Bulletins

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  B646: Aerial Photographic Methods of Potato Disease Detection

  F. E. Manzer and George R. Cooper

  Aerial photography was shown to be a valuable tool for the detection of late blight and other diseases and disorders of potato. Aero infrared and Ektachrome Aero Infrared films were used to demonstrate that potato foliage, normally highly reflective to near-infrared radiation, loses this property when in an unhealthy condition. The 10 in reflectivity seems to vary in proportion to the magnitude of the vine damage. Vine damage resulting from infection by the late blight fungus can be detected on either of the infrared film before visual plant symptoms develop.

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  B655: Maine Egg Marketing: A Structural Study

  Chung-Jeh Yeh

  This study, from 1967, was designed to provide basic information concerning the movement of table eggs through the major marketing firms located in Maine. The primary purpose of the report was to aid in better understanding the structure of the present egg marketing systems in Maine in order that: (1) efficient alternatives to the present egg marketing systems could be developed, and (2) Maine's competitive position in out-of-state markets could be improved.

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  B639: Alternative Systems for Feeding Maine Dairy Cows

  Homer Metzger and Dean F. Tuthill

  This study was undertaken as part of a northeast regional effort to ascertain the methods used in feeding forages and concentrates to daily animals and to determine the relative amount of labor used under various systems. Special emphasis was given to methods of handling silages on Maine farms. Information obtained from one-day-a-month timings of feeding chores by 39 dairymen over a period of 13 months permitted comparisons of labor used for various systems of feeding dairy animals.

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  B640: An Evaluation of the Distribution of Trucked Pulpwood in East-Central Maine

  Thomas J. Corcoran, Daniel I. Schroeder, and David B. Thompson

  The movement of pulpwood from forest to market can be a critical and costly activity. Many factors influence this movement and contribute to its complexity. In 1963, a study was undertaken to quantitatively describe the distribution patterns of trucked pulpwood for a representative area of the state of Maine.

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  B641: A Comparison of Food Prices in Boston, Massachusetts and Bangor, Maine: December, 1965

  Allan W. MacKinnon, Bonnie G. Marsh, John C. Dean, and Richard E. Vizard

  The results of this study, using store surveys and advertised price comparisons, showed that the cost of food-at-home items is higher in Bangor than in Boston. In addition to higher average prices in Bangor for many items, the total average expenditure for the group of food items is 4% higher in Bangor. Although it is clear that the cost of food is higher in Bangor, the study made no attempt to determine any of the causes of the cost differentia1. Two possible reasons might be the distance of Bangor from some of the major food suppliers and the difference in existing competition between Bangor and Boston.

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  B637: Reducing the Frequency of Home Delivery of Milk

  Homer Metzger and James H. Clarke

  Home delivery of milk is faced with rising costs and price competition from stores. To remain in business the retail route operator must sell more product per customer or provide a minimum amount of service for customers. This report is concerned with the feasibility of providing a minimum amount of service through reducing the frequency of delivery on home delivery routes. Information on experience with and attitudes toward reduced delivery was obtained by personal and mail interviews from distributors in the northeast and from households in Kentucky, Maine and West Virginia during the period 1960 to 1963.This study is a contribution to the northeast regional dairy marketing research project NEM-25, "Adapting Milk Distribution Systems and Practices to Changing Conditions," involving agricultural experiment stations in the northeast region and supported in part by regional funds.

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  B619: An Economic Study of Sheep Production in Maine

  Dean F. Tuthill

  This study of sheep production in Maine was done in the summer of 1962 on the prior year's beep operation. Records of 60 producers were included in the study, approximately a 30 percent sample of producers with 20 or more mature ewes per flock. The bulletin describes the characteristics of sheep producers and their operations, the management and marketing practices, investments, and expenses.

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  B624: A Comparison of Several Peeling Methods as Applied to Maine Potatoes for Processing

  R. C. Pelletier, J. S. Getchell, M. E. Highlands, and D. R. Clark

  The bulletin presents the results of a study on the affect of peeling methods on peeling and trimming losses of white potatoes for the processed potato industry. The researchers used Katahdin, Kennebec, and Russet Burbank potatoes, grown in Maine over two growing seasons (1959-60). Potatoes were grown, harvested, graded (when required) and stored by the Plants and Soils Department under commercial storage conditions. Potatoes were peeled shortly after digging, after four months' storage, and after seven months' storage. Under the conditions of this study, for both series, peel, trim and total losses were significantly greater for the abrasive method used than for the other three methods, at the 1% level. There was no evidence that losses by methods, other than abrasive, were appreciably different except trim losses in the graded composited samples. Evidence in that instance showed steam peeling induced significantly lower losses than either the lye or lye plus steam method.

