58 THE CONNECTICUT POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



are said to be capable of absorbing more heat than the light 

 ones, although I would not state this as a fact. 



Question : In this case was there any observation made 

 by a thermometer to test? 



Prof. Hedrick: No, simply the judgment of the man, 

 and reasoning from the fact that the plants required warm 

 soil, and that in southern countries the peach will do well 

 on clay soil because of having plenty of soil warmth, in spite 

 of the texture of the soil, while in the north we seldom find 

 the peach does well on that soil. 



Qlfestion: These other characteri.ctics of the soil might 

 complicate the question? 



Prof. Hedrick : They would. It is possibly something 

 of an assumption to say that I feel in my own mind well 

 convinced that a warm soil is much better for the peach than 

 a cold soil. 



Question : Do you say the early maturing varieties are 

 more susceptible to winter-killing than the late? 



Prof. Hedrick : Possibly I need to explain that. It has 

 been found by very carefully conducted experiments at the 

 Missouri Experiment Station that certain varieties of peach, 

 the buds of certain varieties, get through their resting period 

 in a shorter time than the buds of certain other varieties, and 

 are ready to start early in the spring, and that those sorts that 

 do not finish their resting period so soon and are already 

 opened up are more liable to freeze. 



Question : You would not expect that to apply to the 

 winter season very much? 



Prof. Hedrick : Not a very great deal, only in the spring 

 when the buds are opening and swelling. 



Mr. J. H. Hale: I shall have to differ with you on that. 

 The warm open winter we have had for the last two or three 

 months will cause some varieties to swell much more rapidly 

 than others. 



Prof. Hedrick : I would expect that would be true, al- 

 though that would be at a time when the buds are ripe and 

 when they are passing their resting period. 



