FRUIT REPORTS. 
193 
these lands for fruit growing is what is known and reported by geologists as 
the loess formation in the northwest corner of the State along the Missouri 
River. This class of land ranges in price from ten up to forty dollars per 
acre, the lower price being for the unimproved, and the higher for common 
farm lands in the hills more or less improved and having small orchards 
Bearing orchards are seldom sold in this section, as the fruit often brings 
from forty up to three hundred dollars per acre in a single year. I have seen 
one hundred dollars per acre refused for young orchards just coming into 
bearing (six years old), on land that was worth only $5.00 per acre without 
the orchard. The friable lands of the Missouri River bottom are good for 
apple growing, but quite a large part of this bottom land is what is called 
Gumbo (black, waxy land), and is not fit for fruit trees. Apple orchards 
thrive and bear best in the bluff formation and in the coves, heads of hollows, 
Or draws, and on the sandy bottom lands of the Missouri River, where fruit 
is found more often than elsewhere, the hill tops and level ridges being less 
-certain. The high hill-tops and yellow ridge lands are best for peaches, which 
do quite well in some sections along the river in Northern Missouri. 
Five best varieties of apples are Ben Davis**, Jonathan*, Winesap*, Gano 
**, York Imperial*. Peaches — Champion**, Elberta**, Crosby*, George 4th*, 
Oldmixon Free*. Pears — Seckel*, Angouleme*, Kieffer**, Garber*, Howell*. 
Plums— Abundance*, Burbank*, Wild Goose**, Miner, Blue Damson*. 
Cherries — Early Richmond**, English Morello**, Large Montmorency*, Dye- 
house*, May Duke*. Grapes— Moore Early**, Worden*, Concord**, Niagara*. 
Many new fruits are being tested, but it is hard to get reliable reports. The 
Ingram apple is a new variety that is doing well in Southern Missouri, 
especially so on the red lands. It is a winter variety similar to the Janet, 
[Ralls Genet , but larger and darker in color. Our experiment Station is test- 
ing a great many new varieties of fruit but I am not prepared to make a 
report on them at present. 
All young orchards are cultivated more or less for the first few years in 
corn, potatoes and other cultivated crops, and then are mostly sowed to red 
clover, but few have the close care and attention they ought to have. Red 
clover is growing in favor wherever it has been tried, as it produces the 
dark green foliage necessary to insure crops of fruit. Very little commercial 
fertilizer is used in Northern Missouri, as nothing seems to give as good 
results as barn-yard manure and red clover. Most troublesome of all insects 
is the codling moth and the worst diseases are blight and root rot. Some 
of the fruit centers of the State are as follows: St. Joseph, Oregon, Chillicothe, 
Carrollton, Princeton, Hannibal, Louisiana, Weston, Kansas City, Lee’s Sum- 
mit, Olden, Mt. Grove, Willow Springs, West Plains, Koshkonong, Neosho, 
Springfield, Lebanon, Rolla, Jefferson City, Booneville, Republic, Billings, 
Pierce City, Sarcoxie and Columbia. 
We seldom have any serious injury to the leading varieties of apple, 
pear, peach, plum, grape and the small fruits in our State, but our past winter 
was an exception and many suffered great damage by the severe winter. It is 
safe to say the injury to the nurseries of the State was fifty per cent of 
their total value, while to young orchards under three years of age it was 
ten to twenty per cent. To peach orchards, all ages, an average of thirty- 
five per cent, while other fruits suffered more or less, and I believe it will take 
five years to restore our orchards to their bearing capacity prior to the damage 
of last winter. 
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