308 State Horticultural Society. 



and forced into fruiting by midwinter, or even as early as Christ- 

 mas, if desired. This would not have been possible had the trees 

 continued to grow throughout the summer. They could never 

 have been made to continue to grow, nor could they have been 

 aroused from their rest immediately had they been allowed to go 

 dormant at the normal time. 



With the peach a certain amount of rest period seems to be 

 necessary, but it appears to be possible to cause this to take place 

 at a time most convenient to the grower. It is known that some 

 plants, for example, the lilac, have definite times of rest and activ- 

 ity, which may be divided into periods. By experiment it has been 

 found that just at the time of entering certain of these periods, 

 and also at the time of passing out of them, they may be forced 

 into growth easily, while at other times they force with great diffi- 

 culty, or not at all. It is probable that the peach, also, belongs in 

 this class of plants, and that it has periods of susceptibility to 

 growth and corresponding times when it would grow with great 

 difficulty or not at all. 



.Experiments are now in progress to try to secure some definite 

 information on this particular phase of the subject. The matter 

 lias very practical application to orchard practices, inasmuch as it 

 would be quite possible, in many instances, by special cultural 

 methods in midsummer or late summer, to cause the trees to con- 

 tinue growing or to be made to close their growth. If they can be 

 checked, for example, in midsummer and caused to be dormant for 

 a time, it might be that the end of their rest period would be en- 

 tered during late winter, when, of course, they would be quite sus- 

 ceptible to growth, if conditions were favorable. On the other 

 hand, they might be kept growing very late in the season, which 

 would cause them to remain in the resting state until so late in 

 winter that when they begin to grow there would be no danger of 

 the buds being killed by subsequent cold spells. 



In various ways we are seeking to learn as nearly as possible 

 the exact length of the normal resting period. It is thought that 

 this will vary with different varieties, which may account for some 

 of them being killed while others are able to fruit. It may require 

 three or four years to secure reliable data as to the length of rest- 

 ing periods, but the work will be continued in the hope that new 

 light may be thrown upon the very important subject of hardiness. 



