STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 75 



badly damaged our pears and apples. Small fruits generally escaped, and of these 

 there was a fair yield, except of gooseberries. These mostly failed. A severe gale 

 in July blew off a large per cent, of the apples and pears tiiat escaped the frost of 

 spring. 



The season has been very favorable for the growth of all sorts of vegetation. 

 Indeed, during the latter part of the season, altogether too favorable, as is feared, 

 for the good of the next fruit crop. Peach buds, especially, are unusually far 

 advanced, and large in size for the fall. Early cherries arc in a similar condition, 

 and, of course, are less able than usual to withstand a severe tempera^ire. Grapes 

 did very well, on the whole, last season, although the crops on the older vines 

 suffered somewhat from rot. Blight in pears has, perhaps, been worse with us than 

 before. 



Insect enemies are as abundant as usual, and generally in proportion to the 

 abundance of the particular sort of fruit to which they are partial. 



Truly yours, 



G. WiLGUS. 



A. M. Brown, Vice-President in the Seventh District, read the fol- 

 lowing: 



REPORT OF THE SEVENTH HORTICULTURAL DISTRICT. 



Mr. President: 



Your Vice-President for the Seventh District has to make a rather 

 unfavorable report of the fruit crop for the past season. 



A very remarkable storm, beginning- on the 15th of April, and end- 

 ing on the 17th, destroyed all the peacii germs throughout the district, 

 with the exception of a few seedlings here and there. It also killed most 

 of the pears, all the plums, and many grapes and strawberries. As this 

 storm was an unusual one, an extract from my diary, noting its progress 

 and severity, may be interesting. I will preface this by saying that peach 

 trees were in full bloom as early as the 7th. At the beginning of the 

 storm, plums and most varieties of pears were in full bloom. Strawber- 

 ries had set part of their fruit, and the buds of grapes, generally, had 

 pushed a half inch or more. 



April 15th. Cloudy, but pleasant in the morning; some rain during 

 the night. About 10 o'clock A. AI. it began to rain and turn cold; wind 

 from the north. Gradually grew colder and rained harder, and this con- 

 tinued until 9 o'clock P. M. when snow began to fall. At bedtime the 

 mercury stood at 35 degrees, having fallen during the day from about 60 

 degrees. Strong wind from the north. Feeling very uneasy about the 

 fruit. 



April 16. Nearly four inches of snow on the ground and covering 

 the trees. Mercury at daylight at 33 degrees. After breakfast the clouds 

 seemed to be breaking away and the sun shone a little. Wind light, 

 from southeast. Soon clouded and began to rain. The mercury ran up 

 to 40 degrees toward noon, but soon began to fall again ; snow melting 

 rapidly. About 2 o'clock P. M, it began to snow again; wind south- 

 west. The snow soon turned to rain, which ceased about two hours 

 before dark; wind west. A little after dark the clouds partly gave way, 

 and the stars shone dimly, but at 9 o'clock the clouds thickened with a 



