88 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 347 



ability that fruit shape may have an influence. Undoubtedly many other factors 

 are directly or indirectly associated with pre-harvest dropping of the Mcintosh 

 apple. It is hoped that this investigation will eventually produce concrete find- 

 ings some of which may be applicable to a practical approach to the problem. 



Coloring Apples. (R. A. Van Meter, O. C. Roberts, and G. G. Smith.) The 

 fact that sunlight is an essential factor in the production of red color on apples 

 has long been recognized. Consequently apples that are shaded by dense foliage 

 will not color. A well-colored apple is worth at least twice as much as a green one. 

 Therefore, if a practical method of exposing green apples to sunlight after they are 

 harvested could be developed, a higher percentage of the crop would sell at top 

 price. 



That apples exposed to direct sunlight soon after harvesting will develop addi- 

 tional red color is an accepted fact. However, apples thus exposed frequently 

 develop a severe case of sunburn. How. then, may the benefits of coloring be 

 obtained without the development of sunburn? In an attempt to find an answer 

 to this question four bushels each of green and partly colored Mcintosh were 

 selected. One bushel from each lot spread out in a single layer was exposed under 

 one thickness of cheesecloth, another bushel under two layers of cheesecloth, a 

 third bushel was exposed to direct sunlight, and the fourth bushel was placed in 

 32° F. storage for future comparison. 



Due to cloudy weather the apples were in the coloring frame for six days 

 (September 9 to 16). During this period there were 30 hours of bright sunshine 

 with an average mean temperature of 60°. As a result of this exposure the green 

 apples acquired at least 50 percent color and some specimens which were turned 

 during the period of exposure showed as much as 90 percent color. The increase 

 in color in the case of apples that were partly- colored before exposure was marked 

 but not as pronounced as in the case of the green apples. 



As the apples were removed from the coloring frame they were placed imme- 

 diately into 32° F. storage. Examination of these apples on December 31 indicates 

 that the coloring process did not materially impair their keeping quality. Apples 

 that were not covered with cheesecloth developed a sunscald on practically every 

 apple. Shading the apples with one layer of cheesecloth eliminated sunscald on 

 95 percent of the specimens. Shading with two layers of cheesecloth eliminated 

 sunscald completely. Apples shaded with two layers of cloth colored as well as 

 those shaded with one laver. 



DEPARTMENT OF POULTRY HUSBANDRY 

 J. C. Graham in Charge 



Broodiness in Poultry. (F. A. Hays.) The three major objectives in this 

 project are: (1) To secure adequate data on the inheritance of degrees of broodi- 

 ness, (2) to study the problem of deferred broodiness, (3) to develop a genetically 

 non-broody line of Rhode Island Reds. 



To produce the generation hatched in 1936, one aged tested male was mated to 

 nine females, some tested and some not tested. This mating was unsuccessful 

 because of the sexual regression of the male. A second pen of eight females was 

 mated to a yearling male. From this mating three families of daughters consisting 

 of 27 individuals were housed for a trapnest record. Onh' one famih of 7 daugh- 

 ters showed complete absence of broodiness for the first lading year. A second 

 family of 10 daughters showed 2 broody and 8 non-broody. The third family had 



