286 STATE HORTIOULTUEAL SOCIETY. 



as wormy as ever, but as a hog pasture was made of one of my orchards, 

 1 have reason to hope for cleaner fruit next season, whether I spray or 

 not. Of course, my intention is to spray against insects, rust and rot. 

 For plums, I intend jarring the trees and catching the insects and 

 make good insects out of them, like Gen. Sherman said about the In- 

 dians: the only good ones were the dead ones. I did not do much 

 spraying the past season on my grapes, and had but little rot. Attri- 

 bute its presence somewhat to the close proximity of the M. K."& T. 

 R. K., which runs within 50 yards of my vineyard, and as the ground 

 ascends to a height of near 100 feet, the smoke from the locomotives is 

 wafted up to the vineyard whenever there is a south wind. 



The sulphur and gases in this smoke I am certain are a safeguard 

 against mildew and rot. This has been alluded to by others similarly 

 situated, and may be worth minding. Those who have a hillside facing 

 a railroad near by may be pretty safe in planting grape-vines. 



In other places there were good crops of apples, where spraying 

 properly showed the importance of it, and should stimulate others to 

 practice it, so that in time we may get rid of the insects and fungoids 

 and raise sound apples as of yore. 



Plums, I don't believe we shall ever raise successfully, except by 

 having the trees in paved yards, hog or hen pastures, or by jarring the 

 trees and killing the curculio. And then there should be a united 

 effort in a whole neighborhood, as, if one man does destroy those in 

 his own orchard and a neighbor breeds them, he will have the same 

 trouble every year. 



If two or three seasons fail us in a fair crop of fruit, we should 

 not abandon our trees, as they will certainly change for the better 

 some time. 



Scraping all the loose bark off the trunks of the orchard trees 

 will destroy hosts of insects in their winter quarters, and they will not 

 be here in the spring to begin their work of destruction as soon as 

 the warm weather comes. 



This morning, December 28, gave us a fair sample of winter; mer- 

 cury down to three, the ground frozen hard, and now is the time to 

 give the strawberry beds a good covering. 



Mine were covered slightly some weeks ago, simply on the rows, 

 but now I intend that the whole ground shall be covered, thickest 

 between the rows, and not on them. Since this date last year there 

 have been great changes. Many who were in health and the enjoy- 

 ments of life have since been called home. 



Many others have been disappointed in their prospects in life. 

 The whole country has gone through a change that is by no means 



