-7- 



THimJING PBACIIES BY THE "CLUBBING" I^ETHOD 



Hero are two reports on a nev; methvod of thinning peaches » 



Carl Henry of V/estboro says, "I am satisfied that the method I used 

 saved rae considerable time and money. I used a light stick about the size 

 of a brooi;i handle with about eight inches of rubber hose slipped over one end. 

 I found tliat I could hand thin the lower branches nearly as quickly as I 

 could vdth the stick. Therefore, I "clubbed" only the branches that I could 

 not reach without the use of a ladder. It took me about a half day to get 

 into the swing of this method. "I'/hether I shall continue to use this method 

 next year v;ill depend on how the peaches look v/hen I harvest them this fall. 

 I don't believe any injury was done to tlie tree or the remaining peaches 

 but of course you cannot select the peaches to be taken off as carefully 

 as by the hand method. By the hand method you should get a distribution 

 of peaches something like this: d — By the clubbing method 



it will be more like this: .0^. .. ... ^ . 



C5 «:j — 



Vfalter D, V/eeks of the Vforcester County Extension Service gave a 

 demonstration of this method at a meeting of fruit growers in Leominster, 

 He says, "'Club thinning' consists of knocking off the peaches with a short 

 stick such as a broom handle, A piece of old garden hose is attached to 

 the stick to prevent severe bruising of the peach limbs. Tw^'o such sticks, 

 one about 18" long and one 30-40" work very well; the longer stick is used 

 to reach the higher branches, \7ith a little practice one can thin much 

 faster by the 'club' method than by the conventional hand method." 



DUSTING FOR ORIENTAL FRUIT MOTH CONTROL 

 j i I I ■ . . 



Oil Dusts were developed and first used for the control of Oriental 

 Fruit Moth in_Illinois in 1929. Extensive work by the Natural History Survey 

 Division of Illinois has showTi that Oil Dusts are quite effective in combatting 

 this insect. The use of this material has become a standard practice among 

 grov/ers in many peach sections where Oriental Fruit Moth is apt to take its 

 toll. Control of Oriental 'Fruit Moth by means of insecticides is never 100^ 

 effective, but tho degree of control with Oil Dusts is sufficient to keep 

 losses from this insect v/ithin reasonable limits. 



The present i;>aterial, for use just' prior to the harvest season, con- 

 tains the following active ingredients: Petroleum Oil - 5^o, Sulfur - 1)1%, 

 This dust is designed for use on peaches for control of Oriental Fruit Moth, 

 Brown Rot, and Scab. The recommended practice involves applications at 5 day 

 intervals, beginning 4 v;eeks before the fruit ripens. Thus, applications 

 begin at an earlier date on early ripening peaches than on late ripening 

 peaches. The objective is to maintain a light, uniform coating over the fruit 

 during the period whon the larva of the Oriental Fruit Moth is apt to make 

 its entry. The Oil Dust may have some ovicidal properties, but it acts prin- 

 cipally on the young larvae as they hatch from the eggs and crawl to the 

 fruit to make their entry. 



In the final analysis, the success of this material in the control 



