250 



generally good. Increasing attention is paid to fruit culture in some 

 portions of this State. It is stated that in Wyoming County *' millions 

 of fruit-trees and vines have been set out within the past fifteen years, 

 and all are loaded with bloom and set with fruit." Fruit-culture is also 

 attracting much attention throughout the South. 



Apples. — The States reporting condition, average, or above, are as 

 follows : Maine, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Texas, 101 ; Rhode Island, 

 Kew York, Minnesota, 103 ; Vermont, Illinois, Wisconsin, 104 ; Iowa, 

 California, 105 ; Pennsylvania, Missouri, Nebra^ska, 106 ; Michigan, 107 ; 

 ifew Jersey, 111; Massachusetts, Kansas, 118 ; Connecticut, 119. Those 

 below average : Virginia, 59 ; Mississippi, 67 ; Louisiana, 75 ; North 

 Carolina, 76 ; Georgia, 82 ; Alabama, 83 ; Delaware, 88 ; Tennessee, 90 ; 

 Maryland, 92 ; Arkansas, West Virginia, 96^ South Carolina, 97. 



There is some complaint of injuries of insects in different portions of 

 the country. " Caterpillars are more numerous than ever " in New 

 London County, Connecticut, and very abundant in other sections of 

 New England, and the pest is reported " in countless millions " in Eip- 

 ley, Ind. In Decatur, Iowa, '■' the leaf-roller has taken nearly half the 

 apples." The ravages of the measuring-worm are also reported. In 

 Montgomery, Ala., a blight similar to that aftecting pear-trees is inju- 

 rious to apple-trees. 



Peaches. — The eastern i)each -growing regions do not i)resent very 

 favorable reports of condition. The average for Delaware is but 60 ; 

 that of Maryland, 61 ; and New Jersey is placed at 80. Mild weather 

 in winter advanced the buds, and late frosts and sleets brought much 

 injury throughout this belt. A report from Kent, JMaryland, after the 

 great April frost, stated that peaches would be abundant; but ten days 

 later, after the occurrence of further frosts, our correspondent wrote 

 that there would scarcely be a fourth of a croji — a full crop of Hale's 

 Early, but scarcely any of Crawford's Early or Crawford's Late. Hale's 

 Early has also measurably escaped in Caroline and Queen Anne. A 

 similar injury of late frosts is reported from AAlcomico and other peach 

 counties. The reports concerning tbc Michigan peach-region are favor- 

 able, and the average for each of the States west of the Ohio is not less 

 than 100. The Middle States, (excepting Pennsylvania,) Ohio, and all 

 the Southern States east of the Mis-sissippi, will have a comparatively 

 small production this season. The destruction was caused by frost and 

 hail. The storm of the 29t]i of April, which was of snow as far south as 

 Washington and throughout the plateaus of the South, was peculiarly 

 destructive to young fruit or its germs. A i)ortiou of Indiana and Illi- 

 nois report excellent prospects. It is reported from Jasper County, Mis- 

 souri, that seedlings are a failure, while budded trees bear half a crop. 

 In orchards of Bourbon, Linn, and Wilson, Kansas, the leaf is curling 

 and the fruit drojiping. The past winter has proved very destructive to 

 peach-trees in Orosfou, especially those growing on a good soil, highly 

 cultivated, and still worse on lauds irrigated late in the season. In 

 some localities in California the crop will be reduced by the effects of 

 curled leaf and mildew. 



Peabs.— The condition of the pear-crop is below average in nearly all 

 the States east of the Mississippi, the principal exceptions being South- 

 ern New England, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The bloom was 

 abundant, but frosts proved very destructive. In Queen Anne, Mary- 

 land, " all are gone except some Seckels and Duchesses." In Anderson, 

 Kentucky, "a'large part dropped off." In Montcalm, Michigan, "the 

 trees are'abont all dead, the effect of the winter of 1872-'73''— a state- 

 ment which is made elsewhere relative to peaches as well as pears. la 



