184 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



As the Society did not seem desirous to discuss a subject which had 

 been shown by Professor Forbes to be so intricate, the President called 

 for the 



REPORT ON GENERAL HORTICULTURE— FOURTH DISTRICT. 



Henry M. Dunlap, of Champaign, Committee on General Horti- 

 culture for the Fourth District, having returned home, had handed his 

 report to the Secretary, who read as follows : 



Our experiences as horticulturists in this the Fourth District have been 

 varied, and while I shall attempt to speak generally of the district as a 

 whole, it will be impossible to harmonize our experiences in the different 

 counties on all subjects. 



The past year has been one of extremes of weather — a severe cold 

 winter followed by a drouth during the summer and fall, and these 

 extremes have affected the fruit crop somewhat; the cold of the winter 

 killed the peach-buds and many of the trees ; the cherry crop was also 

 materially injured by the frosts; the strawberry beds that were uncovered 

 earliest were in some instances entirely barren. The drouth of the 

 summer shortened the crop of small-fruits, especially strawberries and 

 blackberries. 



Apples were a large crop, with a larger proportion than usual of 

 winter fruit; the warm weather of October ripened up and rotted at least 

 one-half the crop after it was gathered, and in some cases where not 

 properly cared for the entire crop was lost. Ben Bavis, Willow, Rawles' 

 Janet, Jonathan and Winesap are the most popular varieties in the order 

 named. I have been told that in some sections large crops of Bellflower 

 apples are produced by girdling the trees below the main branches; this 

 is done in the spring by taking out a strip of bark about one-fourth of an 

 inch wide entirely around the tree. Mr. Capps, in his report of Logan 

 county, says that he visited an orchard in which a portion of the trees 

 were girdled and the rest were not; those that were produced a large 

 crop of excellent fruit, while those that were not fruited a small crop of 

 inferior fruit. In my neighborhood a man tried the experiment with a 

 similar result. If there is a way to make our shy bearers, such as Bell- 

 flower, Northern Spy, etc., produce good crops we should know it, and 

 if any present have had experience with this treatment of trees I hope 

 they will give us their views on the subject. 



Blackberries, with the exception of the Snyder, were killed to the 

 ground; this variety, although setting a full crop of fruit, as a result of 

 the dry weather the berries were small, and in many instances they dried 

 on the canes. In cases where the ground was well mulched the fruit was 

 said to be very fine. Many still cling to the Lawton and Kittatinny as 

 being superior fruit, but they are not hardy and cannot be relied on for 

 annual crops. What we want is a sure bearer; and the Snyder, if well 

 mulched to keep the ground from baking, and the canes cut back severely 

 to keep them from over-production, will give us a crop of excellent fruit 

 every season without fail. 



