26 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



Cherries. — Englisli Morello, Kentish, and Early May (or Richmond) seem to suc- 

 ceed well, giving annual crops ; the latter does well both on the Morello and Mahaleb 

 stock, but is longer in coming into bearing on the latter, and while young is not as pro- 

 lific. I prefer the Mahaleb stock, however, as it does not throw up suckers, which are 

 so troublesome about trees grown on Morello stocks. 



Feaclies. — The home of the peach is farther south, yet I observe trees on my grounds 

 that have grown well without protection for three years and remain sound. 



Grapes are becoming so abundant that they have been a drug in the market at six 

 to eight cents per pound. The Concord is generally cultivated, and is most esteemed 

 for this latitude. Perkins seems verj' prolific, but many persons object to its flavor. 

 The Diana, Delaware, Hartford, and Rogers' Nos. four, fifteen, and nineteen, in some 

 localities, give satisfactory results. 



Raspberric's. — I am not yet willing to give up my Doolittle Raspberry, as a market 

 fruit, for any on the list. With me it will yield more fruit, and show larger returns than 

 anything in the line that I have cultivated ; but for table use at home, I stand by the 

 Purple Cane and Philadelphia. 



The Davidson's Thornless is too seedy, and after two or three pickings have been 

 of but little value. They may be better when older. I have gathered the third crop 

 from my plants. 



Of Blackberries in the Open field, with the Kittatinny and Lawton varieties my 

 experience has been unfavorable, but in protected situations, I have had very satisfactory 

 results. All my plants exposed last winter were killed down near to the ground, while 

 others partially under the shade of deciduous trees were not injured and have borne a 

 heavy crop the past year. 



Of Strawberries. —The Wilson's Albany is the stand-by. My President Wilders 

 were much injured by the winter, and produced no fruit. 



I would state that our timber soil produces the largest crops of fruit of most kinds' 

 — the Raspberry may perhaps be excepteil, although some of our prairie orchards are 

 not far behind in quantity or quality of fruit. 



Young Nursery stock has ripened its wood well for three years past, and what few 

 trees are grown here cannot be excelled by eastern or any other stock. 



Eve) greens suffered to some extent the past winter, but I think not as much as in 

 some other localities. 



The Balsam has been the greatest sufferer, and many of the finest trees in our city 

 have yielded up their beauty forever. The fatality has not been so great among the 

 smaller trees. The Norway Spruces have suffered but little, in comparison with the Bal- 

 sams. 



The foliage on very few large trees was slightly discolored, but not otherwise 

 injured. 



I had a few two to three feet Norways too much discolored to remove, but think I 

 did not have a single one than has not made a good growth this season. 



The American Arbor I'lta suffered severely — many having been killed near the 

 ground. I observed in my nursery where the plants were all exposed that the tops of at 

 least one-fourth of them were injured excepting a strip of about two rods in width along 

 a common board fence on the west, where they were untarnished. Among a quantity of 

 these plants — two to three feet high — two years transplanted in nursery rows, about one- 

 fifth, scattered through the block were killed from one-fourth to three-fourths of the 

 way to the ground, while the balance were unscathed. The injured plants were cut back 

 and all grew. 



Irish and Swedish y^inipers, with partial protection were not injured. 

 Chinese Arbor Vitce all killed at the top with few exceptions. They were not pro- 

 tected. 



Many of the White Pines were discolored in the foliage, but none killed. 

 Scotch and Austrian Pines unscathed. 



Mr. Edwards read the following letter, and placed upon the desk 

 quite a quantity of the " trap " stuff referred to ; some of which had 



