80 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



H. J. Dunlap, of Champaign, sends the following : 



" The past two seasons have been of veiy marked character in their relation to the 

 horticulturist and fruit-grower, moi-e especially in their effect upon trees and vines. 



" The summer of 187 1 was excessively dry and hot, and the soil, at freezing up, 

 was devoid of moisture for several feet below the surface. Many of our choicest ever- 

 greens were dead when spring came, from some mysterious cause, now supposed to have 

 been the diyness of the soil about their roots. Fruit trees made but little growth, and 

 ]ierfected an enormous quantity of fruit buds, followed in 1872 by the largest crop of 

 fruit ever known in this locality. 



"The season of 1872 still continued very dry, not enough rain having fallen to 

 moisten the soil a foot below the surface, since the beginning of the year previous. 



"As a result all varieties of trees made a feeble growth, to which add the depletion 

 of vitality caused by a superabundant crop of fruit. We have our trees ready for winter 

 in a veiy weak condition, and the soil dry to the blue clay underneath. 



"As is well known, the winter of 1872-73 was one of the coldest ever known in 

 Central Illinois — -the mercury denoting 36° below zero at one time, and a range of 20° 

 to 30° below being common for several days in succession. 



" The result could not but be disastrous. Many of our supposed hardy varieties of 

 trees and vines were killed outright, others partially, while the more tender varieties 

 went where the ' woodbine twineth.' 



" The summer of 1873 in this locality continued very dry until about July 1st, when 

 we had a succession of showers, which succeeded in spoiling a portion of the hay and 

 harvest, rendered the working of corn impossible for weeks, and did no possible good so 

 far as I have been able to see. 



" At this writing — November 14th — the ground is lightly covered with snow, and 

 frozen a couple of inches deep, while the subsoil to the blue clay is as diy as it was one 

 year ago, but the upper soil is moist to a depth of eighteen or twenty inches. Should 

 the winter be a severe one, I fear that we shall lose a majority of all the trees in our 

 orchards, as their weak and diseased condition makes them unable to stand severe 

 cold. 



" Among the varieties supposed to be hardy, but which were badly injured, are 

 Keswick Codlin, Red June, Autumn Swaar, Ben Davis, Minkler, Smith's Cider and 

 Wagoner. 



" I have about one hundred trees of Minkler, ten years old — a majority of which 

 will never leaf out again. 



" Rambo, Baldwin, Esopus, Spitzenburg, Milam, and dozens of other varieties 

 known to be tender, suffered badly. 



" It is needless to say that there was but little fruit of any kind last season. 



" Cherries, on all varieties of stocks, suffered badly — thousands of E. Richmonds 

 in the nursery, on Morello stocks, being dead, root and branch, and those on their own 

 roots suffered just as much. 



" My own orchard of six hundred and fifty trees — all on Morello stocks — was 

 badly injured, especially the east side, where many of the trees were killed outright, 

 whilst the west side was but little injured, and produced some fruit. 



" Nearly all the trees planted in the fall of '72 and spring of '73 died — supposed 

 to have been caused by freezing, as whole rows of trees in the nursery never leafed 

 out. 



"Pears of all varieties were more or less injured, the Belle Lucrative and Flemish 

 Beauty seeming to be the healthiest at present. Blight has attacked many trees, doubt- 

 less caused by the weakened state of the trees. 



"Plums are but little grown — many trees dead or dying. 



"Quinces killed to the ground. 



" Grapes produced a light crop. Many vineyards of Concord, Ives, and Hartford 

 were killed to ihe ground. 



" Among the Raspberries, only one — Doolittle — produced much fruit. The Miami 

 suffered badly, as did all other varieties. 



" Blackber7-ies were all killed. 



