306 ILLINOIS STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



SEPTEMBER MEETING. 



The Society met at the residence of H. G. McPike, in Alton, on 

 "the second of September. There was a large gathering, and the meeting 

 was altogether a very sociable and profitable one. ♦ 



President Hollister called the meeting to order a little before 12 

 o'clock. The Secretary, Mr. O. L. Barler, coming in late, found Mr. 

 George Hilliard filling the duties of the office, whereupon friend George 

 refused to proceed further. 



Mr. Snedeker, of Jerseyville, said that orchards were failures this 

 season. We have no apples, and little orchard fruit of any kind. Apple 

 trees are in good condition, and there is little blight among them; but 

 there is considerable blight among the peaches; and what is unusual, 

 the Seckel pear is blighting. We did not expect this of the Seckel. 



Mr. Huggins spoke of the apple as our most valuable fruit — one 

 that should interest us all. He was particularly interested in the apple, 

 and had a fine, healthy orchard, from which he was confidently expect- 

 ing a full crop another year. We have had so many failures in late years 

 he now anticipated a change from a barren to a fruitful year another sea- 

 son. He had the more encouragement in this direction in his own case, 

 because of the excellent condition of his trees. But this year his orch- 

 ard, as a whole, is a failure. 



Quite an exciting discussion was gotten up on the subject of vine- 

 yards, in reference to the treatment which our vines should receive, one 

 party contending for shorter pruning, and more rigid treatment than the 

 other. 



One class of growers refuse to let their Concord vines bear more 

 than ten pounds to the vine ; the other class say twenty pounds will not 

 hurt them. They require this of their Concord vines, and get it. 



Mr. Fred Hayden read an essay upon the subject, which gave the vine 

 freedom in its growth, and plenty of wcrk to do. Being a practical man, 

 he went for the facts of the case. He read correspondence which he had 

 had with some of the largest grape growers in Ohio, which fully indorsed 

 his position in the treatment of the vine. These growers do not pinch*or 

 summer-prune their vines; they believe it injures the vine ; and they do 

 not believe that twenty pounds of grapes are too much for a Concord 

 vine, in good soil, to grow and ripen. They are accustomed to grow an 

 average of that in their vineyards, without injury. 



