Annual Meeting — Report of Secretary. 103 



rerort from the first district d. t. pilgrim, west gran- 

 VILLE. 



Counties — Kenosha, Racine, Milwaukee, Washington and 

 Ozaukee. The land in this district may be stated as consisting of 

 heavy timber, oak openings, and prairie. That which is cultivated 

 may be more particularly described as composed of various grada- 

 tions of clay, sand, gravel and loam. The hardiness and produc- 

 tiveness of orchards are greatest in the timber and least in the prai- 

 rie soil. In common with all southern Wisconsin (at least as far as 

 my observation and information has reached), the apple crop in 

 this district was nearly a failure the past season. The trees put 

 forth an abundance of blossoms in the spring, earlier by several 

 days than usual. The cause of this was, no doubt, the open winter 

 of 1877-8, which was almost warm enough at any time (with a few 

 exceptions) to cause fruit buds to swell. Owing to some unknown 

 cause, the fruit was injured soon after the blossoms fell. As to 

 what this cause was hardly any two men agree, but to my mind the 

 most plausible reason is, a slight frost soon after the blossoms fell, 

 not quite hard enough to kill the fruit, yet hard enough to injure 

 it, causing it to become scabby and grow in all imaginable shapes; 

 some of it being almost bisected by natural causes, as it hung upon 

 the tree; others were nearly natural in shape, but inferior in size 

 and afflicted with scabs, causing the crop to be almost worthless. 

 A good judge even could not tell the varieties apart. Some 

 young orchards, however, situated in favorable places, were quite 

 productive, and bore some very fair fuit. So far as my observation 

 reached, the Russet family, the Wine Sop, .Fameuse and Seek-no- 

 Further were the best. These bore quite a fine crop in quantity, 

 but not extra in quality. 



The tame plum crop was very large and of splendid quality. 

 Many of the trees were so heavily fruited that the limbs could not 

 bear the weight, and either broke or had to be supported by props. 



Pears, like plums, were a heavy crop, and of fine quality. Sel- 

 dom do we see plum and pear trees so well ladened with fruit, and 

 of such fine quality, as the past year. 



Cherries were also a fine crop and of fine quality; ripened early, 

 and were marketed at a comparatively low price. 



Grapes, too, were an abundant crop, and ripened perfectly, the 

 fine autumn weather being very favorable to the ripening of fall 



