NEBRASKA 



thorough, continuous cultivation becomes Imperative, 

 thouj?ti iu the river counties some measure of success 

 may he attained without it. In varieties the Ben Davis 

 leads all others for market purposes. It is a large apple 

 which yields well, colors well, keeps well and ships well. 

 Thus far it has always sold well in market, notwith- 

 standing its poor quality. It is, therefore, the Nebraska 

 apple which far out-distances all competitors. Other 

 varieties of prominence are Wiuesap, Janet, Wealthy, 

 Grimes, and Jonathan. Duchess is the leading summer 

 apple. 



In the 100-acre orchard of E. T. Hartley, Lincoln, 

 lath screens are used to protect the trunks from the 

 fierce heat of the afternoon sun. The orchard is ten 

 years old, and Mr. Hartley reports that the entire ex- 

 pense, including ground rental value, interest, replant- 

 ings, and all the operations necessary to extensive culture 

 has not exceeded $1 per tree. The cost of cultivation has 

 been greatly reduced by the use of a broad, heavy 

 cutting-blade devised by Mr. Hartley, which is attached 

 behind the disk-harrow. This implement takes every- 

 thing clean and leaves a fine, loose mulch on the surface. 

 By its use 140 acres of orchard, containing nearly 12,000 

 trees, were kept in perfect condition from the latter part 

 of April to the middle of August in 1898, an unusually 

 wet and weedy season, at a cost of about $225, or less 

 than two cents per tree. 



The native plum thrives well over a wide range of the 

 state. Some varieties suffer from the plum-pocket 

 disease, and the plum-gouger is a troublesome insect, 

 but the results are generally good. The leading varieties 

 are Wild Goose, Miner, DeSoto, Wolf, Forest Garden 

 and others. European varieties have been little planted 

 as yet, though they succeed in the eastern portion of 

 the state. 



Cherries also thrive over a large part of the state. 

 The fruit is sometimes deficient in size, but is remark- 

 ably free from insect attack, a wormy cherry being 

 almost unknown. Early Richmond, Montmorency, and 

 English Morello are the leading varieties. Sweet cher- 

 ries do not thrive. 



J. M. Russell & Son, of Wymore, on the southern 

 boundary of the state, have made a decided success of 

 peach -growing, and now have about 265 acres planted at 

 Wymore and near Lincoln, 80 acres of which are in 

 bearing. In 189G they harvested 12,000 bushels. They 

 head low, prune biit little, and give thorough tillage dur- 

 ing the early part of the season. Among the varieties 

 which prove most satisfactory are Alexander, Hale 

 Early, Early Rivers, Cooledge Favorite, Champion, Hill 

 Chili and a variety locally known as Wright. The early 

 varieties are particularly satisfactory, owing to com- 

 parative immunity from rot. 



Among the smaller fruits, grapes thrive, but require 

 more bearing wood than in the East and generally yield 

 less. The leading eastern varieties are popular. Rasp- 

 berries and blackberries suffer from drought. They may 

 be grown for home use, but do not yield satisfactory 

 commercial crops without water. The same is true of 

 strawberries. Currants and gooseberries thrive, the 

 latter yielding well, though the fruit is not large. Cur- 

 rants commonly yield but little, but under irrigation 

 excellent results have been obtained. 



The nursery interests of the state are important. The 

 actual acreage of nursery crops is estimated at about 

 500 acres. Apple trees, and especially apple seedlings, 

 are largely grown. Root-grafting is the method used in 

 their propagation. This is partly because trees on their 

 own roots are found best adapted to the conditions pre- 

 vailing on the plains and partly because the weather is 

 likely to be unfavorable at the time of budding. 



Gradually, floriculture and ornamental gardening are 

 increasing, particularly about the cities. Because of 

 the clear climate, greenhouse work must become popu- 

 lar as soon as better markets develop. Seed-growing 

 has already made the state considerable reputation. 

 Fred W. Card. 

