3 I 2 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



WARSAW HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 

 OFFICERS FOR 1 87 I. 



President — Asaph C. Hammond, Warsaw. 

 Vice-President — Dr. Charles Hay, Warsaw. 

 Secretary and Treasurer — Thomas Gregg, Hamilton. 



abstract of proceedings 1s7o. 



January, 26. 



W. S. Hathaway read an Essay on the Deterioration of Fruits and 

 Trees, and asked for criticism upon points presented. 



The chair called upon Mr. Willis for his opinion upon what is con- 

 tained in the essay about Pear Culture. 



Mr. Willis — The more I study and examine, on these horticultural 

 subjects, the more I feel myself a member of the know-nothing society. 

 I have had several years experience in the cultivation of the pear, have 

 now several hundred dwarfs and standards. I think dwarfs in particu- 

 lar need draining, and also need to be protected against wet. With 

 proper culture and care, I think the pear can be made to do well here — 

 in this respect differing from the essay. I shall continue to plant, and 

 closer than formerly, setting standards about ten feet by twelve feet. I 

 have also commenced root-pruning, and shall top-prune, likewise. I root- 

 pruned, last fall, all the trees I have, in a tliorough manner, about two 

 feet from the stem, as a remedy for the blight, of which I have had some; 

 have also lost some by drought. My trees have generally been well 

 mulched with straw or cornstalks. I am satisfied a standard pear will 

 blight sooner than a dwarf. 



Mr. Spitze — I have both dwarfs and standards. The latter grow five 

 or six years before fruiting. Dwarfs bear earlier. Those in wet-like 

 ground died ; those on poor ground, naturally drained, lived. Think the 

 tendency of mulching trees is to cause them to grow in the fall. Would 

 mulch in August, and take off the mulch afterwards, so as not to cause 

 too late a growth. 



Mr. Willis — My trees that were well mulched, ripened their wood 

 well last fall — and that certainly was a growing season. 



Mr.Whitaker — On the subject of the deterioration of trees, alluded to 

 in the essay, I would say that, as to an inherent or constitutional change 

 in the variety itself, it is not so clear; but that a deterioration will result 

 from neglect or want of proper ingredients in the soil adrrfits of no 

 doubt. Am inclined to the opinion that deterioration results in no other 

 way. 



The President expressed the opinion that varieties do deteriorate, 

 without regard to soil or surrounding circumstances; mentioned the 

 Catawba gi-ape and the Rawles' Janet apple as late examples. 



