INDIANA HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 447 



cattle, and a few on sheep. There are very few that pay much attention 

 ro the cultivation of fruits of any Ivind. It has been my good fortune 

 to travel over a great portion of Grant, Miami and Wabash counties in 

 a buggy the past simimer and fall, and my observations lead me to 

 believe that there are but few farmers who give much care or attention 

 to their orchards, or the cultivation of fruit of any kind. The apple 

 crop for the last few years in our part of the State has been so uncer- 

 tain that the farmers have become discouraged and are not planting 

 trees to take the place of those that are dying, neither giving the care 

 to the trees they have that their wants require, corn and hogs being their 

 money crop, while their orchards are left to the care of nature. 



The time has been when there was an abundance of humus in the 

 soil- to retain moisture, and plant food for the building up of a healthy, 

 vigorous tree and foliage capable of resisting the attacks of insect pests 

 and the diseases to which so many trees succumb in their weakened 

 condition when left to the care of nature. When a tree is planted it is 

 there to stay the remainder of its life. If the food it requires is not 

 sufficient for its wants it makes a poor, weakly growth and is not in con- 

 dition to bear good crops of nice, luscious fruit. An apple tree is a fac- 

 tory for the manufacture of apples. Every root, fiber and leaf are the 

 workmen that operate the factory, and all they require Is plenty of raw 

 material placed within their reach and a little protection from the rav- 

 ages of insect pest and fungi, and they will turn out the finished product. 



That apples can be made profitable in our part of the State, I think 

 thei'e can be no doubt, if the farmer will give the care and attention to 

 his orchard that he gives to some of his other products. What man has 

 done man can do again. Notwithstanding the apple crop this season in 

 our immediate locality was almost a failure, Mr. Jacob Fishel informed 

 me that he has sold over one hundred dollars' worth of apples from his 

 orchard of an acre and one-half twelve years from planting, which cer- 

 tainly is better than corn and hogs. 



I have wandered from my subject of a report of horticultural interests 

 in our district. We have two societies, one in Huntington County and 

 one in Grant. There is not as much interest taken in our society as 

 there was a few years ago, some of om* most active members having 

 identified themselves with the Patrons of Husbandry, which meets twice 

 a month on Saturday, and thej' feel that another Saturday to the society 

 is taking too much of their time. 



Farmers, I think, are planting more ornamental shrubs and plants 

 and otherwise beautifying their liome surroundings. 



There has been some work done along the line of beautifying country 

 school grounds, principally by the school children planting our native 

 trees, and I do not think that there was one out of ten planted that 

 lived through the first summer. I think the planting of school grounds 

 should be done under the supervision of the township trustee, or some 

 party competent to direct such work. 



