STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 349 



enriching the land when it decays. He finds this practice gives him 

 larger and fairer fruit than when it is neglected. This letter closes with 

 this sensible remark: '' I believe it is too miserly to rob the orchard of its 

 own rights by raising crops of grain or grass in it, and removing them." 



PULASKI COUNTY. 



BY JAMES H. GRAIN. 



The people of Southern Illinois, in common with those of other por- 

 tions of our country, having a high average temperature, and also a deep, 

 rich soil, experience difficulties in the production of apples which, with 

 ordinary care, will keep through the winter season. 



This applies to our position with marked force, as we occupy the 

 extreme northern of the isothermal, or heat-line east of the Rocky Moun- 

 tains, and our soil to quite a depth is of sandy loam, largely admixed 

 with decomposed organic matter. 



Unfortunately, circumstances connected with the early settlement of 

 this country brought here varieties of apples from localities having quite 

 opposite conditions; varieties which were at home in — and which would 

 uniformly ripen in — short seasons of low average temperature, 

 where the soluble matter present in the soil is far less abundant than in 

 ours. Consequently, nearly all the orchards planted here anterior to i860 

 have proven disastrous foilures, so far as the production of winter apples 

 is concerned. Indeed, they do not serve well for autumn use, as they 

 evidently require the restraining influences of cold, or some analogous pre- 

 servative, the moment they attain full growth. Without apprehending 

 the cause of this uniform failure, our people had at one time almost 

 despaired of success with winter apples of fine texture and appearance; 

 but coming gradually to note a few examples of success with native 

 seedlings, and with varieties satisfactorily tested in similar or more south- 

 ern localities, they were led to extended research in that direction, and 

 to-day we can boast of assured success with the apple in all its seasons of 

 development. It is true there are those who still cling to the old northern 

 and eastern favorites, regarding them as desirable in consequence of pecu- 

 liarities of flavor, and hoping yet to succeed with them by destroying the 

 curculio. • 



Without doubt the curculio hastens the decay of many tender kinds, 

 old as well as new; still this does not aflect the general proposition, that 

 no apple which completes its growth before the approach of frost, can. 

 anywhere be successfully grown as a winter fruit, except upon the theory 

 of substituting other than ordinary preservative measures. How far 

 such extraordinary means can be made available remains for the future 

 to prove, there having been but little eflTort in that direction as yet. Some 

 trials made with saw-dust, finely-powdered charcoal, sand, and earth, point 

 strongly towards success, and promise to work a revolution in the hand- 

 ling of all apples in all climates; but, however successful, they can not 

 justify planting the kinds accustomed to a short summer season, in local- 

 ities having long ones. It is true that among the old kinds tliere are 



