STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 273 



The soil of the county is the ordinary black loam of the prairies. 

 Occasional deposits of sand and gravel are found scattered through it. 



The first orchard planting of which I have been able to obtain any 

 information, was done about the year 1838, by William Sadoras, in the 

 timber near the southwest corner of the county, now called Sadoras' 

 Grove. It was made of c;o Milam sprouts obtained near Tena Haute, 

 Indiana, 80 miles distant, and afterwards extended by planting 150 more 

 of the same sort. These trees commenced to bear in 1 834, four years 

 after planting, and continued to produce large annual crops until 1854 or 

 185=;, since which time there have been several failures, and many of the 

 trees are now dead or dying. Several years after the orchard was 

 planted, some of the ti'ees were grafted over to Vandevere Pippin, Yel- 

 low IJellllower, Roxbury Russet, etc. Some of these varieties have 

 borne good crops, the V. Pippin being especially productive, but not of 

 very good qualitv. The Roxbury Russet does not bear large crops, and 

 is not a veiy good keeper. This orchard is in a cove in the timber, pro- 

 tected on the south, Avest, and north. IVIr. Sadoras is still living, and 

 takes quite an interest in Horticulture. 



Many other orchards were set out in this neighborhood from the 

 sprouts produced from these Milams. The only valuable apple that was 

 planted seems to have been the Milam. 



Several years after Air. Sadoras' planting, orchards were set at or near 



Big Grove, near Urbana, by James T. Roc, Robt. Brownfield, 



Fielding. Martin Rhinehardt, James Clemens, Wm. Robert, and others. 

 James T. Roe had a small nursery which consisted principally of Milams. 

 Mr. Brownfield procured one hundred trees from Kentucky, mostly 

 Milam, Winter Wine (r), and Yellow Bellilower, which continue 

 healthy, and bear good crops. 



Martin Rhinehardt's orchard consisted of Bcllflowers, Vandevere 

 Pippin. Seek-no-further, Winter Wine, Fall Pippin,' Pound Sweet, and 

 Pumpkin Sweet. Mr. Brownfield now owns this orchard, also the one 

 of one hundred trees originally planted l)y liim. Four years ago the first 

 one hundred trees yielded 400 bushels. This season both orchards had 

 only 600 bushels. There had been no insects to diminish the yield of 

 fruit until two years ago, when the codling moth first made its appear- 

 ance in numbers sufficient to destroy nearly the entire crop. Mr. B. 

 turned in his hogs to eat the fallen fruit, and thinks, had they been kept 

 in it all the season, that he would have headed the moth; but as soon as 

 the fruit was large enough to sell, the hogs were removed. The fruit 

 was not picked up every day, so that a sufiicient number of worms 

 escaped to injuie tiie past season's crop, but not to as great an extent as 

 the preceding one. 



Josh Trickle planted twelve seedling trees at an early day, some of 

 which are now dead, others remaining thrifty and fruitful. 



Mr. Brownfield thinks the Green Winter Pippin (?) his most valuable 



winter apple. The Rawles' Janet is one of the best keepers. Large 



Romanite was also planted quite extensively by the early settlers. The 



principal varieties brought to market from the old orchards, are Milam, 



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