THE WINTER OF 1898-9 IN MY ORCHARD. 123 
THE WINTER OF 1898-9 IN MY ORCHARD. 
WM. SOMERVILLE, VIOLA. 
The summer previous to the winter of 1898-9 was very dry, and the trees 
bore a heavy crop of fruit, and made little wood growth. They were in poor 
condition for such a severe winter. The fall rains were abundant, which 
moistened the ground to the depth of a foot or more; then the snow falling 
before the ground froze deep kept the roots from killing, while the moisture 
in the ground, to some extent, saved the tops. 
The trees on our ground were but little injured, except as regards fruit- 
ing. The inner bark on almost every variety was colored, and the fruit buds 
on many kinds killed; others bloomed out, but for want of nourishment from 
an affected inner bark, the little apples dropped off, 
Our fruit crop was very light, not exceeding 250 bushels, but we found 
a ready market for them at one dollar per bushel. While we had a few 
specimens of nearly every variety we grow, few of them made our market 
crop, which consisted largely of the Duchess, Striped Anis, Hibernal, Long- 
field, Patten’s Greening, Wealthy and Duchess seedlings No. 4 and 8. The 
older Duchess and Wealthy trees bore a better crop than the younger trees 
did; the inner bark of the old trees was not so badly colored in consequence 
of not making much wood growth the previous summer. I have just. fin- 
ished thinning out the tops of our trees, cutting off the small limbs and 
limbs that cross each other to keep them from wearing and also from over- 
bearing. I have not found a single tree that shows any signs of injury from 
the cold winter as this summer (1899) has healed all damage the winter 
had done. Even the semi-hardy varieties, such as Talman Sweet, Ben 
Davis, Grimes’ Golden, Plumb Cider, etc., that are top-worked on Hibernal 
stocks are all right. 
I am convinced that the fall rains that fell before the ground froze and 
the snow that fell afterwards was the salvation of our trees, especially of the 
semi-hardy. In proof of this, a few years ago I was in a portion of central 
Iowa, where they had not the fall rains nor the snow in winter, but the 
ground froze perfectly dry, they say, to the depth of five feet. The result 
is, there is a large percentage of their old trees entirely killed, and all se- 
riously injured. Nursery stock there is ali killed or seriously injured; also 
grape vines were all killed in many instances, even when covered. On my 
way home I had a pleasant visit with C. H. Patten, of Charles City, Iowa. 
I found his nursery stock but slightly injured, having had the same advan- 
tages of rain and snow as we had in Minnesota, I also had a pleasant visit 
with Mr. Gardner, of Osage, Iowa. He is so modest that we hear but little 
from him; yet it would pay any nurseryman to pay him a visit and look 
over his beautiful grounds, also the conveniences he has for raising ever- 
greens, which he makes a specialty of, as well as nursery stock. 
THE WINTER OF 1898-9 IN ITS EFFECT ON MY 
ORCHARD. 
E. W. MAYMAN, SAUK RAPIDS. 
The subject assigned to me is apparently not a difficult one upon first 
-thought, and if the future effects are not to be considered at this time. Asa 
means, therefore, of furnishing the desired information, I will first relate 
