SS chat as alee tone NES ONS “ epabamati £5 $ YOU n ey \ GZ CLG GLE MLL, RAN Adokskes a Ale SHIRA 3 TH aa sae eels Sn 4 pe gett haere Thirty-Sixth Annual Report OF THE NEBRASKA State Horticultural Society Containing all the Proceedings of the Summer Meeting Held at Aurora, July 28 and 29, 1904, and the Annual Meeting Held at Lincoln, Jan- uary 17, 18 and 19, 1905. LIBRARY NEW YORK BOTANICAL LK DEN. By L. M. RUSSELL, Secretary Lincoln, Nebraska LINCOLN, NEB. PUBLISHED BY THE STATE 1905 LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. To His Excellency, John H. Mickey, Governor of Nebraska: Sir: In compliance with legal requisition, the annual report of the Nebraska State Horticultural Society for the year 1905, with accompanying papers, is respectfully submitted. L. M. RUSSELL, Secretary Nebraska State Horticultural Society. Lincoln, August 1, 1905. CONTENTS. Letter of transmittal. Officers. Standing committees. Membership list. Constitution. By-Laws. Proceedings Summer meeting. Proceedings Annual meeting. Fruit districts. Secretary’s report. Treasurer’s report. Index. OFFICERS. USGS 32 aS See oe a Me li eo _G. 8. Christy, Johnson icsiay iGe-P resident cn. H. S. Harrison, York Second Vice-President......0.0...00..000.02.00.c0.:. E. M. Pollard, Nehawka Beerehar ys oo pene Stee Rial aaah L. M. Russell, Lincoln Beare oe oe ee ok Peter Youngers, Geneva DIRECTORS. Bre teeibees AUNUETS os es ee Omaha SS ETE eM ae cee nce nL ea SE ea Tecumseh STANDING COMMITTEES OF THE SOCIETY. SYNONYMS. E. M. Pollard, Nehawka, A. J. Brown, Geneva, C. H. Barnard, Table Rock. METEOROLOGY. Prof. G. D. Sweezy, Lincoln. ENTOMOLOGY AND ORNITHOLOGY. Prof. L. Bruner, Lincoln. VISITING COMMITTEE TO THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA EXPERIMENT STATION. E. F. Stephens, Crete. GEOLOGY. Prof. E. H. Barbour, Lincoln. FORESTY. Prof. E. T. Hartley, Lincoln. VEGETABLE CULTURE. Prof. R. A. Emerson, Lincoln. ORNAMENTAL GARDENING. J. H. Hadkinson, Omaha. LEGISLATION. Peter Youngers, Geneva, L. C. Chapin, Lincoln, C. H. Barnard, Table Rock. MEMBERSHIP LIST. 11 MEMBERSHIP LIST. HONORARY LIFE MEMBERS. “oa GL Ae) et We eee eee pCO CLL teat) 8 Sarat Nair 4 Ames, Iowa Brackett, B. B. ......... aie RNC St ORIN okt iene tale Denmark, Iowa OEY Sie Ee I ee Na OE Oe ee we Lincoln ere ppeiniG OW. ek ON oe le Delaware, Ohio PemrmSe e OPETIZA0.8 ee oe se ON he ee Fort Calhoun LESS SSS Se ae re Ta Ocean Springs, Mississippi Pomeclad ony Wc oo ees Ae Se Grand Rapids, Michigan meeOsiiat. He Wee on ee Parksley, Virginia ACTIVE LIFE MEMBERS. meri, CU . Gyo ie ose. UE SIRS dnt Jeeta not Sah 10: oe ARS Normal Aldrich, Benton... AUP Te Od tet a Reet eas ee Johnson Peete GCI ere rie me. eee ee Nog ee ee Johnson pena TP Osa Gye VV Sone os pe ee oe ee ei Julian JEL TELE M G20 By ISS Tes el ca Spicer, Oregon fs STS VC D9 ODES eS Pawnee City Reem SEL Ae aoc = TS NAC na eR Table Rock oi SIH) 20S 1S] ka Cie a a ae ae A eee Osceola (ES 2S AUCHINS rel CSV) 1D a al a A oe NET Lincoln ReUOHE We dee 8 i ee Rina Ven Dis ete Agee os th eae Lincoln 15 SO ESHA ee _......Post Office Unknown SEO WAL A. oes ‘eg a ae NA Ie Re OER. Sele Le OR Ug at Geneva Bnigy ates Gai ne ens Rt lh Florence Brerauy trier eye. een ith cents e aires cee Me At | Kearney 1 TELE TENSE” SVS 8 Ba agin 20) he sae aE Came m, SONC Oa cena nt Oe Cedar Bluffs Demi enaries. Dy, pie ct 2k ne eee ete eh Me | Cheney 2B SRI Cones VE MSR ti dae Lh Sa ARS NIN aa Kingston, R. I. MemeGen ee ete Grand Junction Colo. PeacmottMe ct As. eS Eka atc Bt a Lincoln : | ESI LO al tegen hey we ate Pie Tet! SEO GE CXS ict 1 6 RS RD Ra Lincoln isn Gear ON ee ee ee ae bo, ODDSOR Bia wus VV i te es ah ala Skee oct _... Brownville *Deceased 12 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Colvin, W. E. f Sd eee cal ees BEORt Office Unknown BAD DOC; J. Lae. 3. soc eesia ike RRA ihe Tea an oy oe 5 ACR mornin, fu, Wo soe ee ee ee kogr ars fe, Grand Island of Gigi ht Gb) 20 eee Res. BORE EE EO aaa Fort Calhoun Print ds Wis. 2 eae sf Vas Aaa Box 761, Lincoln ow COA UES 5 Se eermiee iets Oe oS ‘ _ Lincoln Damrow, Chas. F............. MRE en Mar head 2 CBOs, Office Unknown Maver. by. Ei aN eae eee pete AS Se RAE ee a SOT Omaha eeavicson, ). 1s. ok eee gee er Ae pes eee ie Cea ae Aurora Ba VIGN.. WW I. 62) ee a a _Brownville ieee. We Hin kee ee SPEER ES SPE ele, Se SER abe ie Fullerton mee wrance: ©. ©... eae a oe eee PA site PORE 0. BORE Lincoln Boeweber, Ho Ne eee eee ee ea Pawnee City oH LCOS aE BR RD Raa Pagel ge aR nd De Greeley, Colo. BTS TESS Oi | eae ime eae UR NS Sn ey NU a NON Beatrice UNE Sach FRR IRE NoMa aia Senet RRC ae, eee Mears eM o tN Ravenna MeeaN, PON ies cae ene ee Ee ee Papillion BORO DoCoMo ee eI eRe EU Bae ol Kearney LYST rab oS Ba See aad eS eg a NE TT EOI i era Dwight. MTSE SON, Py. Ae i ae ha ek eee Lincoln LL SYR RR Gag ier ae Ea eed ace 1150 Sher man Ave., Omaha SNUTAT SL SANEL: Sea Re Lh Re renee te pee Lens 8. Omaha Us Od 6 Oe aa ce DENS Pete ae Re ae PETRI of E. Lincoln Preoden burg, Bo... REE He MIEN BES PENT Johnson ial Sega OM i OMS Babee ae ae ep ts Re NAD date hie Ragoes Ne ae Lincoln TSCA a 8 AED © Re ea iene Sean te fe USN Wehbe tani Mol) Lincoln *Purnas, R. W. ; Pi WRN Si det ee ot Seta _Brownville- Gage, J. A. SOR cae ER EAN Sk, OM Paap Paha SES cde _. Beatrice Gaiser, A. hos ee a eee ere SS Friend Galbraith, G. B. bie ees 5 Le Fairbury Godfrey, A. S.. Oe the Ee Green, Charles H. ER Oe ee 2 2 oe ee Fremont Grennell, E. N......... wl Gotten cedhnie acl eee a On Cai Gurney, C. W. oes ec Ee SEES A PeerSON. sw): EL... cole. 20a oe ion eae Omaha Hale, C. A. See aaal Gas University Place Harris, W. R. ra a tee Forest Grove, Oregon — Paperis, VW. D2... eahibgsiik hela eee Blackfoot, Idaho (Shai. 10) 0 Ot > Saat nici mene mrimaenan sient AA York *Deceased MEMBERSHIP LIST. 13 SLE SIGCSE A Nou peepee oe York AILLISG TT ARN a ASS IES Vet Ueto SR aga York TOES. 5 TILE 2 MDD ERS DV Oa ee re Re IIE Sa Ms _ Lincoln “5 DEG 8 LI De Sass ae EI ca Dea _ Omaha Pretin Je We Prana ae he Lee aie Re 1612 Farnam St., Omaha PLE TEVGIS SOA IIS 0S ae aa I Omaha LENE 1/2100) Gt pee ad SI aig os ev et a Nae ... Omaha HASSSEr OW. Joo St ROAR ANEY Civ LA Pasadena, California TERE, TUS CSI ata Deen EN A Sy Sonne Luce Raed ourt: (Ch Mae oe een POE ET OR Sale ee ah .... Fairbury Rema cent tea ent ya rs Se oF PM i OK Purdum = EULESS AN eee el aR at ir Arcadia Peete rete tee 8 tA. Vins Mg Yes yO x Box 961, Lincoln “Es ELPSTE Tas IGT Se isa ne Re eka a SE _... Lineoln amen PINs a No ee Ferien in Seward 11 5S. USI HTT [RBS ESS el el era ae a esa one Cal. 12 TT7 ips IATA 2 aa RAE Us eo nar Hees Millard Rea nvnPs litany cA AUTOR: ce. Pata ae LU el vgn (ay A Or) A a 8 Geneva LCA INEST Sa et en sa eR T Me igd LeUND ne eiae Arlington Pplenigaiail Cr pace ey he Mee OAs ere Bo AN Arlington Apreipe al ee Wee sek tens oe Me eet en _Arlington LUIS SSI Gils M Cg] > ae cle sah aS aL Ne Arlington eld Iss We Pee Rese Leta, MONE Keay vee A 'remont “PELL Gle A BGE LBs O ae 05 Ae NE aes NS Fremont 21 TUSSLE SUS 96 De [le ea ee ee I tanita Dee tha pe Syracuse cree ye hie ninety a UN es Ce) Lincoln | sI ST i TUG Beas aa ae a ane i 4622 Boulevard Ave., Omaha LLG 1 STIS ot 3 DD CAPT ge RC COI a ED Ee lance ‘GUT (18) 119 8 BN SS ede a a a A Ag oie Ph Alda Meek, John 0 ot NLS 5 G7 ON ERR SCC cE MEN Oe BOE Unadilla eels damesi. 08 Sc sna ih SLC es eM Riles a PME .....Unadilla _ 1 S15 Ei0 fed 0 On ge een Re a NERUDA A Rt oa Sea Omaha PMO OED ACN Sie filet ee Naa ey 2 Greeley Center meee DO in eee i Colorado City, Colo. ls Dg DVS TSN eit O04 Ma ms a Sree ae Pesos ta Rater Th etita Nees Kearney Prrarohey PAN Ce er Jot tel AEN PIE Se aN Met od Se Exeter Patt ed usin a eon he Se PAD a TS SPB ACS oR eM OEE _+.... Davey Nemechek, Paul... i hie SC dee tae is EAS pedi) Soe os EM DOldG mimes: Charles. ret oe Papillion 14 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. PUT, Bi oe Socks cased reac ie nnd er le UTES s Pa ag: || en MEM peels ho Sl oh YO || Beane Re es MSE eS ae AT Lincoln 2 ae gl he 5 Sa rae Se Pe Paemeermn Hi) Sico 2. Peterson, Frank ....0052.80 J. erate ven te 0 Post Office Unknown | mppereon,” JON... istics ee ee rere Fae Moone oss ee Nehawka PATO SAAC oe eG ee ce eee ee Nehawka Peo.) a Aes Sa eee _. Hamburg, Ia. — Beeee OME: A eo a Lint tayclctas Weak A Se Ree eke ee 2 EEL ent Tae eed, Mrs. J. FH. .octsc4e ee ee ee ie I meee Pome cAVITOO. os... cn ee ee oe Greeley, Colo. Pe Werts ES. A... 0c ok eS eB a ae ee oe Albion. Peamael JOM. 2 Uso ee nn eee ee oe ee Lincoln Reese hs, IMs. oe eee RINE SEES ac et gt Lincoln RSC DOM La a) facets 2 a ta a, ee a Lincoln POMSREN” Dale oo tects cn nce ahi ee a ee Lincoln BAO, Wes cA oes ee Ake | LO ane eee eae Colclesser mannoers, Chas, 1a," 7 ine oe ee 211 S. 18th St., Omaha SUNG Hg 0g Dien BS Saenaes Oo nemanane tae Sere eae CY Rade wan NL Lincoln SES MIIAACHIOD akg. ocancts foci eats ak Bae naa ne ee York Slayton, Geo. A. .......... ee Mes 192 Hillsdale St., Hillsdale, Mich. or TNS GT @ elie ee aie eee eantecis AME a Rants ty ka Y Falls City ATURE, ait et fe a ae RR Se eee ae Geneva. 19 pe ea Ye a Mn ey enc ES Se Blackfoot, Idaho Peper hy Ba. i, i atte ae 7 Sls Bens eg ee ok es ae Lincoln Beonens, Gy i fd Se es Oe eee Crete meoopinons. EM ranic G,..3c...2. Sto: sug ho teteeeas tes ae ee Crete DONS OT, Wo eke on csp PER Ne ee North Bend 1? a aad WS 0 Ee nem ck Oem eae a RUE RR aE IGE « yg SC i OLR Sires gal Ba 5 in ER ee SEER ROS Rte ie! Bellevue 0 el Oe ns camera ole Ne Minden — BTN WV Gis occa casstccsencssinensnesssovctsatnsssensastescvencet ncbsanante ae ra ES Fl CAE Se eee NE MITRIEE BPR orcs Se _..Lincoln MUMEMURRL TES SCUN IN) 522 cs ond Secdencnah Sdes ctoatnds Mick nto Post Office Unknown TION OT OO LICK Wj .5....h0c0..ccsacdiacdoeechn waste St. Louis, Mo. “20! LE 2 ce mene it eo aS Lincoln Si) 20) 8 A) ia a een ne MR mee So Thy Nemaha City CE ABC Od CAs | Ct cai an aaa nTnMeanmt i (se S Valentine MEMBERSHIP LIST. 15 SLES a SPR ar le ee stk Sneed R Oe Reda 9 Crete "5 SLL A Sree) Slag See Es a TE Harvard Miocene Wee ee pL AR et WER a DR LR Ie Omaha OLS UIS GEC STE Soi es ai a aon eae Arlington Williams, ‘Theodore............. Po rae LRN epg, wen a ena Benson © ALL) ORE GEG Ss pe ac ee Post Office Unknown UD EUS = Gi re] BM Sia a gl ek ee aa Washington, D. C. De Rone er a els eee rai et eS ee Fremont Repertit ee OPO Ish E ok 8 ent he ees Se Geneva HONORARY ANNUAL MEMBERS. ES STTIPAL Sa OTS £0 an fal i 8 alent een oe eae University of Minnesota © ELST i 2 se SIN I Dine ica ea ce ce Glenwood, Iowa “CNS Ge LS ie Re ced na ee Shenandoah, Iowa ANNUAL MEMBERS. Ree soit eA Noe cutee ee EI hak SR ol ee Shickley STS 7 Sa SAAS Vs Sl A Oe Soo ae Nee a Lincoln "SCOTT TEC Ie Al SI Sd i es re et ea Scotts Bluff OE TRY Ge eR ORR te en Rear a NR PEP sae ke oe MOV ta Tecumseh USF US) RRL Tae: Bei ort a al ae ac ne R. EF. D.-6 Lincoln OTT Nae (Sold 0] 010 eR I a On a eee eee Tecumseh 16 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. CONSTITUTION. ARTICLE I. Name. This association shall be known as the Nebraska State Horticultural Society. ARTICLE II. Object. This society shall have for its object — the promotion of pomology, arborculture, floriculture, and gardening. ARTICLEIII. Membership. Themembership of this society shall consist of four classes, viz., active, associate, annual hon- orary, and life honorary. The active membership shall consist of persons practically engaged in fruit culture, forestry, flori- culture, or gardening, who shall be admitted to life membership on the payment of a fee of $5 at one time; to associate member- ship, by the payment of a fee of $1 annually. The honorary members shall consist of such persons as may be elected at any meeting of the Society by a two-thirds vote of the members present, and shall have all the privileges and benefits of the Society except those of voting and holding office, which privi- leges shall belong exclusively to active members. ARTICLE LV. Officers. The officers of this society shall be a president, first and second vice-presidents, secretary, treas- urer, and board of directors of eight members, said board con- sisting of the officers enumerated in this article and three ad- ditional members. These officers shall be elected by ballot at the annual meeting of the society in January, and the term of office shall be for one year, commencing on the first day of June following. ARTICLE V. Duties of President. It shall be the duty of the president to preside at all meetings of the society, appoint all committees not otherwise provided for, countersign all orders