Wisconsin State Agricultural Society. 
4oo 
WINTER-KILLING. 
Winter-killing is particularly a western affection—like the ague. 
Technically, it is a rupture of the cellular structure of the plant 
by the expansion of its fluids from extreme and sudden cold. Prac¬ 
tically, it results from four causes, namely: Too much and prolonged 
growth in autumn; soil too rich in plant-food ; want of constitu¬ 
tional hardiness to resist the fourth—undue freezing. The remedy 
is plain. We must adapt the growth of the tree to its internal and 
external conditions. We must secure a growth of wood so well 
matured and of such constitutional make, that it will endure the 
shock of winter changes. 
SPRING-KILLING. 
Spring-killing is generally confined to the root. A severe shock 
of frost after the sap flows in spring, may destroy the young shoots, 
or even the whole tree, but such cases are very rare, for the tree 
that can endure the first shock of winter will generally go through 
the changes of spring safety. The frosts of May and June may nip 
the young shoots, but there are plenty of dormant buds to repro¬ 
duce the foliage destroyed, hence such frosts do not cause death, 
unless from previous injury or loss of roots the reproducing power 
is exhausted. 
ROOT-KILLING. 
Root-killing in early spring is one of the most common forms of 
injury to which our trees are subject. It arises from the lack of 
moisture in the soil during the winter or at the time of the spring 
thaws. Roots in such surroundings will not endure successive 
freezing and thawing as if they were in a moist soil. Hence it 
should be a fixed rule, that all trees should have an abundance of 
moisture in their soil at the beginning of winter. 
During the months of October and November, the surface should 
be made loose and open to all the rain-falls. No animals should be 
allowed to compact the soil by herding or pasturing in the orchard 
during these months. Here is one of the most common errors of 
the farmer orchardist. For the few dollars worth of fodder you 
thus secure, you pay the price of a weakened root-power or a total 
loss of some trees, which were every other way full of promise for 
long usefulness. 
