STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 31 



REPORT ON GENERAL HORTICULTURE— SECOND DISTRICT. 



D. F. Kinney, of Rock Island, read the following report for the 

 Second District : 



The winter of 1875-76 was much milder than the one that preceded 

 it. There was more rain in the autumn of 1S75 ^h^^^ ^"Y autumn for 

 three years previous. Fruit trees that were healthy came through the 

 winter in excellent condition, but many trees had been injured by the 

 severity of the winter of 1874-75, and these have been dying, more or 

 less, ever since. Last spring was very wet, and trees got an excellent 

 start and made a good growth through the season, notwithstanding the 

 month of July and August were hot and dry. 



The Apple crop was probably the largest ever grown in the State. 

 The bloom did not appear to be excessive, but every one seemed to pro- 

 duce an apple. Much of the fruit was very inferior, caused, no doubt, 

 by the immensity of the crop. Nearly all kinds have dropped their fruit 

 earlier than usual, and some varieties of early winter apples are rotting 

 badly. A large amount of cider and vinegar has been made, and some 

 apples have been left to rot on the ground. The Codlin-moth was quite 

 numerous and Canker-worms in two orchards, but were not as destructive 

 as in previous seasons. 



There was a fair, medium crop of Pears, of excellent quality. The 

 winter of 1874-75 destroyed a great many pear trees, more especially 

 dwarfs ; of my own nearly all were killed, except some old ones that 

 were standing in grass. 



Blight has been more troublesome than usual the past season. I have 

 not lost any large bearing trees, but some young trees have died from 

 that cause. 



From my past experience I am satisfied that it is better not to culti- 

 vate much after the tree has been planted three years, and after five years 

 I would leave the ground in grass, but would cut the grass at least twice 

 in a season and place it around the roots of the tree. 



Of Cherries there was an average crop. Early Richmond is the kind 

 mostly planted, although English Morello and May Duke are used to 

 some extent ; they are worked on Morello, Mazzard and Mahaleb stocks. 



There are but few Plum trees planted in this vicinity, and it is quite 

 rare to see plums in market. 



Peaches are not grown to any extent, still we see trees occasionally 

 bearing good crops; but few trees are planted, as people have but little 

 faith in them. 



There was an average amount of Grapes grown the past season, but 

 few were well ripened; the weatiier was too cool and wet. The winter 

 of 1874-75 injured the roots of grape vines, and consequently the fruit 

 was not as large and well developed as in former years. There are prob- 

 ably forty acres of land planted to grapes in this county, and probably 

 nineteen-twentieths are Concords; it is the only variety that is really 

 worth planting in large quantities. But little wine is made. The fruit 



