STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 107 



Individual vines of some varieties suffered more than others of the same variety. In 

 November I laid down and covered all vines that had not fully matured their wood, or 

 were considered tender. 



" In spring my vines were all in good conditio*). Of many varieties I got some 

 splendid specimens. Particularly fine were some Concords, Crevelings, Cunninghams 

 and Rogers' Hybrids Nos. 4 and 9. Vet the Concords bore only two-thirds of a crop, 

 the Nortons one-half a crop and the Taylor one-half a crop. The Catawbas were almost 

 a failure. The Rogers' Hybrids set many heavy bnnches, but did not mature them all, 

 ■on account of the premature loss of their leaves. Of eighteen varieties of these Hybrids, 

 the Salem did the worst. Allen's White Hybrid and the Autuchon were complete 

 failures. Even the Cunningham, which bore a heavy crop, suffered from the loss of its 

 leaves, its must only weighing 99 by Oechsle, whilst in common seasons it will average 

 above 120, and in 1S72 it weighed 140. The Cynthiuna also did well, but its must, 

 like that of all other grapes, was below the average of common seasons, being 93, 

 Norton 97, Taylor 74, Catawba 76 and Concord about 68. 



" I have again given winter protection to my tender vines, and found them all in 

 a better condition than in the fall of 1S75. My vineyard is on Shiloh ridge, the highest 

 portion of our county, on an easy declivity to the south, and without doubt for this 

 reason did better than most other vineyards. With many people, even the Concords 

 were, during the last two years, a failure, and acres of vines have, in consequence, been 

 dug out. 



" Garden vegetables did remarkably well this year. The only difficulty was 

 encountered in getting cabbage plants, a small black insect devouring them about as 

 fast as they could be made to sprout ; and in the fall the larv;ie of the cabbage-moth did 

 some damage. Tomatoes also, in the later part of the season, did not set as much fruit 

 as was desirable. 



" Prices of fruits and vegetables were all the year low, both at St. Louis and at 

 Belleville, and paid but poorly for the cost of production and marketing, and fruit 

 growers and rnarket gardeners are all discouraged. A great many acres of land in this 

 county are devoted to these two branches of horticulture, but the present prospect is that 

 the area thus used will be considerably contracted, until better times and more favorable 

 seasons again give encouragement to the horticulturist. 



" Respectfully, A. E. Engelmann." 



Hon. James R. Miller, of Collinsville, St. Clair county, near the 

 CoUinsville plantations of the McCormick, or Mammoth Cluster Rasp- 

 berry, says : 



" I have been out this morning, visiting some of the principal fruit-growers of 

 this locality, and find that the acreage and yield are less for last year than an average 

 of the raspberry. The causes of the decrease in acreage has been the effect of a pecu- 

 liar green worm that for two years has made its appearance in great numbers, eating 

 off the leaves as soon as they grew of sufficient size for them to feed on ; and when the 

 leaves are eaten off, the worms then attack the blossoms. The result is that the cane 

 dies as soon as the dry weather sets in, and of course no fruit comes to perfection. An- 

 other cause for the decrease of acreage is the fact that many of the fields are now dying 

 by reason of old age, as about ten years is the limit of the producing age. 



" About six years ago, I suppose there were about one hundred and fifty acres of 

 producing raspberries in this locality, while now I do not think there are more than 

 from ninety to one hundred, and many of these acres are young vines re-plantcd on the 

 old ground. 



" The yield last year was not more than two-thirds of an average crop, but the 

 price was fair. 



" Grapes ^rt neglected; many vineyards abandoned, and no new ones planted. 

 In the Peach and Apple, much more planting has been done, especially as regards peach 

 trees. One orchard of 1,000, one of 500, one of 200, and several of a less number, 



