304 State Horticultural Society. 



crank," I think I will stop. Many hundreds of cherry trees have 

 been planted in South Missouri in the last four or five years. 

 Whether these will prove profitable, remains to be proven when 

 they come into bearing. As for myself, there are many other 

 fruits that I find to be more profitable than the cherry. 



HARDINESS. 



(By W. L. Howard, Assistant Professor In Horticulture, University of Missouri, 



Columbia, Mo.) 



The word "hardy" is used in a variety of ways. It is used 

 to distinguish plants that can be grown out of doors all the year 

 around from those that must be kept under glass for a part or all 

 of the year. Also, some plants may be more resistant than others 

 to both heat and cold, or capable of withstanding unfavorable con- 

 ditions, as drought and general neglect. In common usage, how- 

 ever, the word "hardy" has reference to the ability of a plant or 

 plants to withstand the winter at a particular place. A plant may 

 be hardy in Missouri, for example, but not in North Dakota. 

 Throughout this paper "hardy" will be used in its universal mean- 

 ing, i. e., the ability to withstand winter injury, and discussed in 

 connection with the fruiting of the peach. 



The subject of the hardiness of the peach is one of profound 

 interest to every fruit grower, and on this account has been much 

 studied. In this discussion the question will be considered from 

 three standpoints: (1) the relation of color to hardiness; (2) the 

 effect of pruning on hardiness, and (3) the relation of the rest, 

 or dormant, period to hardiness. 



The relation of color to hardiness in the peach has been ex- 

 tensively studied by Pi of. J. C. Whitten of this station. He found 

 that the dark-colored twigs in full sunlight in winter absorb heat 

 rays and become much warmer than the green-colored ones. In 

 order to study the question in all its phases, he inserted ther- 

 mometers in adjacent twigs on a peach tree growing in the field, 

 and, by whitening one of the twigs with whitewash and covering 

 the other with a dense coat of lamp-black, he found that the dif- 

 ference in temperature was very great. The greatest variation 

 was reached at a time when snow was upon the ground and the sun 

 shining very brightly, the difference in temperature at that time 

 being 23 degrees Farhenheit. Under these conditions the dark- 

 colored twigs absorbed the greatest possible amount of heat from 



