182 Wisconsin State Horticultural Society. 



have observed that when the trees have been injured, it has been 

 done by the extreme cold, rather than the sun. It is the cold that 

 does the mischief in the winter and the sun in the summer, and 

 they have precisely the same effect on the tree. There has been 

 a good deal of cold weather this winter, but the season of extreme 

 cold has been very short. In 1864 we had quite a number of 

 days of extreme cold weather. On the 1st of January the ther- 

 mometer stood at 34° below zero, and for a number of days it 

 stood at 20° at noon. The result was, a great miny trees were 

 killed. I have found that it is these extremes, long continued 

 that do the mischief. In such weather the branches of the tree 

 are very closely compacted and shriveled up as though dried by a 

 stove, and where it remains in this state and the winds dry out the 

 remaining moisture, the tree is seriously injured ; unless extremely 

 hardy it must die. Twenty-five years ago, peaches raised out of 

 doors were exhibited at the fair at Baraboo, notwithstanding the 

 thermometer went down to — 20° the winter before, but this was 

 only for one day and did no harm. I was very sure before 

 examining the trees last week that I should not find any injury. 

 I examined those that bore heavy crops last season as well as 

 those that gave but little fruit. There has been no injury yet ; 

 what may come remains to be seen. If we should have a week 

 or two of very cold weather, and the thermometer should be very 

 low for any length of time, I fear that injury will result. 



Mr. Plumb — I agree with Mr. Tuttle that thus far the trees 

 have not been damaged at all. In our examinations we could 

 not find the first sign of injury. I do not believe that cold 

 weather will kill a tree, if it is prepared for it. If it is properly 

 grown and the wood is well ripened it will endure cold without 

 harm. The trouble is in these extreme changes. But there is 

 another source from which injury may cMe, which I fear far 

 more than all the cjld weather. It is the fact that when our win- 

 ter came on, the ground was exceedingly dry, and froze up dry 

 and is dry yet. The ground was bare the fore part of the winter, 

 and froze very deep, and if the snow goes off and there is a 

 succession of freezing and thawing, such as we usually have in 

 February and March, there is great danger of injury to the 