drawn on the treasurer by the secretary; in conjunction with the secretary he shall arrange all programs for the meet- ings of the society, and perform such other duties as the society or board of directors may require. ARTICLE VI. Duties of Vice-Presidents. The vice-presi- dents shall superintend all exhibits of the society, and in case CONSTITUTION. Wi of vacancy in the office of president at any meeting of the society or board of directors, shall perform all the functions of that office in the order of their rank. ARTICLE VII. Duties of Secretary. The secretary shall keep an accurate record of the proceedings of all meetings of the society and board of directors, draw all warrants on the treasurer, and keep an accurate record of the same as counter- signed by the president, prepare for publication and edit all reports of the society requiring publication by the statutes of the state; in conjunction with the president prepare all pro- grams and make all other necessary arrangements for all meet- ings of the society. ARTICLE VIII. Duties of Treasurer. The treasurer shall be the custodian of all moneys belonging to the society, and shall pay from such funds all warrants drawn on him by the secretary and countersigned by the president. ARTICLE IX. Duties of Board of Directors. The board of directors shall have general management of all the affairs of the society, for which no specific directors are otherwise provided in the constitution and by-laws. ARTICLE X. Bonds of Officers. The president and secretary shall each give a bond in the sum of $5,000, and the treasurer in the sum of $12,000 for the proper performance of his duties, which bond must be approved by the board of directors. ARTICLE XI. Salaries of Officers. The president, vice- president, treasurer, and members of the board of directors shall receive such per diem pay for their services in attendance upon the meetings of the society as the society or board of di- rectors may from time to time determine. The secretary shall receive an annual salary of $500. ARTICLE XII. Reports of Officers. The president, secre- tary and treasurer shall each present an annual report in writ- ing at the January meeting of all the business matters pertain- ing to their respective offices during the annual term expiring at that time. ARTICLE XIII. Meetings. The society shall hold two or more meetings each year. The annual meeting shall be held in Lincoln on the first Tuesday after the second Monday in Jan- 18 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. uary, as provided by statute, and the other meetings shall be held at the same time and place as the annual exhibition of the Nebraska State Board of Agriculture. ARTICLE XIV. By-Laws. By-laws not in conflict with the provisions of this constitution may be enacted by the society at any regular meeting. ARTICLE XV. Amendments. This constitution may be amended at January meetings of the society by a two-thirds vote of the members present, such amendment having been presented in writing and read before the society at a session preceding the one in which the vote is taken. BY-LAWS. 1. All the officers of this society shall be elected at the Jan- uary meeting. 2. All officers of this society shall assume the duties of their respective offices on the first day of June following their elec- tion, and continue in office for the period of one year, or until their successors are elected and qualified. 3. The officers elected at the January meeting, 1895, shall hold their respective offices until the first day of June, 1896. . 4, The amount allowed the secretary for express, postage, and stationery shall not exceed $150 per annum, and it shall be the duty of the board of directors to employ a competent sten- ographer to report the proceedings of the meetings of the society, whose fees shall be paid by the society. 5. The first business of the society shall be on each morning the reading of the minutes of the previous day’s proceedings, and submitting the same to the approval of the meeting. 6. There shall be elected at each winter meeting nine district directors, one from each horticultural district in the state. Also a standing committee of three on synonyms. Also a standing committee of one in each of the following: Meteorology in its relation to Horticulture, Entomology, Orni- thology, Geology, Forestry, Vegetable Culture, and Ornamental Gardening. 7. These by-laws may be amended at any general meeting of the society by a majority of the members present. PROCEEDINGS. Proceedings of the Summer meeting of the Nebraska State Horticultural Society, held at Aurora, July 28 and 29, 1904. / PROCEEDINGS. 21 SUMMER MEETING PROCEEDINGS. The Summer meeting of the Nebraska State Horticultural Society convened at the Court House, Aurora, Hamilton county, Nebraska, on Thursday, July 28, 1904, at 9 o’clock a. m. with President G. S. Christy in the chair. Following is a copy of the program carried out: PROGRAM. THURSDAY, JULY 28TH, 9:00 A. M. Invocation. Music. PeGaress Ol Welcome oe eo Mayor Joseph Neptune Ree GNC ee eh Ra ilo SN ok Rey. C. S. Harrison CC reehi ne ee 2 oe. W. W. Tatum, Pres. Columbian Club 2:00 P. M. Music. Address, “‘Value of Horticultural Education”... Nek eet See ees Hon. E. von Forell, Regent University Address, ““How I Grow Cherries”’. Frank Harris Paper, “A Trip Thr ough the Southern Orchards”... 2: 12 yy RE PE: Pantie 8 Pa ec oe a Beer Vounsen Ss Paper, “Apple Scab and Cedar Rust”. Pee I ered ote gh 2 Prof. R. A. Emerson, State Univer sity 8:00 P. M. MENG eed a ret ONT ae teh ae Philharmonic Orchestra 1 FPS CCRR a Ne i pe: wal Ce oa eee de ee Wood Bros. Quartette SEDER eS Nett eared a ache ROE Re Sele Mrs. J. G. Alden Recitation See ROE aN a em ere) A ape” Miss Allie Manning Paper, ‘‘Fruit for the Home? Meee LI ae, wate OE G. A. Marshall ae NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. PDS aca ty et a en eR ee Philharmonic Orchestra TCS CREE eas ed A PR CRE sho c tae Grae os Wood Bros. Quartette FRIDAY, JULY 29th, 9:00A.M. Music. Paper, “‘Orcharding in South-Eastern Nebraska” 00........... "1 CP Red pt Mn ee GERD Rec eee a Paabore hE AT nx ica T. E. Snodgrass madress, Fruit Raising”... eee J. R. Davidson Paper, ““Hardy Ornamentals” .......... “ene Rev. C. S. Harrison Paper, “Commercial Orcharding in Central and Western INGOT ASI?” 0S ee EK. F. Stephens 2:00 P. M. Music. Paper, “Diseases of Fruit Trees?) eee Val. Keyser Address, “Gardening in Aurora”’..02000... 