36 Nebraska State Horticultural Society. 



in states east of us and noted the troubles with which they contended, 

 the feeling was natural that in our dry, breezy climate such trials as 

 blight and. fungus diseases were not likely to come to us. At that time 

 they were unknown in eastern Nebraska. 



Twenty-five or thirty years ago a heavy rainfall in June was quite 

 likely to send the Blue river up over our lower pasture lands. The roll- 

 ing prairies were covered largely with buffalo grass. A considerable 

 portion of a heavy rainfall quickly found its way into the streams and 

 ran away to the seas. While statistics show that for a long period of 

 time Nebraska has had as much rainfall as we have now, yet the hu- 

 midity created by that rainfall was much less than now. The Blue 

 river has not been up over our pasture for very many years. Cultivated 

 fields, ranker, stronger growing grasses catch the rainfall and retard its 

 flow to the draws and ravines. A larger percentage of the annual rain- 

 fall now soaks into the soil. It is stored in the subsoil, is ultimately 

 given back to the atmosphere. We now have a much more humid cli- 

 mate than twenty to thirty years ago. This humidity favors the dis- 

 semination of spores of blight and fungus diseases. We must adapt 

 our methods to these changed conditions. 



In passing to western central and western Nebraska we find that 

 they have a drier summer climate than eastern Nebraska, more days of 

 sunlight and much more rapid evaporation. Such weather is not con- 

 ducive to the spread of fungus diseases, hence we find that in Lincoln 

 county and on to the west line of the state even the red juice cherries 

 may be grown with perfect safety. Cherry and plum orchards find 

 most favorable conditions beyond a line 300 miles from the Missouri 

 river. Cherry and plum trees commence bearing the next season after 

 planting and when planted four or five years are yielding all the ^ruit 

 they can carry. With the advent of large areas brought under irriga- 

 tion there will be a marked increase in humidity of the atmosphere, and 

 diseases from which they are now exempt will ultimately reach them. 

 For this'reason our far western planters should be warned in time and 

 should be as careful as their eastern neighbors in keeping fungus 

 diseases in check. 



DISCUSSION. 



A MEMBER: I consider the plum curculio one of the worst pesta 

 we have. Last year it commenced by destroying portions of the 

 branches of cherry and apple trees. This season it has destroyed the 

 entire crop with me, and all of my peaches. I presume it is worse with 

 me because my orchard is bordering on the timber where there are lots 



