12 N. H. Agr. Experiment Station [Bulletin 280 



do not agree with those of a similar experiment summarized in Techni- 

 cal Bulletin 42. Nitrogen shows little or no significance; the accumu- 

 lation of carbohydrates is the factor most closely related to the forma- 

 tion of flower buds. {Adams Fund) 



Pollination Tests Continued 



Pollination tests were continued in 1933 by L. P. Latimer, with Mc- 

 intosh trees under cheesecloth cages in orchards located in Atkinson 

 and Durham. Weather conditions were exceptionally favorable for ob- 

 taining a set of fruit. Even wdth Gravenstein pollen, 46 per cent of 

 the spurs set fruit, and with Baldwin a set of about 30 per cent was 

 noted. Under ordinaiy conditions the pollen of these two varieties 

 do not give satisfactory results. 



When pollinated ^vith Wealthy, Red Astrachan, Delicious and Fa- 

 meuse, 50 per cent or more of the spurs set fmit. Hand pollination 

 with Mcintosh pollen gave a set of 10 to 11 per cent in Durham, 

 which is about as high as any previously recorded. 



The set obtained with Baldwin pollen is higher than any recorded 

 during the six years of the experiment. Only once was the set with 

 Gravenstein as high. Despite this, fmits produced by these two 

 varieties were characteristically poor in shape. {Purnell Fund) 



Fruit Storage Tests Continue 



If jMcIntosh apples remain in a warm place 5, 10 or 20 days after 

 picking and before storing, their acidity and solidity rapidly decrease 

 and their ground color quickly turns yellow, according to immediate- 

 and-delayed-storage tests continued for the third season by E. J. Ras- 

 mussen. 



Although characteristic of the immediately-stored apples in the pre- 

 vious two years' work no brown core developed in any lot the past 

 year. This may have been due to the large amount of commercial 

 fruit in storage which for the first few days kept the room at a high- 

 er temperature and acted like a delay in storage. 



When shifted from cold storage to retail-store temperature, apples 

 remained 100 per cent marketable for two weeks if they had origin- 

 ally been stored within five days after picking. If storage had been 

 delayed 10 days, 40 per cent were unfit for marketing after two weeks 

 at retail store temperature. A 20-day delay left only 50 per cent 

 able to withstand tw^o weeks' display. 



Fi-uit in common storage ripened much faster than fruit in cold 

 storage. Common-storage Mcintosh rated much higher than cold stor- 

 age fruit on November 1, and in December somewhat better. Aft^r 

 January 1, however, common-storage fruit declined rapidly. 



Fmits stored at 30 and 32 degrees reach their best flavor in Febm- 

 ary and March; after April 1 they decline rapidly in quality. It 

 appears that the fruit at the higher temperature softens appreciably 

 faster and decreases more rapidly in acidity, but the two lots tend to 

 become indistinguishable in these two respects toward the end of the 

 storage season. 



