SOCIETY OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS. 231 



deniics of various kinds, pestilence and famine that swept off tens of 

 thousands of human l)t'iiif(s, may thus l)e accounted for. The same 

 causes that i)roduce famine, cutting off the cereals, might also injuri- 

 ously affect all fruit interests. 



We are now nearly out of our late perihelion, and, if it is true 

 that the disturbing causes cutting off our orchards so suddenly were 

 in any sense due to solar or planetary inHuence, we can be assured 

 that similar causes will not again occur for more than a hundred 

 years to come. We do know that the men who planted orchards 

 forty, fifty and sixty years ago, gathered rich harvests of golden fruit 

 for many years, while those who planted more recently have been 

 disappointed. Now as we have had the storm and tempests of adver- 

 sity in our fruit interests, we have good reason to look for a great 

 calm, and we have full confidence that those who plant to-day will 

 in the near future reap a golden harvest. The history and the facts 

 of other years should encourage every one, all over our great State, 

 to plant new orchards, on new ground, and, as far as favorable tests 

 have been made, new varieties, with the confident assurance that the 

 years to come will be especially favorable to the production of fruit. 



Tn jdanting an orchard select the best old varieties that have 

 succeeded in the vicinity in which the orchard is to be planted. The 

 Red Astrachan, Duchess of Oldenburg, Famuse, Willow Twig, lien 

 Davis, English Golden Russet, Maiden Blush, Cayuga Redstreak and 

 the Minkler are still worthy of cultivation. 



Of the new varieties the Yellow Transparent, Tetofsky, Plum's 

 Cider, promise well and should be tried. 



Whitney No. 20, the Haas and Pewaukee have already a local 

 reputation in the West, and may succeed well in certain localities. 

 The Salome is hardy and productive, so a few trees of this variet}'' 

 should go into the new orchard. The Wealthy is likely to succeed 

 in nearly all parts of our State, is an excellent apple and should be* 

 largely planted. 



()ur orchards must be reproduced or we shall go without apples 

 or depend upon the East and the orchards that are failing. I think 

 this Society, and the State Society, and all horticultural journals, 

 ought to consider well the demand that is upon us to-day in relation 

 to orchard planting. If we allow ourselves to become discouraged 

 because we now suffer calamity we shall continue to suffer. So every 

 horticulturist and every farmer should commence tlie work with 

 eager, willing hands, of reorcharding our great prairie State, and 

 trust Dame Nature for the sunshine, and the shower, and the equit- 

 able temperature of the coming years, that shall crown your labors 

 with rich harvests of golden fruit. 



Mr. Hammond — I have fruited all, or nearly all, of these north- 

 ern varieties that the Doctor speaks of, but do not find any of them 

 entirely satisfactory. The Wealthy T consider the most valuable, 



