STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, ( i 



"Some new varieties of Apples: from Minnesota, Northern Iowa and Wisconsin 

 appear to be fully as hardy as the Siberian Crabs, Ijut still they do not, nor cannot, fill 

 the place of the Crabs any more than the Crabs can that of our best Apples. 



"The common European Plttiii (P. Domestica) should be entirely discarded from 

 our lists, as it is manifestly not for us ; let the Northwest drop it. I think a man who 

 would sell or plant a tree of it within the bounds of this Society should be prosecuted. 



"D. B. WIER." 



REPORT OF VICE-PRESIDENT FOR THE FOURTH DISTRICT. 



Mr. L. C. Francis, Vice-President for the Fourth District, then pre- 

 sented and read his report, as follows : 



Mr. President, and Members of the State Horticultural Society : 



The Vice-President for the Fourth District would report that the past 

 winter has been the coldest winter known in Central Illinois ; the ther- 

 mometer ranging from thirty to thirty-six below zero, and in the wide 

 spread desolating effects upon the orchard, vineyard, and fruit garden, 

 forcibly reminds one of the scriptural interrogatory, "Who can stand 

 before 'His cold?" 



I have received reports from A. W. Estabrook, Christian county ; 

 Phil. M. Springer, Sangamon county ; E. Daggy, Douglas county ; W. 

 H. Mann, Iroquois county ; J. B. Reeve, Shelby county ; M. Y. Colman, 

 McLean countA; ; H. J. Dunlap, Champaign county ; Chas. Capps, 

 Logan county, and Tyra Montgomery, Coles county. 



A. W. Estabrook, of Christian county, reports : 



"The effect of the past winter on almost every variety of fruiting, vine, tree, and 

 shrub, was disastrous. 



"■Grapes, on low ground, were many of them entirely killed ; those on high, rolling 

 ground suffered less. The Concord, Hartford, Prolific and lona were liule damaged; 

 the Isaliella to some extent, and the Delaware, in eveiy instance, as far as I know, was 

 killed to the ground. 



"Apple trees were not seriously hurt, but the crop of fruit is hardly sufficient for home 

 consumption. 



"Old Peach orchards suffered immensely; but young orchards passed through with 

 little or no apparent injury. 



"/.'rtj/Zw-Ww suffered badly ; Miamis, entirely killed; Doolittles suffered less and 

 bore some fruit. 



" Sira-vberries were extensively killed, even where well mulched. 



" The leading varieties of Apples cultivated in this vicinity are Bellflowers, Domine, 

 Red June, Early Harvest, Red Astrachan, Maiden's Blush.Winesap, Ben Davis, Rawles' 

 Janet, Liml^er Twig, and Willow Twig." 



Phil. M. Springer, of Sangamon county, writes discouragingly 

 about the Grape crop ; last year the market was overstocked, so that 

 grape-growers were glad to sell Concords at three cents per pound ; this 

 year no crop to sell — vines of nearly all varieties being killed to the 

 ground, 



Mr. E. Daggy, of Douglas, reports : 



" I cannot particularize, as I would desire to do, at this late date, but give you a 

 few facts that came under my own observation, and are the result of sad experience on 

 our own grounds — knowing that though on a small scale the facts are no less facts than 



