CHAPTER XIV 



A CONSIDERATION OF ADVERSE 

 TEMPERATURES 



In a previous connection attention was directed to the 

 fact that temperature is the chief limiting factor in the 

 geographical distribution of peach-growing. By adopting 

 special methods, the distribution may be extended some- 

 what so far as the minimum temperature factor is concerned. 

 However, it is true in general that practically no region in 

 which peaches are grown is entirely free from sporadic 

 occurrences of adverse temperatures during the winter and 

 early spring. Heavy losses due, usually, to the killing of the 

 fruit-buds have been experienced from time to time in the 

 past, and doubtless will be in the future, in nearly all peach- 

 growing districts. Occasionally there is also serious injury 

 to the trees, by unseasonably low, or extremely low, tem- 

 peratures. A most striking example of the former is the 

 freeze that occurred in the Michigan peach belt the night of 

 October 9 or morning of the 10th, 190G, while the trees were 

 still in an active vegetative condition and in full foliage, and 

 which resulted in the death of a considerable proportion of 

 the trees in one of the most important peach districts of the 

 country. An example of serious tree injury from extremely 

 low winter temperatures is the memorable winter of 1903-04, 

 as a result of which great numbers of trees were killed or 



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