22 H. G. Cass Paper, “Strawberries for Home Use”... G. S. Christy 8:00 P. M. Music... Mp ERRORS. A MAO Ele Philharmonic Orchestra NG eet Ms Oat Wood Bros. Quartette paper, RROSCS’ 2620) oe She C. H. Green 1 LETTERS aa Pa Senet ee es BR Pas 38S fe ace Mrs. C. A. Jones LOTTO T ESATO) (anaes ee. a Arete ae Miss Cecil Baldwin Paper Sesto Leh ARES A Ba ites iene a Philharmonic Orchestra STS Te Oe ea aah CED. fe TD CAL be eee Wood Bros. Quartette Parties having flowers and fruit are requested to bring them and make a good display. Everybody welcome. THE PRESIDENT: The time has come for the opening of our Summer meeting of the State Horticultural Society. We will first have an invocation by Rev. John Gallagher, of Aurora. INVOCATION. Oh God, our Heavenly Father, Thou art the author of every good and perfect gift. And at this time, as we meet together, ' we would return unto Thee our thanks for the bounties of Thy providence. We bless Thee that Thou hast made the grass to grow and the herbs to bring forth their seed and the fruit trees to bear fruit. We thank Thee for the early and plenty of rain. We bless Thee for the bounteous harvest fields and for the PROCEEDINGS. 93 orchards laden with fruit. We do thank Thee that Thou hast blessed us and placed us in such a world as this; that there are so many things to make us happy and comfortable. And we thank Thee that Thou hast put before us the opportunity of im- proving in all things. And we have come together in this session for the purpose of interchange of thought, for mutual improvement, to gather unto ourselves the helps that will enable us better to do our work in life. We thank Thee, our Father, for this interest, and we pray that Thou will be in these sessions from beginning to close. Oh grant, our Father, that there may come to us thoughts that will do us good, and we may gain an inspiration, and as we see what has been done by effort, may it be an incentive to us to put forth our energies in stronger effort that we may do greater good in the future than we have in the past. Bless us now, help us to honor Thee in all the things that we enjoy, and when Thou art done with us, re- ceive us unto your Jesus Christ. Amen. THE PRESIDENT: The address of welcome was to be given by Mayor Neptune, but he is out of the city and necessarily de- tained, and so we will have the pleasure of listening to Mr. F. _ A. Bald, who will give us the address: Mr. Chairman, Members of the Nebraska Horticultural Society, Ladies and Gentlemen: The development of Nebraska has been along rapid but well defined lines. Our people have never been slow to take up and put in force the large numbers of new and useful improvements that speak for the advancement of our state. There are few men and women who, having lived in this locality for any length of time, are unable to look back and re- call the day when Nebraska was in a far more primitive con- dition than it is at present. Why Nebraska has outgeneraled all other states along this line has often been presented to me in the nature of a query; and, upon reflection, the only possible reason that can be as- signed is, that our people are of broad mind and keen intellect. They readily see an opportunity to elevate and have no feeling of hesitancy in forming opinions and expressing beliefs concern- ing any subject or matter that may be presented for contro- versy. This broadness of mind, this keenness of intellect and this 24 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. | freedom from all personal restraint are the qualities which, above all others, are essential to the industrial growth of our nation. As a farming community our state is second to none, and a short drive along any of our country roads is sufficient to con- vince any reasonable mind that our assertion is not without foundation. Development along agricultural lines has probably been more rapid during the past few years than at any time prior thereto, and we are compelled to look upon the farmer in a true light and realize that he is the mightiest factor in the development of our state and the upbuilding of the nation. But before we proceed further it will not be inconsistent to look for a few moments at the earlier history of this region. Its invasion by white men was unlike that of the lake region. Our first explorers came from the south and long antedates the arrival of explorers in what is commonly known as the north- west. Although Nebraska forms the geographical center of the United States, the phenomenon of settlement and civiliza- tion has made it appear far to the west; and when one first glances at the history of this region without first preparing ones mind for the truth, it is reasonable to expect to trace the march of civilization either from the early settlements in the east, or from the early highways which furnished passage alike to the devout missionary and the avaricious seeker after gold. But modern research dispels the obscuring mists which for centuries have hidden from view the fact that the southwestern and middle portions of the United States were visited by white men nearly a century before commercial relations were estab- lished with the Indians of Wisconsin, and while yet the “great water to the west’’ was known to those eastern tribes merely as a matter of tradition. We are apt to look upon Nebraska as a young state. Young in its geological formation, young in its political existence, and young in its historical records. For descriptions of its soil, its climate, its production or its inhabitants, few are compelled to look farther back than the beginning of the present century, and its published memorials prior to the advent of the French PROCEEDINGS. 