid in the surface soil than 

 they are in the subsoil. This is due to at least four causes. (1) Crop 

 removal tends to take from the soil calcium, magnesium and other basic ma- 

 terials. (2) Leaching tends to carry these basic materials into the subsoil 

 or they may be removed in the drainage water. (3) Erosion carries some of 

 these materials to lower levels. (4) Heavy applications of sulfur have great- 

 ly acidified some of our orchard soils. This latter factor alone has actually 

 made the soil ben^jath some of our trees so .acid that nothing but moss will 

 grow at the present tine. All flowering plants, including the various grasses, 

 have bf;en completely excluded because of the acidifying action of sulfur. 

 Under th^jso conditions, one may wonder how an apple tree can continue to live, 

 to say nothing about producing crops of fruit. This mystery is explained by 

 the fact that the roots of an apple tree under good growing conditions range 

 deeply into tho subsoil and also far beyond the spread of the branches where 

 soil conditions may bo much more favorable. 



There is a definite relationship between the availability of the var- 

 ioui mineral elen^'nts needed by a growing plant and the acidity of the soil. 

 If the soil is too acid nitrifying bacteria become inactive and as a result 

 the decomposition of organic matter becomes so slow as to affect the supply 

 of nitrates. Furthermore, if the soil is either too acid or too alkaline 

 phosphorus is believed to be locked up in unavailable forms. V/e may there- 

 fore think of lime as a soil conditioner. As we bring about the desired de- 

 gree of acidity we create conditions which favor the availability of minerals 

 needed for plant growth. In addition, tho lime which we apply contains calcium 

 and laagnesium both of vihich are essential in plant development. 



Every fruit grower should determine tho acidity of the soil in his 

 various blocks to determine whether or not lime is needed, and if so, how much 



