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centage of Fancy fruit Is high enough to bring an excellant average price per 

 bushel on the entire crop, 



Nurserymen Discuss Stravfberry Virus , Strawberry plant CTxraarsmen in Llassachusetts 

 met at the Field Station in IM tham, February 16, to consider the virus situation 

 and take steps to make available virus-free plants for strawberry growers. Prac- 

 tically all of the plants navr being distributed in the U, S, are said to be in- 

 fected. But the USDA Plant Industry Station at Beltsville , Maryland has located 

 cHe an plants of several varieties and is cooperating with nurserymen in multiply- 

 ing them for future distribution. Virus is spread by the strawberry aphid. 

 Hence, stock beds must be established in a screenhouse Mihere protection against 

 aphids can be provided. One or more screai houses may be built in liassachusetts 

 in the near future. 



This or That Spray Material? Vftien fruit grovrers get together the conversation 

 frequently drifts around to pest control and the relative merits of the various 

 chemicals used in the spray tank. One vri.ll swear by a certain material: another 

 villi almost swear at it. The listener to these arguments, if otherwise uninformed 

 would think that the chemical, all by itself, determines the degree of control. 

 Use Chemical A, and scab doesn't have a chance: use Chemical B, and the fruit 

 not only has poor finish but^fails to prevent scab infection. Timing and thor- 

 oughness of coverage are frequently left out of the argument. But experience 

 shoTA.'-s that the least effective material on the market may give better control 

 if properly applied, than the best material if hap-hazardly applied. Materials 

 are important not only from the standpoint of cost but in their relation to the 

 disease or insect to be controlled. But before we try to appraise the effect- 

 iveness cf , for example, Ferbam and Captan, we should first make sure that our 

 spraying technique tates care of the tvfo factors most often responsible for 

 poor pest control, timing and thoroughness. 



Pruning Blueberries , If all of the fruit buds on thick, brushy, c\iltivated blue- 

 berry bushes are allowed to remain, not only is harvesting more difficult but 

 the berries are inclined to be somewhat smaller. Each fruit bud is capable of 

 producing a dozen, or so, berries provided it has an ample number of leaves from 

 which to obtain part of its raw materials. But if we prune out the weaker 

 branches as evidenced by their di orter terminal growths and cut others back to 

 a more vigorous lateral, we bring about a balance in much the same way as in 

 pruning a grapevine, the fruiting habit of ih ich is very similar. The best blue- 

 berries are produced on relatively young branches. In pruning we bring about 

 a gradual renevval of the fruiting wood. Not long ago the writer saTT a bliieberry 

 planting Y/hich had been pruned as though it were a privet hedge. The ovmer 

 didn't realize that all of the fruit buds develop on grovrths of the previous 

 season, and that the hedge system of pruning tends to eliminate those growths. 

 In the blueberry planting vre have a good opportunity to improve the crop and 

 facilitate picking by a judicious thinning out of branches, making some of the 

 cuts at the ground level, 



ri;7,H,Thies 



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Did You Knew — - That at least half of commercial strawberry crops in 

 Massachusetts are produced in BarnstabiB County? The total TSidie of our 

 19l;9crcp, according to the 19^0 Census, was about $63ii,000, of vh ich 

 $33U,000 was paid to Barnstable County growers. The dollar returns in 

 the other counties ranked as follows (thousands omitted): Bristol (^6 

 Essex (50)j Middlesex (i;6)j Hampden (kh); Worcester (39){ Plymouth (2lt 

 Franklin (ll); Haapdiire (10) j Berkshire (9)j Norfolk (6)j Since 19li9 



