8 - 



development of the waxy covering (cuticle) of the leaves. If 

 weather conditions are cool and rainy with little sun showing dur- 

 ing the two weeks before spraying, the leaves developing during this 

 time will have a yery thin cuticle. Under these conditions, ap- 

 plied thinning chemicals would penetrate into the leaf relatively 

 easily and overthinning is likely. On the other hand, warm, dry, 

 sunny conditions prior to spraying would result in a leaf having a 

 thick cuticle that would impede the movement of a thinning chemi- 

 cal into the leaf. In this case, the concentration of the thinning 

 agent used may have to be increased to obtain adequate thinning. 



2. Weather conditions at the time of spraying : As temperatures 

 increase at the time of spraying, the amount of thinning spray en- 

 tering the leaf increases. When temperatures rise above 85°F., 

 there is a rather sharp increase in penetration especially with 

 NAA and NAD. If the high temperatures are accompanied by humid 

 conditions that prevent spray droplets from drying rapidly, over- 

 thinning will be almost assured. In this case, the thinning agent 

 concentration should be reduced. At the opposite extreme, poor 

 thinning results would be expected if a spray were applied during 

 cool, dry weather when the applied spray droplet would dry rapidly. 



•kic'k'k-kic-k'k'k'kic'k'k-kic 



GROWING BETTER STRAWBERRIES 



(Highlights of talk by Dr. Carter Smith, Rutgers University, given 

 at Vegetable Growers' meeting. Concord, New Hampshire) 



Prepared by Dominic A. Marini, Southeast Extension Region 



STRAWBERRY VARIETIES 



Dr. Carter Smith opened his talk on "Growing Better Straw- 

 berries" with a discussion of variety performance under New Jersey 

 conditions. His comments, which follow, are of particular inter- 

 est since these varieties also are grown in New England. It should 

 be remembered that variety performance is greatly influenced by 

 climatic, soil, and cultural conditions, therefore, it is suggested 

 that you test a variety under your conditions before planting it on 

 a commerci al basis. 



EARLIDAWN - 



MIDLAND - 



A \/ery early ripening variety, but the fruits have poor 

 color and flavor, and the plants are susceptible to 

 Verticillium wilt. This variety is becoming less pop- 

 ular in New Jersey. 



An older variety which matures its fruit early. The 

 berries are of high quality but the variety is not wide- 

 ly grown. 



