-6- 



It is premature to state the minimum content of mineral elements in 

 leaves, but they •vrill be somewhere near this; Nitrogen 2%; Phosphorus 0.15^; 

 Potassium 1%; Calcium 1%', Magnesium 0.2^ of the dry matter. There will be a 

 border zone around these percentages indicating that trees may or may not be 

 suffering from a deficiency; but if they are well above, the grower may well 

 save his money. 



The v;-riter has made many foolish statements regarding orchard ferti- 

 lization in the past 40 years, and one more may do little harm. So here goes I 

 The next generation of fruit growers will rely largely on a chemical analysis 

 of the leaf for determining his orchard fertilizer program. Let future years 

 show whether this is another foolish statement. 



— J. K. Shaw 



grot; VEGETABLES AS ViTELL AS FRUITS 



Home vegetable gardens are a wartime necessity. They are a vital 

 part of the nation's food production program. The farm labor situation is 

 so tight that regular farmers the nation over will be hard put to reach the 

 food production of the past few years. That means that home gardens must 

 again produce a good share of our vegetable supply. In 1944 these home gar- 

 dens produced over 40^ of the fresh vegetables. Every family, with good 

 land available, should play safe and grov/ their own in 1945. Following is 

 a list of leaflets which are free to residents of Massachusetts. They may 

 be obtained from the county extension office or from the Mailing Room, 

 Massachusetts State College, Amherst. 



No. A34, Home Storage; A59 , Home Vegetable Garden; Al55, Compost for 

 the Home Garden; A171, Pest Control in the Home Garden; A231, Potatoes in the 

 Home Garden; A232, Starting Vegetable Plants at Home. 



Insist on "High Magnesium" Lime. If your orchard needs an application 

 of lime this spring, by all means make it high magnesium or dolomitic 

 lime. It should be ordered as such. Otherwise, it is likely to be 

 high" calcium lime. To make doubly sure, read the label on the bag 

 when the shipment arrives. The ajialysis should show at least 15^ 

 MgO. 



Res cuing a Tangled Grapevine . Late March is an ideal time to prune 

 grapevines for at lea's't three reasons; (1) The snow will have set- 

 tled enough (we hope) to expose the entire vine. (2) If winter in- 

 jury has occurred it should be apparent by that time. (3) The vine 

 is not inclined to "bleed." A good job of pruning and 2 or 3 well 

 timed sprays or dusts may mean the difference between a highly sat- 

 is factory and a disappointing crop of grapes. (For further details 

 on the subject of grapes, see Extension Leaflet No. 64, "Gl-ape Culture 

 in Massachusetts," and Extension Leaflet No. lOOA, "Grape Spray 

 Schedule." 



