FRUIT CULTURE. 21 



soil be very poor, — trees that were thoroughly diseased 

 have been made to start into vigorous growth again, and 

 lived many years, — bearing two crops of fine peaches. 



It may be more profitable, however, if such natural con- 

 ditions as are beyond our control should bring on the 

 disease, to dig up the trees and plant new ones. If the 

 proper amount and kind oi fertilizer be used, new trees 

 may be planted where others have died, yet following an 

 economical system of rotation, it would probably be more 

 profitable to plant upon new land. 



Perhaps the most important cause of weakening next to 

 improper location, cultivation and fertilization, is the injury 

 caused by the peach borer (segeria exitiosa). 



While the only perfectly reliable remedy is probably the 

 knife, the use of washes, like linseed oil and paris green paint, 

 lime, glue and paris green, or lime and gas tar, which are 

 applied to the trunk for protection of the trees against mice, 

 may also destroy many of the larvae as they eat through the 

 outer bark of the tree. 



To insure a peach crop in New England every year, some 

 method must be devised to protect the fruit buds from 

 winter killing. Since 1882 we have had no crop north of 

 Connecticut. Theories are numerous as to the cause of this 

 destruction of fruit buds. Generally, they are destroyed if 

 the temperature falls lower than fifteen degrees below zero 

 and remains for a considerable time at that point, but not 

 always. In the fall of 1885, many of the buds were de- 

 stroyed when the temperature had not fallen below eighteen 

 degrees above zero. Last season many buds were destroyed 

 before December 1. 



Among the plans proposed for the protection of the fruit 

 buds, are bending over the trees by loosening the roots on 

 the north sid^; and covering with soil, corn-stover or some 

 other protecting material, tying the branches close together, 

 and also tying them up in mats, straw or pine boughs. 



In the experiments made at the College last fall, it was 

 found that those trees protected produced no more blossoms 

 than those that were unprotected, except, possibly, one or 

 two branches that were covered with soil. The theory 

 advanced by some parties, that the injury is caused by the 