25 traders and trappers have been considered too meager as a basis for any exact account. But hidden away in the lumber rooms of wealthy Spanish and French families, and piled on the shelves of national libraries in Paris, Madrid and Mexico are hosts of letters, journals and reports, which are gradually emerging from their seclusion and undergoing the scrutiny of acute and practical eyes. The documents edited by M. Margry and published by the -United States Government in the year 1882, throw a flood of light upon early French discoveries and explorations in the west. And when the vast libraries of all the nations that took part in these adventurous travels shall give up their dead treas- ures, we have reason to hope that we will be able to add many years to the authentic history of our state. I have recently read an article which presented sufficient reason for us to believe that—fourscore years before the Pil- grims landed on the venerable coast of Massachusetts; sixty- eight years before Hudson discovered the ancient and beautiful river which still bears his name; sixty-six years before John Smith, with his cockney colonists, sailed up the summer stream which they named after James I of England, and commenced the settlement of what was afterward to be Virginia; twenty- three years before Shakespeare was born; while Queen Eliza- beth was a little girl and Charles V sat upon the united throne of Germany and Spain, Nebraska was discovered; the peculi- arities of her soil and-climate noted, her fruits and productions described, and her animals and inhabitants depicted. We catch our earlier glimpses of this region from one who had enlisted in the service of God instead of the service of mammon. There was found about thirty years ago in the archives of St. Mary’s college, in Montreal, the identical map which Father Marquette prepared of his voyage down the Mississippi, executed by his own hand, and bearing all the marks of authenticity. Upon this map, drawn in the year 1673, appears the territory which now forms the state of Ne- braska. The general course of the Missouri is given to a point far north of this lattitude; the, Platte river is laid down in almost its exact position, and among the Indian tribes which he enumerates as scattered about this region we find such 26 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. names as the Pawnees, Omahas and Otoes. It is not without a thrill of interest that’ a Nebraskan can look upon the frail and discolored parchment upon which for the first time in the history of the world these words were written. But let us return to the development of our state. We are prone to view with a feeling of regret the thought that our ad- vancement will not, in the future, be as rapid as it has been in the past. Prima facie this is the case, but in reality our feel ing of regret is utterly without foundation. If the world of* agriculture has been conquered, why not look for more worlds to conquer instead of becoming indolent and reclining on flowery beds of ease. In the year 1885, as I understand it, occurred the first meeting of the Nebraska State Horticultural Society. Since that time our interest in the growing and pro- duction of various kinds of fruit has greatly increased, until we are at present in a position to look for rapid development along Horticultural lines. That development, when once begun, may reasonably be expected to increase and continue for a great period of time, and the interest of Nebraskans in Nebraska will never have cause to wane. If we are true to our duty we can make our state in Horticulture what it has been as regards our school systems, the greatest state in our nation. For if we judge the various states in the scale of a ladder, we see among the topmost such names as Iowa; but far above them all, and upon the topmost round, is Nebraska, and from that round there floats a penant, upon which is inscribed in letters of non- perishable gold, the greatest motto a state can have, ‘‘Equality before the Law.’’ It is with a feeling of mingled pride and pleasure that we welcome you to our city. Our earnest hope is that before this meeting shall close there shall be much good accomplished, that you who are present will carry back to those who were unable to attend, our feelings of sincerest friendship, that in some manner the good done here will go abroad, that it will cause our sister states to look to Nebraska and say, there is a people, just and fearless, whose interest in life is the edification of man, the development of their state, and the upbuilding of our nation. [Applause.] PROCEEDINGS. 27 THE PRESIDENT: Our response by Rev. C. S. Harrison is next on the program, but heis sick this morning. However, it is with great pleasure I am able to call upon a gentleman who is a son of one of our charter members, one of the best known men in the state, ex-Governor Saunders, Charles L. Saunders, who will give the response. RESPONSE. MR. CHARLES L. SAUNDERS: Mr. President, Members of the State Horticultural Society, Gentlemen from Aurora, and Ladies and Gentlemen: Iam sorry the substitute for Mr. Harrison cannot address you in the brilliant language that the gentleman before me has done. I can only say that I wish I might be able to express myself as I feel the society desires to thank the citizens of Aurora for this entertainment. This is a beautiful place to meet in, and I know that we shall derive a great deal of good from our meet- ing in this part of the state. It is particularly pleasing to me, for I have been a resident of Nebraska all my life, and one of my earliest recollections is that this part of the state was on the prairie, and no one ever dreamed that it would be the garden it is today, or that we would be out here talking about horticulture. I desire to say in behalf of the society, that it is an institution for the people; that it has an appropriation of $2,500, $1,000 of which shall go as premiums for the exhibit of fruit and flow- ers. That it brings together the representative workers in the field of agriculture, and that it has its stated meetings, one of which must be held in Lincoln, at the capital, in January of each year, where we are put in touch with the scientific developments of the University, and at these meetings all of the results from the hard work occur, and the experiments of the horticulturists are brought beforethe people. Itis at these meetings that the discussions bring out the results of labor. ‘Having known twenty years ago what we know today through these experiments, Nebraska would be far in advance of what it is today in its