354 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The past season has been a very prosperous one for the fruitgrowers of Xebraska. 

 Our apple crop was very heavy, a fine quality 6f fruit bringing good prices. In 

 regard to season, our apple list differs very much from yours; for instance the Baldwin, 

 Northern Spy, R. I. Greening, Esopus Spitzenberg, and Fameuse are all fall apples 

 here, none of them lasting longer than December 1. For winter apples our leading 

 varieties are: Jonathan, G. G. Pipfjin, and W. W. Pearmain for early winter; with 

 Winesap, Rawle's Janet, Ben Davis, Roman Stein, Rome Beauty, and York Imperial for 

 lat^ keepers. We cannot grow Stark, Willow Twig, Wagener, E. G. Russet and Dom- 

 inie on account of blight. The good autumn apples for this region are very numerous, 

 for in addition to those we have already mentioned, the Maiden's Blush, Wealthy, Haas, 

 Fall Winesap, Bailey's Sweet, Rambo, Porter, Lowell, Cole's Quince, Utter "s Red and 

 Fall Orange, are a perfect success. Like the fall apples we have a large list of good 

 ones for summer, too many in fact to enumerate. We could mention one hundred 

 varieties, including summer, fall and winter, that are grown successfully in this county 

 (Jefferson) year after year, for we nearly always have a crop of apples, there being no 

 alternate or "off years" such as we used to have in the eastern states. We think 

 there is no part of the United States better adapted to apple growing than south- 

 eastern Nebraska, although the people have been a long time realizing the truth of 

 this statement. 



Pears are generally considered a failure, because of blight, but several persons ar« 

 making a success of growing them. Flemish Beauty, Seckel, and Bartlett are th« 

 favorite varieties. 



Peaches bear a full crop every two or three years, and the fruit is of the best 

 quality. One person exhibited 24 varieties at our state fait: these attracted th» 

 attention of all who saw them and were pronounced equal in every way to those grown 

 in the favored peach-growing regions. 



With the exception of Blue Damson, foreign or European plums are a failure; the 

 little Turk being the cause. Nearly all the native varieties are grown successfully, our 

 favorite varieties being Miner, Wild Goose, De Soto, Wolf, Pottawatomie, and Forest 

 Garden. 



Sweet cherries are worthless, but the Morello and Kentish types are a grand success. 



Quinces are a total failure. 



Russian apricots do remarkably well south of the Platte river. 



For the successful growing of the American varieties of grape, we claim Nebraska to 

 be one of the most favored spots on earth, even if it does sound a little extravagant to 

 say it. It is no unusual thing for a single grower to exhibit fifty varieties of grape at 

 our state and county fairs. We are never troubled with black-rot or mildew, and our 

 long seasons and warm sunshine ripen perfectly all the late varieties, such as Catawba, 

 Goethe, etc. Such varieties as Brighton, Delaware, Jefferson, Lady, Washington, and 

 Vergennes, do excellently. The same may be said of the leading wine grapes and all of 

 the Concord type. 



Gooseberries are free from mildew and worms, and are grown in large quantities. 



Currants are grown successfully only when shaded. 



Snyder and Stone's Hardy blackberries produce good croi)s, as also do the Lucretia 

 dewberry and dwarf Juneberry. 



Our best black raspberries are Tyler or Souhegan, Hopkins, and Ohio; the Gregg and 

 Mammoth Cluster are a little tender. 



In red raspberries the ^Turner is standard, while Shaffer's Colossal, Cuthbert, and 

 Hansel are a partial success. 



Strawberries are grown in great profusion; the Crescent is far in advance of all others 

 in point of hardiness and productiveness. We use the James Vick as a fertilizer for the 

 Crescent on account of its producing more bloom and pollen than any other variety. 

 Sharpless, Downing, Manchester, Bubach, Jessie, Miner, Captain Jack, and Warfield 

 are all grown to a considerable extent. 



Russian mulberries are being used largely for wind-breaks around orchards and 

 fruit gardens as they serve a double purpose; the branches start out close to th« 

 ground, thus making an excellent protection from the winds, and in summer these 

 branches are loaded with fruit, which supplies the birds and domestic fowls with a food 

 that they prefer to cherries, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries, and as the mul- 

 berry tree furnishes ripe fruit from May 15 to Sept. 15, our more valuable fruits are not 

 molested. 



Dakota, Minnesota, Wyoming, Colorado, and Texas furnish the best markets for our 

 fruit. This year a large part of our apple crop went to New York. 



Large commercial orchards are being planted, and the time is coming when southern 

 Nebraska will be known as a fruit-producing region. 



