- 10 - 



SEEN A^ID HEARD IN THE FIELD 



■ Interest in Orchard Reorganization , On many J/Iassachusettc fruit farms steps are 

 being taken to facxlitate orchard management. Here is one example; In a Vifor- 

 cester County orchard a particular block cai tains l^Li crevrded trees. The avmer 

 was undecided about tree removal. In 1$ minutes a simple map was prepared on 

 cross section paper, A study of the two sets of diagonals shovred that one cf 

 them included the only blank space and the poorest tree in the block. The c/r.'£r 

 then proceeded to mark each tree in these alternate diagonal rows by chippii c; 

 off a little bark on the sane side of each trunk, to guide the vrorkmnn who f j^.- 

 lowed with a cliain saw, ViTith only half as many trees to spray and with good 

 light exposure from all sides, more good apples should be harvested in this 

 block than in several years past, 



A Dust and Spray vs, A Dust Program, A new owner of a small orchard of tall 

 trees has a duster and sprayer in needof rather extensive repairs plus a means 

 of transporting it. The trees are now being lowered by making a few relatively 

 heavy cuts, but not as drastically as with the Allen Method, Mmir the owner has 

 this question, "Can I get a good crop of apples wL th a dust program, or must 

 I n'v-^ put the sprayer in working condition?". The experience of other grovrers 

 along this line is very significant. Many insects are not vrell controlled by 

 dust applications, Curculio is a good example. Few, if any, commercial grwers 

 rely year after year on dusts alone. The ideal program includes both spray and 

 dust applications, with liquid used here and there as needed, and dust for • 

 Efrompt coverage, particularly for scab protection and for control of certain in- 

 sects. If the above mentioned grower can hire someone to apply about two cri- 

 tical sprays, for example the 1st and 3rd Covers, at just the right time, he 

 should be f^ble to get along for the rest of the season with his dvister. 



Relation Between Pruning and Propping , Another new orchard owner points with 

 pride to a very large pile of prop poles. In the writer's opinion, props are 

 quite unnecessary if trees are properly pruned from the beginning, A "leader 

 type" tree with strong framevrork, and with no' branches which divide into two 

 more or less equal parts, will hold a heavy crop of fruit with very little break- 

 age. As the harvest season approaches, it assumes an umbrella shape. The lovrer 

 limbs are of such height that only an occasional apple hangs down in the grass. 

 Drooping ends of limbs throughout the tree and downward growing laterals have 

 teen removed, and there has been no "skinning up" to cause greater leverage on 

 long branches. The fruit is well distributed, and there is a thinness about 

 the tree which permits good penetration of light. Under these conditions, a 

 500-bushel per acre crop of apples is entirely possible with only an occasional 

 broken limb. Prop poles are most needed in older trees vhich have been wrongly 

 pruned, Usr\y good growers use no prop poles, at all. 



Is "90^ ClBan" a Practical CTo al ? As we approach the pest control season and 

 orders are being placed fo:^ spray and dust materials, this question comes to 

 mind, "Is the goal of the '905? Clean Apple Club', conducted from 1929 to 1933, 

 still practical, or should we aim at sonething higher?" It pays to strive for 

 a "100^ Ch an" crop, but we never attain it because vre reach a point of diminish- 

 ing returns. It may cost more to raise the percentage of C]e an fruit from 9^ to 

 9Q% than from 70 to 90^, And beyond 98%, those last few apples "come high". 

 But growers are agreed that "90^ Cfen" is none toohigh a goal. If we aim at 

 something less, we may end up -with far more insect and disease blemishes than 

 we expect. Many apple crops have been produced in recent years which were con- 

 siderably more than "95/^c:fean" (less than one blemished apple in 20), Grading 

 costs with such a crop are greatly reduced, and if the color is good, the per- 



