Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1872-02-06
THE HERALD.
FARM TOPICS.
Heat of the Soil and Growth of
Plants.

There has been considerable dis
eussion, and many theories promul
gated in relation TO this subject. anC
any facts bearing thereon are no
only interesting, but of value to the
Horticultural. We should say tn,
dgriculturist for the latter term EN-
braces the whole category of rura
art.
10 relation TO the heat of the soil
Mr.. Meehan, in a lecture before the
Illinois Horticultural Society in 1869
said eff it were possible for the
sol in your orchards TO be frozen
three feet thick, and to stay frozen
in that way throughout the Summer;
yet if the atmosphere were to range
from $50 to 900, as it does now, |
think the trees would grow, and
bloom, and hear fruit nearly as well
mot perhaps quite az well, because
there is some loss Of heat when the
little fibers, by the aid Of their own
internal warmth, have TO thaw the
solid ice into vapor before they can
make use Of the moisture, and it ia,
no doubt, some saving TO have all
this ready done for them but said
nearly as we'll, because | have seen
grapes forced in wineries, where the
roots were all outside and frozen
solid, and the tops in Summer TEN.
perature inside growing aud bIoom-
ing as if everything accorded with
the best popular notions Of right and
wrong"
In the discussion which follows,
Mr. Barry differed from the lectur-
er. and called attention to the means
used to induce bottom heat, and also
to the generally received belief that
q certain amount. of heat was as nee
essary as top heat, and farther al
luded 70 the fact that in England
means were used to heat the grape
borders. Mr.. Meehan remarked that
he knew that English grape growers
did take pains to keep the heat in
their borders. His statement was
that people frequently attributed to
wet what bad ought to DO attributed
TO heat. He said Keep them warm
aud tolerably dry. The statement |
made was simply an illustration, and
| should Do quite willing to let it
stay where Mr.. Barry has left it.
Mr. Meehan is usually very accu-
rate observer, and one of the most
scientific men in the country IN his
profession, but we do not think he
would repeat the quotation in rela-
ton TO roots for it is not only UNI
tenablo as scientific dogma, but is
unfounded in fact. We only revert
to the subject because, since the lee
tare was delivered, we have frequent
ly heard tho subject spoken Of in
conversation. The fact ia, warmth
is SIS necessary TO the root as the top,
but it does not of course require so
much heat. Again, some varieties
OF plants require much more heat IN
tho soil than others. The maple has
often been brought up as an illustra-
ton Of plant aifording sap while
yet the ground was frozen: but the
earth is never frozen TO depth TO
which more than q moiety of the
roots OF trees extend. A tree could
not furnish sap if all the roots were
frozen, much less make growth.
There isanother fact IL connection
with this subject-when the earth IL
relatively warmer than the atmos.
phere, the roots Of plants grow pro-
portionately much faster than the
top, and then, upon the recurrence OF
greater atmospheric heat, the top
commences to grow strongly again,
from the accumuIative force of the
root. This is especially noticeable
in Indian corn.
There is much food tor thought in
the Investigations of BiolobIocki on
this subject, which we find in the
Report Of the Department Of Agri-
culture, as follows:
"The resultOf these Investigations
by Bioloblocki, in regard TO the inhu-
oGce OF the warmth Of SOIL upon the
development Of certain cultivated
plants, Is summed up by him in the
following words: Tho influence Of
warmth Of the soil is made manifest
in two directions the shortening or
lengthoning Of the period Of vegeta-
ton, aud in affecting the external
form of the plant: the aeceleration
Of growth of vegetation occurring
principally in the earlier periods -
With an ascending temperature of
tho soil, vegetation is forwarded mp
TO a certain point. From the mos
meUt, however, when this point Is
reached, an increase Of temperature
IN the soil actually retGrds growth.
The maxium point of favorable tenn.
perature has for its reeult q more
vigorous growth of the plant exper-
lmented on. The extreme limit Of a
constant temperature Of the soil at
which q growth Of the roots can still
take place, we may assume to be be-
low, but very near, l04 deg F. A
ground temperature of 80 dog. K
barely allows plants TO fulfill COM
HANhNt1 Ait bA0ll iAuthiOhh vi lilt &NN
conditions Of development. An in
creased ground temperature he's no
special influence upon the absorption
of nutritious matter through the
roots and the accelerated growth
resulting from an increase OF heat is
usually accompanied by y greater
per centage of water in toe plant"
WINTER Pruning OF FRUIT TREES.
1t has come TO be recognized
among horticuturists that pruning
while the branches of trees are
frozen, is not good practice. The
bonding Of limbs while ia this state
often results in fracture, and abra.
sions in pulling out pruned branches
often result ia injury TO the tree.
Besides this, the evaporation from
newly cut surfaces often results in
shriveling the buds on the branch
below the surface.
Better defer the pruning until the
tv,os ora grao f,.o,,, froat Nha crt