34 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



" There is a difference in temperature of ten to twenty degrees between dry and 

 wet soils of the same kind, and diy soil being the coldest, or rather the best conductor, 

 hence, it will freeze the deepest, so when after a long period of drought we see the 

 injurious effects of cold upon our trees we say it was the winter that killed them, with- 

 out taking the condition of the trees into account. 



" We can, by cultivation and mulching, do a great deal to keep trees in a growing 

 condition. Some of my trees have had six to eight inches of coarse manure applied in 

 midsummer around them, and it has benefitted them by causing the soil to remain moist, 

 hence, the growth was good and well matured, and such trees have invariably wintered 

 well and been productive. 



" The beneficial effects arising from protection by groves of trees have not been as 

 gieat in cases that have come under my obsei^vation as reported by many. I have three 

 orchards, and in all of them the outside rows on the south and west sides are the most 

 productive and thrifty, while neither of them have any groves or belts of timber in a 

 mile in that direction. \Yhat is true of my orchard is also true of all others that I have 

 seen, both on the prairie and in the natural timber. And while I say this, I must also 

 say that it is contraiy to my former opinions, and that I cannot give a good reason for 

 the fact. 



" Of varieties for a commercial orchard, I would set the Willow Twig, Ben Davis, 

 Gilpin and Golden Russet. The Keswick Codlin and Duchess of Oldenberg have 

 yielded the most apples and money for me, of any, but of course we should be governed 

 by nearness to market, etc., in setting summer varieties. The Jersey Sweet is veiy pro- 

 ductive and useful as a cider apple in the fall. The Snow is my favorite in its season, 

 and is satisfactoi-y in quality and profit. I think that apple growers here should build 

 fruit houses to keep apples in, where a cool atmosphere can be kept, say as low as 40°, 

 and I propose to our Society that a diploma be offered to the successful inventor of such 

 a method. Our seasons are such that our cellars are too warm in the fall for such 

 varieties as Golden Russet, etc., which ought to be picked by the loth of September, and 

 if put in a dry atmosphere, of say 40° or 45°, would not wilt, but remain crisp." 



L. K. ScoFiELD, of Freeport, Stephenson county, sends the follow- 

 ing valuable communication : 



" I am sorry to say that my present report of the horticultural interests of North- 

 western Illinois, and of Stephenson county in particular, will be less favorable than pre- 

 ceding ones ; but we cannot controvert facts, even if they do have a disastrous effect on 

 our own pride. The winter of 1S72 and 1873 was veiy disastrous in its effects on fruit 

 trees. Cold weather set in about the 6th of November, finding many of us unprepared 

 for it ; and while we were waiting for milder weather from day to day, to protect our 

 tender plants, it continued only to increase in severity, and the result was that many of 

 the plants that we usually covered remained unprotected through the winter. The 

 scanty rains of the season left the ground unusually dry, and to the want of moisture 

 near the surface, I am convinced, may be largely attributed the cause of damage to 

 both orchard and nursery. As the injury appeared at first only in the roots, the late 

 growth, having well matured, showed no signs of injury whatever when spring opened, 

 and I flattered myself that we had escaped all injury to our fruit trees from the severity 

 of the weather, excepting to the fruit buds, which, on close examination, showed serious 

 injury in many cases. 



" I have found but one case of general destruction in old orchards. 



" One orchard, twenty to twenty-five years old, on the prairie, six miles west of 

 Freeport, had been used as a hog pasture, and was entirely destitute of vegetation, and 

 nothing left on the surface as a mulch, was entirely killed, with the exception of the 

 south row standing near the fence where the snow drifted in, remaining all winter, and 

 serving as a protection to the roots. This row appeared all right m July. The trees in 

 the rest of the orchard blossomed as usual in the spring, but did not put out a leaf. My 

 opinion is that had this orchard been well mulched in the fall, so as to protect the roots 

 from the severe frosts, it would have been saved. The frost penetrated to the depth of 



