190 STATE HORTICULTUKAL SOCIETY. 



ever, by no means necessarily an evil to the plant, for the result is that they 

 are often carried some distance and then dropped, or stored up and forgotten, 

 €0 that in this way they get carried away from the parent tree. 



IMMATURE WOOD AND ACTION OF FROST. 



Mr. William Saunders, superintendent of the agricultural grounds at Wash- 

 ington, gave an extended paper on the action of frost on plants, from which 

 we cull a few sentences, some of which may not agree with the opinions of our 

 horticulturists. He says: 



You can't tell beforehand what plants or trees are hardy. Australian plants 

 which will endure a cold of 15° below zero in their native habitats are destroyed 

 here when the thermometer reaches the freezing point. The arid clmiate of 

 Australia thoroughly ripens the wood, which is thus rendered capable of endur- 

 ing the severe cold. 



It is evident that so far as concerns soil and culture, the greatest safeguard 

 against injury to the plants from cold is that of having properly ripened or 

 matured growths. How much of the disappointment in fruit culture is the 

 resulc of immature growths it would be difficult to deteimine. I have long 

 considered this to be the cause of the disease known as yellows in the peach 

 tree. This disease is most prevalent in localities where growth is prolonged 

 until it is suddenly arrested by a killing frost; and I am not aware of its 

 existence in climates where the tree becomes deciduous in the absence of 

 frost. 



It is within the province of the cultivator to assist nature in the requisites for 

 perfect maturation of growth. The fruit grower will be careful to avoid setting 

 his trees in wet soil, or low, rich lands, tie will also prudontly abstain from 

 the use of stimulating manures, which would have a tendency to encourage late 

 growth in autumn ; he will abstain from all cultural operations on the soil when 

 growth should be checked rather than encouraged, atid use every available 

 means to secure an early cessation of wood growth. 



Many of onr beautiful evergreen trees from the northwestern and California 

 coasts, as also various Asiatic conifers, have a great tendency to commence a 

 second active growth during the moist, genial weather which frequenlly occurs 

 here dui'ing the early fall months. This growth never ripens, and in conse- 

 quence is destroyed by the first frost, greatly to the injury of the plant. The 

 mammoth tree of California, and the Japan cedar may be cited as typical trees 

 of this class. These fall growths may be checked by pruning the roots of the 

 trees during September, which will ensure matured wood ; the young branches 

 will become solid and firm, instead of being unripe and filled with watery fluid, 

 and are thus prepared to stand the winter without injury. 



With regard to the general subject of protecting the plants, some persons 

 contend that a fruit tree or plant, to be valuable, or fitted for general culture, 

 must be able to take care of itself. This should be looked npon as a lame ex- 

 cuse for indolence and neglect. It is the province of man to assist nature in 

 producing such results as he finds most desirable for his purposes; and if he 

 removes plants from their natural conditions, and then abandons them, so to 

 speak, he must expect to realize the usual consequences of neglect. 



