STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 35 1 



and Kentucky; some of which are still standing. The introduction of 

 grafted trees is of comparatively recent date. The principal part of the 

 grafted trees first introduced, are still in good bearing condition. 



The varieties are mostly Limber Twig, Rawles' Janet, Summer Pear- 

 main, Horse Apple, Hall's Seedling, Islem, Pennock, Smoky Twig, 

 Winesap, and a few Ben Davis. Tliese earlier grafted orchards were small 

 and turned to no account, except for family use. The orchard, as a source 

 of profit, was scarcely thought of twenty years ago by any of our people, 

 the market for green fruits being inaccessible until the Illinois Central 

 railroad was built; but since that time tlie enlarging and planting of 

 orchards has been wonderful. The orchard ists of the county have, how- 

 ever, sustained a great loss, and disappointment, too, by planting Eastern 

 and Northern varieties with the expectation of producing good winter 

 fruits, superior in size and flavor to our orignial sorts. 1 suppose that 

 about fifty thousand trees were set between the dates of 18150 and i860, 

 the principal part of which are still in bearing, but are almost worthless. 

 The change in climate did not aiFect the quality of the fruits, as I can see, 

 but it has changed the season of its ripening. Such varieties as Tomp- 

 kins County King, Northern Spy, Riiode Island Greening, ripen and 

 drop their fruit in August or September, and are, consequently, almost 

 worthless here as market fruit, except they can be marketed in the sum- 

 mer season. 



The soil and situation of Williamson County are adapted to the grow- 

 ing of all kinds of fruit that can be grown successfully in this latitude. 

 The land 'is generally high; the forest growth is composed of oak, pop- 

 lar, walnut, dogwood, and hickory; the soil is a little sandy, with a 

 pale-red clayey, and somewhat porous sub-soil. Apples, peaches, pears, 

 cheiTies, plums, grapes, and strawberries do well on our soil, no drain- 

 age being nccessaiy. 



Our market has been growing better for several years. Speculators 

 have been buying fruit and shipping it to Chicago. 



In the year 1868 the apple crop of the county was a very full one, and 

 dealers in fruit paid, at Carbondale, an average of about seventy-five cents 

 per bushel. In my opinion the apple crop of that year brought more 

 money into the county than the wheat crop of the same year. 



The most popular varieties now grown in the county are Limber 

 Twig, Rawles' Janet, Earley Harvest, Maiden's Blush, Pennock, Sum- 

 mer Pearmain, Horse, Hall's Little Seedling, Islem, Smoky Twig, 

 Smith's Cider, Winesap, Ben Davis, Yellow Bellfiower, and Summer 

 Qiieen. These varieties are all hardy in tree and fruit except perhaps the 

 Rawles' Janet, which will not live long on wet land; while the Limber 

 Twig will thrive on the borders of a swamp, and is not subject to any 

 disease. I do not remember to have seen a blighted limb on a Limber 

 Twig tree. 



Pears — The quantity of pear trees in the county is quite limited, and 

 confined to door-yards and gardens; are more subject to blight than 

 apples. Dwarfs soon die, after coming into bearing, from want of suffi- 

 cient roots to support fruit and foliage. They can be saved by raising the 



