TWENTY FIFTH ANNUAL MEETING. 195 



off, and so with other vegetables. There seems to be theory that frozen 

 sap, going down, will work an injury. Is that true of a tree, and would 

 the frozen ends of these peach trees, by reason of the sap working from 

 them back into the tree, would it be better to cut them oif ? I would 

 be glad if any one could throw light on this subject. Many of the trees 

 in my orchard, with a growth up to about the first of August, seem to 

 mature; and then, when a new growth starts, there is that little ring, 

 showing the two separate season's growth, and that later growth is 

 tender. 



Mr. Willard: I should favor the removal of that, providing it were 

 done sufficiently early, but I don't think you would gain anything at this 

 season of the year. During the latter part of August or first of Septem- 

 ber, when it might result in the stopping of that new growth and the 

 hardening of those other buds, I think good might come of it; but, at this 

 season of the year, I do not think it would be productive of good. I have 

 had experience in pruning when trees were in full growth, and it has 

 cost me something to learn that I was not always quite wise. One sea- 

 son we went over our plum trees about the first of July, because they 

 were making such a tremendous growth of wood. We thought it might 

 be a good idea, but if you do it later in the season, when you will not 

 force the buds that are dormant, but simply harden them by checking, it 

 would be all right, though not at this season of the year. 



Q. I would ask Mr. Willard what is the range of the thermometer 

 with him? 



A. Rarely twenty degrees below zero, and we had some peaches at 

 twenty below. We had Chilis and Early Rivers, but that is unusual. 

 Ordinarily we get but ten or twelve below. 



Mr. J. W. Helme: I would state that many years ago our peaches were 

 at first killed when it was twelve below, but they do become acclimated. 

 There is no mistake about that. Last winter the thermometer went 

 twenty below, and still we had a peach crop. 



Mr. Willard: Mr. Joseph Meehan of Philadelphia says he thinks 

 oranges could be acclimated so they could be grown two degrees north 

 of where they are now. 



Mr. L. B. Rice: In relation to sowing rye, all of our sandy soil is sub- 

 ject to cut-worms, and the growth of buckwheat will usually kill the 

 cut- worm. I have been trying mixing buckwheat and rye and 

 sowing the last of July. The buckwheat comes on, and if the season is 

 late it will ripen; and if not, it does not make any difference; it will rot 

 down and help to hold the snow in winter. We have very little snow, 

 and that is inclined to blow off, and I think this plan has a tendency to 

 check the ravages of the cut-worm entirely. In fact, you may sow rye 

 with buckwheat in June; harvest a heavy crop of buckwheat, leave your 

 rye, and next year harvest a crop of rye. I do not harvest the buck- 

 wheat; if it ripens I leave it to the quails; if not, all the same. 



Mr. Morrill : There is one thing brought out by Mr. Williams' ques- 

 tion, of which I think a little notice should be taken, in regard to the 

 first year's growth of trees. This fall, the trees of last year's setting 

 have more or less fruit buds, and one of the factors which works injury 

 is late setting. The moment the ground is ready, with the very first 

 movement of sap, starting the leaves, do your setting. Then you are in 

 a fair way to establish terminals before the time comes when they are 



