TREES ADAPTED TO DISTRICT NO. 12 287 



REPORT FROM DISTRICT NO. 5 



E. F. Stephens, Director 



We regret to report that this portion of the state was again visited 

 by a cold wave, of such extent and character as to do more liarm than 

 the cold wave of 1907. In 1908, the damage was increased by the long 

 continued cold wave. The cold, raw winds, day after day, checked the 

 flow of sap and at night-fall the mercury dropped several times to freez- 

 ing point, or below. The greatest measure of harm was suffered during 

 one morning about the close of cold wave. Watching our thermeters, 

 the night before hand at nine o'clock, we noted a rising temperature and 

 were confident that we should escape harm that night. At four o'clock in 

 the morning, no harm had been suffered. The temperature at that hour 

 was just about thirty-two, above freezing point. Up to this time our own 

 orchard had been protected by clouds, which lessened the radiation of 

 earth's heat. At this hour on this particular morning, the clouds cleared 

 away and the temperature rapidly fell until at six o'clock, the thermo- 

 meter showed a temperate of twenty-four. The sun rose clear and bright, 

 the temperature rose rapidly, the buds of fruit thawed quickly, resulting 

 in very serious harm. 



The question of the measure of damage by the cold wave, is in the 

 opinion of our Mr. Walker, who has lived in the orchard twenty-four 

 years and observed closely, determined somewhat by the circulation of 

 the sap, existing in the trees at the time of the cold wave. Mr. Walker 

 mentions that in 1894, the thermometer fell to twenty-four degrees on 

 the night of May 19th, resulting in serious harm to our orchards on the 

 very lowest levels, but leaving us a full crop in our orchards on the 

 higher levels, notably what we call our southeast orchard. Rlr. Walker's 

 explanation of this curious result, is that at the time the cold wave of 

 May 19th, the trees were in vigorous growth, there was a full and strong 

 circulation of sap, apples were perhaps the size of hazel nuts. The 

 circulation of sap in the tree, being very strong, apparently the fruit was 

 thawed from within before it could be thawed by the warm rays of the 

 rising sun. Mr. Walker has noticed in watching the behavior of dif- 

 ferent varieties of trees that trees which at the time of the cold wave 

 have a virgorous circulation of sap, suffer less than trees which at the 

 time have a less vigorous circulation. The Sweet June sometimes saves 

 a considerable proporticn of its fruit under conditions entailing loss in 

 other varieties nearby. 



At the close of our freeze in 1908, we had been having a number of 

 days of cold, raw wind, checking the circulation of the sap in our apple 

 trees; under such conditions, circulation having been nearly paralyzed 

 by a cold wave, lasting four to six days, there was not at the particular 

 time at sufficient circulation of sap to assist in drawing the frost before 

 before the frost could be thawed by the rays of the rising sun. 



North of us and in town, there was less harm from frost, and we 

 learn that in other districts, trees and plants suffered much less under 



