REPORTS OF COUNTY SOCIETIES. 343 



When not killed by a severe winter, peaches do splendid here. In 

 putting out our peach orchard, we carefully selected varieties that 

 would succeed each other in the time of ripening - , so as to lengthen 

 the peach season as long as possible. We have picked our first peaches 

 from the Alexander trees on the 20th of June, and almost constantly 

 had ripe peaches from that date to the middle of October. Thus 

 making the peach season last fully one-third of the year. 



This year we found the early peaches did not sell so well as the 

 late ones. We sold Crawford's readily at a dollar per bushel. The 

 early market was completely glutted. Almost any variety of peach 

 will bear well here in a favorable year. 



We have paid but little attention to plums. What few trees we 

 have are the Miner and Wild Goose. They both do well, though the 

 Wild Goose is decidedly the best. I understand the Damson does 

 well in some orchards; can say nothing about it from experience. 



When we put out an apple orchard some years ago, we knew but 

 little about varieties. We took care to divide selections between sum- 

 mer, fall and winter apples. As some of the trees in the orchard were 

 destroyed by borers, we were more careful in selecting varieties to suc- 

 ceed them. Many of our apples we do not know the names of to-day. 



The Winesap, Northern Spy, Missouri Pippin and Ben Davis are 

 among favorite varieties. 



A family apple orchard is a most desirable thing on a farm ; but we 

 do not consider a large apple orchard profitable. 



All things considered, the soil and climate of Cole county are well 

 adapted to the cultivation of fruit generally. 



Fred Yost. 



CHRISTIAN COUNTY. 



Mr. L. A. Goodman, Secretary of Horticultural Society of Mo. : 



Dear Sir : As there is no organized society in Christian county, 

 and as I have an interest in fruit-growing, I will try to give you the 

 things I have learned in this part of the State, having been a resident 

 here for forty-five years. 



When I first came here we had good crops of fruit on peaches, 

 grapes and plums, and we could gather without laboring for the same. 

 Apples where they were planted did well. But now we have to con- 

 tend with various insects which were not here forty years ago ; and 

 from 1840 to 1860 we had but few failures to raise good crops of fruit ; 

 but from 1861 to 1887 we have failed on peaches two thirds of 



