78 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



if on ever so large a scale. I will give you the results in a specimen orchard of about a 

 hundred sorts of Apples, nine and ten years planted — naming enough varieties to indicate 

 the effects on similar sorts also. 



" First, The effects of the past winter upon trees, shrubs, and vines : 



" In looking at the effect of last winter's cold upon Apple trees, it seems to me we 

 must go back to the October freeze of 1869, in order to get at the actual facts. The 

 summer of 1S70 was an extremely dry one, and many trees did not survive it, while 

 others lived through it — yet ' so as by fire ' — and have been feeble ever since. Many 

 of them recovered sufficiently to bear a very heavy crop last year, as a dying struggle to 

 maintain their vitality ; but last winter proved too much for them, and so ended their 

 feeble struggle for life. 



" This experience gives me a kind of tottering basis upon which to fix an opinion 

 as to which are hardy and which are tender sorts; but it has established nothing with 

 certainty, except that nearly all fruit trees are liable to more or less damage during our 

 sudden and severe climatic changes. 



" In our orchard of about a hundred sorts, not more than five or six have stood the 

 test. This list stands as follows : Little or no damage. Duchess of Oldenberg, Hoops, 

 Snow, Tolman Sweet, Eng. Golden Russet, Willow, Harrison Cider, and Limber Twig. 



" The following varieties have some trees injured: Carolina June, Red Astrachan, 

 Winesap, Rawles' Janet, Jonathan, Mosier Sweet, Northern Spy, Gilpin, Seek-no- 

 further. 



" The following sorts were all more or less injured : Rome Beauty, Golden Sweet, 

 Fulton, Farley's Red, Maiden's Blush, Summer Pearmain, Yellow Hoss, Sweet June, 

 Minkler, Vandevere Pippin, Keswick Codlin, Newtown Spitzenburg, Pond Sweet, (?) 

 Porter, Striped Gilliflower. 



" The following sorts were nearly all killed : Early Harvest, Rambo, Summer 

 Queen, Fall Wine, Milam, Sweet Bough, Ben Davis, Yellow Bellflower, Primate, White 

 W. Pearmain, Newtown Pippin, Ladies' Sweeting, Belmot, Winter May, Ramsdell's 

 Sweet, Royal Pippin, Fallawater, Fall Pippin and Ortley. 



" On the clay or hazel soils of our county, the damage was not so great, yet I have 

 no account of any orchard that escaped injury to some extent; and I think the above is 

 a fair indication of the injury done in most of them. 



"Fear trees suffered even more than the most tender Apple trees of the fourth class 

 mentioned above. 



" Cherry trees shared a similar fate ; those on Mahaleb and Morello stocks are in 

 the same condition, and even the old Morello, which has never suffered the wound of 

 bud or graft, was badly injured. 



"A younger grade of cherry on Mahaleb, procured from the North and planted in the 

 orchard three and four years since, escaped with less damage, and many of them will 

 perhaps recover a tolerable degree of health. But there was no fruit this year even 

 on them. 



" Many of the trees referred to above budded out, and indeed were covered with 

 bloom ; but, like the tender plants of the stony ground, as soon as ' the sun was up, 

 they withered away.' 



" The fruit crop was veiy meager indeed ; only a few orchards produced even 

 onarley and wonny fruit, and this, I think, was confined mainly or wholly to the mu- 

 latto soil. 



" Grape vines suffered very much from the winter killing of the buds; so the crop 

 of fruit was poor evei^ where, and in many cases none at all. 



" Effects of Frotection. — On the second topic suggested, I have only to say that I 

 think it probable that the effect of the soil was greater than that of timber belts ; but as 

 there are no artificial belts of sufficient age to make a test in this vicinity, the natural 

 belts or timber lines and mulatto or hazel soil always effect the same orchards, and 

 these are our oldest orchards, and those that produced the best crops this year. 



" Cultivation. — On the third topic, there has been so much said and written for our 

 reports, that I fear to attempt to offer any thing new. And here again allow me to say 

 that I think there is more in the quality of soil than we can effect by cultivation, and on 

 our black loam I think stimulants entirely unnecessary, and as little cultivation should be 



