64 MISSOURI STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The show of strawberries was excellent. The flowers were of many 

 kinds and in great perfection, and were tastily arranged in boquets r 

 floral designs and groupings. The roses were unusually perfect. The 

 papers were well received. 



THE FRUIT CROP FOR 1889. 



The fruit-bearing wood and the buds that were to be blossoms had 

 been left by a mild winter in best condition for a season's producing. 

 Except that the ground was too dry, nothing seemed to be lacking up 

 till Saturday, April 27. At that date all blooming was at least a week 

 ahead of average time, and impregnation had gone on well, The after- 

 noon of that day, a moderate wind from tbe northwest brought an air 

 that was too cool and with too much moisture in it. For seven days 

 the wind kept the same, course and it grew slightly cooler each day. 

 The mornings of May 2 and 3 showed slight frosts, but nothing was in- 

 jured by the frost itself. For the seven days efficient impregnation was 

 impossible. Saturday, May 4, was a better day, but about the middle 

 of the day on the 5th the wind that had changed to the south became a 

 gale. On the 6th the gale continued and became very warm by noon. 

 On the 7th there was only a strong wind, and a sprinkling of rain fell. 

 On the 8th impregnation began again in earnest and continued without 

 further interruption. On the 12th we had a good quiet rain. The earth 

 and the air were well moistened, and the trees once more were able to 

 circulate a sufficient quantity of sap, and soon*the new-formed fruits 

 stopped dropping off. 



The effect of all this upon the fruit crop may be briefed by saying 

 that all that was impregnated before April 27, on May 4 or after May 

 8, and that was not cast by the drying winds and lack of sap, has done 

 well. Everything that was impregnated after the rains came will pro- 

 duce a heavy crop. Grapes, berries, all will be loaded. Apples will 

 bear about 20 per cent of a full crop — worst hurt of all. Cherries a full 

 crop. The lesson is, no impregnation, no fruit, and, other conditions- 

 being favorable, as is the impregnation so will the crop be. 



EXISTING FACTS 



Seem to strengthen the opinion that it is necessary to plant different 

 varieties of plums among each other. In at least five plum orchards 

 where the varieties stand mixed — one an orchard of several acres and 

 perhaps twelve hundred trees of perhaps twenty varieties — and each 

 and all seem again this year to indicate that the measure of success in 

 producing plums is to depend largely on knowing what varieties to set 

 among each other to secure mutual impregnation, or what is to be set 



