-6- 



specialists to be an integral part of a successful selling program. Moreover, 

 it should be kept in mind that variety selection determines to a great degree 

 the success or failure of an orchard operation for years to come. There is no 

 better example of this than Mcintosh, which has set a long time pattern for the 

 New England apple industry. 



Promising new varieties should be given thorough testing by growers I Top- 

 working trees is a time saving way to get a quick look at the fruit. Information 

 on tree growth, hardiness and production is best obtained over a longer period of 

 time by starting with trees budded to the desired varieties. 



Don Priest of Groton is supplying us with some valuable information on the 

 performance of several new varieties. He has top-worked trees to Spartan, Ruby, 

 Idared, Spencer and Mutsu. Of the Geneva, New York Experiment Station crosses, 

 he is testing Spigold and two promising selections still under number. These 

 are N.Y. 44416-6 (Macoun x Red Spy) and N.Y. 43021-2 (Red Spy x Golden Delicious). 

 The fruit of the latter is brilliant blush, pinkish-scarlet over a light yellow 

 ground color with high quality. Mr. Priest was slightly disappointed in fruit 

 size of N.Y. 43021-2 during the past dry summer. The delicate, high eating qua- 

 lity of even the smallest sizes was remarkable, however. Other years the size 

 has been good. 



Spartan is a favorite with Don Priest and with other growers testing the 

 variety. Don has fruited Spartan for several years and it has proven to be an 

 annual producer of high quality fruit that handles and keeps ';ell in storage. It 

 is a consistently attractive dark, red apple. The principal weakness of Spartan 

 is small fruit size. Extra attention is needed to improve its size. 



Picking maturity is a factor in determining the storage life of Spartan. 

 Downing Brothers of Westford checked this point by comparing fruit harvested on 

 September 20 with fruit picked on October 2, 1963. These dates were considered 

 to be the harvesting extremes of this variety and the apples tend to substantiate 

 this claim. A recent examination of these fruit reveals that those harvested on 

 September 20 were in firm condition with little apparent ripening. An earlio 

 harvest date might have adversely affected the flavor. The Spartan apples har- 

 vested on October 2 had attained excellent eating quality but appeared too mature 

 for long storage. 



Another promising development is a sport found at the Pinecrest Orchards of 

 Stephen Sabin, Groton. This resembles regular Mcintosh in appearance except for 

 its unusually bright red color. The sport seems to be firmer than other strains 

 of Mcintosh. 



These are merely a few comments on some of the varieties which we believe 

 show promise. Special Circular 212-A will give you a brief but useful descrip- 

 tion of apple varieties currently being recommended for Massachusetts. 



Max Fultz 



Regional Agricultural Specialist 



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



