DEPARTMENT REPORTS. 43 



can be thoroughly settled and reseeded. The lawns in front of the professors' 

 houses, and that in front of Wells Hall and about the college building and 

 greenhouse, have been kept mown once a week until the dry weather in 

 September, and have looked in very good condition. 



The location of the fountain, presented by the senior class, near the green- 

 house, will necessitate some changes in the lawn and group of trees near by, 

 and the trimming of trees, and opening of vistas, to give a view of the foun- 

 tain from other parts of the grounds, which will be carried out early the com- 

 ing season. 



The grounds are kept in order by students, and with the great extent of 

 lawn to maintain, and the drives and walks to keep in order, it makes a very 

 heavy tax upon the department for labor. The balance against the depart- 

 ment is owing largely to this work, and to various extra work in clearing up 

 about the halls, drawing away rubbish left from making repairs about the 

 buildings, and in putting on new roofs, etc. 



The vegetable garden was continued in the same location as heretofore, and 

 with the same general plan. Quite a large addition was made to the planta- 

 tion of strawberries and raspberries. The west half of the southwest square 

 was seeded to clover, for the purpose of green manuring. The excessive rains 

 of the early part of the season, followed by the severe drouth of August and 

 September, rendered many things of the garden an entire failure. This was 

 true of the beans and squashes, the cucumbers and melons, and to a great 

 extent, of the later planted corn and potatoes. The strawberries and rasp- 

 berries produced a good crop. The blackberries and the blackcap raspberries 

 have been entirely destroyed by the yellow rust. 



The apple orchard has done very poorly. I have watched it carefully during 

 the season to discover its needs. Tlae trees have made a very small growth, 

 and many of them are suffering from the effects of the cold winters of a num- 

 ber of years ago — being more or less rotten, and some of them dying annually. 

 The fruit has been small and scabby. The whole orchard needs plowing, prun- 

 ing, and fertilizing thoroughly for a series of years, to bring it into good, con- 

 dition. Many of the trees are too old and feeble to ever be of any use. If there 

 was any available ground upon the college farm, suitable for such a purpose, 

 I should recommend the setting of a new apple orchard. It is certainly 

 needed as a means of illustration. 



The pear orchard has made a very fine growth, and there have been no signs 

 of blight, or other disease. Some of the older trees are budded very full for 

 blossoming next year. I fear the early frost may have injured some of the 

 trees, as they were still quite green the 9th of September. 



The Duke and Morello cherries and the plums are doing fairly well, 

 although the birds help themselves liberally to the former, and the curculio 

 does an abundant thinning of the latter. The Heart cherries are nearly an 

 entire failure here. 



The vineyard near the observatory has made a good growth, and is ready to 

 bear a crop of fruit next year. The soil is exceedingly tenacious however, 

 and in seasons like the present, it is impossible to make a good showing. The 

 vineyard upon the terraces near Wells Hall has made an excellent growth, and 

 is ready for a large crop of fruit next year. There was a fair crop of fruit 

 in both vineyards the present season, but the killing frost of Setember 9th, 

 destroyed the whole of it. I shall have both vineyards pruned and the vines 

 laid down for the winter. 



