HARDINESS OF THE PEACH. 125 



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 peach 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 and Michigan, the 

 following are the sorts most often named as having the softest 

 and sappiest wood growth : Early Crawford and Late Crawford 

 are named by practically all correspondents as being most suc- 

 culent in growth, following which, named in order of degree of 

 succulency come : Chair's Choice, St. John, Niagara and Sur- 

 prise. 



ARE YOUNG OR OLD TREES HARDIEST? 



Beyond all question young trees suffer most in severe win- 

 ter freezes. Practically all of my correspondents in both New 

 York and Michigan agree to this, and as a proof many of the 

 Michigan growers give their experience in the several severe 

 freezes that have occurred in that State during the past few years, 

 in which young trees universally suffered most. It is probable 

 that young trees are injured most because they make a much 

 greater and much ranker growth than the older ones and hence 

 more sap remains in them during the winter. The formation 

 of buds in the older trees is helpful, too, in maturing the wood. 

 There are, however, many exceptions to the statement that young 

 trees are less hardy to cold than old ones. Old trees can be 

 forced to produce large quantities of new wood susceptible to 

 winter-killing, while on the other hand the superabundant growth 

 of young trees can be kept down by orchard treatment. It is 

 fair to assume, too, that old trees possessing very low vitality 

 are less hardy than vigorous young trees. Thus it was often 

 noted that old trees which had suffered from the ravages of 

 borers, or fungus parasites, as curl-leaf or shot-hole fungus, 

 were easily killed by cold. 



While young trees are more susceptible to freezing than old 



