i) TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



good •'curryiiij^". which removed all the old dead bark, and the con- 

 seqiienee was a beautiful cro}) of fruit. 



We next visited the orchard of E. M. Vail, half a mile west of 

 Kewanee. situated on very high clay bluffs, many of the trees stand- 

 ing on a steep hill-side, and no orchard could have better drainage. 

 In the young orchard the trees are planted close, with rows of ras])- 

 berries and blackberries l)etAveen. and had the a])pearance of good 

 cultivation. Ben Davis and Willow Twig predominating, not bearing 

 much, and many are sickly and dying. 



On the 8th we called upon Charles Kent, who lives half a mile 

 north-east of Kewanee. who took us in his carriage to see his or- 

 chards, located on farms he has recently bought. Mr. Kent is not a 

 ])ractical horticulturist, but is a successful farmer, and his orchards 

 presented a reasonably healthy appearance, situated on high rolling 

 j)rairie. He reports that a few 3^ears ago they were productive, but 

 the last few years have borne but little fruit. If high rolling land, 

 with deep ravines, in fact the top of the watershed l)etween the lakes 

 and the " Father of W^aters.'" is best adapted to the growth of the 

 apple, this. Henry County ought to succeed, for it is so situated. 



September lOth we called on John Kittemars. an old resident of 

 Bureau County, whose orchard is located on high clay Ijarrens. and 

 appears reasonably healthy — Ben Davis and Jonathan quite prolific. 



We next proceeded to the large orchard of five thousand trees, 

 planted by J. G. Calef for commercial purposes, situated on high 

 prairie bluifs on the right bank of Bureau Creek, a little west of 

 Tiskilwa. under lease at present to S. Gr. Sonerhill, the most produc- 

 tive orchard we have yet found in our peregrinations. 



In this orchard are two thousand Ben Davis, seven or eight 

 years old, bearing all the fruit they ought to at that age. The plat 

 of ground is quite level, with a small basin or depression near the 

 middle. In this l)asin the trees have all died. Mr. Sonerhill thinks 

 from being filled with water a year ago last winter. The older trees 

 Avere not bearing much, except the Maiden's Blush and Dyer, which 

 were Avell laden with fine fruit. There is no tile drainage here, l)ut 

 the blufEs are perhaps one hundred feet above the bed of the stream. 

 We then called on the Hon. L. D. Whiting, Avho resides a mile or 

 two west of the orchard last named, who kindly showed us through 

 his grounds. His orchard, he claims, is located on a peculiar drift 

 formation, and is underdrained with a gravel bed. ^ His trees look 

 quite healthy, and are bearing well for their age. being over twenty 

 years old. Those doing tlie best are the Red Astrachan, Ben Davis 

 and Wagoner, in the order named, yet several of his trees '4iav& 

 gone where the woodbine twineth." From here we drove to Tiskil- 

 wa, and after dining, separated, returning to our respective homes. 

 Subsequently I called upon H. Mortimer, who resides near Manteno. 

 in Kankakee County, whose orchard has been considered one of the 

 most productive in the county, who reports that the Snow has done 



