FENCING 



Another effective means for keeping deer out of orchards is 

 by a deer-proof fence. The degree of damage and size of the area 

 will determine whether fencing is feasible. Although the initial 

 cost of erecting the fence may seem high, when prorated over a 

 period of years it may pay for itself in increased crop yields. 



HUNTING 



Depending upon state regulations, problem deer can be removed 

 during the regular deer hunting season. Orchardists should show 

 hunters the problem areas that deer are frequenting. This will en- 

 hance the hunter's chances and also remove deer that are causing 

 damage. 



*************** 



CALCIUM: ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH APPLE QUALITY AND YIELD 



William J. Bramlage, Mack Drake and John H. Baker 

 Department of Plant and Soil Sciences 



Last year we reported results of experiments to increase the 

 calcium (Ca) levels of apple trees and fruit, and of determina- 

 tions of the effects of Ca level in fruit on their keeping qual- 

 ity ( Fruit Notes 37 (November-December 1972):4-6). Tests were con- 

 tinued during the 1972-73 season and some interesting relationships 

 were observed. 



The 1972 growing season was unusually cool and wet, and the 

 apples produced generally had exceptionally good storage quality. 

 The Baldwin apples in our study were no exception. At commer- 

 cial harvest, 1-bushel samples of apples were taken from individual 

 trees within a block of 52 mature trees of varying Ca levels. 

 These samples were stored in 32 F air for 5 months, and then kept 

 at room temperature for up to 9 days. The amount of bitter pit, 

 scald, internal breakdown and decay were recorded, 10 fruit per 

 box were pressure- tested , and then fruit from each box were peeled 

 and the peels were analyzed for Ca. 



As seen in Table 1, very little bitter pit occurred in 1972, 

 in contrast to 1971 when at least half the fruit were pitted. Fur- 

 thermore, most of the pit that was found developed on the fruit 

 with extremely low Ca. Internal breakdown, which occurred frequent- 

 ly the previous year, was almost absent in 1972 and is not listed 

 in Table 1. Decay was also much lower than the previous year, yet 

 it can be seen in Table 1 that Ca deficiency can increase the 

 amount of rotting during and after storage. Scald susceptibility 

 was also increased when Ca was low. This was not seen the pre- 

 vious year, perhaps because other disorders were so prevalent that 

 scald could not be easily seen. 



