12 



THE ILLINOIS FARMEE. 



Jan. 



ture would recover and form healthy layers of 

 wood over the diseased portions, and practically 

 be in a healthy, vigorous condition. It is from 

 the want of good culture after transplanting that 

 so many trees die, They begin to decay from 

 the inside, and not having sufficient vigor to 

 stand the drain upon their vitality yield up their 

 life. It is therefore highly important that new- 

 set trees have the best care, for at that stage 

 they can bear but little strain upon their vital 

 energy. We see old apple trees with but a thin 

 rim of sound wood producing enormous crops, 

 but in all cueh cases, they stand in a rich well 

 cultivated soil. 



AFTERXOON SESSION — TAXATION OF NURSERIES. 



; The Assessor of McLean county for the past 



■ ' two years have taxed the nurseries. The nur- 

 serymen object to this, and urge that nursery 

 stock is, like any other growing crop, exempt 

 from taxation, no ether county, it would appear, 

 has taxed the nurseries. 



Mr. Colman, of Missouri, saiii the nurseries 

 were not taxed in that State, and the general 

 impression among the members that the nursery 

 stock in other States was treated as a growing 

 crop. 



Resolved, That it is the experience of the nur- 

 serymen of this society, that their stock has not 

 been taxed. 



An able paper from C. A. Montross, of Cen- 

 tralia, on pear culture, was read. lie prunes at 

 all seasons, manures and thoroughly cultivates 

 the soil; has grown three pecks per tree on 

 two-year old trees, set in spring of 1858. 



Bartleft, L. B. de Jersey. Belle Lucrative, 

 Bloodgood, Madaline, Duchess, AVhite Doyenne, 

 Flemish Beauty, Seckel and Howell, are with 

 him favorite sorts. Pick the fruit when ripe, 

 and put away to fully mature. Sets in the au- 

 tumn ; thinks dwarf pears will pay, at least his 

 do. 



PRUNIXG PEARS. 



Dr. Warder said, for wood jrrune in winter, 

 but never when frozen ; but for fruit in summer. 

 If pruned when frozen, the cut wood will turn 

 black, and the stock brcome discolored with the 

 gap that runs down over the bark. Tbe best 

 time is after the fall of the leaf and until the 

 leavos come out. In that couiJition we can see 

 the tree in all its parts, and can see better how 

 and what to cut out and what to leave. The sub- 

 ject of summer pruning is a more difficult matter, 

 requiring nice discrimination. 



TO MAKE CUTTINGS. 



Would prefer a sharp knife to cut off cuttings, 

 but in nurseries, where large amounts of cuttings 

 are used, they are cut off in a common cutting 

 box, and often with shears ; and he had to con- 

 fess that they grew as well as those cut off with 

 a sharp knife with the nicest care. This will 

 be interesting to those who have large amounts 

 of willow cuttings to make up. If this view is 

 correct, which is doubtless true, it will make a 

 large saving of labor by using a cutting box for 

 this purpose. It is probable that 4,000,000 or 

 5,000,000 white willow cuttings will be sent out 

 To cut these one by one, ten inches long, is a 

 slow and tedious process, and presume the cut- 

 ting box will be called into requisition. 



DISTANCE TO SET TEAR TREES. 



Nearly all concurred in close planting, say 

 sixteen to twenty feet, so as to shade the ground; 

 all agreed in cultivating the orchard. 



INFALLIBLE REMEDVyFOIl THE PEAR BLIGHT 



Mr. Colman stated that Mr. J. A. Pettingill of 

 Macoupin county has for several years been in 

 the practice, when his trees were first attacked 

 with the blight, to shave off the outer bark of the 

 trunk or branch affected below the affected part 

 with a drawing knife or spoke shave, and that 

 in every instance the progress of the disease had 

 been arrested. Mr. C. had tried the remedy on 

 several occasions, and named half a dozen other 

 gentlemen who had done so, and thus far the rem- 

 edy was a s-uccess. He is not able to explain 

 the reasons, nor has he full faith in it, but thus 

 far in the history such are the facts. Mr. Hug-. 

 gins corroborated the above in case of Mr. Pet- 

 tingill. Zvlr. Bryant had shaved off the affected 

 bark, but without success, cutting off the dead 

 branches was of no use. In all cases slow and 

 rapid growing trees were equally liable to the 

 blight. Several members took part in this pro- 

 lific theme, and the result is, that when we fath- 

 om the cholera, potato disease, and who struck 

 Billy Patterson, that we will probably have light 

 on the sulject. 



EVENING SESSION. 



An interesting paper was read from Prof. Tur- 

 ner, of which more will be said when it comes up 

 in order. 



Since the opentng of the morning session, the 

 number of members has increased to nearly a 

 hundred, and the meeting promises to be one of 

 much interest. 



