WINTER MEETINGS. 379 



rusts, mildews, blights, bacteria and fungi of all kinds, and know how 

 to do it properly; to pack judiciously, sell correctly, to increase the 

 love for home and yard-planting, to beautify our lawns, to shade our 

 highways, to plant our parks and cemeteries, to lay out drives and 

 . boulevards and parks, to increase the value of our green-houses, and 

 the use of plants in our houses, our yards, our parks, to know how 

 best to grow these for the great public; to grow better vegetables in 

 our hot-beds, in our gardens, to improve what we have and grow new 

 varieties, to propagate correctly all our fruit and oroamental trees in 

 our great nurseries, and to give them to the people in good condition: 

 above all, to breed new fruits and hardy ones as we do our cattle, to 

 feed our trees, as we do our hogs, for a certain purpose, and then to 

 learn to be sure of results of crosses and hybridizing, and we will 

 have enough to keep us busy. 



The fruit crop of the year has not been one to delight the hearts 

 of the fruit-growers. Thousands of young orchards six, seven or 

 eight years old have had no fruit, while their owners were so seri- 

 ously wishing that they would only bear this year. But the epidemic 

 of fruit-blasting was so general all over our country that we cannot 

 complain. Like the general spread of the " epizootic " or the " grippe," 

 it has spread over our land, and it is only the exception that we find 

 an orchard bearing well anywhere' in the western country. 



The apple crop fell lower the past year than at any time to our 

 knowledge in 25 years — not more than 10 per cent of a crop from the 

 State as a whole. 



The peach in the central and northern part of the State has been 

 one of limit only by the trees. Wherever we found a good, healthy 

 young peach orchard, there we found the trees loaded, but in the south 

 and west of the Slate, where the orchards are numerous, there the 

 spring blast destroyed them. The State gave 30 per cent of a peach 

 crop only. 



The cherry and plum crops are in the same list, and 33 per cent is 

 the limit. 



The pear, like the apple, will run down as low as 20 per cent. 



The grape has been an abundant and perfect crop ; in fact, no year 

 has seen a better, and where well-managed and cared for, they have 

 returned money to the owner. 



The blackberry was also a very abundant and perfect crop, and 

 returned their owners dollars for their care. 



The raspberry and strawberry can only be reported as a half crop, 

 and yet prices have been well maintained and paid well. 



