242 ILLINOIS STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



as to render this impracticable, to mulch before the excessive heat of summer sets in. 

 Our observations in this instance, as well as the experience of the past season, 

 have caused us to somewhat modify our opinion in regard to orchard cultivation, and 

 acknowledge that blue grass in the orchard may not be an unmixed evil, as it is a 

 fact, easily demonstrated, that the soil six inches from the surface, beneath a blue grass 

 sod, is several degrees cooler than at the same depth in a plowed field. 



All of which is respectfully submitted. 



A. C. HAMMOND. 

 W. S. HATHAWAY 

 C. WILLIS. 



President Hammond had near a dozen kinds of apples on the table, 

 which were tested and found all right. 



At the December meeting, Mr. Willis stated, in answer to questions, 

 that pear blight, in his opinion, was caused by frozen sap. The condi- 

 tions appeared more prominently in three different forms : first, leaf 

 blight, occurring from June to August ; second, when the branches 

 blighted, varying a foot or more from the tops ; lastly, that occurring in 

 October and November, when the temperature fell to io° above zero, 

 catching the upper circulation, and freezing the sap. The theory 

 advanced by Mr. Willis was at the least a plausible one, and may lead to 

 investigations to ascertain more on this hidden subject. 



The Secretary sends the following concluding report : 



The past year has been one of disaster and discouragement to the 

 fruit grower — the most so of any experienced since orchard fruits have 

 assumed a commercial importance. The causes are mostly due to atmos- 

 pheric changes. The year 1869 was one of excessive rain-fall ; those of 

 1870 and 1871 of large yields of fruit, and that of 1872 of large yields, 

 attended with excessive drought, taxing the trees to the utmost limit ; 

 then followed by the severest winter ever experienced, bursting nian\ 

 trees and overcoming the constitutional vitality, leaving a large propor- 

 tion of trees weakened, unable ever to recover their original healthy con- 

 dition. The ensuing year will very likely find a large proportion of trees 

 with weakened vitality. To these, insect depredations will be directed. 

 The results will be — and the sooner the better — the substituting of new 

 orchards. 



The storm of the fourth of July was also the cause of much injury to 

 orchards, as well as to the forests. It was the severest storm ever experi- 

 enced in this locality. Large forest trees and the sturdy elms, sound in 

 their trunks, which had stood the elements for hundreds of years, were 

 broken off, rooted up and prostrated in large numbers. With so many 

 disasters, no wonder some have yielded to discouragement. 



At the June meeting, a committee of correspondence was appointed, 

 at the instance of the chief signal officer of the army, and the appoint- 

 ment of the committee was promptly recognized, since which time the 

 committee has been regularly furnished with weekly reports, showing the 



