APPLES 
they will often be seen to lift their green- 
clad sides out of the blighting frost-laden 
atmosphere of the surrounding valley. 
Air drainage is just as natural as water 
drainage, and for orchard locations is just 
as important a consideration. 
The frostiest locations, and those there- 
fore to be most avoided are valleys shut 
in on all sides. To the uninitiated these 
places would appear to be most admirably 
protected, but they are veritable frost 
pockets. On cold nights they receive the 
cold air from higher regions, and frosts 
and freezes in them are inevitable. 
Once while traveling in the Rocky 
mountains I saw one of these small val- 
leys shut in by hills, in which all the veg- 
etation was nipped by frost. The sur- 
rounding hills on one side were somewhat 
lower than on the other sides. When the 
valley became full of cold air it flowed 
over the lowest side, just as water would 
Have done. All around on the other sides 
of the valley the high frost mark could 
be seen, and it formed a line on a level 
with the top of the lowest hill where the 
trosty air had flowed over. Above this 
line the tenderest vegetation showed not 
the slightest injury. A valley with a 
large outlet will usually be reasonably 
safe from frost. The land about rivers 
which have a considerable fall will be 
drained of water and also of cold air. 
Lands contiguous to such streams can 
be counted on as being reasonably safe 
from frost. Experience with frost shows 
that mountain regions are much safer for 
fruit growing than the lands below them. 
A carefully planned and conducted experi- 
ment which I made two years ago in a 
hillside peach orchard confirms the results 
of general experience on this point. This 
orchard was carefully surveyed with a 
leveling instrument and the ground map- 
ped out in contours. Contour lines con- 
nected all the trees at the same elevation. 
There was two feet difference in elevation 
‘between each two contour lines. Self- 
registering thermometers were placed on 
each contour line and readings were made 
on them three times a day throughout 
the entire winter and spring. The lower 
contour lines almost invariably registered 
lower temperatures than the higher ones. 
101 
There was usually from one-half to one 
degree of difference between each line 
and the one above it. Instruments placed 
along one contour line, thus all being 
at the same elevation, showed practically 
no difference in temperature. During the 
winter zero temperatures were recorded in 
this orchard. At pruning time in the 
spring it was found that the wood of 
the trees on the lowest contour had been 
badly frozen and was * black-hearted.” 
The effect ot the “black-hearting’ lessen- 
ed with higher contours, and on the high- 
est one not a Single affected tree could be 
found. The only fruit produced in the 
orchard was on the two highest contours. 
Higher land above this, which was not 
planted to orchard, would undoubtedly 
have been a safer location for peaches. 
The same season an estimate was made 
on the effect of winter freezing of peach 
buds on trees grown on comparatively 
level land. A measuring pole was placed 
in the trees and by means of a step- 
ladder the buds were examined and 
counted at different heights from the 
ground. An examination of 1,300 buds gave 
the following percentage of buds killed 
by frost: 
Two feet from the ground 50% 
Four feet from the ground . 30% 
Hight feet from the ground 16% 
These are only a few of hundreds of 
such examples that could be given to show 
the advantages of elevated locations for 
fruit growing. 
W. N. Hutt, 
Raleigh, N. C. 
Elevation and Exposure 
The best site for an orchard is one 
that is somewhat elevated above adjoin- 
ing lands. Such a site not only gives bet- 
ter soil drainage, but what is more im- 
portant, better air drainage. It is well 
known that the colder air being heavier 
settles to the lower levels. A difference 
of several degrees due to this fact is 
often observed in different sections of an 
orchard. This is, therefore, an important 
consideration in sections where hard win- 
ter freezes and late spring frosts are 
common. Moreover, on account of the 
clearer atmosphere and the relatively 
