30 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



between dead and alive, showed more signs of life the latter part of the season, and may 

 possibly revive next spring. I noticed but little difference in the effect of the winter 

 upon different varieties, where all were equally exposed — such varieties as Baldwin, 

 Rambo, and Maiden's Blush, which we have considered tender, seeming quite as healthy 

 as any. I have heard more complaint about Ben Davis than any other variety, though 

 it is not so with mine. Heretofore we have considered it the most robust and hardy of 

 any tree on the list. 



" A year ago last spring I set quite a number of grafts, of various sorts, into bearing 

 trees — denuding most of the tops. The grafts took and grew from two to three and a 

 half feet. White Bellflower and Newtown Pippin trees thus grafted killed outright last 

 winter, while other trees into which the same sort was grafted, came out with only now 

 and then a dead branch. Domine trees, which did not fruit last year, bore very well this 

 year ; but the bulk of our apples were Willow Twigs, although the trees of this sort 

 seemed to have suffered as much as others. This year I had nearly one hundred barrels 

 of apples, besides making twenty barrels of cider — showing that two-thirds of my crop 

 was unmarketable fruit ; those called good were inferior to last year's fruit. The two 

 previous years I packed over twenty-two hundred barrels of apples, and made over two 

 hundred barrels of cider. 



" Young orchards have this year fruited better than old ones, and Willow Twig has 

 been more uniformly prolific than any other variety, as far as heard from, in this and the 

 adjoining counties. 



" I attribute the damage to fruit trees, so general this year, to the following causes, 

 viz. : Trees bore extremely full last year and the year before, and had become much 

 weakened in vitality ; the very long, extremely cold winter, nearly destroyed the feeljle 

 life they then possessed, and this was followed by an excessively cold, wet May, and an 

 extremely dry, hot summer. 



" Pears. — Most of my trees have blighted and died, except Tyson, which always 

 bears a crop. Flemish Beauty has always done well till last and this year, but trees of 

 this variety, as well as Bartlett and others, are badly affected with blight. 



" Peaches. — I have eighteen trees, three years planted, which, last year, bore a few 

 good specimens ; this year, about one-half the trees are dead. They stand in two rows 

 on the north side of a grove of evergreens. The trees in the row next the evergreens, 

 and upon which the sun hardly shines during the winter, look quite well. Those 

 standing in the next row get the i^ays of the sun, and are dead, showing that sunshine 

 upon the trees, when hard frozen, may be destructive to them. 



" Cherries. — Trees of the sweet varieties seem as little damaged as the healthiest 

 apple trees, and bore about one-third of a crop, which the birds appropriated to their 

 use. A double-barrel shot gun, well loaded with powder und mustard-seed shot, is the 

 best preserver I have used for saving this fruit. I shall continue its use. 



" Grapes. — I have but few vines, consisting of Concord, Martha, and Ives' Seedling; 

 these appeared so much damaged I thought it would not pay to cultivate them, therefore 

 let the weeds grow. Some vines died, while others bore a full crop ; but the fruit did 

 not ripen well — showing that good culture is required to secure good fruit. 



" Raspberries were a good crop. I give jn-eference to Mammoth Cluster (McCor- 

 mick) and Seneca, though cultivate Davison's Thornless, for early fruit. 



" Strawberries.— \ have found Wilson to be the only reliable and productive sort. 



" Profits of Small Fruits for Market. — It was formerly profitable to raise cherries, 

 grapes, and strawberries to ship to Chicago, but since so much fruit is grown South and 

 sent to market in advance of ours, and since the increase of fruit plantations nearer 

 market, we find the business of raising these and other small fruits, for that market, 

 unprofitable here. I also find no profit in wine making; for though druggists and others 

 may call my wine ' very good,' it don't sell.''' 



A letter from Wm. A. Nourse, Moline, Rock Island county, expresses 

 the same opinion as to the cause of the failure in the fruit crop and damage 

 to trees as is given in the foregoing reports, with the addition of a sugges- 

 tion that on account of the destruction of multitudes of honey bees by 



