318 MISSOURI STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



they are very good for sour sorts and do extremely well here, hardly 

 •ever failing to bring a full crop of perfect fruit. 



The Wild Goose Plum is king here ; it is very fine for its class, and 

 the trees generally bear so full that they have to be propped to keep 

 from breaking, and produce immense crops of perfect and excellent 

 plums. The Miner is generally considered very good, and the best late 

 plum. The Weaver, DeSoto and several other late sorts of same class 

 do not do well here every season, on account of drouth and heat. 

 The different sorts of Damsons do well occasionally, but by spraying 

 to destroy or drive off the curculio the most of the blue plums can be 

 raised almost every year. We are trying the Simonii, a Northern 

 Chinese plum, (it is very large and fine, but so far it is a shy bearer). 

 W T e are also trying several Japanese and Russian sorts that are very 

 hardy in tree, but are not yet tested as to fruit or productiveness here. 

 There are several acres in plums here, and a great deal of fruit is 

 shipped into the Northern States. 



Grapes are grown only for family use, but little wine is made and 

 what is made is on a small scale for family or home use. The Concord 

 is the principal sort grown, although there are many other sorts that 

 do well. Moore's Early is very fine in appearance and does well. 

 Pocklington, Perkin's Elmira, are very hardy white sorts. All are sub- 

 ject to the rot and it seems that training and high trellis and "sacking" 

 is the only way to success. 



Blackberries do well generally, especially if they are not given too 

 high culture, as I think manuring and too much cultivation tends to 

 make tender and to cause the rust. The Kittatinny is generally con- 

 sidered the finest sort. It is not as productive as Snyder, yet its fine 

 quality and size makes it desireable as a market sort; it has not been 

 killed by freezing but two winters in twenty years that I have grown 

 it here. I am testing a new seedling that is very fine and promising ; 

 it begins to ripen about July 4 and continues until after the middle of 

 August. There are about four acres of blackberries in this county 

 grown for market. 



The raspberry does well here. The Doolittle and Souhegan are 

 grown mostly for early fruit. The main crop in black caps are Gregg 

 and Mammoth Cluster; for red sorts, the Turner and Cuthbert. The 

 Gregg and Cuthbert are best for market. 



Our soil and climate seem to be especially adapted to the success- 

 ful growing of the strawberry ; with a very little care they produce im- 

 mense crops of very fine fruit; we generally feel safe in expecting at 

 least 100 bushels to the acre in rough field culture. We grow a great 

 many sorts, but I think the Chas. Downing and Crescent Seedling are 



