248 POMOLOGY 



heat at any given time in causing the blossoms to open; the 

 age and vigor of the trees; the moisture factor; and also the 

 character of the previous season and winter. Also winter- 

 injured buds, if not entirely killed, are likely to open later 

 than normal ones. Hedrick also points out that "In some 

 seasons a species or variety may bloom a little before leaves 

 burst forth; in others, leaf and flower come out simultane- 

 ously and in still others leafing precedes blooming. In south- 

 ern climates the tendency in several fruits is to bloom before 

 they leaf, while in the north the same fruit will leaf and 

 bloom together with the first wave of summer weather." 

 He also states that varieties of hardy fruits vary in the rel- 

 ative time at which they bloom. Some seasons one variety 

 will bloom first and another year the order is reversed. 



As pointed out previously, the location has a definite in- 

 fluence on blooming time, as proximity to large bodies of 

 water which retard the blooming on the leeward side of such 

 water; the slope of a hill which manifests a difference in 

 temperature in the early season; and lastly but most impor- 

 tant, the latitude and altitude. 



216. Comparative blooming dates. — In order to com- 

 pare the relative time at which the several fruits are most 

 likely to begin to bloom, the following figures for New York 

 state may be cited :^ 



1 See also Utah Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 128. 1913. Vt. Agr. Exp. Sta., 

 nth Ann. Kept. 1897-98. pi^. 248-2.57. Jour. Royal Hort. Soc. 36: 

 548-564. 1910-11. 37:350-361. 1911-12. 



