54 "Plum on l/te 'feucJi. 



hard, with some snow, and getting cold fast ; at noon, thermometer 18 degrees above 

 zero. It continued to grow cold for 36 hours, when it was only eight degrees above 

 zero ; making our change in temperature 28 degrees in 36 hours, against 44 in a 

 night at Beloit ; our change was gradual compared with theirs, and was 14 degrees 

 less. There is not a winter passes but they have it from 15 to 25 degrees colder than 

 we do. At the time above mentioned there was a change of 51 degrees the same 

 night in Missouri. 



The inquiry will naturally arise, on what ground do we claim this superiority of 

 climate, and what proof do we offer to sustain our claims ? My answer is this : 

 First, the record of the thermometer, as stated above. The second proof is theoreti- 

 cal. The open, unfrozen water of the lake, is the source of our protection. The 

 prevailing winds in the winter, in our cold spells are almost invariably from the west, 

 westerly or southwest, the latter the most trying of all. The lake at South Haven 

 is about 22 miles wider than it is 20 or 25 miles further south: and the wider the 

 surface of unfrozen water the greater the amount of protection, the water being 

 warmer than the atmosphere. The warmer air from the surface of the water being 

 lighter than the cold air, rises constantly, and has a tendency to reduce the tempera- 

 ture. As proof, note the difference betv?een Beloit and South Haven. I have no 

 doubt that, if the lake had been frozen over, our change would have corresponded 

 with theirs. The difference can be accounted for in no other way. We have from 

 60 to 100 miles of open water between us and the extremes of cold west, northwest 

 or southwest, while those further south have much less protection, except from the 

 north and northwest. Another great advantage we derive from our lake is the moist 

 atmosphere, both summer and winter. I think that a great advantage to our fruit, 

 especiall}' in extreme drouth in either hot or cold weather." 



Flum on the Peacli. 



IT appears, from observation and trial, that some varieties of the plum do better 

 worked upon the peach than upon its own stock. Mr. J. S. Downer, of Kentucky, 

 writes us, in a note upon the Wild Goose plum, that " worked upon the peach, the tree 

 fruits earlier and more abundant than when grown upon the plum stock." Mr. F. K. 

 Phoenix, also a good authority, writes to the Western Rural upon the subject: 



" I have tried plum on peach for several years, and find that of those varieties that 

 will grow on the peach, the trees seem quite as healthy, productive and long-lived as 

 those on the plum root. Have several times noticed that when planted deep enough, 

 the plum stock threw out roots, and so grew to be plum on plum — in fact, plum on 

 their own roots. The plum usually strikes root easily. Lombard, Smith's Orleans 

 and Washington, with me, refuse to grow on the peach, while German Prince, Yel- 

 low Egg, Imperial Gage, Bradshaw, Eeine, Claude de Bevay, Coe's Golden Drop, 

 Miner, Wild Goose and many others, do very well on the peach. On the peach the 

 growth is often stronger than on the plum ; in fact, so very strong that, while rankest 

 and most tender, the buds suffer severely from high winds, unless staked. 



