STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETV. 145 



'72, had the effect, no doubt, to very much reduce the vitality of all fruit 

 trees, therefore leaving them in a poor condition to withstand the shock 

 that such a degree of cold was bound to produce upon them, even under 

 the most favorable circumstances. The result, at least, verifies the pre- 

 sumption that such was the case. Nine years ago the degree of cold was 

 as great, or nearly so, as the past winter, but for some reason the damage 

 was not so great : then I observed that the branches seemed to have sus- 

 tained greater injury than the bodies, and those who cut back the tops 

 of their trees were well paid for their labors, and those who did not 

 suffered most. The cold of the past winter injured bodies more than 

 the tops, and those who pruned back in the early spring fared worse than 

 those who did not. You can draw your own conclusions. I will state 

 some of the peculiarities as to the effect of the cold on some of the differ- 

 ent varieties. I believe all apple trees were injured, the older trees less 

 than the younger ; an occasional tree was killed ; the same may be said 

 of the pear trees. 



Of the peach, we think we are correct in estimating three-fourths to 

 be killed, and those left that have any promise in them are the younger 

 trees, from one to four years ; but many of the latter age are dying. 



Cherry trees. Early May, are fully one-half killed, and we think those 

 remaining are rendered worthless, if we except a few of two or three 

 years' planting. 



Grape vines were killed to the ground, unless in some way protected ; 

 all, however, have thrown up new wood from the roots, and promise well 

 for the coming year. 



Of raspberries, the canes were generally killed, though a few escaped, 

 where there seemed to be a partial protection, and bore a light crop ; 

 some claim that Davison's Thornless escaped without harm. 



Blackberries, both native and improved, were a failure, being killed 

 to the ground. 



Currants and gooseberries were uninjured and bore full crops. 



The strawberry crop was light ; the acreage, much increased by last 

 spring's planting, and the prospects for the coming cro]j much improved 

 over that of the present year. 



The crown borer is still among us, but for some reason does not seem 

 to have been so destructive as last year. 



But little has been done during the past .summer but clear away the 

 wreck, and much remains to be done ; nor does there seem to be but lit- 

 tle inclination on the part of growers to renew their orchards. Amidst 

 all this disaster there is a grain of comfojt to the fruit grower in the 

 reflection that it will be likely to confine the business in the future to its 

 more legitimate channels. The storm of July seems to have completed 

 the destruction in that i)art of the district through which it passed. It 

 struck the district in Marion county, and its course was in a southeasterly 

 direction. Many apple orchards were ruined by this storm, the trees 

 being blown flat and uprooted ; immense destruction was done also to 

 our forest timber, as well as to buildings, fences, etc. 

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