The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1905-12-07
why FRUIT TREES
ARE WINTER KILLED

HNk WAlNIAN AAAAAA>D
While it is very seldom that the
winter in this climate is severe enough
to require any particular protection
for fruit trees, still there have been
winters when many trees have been
frosted and the old saying that an
ounce of prevention is worth pound
Of cure still holds good. The U. 5.
Agricultural Department has compiled
some valuable information on this
subject which has been recently pub
. Iished in the Practical Fruit Grower,
and is as follows.
About once in decade, aud some
times oftener, severe winter occurs
In which an unusually large number
of fruit trees are killed. An exami-
nation of the orchards after such win
ters shows many Irregularities as to
the extent of the injuries in orchards
differently located and managed.
Some varieties Of fruits are unif ,rmly
less hardy than others, and the win
ter injury to these sorts may be traced
directly to their greater tenderness.
On the other hand, trees normally
perfectly hardy in a locality may
suffer serious injuries or be entirely
killed during such test" winters,
while other trees of the same varieties
In the same orchard may escape in
Jury entirely. During the prolonged
cold winter OF 1904 great losses were
suffered by oTchardists in the Lake
Erie peach belt. Some orchards we're
entirely destroyed; others we're appar-
emily uninjured and came through the
winter In vigorous, hardy condi-
tion, and still others, while suffering
severely, yet contained sections, rows
or parts Of rows, or individual trees
that came through the winter unin-
jured.
Many theories we're advanced by
the orchardists as to the cause OF
these anomalies, and many contradic-
tions appeared. The theory Of Insult
cient drainage, which might be adj
vanced as the cause Of injury in one
orchard, would receive direct retuta-
tion ia the next. If an orchard on
elevated ground escaped In one in
stance 1t might be partially or entire.
ly killed In another. In order to
learn the cause of these Irregularities,
the horticulturist of the Ohio Expert
ment Station and mis- assistants visit
ed both injured and uninjured or
chards In Catawha Island and the
peninsula Of Easern Ottawa county,
In Ohio, aud made a thorough study
of the matter, reporting the results OF
their Investigations In recent bulle
tin of the station.
Their Investigations show that while
general or direct cause of the in
jury was, of course, the severe anc
long-continued cold, the specific
causes Of the varying degrees of In
jury we're exceedingly numerous
Generally speaking, it was found tina
where the vitality of the tree or or
chard had been lowered by any oaus,
whatever during its previous histor!
the chances of injury TO the tree b.
the cold we're much Increased. Factor
observed In different orchards whicl
contributed to low vitality in th
trees we're an insufficient degree o
fertility, low physical condition o
the soils. prevalence Of San Jos
scale, leaf curl, peach tree borers, OK
tremely dry condition OF the grount
In some sandy and gravelly ridges
water logged soils, etc.
There was marked contrast In tn
extent OF the winter injury on bar
soils--soils given clean cultivation
and on covered soils The bare soil
freeze deeper aud the injury W
much greater than ON soils ooveret
with mulch or other material. Th
greater depth to which bare soil
freeze IN winter than covered soil
was brought out In an experimen
made at the station, A plat of peache
in an exposed situation was selected
and a strip of sod 10 to u feet wild,
removed from one row, leaving tn
bare surface of the soil fully exposed
to the cold. Another row alongside
was left in grass which had been clip
ped and allowed to lie upon th
ground. Where tho sod was removed
the ground troze to depth of |,
inches, while under the thin sod GOV
ering Of grass and weeds In the othe
row the ground fro2e to depth o
about s inches. The trees in the bar,
ground we're very slow In starting
into growth the following spring o
1904. All of the trees in this rov
were seriously injured by the cold
many branches dying, while in on,
case the entire tree was so badly in
jured that but few leaves appeared
throughout the season, and thes
upon shoots so feeble and slende
that the tree might we'll be considered
dead. Later in the season, however
some of the trees rallied slightly
though all showed serious lack o
vitality The trees in the sod die
not suffer in the least degree, all max
ing healthy, uniform growth dur
ing the season of 1904
The value of an annual clover croI
as compared with clean cultivation
was found in an orchard eighteeI
years planted, one-half of which haC
been cultivated during the first hal
of each season and then sown to Grim
son clover, while the other halt wal
given clean cultivation during thu
growing season. Upon the clean oul
ture area there was much greater
percentage of injury from the cold oi
the winter than upon the crimson
clover section. Where the clover
crops had been grown and plowed
down the trees showed remarkably
healthy, heavy, dark green foliage,
contrasting sharply with the yellow,
ish, slckly foliage of the clean culture
plat. Another grower In the injured
peach region stated that not single
orchard or section OF an orchard Of
which he knew, that had received
even light dressing of barnyard
manure within the last year or two,