258 TRANSACTIONS OE THE HORTICULTURAL 



was allowed to gather the fallen fruit, but that which ripened on 

 the trees was sold. 



Dr. Schroeder — I hope sometime to see the idea of planting 

 fruit trees by the roadside carried out in this country. When in 

 Germany some years ago, I was pleased to find the roads in per- 

 fect condition, with grassy sides, and planted with fruit trees 

 sixteen feet apart. The fruit of these trees was annually sold at 

 auction and the money it brought kept the roads in good repair. 

 A wonderful work has been done there in improving and orna- 

 menting them. No weeds are allowed to grow, and insects hav- 

 ing no place to harbor do not increase rapidly. Every teacher 

 there has a special education for his business and is expected to 

 continue it through life. He earns at first, perhaps, a hundred 

 dollars a year, after a few. years perhaps two hundred, and after 

 he has taught a few years longer he is appointed minister of 

 education. These teachers are required to teach the natural 

 sciences, and take their pupils to the field to study Botany, En- 

 tomology, &c. 



NEW FRUITS. 



BY E. K. m'kIKXEY, LACON. 



The subject I have chosen is not only broad and deep, but 

 significant at this time, and although I may not say anything 

 new, perhaps I may impart a little of my enthusiasm to some 

 one else, and that will double the great factor in the production 

 of new fruits. We are undoubtedly entering on a new era in 

 fruit growing, and it will be well to stop and take a retrospective 

 view of the field. Forty or fifty years years ago the great cry 

 was, " We can't grow fruit in this part of Illinois and the West;" 

 and tree planters were scarce, and only a few were bold enough 

 to lock issues with the unfavorable outlook, and plant here and 

 there an orchard, or a few peach and cherry trees, and these only 

 along the timber belts. The timorous ones looked on, shook 

 their heads and said, " You'll see, they're throwing away their 

 time and money, only to reap disappointment and failure." But 

 it was not so. Failure did not prove the end of it, for success 

 came to nearly all of these early planters, and there was a more 

 hopeful outlook than at first, and men began to multiply their 

 orchards on the face of the Illinois prairies, and fruit became 

 more plentiful and reasonably cheap, and they got careless and 

 thought that all they had to do was to plant an orchard and turn 

 the pigs in and let it go, and the fruit would come almost of 

 itself. But a change comes; the old orchards that were planted 

 and cared for by the few early ones, became of age and declined 



