290 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



thirteen and abalf tons of Concords, picked from 1,800 four years' old vines, from 

 thesalesof which he reah'zed upwards S1,000. Those wliohcld their fruit until 

 later in the season were also fortunate, realizing from six to ten cents per pound 

 gross sales. The Delawares and other similar varieties were a iailure. The 

 vines were loaded with fruit — as fine, promising bunches as ever were seen — 

 which remained all right up to the usual time of ripening, when the foliage 

 suddenly succumbed to the combined destructive influences of the tiirips and 

 leaf blight, and withered and fell to the ground, leaving an enormous load of 

 green fruit, which ripened (?) so imperfectly as to be of little value. In fact, 

 the only grape produced in our vicinity in quantity sutficient to be thoroughly 

 tested, "that stood the racket*' completely, was the Concord. The Brighton, 

 of which a few are raised, did well ; and afford every indication that it could be 

 successfully and profitably raised on an extended scale. The same is true of 

 the "Worden ; in fact, while similar to the Concord, I think the advantage is in 

 favor of the Worden. It is a better grape, rather larger berry and bunch. A 

 number of us have a moderate quantity of the Pocklington, Prentiss, Virgennes 

 Dutchess, and a few small vineyards of the much lauded and monopolized 

 Niagara growing, which, so far as I have observed, have made excellent growth. 

 The past summer was an exceedingly favorable one for fungus development, 

 and, as is generally known, mildew was unusually prevalent. All grape vines 

 that I have seen showed more or less of mildew, and to this the Niagara is not 

 an exception. Much to my surprise the Dutchess showed the least mildew, or 

 rather held out the longest, and showed it later than the other varieties. I saw 

 Dutchess, Prentiss, Virgennes, Niagara, etc., growing in the same plat of 

 ground, and when all the others were showingmildew the Dutchess was exempt 

 from it. A few years of trial will tell the story, and there is no other test. 



Pear trees bore well, and those who had trees had a good crop of fruit. There 

 was also but little blight. No varieties do better than the Bartlett and the 

 Flemish Beauty. Apples were a failure. I have never known so poor a crop 

 and so poor fruit in our vicinity as we had the past season ; of course, what few 

 there were to sell brought a good price. At the time of blossoming we had 

 ample promise of a most abundant harvest; but the continued and severe frosts 

 destroyed the fruit. This was the bearing year; it remains to be seen if the 

 next season, "the off year," gives us a full harvest of apples, which will tend to 

 settle the mooted question that the bearing year may be changed by early 

 denuding a tree of its fruit in a full year. 



