POMOLOGICAL PARAGRAPH 



Hot Water Treatment of Peaches - Research conducted by personnel of the 

 Agricultural Marketing Service indicates that hot watei" shows promise 

 as a control of fruit and vegetable spoilage. Treatment in water at 

 130 F. for 2 to 3 minutes reduced decay of peaches to a small fraction 

 of the amount present in untreated peaches. 



- - William J. Lord 

 ******** 



THE ECONOMICS OF IRRIGATING APPLES 

 IN THE HUDSON VALLEY 



William J. Lord 

 Department of Plant and Soil Sciences 



C. G. Forshey, New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, Hud- 

 son Valley Laboratory, Highland and B. A. Dominick, Jr., Department' of 

 Agricultural Economics, Ithaca, in the January-February issue of Farm 

 Research presented their analysis of the Economics of Irrigating Apples 

 in the Hudson Valley. The information presented was based on data ob- 

 tained from an apple irrigation project conducted in the Hudson Valley 

 since 1955. 



The article is of particular interest since irrigation studies on 

 apples was conducted in a Massachusetts orchard from 1956 to 1962, 

 inclusive. In the Massachusetts investigation, the orchard was irrigated 

 in 1957 and 1962, but a fruit growth response was obtained only in 1957. 

 The orchard selected for the study was located on a soil with only 0.7 

 to 1.9 inch per foot moisture holding capacity. The majority of Massachu- 

 setts orchards are located on drumlins or drumloid hills with soils having 

 an estimated available moisture holding capacity of more than 1.5 inches 

 per foot of soil to a depth of 3 or 4 feet or more. Therefore, the value 

 of irrigation of Mcintosh orchards located on the better soils in Massa- 

 chusetts is highly questionable. Irrigation may be of value only in years 

 of limited rainfall in orchards on soils of low water holding capacity 

 and/or where trees are shallow rooted . 



Forsheys' and Dominicks' economic analysis of irrigating apples in 

 the Hudson Valley is as follows : 



"Both experimental evidence and practical experience have indicated 

 that the success of irrigation of apples is dependent upon four fac- 

 tors : 



Soil type - Apples will size surprisingly well on a good deep 

 loam even during the driest years. It is the shallow and 

 coarse textured soils that will be most responsive. For rea- 

 sonable returns, appreciable acreage must be located on soils 

 such as Hoosic gravelly loam or Cossayuna sandy or gravelly 

 loam. 



