THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
91 
be picked out at once by its extra load of fruit, while 
the single row has its branches bending to the ground 
with fruit. The rows adjoining, grown from cuttings, 
while well filled wdth fruit have not enough to bend a 
twig. The 1,300 trees, now eight years planted, I 
judge, will give 1,000 barrels of fruit ; but if all were 
on French stocks, instead of own roots, the crop would 
have been not less than 2,000 barrels. Complaint has 
often been made as to the non-bearing of Le Conte, 
especially till the trees get old. May not have Mr. 
Rumph’s experiment disclosed the cause of the trouble ? 
Let us hope so.” 
THE CONDITION OF CROPS. 
The government crop report, on the condition of 
fruit, for July, is as follows ; 
Ajjples .—The prospective ci’op of apples, commercially consid¬ 
ered, as indicated by returns of our correspondents for July, will 
be light, and in many sections a complete failure. The high re¬ 
turns in June from districts then in bloom have been materially 
lowered for July, the set has been poor, and the drop, still contin¬ 
uing, severe. Thus in Maine and New York the percentages are 
lowered 22 and 19 points, respectively. These states are by far 
the most important of the eastern api^le district, and failure there 
makes the sustained percentages of New Hampshire, Rhode Island 
and Connecticut of little significance as regards surplus produc¬ 
tion, though it means much to successful growers in the latter 
states. Large reductions are also shown in Vermont, Massachu¬ 
setts and Pennsylvania. In New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland a 
fair to good crop is expected. The percentage in the latter state, 
however, has been reduced 16 points by the dropping of immature 
fruit, and is liable to still further reduction from the same cause. 
Virginia has sustained her percentage and will probably have half 
a crop. In the Ohio Valley and the Missouri fruit belt things 
have gone from bad to worse. The frequency of the word “fail¬ 
ure ” in the notes of the correspondents throughout these sections 
ominously emphasizes the exceedingly low condition, as shown by 
the percentages. Michigan has declined 20 points since June re¬ 
port. The high condition of apples in the Pacific coast region 
still continues, and a good crop is confidently expected. The fruit 
is dropping some in Oregon, where the decline since June, though 
slight, has been greater than in Washington and California. 
Peaches .—A large crop of this fruit is indicated by the returns 
of the present month. The percentages of June are well sustained 
in the states of surplus production, excepting in Ohio and 
Georgia. In the former state the condition has been low from 
the start, and since last report fruit has dropped badly. In local¬ 
ities where fruit is still on the trees the early varieties are rotting 
more and more as they approach maturity. The same causes 
have worked the decline in Georgia. In the states of New Jersey, 
Delaware and Maryland the prospect has been rarely, if ever, so 
promising. Returns from the peninsular district of Delaware and 
Maryland point to a crop larger than any since 1875. The critical 
period has been passed in New Jersey, and yet the returns from 
that state make an average of 101, one point above the standard. 
From Michigan the returns are not quite as encouraging, but a 
very fair crop seems probable. California returns average high. 
A good crop is assui’ed, and the fruit being of excellent quality, it 
is thought prices will rule high, and the net profit to the orchard- 
ist be satisfactory. 
Grapes.—The condition of grapes is generally high through¬ 
out the country, and the prospects of the crop are excellent. Rot 
is reported as appearing in some sections, though not to an alarm¬ 
ing extent, and rosebugs are doing damage in some counties in the 
eastern and middle states. 
Cttnon^ (5roir>cr5 anb Dealers. 
The Rhododendron exhibit of Fred. W. Kelsey at 
the World’s Fair is one of the chief features of the Hor¬ 
ticultural exhibit. 
E. H. Ricker, of the E. H. Ricker Company at El¬ 
gin, Ill., proprietor of the Elgin Nurseries, made an as¬ 
signment June 24th to R. M. Ireland. 
E. T. Dickinson, the great exporter of Chatenay, 
France, has been in this country a month booking 
orders for seedlings. He will return to France in August 
or September. 
The Morris Nursery Company of San Bernadino and 
Rialto, Cal., has been incorporated with a capital stock 
of $65,000. The directors are O. M. Morris, John M. 
Morris. Sr., John M. Morris, Jr., and K. A. Wilsey. 
John Palmer, of the firm of John Palmer & Son, 
Annan, Scotland, well-known growers of ornamentals 
and the Industry gooseberry has been making his annual 
visit to this country. He was in Rochester ten days on 
his way home, during the latter part of last month. 
He reports trade very dull, especially in the West. He 
was much pleased with the World’s Fair. 
The distribution of raspberry plants by President M. 
A. Thayer of the Wisconsin Horticultural Society, on 
Arbor Day, as described in the July number, has called at¬ 
tention to the distribution on Arbor Day by Stark Bros, 
of Louisiana. Mo., of nearly 1,200 packages containing 
35,000 fruit trees and over 3,000 rose bushes. This 
Arbor Day offer was for Pike county. Ill., and Pike 
county. Mo. ; however, children from adjoining counties 
were not barred. This firm sends every year large 
qualities of trees and plants gratuitously to charitable in¬ 
stitutions, orphan asylums, churches, schools, homes for 
old soldiers, private colleges, etc. Such distributions 
are indeed an observance of Arbor Day. 
The business of the firm of May Brothers was termi¬ 
nated on July 19th, when the Union Bank secured a 
judgment against the firm for $4,986.87 and executions 
were levied by the sheriff. It was supposed the firm was 
on a sound basis and that it had a capital stock of $50,000. 
It was claimed that the firm had made sales last spring 
amounting to $20,000. It was generally believed that 
the firm of May Brothers was composed Lewis L. May 
and Frederick N. May, but Lewis L. May, who is in St. 
Paul, Minn., says he has never been a member of such 
firm, and has never seen the judgment named nor has 
a summons been served upon him. He sa’^s : “I have 
been doing business under the name of L. L. May & 
Co., at St. Paul, Minn., but without associate, and am 
abundantly solvent and reliable. Anyone can ascertain 
these facts by referring to the Bank of Minnesota, or 
other banks of St. Paul.” 
