STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. I9I 



The Snyder will not pay when we have a full crop of Kittatinny, as 

 it is too small and not as good in quality. There was a little nist, on 

 both blackberry and raspberry bushes, the past season, but we pulled up 

 and burned the canes affected as soon as it was discovered. 



The Red Dutch and Cherry Currants do well here ; so also does the 

 Houghton Gooseberry. 



Grapes were the finest, in yield and quality, that we ever raised in 

 this county; Concord, Clinton and others were in full bloom June 2d ; 

 the Willis,* a new seedling of my originating, blooming June loth; 

 Concord was fully ripe September 15th, although some were gathered 

 September ist, and put in market. The Willis was fit for table use 

 August 1 2th. For this part of the State I would plant Concord, Hartford, 

 Ives and Willis, and also the Lady. The rot attacked the grapes when 

 about one-third grown, but in a few days after it rained, when the rot 

 ceased ; after twelve days the rot began again, and two days afterward 

 it again rained and again the rot ceased, and thus it continued for four 

 times during the season. In 1878 the rot destroyed our whole crop here, 

 but in the northeast part of the county, where the rains were regular, the 

 crop was good. 



Insects, during the past year, have been fewer than I have ever 

 known, with the exception of codling-moths, which were as numerous as 

 ever, but the apple crop was so large that their work was not apparent. 



Apples are not keeping well, as they ripened up prematurely in conse- 

 quence of the excessive hot weather in the fall. 



For Sweet-potato cultureasandy-claysoil is preferable, but in very many 

 places on the prairies of Central Illinois this cannot be had, therefore we 

 select the driest ground, which, if not already rich, should be made so by 

 applying stable manure during the latter part of winter; this should be 

 spread evenly over the surface and as soon as the ground can be worked in 

 spring it should be plowed as shallow as possible with a breaking plow; 

 let the ground lay until the proper time for setting the plants, which in 

 latitude 40° varies from May 5th to 15th, then harrow until the surface 

 is thoroughly pulverized, after which cast two furrows together, running 

 the plow four or five inches deep and leaving the rows three-and-a-half 

 feet from center to center. The plants should be set fifteen inches apart 

 along the row. When the earth composing the ridge settles it is only 

 five or six inches to the hard ground beneath, which is unplowed, and 

 which the potatoes in growing will not penetrate, therefore we get short, 

 thick, fine-grained tubers of best quality and but {^'■n small ones. 



DISCUSSION UPON THE REPORT. 



Mr. MiNiER. — I have tried taking the bark from trees in June to 

 make them bear, but the hogs rubbed against them and they (the trees) 

 died. 



* For history of this grape see page 72, vol. 12, Trans. 111. State Hort. Society. — 

 Editor. 



