THE MINNESOTA 



HORTICULTURIST. 



VOL. 31. NOVEMBER, 1903. N«>. 11. 



CAN WINTER-KILLING BE PREVENTED? 



ANDREW WILFERT, CLEVELAXD. 



It is eighteen years since the memorable winter that froze out 

 nearly every apple tree in Minnesota. Out of 700 trees in my 

 orchard at that time 679 were killed, 97 per cent. It left this ques- 

 tion on my mind, "Why did not they all winter-kill, the conditions 

 being precisely the same?" 



A sense of duty impelled me never to rest until I had discov- 

 ered why those trees did not winter-kill. The results of my ex- 

 periments justify my assertion that I have discovered that cause, 

 and that if a proper remedy is applied any apple or pear tree can be 

 wintered without being injured by the mercury dropping to forty- 

 five below zero. Minnesota will not only be the "bread and butter 

 state," but we will raise the finest, best flavored winter apples on 

 this continent. 



Nature, composition and conformation of fruit trees : 



The seed is planted, and as soon as moisture and warmth are 

 supplied it begins to enlarge; sap cells are forming in them, and 

 the sap begins to circulate ; the root begins to shove down to take in 

 nourishment ; in a short time the stem of the little tree makes its 

 appearance above ground ; the hull of the seed is pushed ofJ, and the 

 leaves of the coming tree begin to take in nourishment from the at- 

 mosphere. When fall arrives the leaves have fulfilled their mission ; 

 the fine organs on them dry up; they change their color, get dry; 

 life in them is a thing of the past ; the tree goes into a comatose 

 condition. But there is enough oxy^gen stored in them by the elec- 

 tric energy ; the sap is kept circulating to a certain extent although 

 the mercury does drop to forty-five or fiity below zero. 