horticulture and its agriculture. AndI believe that there is nothing that tends more to the development of our state than the horticultural societies of the state. We have divided the state into districts and receive reports, from the 28 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. managers of each of the districts. Our climate is varied, our soil is varied, and it is through these reports that the citizens are able to determine what variety of fruit is best adapted, and at the meetings when these papers are read what is particularly in- teresting to me is the questions asked by the members, the . informal discussions, the things that we never would expect to: find in a written report, and I am probably as much of a kinder- garten student in horticulture as any you may have in the society and interested in it; but it does me good, and I have learned more in my attendance upon these meetings than all the read- ing I have done, or been able to do. We have divided this state into experimental stations, I be- lieve seven, from Hay Springsand Mindenand over intothe better settled portions. In these divisions the society furnish us a competent man with material, that he may determine for his dis- trict what is adapted toasa suitable product. And itis these re- ports and the discussions of them that make time for the citizen. Because it is impossible to raise in certain portions. under certain conditions the same fruit that may be in others, and it is through the work and the soil, and money spent in this. way that the citizens in that vicinity may go to work and reap their rewards from thefirst. Ifwehad had the same know ledge twenty years ago of what might be done, that would be done to- day, and this all been brought about by the work and the meetings and discussions, we would have done away with a great many evils. In many instances we have orchards that were put out under theoldsystems that were brought down from the: New England states. We don’t have to deal with that at pre- sent. We are dealing with our own ideas and experiments. I want to say that this society was started backin 1871 by a few of the old time citizens, I believe seven, Gov. Furnas, Mr. Martin, Mr. Masters and Judge Mason, Mr. Dahlman, Mr. Eldridge and my good father, Gov. Saunders. The society at that time was entirely a volunteer gift to the people. There was no appro- priation. ; The meetings were among those who were interested solely because they believed in the future growth of the state. During those years, these meetings were held in connection with the agricultural society, and what little we had to report was print- PROCEEDINGS. 29 ed ina pamplet from the agricultural society. But in about 1885 the society was divorced and begun to publish its own re- ports, and since then it has been on its own resources, and I believe there is nothing that has gained better results to the citizens than the reports and workings of this society. Iam a great believer in horticulture. I believein having the fruit furnished inour midst. Every farmer should have his own orchards. I believe it is to the health of the community. I be- leive that where you find a good horticultural region that the doctors suffer. I want to say Iam very sorry Mr. Harrison is not here. He -isanoldtimer. I know he could have given this subject so much better that I regret that he is not here. I can say for the society that we appreciate what is here from the citizens of Aurora. We are surprised at their beautiful buildings and surrounding country, and we will try to make them believe that some of their citizens will receive benefit from our good advice. (Applause.) THE PRESIDENT: We would like to have a few words of ‘greeting from Mr. W. W. Tatum, President of the Columbian Club of Aurora. GREETING. Mr. W. W. Tatum: Mr. President, Members of the State Horti- cultural Society, Ladies and Gentlemen: I have been led to believe that no one is allowed to speak here by proxy. Had I known the truth I would have gotten my brother Bald to speak for me. They limit me to two minutes; they thought I would get wound up. Nevertheless, I am glad to greet you this morning. It looks as if you were well off. I should judge from your looks you were fed on peaches and cream. Iam especially glad to extend an invitation to this association to our club room to an enjoyable time while sojourning in our city. Our club is alsoa social club, and each member has been appointed a committee of one to give you any courtesy in their power, and we hope you will take advantage of this opportunity: The subject of horticulture is 30 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. very near to the heart of the average person, but as to its relative merits, of the different fruits commercially, or their production, I will leave it to those who are prepared to discuss it. Again, I would extend to you a very cordial welcome, and a very cordial invitation to the club room at any time, and the room is as free to you as it is to any menber (Applause). Mr. MARSHALL: One thing ought to be thought of, and that is the fruit districts which Mr. Saunders spokeof. The stateis divided into nine fruit districts; I believe formerly, it was divid- ed into six districts some years ago, when the districts were considered too large. Atthattimethe state was again divided, making nine districts. And now we fully realize that the districts are too large. I believe the state ought to be divided into twenty or twentyfive, and it seems to me it would be a good time to discuss this matter now, and if thought advisable, have the chairman appoint a committee to take this matter up, and report on it at the annual meeting. But if we never take it up we will never get it divided. I believe the old members real- ize that it should be divided into smaller districts. There is Mr. Youngers at Geneva, and Mr. Swan, who lives at Tecumseh, I believe are in the same district, No. 1. Thus, we can take the same list of fruit that Mr. Swan wants to grow at Tecumseh, and that which the president (Mr. Christy) would want to grow in Nemaha county, and if weask Mr. Youngers if that was a good fruit for his district, he should say no. That is the reason we make these districts. I believe it would be well to consider them at this time and seeif it is not possible to divide them up into 20 or 25 districts. The eastern part of the state certainly needs to be divided into smaller districts. And in order to get this question properly before the house, I will make a motion that the chair be authorized to appoint a committee to investigate the matter of dividing the districts again, or readjusting them. Mr. YOUNGERS: I think it would be well to appoint a com- mittee of 10, which should be well scattered. I think the com- mittee should be at least 10 in number. I know the larger you get the committee the more unwieldy it is to get together to do business, yet at the same time I think it ought to cover at least thatmany. I think it would be well to let the chairman appoint that committee, and let the secretary send out this informa- VALUE OF HORTICULTURAL EDUCATION. 