DOINGS OF OTHER SOCIETIES. 



therefore, must, I think, be attributed to 

 the injury the roots of trees were sub- 

 jected to during last winter, and the 

 tremendous growth of fungus was, no 

 doubt prompted by the weak condition 

 of the trees, in consequence of the in- 

 jury done to the trees by frost. The 

 freezing of the roots were even more 

 pronounced and noticeable in trees 

 which were standing in ploughed or cul- 

 tivated land, these trees being with few 

 exceptions, badly injured, or in fact, 

 killed outright, unless they had been 

 protected by heavy mulching. These 

 root-killed trees retained, generally, 

 enough vitality in their trunk and 

 branches to enable them to leaf out 

 and perhaps endure for a month or two, 

 but all, or nearly all, succumbed before 

 the summer had expired. 



One remarkable instance of the effect 

 of frost on the roots of trees was parti 

 cularly noticeable in one of the orchards 

 of Mr. Robert Brodie, our president. 

 This orchard, on a hill at Coteau St. 

 Pierre, Montreal, contained, perhaps, 

 250 bearing trees, probably 25 years 

 planted, all magnificent trees — one half 

 in sod the other half in plowed land — 

 those in grass (which had been cut once 

 during the season and the after growth 

 allowed to lie down) thus affording a 

 good winter protection to the roots. 

 When I visited the orchard last October, 

 the trees in plowed land were almost all 

 dead or so weakened that I believe that 

 they were beyond redemption. Where- 

 as those in sod were, seemingly, in very 

 fair condition, and bearing a good crop 

 of apples. It seems to me that the ex- 

 perience of last winter teaches us a 

 severe lesson on orchard cultivation. We 

 cannot afford to loose our well estab- 

 lished bearing trees in that wholesale 

 way. 



We must either keep our bearing trees 

 in sod or, if we cultivate the ground be- 

 3 II 



tween the trees, we shall have to mulch 

 the ground very heavily under the 

 branches of the trees as far as the roots 

 of the trees extend. If sheep have been 

 grazing in the orchard it will not do to 

 trust only to the sod protection in such 

 a case, but I would recommend a mulch- 

 ing, also, on top of the sod. But Mr. 

 Brodie's plan, to allow the aftergrowth of 

 grass to become matted and lie down, 

 is a most excellent system and affords 

 the best possible protection. With last 

 years' experience before us we cannot 

 trust to the old-fashioned snow mulch as 

 our only protector, but better be on the 

 safe side and give more attention to 

 winter protection of the roots of our 

 orchard trees and thus discount any 

 chance of root killing. 



Mr. Dupuis, the new president, who 

 is also vice president of the Council of 

 Agriculture of the Province of Quebec, 

 announced that he had received a letter 

 from Hon Mr. Dechene, Provincial Sec- 

 retary of Agriculture, saying that the 

 Government had decided to establish 

 experimental fruit stations throughout 

 the province. An Order-in-Council 

 would be passed to carry out this policy. 

 This announcement was received with 

 gratification, as the scheme had been 

 urged upon the Government by the 

 Society. 



A feature of the convention was an 

 exhibit of splendid specimens of differ- 

 ent varieties of apples by members of 

 the Society. Among the exhibitors 

 were R. W. Shepherd, J.T. Gibb, Como; 

 C. P. Newman, Lachine ; R. Hamilton, 

 Grenville ; Malcolm Smith and Norman 

 Jack, of Chateauguay; Capt. Halcro, 

 Hudson. Mr. Newman exhibited Duch- 

 ess apples, a summer apple maturing in 

 August, which had been kept in cold 

 storage, were now in perfect condition, 

 and were selling at fancy prices. 



