-7- 



POSSIBLE RE.ISONS FOR POOR COLOR OF BALDV.'IM APPLES . 



Br.ldvdn apples in many orchards sh-'wed inferior c ^l/^r this full 

 even though harvest was delayed until October 15 or later. This lack of 

 c 5lor nay be related tc oji unusually mild nonth if Oct ")bcr. H'jre's one 

 theory, for v/hat it nay be v.orth. 



In most seasons a hoavy frost occurs bef '.'re the first oC Oct /ber. 

 This tends to check leaf activity and set the stage for the development of 

 color in v.-iutor varietitjs. During the current season only light frjsts occured 

 in m^iy areas evon as late r.s mid - October, i-nd the loaves continued t^'.' 

 manufactii.ro st.:.rch. As this is being v/ritten (October 30) the weather is 

 still s ) warm that ripples hanging on trees may still be increasing in size and 

 certain other grjvrth processes may bo c^mtinuing on a moderate scale. A 

 rank gr'ovrth of now grass in recent v;eeks is further evidence that Nature is 

 taking advtuitago of the springlike weaxher in ono last vegetative fling. 



Our theory, -chen, is briefly this - A supply of the material (glu- 

 cocide), frjm v/hich the red color pigirisnt is made, failed to materialize 

 because the starch Viias continually being used elsev/here. And so the Baldv.dn 

 apples remained more or less green. A heavy frost might have done two things; 

 (1) Induce the tree to terminate its sur.imer activities, emd (2) Bring on the 

 clear atm.esjhore which favors the transmission of ultravi )let light, a vor^ 

 effective aid in the coloring process. 



But Baldvidns in some orchards m.aj/ have failed to color for another 

 reason, - red mite. The leaves v/ero actually so bronzed as to be very in- 

 efficient in starch ratxiuf acture. Very poor loaves mean very limited starch 

 supplies, slow m£\turity -^f the fruit and retarded color development. There 

 is reason to believe that red mite tends to build up more rapidly where 

 DDT is used sines it kills off some of the natural enemies of the red mite. 



TREATMENT OF PRUNING- ".VOUI.DS. 



Much valuable time is wasted in pninting pruning v/ounds. In fact 

 some amateurs seem to place more emphasis on painting than they do en cutting 

 off the proper limbs. In a vigorous tree, any correctly made cut up to 1-^ 

 or 2 inches in dicmeter tends to heal conplotely before doc;.y sets in whether 

 treated or not. Larger cuts, particularly on winter injured trees, should 

 perhaps be treated. 



Decay in older trees is t^dcen for granted and, if we assume that a 

 40-year-old apple tree has reached the replacement sta^e, we are naturally 

 less interested in pi'cserving it intact as we might a valued antique, iilain- 

 tenanco of a strong frainewcrk thr..ughout the useful lifetime of the tree and 

 protection of the foliage are luore important tht'ji the mere treatment '">f 

 pruning wounds. For v/ithout these two essentials vio are attempting to patch 

 up a decrepit shell instead of focusin.g our attention on things that count. 



In Comoll Bulletin 821, by Vi'clch end MacDaniels, the essentials 

 of a good wound dressing are stated as follows: "Vfood decay greatly limits 



