ANNUAL MEETING AT NEVADA, ' 199 



growth on the apple, which I, for want of a better name, call the Black 

 Scab, is spreading and extending its area, and appearing on varieties 

 which I had not before noticed to be attacked. The Missouri Pippin and 

 Dominie seem to be peculiarly subject to its ravages, and I fear it will 

 give the orchardists trouble. 



REPORT ON ORCHARDS FOR 1888. 



BY CHAS. PATTERSON, KIRKSVILLE, MO. 



^ • 



Last year, most of our orchards were entirely barren, but this year 

 has fully made the average good. In fact, we do not remember ever 

 having as good a crop of apples, especially when we consider that they 

 were proximately free from worms, and had very little scab. I have not 

 the least doubt, but we could have made as good an exhibit at St. Louis 

 as any county in the state, it the proper efforts had been made to collect 

 it, for I have found specimens of different varieties as large as any I 

 measured and recorded at New Orleans. 



Thanks to some of our merchants, who hustled around and found 

 some market for them, the great .surplus has mostly gone to less favor- 

 ed regons, at prices probably as good as the average, leaving quite a little 

 income to many of our farmers, which they had scarcely dared to calcu- 

 late until gathering time, while I have made up something like over six 

 thousand bushels into cider. 



And to all appearances, the trees are in as good condition for an- 

 other crop as we usually see them, as the season has been very favorable 

 for tree-growth, as well as the development of the fruit. But, consid- 

 ing the universal sod-bound conditon of the roots, it would surely re- 

 quire the next season to be as good as this to produce even half so much. 

 Neverless, it is generally the unexpected that happens, and I feel less and 

 less confident of anything. 



