294 OLD PLYMOUTH TRAILS 



storm, the sky is clear and the radiation from the 

 snow-clad surface of the earth is great. This 

 radiation lowers the temperature, and as we look 

 at our frost-bitten thermometers in the early 

 morning after, we do not wonder that the mer- 

 cury has shrunken to the zero mark or below. 

 But what do the young pines care ? This radia- 

 tion is only from the very surface of the evap- 

 orating snow crystals. Robed in this regal er- 

 mine fluff from top to toe, they hold their life 

 warmth secure behind the entangled mass of non- 

 conducting air and are safe from all disaster. 



Our pines have suffered much from a mys- 

 terious "disease" for the last few years, and the 

 most careful study has failed to find any fungus 

 blight or insect at the bottom of this. We have 

 had summer after summer of severe and long 

 continued drought. It is now believed that this 

 has weakened the trees so that they could not 

 withstand the winter cold and have been "winter 

 killed." With the drought we had several win- 

 ters of infrequent snowfall. We did better last 

 winter and the disease seems to be on the wane. 

 Next to plenty of rain in summer, a winter in 

 which we have frequent falls of light snow will 



