Fruit Brevities. 449 



new tissue, the injury would soon be overgrown. The injured 

 wood, like the heartwood of the tree, is soon removed from active 

 participation in the vital processes. It therefore follows that the 

 danger resulting from the browning or blackening of the wood by 

 winter injury, depends very much upon the subsequent treatment 

 of the trees. 



Pears. — In the Cornell plantation, pears will be a very light 

 crop this year, largely as a result of the winter. There was no 

 injury to the growth or to fruit-spurs, but many of the fruit-buds 

 were killed. 



There is much complaint of the blackening of the pear wood 

 by the winter injury. Several varieties upon our own plantation 

 show wood which looks to be lifeless, yet the trees are making 

 good growth. Much of this wood really is irreparably injured, 

 but the new layer which is now making may be expected to main- 

 tain the health of the trees in i)erfection, as explained above. I 

 have observed this injury to pears from time to time for twenty 

 years, and the trees have invariably recuperated if given good 

 care. I recall making the experiment of setting cions of pear 

 wood which w^as so completely blackened as to appear as if hope- 

 lessly injured. The grafts grew, and bore for many years, and 

 were in no way inferior to ordinary pear grafts. 



In some parts of the state, pear trees were ruined by the winter. 

 In most instances, these trees will leaf out this spri-ng and they 

 may make some growth, but later on they will be found to droop 

 and die much as if attacked by blight. The wood, upon being 

 cut, will be found to be much discolored. This serious injury to 

 pear trees will probably not be found in the well known fruit 

 regions of the state, however. 



Plums. — There are practically no plums upon the University 

 place this year, except of native species. The trees had set pro- 

 fusely of buds, but the buds, and, in most instances, the entire 

 fruit-spur, were killed outright. There is now and then a fruit 

 on Lombard and a few other varieties. None of true domestica 

 plum trees were injured in body or limb by the winter. 



Of the Japanese plums we shall have no fruits, except now and 

 then one on cions set two years ago in Lombard tops. The fruit- 



29 



