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ness of the ground through some winters, especially when accompanied, as it some- 

 times is, by frequent freezings, and thawings, and excessive dryness. 



To vegetable as to animal life, more particularly in its first stages of develop- 

 ment, these changes and extremes are very trying — far more so than a regular, even 

 temperature, though it may be that of prolonged, severe cold. Repeated freezings 

 and thawings are more injurious than a single one — a windy cold atmosphere, 

 more piercing and penetrating than a still one of the same temperature — a dry 

 cold wind more withering than a moist cold one — a glaring, intensely brilliant 

 sunlight, more powerful than a feeble one — and all, as remarked above, more 

 trying to young plants than older ones — to fresh, rank, unripe growths, than to 

 TTpe, well-matured ones. Hence young or tender trees, or those newly planted, 

 wjl be more subject to injury, whether in the nursery or the orchard, and will 

 therefore require more care than older and better established ones. 



In the light of these few simple statements, we will endeavor more particularly 

 to define the injuries to which our fruit trees are exposed in and from this cli- 

 mate, with what we consider the best means of prevention or cure. But first, it 

 should be remarked that the soil, and climate, and cultivation, exercise a very 

 strong, mutual, responsive, or modifying influence in their combined effect or 

 operation upon the growth and hardihood of plants. Most obviously a bad soil 

 would materially aggravate the evil effects of a bad climate, while unskilful ma- 

 nagement would develop them to the very utmost — and vice versa. The soil 

 and management being measurably under our control would therefore present the 

 most promising field for our investigations and remedial efforts, which, if properly 

 directed in those departments, will be found very powerful correctives to the evil 

 effects of the climate. 



The forms or varieties of injury to fruit trees from cold, may be distinguished 

 as follows: — 1. Bursting of the bark at, or just above, the surface of the gi'ound. 

 — 2. Heaving out of the roots by freezing and thawing of the ground. — 3. Dry 

 freezing at the root. — 4. Mechanical freezing down of the extremities. — 5. Heart- 

 blight, or a corruption of the unripe juices and tissues of the tree, more especially 

 of the heart-wood, durino; winter. — 6. Sun-blio-ht. — 7. Destruction of the blossom 

 buds of certain tender sorts during winter. — 8. Destruction of blossoms or sets by 

 late spring frosts. 



1. This is well known among Western nursery-men and orchard-planters, and is, 

 we believe, peculiar to the apple and the pear while young; more especially certain 

 tender sorts ivhen grafted on the root. The injury is generally done by the first 

 severe frosts in autumn, rarely in the spring; the bark being ruptured longitudi- 

 nallv from one to six inches in lenorth, near the surface of the ground. The deli- 

 cate fibres of the inner bark, and the sap-wood, are thus exposed to the alternate 

 freezings and thawings, until they become more or less dried ; and, in severe 



