ANNUAL REPORT, 1940 95 



and 10 percent oxygen, were ruined by scald; while otliers stored at 

 40° F. came through in excellent condition. Those stored October 11 in 

 a similar atmosphere at 60° -70° F. rotted completely; while those stored 

 at 40° F. were in excellent condition February 1. 



Experiments are being continued with tlie cans tightly sealed by solder- 

 ing a metal disc in the mouth of the can and metal tubes in the top and 

 bottom for gas sampling and introducing gas for modifying the atmos- 

 phere in the can. Different levels of nitrogen, oxygen, and CO2 will be 

 maintained by controlled respiration, introduction of nitrogen gas, and 

 "scrubbing" to remove CO2. As the experiment is still in progress, no 

 results can be reported at this time. The oxygen content decreased rap- 

 idly after the cans were sealed. 



One of our small refrigerated storage rooms was gas-proofed, and 191 

 bushels of apples, mostly Mcintosh but including other commercial vari- 

 eties, put in the room, which was sealed on October 11. Brine coils on 

 one side of the room made it impossible to fill the room as full as desir- 

 able, and the consumption of oxgyen through respiration has been less 

 than hoped. The oxygen has fallen (December 16) only to around 13 

 percent, while the desired content is 2 percent. Evidently, gas-tight rooms 

 must be filled at least to 80 percent capacity if the oxygen is to be reduced 

 satisfactorily by respiration of the apples. The temperature is kept near 

 40° F. and apparatus devised for "scrubbing" the storage air to reduce 

 the CO2 content. The behavior of the apples in the cans, which are 

 absolutely gas-tight and filled to capacity, shows that under these condi- 

 tions the respiration of the fruit reduces oxygen and builds up CO2 in 

 a short time. Under the usual conditions of storage, it is impossible to 

 fill a storage room completely full and difficult to make it completely 

 gas-tight. 



If storage of Alclntosh in a modified atmosphere at higher temper- 

 atures than is usual in cold storage works out as investigations elsewhere 

 proinise, it will bring about a new situation in our apple industry. 



Study of "Bud Sports" of the Mcintosh Apple. (J. K. Shaw and L. 

 Southwick.) This is a new project. It is natural to suppose that a type 

 of Mcintosh that is uniformly red all over with no sign of stripes and 

 splashes is, in other respects, no different from other types of the variety. 

 Yet it may be inferior in vigor, productiveness, or other respects and be 

 undesirable for orchards in spite of its superior color. This project is 

 planned to learn the truth about this. Six strains of Mcintosh, believed 

 to be of distinct origin, have been budded and will be planted in an or- 

 chard so planned as to make possible accurate measurements of any dif- 

 ferences between the strains that may exist. 



Tests of Spray Materials. (O. C. Roberts.) As in previous years, tests 

 of several insecticides and fungicides were made in cooperation with the 

 Departments of Entomology and Botany. A report of the season's work 

 may be found in the report of the Department of Entomology. 



Nutrition of the Highbush Blueberry, Especially in Relation to Soil 

 Reaction. (J. S. Bailey.) On January 16, 1940, a series of sand cultures 

 was set up to determine the deficiency symptoms of blueberry plants 

 when various elements are left out of the nutrient solution. This experi- 

 ment was concluded June 26, 1940. Kodachrome color slides were made 

 of plants, showing the effects of omitting from the nutrient solution N, 



