SUMMER MEETING AT BROOKFIELD. 13 



passes away, and this will continue till all the trees that were affected have passed 

 away ; but in the meantime a great many new orchards are being planted and better 

 care given those already in bearing, so that the outlook for the future is promising 

 in this part of Missouri. We are very slowly learning the lesson that a few varie- 

 ties adapted to our location and market are paying, while all others are planted at 

 a loss and are only a discouragement to the average planter. Who ever heard of a 

 man in Southwest Missouri that had planted largely of Ben Davis, Jonathan and 

 Willow Twig on good apple tree soil, and had given them proper care, complaining 

 that apples don't pay? It is the men who have from twenty-five to a hundred trees 

 of almost as many varieties (and those left to care for themselves), that make the 

 complaints 



The fruit outlook is not so good in this section as we might desire. The peach 

 trees are as a rule very full, and the prospect for a crop of peaches on the trees that 

 are in bearing condition is very flattering ; but the peach business has been so dis- 

 couraging of late years that the orchards are not very numerous, and most of them 

 in rather poor condition. The apple trees bloomed very full this spring as a rule, 

 and the fruit appeared to set well, but from some cause it soon fell off, till at the 

 present time I should regard fifty per cent of a crop as a high estimate on the apple 

 crop this year As to varieties, I see no good reason to change the recommenda- 

 tions that have been made in our former reports, but rather give them more force. 

 The scab is affecting some varieties very seriously ; in my own orchard the Jonathan 

 has suffered badly, though it is not generally subject to it. The disease, which for 

 want of a better name I call the black scab, did considerable damage last season, 

 and appears to be on the increase. I sent specimens of it the department at Wash- 

 ington, and they answered me that it was something new to them, but they would 

 give it a thorough examination and report. Plums in this locality are almost a 

 failure, cherries a full crop and pears a fair crop. 



Respectfully submitted. 



HENRY SPEER, 



SrRAGUE, Mo., May 29, 1889. 

 Mr. L. A. Goodman, Westport, Mo.: 



Dear Sir — In looking over the wreck made by the clyclone that passed through 

 my neighborhood two years ago, I noticed that none of the roots of the apple trees 

 that were blown out seemed to extend downward far enough to reach either below 

 the winter's frost or the summer's drouth, but were as fiat on the bottom as if grown 

 upon solid rock; and comparing the apparent short life of the apple tree of to-day 

 with the ripe old age of those of forty or fifty years ago — to one who knows that the 

 old-timer was grown upon whole roots, grafted in the nursery row, and remembers 

 what a deal of argument the nurseryman used to convince the planter that the tap- 

 root was of no more use to the tree than the tail of the tadpole to the frog ; never 

 having been one of the convinced, 1 refer your society to the subject, thinking that 

 if again turned loose, there may be something said that may be of some benefit to 

 all. There are a few here who believe that a tap-root would be a most needful help 

 to a Bates county apple tree. In my report of a few days ago, I believe made a 

 small error as to Crawford's; should have made Crawford's Early one-fourth crop 

 — reverse and all is right. Respectfully, etc., 



S. R. McCONN. 



