HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 149 



I have several plants that caine through last winter with slight 

 protection, and am hopeful we may secure what is the best substi- 

 tute that has yet appeared for the English ivy. I venture to 

 enclose a photograph which will show you its effect (title on the 

 back), which I shall be happy to loan you for exhibition, to the 

 society if you wish, but trust that you will not fail to return it to 

 me, as it is of great value to me. 



Truly yours, 



H. W. S. CLEVELAND. 



President Elliot. Can any one give any reason for this? Mr. 

 Dartt what is your theory? 



Mr. Dartt. I have no theory as to the injury to the upper 

 limbs, but my theory as to the iojury to the bottom is, that the 

 snow line was down very low, and there being frequent freezes and 

 thaws, the effect of the snow line was greater than at some other 

 times when it might be colder. 



President Elliot. How did it effect your catalpas? 



Mr. Dartt. There were one or two of them that had stood the 

 winters before, that were from six to eight feet high, that were 

 killed clear down, and sprouted from the roots, but the majority of 

 them stood out and started within a few inches of the tips of the 

 limb. They are all killed back a little every year. They have not 

 started from the terminal buds or nearer than three or four inches. 

 But still they started out fairly enough so that they made a fair 

 growth. The trees were killed as all of the new growths were 

 killed by the frosts in May. The last day of May there was a 

 severe frost, and the new growth was killed back, and in some 

 instances the trees did not start as far out on the ends of the limbs 

 as they did the first time. All of the young catalpa trees were 

 killed to the ground last winter. 



President Elliot. I want to throw in a little idea. The point 

 that is brought to our notice is, that these trees were injured in a 

 mild winter. Mr. Dartt touched upon the theory that the freezing 

 and thawing of those trees close to the snow line injured the bark 

 at that point. T don't know whether these trees came out the same 

 as a root killed tree would. A root killed tree, if the roots are 

 injured in the winter, has vitality enough in the top to leaf out. I 

 don't know whether these did or not, but if they did, I should say 

 that the injury was right there at the snow line, and a slight pro- 

 tection there, would have saved them; and it is a question in my 

 mind whether we are giving the protection to the bodies of our 

 trees that we should. 



A recess was here taken until 7 o'clock p. m. 



