DIFFERENT PARTS OF A TREE* 35 



parts of fructification, in a healthy and proper state* 

 In many cases I have seen peach trees blossom 

 in the spring destitute of the organs of fructification, 

 and hence the flowers have dropped off without 

 forming fruit. This has been owing to a poverty 

 either by drought, want of air, or feebleness at the 

 time of forming the buds, and hence the failure. The 

 blossoms of fruit are also often injured in the time 

 of flowering by frost which settles on the tender 

 parts ; when the sun shines strongly on them it 

 scalds the blossom so that the flower drops 

 off. This is often seen in the peach and grape in 

 seasons when late frosts happen; and in such sea- 

 sons it is rarely that crops of fruit are abundant. 

 Winds, much wet, or sudden changes from heat to 

 cold, are injurious to the blossoms of fruit trees. 



Blossoms of fruit generally set best .when the 

 heat, moisture and air are uniform and corresponding 

 to the natural properties of the tree ; anything that 

 is very changeable generally retards its progress. 



Tender kinds of fruit, as the peach and grape, 

 may be protected, by covering the trees when in 

 bloom with thin grass-cloth, netting, or other woven 

 thin substance that will admit the sun and air 

 through the meshes ; this slight covering, although 

 not sufficient to guard off severe fros tor storms, is 

 of the greatest importance in moderate cases, for the 

 meshes attract slight hoary frost which settles on it, 

 and besides it acts as a screen from the sun when 

 it shines strongly on the tree after frosts. 



To be explicit on the subject, it is important in 

 all cases that the blossom should be vigorous, and 

 have everything by nature to set it strongly, in order 

 to obtain a good produce. 



