34 Nebraska State Horticultural Society. 



maintainence of better orchard conditions. The state of orchard 

 culture most favorable to the production of profitable crops is corre- 

 spondingly unfavorable to the development of insects and the spread 

 of fungus diseases. 



Best results can only be obtained through intensive culture and to 

 aim at these best results is simply to apply to the management of 

 orchards that same business sense that brings success in other com- 

 mercial veentures." 



We are frequently asked why the cherry orchards in eastern Ne- 

 braska are less fruitful this year than last. A partial answer to this 

 query may be found in the following suggestions: 



Many orchards were weakened by overproduction last season. The 

 trees have not yet fully recovered. I doubt if any orchardist would ever 

 think of reducing the crop the trees must attempt to mature. 

 While the development of the flesh of the cherry is not a very serious 

 strain on the tree, to perfect the pit in so many thousands of cherries 

 on a single tree is a serious tax on its vitality. The average orchardist 

 •does not realize how seriously his trees have suffered in this effort. 

 Perhaps the ground has been tramped by the pickers. Perhaps the sea- 

 son of cherry ripening has also been followed by some days or weeks of 

 dry weather. Under such conditions the best of cultivation should be 

 given. Many years ago the writer saw young orchards in western Iowa 

 which had fruited abundantly. Many of the trees were sadly weakened 

 and some died the following spring. They had not retained sufficient 

 vitality to to enable them to put on new growth and store the necessary 

 vigor to pass through the succeeding winter. 



Last winter the temperature ranged very low, and this further 

 taxed the vitality of the trees already seriously depleted by the over 

 abundant crop in 1904. 



SHOT HOLE FUNGUS. 



The cherry orchards of eastern Nebraska have seriously suffered 

 during these recent wet seasons from the ravages of the shot hole 

 fungus. This is peculiarly trying to what have been called the red juice 

 cherries, such as English Morello and Wragg. Early Richmond and 

 Large Montmorency have not entirely escaped. In many orchards the 

 trees have been seriously weakened. The presence of this fungus is in- 

 dicatd by leaves changing color and by premature dropping. Cherry 

 trees which lose their foliage in July and August do not store up a suf- 

 ficient amount of starch for themeslves and do not perfect leaf and 

 fruit buds to such an extent as to enable the tree to start off with 



