-6- 



to a Fancy grade, no one would question the outlay. But frequently a grower is 

 tempted to omit a spray or tvro without realizing that a 3^ per bushel saving may 

 bscome a 50^ per bushel loss, A good example is found in the control of apple 

 maggot or of second brood leafroller. 



Hist or "Hissed" Sprays ? In this hurry-up age with its emphasis on timing 

 and speed, the basic idea of covering each leaf and fruit with spray material so 

 thoroughly that it provides a protective film, is overlooked. One grower with a 

 sprayer too small for his orchard takes pride in the fact that he completes (?) 

 a spray in two days. In reality, he merely pilots the sprayer through the orchard 

 in tv/o days, Yfith good intentions, his mist spray becomes a "missed" spray. This 

 helps to explain why some growers get better control with 8 applications than 

 others, get with 16, 



Sawdust Mulch Sawdust and other wood wastes are useful for mulching or 

 soil improvement if they can be obtained at little cost other than hauling. 

 Addition of nitrogen is necessary, however, to offset the depleting effect on the 

 nitrogen in the soil. Sawdust is very low in nitrogen. Soil bacteria and fungi 

 which cause decay need nitrogen to carry on their activities and if necessary will 

 take it from the soil, thus depressing plant grov/th. Approximately ,$ pound of 

 ammonium nitrate or its equivalent per bushel of loose sawdtist is needed to supply 

 these orgsP.igms alone. It is a safe rule to double the amount of nitrogen where 

 sawdust is used, over that normally applied. 



Mote on Grafting If less than 90% of the grafts make satisfactory growth, 

 the *"grafter" should check these possible causes: Does the scion or bridge make 

 intimate contact with the tree and is it held firmly in place until the union 

 is complete? Is the wound properly waxed to prevent drying? Vfere the scions or 

 bridge material in good condition, with no trace of drying? Yfere vigorous branches 

 selected for top grafting? (The scion will make no better growth than the branch 

 made before removal.) In bridge grafting, is each bridge of sufficient length to 

 insure good contact at either end? Carelessness is responsible for most of the 

 failures in both top and bridge grafting. 



How Acid Is Your Orchard Soil? The ideal plane of acidity for orchard 

 ■ soils in New England is around pH ^.^ to 6,5. But many soils are below pH 5, 

 some of them as low as U, And where only moss is growing beneath the trees the 

 pH is as low as 3.7. Our soils are getting more acid year by year, due in part 

 to the use of sulfur in scab control. It takes about 3 lbs. of lime to offset 



1 lb. of sulfur. Thus if 1|00 lbs, of sulfur are used per acre per year, 3 tons of 

 lime are needed every ^ years just to covinteract the added sulfur. High magnesium 

 lime (about 20^ magnesium) not only adds two important mineral elements, magnesium 

 and calcium, but if applied in sufficient quantity to bring the pH up to at least 

 5.5, it acts as a soil conditioner and sets the stage for an improved chemical and 

 physical set-up. Essential elements become more readily available, the cover crop 

 is improved and the trees take on nevf life, A few years after the natural cover 

 declines, the yield does likewise. We should find out how acid the soil in each 

 block has become and then order the needed high magnesium lime, Ilany soils need 



2 tons per acre immediately and an additional two tons per acre in a year or tviro. 



Soil Drainage and Tree Behavior This season we have had a good chance to 

 observe the effects of a high vmter table in the orchard. Aside from the incon- 

 venience of getting mired with the sprayer, a water-logged root system has a real 

 influence on tree behavior. VJhen the oxygen content of the soil air falls below 



