I 4 2 HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK. 



inclusive. This may throw some light upon the problems of 



hardiness of certain species, when more is known as to their 

 individual environment. 



1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 



March 6.89 5.63 5.96 3.82 4.47 4.15 2.31 



April 8.96 3.73 3.49 5.00 2.88 6.50 4.93 



May 8.08 1.85 .34 4.11 1.05 4.61 4.05 



June 1.04 5.65 8.28 2.6 4.01 1.71 3.85 



Jly 11.76 4.12 5-34 3-59 4-13 4-12 1.66 



August 8.56 5.75 5.94 6.52 6.04 3.78 2.59 



September 2.23 5.83 3.6 4.06 6.09 2.53 7.93 



October 3.21 7.31 8.98 2.77 2.87 5.81 



50.73 39.87 41-93 32.47 31-54 33-21 



It will be noted from the above that from 1901-1906 a 

 period of unusual dryness has visited this region either in the 

 latter part of May or during June. In 1907, however, this 

 drought appeared later, coming in July. It would seem that it 

 is this dry period which militates so strongly against growing 

 plants here from a humid region, such as many parts of the 

 Pacific coast, and if we can but tide our plants over this period 

 each year by carefully watering them, we may eventually suc- 

 ceed in establishing many a plant which otherwise would suc- 

 cumb to the dry conditions of its first year of residence, and 

 eventually perhaps establish a vigor which may perpetuate it. 

 This is particularly true of cdnifers, for it is just about this 

 time that such plants are transplanted in the vicinity of New 

 York. One can readily imagine the effect which would be pro- 

 duced upon a conifer which was transferred from a nursery to 

 a new situation just previous to the commencement of this 

 drought. Perhaps many of our failures with conifers is due to 

 this cause. A conifer handicapped with such conditions for 

 several weeks after transplanting has but a poor chance to re- 

 cuperate and lay up reserve force to carry it through a severe 

 winter. I can recall one excessive visitation of this drought in 

 1903, when the precipitation for fifty-two days, from April i6th 

 to June 6th, was but 0.37 of an inch. This was followed by 

 the extraordinarily severe winter of 1903-1904, and the re- 

 sulting havoc in shrubs and conifers will be long remembered by 



