ILLINOIS HORTIOULTUllAL SOCIETY. 259 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 



The Sccietarj' read an invitation from the proprietoi's of the Grand Detour plow 

 works to visit their plow factory. 



Tlie Recording Secretaries both being absent, Mr. Chas. Andrews, ofMaringo, and 

 Mr. M. A. Noiirse, of Molinc, were appointed to till the positions while there were 

 vaeancies. 



Arthur Bryant, chairman of Connnittee on Fruit List, read a report. The past 

 season was characterized by some new features. Many varieties were scabby and 

 defective, while the whole family of Russets were Aery fair; in fact, remarkably so. 

 He doubted that the Soulard crab was a hybriil between the native cral> and common 

 apple. That the varieties are running;- out seemed to be a fact. The Winesap and 

 many others had sadly deteriorated. 



l{lvlM)]tT OF (.'OMMITTEK ON FKIIIT LIST. 



The hist suiiiinci- was cliaractt'ii/.eil tlii'dii.iiliout tlie ^ri'atcst part of tlu' .state liy cxccssivf wetness 

 and unusual dcterioiatiDii <it the apjile uroj). JIany varieties lieretoforc almost unlfonnly fair and 

 smooth, havi' tlie past season here lieen so liudly eiaeked and seahhe'l as to he nearly worthles.s. 

 Whether this was owin;r to the ehararter of the season or to the inereased ravages of insects, I 

 sliati not atlem))t to decide. On the other hand, all varieties of ai)i)les havinj; a russet skin, m>t a 

 few of whieli came under my ohservation, were larger and fairer than usual. ( )iie of these, a (iohlen 

 Ku.sset from the Kast, liad for >ears previous lieen so defecti\e as to lie of no value. I liave heen 

 assured hy jientlemen from rutiiam county tliat in tluit section the orchards witliin one or two miles 

 of tlie Illinois river liore fair and hands(nue fruit, while in those more remote it was Mn).sfly defective. 

 The ahove facts involve (iuesti<ms whieli remain for solution liy those who cmisider themselves com- 

 l)etent to undertake it. 



The unfavorahle influence of extreme cold upon the orchards of Northern Illinois— to say nothin<'- 

 of the (States further North — renders it hi.uldy ex))edient to introduce vai-ieties which eondjine 

 comjilete hardiness with other desirahle (|ualities. IOxi)erieni'e is daily ilemonslratin;,' that loiijj- 

 lived orchards of most of the varieties now jienerally culfivaled need not lie expected. JSome 

 thirty or forty years since William Kenrick published in the New Amekic.VX OltciIAHDlST a list of 

 a])i)les which he recomnu'uded for trial in Canada an<l the Northern States of the Union. These 

 were nearly all of liritish orijiin; and thou.irh ori;;inatinj; in a liinh northeiu latitude wei'c yet stran- 

 gers to the tierce extremes of the climate of our Northern Stales, and in all |irolialiility less titled to 

 endure them than native varieties. It Is to he hoi)ed that anions tlu' varieties of Hiissian ai)i)les 

 which Mr. Skinner has so lilierally jiresented to the Society, some may he found wliich with the 



frood <|ualities of the Hussian apples already tested, shall c Iiinc excellence of flavor and loii},' 



keepin;;. Notwithstanding their hardiness, the Siherian api)les will hardly And •favor anionjf culti- 

 vators where the common apple succeeds tolerably well, urdess varieties sliould occur jjreatly 

 exceediu}.' in size any yet produced. 



Has any one knowledge of successful attempts to hybridize the common apple wilh the Siberian 

 or with the native crab? 



If the tliinjr is practicable, it appears as thou^'h sometliin.L; desir-able mi^dit bi' produced. And 

 here it may not be amiss to state the entire disbelief of this commillee in tlie hybriil character of the 

 Soulard crab. Not to enter into an arjiinnent upon this point, its essential char acteristies are cei-- 

 taiul.\- those of the native crab: and its size, one of the jiriucipal reasons ;.'iven for supposlu;.' it to be 

 a hybrid, has been ei|nalled by specimens found ^rowinx in the wilderness. 



Tlic Ked .lune occupies a place amonn the early varieties recommended for cultivation by the 

 Society. This fruit heretofore |iopular, has for the last three or four years shown an iiici-<asin;.' dis- 

 position to Mast and scab. So bad was it the last season as to be utterly worthless, and it is feared 

 that it may he m'cessar> to reject it altogether, as has been done with the Ortley or White IJelle- 

 flower. It seems proper therefore to su^'f;est its omission from tlic list. Should the evil iirove tem- 

 porary, it can be re))laced; if otherwise, the Society will escape llie im)iulalioii of recommending 

 Worthless varieties. 



