<Iht RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
1919 
Heeling in Strawberry Plants 
Can strawberry plants be taken up in 
Fall and put in cellar till Spring with 
some earth on them ? e. av. 
Allegany, N. Y. 
Yes, it is possible to carry them over 
Winter in this way if handled carefully. 
We have done it in some cases and failed 
in others. The plants should be dug at 
once and packed in moist sand or moss, 
not too close together, and kept fairly 
moist through the Winter. If they dry 
out too much they are not likely to re¬ 
cover. Where there are only a few plants 
they may be planted in soil in boxes or 
flats and watered like other plants. 
Spraying Trees With Whitewash 
Some years ago the Missouri Experi- 
ment Station issued a bulletin on spray¬ 
ing trees with whitewash in order to pro¬ 
tect them during the Winter. The theory 
of this was thaj; the dark-colored wood 
absorbed more heat during warm days of 
Winter and made the buds more liable 
to swell. The white color prevented so 
much of this heat absorption and there¬ 
fore gave less danger. Has this plan 
been worked out in commercial practice? 
We sent to the Missouri Experiment Sta¬ 
tion for the facts and received the fol¬ 
lowing : 
The spraying of peach and other fruit 
trees Avith a thick lime-wash for the 
purpose of Avhitening their branches, and 
thus reflecting the sun’s rays and retard¬ 
ing growth in the Spring, has never gone 
beyond the experimental stage. So far as 
I know this practice has not come into 
commercial use. Yegetation cau be de¬ 
layed only a comparatively small amount 
by this treatment, and it may be doubted 
if’ the practice is to be generally recom¬ 
mended when the question of expense and 
variation in seasons is taken into con¬ 
sideration. A T . R. GARDNER. 
Dividing Peony Roots 
Can peony roots be made to grow from 
root cuttings, or from Avhole roots that 
have no buds? I have been transplanting 
some that have large clusters of roots 
about an inch in diameter, with a small 
neck joining other parts, shaped much 
like a carrot, but they have no buds. 
Will these roots having no buds, if sepa¬ 
rated and planted in good soil, grow? 
West Medway, Maes. e. a. a. 
E. A. A. wishes to know if peony roots 
without eyes will grow. Yes, of the va¬ 
riety Officinalis, though the break will not 
be as rapid as with the root that has an 
eye. With the finer varieties, as Festiva 
Maxima, and others of this class, an eye 
is necessary, though it will be all right 
to plant the root without an eye. These 
will probably lie in the ground and sprout 
the second season. The roots can be cut 
up into as many pieces as there are eyes, 
if planted in the Fall, but if you want 
plants that will flower profusely a feAV 
years after planting, the divisions should 
not be too small. E - 
Cherry Tree Exuding Gum 
What causes the “gum” to ooz“ out of 
the bark on my cherry tree? In cutting 
it away I can run a wire un and down 
und'W the bark, but find no worm yr 
bn-er. The yvood seems brown and pithy 
when opened up. I haA’e Idled the in¬ 
cisions made Avith fish or Avhale oil soap 
and in most cases they heal up and the 
trouble is over. I have an incision now 
in the bark five or six inches long that 
does not yield to such treatment so readily 
as the smaller cuts. J- H. J. 
Itoxborough, Pa 
There are a number of conditions which 
might cause the trunks of cherry tr^es 
to ooze gum. FolloAving he severe' Win¬ 
ter of two years ago. when the wood of 
cherry trees ivas injured, in many cases 
considerable gumming has been noted It 
is the nature of cherry trees to e< n- 1 " 
gum Avhere certain injuries occur in the 
Avood. Gumming may also result from un¬ 
favorable groyviug conditions and is not 
uncommon AA’here trees are beginning to 
fail because of lack of proper soil condi¬ 
tions or some other factor. Sometimes 
an unfavorable root stock will encourage 
the same effect. I note you state that 
the wood of this cherry tree appears 
broAvn and pithy. One would infer, there¬ 
fore. that the tree has been injured 
through weather conditions or because of 
some unfavorable factor. You do not 
give details as to the age of the tree, or 
hoAv it is situated Avith reference to soil 
conditions and other factors Avhich might 
affect its groAvth. If it is an old tree it 
may be failing naturally. The most 
which might be done is to provide plant 
food and cultural conditions that will en¬ 
courage as vigorous a growth as possible. 
If the tree is weak and dying back from 
the top a severe pruning may help the 
tree to maintain its vigor for a time 
longer. Very little can be accomplished 
by cutting into the tree and treating the 
points from which the gum exudes. 
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