EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. SHS 



condition, but the trunk is generally injured down to the snow line, 

 thus practically girdling the tree. The Japanese plums are nearly as 

 seriously injured as the peaches. In low places and where the trees 

 have made a thrifty growth the pear trees are very seriously injured. 

 In many cases the wood has turned nearly coal black. In other localities 

 the pears have not been injured at all, or only the ends of the new 

 growth and the buds have been injured. The apple trees have not been 

 injured to any extent, altho some report injury to young trees. Some 

 varieties of sweet cherries have been slightly injured. Of the small 

 fruits the raspberries and blackberries are the only ones affected. 



The territory most seriously affected was a strip of from ten to twelve 

 miles wide along the lake shore, from Saugatuck south. Weather re- 

 ports show that the temperature at South Haven was the lowest in the 

 lower peninsula. 



One effect of the freeze was to kill the last bwod of scale. The early 

 broods were apparently not injured except, of course, on the injured 

 trees. It was noticed that the trees infested with scale were more 

 seriously injured than the others. This was especially noticed on pear 

 trees where the degree of general injury was not so pronounced. 



It is seriously doubted whether any practical or profitable treatment 

 can be given the trees where the cambium layer and the sap wood are 

 brown or black. The winter season ordinarily draws hard on the tree 

 moisture and this Avill greatly hinder any chance of recovery. The 

 ground being covered with snow, the roots and first six or eight inches 

 of trunk are uninjured. All trees will undoubtedly show some signs 

 of life but they will be weakened, and it is very doubtful whether they 

 will produce enougli to pay money and time spent on them. Young trees 

 set last year can be cut down to the snow line and allowed to sprout 

 above the bud and new heads formed from that. Older trees would 

 not sprout satisfactorily to form good heads. The raspberries and black- 

 berries can be cut back to the snow line and allowed to grow again. 



CONCLUSION. 



There is a" steady increase in the interest taken in the Station. The 

 correspondence is growing larger and many more are seeking informa- 

 tion in person. Prominent among those interested are city people new 

 in the culture of fruit. We encourage personal visits of fruit growers 

 to the Station or, if that is impossible, the seeking of its information 

 by correspondence. 



FRANK A. WILKEN. 



South Haven, Mich., Decend)er 21, 1900. 



