1 62 PEACHES AND APRICOTS. 



peach makes its wood and fruit buds the same 

 year, and if the wood or main branch is not killed 

 we can depend upon the buds every year, and 

 when the season is favorable a crop of fruit will 

 follow. 



It is conceded that it is not necessarily the degree 

 of cold that kills the buds. Under some circum- 

 stances they will go safely through more than 20 

 below, while at other times, as in the present win- 

 ter, from 1 6 to 18 has destroyed them. Just what 

 the conditions are that make such a difference in 

 the ability of these buds to withstand this cold at 

 one time and to be destroyed by a much lesser 

 degree at another time, is not positively known, 

 consequently we do not know what we should try 

 to supply. I have noticed in examining these buds 

 in different winters that when the buds in the fall 

 are very solid and appear to be well stored with 

 starchy or glutinous appearing matter they are in 

 condition to go through the winter better than 

 when they seem dry and husky. In such condi- 

 tion as this they kill at a not very low temperature^, 

 The same is true of the cherry and apricot. It is 

 believed that a lack of moisture in the earth 

 at the time the buds are maturing is the one 

 great cause of their weakness, and if we could con- 

 trol this, which we frequently can, we shall have 

 reduced the risk from this source to its lowest terms. 



In this connection let us refer to ' ' Adaptabilty of 

 Varieties, etc.," in chapter 2. 



Natural trees from pits planted where they are 



