Four mobile picking and pruning platforms for orchards

Shifting ladders around the orchard takes a great deal of time and effort at picking and pruning time. This article describes four home made labour savers which take most of the ladder work out i f these operations

Bulk handling in the orchard

By using specially-designed tractor-drawn trailers to transport apples in bulk from the trees to the grading and sizing machines, Mr. Ralph Grist, of Donnybrook, has effected considerable saving in labour on his 16 1/2 -acre orchard during the harvesting period

Modern developments in bulk handling of apples

One of the results of mechanisation replacing physical labour has been the development of bulk handling of many commodities. Apart from the saving of time, effort and cost, bulk handling of agricultural produce enables quicker harvesting at the right time

Fence out those rabbits

THERE is probably no more distressing sight to orchardists\u27 eyes than two or three hundred young fruit trees that have been damaged by rabbits

A successful method of spraying against looper caterpillars and other springtime pests

Description of a method which has proved successful over the past two seasons on the orchards of Messrs. J. L. Parke and W. Parke, of Donnybrook, should prove of interest to the large number of apple growers who during past seasons have suffered losses due to excessive blemishing of fruit by looper caterpillars (Chloroclystis lacticostata) and other spring pests

Further developments in the bulk-harvesting of apples

Following the successful introduction during last season of bulk-harvesting of A apples by two West Australian fruitgrowers—one at Donnybrook, the other at Kendenup—this year has seen more ambitious ventures in this field both by growers and the major packing houses of the Donnybrook district. Six growers and two large central sheds have installed equipment to handle bulk bins and not unnaturally a variety of types and sizes of bins have been built, and several methods of handling them evolved

Early hail marks on apples do not grow out

ALTHOUGH the 1964/65 season brought a record crop with a good proportion of high quality fruit, the year was marred by several violent hailstorms in separate parts of the South-West

The top 10 research priorities in cystic fibrosis developed by a partnership between people with CF and healthcare providers

There remain many treatment uncertainties in cystic fibrosis (CF). With limited resources, research should focus on questions which are most important to the CF community. We conducted a James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership in CF. Research questions were elicited and then prioritised in successive surveys. A workshop agreed the final top 10. Online methods avoided cross infection and widened participation. The elicitation survey had 482 respondents (1080 questions) and prioritisation survey 677 respondents. Participants were drawn equally from the patient and clinical communities globally. We have achieved a consensus on 10 research priorities which will be attractive to funders

Infection prevention and control in cystic fibrosis: a systematic review of interventions

Introduction: Cystic fibrosis is a life-limiting genetic condition characterized by recurrent pulmonary infection. Acquisition of infection can occur from environmental reservoirs, person-to-person transmission and from the healthcare environment. Primary prevention of infections through infection prevention and control measures is an important strategy in cystic fibrosis care.Areas covered: Here we present a systematic review of the evidence base around infection prevention and control in cystic fibrosis. We found 36 studies and 7 guidelines that met our inclusion criteria. Strategies covered include cohort segregation, individual segregation, hand hygiene, facemasks, combination strategies, equipment strategies, and adherence. Quality of evidence overall was deemed low or very low. Most guideline recommendations have little or no evidence to support them.Expert opinion: Although low quality, there is an abundance of evidence suggesting segregation is beneficial in reducing pathogen spread. Undertaking high-quality studies may, therefore, be ethically challenging. Large-scale registry studies may provide a better strategy for answering questions on the efficacy of infection control policy. With the rise of antibiotic resistance, effective eradication of cystic fibrosis pathogens is becoming more difficult so primary prevention through infection control will become increasingly important over the coming years

The changing patterns of group politics in Britain

Two interpretations of ways in which group politics in Britain have presented challenges to democracy are reviewed: neo-corporatism or pluralistic stagnation and the rise of single issue interest groups. The disappearance of the first paradigm created a political space for the second to emerge. A three-phase model of group activity is developed: a phase centred around production interests, followed by the development of broadly based 'other regarding' groups, succeeded by fragmented, inner directed groups focusing on particular interests. Explanations of the decay of corporatism are reviewed. Single issue group activity has increased as party membership has declined and is facilitated by changes in traditional media and the development of the internet. Such groups can overload the policy-making process and frustrate depoliticisation. Debates about the constitution and governance have largely ignored these issues and there is need for a debate