68 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 327 



DEPARTMENT OF POMOLOGY 

 F. C. Sears in Charge 



The winter of 1934-35 was, like the previous one, of unusual seventy. The 

 minimum temperature was nearly as low but there was much less damage to 

 fruit plants. The peach crop in the college orchards was a complete failure 

 though there was a scattering crop in the State. Baldwin trees failed to produce 

 a normal crop, probably due to the weakening effect of the winter of 1933-34. 

 The apple crop was a little larger than that of the previous year. 



The Interrelation of Stock and Scion in Apples. (J. K. Shaw.) The 

 potash deficiency problem in the stock and scion orchard continued. Muriate 

 of potash was again applied to the entire orchard except four rows. Tests for 

 potash in the leaf petiole by Thornton's method indicated a higher content in 

 the potash-fertilized trees, but there was slight, if any, improvement in the 

 appearance of the trees. This work will be continued to see if the trees improve 

 next year. 



Work with the Mailing types of clonal stocks was continued. About 5,000 

 grafts of scions of these stocks on seedling roots were made in midwinter instead 

 of April as in the previous year. Results however were not encouraging. The 

 scion wood was exposed to ammonia fumes from the cold-storage compressor 

 which may have had an injurious effect. This question will be investigated. 



The nurse root grafts in 1934 that failed to root from the scion and were 

 reset, rooted well, especially where new growth was covered with soil. If nurse 

 root grafts are cut at the surface of the ground and the row hilled up as soon as 

 growth is made, rooting will be greatly favored. 



The orchard in South Amherst set in the fall of 1934 gave a good stand of 

 trees but made small growth. This was probably due to the drought in late 

 summer which was severe on this gravelly soil. 



The entire crop of shoots from the stool bed of Mailing stocks was cut in the 

 fall of 1934 leaving only the root systems. These sprouted slowly in the spring 

 but eventually nearly all made new shoots. The shoots that had rooted were 

 cut in the fall of 1935 but one or more shoots were left on each plant. Evidently 

 severe cutting is harmful to a young stool bed. 



Tree Characters of Fruit Varieties. (J. K. Shaw and A. P. French.) 

 To study and place on record characters by which all our fruit varieties can 

 be identified in the nursery will require a long time. A publication is in prepara- 

 tion which will include nearly one hundred varieties of apples most commonly 

 grown in our nurseries, containing illustrations of the leaf, one-year and two- 

 year trees, and flowers, together with a technical description, chief distinguish- 

 ing characters, and differences from similar varieties. 



Another effort to build up a cherry nursery containing all varieties commonly 

 grown in nurseries was made this summer. The buds were waxed with melted 

 paraffine and there seems to be a better stand of buds than was obtained 

 previously. 



The variety certification work of the Massachusetts Fruit Growers' Associa- 

 tion was continued as for the past fifteen years. Inspection for trueness-to- 

 name but without certification was increased by the examination of two large 

 nurseries in Maryland and Delaware, making ten in all, and two requests were 

 refused because they were made too late. It is expected that there will be 

 further increase in this work next year. When varieties are set right in the 

 nursery row, few misnamed trees will be sold to growers. There was this year 



