SUMMER MEETING AT CHILLICOTHE. 19 



1)7 his more successful competitor in our southwestern grazing country. I would 

 plant an apple orchard in Missouri, because it is the best apple State in the Union. 

 If every farmer in Missouri wlio has high, dry land would plant a commercial 

 •orchard, in ten years Missouri would be the richest State in the Union. * 



Tnos. Luke. 



REPORT ON ORCHARDS. 



Butler, Mo., June 6, 1892. 

 To the Officers ond Members of the Missouri State Horticultural Society : 



Business engagements preventing my attendance at the meeting, I send my 

 best wishes, and as a member of the Committee on Orchards, submit the following 

 report : 



The condition of orchards in a general sense in this part of the State is very 

 good, but the fruit crop will be light. The trees almost universally showed a full, 

 strong healthy bloom and gave promise of a large crop, but the excessive cold 

 rains and high winds, with unseasonable cool weather, so interfered with fertiliza- 

 tion that most of the fruit has dropped. A very hard and long-continued wind from 

 the northwest, while the leaves were young and tender, so bruised and battered 

 the foliage on the northwest side of the trees that they yet look as though a tire 

 had been through that side of the tree : and as the north side of the apple tree in 

 this climate is usually the most fruitful, that alone cuts quite a figure in the crop. 

 Scab has appeared to some extent, but not serious ; the present prospect is for 

 from a third to a half crop of good apples. Peaches will be scarce— mostly seed- 

 lings. Fears scarce. Plums part of a crop. On the whole the fruit prospect is 

 anything but flattering. There was not as much tree-planting done last spring as 

 was done last year, on account of the continued wet weather, but I do not know 

 of any branch of agriculture but has suffered, and perhaps we horticulturists 

 are as well off as others, if some of our bright hopes have failed of fruition. 



Kespectfully submitted. 



Henry Speer. 



PRUNING THE APPLE TREE. 



Mr. President and Metnbers of the Missouri State Horticultural Society : 



1 cheerfully comply with our secretary's request to write this paper. Though 

 so much has been written year after year, to get complete information of when and 

 how to prune, it has long puzzled fruit-growers more than any other one thing 

 connected with horticulture, because of the tendency of horticulturists to go to 

 extremes. One of these is the idea that nature knows how to prune, and will do 

 all that is necessary and at the right time. As well say that our fathers ought to 

 have been satisfied with the first seedling apple, and that we should let our trees 

 grow in grass and weeds and let nature care for them altogether. Others neglect 

 to prune an orchard for some years, and then pruning severely is very injurious. 

 If trees are properly trained while young and sprouts or suckers rubbed oft' once or 

 twice each summer, it will obviate a great deal of after-pruning. Some of you 

 may wish to know if I put my ideas and advice into practice, and if my orchard 

 gives evidence. All trees planted, cultivated and pruned as described for the past 

 ten years, I am pleased to show the visitor, both trees and fruit. But lam 

 ashamed to show ray old orchard, which was sadly neglected, and has not paid me 

 for the little care I gave it. 



