214 Missouri State Horticultural Society. 



work and in further efforts, will be as surely requisite for success as 

 dollars and cents, even though for the moment it may have no 

 commercial value. 



When I said before that various causes combined to make the 

 year 1884 an unfavorable one for the grape, I had reference firsf 

 to the extremely vigorous winter of 1883-84, when the thermome- 

 ter in many places went to twenty-five and even thirty degrees 

 below zero. This intense cold was the first hard blow the grape 

 received this year, and which seriously injured all but the most 

 hardy and ironclad varieties. In my communication of June 9th, 

 for our summer meeting, I reported the efl'ect which it had on a 

 large number of kinds. Second. The spring was very backward, 

 cold and wet, followed by unfavorable weatlier, heavy rains at the 

 time of bloom and hail storms in many parts of the state. The 

 temperature toward the end of June and beginning of July was 

 extremely variable, hot mucky days, followed by cold wet weather, 

 and again by intense heat, with a heavy damp atmosphere. It is 

 not surprising that such weather developed rot and mildew to an 

 unusual extent and caused serious injury to such fruit as had escaped 

 the rigor of the winter. With such a winter, followed by such a 

 season as we had in our sectioii of the state, it is not a wonder that 

 we had such a light crop of grapes ; but it seems to me a wonder 

 that we had as many grapes as we did have, in fact that we had 

 any grapes at all, and the vines that Avithstood all this strain with- 

 out total failure deserve especial attention and credit, and I ,will 

 now attempt a brief re2)ort on the most important of these var- 

 ieties. 



To facilitate this review I will make tAvo groups of them : the 

 first comprising those which have suSered comparatively little, and 

 considering the circumstances, may be said to have done fairly 

 well. The second comprising those which suffered more seriously 

 but still gave a partial crop. 



It will be difficult with some kinds to assign them their 

 correct place in either of these respective lists and to draw the lines 

 exactly. My notes are based more particularly on our experience 

 at our Bushberg vineyards, and may conflict with the results 

 obtained in other parts of the state. For this due allowance will 

 have to be made and I would only be glad if my remarks should 

 lead to a comparison of notes in this respect. 



I would further remark that if many varieties, and especially 

 new kinds should not appear in either of my two lists, it must not 

 be inferred that all kinds not mentioned were total failures. To go 



