STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 119 



wants of Agriculturists and Horticulturists of the country, and especially of the Great 

 West. 



Resolved, That the Correspondinjf Secretary transmit a copy of these resolutions to 

 the Secretary of the Interior, and to the President of the United States. 



REPORT OF VICE-PRESIDENT FOR THE SIXTH DISTRICT. 



Isaac Snedecker, Vice-President for the Sixth District, next read 

 his report, which was as follows : 



yfr. President and Members of the State Horticultural Society : 



We are once more in council, for the purpose of exchanging views 

 and giving encouragement in the great work of our profession, by telling 

 the means and methods of our successes, as well as how we have com- 

 bated the adversities and discouragements that have arisen in our way — 

 our insect enemies, the frosts of winter, the droughts of summer, the 

 atmospheric influences and continual changes that surround us. All these 

 call forth the energies and talents of the most learned and scientific, as 

 well as the most practical, industrious and laborious of the whole family 

 of man. 



As will be observed by looking at the map of the State, Jersey county 

 is one of the most northern counties of the Sixth Horticultural District. 



The extreme lowest temperature here, last winter, was 36° below zero, 

 and it is well known that trees, shrubs and vines cannot stand that tem- 

 perature for a great length of time. Fortunately, the duration of extreme 

 cold was short, yet long enough to cause serious disaster. 



It is suggested by Mr. Flagg, of Madison county, that the great 

 drought of the last three years had such an effect upon our trees, etc., 

 that they were not in a condition to endure so great cold as they other- 

 wise would have done. Yet the trees were not so generally damaged as 

 to destroy entirely their fruitfulness ; and by dint of selecting specimens 

 here and there over the county, there was enough fruit collected at our 

 county fair to make quite a fine display of apples, pears and quinces. 



Peach trees of ten years and older were mostly killed. Quince trees 

 also were quite generally killed. 



A large portion of shrubbery was killed to the ground, but has 

 sprouted up again. 



Much has been said in favor of adjacent or surrounding groves, or 

 belts of timber, and I have no doubt they are in the main beneficial ; yet 

 we must not place entire confidence in them, for it sometimes happens 

 that orchards most exposed show most fruit. One orchard in my own 

 vicinity, containing five or six acres, out upon the prairie, with no timber 

 for miles around, except a five-acre plantation a mile away, bore this year 

 the best crop of fair fruit of any orchard I have seen. Some trees in the 

 orchard died, to be sure, but not more than in the average orchards. 



My attention has also been called to a vineyard of Concord vines, 

 planted on level land which was cleared of oak timber fifteen years ago, 



