MASSACHUSETTS APPLE INDUSTRY. 15 



yet well colored Delicious may equal Starking in color. The deeper color 

 of the new variety ought to be an advantage and if it is equal to Delicious 

 in all respects, as may reasonably be expected, it may largely replace the 

 parent \ ariety. 



Another red sport is the Red Spy, a solid red variation of the Northern 

 Spy. It is reputed to be exactly like the old variety except in color. There 

 is a question if it is more attractive in appearance than the best of Spies, 

 yet it is well worth a trial by the patient fruit grower who wants to grow 

 Spy. 



Many red sports of Gravenstein have appeared, not all alike. One of 

 the most recent ones is distinctly redder than others, being equal to the 

 best colored Williams. As eastern Massachusetts is about the only fruit 

 growing section, outside of California, that grows Gravenstein, this red 

 sport should appeal to our growers who desire higher colored fruit. 



DISEASES OF FRUIT IN MASSACHUSETTS IN 1925 



BY WILLIAM DORAN 



The Department of Botany of the Massachusetts Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Station recei\es many requests for information on the identification 

 and control of plant diseases. On such correspondence and on farm 

 vi.sits by the staflP, is based this estimate or composite of the occurrence 

 and severity of fruit diseases in 1925. As is developed below, fruit diseases 

 in general probably caused less loss than usual. 



SrnAY Schedule and Spray Materials 



In most connuercial orchards in Massachusetts the spray schedule on 

 Mcintosh consists of the following applications: pre-pink, pink, calyx, 

 first post-calyx, and (in some orchards) a second post-calyx. Baldwins 

 and other varieties considered less susceptible to scab, are given the pink, 

 calyx, and first post-calyx application. In the case of "off-years" when 

 certain varieties are not bearing, the number of applications is much re- 

 duced or perhaps none is given. 



The favorite material is liquid or dry lime-sulfur. A few orchardists 

 are partial to Bordeaux mixture for the pre-blossom applications. Those 

 who own dusters are using sulfur dust for all applications or for the calyx 

 and post-calyx applications only, depending on the sprayer for pre-blossom 

 applications. Wettable sulfur (such as dry-mix sulfur-lime) is preferred 

 by a few. Calcium caseinate spreader (such as "Kayso" or "Spracein") is 

 generally used in the lime-sulfur-lead arsenate combination. 



Scab of Apple 



Mo.st orchardists are familiar with the fact that the first infection of 

 apple scab may occur when spores are ejected from the dead leaves in 

 which the fungus has passed the winter. In 1925, in the Nashoba area, 

 such spores were first ejected between April 29 and May I. In this same 

 region, this critical date was April 26 in 1921, May 2 in 1922, May 3 in 

 1923 and May 3 in 1924. It is thus seen that for five successive years 

 this date has occurred about May 1 and within a range of eight days. We 

 would expect it to be slightly earlier in southeastern Massachusetts and 



