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That a new insecticide, known as DDT, is found to be extremely and 

 instantaneously toxic to many insects? This material, the full name of 

 which is diohloro-diphenyl-tri-chloroethane, was first synthesized 70 years 

 B-go V-y ^ German chemist. It was not until 1959, however, that it was patent- 

 ed by a Swiss firm as an insecticide. DDT is very toxic against flies, 

 mosquitoes, bedbugs, and body lice, and in powder form may be dusted on 

 human skin without harm. One application of the pov;der to the walls of 

 a room makes the room a death chamber for flies for three months. At pres- 

 ent the entire output of this nev/ material is being used by the Army, Look- 

 ing ahead, one caji foresee a new era of insect control in the orchards of 

 America, 



That the designation "Mailing," applied to dwarf apple trees, is de- 

 rived from the East Mailing Research Station in England, v/here the more common 

 root stock materials for the apple were freed from mixtures, standardized 

 and designated by number as Mailing 1, Mailing 2, etc.? Most of these dwarf- 

 ing stocks are relatively old, as plants go, although their standardization 

 and introduction by number has taken place within the last few years, 



That several of the so-called "Hailing" stocks have been known for 

 many years under various names, including Doucin and English Paradise? 

 Mailing 1, for example, was known as Broad Leaf English Paradise, Mailing 2 

 as English Paradise, Mailing 4 as Dutch Doucin, Mailing 5 as Improved Doucin, etc. 

 Mailing 9 v;as selected as a chance seedling in France about 1879. 



That a sodium salt of dinitro-cresol at concentrations of ,1 to ,2^, 

 applied at blossoming time, offers considerable promise as a means of reduc- 

 ing the set of fruit on certain biennial bearing varieties? This material 

 v/ill destroy a blossom that has been open for oniy a fev/ hours but does not 

 seem to prevent fruit setting if a blossom has been open for a day or more. 

 Thus it is possible by proper timing of the spray to destroy 5 of the 6 

 blossoms on the spur. It is a well knoi-m fact that the center flower tends 

 to open a day or so before the lateral flowers, ^ince this practice is still 

 in the experimental stage, it is recommended that trials be limited to cer- 

 tain varieties, including Transparent, Early Mcintosh, Duchess, suid Vfealthy, 

 in which the results have been quite gratifying. 



That more than 10 million bushels of pears v/ere canned in the United 

 States in 1942? Pear production in the United States varies less from year 

 to year than apple production. The yield of pears in the United States, dur- 

 ing the nine years from 1934 to 1942, varied from 25,943,000 bushels in 1935 

 to 31,704,000 bushels in 1938. 



