BULLETIN No. J39. 



ORCHARD NOTES. 1906. 



W. M. Munson. 



The orchard work of the season of 1906 is a continuation of 

 that detailed in Bulletins 89, 122, and 128, and is considered in 

 the same general way. The season of 1906 was unusual, by 

 reason of extreme wetness -previous to August 1, followed by 

 extreme drought after that date. Despite these conditions, 

 however, the Baldwins never before yielded such fair, smooth, 

 handsome fruit. The Tolmans were not quite so good, and 

 were noticeably attacked by codling moth. In addition to the 

 usual field work at Manchester and New Gloucester, the 

 orchards were all thoroughly pruned this season, and some notes 

 and suggestions relative to pruning are given herewith. A 

 study of seedling apples native to the State has also been made,, 

 and it is planned later to publish notes and descriptions of these, 



CULTURE AND FERTILIZATION.* 



The comparative study of cultivation and mulch, as treatment 

 for a young bearing orchard, showed results somewhat different 

 in the season of 1906 from those obtained the previous season. 

 The growth of trees was essentially the same as in previous 

 years ; but the yield of fruit was, in some cases at least, better 

 from the mulched trees. There -is less tendency to deterioration, 

 *. e. there are fewer dead or dying trees, among the Gravensteins 

 on the mulched area than on the cultivated, possibly due to the 

 fact that growth had been less vigorous, and the wood had more 

 nearly matured previous to the recent severe winters. Little 

 difference was noticed in this respect in the relative effects of 

 the use of stable manure and concentrated fertilizers. 



The unfertilized trees at the end of the orchard show a decided 

 falling off. The rotting turf, which furnished nourishment for 

 the first few years of the experiment, has been exhausted, and 

 ,the trees now have the yellow, half starved appearance too 

 common in New England orchards. Of the 11 unfertilized 



* See Bulletin 122 of this Station, p. 182. 



