Table 4. Tree size and bloom of trees in the 1984 planting. 



'Means in a column not followed by the same letter are significantly different. 



Conclusions 



MAC 9 (sold as Mark) continues to perform extremely well under our 

 conditions. Trees are similar in size to M.26. They are more stable than M.26, 

 not requiring support at this point, and they are veiy productive. The other 

 rootstock which shows a lot of promise is M.9A (E\LA). The source of this 

 stock is derived from M.9A (a clone of M.9) after the viruses were removed. It 

 is considerably more vigorous and much more productive than standard M.9. It 

 could be particularly useful for plantings on posts. The additional vigor keeps 

 lateral branches more upright and productive longer. 



In coming years we will be able to observe Mark with Mcintosh and 

 several other cultivars in differeni plantings around Massachusetts. It would be 

 advisable for growers to begin experimenting with Mark in small plantings but, 

 it is too early in testing to recommend it for large-scale plantings. 



