The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-12-07

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roots we're tightly locked in freq n
earth. The tops store up in their own
branches during the fall the cellular
energy for the earliest growth the fol
lowing spring while the roots are thaw-
ing out; hence the old idea that early
blooming could be prevented by heav
lily mulching over the roots after a hard
fire. "a. to keep the suns warmth from
thawinR the ground around the roots,
is fallacious. When the sun warns no
to the tops the sap starts, independent
of root action, the buds swell and even
tually burst into bloom.
Hence the Missouri station eet about
devising means of protecting the tops
of the trees, first against the suns heat
in warm spells in winter, and second
against the injurious effects of evapora
ton of the sap from the buds after they
swell. Evaporation is a cooling process
and very materially intensit1es the
cold.
Three methods of protection were
tested: First, gathering the branches
together and binding corn fodder about
them. THIS is troublesome and i'm.
practicable except with young trees.
Second, setting posts along each side OF
q row Of trees, splkIng plates on top of
these, putting up rafters, forming q
comb over the center of the row Of tree
tops, and mailing 6 inch fencing boards
four inches apart on these rafters-
forming a shed that partially shaded
the trees. Estimating that the material
would last ten years, and counting one,
tenth OF b cost on each year, and add
ing to this the cost of taking the sheds
apart each spring and putting them up
each fall, the yearly cos would be
about 81 per tree. Third, the tree tops
were thoroughly sprayed with white
wash late IN autumn till the limbs,
twlgs and buds we're thoroughly coated.
This white wash protects in two ways
First, it is we'll known that dark OBJ
cts absorb the suns heat and white
ones reflect it-throW it of; second, the
coating Of white wash prevents evap
grafton of sap in the buds and confines
the heat gathered by their own chemi
Cal and cellular action. In other words,
the whItewash acts as a protecting
~overcOat.
Following is q statement of results:
Shading the trees with board sheds
enabled peach buds to survive the
winter u%ninjured, when 80 per cent. of
unprotected buds were killed.
Trees protected in this way blossomed
later, remained in blossom longer, set
more fruit IN proportion to the number
of apparently perfect flowers, and held
their fruit better than any other trees
on the station grounds. This is the
most effective means of winter protec
ton tried at the station, but it is prob
ably too expensive for commercial
orchards.
Whitening the twigs and buds by
spraying them with Whitewash is, on
account of its cheapness and beneficial
effects the most promising method of
4AAEC PAOACSb4OA bE460d b buAS Sb5GkOu
WniGened buds remained practically
dormant until April, when unprotected
buds swelled ~perceptibIy during warm
days late in February and early in
March.
Wnitened buds blossomed three to
six days later than unprotected Ouds
Eighty per cent. of whitened buds
passed the winter safely, when only
90 per cent Of unwhitened buds passed
the winter unframed
Thermometers covered with purple
cloth registered, during bright sunny
weather from 10 to over 90 degrees
higher than Thermometers covered with
white cloth of similar texture, thus in
dicatiDg that Whitened peach twigs
might be expected to absorb much less
heat than those that were not whitened.
The whitewesh applied after the
buds have become entirely dormant
has never in any case Injured the buds
or trees. II one pound of copper sui
plate be dissolved and added to every
ten gallons of whitewash it will check
rot and other fungus diseases. Let the
Whitewash become cool before adding
the dissolved copper sulphate.
This is undoubtedly one of the most
important discoveries OF recent years
The same method may be applied to
the protection of other fruit trees from
like injuries, K.
LIVE STOCK.