Page 34 



BETTER FRUIT 



February, ipso 



Observations on Treatment of 

 Winter-Injured Trees 



Continued from page 16. , 

 is not SO much a problem of available 

 plant food in the soil so much as it is 

 a question of the tree's ability to make 

 use of it. 



"I believe it best for the grower not 

 to prune young trees until winter is 

 definitely over and no further danger of 

 hard freezes is probable. Considerable 

 evaporation takes place from the cut 

 surfaces, which can, to a large extent, 

 be curtailed by leaving the tree alone. 

 The grower will readily recognize that 

 the cut surfaces of the injured wood 

 will more readily dry out and die back 

 than is true of healthy tissue because 

 of the former's inability to supply the 

 moisture as fast as it is carried away. 

 In some cases I believe it well for the 

 grower to wait a few days after the 



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OFTHE CANADIAN PACIFIC 

 RESERVED FARM LANDS 



THIS announces the of- 

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Last Big Opportunity 



This block contains bom fertile, open 

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Twenty Years to Pay 



The Canadian Pacific offert you this 

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 the world's prixe wheat. World's prizo 

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Lands Under Irrigation 



In Southern Alberta, the C. F. R. has 

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Special Rates for Home- 

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The Canadian Pacific will not sell you 

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M. E. THORNTON 



Sopt. o{ CoIoBiutioD 



Canadian Pacific RaUway 



960 FiritSt.. E.. Calgary. AlberU 



For alJ Information aljout Canada, 

 ask the r. P. R, 



growing season starts before pruning, 

 as then one will have a more definite 

 idea whether the injured wood is going 

 to grow or not. However, if growth 

 does not start promptly within a week 

 or ten days after the normal season, 

 pruning should be done promptly. 



"Trees which have been injured quite 

 badly should be pruned heavily, the 

 idea being to concentrate the sap to a 

 smaller area and thus strengthen those 

 parts. This will apply equally to trees 

 in bearing or not in bearing." 

 Injury to Peach Trees. 

 In the pruning treatment of winter- 

 injured peach trees we find that expe- 

 riments made by A. J. Gunderson, Asso- 

 ciate in Horticulture of the University 

 of Illinois Agricultural Experiment Sta- 

 tion, apparently demonstrated that 

 moderately heavy pruning was the most 

 beneficial. These experiments were 

 made in the summer of 1918 as the re- 

 sult of prolonged periods of very cold 

 weather in peach orchards in Southern 

 Illinois, in the winter of 1917-18, when 

 the temperatures reached as low as 20 

 to 25 degrees below zero. 



In recording the results of these ex- 

 periments Mr. Gunderson in his bulle- 

 tin remarks: 



"During the periods of low tempera- 

 ture strong winds prevailed. Fortun- 

 ately, however, there was a good cover- 

 ing of snow in most peach orchards, 

 and therefore the injury was confined 

 to the trunks and the branches of the 

 trees. Peach growers were at a loss to 

 know how their trees should be treated, 

 especially with reference to pruning. 

 Some were pruning their trees severely, 

 while others were pruning moderately. 

 The writer recommended moderate 

 pruning for both old and young peach 

 trees, as experimental evidence had in- 

 dicated that for winter-injured peach 

 trees more than one year old moderate 

 pruning was better than severe prun- 

 ing. In the case of June-budded or 

 small yearling trees planted during the 

 fall of 1917, however, it was recom- 

 mended that the usual cutting back to 

 whips be practiced. 



"Winter injury to peach trees in Illi- 

 nois during the winter of 1917-18 in- 

 cluding the killing of the fruit buds and 

 injury to wood of different ages, vary- 

 ing from a slight injury to the tissues 

 to severe injury and subsequent death 

 of the trees. In most cases trees which 

 had been planted but one year showed 

 less injury than older trees. The in- 

 ternal symptoms of winter injury ap- 

 peared in the form of discoloration of 

 the heartwood and sapwood, varying in 

 color from light to dark brown. The 

 cambium layer turned a pale, watery 

 green. The odor of the cell sap was 

 sour, suggesting fermentation. These 

 conditions were present in the trunk 

 and the branches. The roots of the 

 trees in every peach orchard examined 

 remained normal, owing to the protec- 

 tion afTorded by the heavy covering of 

 snow. 



"The first external symptoms of win- 

 ter-injury appeared in the form of 

 shrunken bark on which the lenticles 

 stood out prominently, giving the bark 

 a slightly roughened appearance; and 



also in some cracking or splitting of the 

 tree trunks. A later symptom was noted 

 in which the leaf buds expanded, owing 

 to the local supply of stored food, but 

 finally wilted on account of the inabil- 

 ity of the injured tissues to conduct sap 

 from the roots. This type of injury ap- 

 peared both on single branches and on 

 entire trees. 



"The amount of winter-injury to 

 peach orchards in southern Illinois va- 

 ried not so much with latitude, for the 

 low temperatures were quite uniform, 

 as with differences in vigor and health- 

 iness of the trees, elevation of the or- 

 chard, and age of the trees. Trees de- 

 vitalized as the result of previous in- 

 jury from borers, gummosis, and lack 

 of proper feeding and cultivation were 

 most severely injured and in many 

 cases died. Those located on well ele- 

 vated and properly drained soil showed 

 less serious injury than th'ose situated 

 on level land or in 'pockets.' In some 

 cases a difference of a few feet in ele- 

 vation within the same orchard caused 

 a marked difference in the severity of 

 the injury. Trees which had been 

 planted one year appeared to be in- 

 jured less than older ones. 



"Little opportunity was afforded to 

 study winter injury on any variety of 

 peach trees other than Elberta and 

 Hale. The former variety is the most 

 important one grown commercially in 

 southern Illinois, while the latter is be- 

 ing planted to some extent. It has been 

 thought by certain peach growers of 

 other states that Hale is more resistant 

 to low temperatures in the bud than is 

 Elberta, but in southern Illinois during 

 the winter of 1917-18, both varieties 

 proved failures in this particular. Hale 

 is a less thrifty grower than is Elberta 

 in this section of the state and follow- 

 ing the winter of 1917-18 showed as 

 much, and in certain cases more, serious 

 wood injury. 



"As serious winter-injury to the wood 

 of peach trees rarely occurs in south- 



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J.E.GILSON 

 COMPANY 



102 Western Avenue 

 FORT WASHINGTON. WIS. 



WHEN WRITING ADVERTISERS MKNTION BETTER FRUIT 



WHEN WRITING ADVERTISERS MENTION BETTER FRUIT 



