STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 155 



both are fungoid diseases. All I desire to say here is to give a few 

 notes of observation. It is pretty generally conceded now, I l)elieve, 

 that much cultivation invites this disease, especially in the hilly por- 

 tion of Southern Illinois. John Clay, of Cobden, has an orchard of 

 Bartlett pears of about two acres. For the past two seasons these trees 

 have borne about 500 l)oxes of tine pears each year. The trees are 

 smooth, but little blighted and vigorous. His manner of treatment 

 is to plow six furrows one way in each space between the rows, in 

 the fall, and two years from that plow six furrows in each space 

 across those first plowed. This leaves quite a space near each tree 

 that is never plowed after the trees are first set. Besides this, a» 

 often as they seem to need it, the trunks are scraped so as to remove 

 loose bark, and the trunks and large limbs whitewashed with a mix- 

 ture of lime and soft soap. The trees, it should be said, were of the 

 dwarf f(n"m. 



COLD WINTERS. 



While sun-blight and the borers that follow probably kill more 

 orchard trees in Southern Illinois than any other cause, there is no 

 question but the rigorous climate of the Northern part of the State, 

 combined with other causes, have been far more destructive. Last 

 year Mr. Hammond sent circulars over the State, one question of 

 which read, "What per cent, of apple trees are dead, or in a dying 

 condition?" A summary of the answers received gives North- 

 ern Illinois fifty-six. Central Illinois forty-five per cent.. Southern 

 Illinois fifteen. " On the supposition that the causes operating in 

 Southern Illinois were equally destructive in the Central and North- 

 ern part of the State, this would give us forty-one per cent, killed by 

 the climatic influences in the Northern part and thirty per cent, in 

 the Central. This is })robably a smaller estimate than represents the 

 real condition, as my observation is that there is less sun-blight in 

 those sections than with us, and 1 see no reason why destruction 

 from insects should be greater. But why repeat what is already so ' 

 well known? 



The conditions that have been given in the last year's volume 

 of transaction may be summarized as follows: An early fall of 

 snow on unfrozen ground, this remaining on for al)out three weeks. 

 It is noted also that trees that bore heavily suffered more than those 

 not bearing, or bearing only lightly. It is noted also that in 1855^ 

 when the trees were badly killed, that the snow fell on unfrozen 

 ground and was followed by extremely cold weather. To this 

 I would add, that the summer of 1884 was hot and dry, and followed 

 by a wet fall. I have found that in one instance at least nursery 

 stock put forth a set of leaves after this wet weather set in. These 

 items may serve as pointers in searching for the causes that are to 

 be put with the cold weather, and some of them may aid us in our 

 search for a remedy. 



