Calag Archive

Recent trials at Davis with high concentrate rations for sheep indicate that it does not pay to grind, roll or cook barley-if it can be fed whole to sheep. Results also indicate that these rations should be no higher than 60% concentrate.

Almond growers frequently ask how long almond flowers can be effectively cross pollinated after opening. AH almond varieties grown in California require cross pollination by honeybees to produce a crop. Since the important almond varieties usually start blooming during warm weather in February, the bloom period is often interrupted and prolonged by inclement weather. During these intervals pollinizing insects may not be active and any flowers that were open but not cross pollinated before the severe weather are lost unless they remain receptive until the weather is again favorable for insect activity. The cross pollination of flowers that open during periods of warm rains or strong winds may also be delayed.

Breakdown of potato tubers during transit may be decreased by better handling practices before shipment. A full-length car liner of protective material, with a conveyor system transporting the sacks into the boxcars, would eliminate most of the injury during loading. When the hand truck is used, injuries to tubers can be minimized by padding, but the entire area around the lip must be treated or no benefit is gained. Individual paper pads also provide protection when the sacks are hand trucked. Increasing the area of exposure does not reduce the amount of injury.

Two imported parasites of the navel orangeworm (one of the important pests of almonds and walnuts in California) have demonstrated biological control possibilities and are being given further biological and mass culturing studies at Berkeley.

Measured in terms of cash receipts from farm marketings, dairying is the second largest agricultural activity in California, and California is the third most important dairy state in the country. In 1962, approximately 10,000 farms produced and sold slightly more than 8 billion pounds of whole milk for a total of $398 million. This represents nearly 12% of the total farm income for the State. Furthermore, it has been estimated that California families spend about one-fifth of their food dollar for dairy products. The stability of the dairy industry therefore is clearly of vital concern. And when there is mounting evidence, as there is today, of a critical imbalance between the production and consumption elements of the industry, every effort is required to achieve an understanding of its underlying causes so that corrective action may be taken promptly.

The registration of gibberellic acid for use as a spray on lemons now permits a new method of maturity regulation for the lemon industry. The natural pattern of lemon fruit maturity is for much of the fruit to color and ripen prior to the favorable fresh fruit market that develops in hot summer weather. Gibberellic acid sprays can be used to delay the maturity of lemon fruits. The delay is beneficial and appears to be of economic value. The major benefits are (T) a more desirable production pattern in relation to market demands, (2) a larger percentage of fruit with a long storage life, and (3) a decrease in small tree-ripe fruit. These effects permit more flexibility in harvesting and marketing.