276 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



mental farm cherry and apple orchard, at Ottawa, upon light soils, 

 under clean cultivation, were almost totally destroyed in this way last 

 winter. The temperature fell, and remained more or less stationary at 

 twenty degrees below zero, for some days toward the end of December, 

 when the ground was entirely unprotected by snow. .The cherries were 

 mainly root-grafted or budded on Mahaleb stocks; the apples were 

 budded and grafted on French crab stocks. The character or variety of 

 stock seemed to have less to do with the extent of the injury than the 

 nature of the soil. In those portions of the orchard where a hard and 

 impervious subsoil approaches the surface the injury was greatest. The 

 twigs and branches retained their plumpness till the commencement of 

 the vegetative process; the flower buds, with which the trees were thickly 

 covered, opened or partly opened, as the case may be, and in some 

 instances fruit set; the leaf buds usually made an attempt to do their 

 duty, but failed to more than half develop leaves. By this time the 

 twigs were much shrivelled, and, the store of food having become 

 exhausted, the trees gave up the struggle and died. On digging them up 

 it was found that in nearly every instance the upper system of roots was 

 entirely killed, and while the lower or tap roots were alive toward their 

 lower extremities, the superior portions were entirely killed. A lesson 

 of this kind need only be learned once, and strongly emphasizes the 

 desirability, if not necessity, of protection, from that standpoint. 



In 1895 a number of plants were tried with view to ascertaining some 

 facts regarding the advantages of each in this climate. Half an acre each 

 of the following fodder plants was sown, Aug. 15, with a light seeding of 

 rye at the rate of one and a quarter bushels per acre: 



No. 1. Crimson clover 20 lbs. per acre 



No. 2. Mammoth clover - - 12 lbs. per acre 



No. 3. Alsike clover 12 lbs. per acre 



No. 4. Alfalfa - - 15 lbs. per acre 



No. 5. Common red clover 12 lbs. per acre 



No. 6. White clover and orchard grass. 



No. 7. Common clover and orchard grass. 



No. 8. Peas 2 bushels per acre 



