458 liOAKD OF AGRICULTURE. 



We have used our influence, whenever and wherever possible to in- 

 crease the interest and membership in the State Society. Where we could 

 not roacli or see fruit j?rowers personally wo liavo done what we could by 

 correspondence. The Noble County Horticultural Society and the La- 

 srange County Agi'icultural and Horticultural Society are each in a pros- 

 perous condition and both are doing good worlc in building up horticul- 

 tural interests that will be appai'ent in the future. 



REPORT OF THIRTEENTH DISTRICT. 



The season of 1003 gave us an illustration of how the promise of the 

 springtime may fail in the harvest. 



The season opened full of promise for a bountiful crop of fruit, nearly 

 all the fruits blooming profusely, but a cold wave at the height of the 

 blooming season destroyed in one night all our bright prospects. 

 The apple, however, escaped serious injury, the buds were not far enough 

 advanced to be affected and in the northern counties especially the crop 

 was excellent, both in quantity and quality. Pears and cherries were 

 farther advanced and suffered to such and extent as to amount to almost 

 a total failure throughout the district. 



Very much to our surprise, peaches, which we thought of course were 

 all killed, developed at least a half crop in the northern counties and some 

 fruit throughout the district. This may have been due in part to the fact 

 that the fruit was formed but still enclosed in the husk at the time of the 

 freeze. The same condition existed with many of the plums, which in 

 favored locations produced a fair crop. Grapes, which were just budding, 

 bloomed very sparsely and yielded the lightest crop in many years. 

 Whether this was due to the frost is a question, as the climatic condi- 

 tions were unfavorable for the grape throughout the season. 



Blackberries were nearly a full crop, but raspberries, currants and 

 gooseberries were practically a failure. 



The strawberry again demonstrated its ability to produce fruit undev 

 very adverse conditions. Not only were the open blossoms all killed but 

 the newly-formed fruit and a majority of the unopened buds which were 

 above the ground were blackened by the fi'ost, and yet when the harvest 

 came there was a full half crop of berries of good size and very fine 

 quality. Nor was this all. In nearly every case where the fields were 

 held for another year's fruiting and properly cultivated, with the new 

 growth came an al^undance of bloom and a second crop of berries; not a 

 few scattering berries but enough to be very much in evidence in the 

 South Bend market. One grower sold nearly .$100 worth of fruit from one 

 and three-fourths acres. This abundant crop of fall strawberries this 

 year and last has led some unscrupulous dealers to offer autumn bearing 



