Winter Meeting. 267 



iinxious to visit other localities, I went to West Plains, Howell county, 

 over the Memphis line. At this point I found some good fruit from 

 voung orchards, but in the older orchards the bitter rot had swept the 

 fruii, not only at West Plains, but had been very destructive in the 

 extreme southern portion of the state, appearing to be more destructive 

 on the southern slope of the Ozark range, and the fruit buyer had turned 

 his back on the se<3tions where this dreaded disease, the bitter rot, pre- 

 vailed to such an extent. Also the root rot causing the trees to die out 

 at an alarming extent, which is very discouraging indeed to the fruit 

 growers, as there are more and larger commercial orchards in this 

 localitv than anv other in the state, but like other localities visited, 

 the commercial orchards of any large extent were very unprofitable. 



Here is certainly a very important field for our experiment sta- 

 tions to do some very vigorous and important work, which should be 

 taken up immediately. As I remarked at the farmers' institute meet- 

 ing at Mountain Grove, which was : If these two great calamities, the 

 bitter rot of our fruit, the root rot of our trees, can be exterminated or 

 prevented or even lessened it means hundreds of thousands of dollars 

 to the state of Missouri. In south Missouri I think those two diseases 

 are to be dreaded more than all other diseases or hindrances combined, 

 for with these the fruit grower is at sea without rudder or sail. 



At West Plains I procured thirty-five barrels, principally Ben 

 Davis. Mr. A. J. Gardener, of the Gardener Fruit Farm, furnished 

 two barrels, one of York and one of Clavton, which were fine. G. L. 

 Sessen one box of Maixmioth Black Twig; Theodore Boss one box of 

 varieties. The remainder were purchased and credit cards attached. 



At Mountain Grove, Wright county, I procured one-half peck of 

 Ben Davis from W. J. Bailey, as the crop had been about all shipped 

 out before annving there. There had been nearly forty cars shipped 

 from this point. 



At Sevmour, Webster county, I procured three barrels — one 

 barrel of varieties from Webster County Horticultural Society: one 

 box of Ben Davis from W. J. Xelson and two barrels purchased. 



All this fruit, each s]>ecimen, was double wrapped, first in tissue 

 paper then in a hard parchment paper which was furnishe<l bv the 



