annual Report—Fruit. 
27 
industry, and that Wisconsin at no distant day is to be the largest 
cranberry producing state in the union. The product was much 
below the crop of 1872. 
FRUIT. 
APPLES. 
Short crop—trees badly killed by the severity of the last win¬ 
ter, many of them cracking open an inch or more, exposing the 
very heart of the tree, and causing immediate disease and early 
death. Many counties reported an entire failure, and others hav¬ 
ing a fair crop, complained of inferior, knotty and poor quality 
of fruit. The product was at least 50 per cent, below the crop of 
1872, and of vastly inferior quality. The severity of such win¬ 
ters as 1873 must teach Wisconsin apple growers the necessity of 
planting the iron-clad varieties only. The less hardy and usually 
r 
more toothsome and desirable varieties may be raised with marked 
success under favorable conditions and surroundings, but they 
must not be relied upon for the main crop in this latitude. 
GRAPES. 
About three-fourths of an average crop, and of fair quality. 
Concord most hardy, and hence produced in greatest abundance. 
Clinton, Delaware and other choice varieties raised in considera¬ 
ble abundance with extra care, culture and protection in winter. 
PEARS. 
Very few raised. Much troubled with blight. Experience 
and observation incline me to the belief that the central and 
northern portions of the state are better adapted to the successful 
culture of this delicious fruit than the southern portion, and per¬ 
haps this better adaptability is to be attributed somewhat to cli¬ 
mate and to better protection by the large timber belts of that 
part of the state, which modify the severity of the winters and 
afford more full protection than the more open prairie lands of 
the southern part. Repeated trials in the growing of this fruit 
are to be encouraged until the causes of failure are fully under¬ 
stood and successfully removed. 
