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



Table I. — Per cent fruit bud formation on deflorated and bearing Duchess trees. 



* Spray burned. 



An even greater difference would undoubtedly have appeared if it had not 

 been for the fact that a portion of the trees in this experiment were sprayed 

 with a tank of materials which the workmen had carelessly allowed to settle, 

 with the result that the foliage on a number of the trees was severely burned 

 at the time of petal fall. This appeared to cause a reduction of the leaf area 

 on those trees which had pre\aously been deflorated and very evidently reduced 

 their fruit bud formation. On the other hand, a heavy drop of fruit was 

 caused on those trees which would otherwise have had fruit on nearly everj- 

 spur. This drop of fruit at this stage undoubtedly increased fruit bud forma- 

 tion on these check trees. The difference between the treatments, therefore, 

 is not so great as it would have been if the spraying accident had not occurred. 



It is interesting to note that those trees which were completely deflorated in 

 1922 produced a 41.4 per cent bloom in 1923, while those from which no blos- 

 soms had been taken in 1922 produced only 9.2 per cent bloom in 1923. The 

 trees on which the bloom was removed from one-half the spurs produced 10.3 

 per cent of blossoms in 1923. While there were only two trees under the last 

 treatment, the conclusion appears warranted that deflorated fruit spurs on a 

 tree carrying a fair load of fruit do not have so great a tendency to produce 

 fruit buds as have similar spm-s on trees carrying no fruit. Measurements of 

 the leaf area were also made on these spurs, and chemical analyses show very 

 significant differences in the composition of the spurs under these different 

 treatments. It is hoped that the work on this phase of the experiment may 

 be completed and summarized for publication within another season. 



Effect of Shading and Ringing upon the Chemical Composition of Apple and 

 Peach Trees. 

 The analyses of shaded and unshaded apple and peach trees, ringed and 

 non-ringed apple trees and alternate-bearing Yellow Transparent apple trees 

 have been completed and the data published during the past year in the Annual 

 Report of the American Society for Horticultm-al Science and Technical Bul- 

 1 etin No. 23 of the Experiment Station. 



