regular storage. This has enabled growers to commence harvest approximately 

 a week earlier to fill CA storages with Mcintosh. 



An increasing nvmiber of growers are spot-picking Mcintosh in order to have 

 well-colored, firm fruit for CA storage. In this regard, one grower is contem- 

 plating paying a bonus to those pickers who keep bruises at a minimum and who 

 do the best job of spot-picking for color. 



Mcintosh apples for CA storage should pressure test from 15 to 17 pounds. 

 Mature, green apples are of no value. Consequently, seme growers are pur- 

 posely keeping the nitrogen level on some blocks of trees low in order to have 

 firm, red apples of smaller size for CA storage. The nutritional level of 

 these trees should be carefully watched by visual observations and leaf analyses. 



Dr. Frank Southwick recommends that apples should be moved quickly from the 

 orchard to storage at harvest time so that the period from harvest to storage 

 does not exceed 24 hours. Scald may increase considerably if the period of 

 delay between harvest and storage is prolonged. Also, some skin discoloration 

 was noted last year on CA Mcintosh which might have been caused by the boxes of 

 apples being in the hot sun too long prior to hauling to storage. Stacking and 

 placement of the filled boxes in the shade may be beneficial. 



---William J. Lord 



I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 



PENOLOGICAL PARAGRAPHS 



Effect of Frost on Fruit Size 



Frost on May 31 injured the fruit developing from the primary and secondary 

 blossoms in many strawberry plantings. In later plantings, mostly the primary 

 and secondary blossoms were killed. The question arose as to whether the re- 

 maining blosscms would produce fruit of larger size to partially off-set the 

 effect of the frost. 



With strawberry plants, the primary flower opens first, followed in order 

 by secondary, tertiary and quaternary flowers, W. D, Valleau (Jour. Agr, Res, 

 12:613-669, 1918) found a positive correlation between flower position, flower 

 part number and size of fruit. The primary flower of the inflorescence has 

 more flower parts, its pistils are more fertile, and it bears larger fruit than 

 the later flowers of the inflorescence, 



V. R, Garner (University of Missouri, Agricultural Experiment Station 

 Research Bulletin 57, 1923) found that early removal of the primary, secondary 

 and tertiary flowers of the cluster leads to the setting of later blossoms that 

 otherwise would not set, but that the berries are small and yield is corres- 

 pondingly reduced, because of the small number of pistils per flower. 



The research cited above and personal observations appear to substantiate 

 the statement that if the primary and secondary blossoms are killed, the biggest 



