356 Failure of the Apple-Crop in New England. 



watered several times during the drought of the first dry season, and were 

 kept in a lively and thrifty condition ; and the result was, that the next 

 season, while all the trees on the same farm, not so sheltered or so treated, 

 failed to bear fruit, these few trees produced fine crops of most excellent 

 fruit. There seemed to be no cause for this difference beyond what we 

 have assigned. The two years of drought, in our opinion, generally un- 

 fitted the apple-trees to produce a crop, because they were so weakened ; 

 and time was needed to bring them back to their original or former con- 

 dition. Two wet years have succeeded the two dry ones ; and, during the 

 one just closing, there have been some apples raised, while the trees have 

 been preparing themselves for a crop next year, which, we venture to pre- 

 dict, will be excellent, and nearly or quite equal to former times, except in 

 such localities as are infested with canker-worms. It cannot be denied, that 

 there are more enemies to the apple than formerly, and that, as a general 

 thing, the fruit is not so fair and good. Two enemies, referred to in an- 

 other article in the Journal for this month, have become very destructive, 

 not only in New England, but in other parts of the countiy, and threaten 

 to greatly interfere with the successful growing of this important crop. We 

 hope some means may be adopted to head off these and other vermin 

 that prey upon the apple-tree and fruit. 



One objection will be brought against the theory that we have advanced, 

 — that, if the drought affected the apple-trees to such an extent, why did it 

 not have the same eifect upon the pear-trees ? To this we say. It did, 

 when they were equally exposed ; and we can point to many trees in our 

 own grounds that have not yet recovered from the effects of the dry weather, 

 and have yielded no fruit since. Then, again, pear-trees are usually plant- 

 ed in better locations and in better soil, and where they have better pro- 

 tection and care. Then, again, the pear does not need so much moisture 

 as the apple tree, and will fail and die on a wet soil where some kinds of 

 apple-trees live and flourish. We are, then, on the whole, constrained to 

 believe that the chief cause of the failure of the apple-crop in New England 

 is the excessive droughts of three and four years ago. We hope this may 

 lead others to give us their views on this subject, so important to orchard- 

 ists. 