 In the eastern third of Nebraska, conditions are prac- 

 tically the same as those prevailing in Iowa and central 

 Illinois. The most trying condition which has to be 

 guarded against by the orchardists is the scant supply 

 of water during the winter time which leaves the soil, 

 which is naturally light and porous, so dry that the 



NECTARINE 



1063 



trees are frequently wiuter-killed or injured. The rain- 

 fall during the growint? seasons averages about the 

 same as that of Ohio, while the rain-fall during the 

 entire year is very little over one-half that of the latter- 

 named state. 



The greatest need to insure better results for the 

 fruit-grower is a better stock for plums and cherries. 

 The Myrobalan and tin' .'Midtulel) are both widely used, 

 but neither is acbipiiMl in iln- dry winters, and an 

 earnest effort is hcini;' hkhIc to substitute in place of 

 these something whifh shall be better fitted for the 

 conditions. More or less has been done in the way of 

 experimentation as to the use of the Sand Cherry, in 

 the sandy parts of the state, as a stock, and with some 

 degree of success. The effect of this stock is to dwarf 

 the trees somewhat but not to a much greater extent than 

 does the Mahaleb. The native plum is by far a better 

 stock than the Myrobalan, but the period during which 

 it may be budded is very short, and it is, consequently, 

 very hard to use. On the other hand root-grafting of 

 the plum is a process which has never corae into very 

 great use by reason of the small percentage which the 

 average propagator is usually able to make unite and 

 grow. 



Root-grafting is practically the only method of propa- 

 gating the apple, by reason of the fact that the work 

 may be done at a time in winter when there is little 

 else to do, and because the process can be carried on 

 much more rapidly than budding. There is the further 

 very important reason that trees grafted on piece- 

 roots grow practically as ciittings, thus securing the 

 tree on its own roots, lending on an average much addi- 

 tional hardiness. 



Grapes thrive extremely well, especially in the eastern 

 portion of the state. In the vicinity of Omaha, Flatts- 

 mouth and Nebraska City, many vineyards are estab- 

 lished on a mercantile scale following the lead of the 

 other very large growers located just across the Mis- 

 souri river in Iowa. 



Raspberries and blackberries produce profitable crops 

 in the eastern and especially in the southeastern por- 

 tion of the state. 



Strawberries usually produce good crops of fruit of 

 the highest quality. As a commercial venture very 

 little has been done in growing the small fruits, by 

 reason of the fact that in north Arkansas and southern 

 Missouri, where the season is much earlier, immense 

 quantities are produced with which all the state, prac- 

 tically, is supplied long before the home product is 

 mature. 



Currants and gooseberries are indigenous and thrive 

 well in the eastern portion of the state, but bear less 

 bountifully toward the west. 



Wherever irrigation has been practiced, even on a 

 small scale, anywhere in the state, the success in the 

 growth of fruit has been very marked. In the parts 

 of the state where there is insufficient rain-fall, the 

 addition of water is all that is required to bring satis- 

 factory results, the soil, except in the sand-hill por- 

 tions of the state, being extremely rich. 



In the early days of the territory and state the 

 thickets and wooded .strips along the streams were 

 abundantly supplied with plums of delicious quality, 

 two or three species of the grape, and the wild crab. 

 There were also to be found, occasionally, gooseberries, 

 currants and mulberries. p^ \y^ Taylor. 



NECTARINE. A smooth - skinned peach {Prunus 

 Persica, var. Icpvis, Gray). Fig. 146-t. Formerly it was 

 thought that the Nectarine was a distinct species of 

 plant. By DeCandolle it was called Persica he vis. 

 Roemer in 1847 made two species of it, Persica violacea, 

 the freestone Nectarines, and P. hpvis, the clingstone 

 Nectarines. It is now known, however, that Nectarines 

 often come from seeds of peaches, and peaches have 

 come from seeds of Nectarines. Either may originate 

 from the other by means of bud-variation. (See Dar- 

 win's "Animals and Plants under Domestication" for 

 historical data.) 



The cultivation of the Nectarine is in all ways like 

 that of the peach. Because of tlie smooth skin of the 

 fruit, it is perhaps more liable to the attacks of curculio. 

 It is less popular in the market than the peach, and 



