STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 337 



this wash-soil is twice or three times as great as that of the same varietie* 

 in any other part of the State with which I am acquainted. 



To ilhistrate the vigor and productiveness of plants ifi this soil, I will 

 state that I have seen seventy-five pounds of grapes, grown on a single 

 vine, the second year after planting, and apparently without injury to the 

 vine. The kinds of grapes which have rotted more or less, here, are 

 Creveling, Rogers' No. 4, Concord, Hartford, and Rogers' No. 15. 



The following have resisted or escaped the rot, viz : Delaware, Diana, 

 Rogers' No. i, Herbemont, Norton's Virginia, lona, and Martha. 



No Pear ti'ees have been known to blight in this county, though they 

 have been quite extensively planted by amateurs at Cairo. A few have 

 died by what is known as root-rot. 



Peaches do remarkably well at Cairo, where they escaped the hard 

 freeze of last April, owing, probably, to the influence of the Mississippi 

 and Ohio rivers. 



Small Fruits (except currants) do remarkably well every where on the 

 tillable lands of the county. 



Should the projected railroad from Cairo to St. Louis be built soon, 

 I predict that the northern part of this county will settle up rapidly with 

 fruit growers, and become one of the most desirable places in the State 

 for fruit raising. 



Yours ti-uly, E. J. Ayres. 



LA SALLE COUNTY. 



BY E. C. HATHAWAY. 



The apple crop the past season was larger than ever before known in 

 this county, but owing to the ravages of the Codling Moth, the crop 

 was of but little value; the most of it finding its way to the stock pen, or 

 vinegar barrel, or what is worse, remaining on the ground to rot, thereby 

 insuring an almost certain crop of the moth or apple worm for another 

 yeai-'s depredations. What apples were gathered in fall, for winter use, 

 are not keeping well ; but are rapidly going by the board with rot, with 

 two notable exceptions, the Little Romanite and Rawles' Janet. 



Pears were a failure in this section the past season. 



Cherries — A fair crop, except Common Morello, of which there were 

 none. 



Small Fruits gave promise, early, of being a large crop, but were 

 almost destroyed by heat, except in a few instances, where they were 

 heavily mulched or shaded. 



Vegetables — Poor, until quite late in the summer, when the rains 

 came upon them, and they recuperated almost as if by magic, yielding 

 a bountiful harvest. 



APPLES. 



The first orchards south of the Illinois River, were set in 1S33 or 1S34, 

 by Mr. Charles Brown, Esq. Suley, Mr. Slater, and Kent & Bailey. 

 The varieties were mostly Large and Small Romanite, Rambo, and 

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