- 3 - 



We cannot recommend application of CaClo in a concentrate 

 spray, whether alone or with pesticides. Research by Dr. George 

 Greene at Pennsylvania State University, indicates that it can be 

 applied in concentrate on York Imperial trees. However, we do not 

 know ivhat concentration of CaCl2 can be safely applied to Mcintosh 

 trees in Massachusetts. The grower who applies CaCl2 in concentrate 

 sprays does so with considerable risk of failure or injury to the 

 foliage. 



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 POMOLOGICAL PARAGRAPH 



"Grow 'em" like tomatoes . When questioning researchers in the Nether- 

 lands as to whether the trend toward small apple trees and high den- 

 sity plantings has gone too far, one facetiously remarked, "We will 

 end up growing apples like tomatoes." Apples will always be borne 

 on branches above the ground (how much above is anyone's guess), but 

 the Dutch are experimenting with a planting system which involves 

 planting the tree underground. The "Dutch Nulti-Shoot System" is 

 being tried in an attempt to overcome a major problem with the mead- 

 ow orchards: the high establishment cost because of tree numbers 

 ranging from 12,000 to 28,000 trees per acre. The "Dutch Multi-Shoot 

 System" involves laying 1-year-old unfeathered (unbranched) trees 

 in a shallow trench (about 6 inches deep), end to end, and covering 

 the stem with soil. Trees planted this way will produce roots at 

 the node and the buds will develop stems. Thus, several trees on 

 their own roots can be eventually established from a single young 

 tree by severing the stems from the parent tree. By using 39 inch 

 parent trees and 39 inch alleys, tree numbers can be reduced to 

 about 4000 trees per acre in comparison to 12,000 to 28,000 trees 

 for the meadow system. The Dutch favor cropping these trees 2 to 

 4 years before mowing the tree near ground level instead of after 

 the first harvest as is done with the meadow system. Research with 

 this novel idea is still in its initial stages, and like many ap- 

 proaches to "super" intensive plantings and mechanical harvesting, 

 it may not prove feasible. However, techniques and novel ideas like 

 this may eventually revolutionize tree fruit growing. 



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PICK-YOUR-OWN STRAWBERRIES 



Dominic A. Marini 

 Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Specialist 



Pick-your-own is not new. Some growers adopted this method 

 of marketing strawberries over 20 years ago because of the diffi- 

 culty of obtaining harvest labor. It grew gradually until a few 



