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RECENT PUBLICATIONS 

 You may wish to send for one or more of the following publications : 



1. An economic study of apple production on size-controlled trees. 

 A.E. Res. 186. Available from Agricultural Experiment Station, 

 Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. 



2. Maine blueberry recipes. Bulletin 516. Available from Cooper- 

 ative Extension Service, University of Maine, Orono, Maine. 



ifc************** 



A GLIMPSE AT THE MICHIGAN FRUIT INDUSTRY 



William J. Lord 

 Department of Plant and Soil Sciences 



For the fifth consecutive year, I have had the opportunity to make 

 a brief tour through a "foreign" fruit-growing district. This year, I 

 viewed the Michigan fruit industry, and herein is a report of my obser- 

 vations. 



Young Plantings 



Though it is not possible to thoroughly and accurately analyze an 

 industry following a brief inspection, several observations stood out 

 clearly. One of these is that a considerable increase in production of 

 apples will soon occur in Michigan. Recent plantings have been heavy, 

 and great numbers of young trees are to be seen. These trees are planted 

 on some fine orchard sites. Only the ominous labor shortage dampens the 

 enthusiasm of the industry. 



Dwarf apple trees are prevelant in these younger plantings, mostly 

 on EM VII rootstock. Mcintosh performance on this rootstock is satis- 

 factory, but as in Massachusetts, the rootstock produces suckers and 

 the trees tend to lean. Tree spacing of 16' by 25' is apparently suit- 

 able for this variety on EM VII. 



Clean cultivation of the orchard for the first 2 or 3 years after 

 planting is considered a good practice in Michigan. In the older non- 

 bearing orchards, a strip in the tree row is generally kept free of 

 grass and broadleaf weeds with herbicides, and the remainder of the or- 

 chard floor is in sod. Broadleaf weeds that are resistant to the herbi- 

 cides have invaded these intra-row strips, but a recently labelled herbi- 

 cide and another which hopefully will be labelled in the near future 

 should help control these weeds. 



