No. 4.] FRUIT GROWING. 97 



Mr. BoAVKER. I think the rainfall has not varied materi- 

 ally for twenty-five or forty or fifty years. Tlie snowfall 

 may have varied. 



Mr. Fenn (of Milford, Conn,). I can remember seeing 

 snow-banks twenty-five years ago that were as high as the 

 fences, and they remained from the first of December until 

 the first of March and even later. We do not have so much 

 snow now. The cokl may not be so severe now, but we 

 have greater extremes, — very warm spells and very cold 

 spells, — and I think they do more injury to the peach than 

 anything else. 



Mr. Hale. There is no doulit that sometimes the peach 

 buds have been killed in New England in the last dozen or 

 fifteen years by a moderate fall of temperature, perhaps ten 

 degrees below zero, that would not have killed them if they 

 had not been swollen somewhat by the warmer weather pre- 

 ceding. There is no doubt there is something in that. 



Mr. Fexn. Our cold weather does not commence so 

 early as it used to, and consequently the buds have a chance 

 to swell a little before cold weather comes, which makes 

 them more tender. 



Mr. . The speaker referred to feeding peach trees 



with clover, but he did not say whether he sowed it or 

 allowed it to be fed over. 



Mr. Hale. We sow it at the time of the last cultivation 

 in July, and plough it under the next spring. 



Question, Would you thin plums as much as })eaches? 



Mr. Hale. More so. They are lial)le to rot if they 

 come in contact with each other. 



Question. What has become of the Excelsior or Crosby 

 peach ? 



Mr. Hale. It is alive now, and will be growing in the 

 spring. 



Question. Why did you not mention it ? 



Mr. Hale. The reason I did not was because I never 

 like to mention anything in a pul)lic address that I have any 

 financial interest in the sale of, as I have in the Crosby 

 peach trees. 



Adjourned to evening. 



