KEPOETS. 



EEPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON EEUITS, 



For the Year 18C8. 



W. C. STROJNf}. CHAIRMAN. 



It seems to be a wise custom, in connection with our list of premiums 

 awarded, also to place upon record the fresh experience of the year and 

 to add such suggestions as may have been gathered by the peculiarities 

 of the season. Such records, covering along series of years, would form 

 a practical basis, from which alone safe theories might be constructed. 

 We are not accustomed to make such extended observations, or enter so 

 much into detail, as might be desirable, in order fully to attain the result 

 spoken of, yet the brief and general survey of the year may be of some 

 service to this end. 



The winter of 18G7-8 was more than usually severe, and in many 

 places the Bartlett Pear, for exami:)le, was seriously injured, and this, as 

 also some other varieties blackened and died in midsummer, from the 

 effect of the winter's cold. In some cases, also, the more hardy kinds of 

 grapes were winter-killed. In addition, the spring proved to be extra- 

 ordinarily backward, so much so that on the 1st of June it was thought 

 that the Grape crop would not ripen. The Avhole period covering the 

 blossoming of the Peach, Cherry, Pear and Apple was also excessively 

 wet. As a consequence many varieties did not set a sufficient quantity 

 of fruit. Still the jirofusion of bloom, which was quite marked, 

 especially with the Apple, prevented any serious lack. We may say 

 then that the prospect for fruit on the 1st of June was by no means 

 flattering. Yet the result which crowns a year of such adverse circum- 

 stances should give renewed confidence in the success of fruit culture 

 in our section. 



The experience of the year teaches the importance of securing every 

 condition to success, for each variety of fruit. It is observed that the 

 farmer who enriches his fields with a plentiful supply of stable manure 

 is seldom heard to complain of drought. And if his land is well 

 underlaid with tiles he talks very little about excessive wet. He is to a 

 degree independent of extremes; all seasons are good seasons to him. 

 So with the fruit culturist, let him secure all possible conditions and he 

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