STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 75 



The following is an extract from a letter sent me from J. V. N. Stan- 

 dish, Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy in Lombard University, 

 Galesburg, 111. : 



" I desire to call your attention, and through you that of the members of the State 

 Horticuhural Society, to one of Rogers' Grapes which I have fruited the past three yeare. 

 The vine is about seven years old, from a cutting. * * * I suppose it to be Rogers' 

 No. 5, or No. 3. I have not much doubt of its being the former. The vine is vigorous, 

 not subject to leaf blight, and a great bearer. It is as hardy and as early as the Dela- 

 ware, and, according to my taste, preferable. The bunch is large and compact, berry 

 large and round, or nearly so. The color, when ripe, is like the Diana. For this sec- 

 tion, it is one of the best, if not the best, of all the hybrids. During our fair, more than 

 thirty persons, amateurs and others, tested it with the Black Hamburg without knowing 

 which was which, and all but three pronounced " No. 5 " the superior grape. 



" I said that this Grape is as hardy as the Delaware. So it is. But in this section, 

 during our cold winters, it requires protection. So tlo the Delaware and other varieties. 

 I am convinced, from experience, that all Grapes will do better when protected, even the 

 Concord. Last spring. Concord vines protected were ten days earlier than Concords 

 within twenty feet of them unprotected, and every bud was vigorous. Hence I say to 

 all grape-growers in this latitude, protect your vines." 



WOODFORD COUNTY. 



" I will try and give a few brief items in regard to the horticultural interests of 

 \Voodford county. 



" In the more western portion there are many valuable old orchards, and occasion- 

 ally an old orchard in the eastern part. Many young orchards have been planted 

 within the past four or five years, but there are still many farms without a fruit tree 

 growing thereon. The winter of 1872-73 was very severe, and damaged both orchard 

 and nursery trees to considerable extent, especially four year old Apple trees in nursery 

 rows that were root-pruned in the fall with a tree-digger. I have not noticed any old 

 orchard trees that were killed outright; but many young orchard trees are killed or 

 damaged to such an extent that they will have to be replaced. 



" The Early Harvest, Snow, Duchess of Oldenberg, Bailey Sweet, St. Lawrence, 

 Willow Twig, Ben Davis, Grimes' Golden, Yellow Bellflower, Haas, Red Astrachan, 

 and the various crabs, sufiered the least. Apples, Pears and Plums were almost a fail- 

 ure in fruit, there not being one bushel of apples the past fall where there were twenty in 

 the fall of 1872. 



"Cherries, only a light crop. 



"Blackberries a failure — Kittatinny being killed to the ground. 



" Doolittle and Turner Raspberries jiroduced a fair crop, while the Purjile Cane and 

 the Miami were so damaged that we cut them all off at the ground. The Miami proved 

 hardy on various town lots, where not so highly cultivated or manured. The Davison 

 Thornless proves entirely worthless with us. 



".Straiuberries were a light crop. 



"Grapes, (Concord) a fair, and, in some cases, a good crop. This is the only va- 

 riety, out of many tried, that we can recommend on our rich, level prairies. 



" Tree Planting has not received that attention it deserves in oiu' section, (being 

 several miles from any 1)ody of timber,) though I am happy to say that the farmers are 

 beginning to talk about planting groves, and it is to be hoped that they will not only 

 " talk," but soon act in the matter. 



" Box Alder is rapidly gaining in public favor, that tree not being liable to the 

 attacks of the borer, as is the Soft Maple, which is beginning to lose favor on that 

 account. 



" The Sweet Chestnut does not seem to be at home on our level prairie. 



