206 ANNUAL REPORT 



REPORT OFF. H. S. DARTT, DELEGATE TO IOWA. 



Mr. President and Members : 



In accordance with your expressed wish, I attended the meeting 

 of the Iowa Horticultural Society, held at Dubuque. As your rep- 

 resentative I was cordially received and made an honorary member. 



A yery interesting program was presented, consisting of reports 

 from the twelve fruit districts into which the state is divided, in- 

 terspersed with valuable papers and discussions on various topics. 



These reports show a light crop of fruit over the state with a few 

 exceptions, mostly in central and southern sections. The failure 

 is generally attributed to severe frosts late in May. 



Fruit lists are revised biennially, and this not being the year for 

 revision, but little was said about varieties. 



The Crescent seedling strawberry and the Snyder blackberry 

 seem to be at the head of their respective lists. 



Our Wealthy is not much in favor in southern sections, as they 

 have many varieties of equal quality that are better keepers. But 

 towards the north it has warm friends. I heard but one adverse 

 criticism. 



In the culture of grapes what is called the pole system had a de- 

 cided majority of advocates. And spring pruning was not deemed 

 injurious, it being claimed that what is called bleeding is only a 

 flow of clear water and that its escape does no harm. 



Under forestry discussions our Scotch pme was regarded as an 

 inferior timber tree, becoming dwarfed and scrubby with age. 

 Prof. Budd mentioned the Rega pine as a suitable substitute. The 

 Catalpa received very favorable consideration. 



The matter of off years in the bearing of orchards and the appli- 

 cation of manure were quite fully discussed without a very defi- 

 nite settlement of these questions. 



Off years seem to be the rule in Iowa, and in nearly every 

 instance where exceptions were noted there had been application 

 of manure either direct or by using the orchard as a feeding lot 

 for stock. 



This discussion indicates that while the judicious application 

 of manure to bearing orchards is advisable as tending to produce 



