The daily gazette., 1881-02-11
From the N. Y. Times.
Frost in the. Peach Trees.
FEARS OF DISASTROUS Ell
FEC1is ON THE CROP.

81
POWER - DESTRUCTION TWENTY
| FIVE YEARS AGO.
Representations of the probabl
Delaware peach crop of next Summe
just now seem 10 be the chief intel.
iectual entertainment of the Delawar,
growers, and the newspapers of lhe er
tire peninsula are opening their COZ
umns ve,y freely 10 the growers anc
nurserymen for that purpose. A Penn
sylvania nurselyman has written q
work on the subject of peach culture.
in which he claims that all the ills
which fall upon the orchards, on near.
ly all, come from lack OF pi oper care
of them, and not from climatic infiu-
ences. Such diseases as 'iysllows" and
measles" which for years have been
considered incurable, will damage
trees very little, lac says, if properly
treated. One of the oldest growers IN
Delaware, Mr.. Samuel Townsend, who
for upwaId of 5Oyears has successfully
cultivated this fruit, is just now en-
gagged in All extended discussion
through the medium of daily news
paper published in Wilmington, with
this Pennsylvania author, in which he
holds that these diseases, or, rather
this disease--for he holds them to be
one and tie same-is really fatal when
it attacks tree. Never has there
been known In all the vast experience
Ia section Of country more largely
given up to the cultivation of peaches
than any other like section in Americas
single tree which, when once SO af>
fected, was cured. Mr.. Townsend as-
cribes, among many other causes which
produce the disease, extremely cold
weather, which is one of the most
fruitful. He says: Zero is too cold
for peaches, and A. or 81 below for "a
houis will kill tho fruit. bearing buds
and the limbs they are on" And fur
ther on "Ihere is no remedy for
peach trees where the thermometer
falls to from 50 to 151 below xero.n
Mr. Townssnd's opinion is pretty gem
orally entertained by growers, aud so |
firmly are some of the Bal imore peach- |
cancers convinced of its correctnrss
that they have already advanced the |
prices of the stock now on hand. and
profess to selieve that 1t will prove q |
profitable investment to carry their |
stock over for the next season, as The
thermometer has been below zero sew
eral times all over the peninsula, and |
on one night it fell as low as 15o be.
low. Should this heory prove correct
it will undoubtedly cause peaches To
be very scarce next season, because if
the peach crop is destroyed by ex-
cold weather it will be destrov-
sd throughout New York State and
along the Ohio River, in Ohio, Ken
lucky, Indiana and Illinois, as the
on tho peninsula during
'he extremely cold season has always
,een higher than in the above-men-
Toned States.
To one thoroughly acquainted with
he cultivation of fruit, The danger to
Which peaches and, indeed, all fruits
which grow on trees or wood, are SUBJ
ected, the surprise is rather that they
urviye the winter than that they are
TILED. While he tree is ripenine its
ruits-especially is this the case with
IL midsummer and Autumn fruits-it
. also putting forth the buds of the
rop for the next season. The fruit
lways ripens on a twig which grew
rom the limb of the tree during the
reyious season, consequently, whea
he winter season sets in this twig is
cry young and tender. 1t is q well
nown fact that any live wood con-
lins large quantity of water and
40 younger the twigs the greater per-
sntage of water. The embyfo peach
hich Is planted in the bud on the
ew wood in August, contains even a 4
reater percentage of water than the l
Wigs, and should this small amount
water in the bud be changed into
Q during any part of tho Winter, the
nbyro peach will die. How that wa
r can possibly remain eHcased in
tie bud not more than an eighth of
/ inch thick without freezing-when
ellis 10 and Is feet deep are frozen
'er, when ice covers rivers aud bays,
I'd lays an embargo on ocean COM
cree more efectually than the acts i
men have ever done, as is tho case =
is season on the Delaware-is, in-
ed, one of those phenomena of ma. 90
re which science has failed to ex- q
lin. Cut one of these twigs from
stem and throw it to the ground,
d when the thermometer registers
70 the bud will become like ice, 9
rd and firm, in few moments, y
itch demonstrates beyond a doubt
1T no casing which nature has sur w
lnded 1T with protects it from the far
ID. There is force within, how ~
er, which gives out slowly the lat laI
t heat, stored, perhaps, during those ers
{ August days for this very purpose, an. an.
d it is within the range of specula- 70
Q science to suggest that perhaps oe
ould this intensely cold weather last
lch longer this s ore of heat may -
.ome exhausted, in which case the =
Dis will certainly freeze. That there
4 force at work IN the vegetable
lgdom to protect its fruits from the
,rching sun as well as from the K L..
me cold of Winter, will NOT admit ~
a doubt. l.
4 simple experiment will demon IT
ate it. Ifa t@ig on tree contain IL
, an apple or pear, or any other IL
tic. be SO cut as to stop the flow of Il
, through it ON hot day in Sum- R
r when the thermometer stands
In the ninelies, the fiuit on it will
,ome cookek, wherever the SUMS
vs. sllike, while all fruit on he 9.
md twies, although as much expos ~
to the sun, will remain much COOL