No. 10. 



Culture of Tender Fruits in Cold Climates. 



303 



From Downing's Horticulturist. 



Cnlture of Tender Fruits in Cold Cli- 

 mates. 



It is familiar to horticulturists, that warm 

 low valleys, are more subject to night frosts 

 than more elevated localities. Objects at 

 the surface of the earth become chilled by 

 the radiation of heat to the clear sky above, 

 an 1 cool by contact the surrounding air, — 

 which thus becoming heavier, rolls down 

 the sides of declivities, and settles like the 

 waters of a lake in the lowest troughs. 

 This effect is farther increased by the still- 

 ness which prevails in those slieltered places, 

 favouring the more rapid cooling, by radia- 

 tion of the exposed surfaces; while on hills 

 the equilibrium is partially restored by the 

 currents of wind. Independently of these 

 causes, vegetation is more likely to suffer 

 in such places from the succulent or un- 

 ripened growth incident to the warmer po- 

 sition, and to the richer soil which more 

 usually accumulates at the bottoms of val- 

 leys. The mucky soil also radiates heat 

 more rapidly from its surface. The warmth 

 in valleys, during the milder weather of 

 winter, often swells fruit-buds, and severe 

 cold following, destroys them. Higher and 

 more bleak localities are not exposed to 

 these variations, but are more uniformly 

 cold; hence, for these five different reasons, 

 such places are usually much the best for 

 raismg tender fruits. 



These facts are familiar to many, but still 

 are not so generally appreciated nor applied 

 in practice, as they might be in many in- 

 stances to very great advantage, in select- 

 ing grounds for orchards and gardens. Very 

 erroneous conclusions even, have been adopt- 

 ed in consequence; and large parts of the 

 Northern Stales are destitute of the finest 

 fruits, from mistaken notions as to the prac- 

 ticability of their culture, or of their endu- 

 rance of the climate. 



Instances, showing in a strong light the 

 principles already alluded to, may be of use 

 to those who have given little attention to 

 the subject. 



The existence of colder air in valleys, on 

 still, clear nights, has been obvious to every 

 observing person riding rapidly over a roll- 

 ing or broken face of country. The ther- 

 mometer has often shown a difference of 

 many degrees between a creek bottom and 

 a neighbouring hill not fifty feet high. A 

 very striking proof of this tendency was 

 exiiibited, at the time of a severe night 

 frost, early in summer. The young leaves 

 of the hickory had but partially expanded, 

 and the fresh shoots, a few inches long, were 

 succulent and tender. A few trees stood in 



a hollow about twenty feet deep, and after 

 the frost all the leaves and fresh branches on 

 the lower parts of the trees were black and 

 dead, while all above the surface of this lake 

 of cold air, were green and uninjured. 



Many years ago, the writer attempted the 

 cultivation of young peach trees, on a rich 

 soil near the bottom of a valley. But every 

 winter the newly set buds were destroyed, 

 or not one in fifty escaped, and one half of 

 the young branches were often killed. Learn- 

 ing the cause, the trees were removed to an 

 adjacent elevation fifty feet higher, when 

 the difficulty was at once obviated. 



In the winter of 1845-6, when the seve- 

 rity of cold on a clear night sunk the ther- 

 mometer several degrees below zero, after 

 the peach buds had been swelled by a few 

 warm days, trees which stood on a hill thirty 

 feet higher than the neighbouring creek val- 

 ley, lost nine-tenths of their blossoms, while 

 on another hill twenty feet still higher, nine- 

 tenths escaped. The lake of cold air which 

 covered the smaller hill, did not reach the 

 top of the larger. 



In a large portion of the State of New 

 York, more especially in the region of the 

 southern tier of counties, nearly all attempts 

 to raise the tender fruits appear to have 

 been relinquished. The inhabitants of the 

 larger villages and their vicinity, places 

 mostly situated at the bottoms of deep val- 

 leys, being persons of more enterprise and 

 means, have tried the experiment — and for 

 obvious causes have failed — and hence the 

 conclusion that the climate was necessarily 

 fatal. But there is strong reason to believe, 

 that through all the southern counties of 

 New York, extending from Lake Erie to 

 the Hudson, peaches may be raised with 

 little difficulty, by a proper selection of lo- 

 cality, and by an observance of the principles 

 already pointed out; — that is, by selecting 

 elevated spots, and dry and firm soils, and 

 avoiding mucky ground in valleys. In the 

 town of Spencer, in Tioga county, N. Y., 

 near the head of Cayuga inlet, peaches have 

 withstood the climate and done well, at an 

 elevation of 700 feet above Cayuga lake. A 

 striking instance was shown the writer last 

 summer in Cohocton, Steuben county. The 

 river valley in that town, though many hun- 

 dred feet above the level of the sea, is much 

 lower than the surrounding country, being 

 flanked by hills about .500 feet high. In the 

 valley the peach cannot be cultivated, the 

 trees having been completely killed to the 

 ground in winter. But on one of the neigh- 

 bouring hills, .500 feet above, and probably 

 1200 feet above the sea, an orchard has been 

 planted on good soil, which entirely escapes, 

 and yields regular crops of fruit. In the 



