-8- 



Aii EASY y;ay to tiiin fruits (?) 



The use of caustic sprays applied at full bloom to thin apples and 

 peaches has been investigated in various fruit growing states, in view of 

 the prospective shortage of labor some of our growers may wish to try this 

 method of thinning and promoting annual bearing of biennial varieties » No 

 experiments have been made at the College but we expect to try it this year. 

 We are not yet ready to recomriend this practice except as an experiment. 

 We v/ould be glad to make suggestions to any fruit groiver v;ho wants to try 

 it. Blossom spraying to thin fruits offers promise and v;hen v;o learn just 

 hov; to do it, vre may adopt this nev/ practice in fruit grov/ing. 



— J. K. Shaw 



TREATIvlEHT FOR I.IAGIIESim.I DEFICII^NCY 



Some suggestions for the treatment of magnesium deficiency in apple 

 orchards in Massachusetts are as follows; 



(1) Broadcast one to tv;o tons per acre of a high magnesium limestone, 

 and work into the soil if possible. The limestone should contain more than 

 15 percent MgO. High magnesium limestone is available under the Atik program, 

 it is often spoken of as dolomitic limestone. The use of limestone is ex- 

 pected to help tremendously in effecting a lasting cure of the trouble. 



(2) Apply 5 to 10 pounds of Epsom salts per tree depending on tree size 

 and previous symptom severity. This may be applied about the same time and 

 in the same v/ay that nitrogen fertilizers are applied. The magnesium in 

 Epsom salts will be more quickly available to trees than that in limestone. 



(3) Probably the quickest way to relieve magnesium deficiency is by 

 spraying the foliage of affected trees with Epsom salts solution. Three 

 special applications are suggested at v/eekly to ten-day intervals, beginning 

 just after the calyx spray. Use 20 pounds of Epsom salts per 100 gallons 



of vmter. Lacking sufficient evidence on the safety of including the Epsom 

 salts in the regular spray mixtures, special or separate applications are 

 suggested. 



(4) Be cautious in applying potash to orchards that have shown definite 

 magnesium deficiency sj,Tnptoms, Considerable evidence shows that potassium 

 fertilization aggravates magnesium deficiency symptoms and there are appar- 

 ently few orchards in this state that are suffering from an actual shortage 

 of potassiuiii at the present time, 



— Lav;rence Southwick 



HEW SEEDLING APPLES 



Some years ago. Professor F. C. Sears started a Small apple breeding 

 project at Massachusetts State College. Most of the trees have nov/ fruited 

 for one or more years and, as might be expected, they vary widely in both 

 tree and fruit. 



