150 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



Buflfam, the Howell, the Seckel, and the Sheldon on the pear stock, and the Louise 

 B. de Jersey on the quince, may be regarded as the most reliable for most localities in 

 Central Blinois. In my own locality trees of the above varieties bear more constantly 

 and more abundantly than most of the apple trees in our orchards, while' they seem 

 to be quite as healthy. 



B . O . Curtis, of Paris, Edgar county , reports a nearly total iailure of the apple the 

 past season, while the peach and the grape were unusually abundant. The early rains 

 damaged the apple, while the severe drouth, later in the season, greatly lessened the 

 crop of small fruits. From facts stated in a communication from Mr. Curtis, it is 

 evident that the horticultural history of Edgar county should be written out and 

 published in our annual report. It was in this county that the first nurseries of the 

 State were planted. Mr. Curtis promises to give us this histoiy. 



Stillman Barber, of Millmine, Piatt county, reports: Grapes promise well here. 

 The Concord is the best and most hardy. Pears do well so far, and farmers are 

 generally setting out more or less pear trees. There are some old pear trees near the 

 Sangamon river that are about thirty years old, that have been good and regular 

 bearers. The Early Richmond cherry, currants, raspberries, strawberries, goose- 

 ben-ies, all do well in this county." 



M. C. McLain, of Charleston, Coles county, reports: "Our prospects, horticul- 

 turally, are brightening. Many of our apple trees dropped their fruit badly in the 

 .months of June and July by reason of the work of the Codling Moth. The Wine, 

 Fallawater, Wagener, Baldwin, Large and Small Romanite, and the much abused 

 YeUow Bellefleur, of the winter varieties, and the Early Harvest, Red Astrachan, 

 Carolina June, and Golden Sweet, all carried and ripened their fruit splendidly. The 

 peach was a failure. My prospects for grapes were never better than during the 

 past season, up to the first of July. At that time we had prevailing southwest vdnds, 

 and warm and foggy weather for some five or six days together, when considerable 

 rot appeared on my Concords and Hartfords. Mildew also appeared on my Delawares 

 and lonas , and before the month was out my Delaware vines were as bare of foliage 

 as a regular tramping tree-pedlar is of conscience, and they ripened no fruit, although 

 loaded to the ground with the finest looking berries I ever saw upon that variety. 

 Concords and Hartfords rotted slightly, but bore fair crops of excellent fruit. The 

 subject of draining our lands is beginning to receive some attention among our people, 

 and so far as tested the labors in this direction have given very satisfactory results," 



E. Daggy, of Tuscola, Douglas county, represents that there is a steadily increasing 

 interest in the subject of horticulture in his county. The May cherry and small fruits 

 generally did well the past season. The Kittatinny blackberrj^ is especially promising 

 with him. Grapes yielded a fair crop, but were more or less injured by mildew and 

 rot. While fruit-growing is receiving increased attention among our people, all are 

 becoming deeply impressed with the fact that even the fascinating art of horticulture 

 has its shady side . 



H. J. Dunlap, of Champaign, reports that strawberries ripened at that point on the 

 5th of June, this being eight days earlier than the season of 1868. He has demon- 

 strated that it required just forty days from the first blossom for strawberries to ripen 

 at Champaign. There were some 1,200 bushels of this fruit grown at this point the 

 past season; price from five to forty cents per quart. The early May cherry bore 

 abundantly. The trees are aU top -grafted on Morello stock. There were about four 