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  B627: The Relation of Tree and Stand Characteristics to Basal Area Growth of Red Spruce Trees in Partially Cut Stands in Eastern Maine

  A. Temple Bowen Jr.

  This bulletin reports on a study that evaluated the relationship of red spruce tree growth to various tree and stand conditions. Some of the tree characteristics selected for this study were initial dbh., live crown length, total height, total age at dbh, and the periodic basal area growth five years prior to partial cutting. Stand conditions that were considered included basal area per acre and the number of trees per acre, since both are relative measures of the competition between trees on any given area. The relationships between these factors would be useful in assessing the potential of any given tree or group of trees.

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  B633: The Production of Specific Pathogen Free Broilers in Maine

  H. L. Chute, D. R. Stauffer, and D. C. O'Meara

  This bulletin describes the methods used and results obtained in the production of broiler chickens free of the common poultry diseases. It is hoped that this study may serve as a guide to those wishing to eradicate or control some of the common disease problems in broiler production.

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  B614: A Plan for the Recreational Development of the Machias Lakes Region in Washington County, Maine

  A. Temple Bowen Jr.

  The importance of forest land as the medium for wood fiber production has been recognized for some time. Recent developments and trends show that another function of this same forest land is that of providing a playground for millions of outdoor recreationists. This phenomenon has affected some areas to such an extent that certain forest lands are now considered to be more valuable as sources of outdoor recreation than as wood fiber production units. This bulletin presents a plan for landowners of a 90,000-acre tract of commercial forest land located midway between Bangor and Calais, Maine, in Washington County, to more completely utilize the recreational resource. In addition, it is proposed that the service provided would be such that an income could be expected in the form of a recreation use fee. It is not the intent of this report to advocate the allocation of 90,000 acres of commercial forest land for recreation pursuits alone. Rather, it is an attempt to illustrate the fact that the intensive recreational use of an area removes little land from timber production and increases the total satisfaction that may be realized from a specific tract of forest land.

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  B606: An Economic Study of the Beef Cattle Industry in Maine

  Dean F. Tuthill and John A. Graffam

  This study was designed to determine the nature and location of the beef cattle industry of Maine, to investigate its economic aspects and to ascertain the conditions under which a beef enterprise would most likely succeed. This information should be useful to both present and prospective beef enterprise operators.

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  B598: Analysis of Livestock Dealers’ Operations in Maine and Vermont

  Dean F. Tuthill and Enoch H. Tompkins

  A random sample of 25 percent of livestock dealers in Maine and Vermont was selected for a study of their operations. Maine contributed 53 and Vermont 44 schedules. Thirty dealers, or 56 percent of the Maine sample, were full-time dealers. The bulletin describes their business practices, inventory, expenses, livestock transactions, and other sources of dealer income.

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  B592: Handling and Processing Broilers in Maine: Part 1—Costs and Efficiencies in Assembling Live Broilers for Processing

  Lloyd J. Jewett

  Processor-truckers are faced with the problem of how to move live broilers from the farm to the plant at lower cost and with less bruising. This study from 1960 was designed (1) to determine the costs and man-hour requirements for assembling live broilers, (2) to determine the importance of factors affecting assembly costs and labor requirements, and (3) to find ways of improving present conditions. An attempt was made to measure the effect of various types of broiler houses, load-out facilities, flock size and distance from farm to plant. Also an attempt was made to determine the effect of assembly crew organization on man-hour requirements and cost of assembling live broilers.

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  B593: Handling and Processing Broilers in Maine: Part II—Quality Losses in Live Broilers, and Methods of Handling to Reduce Bruising and to Improve Efficiency

  Lloyd J. Jewett and Richard Saunders

  The time spent in getting broilers from the farm to the processing plant is a brief interval, yet it is during this period that most bruising occurs. Bruising lowers the quality of birds. This study from 1960 looks at the cause and amount of quality losses in broilers when they are moved from the farm to the plant; devises methods of reducing quality losses and improving labor efficiency, and evaluates the economic significance of these methods.

