STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 165 



does not hold out late enough to mature the wood, so that between too little and 

 too much heat in the fall the tree stands a very narrow chance of living, and were 

 it not true that we have a class of trees unaffected by these conditions we might as 

 well give up the business of growing fruit. 



Another reason given is that nurserymen in grafting cut off the tap root, conse- 

 quently the roots of the trees do not penetrate below frost. 



If the hardiness of a tree depends upon the depth its roots penetrate the soil, the 

 pear, of all trees should be the hardiest, for everyone knows that it sends its roots 

 deeper into the soil than any other tree. There was very little root killing of trees 

 by the cold of last winter. I have found the roots of all trees that were killed so 

 far as I have examined them to be in good condition and I can see no reason why 

 the killing of the top should be the fault of the roots, so long as the roots are in 

 good condition. Orchard trees do sometimes, though very rarely kill in the root. 

 Seedling trees that had never been shorn of the tap root suffered equally with oth- 

 ers. 



As an evidence that they do not require a tap root to insure hardiness we find 

 that trees growing the farthest north, even to the northern limit of tree growth, close 

 upon the confines of perpetual frost such as the fir, spruces and pines do not have 

 any tap root and their whole system of roots is spread just below the surface of the 

 ground, nor does it seem to be necessray in this latitude to insure the hardiness of 

 the Duchess and other Russian apples and crabs. 



Trees, so far as I have observed, were not killed in the root by the cold of last win- 

 ter not because there was no frost in the ground. Trees were top-killed in grounds 

 here adjoining the cemetery where in digging a grave they found five feet of frost. 

 Many claim that the injury was in consequence of there being no frost in the 

 ground. 



It made no difference whether the ground was frozen or not, the killing was in 

 the top and the injury was as fatal where they claim there was no frost in the ground, 

 as where there was. Another reason given is that they were in a starved condition 

 and so enfeebled by it that they were easily destroyed. 



There seems to have been quite a difference in the kind of trees starved; while 

 one came through in good condition another was killed. I had twenty-five trees of 

 one variety that had been in June grass sod for twelve or fifteen years which never 

 passed a winter apparently in better condition, and bore last season more than dou- 

 ble the fruit of any season before. 



A tree half hardy may survive under favorable conditions of soil and culture 

 that would fail with unfavorable conditions and neglect. 



If ever fruit growing in this great Northwest becomes permanently a success it 

 will be when we have a class of fruits that need no petting and are able to flourish 

 under neglect and extremes of climate, whatever it may be. 



As with animals, so with trees and plants, one will live and flourish where 

 another will die. 



Many think that the injury done to trees is by freezing and thawing in the spring. 

 In portions of our country where there is freezing and thawing in rapid succes- 

 sion during the whole winter they grow all varieties of the peach, pear, plum and 

 cherry and also the most tender varieties of the apple. In any part of the northern 

 states where the mercury seldom, if ever, falls much below zero all these fruits are 



