MISSOURI STATIC HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



will have more than paid for themselves by that time in fruit, besides the 

 protection they will be to the other trees in breaking the wind. 



Our peach orchards are nearly all gone. What few young orchards 

 there arc, look well as to the trees, but the fruit is )ion est — will have to 

 go further south for peaches. Plums are a very light crop; pears very 

 good where there are any trees; cherries nearly a half crop. 



REPORT OF WM. McCRAY, OF CO'A'GILL, CALDWEI.I, COUNTY, MO. 



Please find inclosed herewith my report from this locality, which is 

 made according to the best of my knowledge. Our oldest orchards here 

 are gradually dying out and there are not many new orchards being 

 planted, or not enough to meet the demand of our increasing population 

 which will probably be here in the next twenty-five years. Neglect of 

 our orchards and the constant depredations of hundreds of insect 

 enemies, from the apple tree borer down to millions of microscopic 

 fungi that we little suspect, are harming our orchards ; and in addition 

 to these pests the great Northwestern blizzards come with their 

 dreadful cold, wintry blasts and freeze many of our apple trees to 

 death. They likely rupture or injure the sap vessels of the trees so 

 much that the proper circulation of the sap of the trees is hindered or 

 destroyed so much that the proper chemical elements, such as lim.e, pot- 

 ash, etc., which are so necessary for the life of the trees can not be car- 

 ried into the trees on account of the ruptured condition of the sap ves- 

 sels of the trees, while perhaps millions of fungus aniinalculae inhabit 

 the ruptured sap vessels of the trees and complet their work of destruc- 

 tion ; or the vitality of the trees may be destroyed by over-bearing or a 

 lack of several or even one of the chemical substances which is certainly 

 necessary for the life of the tree. 



