DEPARTMENT OF HORTICULTURE 153 



be heavily laden while others were barren. For this reason it 

 has been a hard matter to estimate the season's, returns. One 

 tenth of a crop is perhaps a fair estimate for the apple crop. 

 The writer observed when in Cheshire county this fall that 

 every Blue Pearmain tree was loaded with fruit. It verily was 

 a Pearmain year in this section; the fruit was large and perfect. 

 Whether this observation holds true generally throughout the 

 state is not known. This particular variety seems to be more 

 commonly grown about Winchester than elsewhere. The only 

 section reporting a full crop of apples was the southern portion 

 of Carroll county. 



Cherries were about as i^lentiful as usual. This fruit is 

 sadly neglected generally^ and the demand far _ exceeds the 

 supply. 



Pears were not plentiful but fairly supplied local demands 

 at good prices. 



Plums did not seem to be as abundant as usual, although a 

 medium crop is reported generally. The largest yield was 

 that of Mr. G. W. Parker of Wilton. Mr. Parker grew four 

 hundred baskets, mostly of the Gueii variety. Damsons are, 

 however, his best selling plums. He also fruited Burbanks, 

 and is well pleased with them. The display of plums at the 

 state grange fair was very good, the largest exhibitor being 

 Mr. George F. Smith of Meredith. At the other fairs this 

 exhibit was rather indilferent. 



The peach crop we had thought a total failure until we 

 found fair exhibits at Xashua and also at the Amesbury and 

 Salisbury, Mass., fair. The display at Xashua was that of 

 G. W. Parker of Wilton and consisted of excellent specimens 

 of Oldmixon, Elberts, and Early Crawford. Mr. Parker tells 

 me he had nearly one hundred baskets, which is a very small 

 yield compared with that of last season. Last year he had 

 upon two hundred Oldmixon trees alone eleven hundred 

 baskets. The exhibit at the last named fair was that of Mr. 

 Abraham Hilliard of Kensington, X. H. This display was 

 also fine, consisting of two seedlings of marked value and the 

 three varieties named above. Other peach growers report the 



