11. 



6 bins o£ ethephon- treated Mcintosh in CA storage. These fruit 

 were harvested September 7, 1979 (5 days after ethephon was applied) 

 and dipped in 25 pounds CaCl-,/100 gallons of water and placed in CA 

 storage. The storage was opened in early April and on May 18, 2-1/2 

 inch apples were pressure tested and had pressure of approximately 

 14 pounds. Three inch apples were pressure tested on May 19 and had 

 pressure of approximately 12.5 pounds. Marshall Mcintosh harvested 

 on September 6 were placed in the same CA storage (untreated) on 

 the same date. They were pressure tested on May 19, 1979 and 2-1/2 

 to 2-3/4 inch fruit had pressure of approximately 12.5 pounds. 



Marshall Farms produce about 2,000 bushels of Early Mcintosh 

 for immediate sale from trees ranging in age and size from 14-years- 

 old on M7 to 20, 25 or 35-year-old trees on seedling roots. Trees 

 of this cultivar are sprayed annually about 5 to 7 days prior to 

 normal harvest with 1/4 pint of ethephon plus 10 ppm 2,4,5-TP per 

 100 gallons of water at IX. This treatment improves red color and 

 generally reduces the number of times necessary to "spot pick" trees 

 from 4 to 2. 



Bolton Orchards, Bolton . Steve Ware, orchard manager, generally uses 

 ethephon on Early Mcintosh and Puritan trees to improve red color 

 and reduce the number of times required for "spot picking". Ethe- 

 phon is applied at 1/2 pint plus 20 ppm NAA (for drop control) per 

 100 gallons of water with a Hardy air blast sprayer at IX. The first 

 group of trees was sprayed on August 1, 1979. Ethephon was applied 

 at 3 to 4 day intervals to different trees. Enough trees were 

 sprayed each time to permit harvest of approximately 150 bushels. 

 Beginning on the 4th day after treatment, Steve observes daily the 

 color development. The fruit are generally harvested 5 to 7 days 

 after the ethephon application and are sold at retail to satisfy 

 early consumer demand. 



Wholesale buyers expressed some resistance to purchase of Mc - 

 intosh apples treated with ethephon in 1978 because of a "dull" Ted 

 color that Steve Ware described as "not a natural red ". 



Carlson Orchards, Harvard . In 1979 Carlson Orchards applied 3/4 pint 

 of ethephon plus 10 ppm NAA per 100 gallons of water with an air 

 blast sprayer at IX on 20-year-old Early Mcintosh trees. This spray 

 was applied at 3-day intervals on a few row of trees. The apples 

 were harvested 5 to 7 days after the spray application. The trees 

 were "strip-picked" because the fruits with insufficient color to 

 meet marketing requirements were used for cider. The remainder of 

 the Early Mcintosh apples were sold at retail and wholesale. 



Authors comments . The Hillside Orchard in Granville is favorably 

 located for obtaining well-colored Mcintosh. This may partly ex- 

 plain why they obtain good color enhancement with late-August appli- 

 cations of 1/2 pint or less ethephon. In our early trials with 



