226 MISSOURI STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Wright City, Mo., November 23, 1889. 



L. A. Goodman, Esq. : 



Your favor of the 11th is before us, requesting a report from us 

 on Warren county. As our attendance at the annual meeting is uncer- 

 tain, we will at least give a report: 



Warren county has no organized horticultural society. The nat- 

 ural adaptation of our county to horticulture on account of soil, alti- 

 tude, etc., is not well enough known yet. Our county can boast of as 

 good and perfect fruit in size and quality ; in fact fruit we might say of 

 every description grows to perfection here. Bead what the American 

 Farm News, published at Akron, Ohio, has to say about our county as 

 to fruit-growing: 



We have in the office of the American Farm News an apple weighing, when 

 picked, 28J ounces, and measuring 16 inches in circumference. We desire to ask 

 our farmer friends if they can match or outdo this, and ask them to write us of their 

 investigation. It was given to Frank Peifsnider of the Farm News by deputy 

 sheriff G. W. Leak, of Warren county, Missouri. A number of pears weighed 1J 

 pounds, while peaches and berries were in abundance during the season, and of ex- 

 cellent quality. The beautiful picture of orchards loaded with elegant apples that 

 would rival for magnificence a Florida orange grove or a California vineyard, were 

 a marvel to behold. We doubt if any State in the Union is better adapted to fruit- 

 growing than Missouri, or if any county in the State can beat Warren county for 

 quality. 



So far there was but little interest taken in fruitgrowing, and the 

 greater portion of our orchards in our county are neglected and not 

 cultivated, nor taken care of. At the present low prices of grain and 

 live stock, the people are beginning to understand that fruit-growing 

 pays better. There is a good opening now for energetic fruitgrowers 

 here, as there are many farms here that can be bought at a reasonably 

 low price, well adapted to grow the choicest fruit. We will give, as 

 nearly as we could collect, amounts of apples shipped this season, raised 

 in our county : Warrenton, 1,0G0 barrels ; Wright City, 3,710. Varieties 

 of apples which are the most productive and profitable are, Maiden 

 Blush, Jonathan, Ben Davis, Willow Twig, Rome Beauty, Grimes' Gol- 

 den. Pears bear regularly every year. Bartlett, Duchess, Seckel and 

 Keiffer succeed well. Of peaches we had a full crop this year, and 

 obtained good prices. Amsden, Early Crawford, Late Crawford and 

 Old Mixon did well. 



Plums had an off-year this year. Wild Goose and Damson did 

 best. Cherries never fail— Early Richmond, English Morello, Late 

 Duke, Rene .Hortense, Sappington and Napoleon. Grapes — Moore's 

 Early, Concord and Pocklington. Strawberries— Old Iron Clad, Cres- 

 cent, May King, Jessie and Sharpless, did very well with us. Rasp- 



