PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



Alton-Southern Illinois Horticultural Society 



FEBRUARY, 1886. 



The Society met February 6th, at the office of H. Gr. MePike, 

 with President Pearson in the chair. 



It was the opinion of the members that the peach buds were 

 killed, so there woukl be no crop. Apples, pears, plums and cherries 

 were thought to be uninjured. It was thought the loss of the peach 

 crop would make the pear crop all the more valuable, and some of 

 the members were of the opinion that there were less pears grown 

 now than fifteen years ago, and that it Avould pay to plant more 

 pear trees, as they could be grown with reasonable success if 

 properly treated, and when we have no peaches always command fair 

 prices. 



Capt. Hollister said there had been a scarcity of good black- 

 berries in this market for the past few years, and there was a good 

 opening for one or more growers to plant a few acres, as they could 

 be disposed of at fair prices. He said that rust had destroyed a 

 great many plantations, and most growers were afraid to try to 

 grow them on that account, but he thought they could be grown 

 successfully by being careful to plant on new ground, with plants 

 that were not affected with rust, and by promptl}' removing all plants 

 as soon as attacked. 



The President asked Avhether the rust was an endemic disease 

 and liable to appear spontaneously in the patch, or whether it had to 

 be brought in from outside, and whether a plantation could be made 

 from root cuttings from a patch in which there was rust without 

 having the rust in the new patch. 



