23.0 REPorRT OF THE BOTANICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE 
In the central and western part of the State the cold was not 
as severe, the official records being as follows: Syracuse—20°, 
Fayetteville, 12 miles southeast of Syracuse—29°, at Romulus, 
Seneca county—12°, Penn Yan, Yates county—15°, Shortsville, 
Ontario county—10°, Rochester—14°, Brockport, Monroe county 
—14° and Lockport—12°. 
It seems almost impossible that peach trees could survive such 
low temperatures as occurred in the Hudson Valley, but the facts 
are that only a small percentage were killed outright, though the 
crop was almost a total failure. In orchards of considerable ele- 
vation and good air drainage a fair crop of fruit was harvested. 
Throughout the peach sections of the central and western por- 
tions of the state some trees were killed or injured so they died 
subsequently. The crop was a normal one, though temperatures 
that are commonly supposed to mean death to fruit buds existed 
in hundreds of orchards. 
APPEARANCE OF TREES AT END OF WINTER. 
At the end of the winter the external appearance of the trees 
was entirely normal. The bark of the trunk was smooth and of 
normal color and the twigs in all parts of the trees were plump 
and bright. Nothing about the trees looked unusual or wrong, 
but upon cutting into the trunk anywhere above the snow line 
it was found that both bark and wood were discolored for some 
depth into the trunk. The discoloration was most pronounced 
just above the snow line, and became less as the height from this 
point increased until on the branches in most cases the normal 
color and conditions, or very near them, were found. 
This discoloration is due to oxidation, or the beginning of 
decay, and can occur only when moisture is present. It varied in 
intensity from black or dark brown to very light brown or what 
might be called a water-soaked appearance. The intensity was 
directly proportional to the amount of moisture in the tissue at 
the time of the low temperature. 
Upon the discovery of this discoloration much alarm and anxi- 
ety arose. It was feared that trees showing this condition. were 
dead, and some fruit growers removed many trees upon this sup- 
position. It was argued that though the roots and the branches 
‘were apparently uninjured it would be impossible for the sap to 
