Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1917-02-09
LATE FREEZE WAS
'EQUALED ONCE IN
SEVEN YEARS
DR.. J. ]. MORTON POINTS OUT THAT
VALLEY MAY CONSIDER ITSELF
H. az RIGHT METHOD.
PKUNING AND REMEDIAL MEASURES
TO BE TAKEN AFTER FROST IN
JUhlES ARE OUTLINED.

rceZe OF February IL ii. 1899. when the
temperature dropped even lower IN i few
places IN the Valley. The recent freeze
taccordlng a. weather bureau records }
was only c1ualcd on one occasion in the
past seventeen year>-Dccember. 1901. In
one place IN the Rio Grandc Valley the
record has closely approached that OF
December, 1901. and with Il longer duration
OF low temperature and vet il may be our
good fortune to be- able Ia come through
hl~ freeze without amy serious injury to
The trees. Present indications point tu
very little damage being lone 10 the IL
rus trees. II We except ! partial defolia-
tion. In face some Instances even pre-
mature blooms have escaped injury.
Under a cur-ory examination of some
of the orchards il viii bc found that con
siderable injury ha- been done To the
mall. new growth. and which may appear
more extensive later on a. the withcrine
process takes place.
One of the most prevalent injuries will
~ found ~ ~ the splitting 1T the bark 81
very Young trees. This can be considers
rcmcdicd BY The application ii 4 paint
consisting ui one tca~poontul uf crude
c%ar'olic a"ii To one pint of neat~toot oil.
Thi~ -h"1ld b, PAINTED over the wound ~
.hc bark. hut should not be painted 50 ~
" reach around to The other ~idc-u-ual
n, ilr northwest side. This splitting may
iHEr .Ilct .- \ rule on the southeast side
and vi may mot ~ ~ amy very serious
trouble Nj properly attended ~. III the
splitting 1T the bark embraces Il cun-idr-
able area and extends around the trunh
serious trouble may be- expected a. - re
suit OF the curtailment of the flow OF sap
lo the top. The demand Tor sap al the
top may NOW he greater than nj amy other
time. III bacteria and fungi are kept out
IN an a%nti-cptic paint. ID will only be \
short while till the bark will again cover
ihc exposed portion. and leave the tree
trunk in u- healthy \ condition a~ III
would bc had The bark not split. 81
course thi~ statement only applies to in
stances where the trunk ha- not been kill
cd back 80 the bud union. or when banked.
10 the point exposed.
Another injury will be found To be pre-
NilfIA GlN ltiti IN Ntifitsttlti- ~ lAi~F
consideration. the loss of leaves may not
seem y very great trouble. but the loss OF
much foliage ~ I great matter III concern.
One result uf dctoIiati"u ia ihi~ Valley.
where strong hot winds viii soon prevail.
will be- the menace 81 ~uu--cald. Tins
can be somewhat rcmedicd by painting the
trees and the larger limbs with 4 thick
limcwa-h To- which has been added ~ul-
phatc of copper m the rate 81 one ounce
10 the gallon ut limrwa-h. This hmcwa~h
must d. sufficiently thick. ~ bc ut much
value. Where there are "A" suitable wInd
breaks provided. temporary windbrrak~
can ~ provided IN planting some quick
growing crop such a corn. castor beans.
etc. Til, has already been done IN some
m,iancc~. and it has proved very sue
cc>>ful in preventing damage from The hot
driving winds of the summer.
A. thi~ appears IN PRINT the time VIII
have arrived for pruning. " would br
better not tu prune at All than ~ prune
the injured trees III such \ manner. a~ to
produce Y bunch III suckers and turn the
tree miu Y broom rather than \ fruit pro-
Queer. There T. no space here e. glvc a
detailed description of the process oi
pruning further than I" caution the or
chardi~t against trimming back hl~ trees
| only sufficiently Ia remove the injured
limbs or twig-. The process of pruning
after \ frost u entirely different ~ that
~ BE- adopted at other times. ln~ead n
ninching back sucker wood y Will bc bet
TAR ~ remove the lonk sucker entirely.
where II IL iudiciou~ IT, 10 -. II tins II
lone II will he found that the tree will
produce nothing but sucker wood ai the
| exneu-e al the fruit wood. and thi~ will
result in a somewhat barren tree. ThI~ l.
only reasonable To- expect when IT viii be
found that most ot the well matured lrm'
wood IL lett unhurt. and that the quick
growing Sucker-wnod ha- been frozen MI
."nippcd.'' This "nlpping,' or plnchmg
hack If the sucker viii cause its own base.
and very little growth will be permitted
fran the fruit-wood. Thus IT will bc
much better Ia remove the entire sucker
rather than attempt o RAIN or transform n
mo a ,erviceable limb. BE careful to not
nrune vonr trees until You know Tor ser
tain how much has been injured and how
much ~ prunc. BE careful when prulng
IL not leave any portion Of frozen wood On
the limb pruned. Prune beyond the p"lnl
ii frozen wood.
4 neglect of pruning after freezing will
most often cause numerous sprouts !"
arise from the trunk and especially from
the crotch This broom-like growth II
permittcd will render the tree almost
worthless. In some eases neglect 70 pfuhe
will result in damage 10 the entire tree a.