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  B595: An Illustrated Review of Apple Virus Diseases

  R. C. McCrum, J. G. Barrat, M. T. Hilborn, and A. E. Rich

  The writers have attempted to review the available literature on the subject and to organize it in an orderly fashion. The name, symptomatology, host range, and geographic distribution are given for each virus disease. Where it was possible illustrations of each disorder have also been included. This bulletin addresses the following apple virus diseases: apple mosaic, flat limb, rubbery wood, stem pitting, spy 227 apple reaction, dwarf fruit and decline, chat fruit, chlorotic leaf spot, leaf pucker, dapple apple, false sting and green crinkle, green mottle, ring spot, star cracking, scar skin, rough skin, apple proliferation, rosette

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  B582: Competition among Areas in Supplying Broilers to the New York Market

  Elwood R. Littlefield and Charles H. Merchant

  Many factors are responsible for the rapid expansion of the broiler industry in the United States from 356 million, birds in 1948 to 1,452 million in 1957. This report describes the factors such as larger units of production, greatly improved feeds, better disease control, and increased consumer demand for broilers.

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  B584: Controlling Infectious Bronchitis in Maine Chickens

  Harold L. Chute, David C. O'Meara, and J. Franklin Witter

  This publication reports on the investigations of some of the respiratory disease problems of domestic chickens and steps taken to improve the vaccines created to prevent the diseases.

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  B571: Contract Broiler Growing in Maine

  Richard F. Saunders

  The Maine broiler industry had its beginning in the late 1920s and early 1930s with the greatest development occurring after World War II. Live poultry buyers, who later became processors, were the originators of the industry and have played the leading role in its development. Processing and broiler production along with hatching egg production and hatchery operations are vertically integrated to a relatively high degree in Maine. Broiler production in Maine has continued to increase at a more rapid rate than broiler production in the entire United States. By 1957 broiler production in Maine had reached 50 million birds which amounted to 3.5 per cent of total U. S. broiler production, making Maine the 10th ranking broiler state. The findings from this study of contract broiler growing in Maine indicate that carefully planned, vertical integration by processors is a sound method of cost reduction and quality control. Furthermore, contract broiler growers generally are satisfied with their arrangements for growing broilers and prefer the contract system to growing broilers independently.

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  B547: Transparent Plastic Cartons Boost Egg Sales

  Richard Saunders

  In merchandising tests conducted in three supermarkets located in Portland, Maine, sales of large, Grade A eggs were increased an average of 16 per cent using transparent plastic egg cartons. Total eggs sales in the stores were increased 11 per cent. The experiment involved testing two types of egg cartons—a completely transparent carton made of clear plastic, and a windowed carton with partial visibility through the top of the carton. A standard 2 x 6, cardboard carton with no visibility—the one regularly used by the supermarkets—was used as a control throughout the tests. In two of the cooperating stores egg sales per 100 customers in the plastic carton exceeded those in the carton regularly used in the stores by 25 and 26 per cent. In the other store the sale of eggs in plastic cartons per 100 customers was less than sales in the regular carton by 7 per cent. Overall egg sales in the windowed cartons were slightly less than those in the regular solid top carton. The findings from this study indicate that consumers preferred eggs in transparent cartons which allow complete visibility of the entire contents of the package, and that the use of transparent cartons for displaying eggs in supermarkets resulted in increased egg sales in the short-run. Transparent cartons are available now at a cost which would permit retailers to use them for marketing a premium quality egg, and for promoting egg sales in their stores.

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  B553: Consumer Packages for Maine Mcintosh Apples

  Charles H. Merchant, Earle E. Gavett, John W. Underwood, and Frank J. McDonald

  Three kinds of consumer packages for apples were developed for testing in the 1955-56 marketing season. In developing these packages, the authors modified the jumble-pack, polyethylene package in a way that would protect the fruit from most of the bruising and still maintain almost complete visibility of the fruit. One consumer package developed was a long narrow polyethylene bag, another was a polyethylene bag with a divider insert, and the third package had a cell partition placed in a similar plastic bag. All three packages were well accepted by consumers in the Portland market.

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  B536: Consumer Poultry Meat Studies in the Northeast

  Richard Saunders

  In 1953, the subcommittee of the Northeast Regional Poultry Marketing Committee, considering the project "Consumer Preferences for, Consumer Purchases of, and the Market Demand for Poultry Products," decided to bring together in summary form the work completed and under way by research workers in the Northeast. The project was designed to address revolutionary changes in the poultry industry that had made it in increasingly important that the production and distribution of poultry meat and eggs be oriented to consumer preferences and market demand for these products.

