Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-31
.|L[-T|MED WEATHER
MAY RUIN fruit CROP
Orchards and Vineyards Far in Bud
as They Should Be by
Last of March.
Cold Snap VIII Cost Growers OF
Maryland and Virginia Many
Thousands of Dollars.

Serious injury to fruit trees is threat
ened by the unreasonable weather and
abnormally high temperatures that
have prevailed for the last two weeks.
Buds on peach and apple trees are be-
ginning to swell. currant and other
berry bushes are weeks ahead Of their
usual schedule as regards buildings,
and orchardists and fruit growers are
becoming seriously apprehensive of the
results of cold snaps and hard freezes
that are to be expected during Feb
ruary.
Peach growers throughout southern
covered that the buds on their peach
trees were far advanced, the trees in
whole orchards at that time showing
buds as well developed as they nor
mally would be in late March. As the
abnormal temperatures for January
continued the peach buds swelled until
at the present time, according to many
growers, hard freeze-which may be
expected at any time-would result in
the practical destruction of the entire
crop and the permanent injury Of hun
dreds of thousands of trees.
Apprehensive in Virginia.
Reports from the apple-growing Sec
lions of the Shenandoah valley and the
valley Of Virginia indicate that, while
the trees are not SO far advanced as are
the peach trees in lower attitudes. the
buds have developed in the last two
weeks to a point where extreme cold
weather would result in thousands of
dollars Of damage.
Farmers, gardeners and fruit growers
near Washington report that buds on all
indications of the influence of the warm
weather. and all say that a cold snap
and freezing temperatures now would
seriously injure the fruit crops. Berry
bushes such as raspberries, blackber-
ries, and even strawberries, have re-
sponded to the high temperatures of
the last two weeks or more and are
now as far advanced as they should
be two months from now with normal
weather conditions. In many straw
berry plantations. it is reported, the
young leaves have begun to push
through the mulch Of straw or grass
with which the vines are covered, and
a hard freeze would practically destroy
the plants over large areas.
Berry Plants Far Advanced.
In many of the berry fields along the
Eastern bFdHcn vines ana plants or all
varieties are far advanced. and truck
ers say that in the event of a season
of real winter weather, with low tenn
peratures and hard freezes, practically
all but the latest varieties of the diff
ferent berries would be destroyed
Early spring flowers are also re-
ported to be showing up" several
weeks ahead of their usual time by
reason of the unseasonably warm
weather. In many garden beds, espe-
cially those protected from northwest
winds and with a warm southern ex-
posure. tulips, hyacinths. jonquils, mar
cissi and crocus plants have pushed
their shoots up an inch or more above
the ground. Extremely cold weather,
however, would be required to injure
these plants, as ordinary freezes and
snow would not damage them.
Buds on shade and ornamental trees
and shrubs have not so far been notice.
ably affected or Influenced by the warm
weather. though its continuance for
another week, it is stated, probably
would cause the buds to swell to such
a point that hard freeze would affect
the foliage.