75 



agement are fundamental in their influence upon the adaptabihty 

 and relative value of a variety. Herein lies the phenomenal suc- 

 cess of one fruit grower and the flat failure of another when per- 

 haps the natural advantages outside the nature of the men involved 

 are the same in both cases. Herein the grower displays his dis- 

 crimination as to the peculiar needs and requirements of each 

 variety and his ability to meet those requirements — for not all 

 varieties can be treated the same way with ec|ual success in every 

 case. And it is in the management of an orchard that soil condi- 

 tions are properly maintained and ameliorated as the case may re- 

 quire. 



To return briefly to the temperature and moisture factors. 

 This brings us back to a consideration of the climate in its efl^ect 

 upon varieties — for temperature and moisture are two conspicuous 

 elements of climate in relation to plant life. With a low tempera- 

 ture, and as a result moisture largely in the form of ice and snow, 

 the typical vegetation is moss, stunted evergreens and other growth 

 which characterize the Arctic regions. Given a higher temperature 

 and much of the moisture in the form of rain and \\'e have the 

 mixed, varied and abundant vegetation common to the greater part 

 of the United States. A high temperature and the absence of rain 

 and the Sahara and the Great American deserts appear. A maxi- 

 mum in both temperature and rainfall and the luxuriant vegetation 

 of the tropics is a result. Thus you will see the part played by 

 these two limiting factors — temperature and moisture. To say 

 that each variety of apple or peach or strawberry requires for 

 maximum results its own particular degree of temperature and its 

 own definite supply of moisture at particular periods or epochs in 

 its seasonal life — difl:'erent from every other variety — may be 

 going farther than we have any right to go at this time, yet from 

 an extreme point of view I think this is theoretically true. Practi- 

 cally, the discriminations ma}- be too minute to be of any real im- 

 portance in most cases. Yet we know that some varieties will suc- 

 cessfully withsand adverse climatic conditions which will utterly 

 destroy others : so after all. there may be more in my proposition 

 than we can now fully comprehend. 



Rut climate in its effect upon plant life — and upon fruit varie- 

 ties — is a complex matter. There is more to climate than tempera- 

 ture and moisture even though we sometimes overlook the fact that 

 this is so. 



In naming the dift'erent elements of climate we would need 

 to mention : 



1. Precipitation Train and snow). 



2. Temperature. 



3. Extremes of heat and cold. 



4. Times and frequency of frost. 



5. Amount and intensity of sunshine. 



6. Humidity and transparency of the atmosphere. 



7. Direction and velocity of wind. 



8. And perhaps the electrification of the atmosphere. 