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  B537: Supermarket Sales of Poultry Meat

  Richard Saunders

  Shoppers' purchases of poultry meat were observed and recorded daily in four supermarkets located in Portland, Maine, over a two-month period, May and June, 1952. One month was spent in each of the two stores. To learn something of the seasonal pattern of consumers' purchases of poultry meat, observations were made again during November in the same supermarkets. The study revealed, among other things, that chicken was the biggest item in the poultry products line, that supermarkets sold more broilers and fryers than any other type of poultry meat, and that they were losing poultry sales by not having a complete line of poultry available to customers during the entire week.

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  B529: Blossom and Twig Blight of Low-bush Blueberries (Botrytis cinerea)

  E. Neil Pelletier and M. T. Hilborn

  This bulletin presents the results of research on three aspects of the disease blossom and twig blight, (1) seasonal development, (2) the effect of environmental factors, and (3) chemical control. The work was supported financially by Maine Blueberry Tax funds.

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  B531: Sources of Maine Poultry Meat and Market Outlets

  W. E. Pullen and W. E. Savage

  No episode in the history of Maine's agriculture was as spectacular as the rapid growth of the poultry meat industry. The leading role in this expansion was played by broilers. Within the 15-year span from 1938 to 1952, the number of broilers produced increased more than 50-fold, from less than 400,000 birds in 1938 to more than 23 million in 1952. Gross farm income from broilers increased even more rapidly, from about $200,000 in 1938 to nearly $24,000,000 by 1952. This expansion in commercial broiler production made the poultry industry jump from its usual third-place position as a source of income for Maine farmers to the number one spot in 1951.

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  B509: Commercial Washing of Maine Potatoes

  Alvah L. Perry

  Shippers and receivers displayed considerable interest in a previous study which showed that shoppers would choose washed potatoes in preference to unwashed potatoes even though the washed potatoes were being sold at a premium price. The previous study was carried out with washing, grading, packaging, transporting, displaying, and pricing of the potatoes under the direct supervision of research personnel. The industry expressed a desire to test the acceptance of washed potatoes under commercial conditions where market forces would control demand and establish price. This study was conducted with that purpose in mind.

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  B521: Containers for Shipping Apples

  Homer C. Woodward

  Studies since 1946 affirm that the major causes of apple bruising in Maine are the methods used in packing the containers, layer materials, and handling. During the past two years, the emphasis of the studies has been testing of different containers and packing materials to determine which give the apples the best protection. Those who pack apples have become increasingly conscious of the higher costs involved. Therefore, the cost of the various containers and packaging materials also was studied. Thus, the overall objective of the study was to determine what type(s) of container or containers and materials give the best protection to the fruit at the most favorable cost relating to the returns, that is, which containers and materials are the most practical all things considered.

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  B493: Consumer Acceptance of Washed Maine Potatoes

  Alvah L. Perry and Charles H. Merchant

  The broad objective of this study was to determine the feasibility as well as the problems associated with washing Maine potatoes. This is particularly important at this time in view of the general preference of housewives for clean potatoes as determined by a national survey by the United States Department of Agriculture and the increasing supplies of washed potatoes from competing areas in markets Maine normally serves. Specific objectives of this study were to determine (1) the keeping qualities of washed potatoes, (2) the costs associated with washing Maine potatoes including equipment, fuel, water, and shrinkage, and (3) the acceptance of washed Maine potatoes by the wholesale and retail trade.

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  B495: Breakfasts of Maine Teen-Agers

  Mary M. Clayton

  This study was undertaken to determine the nutritive value of the breakfasts of Maine teenagers and the contribution of the breakfasts to their day's food intake.

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  B214: The Biology of Poultry Keeping

  Raymond Pearl

  This bulletin from 1913 reports early work on the biology of poultry keeping. It includes sections on good stock, recognizing individuality, constitutional vigor, inbreeding, housing, and feeding.

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  B217: Woolly Aphid of the Apple

  Edith M. Patch

  In this Bulletin, Edith M. Patch discusses life cycle, physiology, economic impact, habitats and remedies for the Woolly Aphid of the Apple. Elm leaf aphids are also discussed to the extent that they have been seen to migrate to apple tress.