-10- 



Thc scion wood was grafted on Alnarp II roots at about 14" 

 above the rootzone and grown in a nursery for one year. They were 

 planted in a growers' demonstration trial in the sprini; of 1974. 

 Trees were spaced at 15 x 22 at 50 trees per row in two adjacent 

 rows. Early productivity has been good, as have been fruit color 

 and size, when compared with other trees in the block. However, 

 the strain has since been sold to Stark Brothers Nursery and re- 

 leased as Starkspur Ultra Mac. 



Variation in growth habit has become obvious in the Nova 



Scotia planting (Figures 1^2) 



In 1983 trees with considerable 



branching and 





Fig. 2. Dewar tree in same block as shown in 



Figure 1 but with standard type growth 

 habit (non-spur) . 



side shoots 

 represented 21% 

 of this plant- 

 ing. Forty-six 

 percent of the 

 trees had typ- 

 ical spur-type 

 growth habit 

 with virtually 

 no side branches 

 on the main 

 limbs. The re- 

 maining 33% of 

 the trees had 

 some degree of 

 spur-type char- 

 acter but some 

 side branching 

 was also present 

 Detailed records 

 of the number of 

 spurs per meter 

 of growth and th 

 amount of extens 

 growth will be 

 recorded in 1984 

 prior to pruning 



e 



ion 



Reports of variation in spur-type tree from have been observed 

 in other strains and cultivars in Nova Scotia orchards but no ratings 

 have been done at this time. 



It is of interest to note that some trees in this block had 

 little or no bloom in 1983. This is also true of Idared on MMlll 

 and Spy on M26. It should be noted that the soil in this planting 

 is quite coarse and excessively drained. This coupled with the 

 very dry harvest season and heavy crop in 1982. appears to have 

 accentuated an inherent biennial bearing tendency. Concerns of 

 this tendency in the spur types are described in 1973 publication 

 titled, "Spur-Type Apple Trees" and is available from the author. 



