Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-11-19
Apple Yield from
Individual Trees
New Departure at Highmoor Farm
Accurate, Detailed information Con-
corning Each Tree Now the Rule
Methods Tried Before Adoption of
System.

One of the psineipa, objects in ae-
curing Highmoor Farm was to carry
out experiments IN crcharding. AS is
we'll known a number OF such expert
ments have been III progress there
since 1909. In conducting these ex-
poriments, many of which must be
continued for number Of years, II is
necessary To have accurate notes re.
sarding each tree or each plot from
year to year. At the beginning of
the experiments a system of records
for each individual tree was started.
These records include such things as
the shape and general yigor of the
tree, the amount of growth, amount of
foliage, amount of bloom, set of fruit,
etc. From these records we can get
an accurate, detailed history of each
tree for each year.
II has been felt for some time that
in one respect these records were not
complete. Thus the yield of apples
frem each tree has been estimated
and not accurately determined. Since
in different years such estimates are
made by various people they are not
suitable for comparative purposes.
After all it is the yield of apples that
is the important thing To know about
a tree. This fact was fully appre-
ciated at the beginning of the expert
ments. The reason fer not attempt
ing to measure the yield has been that
Ii was thought likely to involve too
great a loss Of labor at very busy
season. With a good crop of apples
there are twenty to twenty-five pick
ers employed at Highmoor. If each
man should lose five minutes on each
bag of apples il would mean a great
loss of time for the season.
However. the necessity Of having
some accurate measure of the yield of
fruit from each tree has been becom
ing more urgent each year. 1t was
decided that this year we should try
out some methods for doing this With
relatively light crop of apples this
year it was possible to work out the
details without causing much loss OF
time.
The method finally adopted was as
follows. Large tripods we've construct
cd with the legs about twelve feet
| lCng From the center of such
tripod there was suspended rod upon
which a pair of 66-pound spring
balances hung. Such a tripod was
placed between the rows Of trees to be
picked The piekcrs all use bags
which fasten over the shoulder. Each
picker brought his bag of apples to the
tripod hung it on the scales and TAX
ing another bag returned to the tree.
man at the tripod recorded the
70
and emptiea the bag.
BY such methods there is practically
no loss of time by the pickers. 1t is,
of course, necessary TO have an extra
man for Weighing and emptying the
bags. one man can weigh, record
and empty the apples from nine or ten
,yiclseI.ss.->
Such records continued for several
wears will give the Station very
valuable set of data. In the first
place it furnishes the best measure OF
the success or failure of most expert
ments. Thus a fertilizer or cuitiva-
ton experiment must. if it is success
| full. show an increased yield of fruit
Eover that given by the control trees.
Estimates are mot reliable especially
in years where the differences are
small. Besides such estimates may
| be unconsciously biased by the OBJ
server.
Aside from this the data will furnish
lmany interesting biological facts
| Thus it will be of interest to know
whether certain trees which Yield
well in q. poor year will also yield we'll
| in good year. Are there trees
which are uniformly better yieiders
than other trees of the same age. size,
ETC.? If so, is it possible to propaa-
gate this high yielding quality by.
grating or budding? 1t is hoped that
in the course of time these and other
questions may be solved from thia
data.
Director.
orono, Maine, Nov. u. 1913.