246 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



the limbs, but a large part 6f the bueh remains. If you want to get 

 something that will stand everything, get some of these things." 



Mr, Dartt: "On our station are many thousand grafted trees. Many 

 of these that had never come into bearing were killed, but the great 

 bulk of them, picked up from all over the country, escaped. Most 

 of those from three to five years old are all right. The injury was 

 done where the snow had blown off. In one place where the ever- 

 green trees had been trimmed up too much the wind swept under 

 and blew the snow away, and the trees near were root-killed, and in 

 other parts of the orchard where the evergreens had been consider- 

 ably trimmed the trees were injured. Elsewhere root grafts on low 

 ground were root-killed. A neighbor had a good many thousand 

 root grafts that were root-killed. The lessons to be gathered are» 

 cultivate well to keep all the moisture there is in the land, and mulch 

 well. The snow does not always come nor always stay, so we must 

 mulch for protection. The trying time for young trees is when they 

 come into bearing. A heavy crop is so exhausting that if followed 

 by a severe winter they are apt to be knocked out. My older trees 

 are not bearing much this year, although the younger ones are 

 bearing considerably. Perhaps the heavy crop of last year exhausted 

 the vitality of the older trees last year. 



Several questions were asked in connection with the papers and 

 talks on this subject, the following being some of the more impor- 

 tant facts elicited: 



Seedling trees look vigorous at Farmington but have dropped 

 fruit, which may be due to the prevalent east winds this summer. 



An extremely dry fall weakens the vitality of the trees more than 

 anything else. If the trees go into winter with plenty of moisture 

 it was the general sentiment that they would not be affected by the 

 cold. 



A good mulch of straw and litter will last through the summer 

 and dry months and put trees into good shape for winter. 



(Jewett, of Faribault.) Before going into winter quarters last fall, 

 we gave our trees a good wetting, thoroughly saturating the soil. 

 Even the tenderest varieties went through the winter all right. I 

 have not lost a tree, which fact I ascribe to the wetting given before 

 going into the winter. 



Tender varieties should be laid down and covered and hardy va- 

 rieties should be mulched. If it is not the cold that kills, why can 

 we not raise the same varieties that they do in the south? It is the 

 freezing dry, on the same principle that the old lady's washing will 

 be frozen dry in a short time, that injures the trees. 



Prof. Robertson asked why his Wealthies were injured, but not 

 his Duchess, which was contrary to most of the experience given 

 It was suggested that there might have been a difference of the con- 

 ditions as regards the ground being covered with snow, or that of 

 grafting on different stock, but these explanations did not cover the 

 case. 



Mr. Wedge said the past winter showed some curious freaks. The 

 trees were probably root-killed. Along with the low temperature 

 he past winter there was a great deal of moisture in the atmos- 



