1922.] PUBLIC DOCUMFAT — No. 31. 63 a 



notably Mcintosh, were severely infected, especially where 

 effective spraying was not practiced. A second period of heavy 

 rainfall, accompanied by high temperatures and humidity, 

 occurred in July. During this period there was much secondary 

 scab infection on both fruit and leaves. Had not the apple 

 crop been greatly reduced by a killing frost on May 12, to 

 which further reference will be made, the loss from scab doubt- 

 less would have been enormous. This opinion is supported by 

 records of observation in many orchards where a small amount 

 of fruit survived the freeze, and the Mcintosh showed from 

 90 to 100 per cent infection. 



The fruit crops were severely damaged by heavy frosts on 

 April 19 and 20 and on May 12. The first freeze injured 

 cherries and plums in the bud, especially in the western part 

 of the State. The damage, however, was not total, resulting 

 only in thinning of the buds; and had not the May 12 freeze, 

 which was general throughout the State, completed the 

 damage, doubtless a good crop of cherries and plums would 

 have been harvested. 



Peaches suffered to some extent, but their protective 

 covering of woolly hairs seems to have prevented serious 

 injury from the frosts, and many varieties produced a good 

 crop of fruit. 



The damage to apples caused by the low temperatures of 

 April 19 and 20 was not apparent until the opening of the 

 fruit buds about ten days later, when it was observed that 

 many of the buds had been partially injured as indicated by 

 a variety of abnormalities, mostly due to killing of part of the 

 petals and stamens. Few of the buds showing such injury 

 developed normal fruit. The May freeze, which occurred after 

 the petal drop, proved much more disastrous to the apple, 

 killing the newly set fruit outright. From 75 to 90 per cent of 

 the fruit set on Baldwin and Mcintosh was ruined. Early 

 varieties, such as Wealthy, Yellow Transparent and Graven- 

 stein, did not suffer to any great extent, probably due to their 

 more advanced development. The damage was greatest in the 

 eastern section of the State. 



Tobacco wildfire, caused by Bacterium tohacum, was first 

 observed in Massachusetts in 1920, but only three cases were 



