STATK rroKTicri/n I! \i, soriF/rY. 41) 



i). 1). WiEK, ol' Marshall (oiiiuy, .sa)s: 



" Our Apple crop was the nearest a complete failure we have ever had, except the 

 season of 1856 ; on upland prairie the failure was almost complete, many large orchards 

 not giving fruit enough to supply a family. On the bluffs and light soils, along the Illi- 

 nois river and large streams, there was aliout one-third of a crop of apples. The higher 

 and more abrupt the land, the greater was the crop of fruit, thereby showing conclu- 

 sively that ' frost drainage,' or the fact of the trees being above the frost line, had much 

 to do with their fruiting ; and also that late spring frosts were the most potent cause of 

 the failure of those not st) situated. Again, trees on the east bluff, with a free north- 

 western exposure, produced much better than those on equally good elevation and soil on 

 the west bluff of the river, with an eastern exposure. Fruit trees and trees of all kinds 

 were greatly damaged in their roots by the extreme drought of the past winter; many 

 large, bearing trees were killed outright, and many had the vitality of their roots greatly 

 weakened. This was particularly the case on very sandy, and also on very rich soil. 



" The drought of the summer and winter of 1874 was especially trying to vege- 

 table life, and the varieties of fruit that withstood this ordeal and gave fair crops the 

 past season, have a peculiar value, and a list of them would have especial value for 

 future reference. I will give the varieties that have done this, naming those that gave 

 the best crops first, in each class : 



Summer. — Duchess of Oldenburg, Early Pennock, Early Pound Royal, Red 

 June, Red Astrachan and Summer Rose. The two first bore more or less everywhere. 



Aulutnn. — Maiden's Blush, Fulton, Rambo, Late Strawberry, Fameuse and Rams- 

 dell's Sweet. Maiden's Blush everywhere surpassed all. 



Winter. — Ben Davis, Willow Twig, Smith's Cider, Stark, Jonathan, Domine, Ro- 

 man Stem, Rawle's Janet, White Bellflower, English Golden Russet, Romanite, and 

 many others, bore a partial crop in the best locations. The three fust named gave more 

 or less fruit everywhere. I am still of the ojnnion that the Roman Stem is the best 

 mid-winter apple for the farm, it being the only apple I know of in the West that is 

 nearly perfect in fruit and hardiness of tree, but is of little value for market except 

 when well known. 



" Year after year, I become more thoroughly convinced that apple trees with very 

 loiv heads, and with no pruning whatever — or at least none of the kind usually prac- 

 ticed by orchardists — is best for the West. I have hundreds of trees, now fifteen years 

 planted in orchard, that are perfect specimens of health and productiveness, which have 

 never had a twig cut from them. Their last crop of fruit was as large, fine and high- 

 colored as their first. They have neither blight nor sun-scald. 



" Of other fruits, a few words will suffice. Pears were an entire failure in our 

 whole region, except the Burkit, which gave about its usual crop of fair fruit. 



" Peaches. — For the first time we found the roots of our peach trees dead last 

 spring; but this happened only on very sandy, high, dry soil. I have peach trees on 

 my place forty-three years old, thus showing that the roots of the peach are very hardy. 

 On our highest, driest, sandy soil, we had considerable bloom, enough to have given a 

 fair crop of fruit, thus showing that the blossom buds of some varieties will survive 

 even when the mercury sinks to twenty degrees below zero. 



" Plums. — Every root of the European plum, on my place, was killed — not a 

 sprout left. The Miner gave no fruit with me this year, while the Wild Goose gave 

 almost a full crop of its beautiful, early fruit, ripening this year July i8tli, and were al 

 the plums I saw or heard of in this county. 



" Cherries. — The common Morello and Early Richmond gave a light crop of fruit, 

 in the best locations, while the English Morello gave a full crop everywhere. Its crops 

 on my place have been five limes as great as those of the Early Richmond, on the same 

 soil and stock, for the past 'n^^ years. 



" I am happy to report that some of the finest of my seedling cherries gave full 

 crops the past season." 



