8 



10. Does the Character of Individual Trees have 



Anything to do with Hardiness? 



Answers to this question were very indefinite and often 

 conflicting. It was held by some, and with a fair show of 

 experience to confirm the contention, that trees naturally 

 high-headed, with few branches, long, spindling trunks, 

 branches and twigs, have soft wood and are therefore more 

 susceptible to freezing; on the other hand, that individuals 

 havmg naturally short bodies, a goodly number of branches 

 starting low, with short-jointed wood bright and clear when cut, 

 and thickly set with buds, were the least easily injured by cold. 



The individuality in these two classes of trees is given them 

 by treatment and environment, as pruning, cultivation, soil 

 and distance apart. One tree of a variety can hardly be 

 supposed to be more hardy to cold than another through 

 inherent variation. Whether greater inherent hardiness exists 

 in some trees in a variety can be determined only by carefully 

 conducted experiments. 



11. Are Small-growing Varieties of Peaches with 

 Compact Heads Hardier than the Free-growing 

 Sorts with Large Heads? 



Practically all growers say that the compact growing sorts 

 are the hardiest. As would be expected, the small-headed 

 varieties are those with the least succulent wood. The follow- 

 ing varieties are named as being the most compact growers, 

 and hence hardier than the average: Hill's Chili, Crosby, 

 Gold Drop, Barnard, Kalamazoo, Triumph, Wager and Fitz- 

 gerald. 



12. Is the Wood of Some Varieties More Succulent than 

 that of Others making Such Sorts susceptible to Cold? 

 Every experienced orchardist or nurseryman knows that 



there is a great variation in the texture of wood. Some 

 varieties have a much more succulent growth than others 

 grown under the same conditions. Succulency of growth 

 is in some cases a well-marked varietal character, and one 

 that can be avoided in selecting sorts to plant where hardiness 

 is a requisite. Summarizing the answers from New York 