81 tion that we expect them to do some work in their district, and come to the winter meeting prepared to help divide the state properly. I think that is the best way we can get good results. * Mr. MARSHALL: With the consent of the second I will in- clude that in the motion, that the committee be composed of nine. Motion adopted. The chair stated that he would announce the members of the committee at a later time. Meeting took recess to 2 P. M. SECOND SESSION. THURSDAY, JULY 28TH, 2:00 P. M. THE PRESIDENT: I willannounce the names of the Committee on Redistricting the State, as follows: . G. A. Marshall, Chairman. . G. A. Strand. . A. J. Brown: = (O2H,, Barnard: . W. G. Swan. . G.N. Titus. . KE. F. Stephens. HS. Harrison: . W. F. Jenkins. The first thing on the program this afternoon will be an address, VALUE OF HORTICULTURAL EDUCATION. BY HON. E. VON FORRELL, REGENT UNIVERSITY. OMOnaTIm OP CF DH Mr. ForRELL: Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen: ‘The value of horticultural education.’? Now, I am going to make the best speech that has been made, or that is going to be made, during this meeting, if you cut out George Marshall and Pete Youngers, and am going to begin now. We all recognize the value of agricultural education in the common schools, and for all persons. - You will appreciate the value of horticultural education more as you see what it does. 32 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. for the home, and for the people of the west especially, in gen- eral. The question first arises, when should it be taught, and the answer would be, very early in life. If we take the nature of the child and the things the child naturally desires, you will find the child giving attention, first, to action and location. For instance the tree that is grown does not appeal to the child only momentarily. But the little child will plant a seed and watch the development as it grows; and the corn stalk would appeal more to the child than the tree that grows slowly. After a while the child begins to give attention to form; and then after that, to color, and so on. These things — come to the child naturally early in life. It has been said that the child is a born naturalist, and I believe the saying is true, for it is an unusual thing for a child to be inattentive to the things that they see about them. The little child wishes to plant twigs. Nothing interests the child more than the plant- ing of seed and the watching of these seeds as they grow, and as they develop. It is this time in life when the child ought to be taught these things, but too frequently we discourage these by giving no attention to it ourselves, and thus discouraging the child because of our own lack of interest. For instance, if the little child takes an interest in the growing twig in the yard, and if that is in the way just a little, why we cut it off. The little fellow may cry and carry on a little while, but we don’t care much about that. It didn’t suit us; we didn’t want it there, and therefore, we don’t care what Johnnie or Susie might think about it. The twig is cut off ruthlessly. It takes just a little of this kind of action to discourage the little boy or girl either. If they have a little box in which they plant some seeds and watch them growing, as children oft do, and gladly do it, we are thoughtless about helping to protect it, or giving it no attention whatever, soon teaches the child that these things are of little consequence, and that as they grow older they will naturally discard these things. But if we would take an interest in these things the child would continue also to take an interest, and that interest would develop until the results would be horticulturists of no mean capabilities. The question of where: it should be taught, it seems to me, would be easily answered from what has been said. I know VALUE OF HORTICULTURAL EDUCATION. 33 the colleges are making preparations for this kind of instruc- tion. In fact, many of them have made very extensive prepara- tions to teach the young men and also the young women who will matriculate in the institutions of learning. But it seems to me in that we are wrong; not in equipping our colleges for this line of education, but waiting until they reach that age, be- cause they have passed the period in life when they take an in- tense interest in these things. For instance, the child, by nature, likes this; she likes the plants, likes to see the insects and watch them. They like to see the birds. They take an interest in the things that have motion and that are active, and in the plants first that show a degree of growth that is rapid; that they can see the changes that take place. So the little child by nature likes to watch the bud, if it is only a brief time, until that bud developes into a full blown flower. That is the nature of the child---the natural child; the unnatural child is the one who has grown up to manhood or womanhood and gives but a passing notice to these things. And it is because they have been trained to it because they don’t like it. Now the truth is, we give a good deal of attention to mathematics when the child is small. They must learn to count the combination of numbers; learn to compute early in life. That is the first thing in life. The three R’s was the first thing that must be given the child. Now it seems to me that when the child is young in