During the Dormant Period. 11g 
way. Surface drainage of ground devoted to such crops is 
highly important. 
Section II]. Mertuops oF AVERTING INJURY BY CoLD 
A— DuRING THE DORMANT PERIOD 
a—By Treatment of the Soil. 
200. A Dry Soil Favors Wood Maturity, while an 
abundant water supply retards it. Soil treatment that re- 
stricts the water supply toward the close of the growing 
period, tends, therefore, to hasten wood maturity, and thus 
to reduce damage from cold (175). Tillage should be early 
discontinued about trees liable to winter injury, and in wet 
seasons, mulching should be removed. Oats, buckwheat or 
clover, sown in the nursery or orchard in the latter part of 
summer, promotes wood maturity by increasing evaporation 
from the soil, and is further useful as a covering to the 
ground in winter (196). Draining heavy or wet soils pro- 
motes wood maturity by promptly removing surplus water. 
b—By Treatment of the Plant. 
201. Pinching the Terminal Buds (416) a few weeks 
before the time for leaf fall, favors wood maturity by check- 
ing growth, as does the removal of the younger leaves, in 
which assimilation is most active. These methods may be 
employed upon young trees,— especially nursery trees, 
which are very liable to make late growth. The early gath- 
ering of the fruit from trees of late varieties also tends to 
hasten wood maturity. 
202. Protection with Non-Conducting Materials pre- 
vents damage from cold, with many herbaceous and shrubby 
plants, in climates where they are not fully hardy. By cov- 
