lOS TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



Tlie piist season has had its extremes of heat and cold, wet and 

 drought, and has been very unsatisfactory to the horticulturist. I will 

 mention, before beginning my report proper, a most remarkable phenom- 

 enon, which occurred at Centralia, at ten o'clock A. M. of June i6th. 

 The weather upon that morning was cool and wet, but at ten o'clock a 

 wave of scorc-hing hot wind, lasting but five or six minutes, swept over 

 an area of a few miles in and around Centralia. So sudden and hot was 

 the wind that it caused men to drop their tools, or their boxes of fruit, 

 where packing strawberries, and run from the field. Some of the inmates 

 of houses were sure they were on fire, and, in alarm, hurried about to 

 find the location of the fire. Who can account for this sudden and 

 stifling heat, upon such a cool day? 



A general aj^athy, and distrust of success in horticulture, .seems to 

 prevail here. Theory after theory about tree blight, insect life and in.sect 

 remedies, is promulgated, only to be exploded, and we find ourselves, if 

 not as ignorant, yet nearly as helpless as ever in contending with the 

 many obstacles to horticultural success. 



All varieties of fruit trees were full of buds this year. 



Peaches and Cherries were mostly killed by the cold in January. 



Apples and Pears blossomed full. 



April 1 6th, ice formed j^ inch thick — thermometer at 6 A. M., 26° ; 

 •■' 17th, " i>^ " " " " 24°; 



May 2d, " y. " " " " 30° 5 



" 17th and 1 8th, frost killed tender plants and blooms, but did 

 not damage the apples and peaches which had escaped the previous 

 freezes. Pears were killed ; blackberries badly damaged. 



The Curculio prevented from maturing the few peaches which the 

 frost left. 



The Apple trees, having borne too heavily last year, were glad to 

 shed most of their fruit early in the season, and the Codling-moths (in 

 great abundance, owing to our large crop of cheap apples last season,) 

 were quite ready to despoil us of the balance. 



The result is a very light crop of very faulty fruit, though trees 

 which bore few or none last year gave a fair crop this year. Would not 

 judicious thinning insure nearly annual crops? Those who have apples, 

 this year get good prices for them. 



Grape vines were heavily loaded, but the fruit nearly all rotted. 



Strawberries yielded well, and prices were satisfactory. 



Blackberries were a very light crop. 



Raspberries were a medium crop of very choice fruit — only Black 

 Caps being cultivated here. 



Currants and Gooseberries were plenty. 



Of orcharding in this locality, the apple interest is advancing ; the 

 cherry orchards claim some attention ; but the interest in peach, pear and 

 plum culture is nearly extinct. 



