STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 119 



It is plain that there can be no safety in planting an orchard of trees that cannot 

 \^e relied upon to endure all probable extremes of cold in the place where they are 

 to grow. Many who have thought differently have been brought most unwillingly 

 to accept this conclusion as one not to be evaded. The limit of successful orchard- 

 ing is determined by two factors: the intensity of the cold and the resisting power 

 of the trees. The two past winters have done much to enlighten us on this very 

 point and there can be little doubt that there is an exact limit under certain condi- 

 tions that govern the vitality of every species and varietj' of plant, as regards tem- 

 perature, and as we proceed north we find one after another in the catalogue dis- 

 appear, until nothing but the lowest order of plants remain. Practically the plant- 

 ing of orchards in this climate must be limited to the varieties that are not killed 

 by a minus temperature of 42 degrees. This is the aerial temperature at which the 

 mercury congeals, and trees without sufficient resisting force cannot be called 

 "ironclads." It is a matter of vital importance that we should understand the 

 prerequisites to success, without which after cultivation and protection is little less 

 than loss of time and labor. 



There are various opinions in regard to cultivation; some contend that orchard 

 trees should be deeply planted and their cultivation somewhat neglected, in order 

 •to have them ripen up early, thus producing little wood well matured before the 

 •cold sets in. Others say plant shallow (no deeper than the trees grew in the nur- 

 «erj'), in good soil, give good cultivation, ridging up to the trees, mulch heavilj- 

 and wrap the trunks for the winter, and in a few years the roots will penetrate be- 

 low the frost so as to insure a circulation of sap to some extent without regard to 

 temperature, by which the vitality of the tree is maintained. Good in theorj^ but 

 what does it amount to in practice if the trees are not hardy enough for the climate 

 without it? Why is it that we have so many black-hearted trees in all our orch- 

 ards that stand as witnesses against the recommendations of this society? A black- 

 hearted tree is one injured by cold and is self- condemned for planting where the 

 winters are severe. Such trees never live long, or become profitable, and might as 

 wrell be dug up at once. I have never known any but a black-hearted tree to bleed 

 when cut or otherwise injured, and such trees always become the prey of insects 

 which sometimes extend their depredations to the injury of whole orchards. Some 

 have concluded that insects have been the main cause of disease when the reverse 

 was the case. A healthy tree is rarely attacked. To an experienced eye the clear 

 bark reveals the healthy tree. 



Let us suppose that you have selected suitable grounds for an orchard, and that 

 you have planted none but healthy, hardy trees, and that now your success de- 

 pends upon the cultivation and protection you give them. In the first place, while 

 the trees are young and until they come into bearing, the ground should be well 

 tilled about them during the season of growth ; but as soon as the growth checks , 

 cultivation should cease for the season in order that the wood may ripen before 

 cold weather, otherwise late cultivation would be likely to produce a second growth 

 which could not withstand the severity of our winters, and the whole tree would 

 be injured. Hoed crops of some kind, or small fruits, can be grown profitably be- 

 tween the rows while the trees are small, and just such cultivation as th^iy require 

 would be most beneficial to the trees. 

 Pruning may be considered a necessary part of cultivation. Some persons think 



