42 The Principles of Fruit-growing. 
two hundred feet.* Along the eastern shore of Lake 
Michigan, the peach area extends all the way from 
one or two miles to fifteen or twenty, depending 
upon the conformation of the surface. Along the 
lower Hudson River the area of the tender fruits 
does not depart, as a rule, more than a mile from the 
stream. In very gradual slopes, the ameliorating in- 
fluence of the water usually extends farther, but it is 
apt to be less marked than upon the lower parts of 
abrupt slopes. In all these cases, the limit of the 
boundary of the area is determined by two factors,— 
the distance from the water, and the elevation above it. 
Tarr, after studying the local geography of the 
Chautauqua grape country, makes the following ob- 
servations upon the ameliorating influence of Lake 
Erie, and the remarks will apply to most other 
bodies of water: “The lake is a great modifier of 
climate. In the spring, by reason of the low 
temperature of its waters, it holds back the vege- 
tation, and this tends to keep it behind the ordinary 
frosts. Its very presence checks frosts by moderating 
the temperature of the neighboring air. In the 
summer, the water tends to cool the air of the day 
and to keep the nocturnal temperature fairly high. 
During the fall, the water has been warmed by the 
summer sun, and the influence of this warm body 
of water lengthens the growing season and tends to 
keep off the early autumn frosts. There are many 
other influences, but nothing of importance can be 
*For a detailed account of the physiography of this region, see R. 8. Tarr, 
Bull. 109, Cornell Exp. Sta. 
