74 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



" During the years of ordinaiy crops of fruits, the orchard products of Hancock 

 county are estimated at 100,000 bushels. 



"B. WHITAKER." 



MERCER COUNTY. 



" On the effects of our past winter we are probably liable to form very erroneous 

 Judgment. Probably the seeming damage from winter has been much aggravated by 

 the drought of summer; but the effects of winter appear to have been in many respects 

 contrary to all past experience. 



" As is well known, it is not an uncommon thing in our climate for the tender 

 portion of the young wood of Apple trees to show manifest signs of injury from winter 

 by a visible discoloration between the bark and wood; but no evidence of such injury was 

 to be seen the past spring. And while this is true, yet for some cause the young shoots of 

 many of our Apple trees did not start well in the spring. We may err in our conclu- 

 sions regarding the cause, but it seems that the shoots were not supplied with sap. 

 What may seem most unaccountable is that Pear trees were badly discolored between 

 the bark and wood ; and yet the buds of Pear trees started, while the shoots of many 

 Apple trees that were not in the least discolored fail to start. It is true that many of 

 Pear trees that first started in spring have since died, or partially died, while many 

 Apple trees, that failed to start in their terminal shoots, have suckered out below with 

 considerable vigor. This is especially the case in young orchards and in nurseiy 

 trees. 



" Another strange circumstance is, this seeming injuiy or want of sap in the shoots 

 prevailed in very many cases, in varieties most characterized for being hardy ; while 

 some varieties, that have heretofore proved quite tender, started well. Another circum- 

 stance seems also strange, that while we have generally thought it best to guard 

 against the severity of winter, by laying down and covering Concord Grape vines, that 

 the vines left tied up to stakes received no visil^le injury, and have produced heavy 

 crops. 



" It is certain that many varieties of Apple trees have suffered more severely than 

 the Concord Grape. The Martha Grape seems to have proved nearly or quite as hardy 

 as the Concord, while very few Delaware vines survived. It is proper to state, how- 

 ever, that on the sandy lands bordering the Mississippi, Concord Grape vines sur- 

 fered badly — even worse than Apple trees. 



"The damage to young orchards seems confined to a very limited portion of trees, 

 and is visible in some portion of the tops being dead. I have not been able to 

 gather any facts that seem to point to any conclusions regarding the influence of groves 

 of timber. Orchards on naked grounds seem to have suffered more severely than 

 where a heavy crop of corn stalks was on the ground. 



" The drought of the past season has been the worst ever known since the set- 

 tlement of the country. We had one heavy cold rain in May, when orchards were in 

 full bloom, which seemed to prevent the fertilization of the blossoms ; and to this we 

 attribute the failure of the Apple crop. It appears that no blooms produced fruit except 

 the late ones that were not out at the time of the rain storm. Since that one rain storm 

 in May, it is said by those who have made observations that we have had the least 

 amount of rain during the summer and autumn months (up to the writing of this re- 

 port, November loth) since the first settlement of the country. There is a great loss 

 in trees transplanted the past spring, and the result is disastrous on much young 

 nursery stock. Our Grape crop has been a perfect success, and it appears the lack of 

 rain that has been disastrous to other horticultural operations has been most favor- 

 able for the perfection of the Grape crop. 



" It is proper, in closing, to acknowledge my indebtednees to McWhorter & Hays, 

 of Aledo Nursery, for some of the facts embodied in this paper. 



"MARION VERNON. 



" New Boston." 



