THE JUNE MEETING. 279 



had a droutli lasting to last Saturday. Apples and pears will be an average 

 crop. I cover my grapes all winter. Those who did not have suffered greatly. 

 Mr. Chamberlain. — I omitted pears from my report. It is a very large crop 

 in St. Joseph this year. 



KENT COUNTY. 



Mr. Jas. D. Husted. — The coldest day noticed last winter, December 2i, mer- 

 cury stood 24° below zero at S a. m. This extreme cold temperature, followed 

 as it was by several periods of long continued cold, had the effect of drying out 

 as well as freezing out the vital forces of the trees. All feeble trees injured. 

 The cool damp spring weather following, especially during the month of May, 

 aided to conceal, and in some degree to mitigate the effects of winter. 



The continued dry, hot weather of the present month has developed most of 

 the evil effects of the past winter's extreme cold, and enables fruit growers to 

 understand more correctly the true condition of their orchards. Apple orchards 

 on favorable situations and soils are but slightly injured, and will produce two- 

 thirds of a crop of fruit. Several varieties that bore heavy crops last year, 

 although blossoming and setting full, dropped most of the young fruit. Many 

 apple orchards standing in valleys or bottom lands, on light, thin soils, or where 

 from any cause a late unripened growth of wood was made, are more or less 

 injured by winter, especially those varieties not strictly hardy, and will not on 

 an average produce more than half a crop of apples. Among the varieties that 

 proved quite generally hardy are : Golden Kusset, Northern Spy, Talmau Sweet, 

 Wagener, Ked Astrachan, Keswick Codlin, Duchess Oldenburg. 



Fears. — The same remarks will apply to pear orchards, except we cannot yet 

 so fully determine the amount of damage by the severe freezing, for blight will 

 follow to some extent and show itself through this month and next. The hardy 

 varieties of the pear are not so clearly defined as with the apple. The Vicar and 

 Burre CMaigeass are the most injured, and Bartlett and Clapp's Favorite, are as 

 hardy and more productive than Flemish Beauty. On the whole, pear culture, 

 both with dwarfs and standards, looks to me encouraging. 



Peaches. — Frozen back to some extent; none lost, but cutting back the tops 

 one third has caused a healthy growth of leaves through the body of the tree, 

 though these are producing no fruit, while other orchards, not cut back, are 

 many of them bearing a thin crop of fruit. The most hardy varieties are Hale's 

 Early, Hill's Chili, Old Mixon-Cling. The next in rank are Barnard, Craw- 

 ford's Early, and Late. The Old Mixon-Free we have not in bearing. 



Plums — Plum trees are injured as severely as peach. The hardiest are: 

 Lojabard, Eed Egg, Seedling, — not named, — and Canada Egg. These varieties 

 are bearing a half crop, — other varieties a few scattering fruits. Curculios 

 destroyed in seven jarrings, extending over a period of fourteen days. 



Cherries — Of the sweet varieties, the trees are injured to some extent by 

 winter; but these are bearing better and larger crops than the Dukes and 

 Morrellos, while many large trees of the later varieties are injured by winter, 

 and without fruit. 



Grapes — Concord comes through winter the only variety uninjured; growth 

 healthy, and is worth, to the mass of cultivators, all the other proved varieties 

 combined. All other good varieties are either killed or badly injured to the 

 snow line, while the branches lying on the ground during the winter, and pro- 

 tected by snow, are vigorous and fruitful, — another proof that some sort of 

 covering for the grape vine through winter is needed, and this plan, put in 



