THIRTY-SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT. 61 



VI, NAME THE FIVE VARIETIES MOST TENDER IN WOOD. 



Here, too, opinion differed but not so much as in naming the Hsts of hardy 

 sorts. In New York the Ust runs: Early Crawford, Late Crawford, Chair's 

 Choice, St. John, Niagara. In Michigan the first four are as in New York, 

 Early and Late Crawford, Chair's Choice and St. John, followed by Smock 

 which, strange to say, is considered a fairly hardy sort in New York. Mich- 

 igan growers consider Salway tender in wood while in New York there was 

 an even division as to whether it was hardy or tender. Elberta came within 

 a vote of tying Smock for the list of tender varieties in Michigan. 



VII. NAME THE FIVE VARIETIES OF PEACHES MOST HARDY IN BUD. 



The New York growers named more than a score of varieties as being 

 hardy in bud and were agreed only upon two sorts as being preeminently 

 hardy, namely: Crosby and Hill's Chili, with Triumph, Gold Drop, Stevens' 

 Rareripe and Kalamazoo having an equal number of votes for hardiness. 

 The Michigan growers gave their opinion most decidedly for the five follow- 

 ing sorts, scarcely any others being named: Hill's Chili, Gold Drop, Crosby, 

 Kalamazoo, and Barnard with a few scattering votes for Triumph, Early 

 Rivers, Wager and Salway, 



VIII. NAME THE FIVE VARIETIES OF PEACHES MOST TENDER IN BUD. 



« 



Growers in the two regions agree as to the sorts most tender in bud. Not 

 only are the same varieties given but in exactly the same order, namely: 

 Early Crawford, Late Crawford, Chair's Choice, Reeve's Favorite and El- 

 berta. Among other sorts named as being tender in bud in one or the other 

 or both states are Old Mixon, St, John, Smock, Niagara, Surprise, Globe 

 and Mountain Rose. 



In summarizing the results of the investigations it appears that the peach 

 is certainly influenced as to hardiness by the cultural treatment given. 

 The presumption is, upon philosophical grounds, that the external influences 

 of orchard management have a permanent effect upon hardiness of the peach 

 and that the horticulturist is thus slowly but surely acclimatizing this species 

 to greater degrees of cold than it could once stand. It appears, too, that 

 there are favorable variations in the peach as to hardiness of wood and of 

 bud from which the horticulturist can select and breed varieties capable 

 of withstanding the vicissitudes of climates which in its wild state this plant 

 could not have borne. We have, in cultural treatment and selection, means 

 at the command of the horticulturist to acclimatize all plants and I have 

 tried to set forth in their relative importance the chief factors as these 

 means are now being used in the acclimatization of the peach, 



DISCUSSION. 



J. H, Hale : Mr. President, I should, in a general way, want to say amen 

 to the reports as given by Prof. Hedrick. I am certainly convinced that 

 he and his correspondents are right when they say that the most vigorous, 

 well-fed, well nurtured, well balanced trees are more hardy than a half 

 starved tree, more hardy in the fruit bud. I would want to emphasize that. 

 I think he satisfies us it is correct, and my experience in growing peaches 

 would warrant that. His other conclusions, in a broad general way, 

 covered the situation as I have met it in New England and in the south. 



