68 



much to the acre ais on old well manured ground, they are 

 certainly great deal better flavored. The potatoes generally 

 raised down in the southern part of the State, in this respect, 

 are not worthy to be named on the same day with those 

 grown on our new sandy soil. The market prices for the 

 last three years have ranged from eighteen to twenty-five 

 cents per bushel. It is the belief, they will be worth thirty- 

 seven cents in the spring, and perhaps more. 



10. Fruit. — I shall say but little on this subject in addition 

 to what is said in the report on fruit, submitted to the society 

 on the day of our fair, and published above. A good variety 

 of fruit is the chief pride of our agriculturists. And our 

 young and beautiful fruit trees, to be found on nearly every 

 clearing, whether of late or long standing, is no less the ad- 

 miration of the stranger, than the pride of the settler. To 

 such an extent has this variety of the choice fruits in America 

 been promulgated and cultivated among us, that for several 

 years back, our young men have made a profitable business 

 of carrying the scions from our thrifty trees by loads, into 

 the southern part of this State, through parts of Ohio, Mis- 

 souri, Kentucky, Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa, grafting as 

 they went wherever they could get jobs of the kind to do. 

 The benefits thus conferred on the fruit growers of other 

 localities, by the difl^ision of our unsurpassed varieties of 

 fruit, are incalculable. Our orchards, as a general thing, are 

 just coming into a full bearing state. Last year our expec- 

 tations of an abundant crop were sadly blasted by the severe 

 freeze we had late in the spring, and which was so destruc- 

 tive to fruit over all the western States. 



In conclusion permit me to give my opinion, that since the 

 application of clover and plaster to our lands, the fertilizing 

 qualities of these ingredients have imparted new vigor to our 

 soil and new hopes to their cultivators. Under our system 

 of cropping, we could not close our eyes against the fact 

 staring us in the face upon every year's experience, that our 

 lands were running down. By alternate cropping with grass, 



