106 "Wisconsin State Horticultural Society. 



trees whose growth was stopped early in the season started out 

 anew, and one of them was as full of blossoms on the 25th of July 

 as in the spring. 



Various means were tried to check the fungoid growth; unleached 

 ashes, air slacked lime and sulphur mixed with earth were thrown 

 into the trees when wet with dew. This may have done some good, 

 but probably the dry weather destroyed the fungi, and gave a 

 chance for new foliage to grow, perhaps enough to mature blossom 

 buds for the coming year, but this will depend on the amount of 

 vitality left in the trees, which I fear is not much, standing as they 

 did all through the hot weather with very little foliage. The ques- 

 tion is, will these trees ever be healthy again? They are certainly 

 sick, as they made no healthy wood growth. Will not the spores of 

 the fungi that dried up with those leaves germinate in the spring 

 and destroy the new foliage again? I fear that they will, if the 

 weather should be favorable, unless means are taken to destroy 

 them. 



SECOND DISTRICT J. C. PLUMB, MILTON. 



Counties — Mock, Walworth, Crreen, Dane, La Fayette, Iowa. 

 The past year has been one of great depression of the fruit interest 

 of this district. It was our " apple year," and expectations were 

 greatly exalted by the remarkably mild winter and the very abun- 

 dant bloom of spring. All species of trees put forth a great show 

 of blossom, some two weeks earlier than usual, but on the 13th of May 

 came a severe freeze which destroyed all the native plum, and 

 nearly ruined the trees. The apple was well out of blossom and 

 was very generally badly cut off. The check which trees re- 

 ceived, seemed to become a blight which affected some varieties 

 more than others. Thus the Haas and Utters, in nursery and or- 

 chard, failed to make a fair growth during the season, even under 

 good culture, and the fruit was generally worthless. The Talman 

 and Fameuse were badly affected and failed to make their usual 

 crop. The Golden Russet made the most abundant and perfect 

 crop of fruit ever known in the state; while the Duchess fairly out- 

 did itself. 



This variation cannot be attributed to the May frost alone. 

 There must have been atmospheric causes which succeeded the 

 frost, causing the embryo fruit to drop even in localities where 

 there was no frost apparent. Such was the case with the Univer- 



