REPORT 



COMMITTEE ON FRUITS, 



FOR THE YEAR 1886. 



By E. W. WOOD, Chairman. 



The fruit product throughout the State has been unusually large 

 the past season ; with the single exception of peaches, all species 

 have produced abundant crops. The fruit buds on the peach 

 trees were again killed during the winter, and the quer}', hereto- 

 fore suggested in these reports, whether the frequent failure of 

 the peach crop should not be chiefly attributed to the diseased and 

 enfeebled condition of the trees, rather than to any meteorologic 

 changes in recent years, as compared with former times when the 

 peach was successfully grown, seems to have received a partial 

 answer in the results of the past season. One grower, who has 

 competed at every exhibition when prizes have been offered, has 

 done so almost entirely with seedling fruit. While he has a large 

 number of trees of the ordinar}"^ varieties, on which the buds were 

 destroyed, his seedling trees have produced fruit of excellent 

 quality, indicating that the failure is owing to the condition of the 

 trees rather than to any changed condition of soil or climate. 



The competition for the prizes throughout the season has been 

 larger than usual, owing in part to the abundance of fruit and 

 also to the increased number of competitors, several having en- 

 tered the lists who had not previously taken an}^ part in the 

 exhibitions. 



The Strawberry Exhibition was one of more than ordinary 

 interest to the growers, as there was an unusual number of new 

 varieties shown, affording a favorable opportunity of comparing 



