FRUIT NOTES 

 October 19^h 



PREPARIMG 'THE STRAV/EERRY BED FOR \ .'INTER 



The time is rapidly approaching •..tien the atra^. berry bed. ].iust be prepared for 

 winter by applying a good mulch, Xihcn properly done, r.mlching serves several purpo£;ei3. 

 It prevents alternate freezing and tharring of the soil \Jhich usually results in heav- 

 ii^g of the plants and injury to the roots. It reduces danger fron spring frost by de- 

 laying the start of gror.^h in the spring. It conserves soil noisture during the fruit- 

 ing season. It helps to keep dovm vreeds. It keeps the fruit clean and makes a clean- 

 er, more pleasant place for pickers to rrork. This is quite a formidable list of ad- 

 vantages for mulchingp but it isn't all. 



In addition to the effects of cold already mentioned, there is another type of 

 cold injury vAaich sometimes occurs. The roots are injured sufficiently so that fungi, 

 T,jtiich could not invade uninjured tissue, attack the roots and the combined injuiy fron 

 cold and fungi can be quite severe. 



This type of injury v.'as discussed in a paper presented at the recent meeting of 

 the American Society of Horticultural Science at Gainesvil]e , Florida, The experimen- 

 ter, lir, John F, Brovm of Cornell University, took fully dormant and hardened Howard 

 17 plants and subjecttd them to various belo\7 freezing temperatures. As the tempera- 

 ture to i.'hich the plants vrcre subjected -vras lowered, the aiiiount of injury to the roots 

 increased and the subsequent grovfth of the plants decreased. Roots v;hich had been in- 

 jured by cold vrere invaded by fungi, became blackened and looked the same as roots 

 v/hich have Yj-hat we ordinarily call black root rote 



In measuring the amount of injury to the plants the experimenter was not con- 

 tent to rely on looks alone, tfe measured the increase or decrease in fresh v/eight of 

 the plants, the plants' respiration rate, and the uptake and movement of radioactive' 

 phosphorus. The use of radioactive phosphorus, a so-called tracer element, is one of 

 the new experimental techniques which is especially valuable in determining the amount 

 of root injuryo Radioactive phosphorus can be easily traced throughout the plant. 

 Root injury reduces its absorption. 



It appears, then, that cold can injure strav/berry roots in such a iiray that they 

 are an easy prey to fungal attacks. This gives another good reason for applying a good 

 coat of mulch and doing it before too severe freezing occiirs. Considering the multi- 

 tude of troubles \ijhich are presently besetting strav/berries, it would seem univise to 

 risk adding more by neglecting to mulch, 



— J, S, Bailey 



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Strawberries As A Source of Vitamin C - Vitamin C is frequently lacking 

 in the Nev; England diet, even among those Y;ho spend lavishly to supply 

 the family table. According to a Llaine Expert, we need 75 milligrams 

 of Vitamin C each day and since we cannot store it in our bodies a food 

 rich in Vitamin C should be served every dayo llaine-groim fresh strav^- 

 berries were tested for Vitamin C during several seasons and the content 

 was found to vary somevrhat depending on the weathero The lorrest value 

 found was 35 rng, and the highest 96 mg, per 100 gms, (about 3-1/2 oz,) 

 of berries. For the same vreight, oranges supply 35-60; grapefruit, 

 35-UOj raw cabbage, 35-50; tomatoes, 15-30; and apples 5-15 <> High Vita- 

 min C was found in the Sparkle, Catskill and Robinson varieties, L'edium 

 in Howard 1? and Temple, and Low in Pathfinder, Long cooking involved 



