Nurserymen s Convention. 429 



it would probably have been enough to save our nurseries. Planting 

 fruit stocks on north slopes that are traversed east and west by frequent 

 evergreen windbreaks, would go far toward accomplishing this end. A 

 cover crop on the ground would still further encourage the snow to re- 

 main. The superior hardiness of the raspberry as compared "v\uth the 

 blackberry has been strikingly brought out in a multitude of cases. 

 Many have reported almost total destruction of the blackberry, while 

 the raspberry was comparatively little injured. The Loudon raspberry 

 among reds and the Older among blacks have established their claims for 

 remarkable hardiness. 



Should root-injured trees be sold ? This is a practical question, and 

 one which seems to admit of an easy answer. The injury generally pro- 

 ceeds from the tips of the roots backward. If only the fibrous roots are 

 killed, the trees may be transplanted -with as much safety as if no injury 

 had occurred, for the fibrous roots are mostly sacrificed in transplanting 

 by our present systems. I do not know that it is much worse to have the 

 smaller roots frozen off, than to have them cut off with the spade or 

 digging machine. — Country Gentleman's Report of ^N^urserymen's Con- 

 vention. 



A paper was read by C. L. Watrous, Des Moines, la., on ''Injury to 

 Xursery Stock Last Winter, and How it Happened," in which he com- 

 bated the commonly accepted explanation of severe dry freezing in Feb- 

 ruary. Mr. Watrous had consulted the records of the U. S. Weather 

 Bureau, from which he ascertained that the weather for November, 1898, 

 had been drier than usual up to Xovember 21st, at which time there was 

 an unusual precipitation of rain, turning later to sleet and snow. The 

 explanation advanced by Mr. Watrous of the injury sustained is that the 

 lack of rain and frost in ]Srovember before the 21st left the foliage upon 

 trees and plants of all kinds so that their roots were thirsty. The drench- 

 ing rain of the 21st enabled them to gorge their cells with water. The 

 soil to the average depth of 8 to 10 inches was thoroughly watersoaked 

 also, and was suddenly frozen in that condition. The greatest damage 

 to the roots was done to the plastic part between the wood and the bark, 

 known as the cambium layer, where the cells are large and full of life. 



