334. MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 247 



unsafe to conclude that fruit trees would respond to potash on all the 

 soils in the State; but these results suggest the possibility that there may 

 be some soils that would respond to potash and lime. 



Effect of Potash and Lime on Apple Trees. (J. K. Shaw). The original 

 project on the orchard here considered was a test of cover crops. iTiis 

 test continued for six years, giving very doubtful indication of any in- 

 fluence on the trees from the cover crops used. It became evident that it 

 would be many years before any marked differences could be expected 

 to appear. Therefore, in the spring of 1927, the project was redirected into 

 what is practically a new project. The same plot arrangement was re- 

 tained, but the whole orchard has been seeded to grass, and a fertilizer 

 treatment adopted using nitrate alone, potash alone, nitrogen and potash, 

 phosphorus and potash, and complete fertilizer, eacii treatment receiving 

 lime in addition on two plots and not receiving lime on anotiier two plots. 

 It is too soon to expect any results from this new project, but it is hoped 

 t1iat it may help to answer the question of the value of potash and phos- 

 piiorus which is in the minds of growers at the present time. 



Study of Varieties of Tree Fruits. (J. K. Shaw and O. C. Roberts). 

 Tile College and Station grow a large number of varieties of tree fruits. 

 Records of l)loom and production are being taken on practically all 

 varieties including those not used for Experiment Station jiurjioses. These 

 records have been accumulating for several years and will be available 

 for studies of varietal habits, bloom and yield. It is expected that in 

 some future time as these records accumulate they may be available for 

 stud>' of tiie relation of cliiviatic conditions t) bloom and yield. 



The Cultivation of the High Bush Cranberry. (J. K. Shaw). This proj- 

 ect involves the study of a number of plants of high bush cranberry 

 received from the United States Department of Agriculture. Tiiese plants 

 are still growing and are producing annual crops. It seems doubtful if 

 this effort will find any great application in practice, and probably this 

 project will be discontinued in the near future. 



Fruit Bud Formation in the Strawberry. (R. A. Van Meter). This 

 project was started in the spring of 1928 to study the effect of the supply 

 of soil nitrates on fruit bud formation and fruit production. It involves 

 nine fertilizer treatments, each replicated five times, on plots of thirty 

 plants each. Runner plants were spaced ecpially or removed to eliminate 

 crowding. 



The field was fertilized with superphosphate at the rate of fiflO pounds 

 per acre and muriate of potash at the rate of 150 pounds per acre, broad- 

 casted and worked into the soil before planting. The differential treat- 

 ment of the plots consisted in the application of nitrate of soda at the 

 rate of one pound per plot or 322 pounds per acre on the following dates: 



1 — No nitrate of soda 



2 — May 11 (immediately after planting) 



3 — June 13 (when plants were well established) 



4. — July 2 



5 — August 6 



6 — August 20 



7 — September 5 



8 — September 15 



9 — October 4 

 No apparent differences in jilant growth appeared the first season, and 

 observations on the number of fruit buds formed cannot be readily made 

 until next spring, when a careful study of fruiting behavior will be made. 



