CONDITIONS OF FRUIT GROWING. 
Synopsis of a Lecture before the State Agricultural Society, during the Fair of I860. 
BY DR. JOHN A. KENNICOTT, OF ILLINOIS. 
Climate. — Ours is that of the south-west in summer, and 
that of the north-western prairies in winter; and very unlike 
that of our Eastern states, from which we derived most of our 
first varities of fruit, and nearly all of our first plantings of 
fruit trees. It was not until half our orchards were badly 
winter-killed, that we learned the fact that trees , sufficiently 
hardy in latitude 42° east of the great lakes, were often tender 
west of them, on the same line; and we are every year learn¬ 
ing that some sorts bearing well east, are barren west, and 
that quality , as well as quantity of fruit, is affected by climate 
on the same parallel of latitude. 
Probably not more than one-fourth of the varieties of the 
apple, originally planted, have proved hardy, productive and 
good—though possessed of all these qualities east, and perhaps 
retaining one, or even two, of them here. And with pears, 
* 
cherries, and in many cases plums, a much larger proportion 
has failed. I now propagate but about 30 sorts of the apple— 
6 or 8 of pears and plums—and none but Kentish and Morello 
cherries, for this region. Of grapes, and “ small fruits” (that 
can be laid down and covered with earth in the winter), all 
sorts that ripen a good crop, may be planted. It is not the 
extreme cold , hut the sudden changes of temperature , and a blis¬ 
tering sun , that Mils our trees; and, unless protected, we must 
