10 N. H. AGR. EXPERIMENT STATION [Bulletin 212 



in this experiment would be about 600 to 700 pounds per tree. The low yields 

 for the season of 1922 may be explained in two wa3-s. Weather conditions 

 during the season of 1921 were very dry and apparently imsuited to fruit bud 

 formation. During the winter of 1921-22, ruffed grouse entered this orchard 

 from adjoining woods and "budded" the trees, resulting in a still further 

 decrease in the crop. 



No data were taken on the number of buds stripped from the trees by the 

 grouse during the winter of 1921-22 because the seriousness of the situation 

 was not realized until too late. The ruffed grouse attacked the orchard again 

 during the wanter of 1922-23. On March 1, 1923, an estimate was made as 

 to the proportion of buds missing in the orchard, and it was found that as an 

 average for all the trees, 36.5 per cent of all the buds on side branches had been 

 removed and 52.3 per cent of all the buds on top branches. 



The budding was fairly uniform over the entire orchard. On the plots that 

 received no fertilizer, which are farthest from the woods, coimts indicate that 

 31 per cent of the buds on side branches were missing and 53 per cent of the 

 buds on top branches. This is practically the same as the average for the- 

 entire orchard. The budding problem has been so serious in New Hampshire 

 during the past two seasons that a special project in relation to injury to 

 orchard trees b}' ruffed grouse has been organized under the Hatch funds. 



The crop of 1923 completes the third five-year period under which records 

 of yield have been taken upon this experiment. It was expected that the data 

 would be worthy of pubHcation, but owing to the reduction in yield due to 

 (Vv budding by the grouse it does not seem worth while to make the summary at 

 this time. During the coming winter sprays will be used in an attempt to 

 repel the birds from the trees, and if the difficulty can be overcome the experi- 

 ment will be reported upon after one or more additional normal crops have 

 been obtained. The plan to obtain data on regularity of production of the 

 fruit spurs has been rendered impracticable by the removal of a large propor- 

 tion of the old fruit spurs on the trees by the birds. 



In the Renovated Orchard at the Horticultm-al Farm a very fair yield of 

 fruit was obtained in 1923. In this orchard the yield and fruit bud formation 

 are compared on mature Baldwin trees which are under cultivation with cover 

 crop and which receive additional applications of nitrate of soda in some plots 

 and of complete fertilizer in other plots, with trees which receive the same 

 fertilizer treatments but which are under the sod mulch sj'stem of culture. 

 While this experiment is very limited, there being only seven trees in each 

 plot, it appears to demonstrate the value of the sod mulch system of culttire 

 where five pounds of nitrate of soda per tree is given as an annual spring 

 apphcation. The seven trees under this treatment are equal to any other plot 

 in the orchard in vigor and in production. In interpreting this data one must 

 bear in mind, of com-se, the fact that the yields of any orchard for one season 

 cannot be considered very significant. 



Relation of Light to Fruit Bud Formation. 



Composition of Fruiting and Non-Fruiting Spurs. 



The laboratory work on the chemical conditions associated with fruit bud 

 formation in apple spurs has been carried on by Messrs. Potter and Wentworth 



