326 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



with weeds; these I destroyed by the use of salt, which should be applied 

 in the crystal form, thrown on the surface of the soil; half a dozen night 

 dews will dissolve the whole, and the land was as clear as this floor, but 

 the action of the salt will only last one season to render the soil bari*en. 



The Chairman. — I would inquire if the Franconia raspberry is hardy in 

 this locality ? 



Mr. Win. S. Carpenter replied tliat like Brinckle's Orange, the improved 

 Antwerp and others of that class, it was only semi-hardy, and requires 

 protection in winter to render it a sure producer. The fruit is of the first 

 class in size and quality of the soft or tender varieties, but that it would 

 not stand the severe changes of winter, and was often winter killed by the 

 low temperature. 



Mr. R. H. Williams remarked that he understood Mr. E. Williams, of 

 New Jersey, to say very emphatically that his attention had been directed 

 to the subject of the winter killing of the rasjfoerry for several years, and 

 his experience had confirmed him in the opinion that the raspberry was 

 very rarely if ever killed by the low temperature of the winter, but from 

 spring freezing after the sap had commenced to flow, and recommended as 

 a preventive such a surface covering in late autumn as would act as a 

 non-conductor, and thus delay the tendency to early budding in these ten- 

 der varieties, viz: coarse straw, manure, sawdust, &c. ; and he would add 

 in confirmation of this theory, his own experiments in Western New York, 

 and called attention to the subject for the purpose of eliciting further inves- 

 tigation and observation on the part of those who were engaged in the cul- 

 tivation of this class of semi-hardy fruits. 



Mr. Wm. S. Carpenter thought that the theory would not hold good, as 

 all of the varieties started about the same time in the spring, hence all 

 should be killed. 



Mr. R. H. Williams replied that the only tendency to show vitality in a 

 plant or tree was not always an evidence of inability to resist the climate ; 

 as, for instance, the willows, which are among the earliest of the native 

 trees to put forth buds, flowers, and leaf in the spring, are rarely killed, 

 while c-ertain varieties of the raspberry from a more delicate structure of 

 both wood and bark might suffer severely, when trees in flow of sap from 

 a temperature that would not injure the cane in a torpid state. 



Mr. Wm. S. Carpenter. — I think the change takes place during winter. 

 I have discarded nearly all varieties of raspberries that are not hardy. 



I have a number of hardy Rhododendrons, and to make a variety I 

 imported a number from England. These I found necessary to cover, 

 which I do by throwing pine branches around them for the purpose of keep- 

 ing off" the sudden changes. This spring I found a number of the imported 

 varieties dead. 



Mr. R. H. Williams. — Are these hardy plants killed by the early movement 

 of the sap, or are the trees or plants frozen to death ? My idea is that the 

 sap begins to rise, and then a sudden frost will naturally destroy the plant. 



Soil and Situation of an Orchard. 



Mr. Wm. S. Carpenter. — Soil capable of producing a good crop of corn 

 may be considered suitable for an orchard of either apples or pears. The 



