PRA E MORK On Kien 
Nie] 
New York AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 300° 
this locality. Varieties that are known to be tender in fruit bud, 
and those that are called iron clad and expected to endure ordi- 
nary ranges of temperature without injury, bave shared a like 
fate. Again a few plantations in favored localities, and containing 
both classes referred to, have given larger returns to their owners 
than have any other of the fruits. This seems to indicate that 
one of our very best fruits is in a fair way to become useless to us, 
from the lack of varieties suitable to be grown under present con- 
ditions of soil and climate. The fact that there are so many diffi- 
culties in the way of the profitable growing of this fruit should 
not discourage fruit growers or cause them to abandon the culture 
of the peach in this section, but it should act as a stimulus to 
‘Induce them to make a more determined effort to overcome the 
obstacles attending, this important branch of our fruit industry. 
Covering the trees by placing sorghum and corn-stalks around 
them for protection to the fruit buds has been tried for the past. 
three or four years at this Station. The results have not been 
satisfactory. The trees protected were the first to bloom 
the past season, and as liable to injury by late frosts as 
those not protected. Orchards can be planted “in such a 
way that by cutting the roots on two sides of the trees they 
can be laid over and covered for the winter months, and 
straightened and supported by stakes in the spring. This is to be 
repeated each year as long as the tree lives. '[his is, no doubt, a. 
good plan in climates so severe that the tree would be killed, as 
well as the fruit buds, if not protected in some manner. Ina mild 
climate where the trees are perfectly hardy this should be unneces- 
sary, and the better way would be to obtain.in some manner 
varieties that answer our requirements. This we believe can be 
accomplished by the growing of seedlings from selected seeds, 
and from crossed varieties, until we obtain the kinds suitable to 
our needs; and then endeavor to so fix their type or characteristics. 
as to make them reproductive from seed. We believe this to be 
not only possible but practicable, and that it will in time be 
recognized as the true basis for the origination of varieties of our 
orchard fruits, and their perpetuity, as well as by our present 
methods of bud and cion propagation. There is more interest 
manifest in these problems in the west and north-where it is more 
‘difficult to obtain varieties of sufficient hardiness to withstand the 
lower range of temperature to which the trees are subjected. In 
