THIRTY-SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT. 59 



tion of roots by snow or cover crops; poor soil drainage; overbearing in the 

 preceding crop; lack of vitality from ravages of insects or fungi; and the 

 susceptibility of the variety to cold. 



IX. WHAT DEGREE OF COLD WILL KILL PEACH BUDS? 



From the answers to this question we are forced to conclude that much 

 more depends upon the condition of the buds than on the temperature, 

 assuming of course a temperature below zero and not greater than 25° 

 which seems to be the limit that peach buds can stand even under most 

 favorable conditions. The chief factors influencing tenderness of buds are: 

 Maturity of buds; variety; and the time at which the buds of a variety 

 finish their resting period and become ready to grow. Some of the factors 

 influencing temperature are: Lay of the land; proximity to water; stresses 

 of changeable weather; altitude, latitude, and currents of air. 



X. ARE TREES FROM NORTHERN NURSERIES HARDIER THAN THOSE FROM 



SOUTHERN ONES? 



Many opinions were expressed but few men had grown trees from different 

 latitudes under such conditions as to answer the question fairly. The 

 answers w^ere in no way decisive and the question is still an open one to be 

 settled only by direct experimentation with trees of the same varieties 

 from north and south grown under identical conditions. 



II. 



The following variations in the species are favorable to hardiness: 



I. DOES THE CHARACTER OF INDIVIDUAL TREES HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH 



HARDINESS? 



Answers to these questions were very indefinite and often conflicting. 

 It was held by some, and with a fair show of experience to confirm the con- 

 tention, that trees naturally high-headed with few branches, long, spindling 

 trunks, branches and twigs, have soft wood and are therefore more suscep- 

 tible to freezing. On the other hand, that individuals having naturally 

 short bodies, a goodly number of branches starting low, with short-jointed 

 wood bright and clear when cut, and thickly set with buds, were the least 

 easily injured by cold. One tree of a variety may be supposed to be slightly 

 more hardy to cold than another through inherent variation but whether 

 such hardiness can be detected through the character of the growth would 

 have to be determined by carefully conducted experiments and can hardly 

 be proved by such observations as my correspondents are able to make. 



II. ARE THE SMALL-GROWING VARIETIES W^ITH COMPACT HEADS HARDIER 



THAN THE FREE-GROWING SORTS WITH LARGE HEADS? 



Practically all growers say that the compact growing sorts are the hardiest. 

 As would be expected the small headed varieties are those with the least 

 succulent wood. The following varieties are named as being the most 

 compact growers and hence hardier than the average-: Hiirs Chili, Crosby, 

 Gold Drop, Barnard, Kalamazoo, Triumph, Wager and FitzGerald. 



