88 TEANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



But prices on all goods are low; cloth, iron, wheat and meat are all 

 produced at small profit. Large quantities o£ fruit have been 

 shipped from the South, that from unfavorable weather, jolting, 

 length of time in transit, and other causes, have arrived in bad or- 

 der and have been a loss to the grower. It is fair to suppose that u 

 part of these lands will be planted to other crops. Low prices will 

 teach us a lesson, if we are in a position to profit by it. 



If in a time of depressed market, we have learned to 

 keep down the cost of production, and can keep it down after 

 fruit has advanced in price, this Avill of itself m.ake a profit. The 

 prospect of the next five years, as compared with the last five, is 

 more pleasing. With a possible lower freights, and more favorable 

 seasons, the future of fruit-growing in Illinois seems more hopeful. 



A continuation of the same report which has been sent in was 

 read by J. S. Browne. 



AD-IXTERIM KEPORT FOR SOUTHER?>J ILLINOIS. 



BY JAMES DAYIS. 



Mr. President and Members of the 



Illinois State Horticaltaral Society : 



Leaving Godfrey on the morning of October 21st, I arrived at 

 Villa Ridge the same day, where I found orchards in good condition; 

 the apple and pear crop light; peaches a failure — the third entire 

 failure in eighteen years. This is about the only point I visited 

 where peach orchards are being planted. Strawberry growers are 

 very much discouraged with the past two seasons. Kentucky and 

 Tennessee have ruined their early market and Centralia their lat«'. 

 The beds look very poor; there was no rain from early in June until 

 late in September; old beds badly burnt out, and in some fields of 

 new the plants have made little or no growth at all, but few more 

 plants now than the^e was when planted last spring — probably fifty 

 per cent of a crop next year. The Perkins grape succeeds here very 

 well and is fast taking the place of the Ives. 



At Anna the conditions and results are about the same as at 

 Villa Ridge; apples and pears a light crop; strawberries have suf- 

 fered from the drouth and will not yield more than fifty jier cent, 

 of a crop next year. 



At Makanda Dr. F. M. Agnew puts the situation thus: There 

 are few old peach orchards in this vicinity, what trees there are 

 over ten years old are practically worthless. The younger orchards 

 were badly damaged by the January, 1880, freeze, when the mercury 

 went down to 28 degrees below zero. Still, on examination of the 



