REPORT 



OF THE 



COMMITTEE ON FRUITS, 



FOR THE YEAR 1885. 



By E. W. wood, Chairman. 



The fruit crop of the past year throughout the State has been 

 above the average. A marked feature has been the large excess 

 of Apples over the amount usually produced in the odd year. In 

 many orchards in the vState the crop of 1884 was destroyed by late 

 frosts in the spring, and those orchards have borne a full crop 

 the past season, thus ver}' nearly equalizing the yield of these two 

 years. Though the owners lost the crop of 1884, they have 

 been partly recompensed, and will receive a further substantial 

 benefit if the trees continue to produce their fruit on the odd 

 year. In that case, our State will he amply able to furnish an 

 annual home supply of this fruit, instead of, as now, depending 

 upon other portions of the country in alternate years, which will 

 be a decided gain to both producer and consumer. The supply 

 the past season has been be3'ond the demand for home consump- 

 tion ; and from ten to twenty thousand barrels per week have 

 been sent to foreign markets. The prices have been reasonable 

 for consumers and fairly remunerative to the growers. 



The fruit buds on the Peach trees were again destroyed the last 

 winter. This occurred about the 20th of December, 1884, when 

 there had been no extremely low temperature ; but immediately 

 after several successive da^^s of cold west wind it was discovered 

 that the buds were all killed. From this it appears that such 

 a result does not depend altogether upon extreme cold ; but may 



