-3- 



The labor cost was 5,350 per bushel and tlie gasoline cost .Ojc-or a total of .5«9# 

 per bushel for orchard grading. 



Of the 7852 bushels sorted in the orchard, 10^9 bushels of small or defective 

 aoples were eliminated and sent immediately to a processor. If they had been _^ 

 stored orchard run, the grower v/ould have paid charges amounting to 500 per bushe^. 

 (storage, 30(S; cartage, 5^4 j crate rental, lO^j crate liner, 5^>. The savings 

 effected by eliminating the inferior fruit amounted to $52li..50. And because the 

 field-graded apples were not so badly bruised, they brought an average premium of 

 lU^ per bushel, or a total of ^952 .U2, When the savings and premium vrere added, 

 the total was 19?! per bushel on all apples graded in the orchard. 



These trials led to the conclusion that under the conditions existing in many 

 Hichigan orchards, a mobile grader will substantially increase net returns. It is 

 most useful in orchards where the fruit is stored orchard run and marketed in 

 ujifaced packages. Several concerns are manufacturing mobile graders and they are 

 reasonably priced. (The above report vras taken from Michigan Quarterly Bulletin 

 of Hay, 1951) 



With a higher percentage of scabby or othen-fise blemished apples in some of our 

 Massachusetts orchards this year, orchard grading should be carefully considered. 

 The cost of transporting, storing and handling inferior fruit may bring about a 

 serious reduction in net returns, lYe cannot afford to pay 30^ per bushel to store 

 apples which will be discarded later. 



THE APPLE I'lAGGOT SITUATION 



The month of July never fails to bring to Massachusetts apple orchards an 

 umelcome visitor, the apple maggot fly. This year there promises to be one of the 

 heaviest visitations in years. The stage is set for an abundance of flies, the van- 

 guard of which is already at work as this is being Y/ritten (July 3). ^''T^y more 

 flies than usual? Because more drop apples vrere left on the ground last fall. The 

 poorer the apole, the more likely it is to remain on the ground. Among the 

 thousands of" iDushels left last fall and summer, a sizable percentage served as 

 breeding places for the apple maggot. Not all, by any means, of the flies emerging 

 this summer will appear in orchards v/ithout care in 1951. Some are almost certain 

 to show up sooner or later, wherever trees are bearing apples in which the flies 

 can lay their eggs. They have a habit of showing up unexpectedly and unobserved, 

 Yfe look for the worst maggot infestation in years, but hope our expectations will 

 not be realized. Tlie solution to this problem is within reach of every grovrer. No 

 pest is more completely controlled if the grower will carry out a few simple 

 control measures, knovTO to be effective. 



Only a very small proportion of the flies are believed to remain in the ground 

 more than one year. Thus we have reason to expect most of the maggots entering the 

 ground in 1951 to appear as flies this summer. They will be inclined to fly no 

 farther than necessary to find apples in v:hich to lay their eggs. The peak of 

 emergence, on the average, comes in late July, generally around July 20 to 25. Late 

 emerging flies and migrants will present a problem throughout the sup;er. Best 

 results will be obtained by spraying or dusting all mature trees, whether bearing 

 or not. Those biennial bearing trees which bore a crop of maggot infested fruit 

 last year Yiill require special attention, A tree of a summer or fall variety, now 



