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POMOLOGICAL PARAGRAPH 



William J. Bramlage 

 Department of Plant and Soil Sciences 



Measuring temperatures in cold storages. We have frequently urged storage operators 

 to stop relying on a single thermometer placed near the door to measure storage 

 temperatures. Totally unnecessary risks result from this method of monitoring storage 

 temperature. A better method is to use remote sensing devices, such as thermocouples 

 or thermistors, located at key positions within the storage. 



A recent publication, prepared by J. A. Bartsch and G.D, Blanpied of Cornell 

 University, gives step-by-step instructions for installing and using a thermocouple 

 system for measuring storage temperatures. We urge any storage operator who is 

 not presently using remote temperature measurement to obtain this publication and 

 to use it as a guide for installing such a system. A small error in temperature control 

 can cause a very large loss in fruit quality. A storage operator needs to have as precise 

 a measure of storage temperatures as he can get. The publication, "Temperature 

 Monitoring System for Cold Storage" is Extension Bulletin 430, and can be obtained 

 by writing Helen Rogers, Department of Agricultural Engineering, Cornell University, 

 Ithaca, New York 14853. 



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POMOLOGICAL NOTES 



William J. Lord 

 Department of Plant and Soil Sciences 



Plastic bags filled with dirt aid in tree training. According to the Great Lakes Fruit 

 Growers News (April, 1983) Paul Friday of Coloma, Michigan is using small plastic 

 bags with 2 to H lbs. of dirt as tree training aids for young peach, apricot, and tart 

 cherry trees. The dirt-filled plastic bags are fastened with 2 clothespins to the ends 

 of branches requiring spreading. Mr. Friday believes that wide crotch angles on peach 

 trees, as a result of limb positioning, has reduced the number of canker-infested 

 crotches. 



Producing your own fruit trees. Until recently fruit growers experienced difficulty 

 in obtaining trees from nurseries. Because of this problem, many growers began to 

 propagate their own trees. However, it is now evident that most of us are producing 

 low quality trees which in the long-run will cost us more because of poor performance 

 in the orchard than those purchased from a commercial nursery. Reasons for our lack 

 of success in propagation include poor soil for a nursery, lateness of lining-out the 

 rootstocks, and/or neglect of the nursery. 



