\ 



Annual Meetiiig at St. Joseph. 89 



the exact state or condition of tilings in other portions of the state, 



and am only sawing off this report in length to suit my own I07 



cality. 



Respectfully suhmitted, 



W. G. GANG, 



Parkville, Mo. 



REPORT OF D. S. HOLMAN. 



Speingfield, Mu., Dec. 1, 1884. 

 Missouri Hoeticultural Society, 



Gentlemen : — As required by your Secretary, and requested by 

 the Chairman of the committee on orchards, I hereby report briefly 

 from Southwest Missouri. 



Our people are but just learning, after many years experience 

 with wheat, corn and other grains, that the Ozark Mountain range 

 of rich, and in many portions stony, soil, is caj)able of yielding 

 more money in return for less labor on the same, or even less num- 

 ber of acres planted in fruit trees, and more particularly 

 apples. Hence in the last ten or fifteen years many have planted 

 more or less of their lands to orchards. This has been done largely 

 by a few. These orchards have been j^lanted by no specific rule — 

 every man planting where he thought he wanted his orchard — some 

 planted all-they could pay for, some planted more. While some 

 have planted most of those varieties they have known and eaten 

 with most pleasure since they were boys — others have planted for 

 profit ; that which they thought would give them the necessary 

 money. Some have thus planted wisely. Some even of this last 

 class otherwisely. 



' The last few years of our experience and observation in South- 

 west Missouri on this orchard subject has taught us that the first, 

 and a very hurtful error in planting, has been the want of careful 

 sele'ction of a suitable situation for the orchard, with soil to suit 

 of course, suitable altitude, slope or exposure and general surround- 

 ings. The result of this has cooled the ardor of many of the most 

 zealous and most reckless planters. For instance a very worthy 

 citizen, who knows more of law than horticulture, planted 635 

 apple trees in the very best bottom land he possessed, pushed them 

 forward rapidly with the plow, and rejoiced in their wonderful 



