416 REPORT OF THE HORTICULTURAL DEPARTMENT OF THE 
In this investigation of the relationships of weather and fruit 
setting we are fortunate in having the printed records of the fruit 
crop of a great horticultural region for the past twenty-five years. 
The records appear in the Proceedings of the Western New York 
Horticultural Society under the head of “ Reports of the County 
Committees.” These reports chronicle various facts of interest 
and value regarding the fruit crop for the year and county for, 
which they were written. They are signed for most part by the 
chairmen of the committee, but the names of those who assiste«’ 
in securing the facts set forth are to be found in the printed lists 
of committees. Among those who have served on these committees 
are the names of some of the most noted American horticulturists ; 
as, Patrick Barry, George Ellwanger, H. E. Hooker, James Vick, 
J. S. Woodward, S. D. Willard, T. S. Hubbard, E. A. Long, W. R. 
Lazenby, E. Moody, L. Yeomans, C. M. Hooker, W. C. Barry, 
George’ S: Josselyn,..Protf./1.)P. Roberts, Jno. W. Spencer;aizai 
Bailey, and many others, possibly less well known, but scarcely less 
competent for the work. The accuracy and judgment of such men 
cannot be doubted. Moreover, the reports, beside appearing over 
the names of these selected men, have been under the fire of the 
criticism of an able and critical horticultural society. Examination of 
crop reports, weather records and the agricultural papers for the 
period under discussion, were made to further strengthen the data 
given, so that, coming from all these sources we believe them to be 
reliable. 
WEATHER AND FRUIT-SETTING FOR THE YEAR 1881 
TO 1905 INCLUSIVE. 
Ninety-seven reports have been considered out of the several 
hundred covering the twenty-five years included in this investiga- 
tion; the reports are from sixteen counties and they were pre- 
sented by thirty-five men acting as chairmen of the county com- 
mittees; in several counties the same committee acted year after 
year, giving thereby greater accuracy and uniformity to the data. 
It is impossible to classify these reports to show conclusively the 
relative importance of the several weather constituents in causing 
the failures of fruits to set; or to show what localities are most 
advantageously located with respect to weather. But the rough 
classification attempted should suggest what weather factors most 
injure fruit, and the tables which accompany this summary should 
