FRUIT NOTES 

 July 19Sh 



THJEE BUSY imiHS IM YUQOSLAVIA 



Exactly three months (April 2 to July l) vrare spent in ovir recent "follow up 

 mission". Never have we seen time pass more sTTiftly, and never have we had so many 

 new experiences in so short a time. The trip in both directions v^as made by plane, 

 the Nev/ Tork-London flight (non-stop) reqxiiring only ll-lA hours. Brief visits 

 were made to FAO headquarters in Rome, going and coming. Encouraging progress can 

 be reported alcaig certain lines. Some of our recommendations are receiving attention, 

 Pfere are a fe\7 of them, A start has been mad© in establishing a simple type Exten- 

 sion Service and the farmers are pleased with the results. Mulching is being widely 

 tested. There is much interest in reducing the number of apple varieties and in 

 Slovenia a revised Ust, the "Slovenia Seven", has been adopted. Many one-year-old 

 apple trees, instied of three-year-olds, are being planted. Our most recent suggest- 

 ion is that a few areas of a county or less be selected in which an educational pro- 

 gram is carried out and improved practices are taught and demonstrated, A limited 

 number of Extension workers in these areas couldj within two years, make real pro- 

 gress in such things as the eradication of San Jose scale, or in plum growljig areas, 

 in the growing of a better plum and in the drying of prunes. It is gratifying to 

 find that our efforts in these directions have met with some success, 



— ^W,H,Thies 



PREVENTING HAIL STORMS 



In a few of the larger vineyards in Yugoslavia a device of French manufacture 

 is being installed as a means of preventing the formation of hailstones. The results 

 thus far are promising, although not conclusive, A rocket costing about 2000 Francs 

 ($1,00 " 350 Francs) is projected into the air to a height of about 1^00 feet as 

 soon as a hailstorm threatens. As a result, the water in that area which would 

 otharvviae form hail stones, falls as rain. The rocket stations must be placed no 

 farther than about half a mile apart, ViTe asked lYhether hailstorms ever occur diiring 

 the night, having in mind the difficulty of manning the stations on a 2li-hour basis. 

 But it is claimed that afternoons are the critical tine. Additional information 

 about this unique device will be available soon. It may be of interest to an occas- 

 ional grower of Mcintosh apples. 



^ ■» ^ ^ ■»--M--«--«--«- •!;--;;•«• •«• 



TRANSlgSSION OF PEACH X-JDISEASE 



Since the discovery of peach X-Disease in Connecticut in 1933, certain questions 

 about its trMSemission have been very puzzling. What is the vector which carries 

 this disease from chokecJ9:>ry to peach and why does the disease spread from chokecherry 

 to chokecheriy or chokecherry to peach but not from peach to peach or peach to choke- 

 cherry? 



In a recent issue of the Plant Disease Reporter H, H, Thornberry of Illinois 

 presents a possible explanation for this peculiar behavior. He thinks that a leaf- 

 hopper, Collandonus clitellarius, is the vector. His peliminary experiments suggest 



