Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1873-05-02

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separate oil around, and the tree survives,
with wound which may take several years
to heal over. A neighbor tells,us he entirely
prevents splitting from frost by Sitting the
bark Of his young trees the season they are
set out We have noticed that tree once
suffering from the accident without dying,
never splits again. Until this winter we had
supposed that this cracking Of the bark al
ways occurred in the fall, but we have seen
it this spring in trees that we're examined last
fall and found all right; also upon branches
as well as on the main stem. II is misfor-
tune not peculiar to Vermont, or New Eng
land Nurserymen in New York and New
Jersey complain of it, but we think they do
not lose as many trees by it as we dc in this
section.
A much more destructive, but we think
more preventable kind of winter-killing is
caused by the occurrence Of many thaws in
winter, followed each time by hard, freezing
weather. On level ground, even when thor
oughly under-drained by nature, or artificial
ly, such winter will destroy the roots Of
nursery trees by the thousand, land the crab
roots will not stand it particle better than
the common stock.) But little observation,
in nursery where many trees had been thus
destroyed, gave us the hint for a remedy
which we have found success, We noticed
that there were islands Of trees, $50 to speak,
in this nursery, that were not hurt at all, and
looking again we saw that these islands were
all little elevated mot more, often, than
six Or eight inches) above the general sur
face. Surface draining, that was the
thing and since then we run a shovel pillow,
Tor, better, Shares horse hoe without the
hoes,) twice between each two rows, and that
trouble is obviated.
Not so easy of cure or prevention are the
two last kinds Of winter-killing to which ap-
pie trees are subject. All through southern
New England, New York, New Jersey and
Pennsylvania, hundreds of thousands Of trees
were destroyed during the winter OF 1871
~ This destruction made but little distinc-
ton in regard to 4" hardness, as commonly
understood. The toughest evergreens, includ-
ing the arborvit@, white cedar of New Eng
land,) pines and hemiocks, went by the board,
while sometimes rhododeudrons, azaleas, tu-
lip trees, catalpas, and other tender varieties
survived. What was the cause2 The gar
deuers aud nurserymen discussed the matter
almost unfortunately in the papers, but the
conclusion reached by the best informed i:
that the destruction was due to drying wind:
in March, while the ground was frozen to al
unusual depth in consequence OF the absence
Of snow during the winter. This wind dried
the trees as thoroughly as though they had
been first cut down, for their roots, being
surrounded by hard, frozen earth, could draw
no moisture from the soil to replace tha
which was so rapidly extracted blythe air
Those trees about whose roots the grounC
was not 50 deeply frozen, either on account
Of favorable location, or mulching, ant
some whose long tap roots ran below thu
frost, or which were protected from the wind
survived, while the hardest trees otherwis,
situated had to give up the ghost. This kline
of winter-killing VIC are not so liable to il
Northern Vermont, yet it may happen tina
we should have such a season. Except to
very limited extent, we see no way Of pre-
pairing for or preventing its destructive eft
fects
We mention last kind Of winter destruc
ton which has, perhaps, done more to xii
off the old orchards of this section than an
other. Such, at least, is what we have bee
told by our old residents, who ascribe tn
ruin of the once numerous apple orchards Q
Orleans, Essex aud Caledonia Counties, an
the Eastern Townships Of Canada, to a win
ter in which sleet, accommodating upon tn
branches, broke down and ruined thousand
upon thousands Of trees, Obviously there
no way Of protecting ourselves from such
disaster as this and We can only comfort ouI
. selves with the thought that so severe an
long continued a storm of sleet must be
very rare occurrence.