TJte Canadian Horticulturist. 



223 



immimit}' from the evil effects of 

 frost in that tr)ing time. I purchas- 

 ed the property some thirteen years 

 ago for orchard purposes and have 

 never suffered from frost except once 

 some seven or eight years ago wlien 

 the fruit buds were brought far 

 enough forward in February to be 

 destroyed in March. I was like 

 yourself when I read " Old Probs' '' 

 prognosis for May 20th, and felt, 

 " others may suffer but I am safe.'' 

 The result has justified my con- 

 fidence, as has happened frequently 

 before, when my immediate neigh- 

 bors have suffered severely. This 

 freedom of my orchard from frost is 

 so remarkable that when I have 

 mentioned the facts the statements 

 are generally received with a smile 

 of incredulity. I have m a manner 

 been compelled to devote some 

 thought to its cause, and think that 

 possibly my views may be of assist- 

 ance to others in selecting land for 

 growing fruit upon. 



The land in question is about two 

 miles from the south side of Georgian 

 Bay, which is 30 miles wide at this 

 point. It has an eastern exposure, 

 being on the eastern slope of the 

 Blue Mountains,* the lower end of 

 the orchard being about 150 ft. above 

 the level of the bay, but the ground 

 falls rapidly from this point to an 

 almost level plain, 100 feet below, 

 while the two miles to the lake does 

 not descend much over fifty feet. On 

 this plain, within fifty rods of the 

 orchard, ice as thick as a window 

 glass frequently forms during the 

 night without any frost upon the 



•This rifige is known in the Niagara District 

 as the Niagara Kscarpment. — Editor. 



orchard. I-'rom the upper side of 

 the orchard the mountain continues 

 to rise for some five or six hundred 

 feet. I have often seen heavy frost 

 and snow upon the mountain above, 

 and frost as above described, without 

 snow, upon the plain below, and no 

 frost upon the orchard— about this 

 time the incredulous smile appears — 

 but 1 am not claiming more for my 

 orchard than for my neighbors' simi- 

 larly situated. These statements 

 are true and can be substantiated 

 by credible witnesses, and the 

 immunity from frost of my orchard 

 can be demonstrated at the present 

 moment, for within its bounds are 

 several varieties of apples, pears, 

 plums, cherries, gooseberries and 

 grapes and E. Crawford Peaches, with 

 red, white, and black raspberrries 

 and currants, heavily laden with 

 fruit going on to perfection. There 

 must be some reason or reasons for 

 such a state of affairs, and as I am 

 too modest to claim a special inter- 

 position of Providence in my behalf 

 1 have earnestly sought for the law 

 or laws of nature governing it. 



The results of my cogitations, 

 whether right or wrong, are these : 

 The mountain gives the protection 

 from prevailing winds which has 

 been so frequently emphasized in the 

 reports of our Association. Tlie 

 south side of a large body of water 

 modifies favorably the temperature 

 of the air passing over the orchard 

 from the cold quarter of the compass. 

 These conditions were known and 

 taken into account when the land 

 was purchased, but, aside from the 

 quality of soil and efficient drainage, 

 were the only ones considered. The 



