STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 49 
that some scores of dead black oaks, of the largest size for this region, are stil 
standing in the valley of Bolles’s creek, in Afton, Washington county, that were 
killed with frost the night of May 11th, 1878. The season at that time was un- 
usually advanced for this latitude. Neither on that oecasion, nor last May, 
were the young leaves on the oak trees near my orchard injured any, the 
ground being Ingh. 
J. W. Boxe. 
DISCUSSION. 
Mr. Underwood had plenty of trees killed, as Mr. Boxeil stated, 
but believed the trees were killed before coming into bloom at all, 
and that the blooming was only the last strugele for life. He 
selected twigs from the Haas and other hardy sorts, in December, 
187%, suojected them to close inspection and pronounced them 
dead. The trees from which these cions were cut bloomed pro- 
fusely the following spring, and died before they arrived at full 
leaf. 
Mr. Gould stated the same fact regarding his transcendents. 
Mr. Latkam said one-half of the fruit spurs on his trees were 
killed, not, as he believed, by the spring frosts, but by the severe 
winter preceeding. He said if a tree was root-killed it usually 
blooms, but that it would not bloom if top-killed. 
Mr. Harris stated that he had root and top-killed trees both 
bloom, but the bloom .7as always late and weak. 
Mr. Emery asked what would be the future life of a tree, now 
apparantly thrifty, but known to be black-hearted or dead in the 
center. 
Mr. Harris rephed that it depended entirely on the amount of 
new or green wood grown around it. 
Mr. Gould said that the condition of his fruit trees last spring 
discouraged him, but that the result of his crop in the fall gave 
him new hope. Thought the experience of so disastrous a winter 
as the last one was a good thing; that it would compel nursery- 
men to pare down their list and plant fewer and better tried sorts. 
He disapproved the idea of multiplying sorts. Did not believe 
that fruit could be grown on the prairies west of the timber in 
Minnesota. 
Mr. Carter, of St. Peter, reported his transcendents winter 
kalled, and hyslops suffering, and wealthy in bad condition. The 
conical leaved well and bore a good crop, but the wood was in- 
jured. Many of his hardiest trees were ruined. With him the 
trees reputed as the hardiest suffered the most damage. The wood 
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