314 Peach-Growing 



seriously injured throughout most of the northern peach 

 districts. This occurrence has been referred to previously 

 in the chapter on pruning (see page 206) . Examples of 

 injured fruit-buds occur, unfortunately, often enough to be 

 familiar experiences to most peach-growers. 



It is with a view to preventing, so far as possible and 

 practicable, the losses that are suffered from these periods 

 of adverse temperatures which occur from time to time, that 

 the present discussion is directed. There are certain general 

 features, however, that may well be given consideration in 

 the present sequence. 



Not infrequently it is noted that many fruit-buds are 

 killed when the temperature has registered a certain low 

 minimum. A considerably lower temperature may be 

 recorded at a later date without any appreciable increase in 

 the amount of injury. There may be several explanations 

 for such results. 



The duration of a critical temperature may often be the 

 determining factor. An extremely low temperature may 

 cause little or no damage if it continues for but a short time, 

 as is often the case, when a temperature not so low by several 

 degrees, if long continued, may prove ruinous to fruit-buds. 



The conditions during and immediately following a frost 

 or freeze which occurs while peaches are in blossom con- 

 tribute very materially to the results. If it warms up 

 slowly and the frozen parts thaw very gradually, and es- 

 pecially if shaded from the sun as when the latter is obscured 

 by dense clouds, the injury is usually much less than when 

 the thawing is rapid or if it takes place in the direct rays of 

 the sun. 



In addition, the results are modified by the humidity of 

 the atmosphere. Occasionally there is a snow-storm during 



