Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-11-15
Lessons for Fruit Growers.

Mr.. Powell spoke as follows:
Each year as it passes has its par
ticular lessons, which il they are
learned should be a help in the coming
years.
One of the chief obstacles to the
more rapid progress of a large number
OF those engaged in farming is that of
not studying the conditions of each
year as they present themselves, and
change and modify their practice to
more efficiently meet the requirements
of existing conditions.
The year just passing was preceded
by an unusually dry winter. Very lit
tie rain fell in the autumn of 1910. and
but little snow covered the ground in
many sections through the winter,
while there was deficiency of rain fall
through the spring and summer. There
was an unusual loss of trees and
shrubs in many places in New Eng
land and New York. the cause for
which was attributed TO the severe
open winter.
Evergreen Trees Injured.
Evergreens suffered most, and many
of them came out in the spring with
their foliage seered and brown, and
dead. 1t was generally accepted that
the steady cold weather of the winter,
and the long period of freezing tenn
perature had killed the evergreen trees
and shrubs. Evaporation in the win
ter has been the cause of this.
The facts are it was not so much the
freezing as the evaporation of the sap
lof the trees in the winter Trees
MI rot oh do M NJ, NF
moisture in the soil in the winter. for
the process of evaporation of sap goes
on in the winter the same as in the
summer though not to so great a de-
gree.
When trees are in full foliage in
June, with a steadily rising tempera-
ture. tons of water are daily taken up
by them individually, and passed off
into the atmosphere by evaporation
and Transportation through the foliage.
In the winter When the foliage is abb
sent the process of evaporation goes
on steadily and more rapidly when the
temperature lowers and wind prevails
1t is at such times that the peach
buds suffer and are often killed. The
moisture is evaporated 50 rapidly that
they are left for a time in a dry con-
dition and it Is then that the germ is
killed. 1t is the dry condition that is
produced. not the low temperature that
kills the bud.
1t Is quiet generally conceded that
temperature of sixteen to eighteen de-
grees below zero will kill peach buds,
but such is not a fact.
Peaches with Low Temperature.
one of the largest and most valuable
peach crops l have ever produced at
Orchard Farm was that following a
winter when twentysix degrees below
zero was recorded. Very few buds
were killed and we had to thin off
seventy per cent of the fruit to save
the trees from breaking. We have
never spent an hour of time proping
trees, but rather we prune and thin
heavily. These trees had produced a
heavy crop the preceding year, which
was one of normal rain fall. They
made good growth of wood; the fruit
buds were strong and we'll developed;
the soil was well filled with water be-
fore winter, and while there was not
snow during the winter. and low tenn
perature prevailed frequently, the trees
came out In thesspring. in good condi-
ton, the buds strong and able to give
a fun bloom, and set q large crop of
a. 49,