years and wishes to handle bugs and living things, either in plant or animal life, we ought to give most attention to the development of these things which are natural to the child; but instead of that we give the child abstract things, and the child deals with abstract propositions. Now after a while we reach that age of the child when we wish to reason from the known to the unknown. We wish to study philosophy, chemistry and such sciences as that, and we take an interest in geology possibly, and all that. Now when they have reached that age of development, when they naturally take hold of these sciences, we say to them, you must go back and study plants, must study insects, and so we give them college names, and we say you will study botony and plant structure; you will study entomology and biology and those sciences that the child by nature is prepared in early life to ~ ae a =, 34 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. study. It does not require aman whose locks are silvered to know a great deal about the bugs, animals and plants, but the child’s desires to know these things. Take a four-year-old child, or five-year-old child, and at this time just stimulate the interest that is already awake; at this time you develope those instincts that are alive in the child, and after a while you will find that he is fond of nature, a man who lives close to nature. It does not make him the less of a mathematician. It does not dwarf his instincts for phylosophical research, but it makes him a better philosopher, a better mathematician. He knows more about these things simply because they havé come in their logical order. He is not bound, dwarfed and stunted upon physical things, not at all, but when he has reached the age when these studies should be considered, he will take hold of them readily and they will unfold in their natural order. We have reversed the thing. We have taught them mathe- - matics and phylosophy. Tried to stimulate the instincts of men and women in things already lost; we tried to bring them back to that day when they might again enjoy to wander in the grass and look at the leaves on the trees and watch the insects as they crawl in the grass, and observe nature’s things. We have reversed the order and therefore have incapacitated men from their childhood from the highest usefulness that they might have obtained because of this reverse in the natural order of things. But the college is doing a great deal in this line, and so the societies are doing a great deal in this line. I used to think if I bought a lot and I was permitted to build, and ever had money enough to build a house, I used to think I wanted an east front, a southeast corner best of all. I have changed my mind. I thinkI would rather have a west front | and have the shade in the back yard in the afternoon. The term horticulture means, hortus---garden, and cultra---culture, to cultivate, from which we get this word. It means cultiva- tion of garden literally, while agriculture means the cultivation of a field, and gives us an impression of a larger service. At least horticulture has the idea of a cultivation of the garden. I think if we live more in our back yards than on the front porches we would be a more domestic and-better people. I think a nice lawn is beautiful. There is nothing in that seclu- VALUE OF HORTICULTURAL EDUCATION. © 35 sion, there is nothing of that domestic relationship that seems to be suggested by the standard backyard, and so I think I would like in the evening, when the sun is set in the west, to take the family in the backyard and there have the trees that I planted there, and the flowers that have been growing there, and the arbor that has been fixed there, and all that one might enjoy, all the pleasing things one could enjoy. I think I would rather have my backyard in the best place I could find. Why should we try to imitate the bleakness of our prairies in an at- tempt to beautify our homes? I think a little more shrubbery and those things cultivated in the backyard make it the most pleasant place to spend your evenings with your family. The arrangement of things might be reversed from the conventional idea for a pleasant home. The value of this education too would satisfy the youth and make him feel more at home in its surroundings. While horti- culture is generally attributed to the man who is growing fruit, and is becoming to incorporate the individual who is growing the fruit for commercial purposes, it also appeals to the indi- vidual who lives in the cities and towns, where the cultivation of flowers and plants is the consideration. And it is valuable because it developes the aesthetic and finer sensibilities of the individual. I think for aman who comes home from the busi- ness of the day, when his mind has been kept occupied with the dealings of the counting room or in any different business he might be engaged in, when he comes home and sits among lots of flowers and shrubs and trees and plants that are growing about him, it seems to bea rest. It will recreate him and make him prepared and fitted for another day’s work. Now it is well understood, it is certainly well known, that man’s rest has much to do with his honesty; that a man must have the proper kind of recreation in order that he might live right with his fellow men. It is said that from eight to twelve hours is neces- sary fora man torest. It is not sufficient by the best educa- tors who have studied this question for the average, and so one day in the week is set apart for rest. And I tell you why I think it ought to be observed—from humanitarian standpoint, from the standpoint of sociability, from every standpoint that we may consider today, that twelve, eight or nine hours a day 36 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. is not sufficient to bring about that rest that is necessary. For ~ the men who have studied this question have come to this con- clusion, that a man may be trusted on Monday but cannot be trusted on Saturday night—the nervous force has been ex- pended—and the men are different on Saturday night because ~ of this than on Monday morning. The result has been con- siderable advance, that one day’s rest has brought them back to a normal condition. Where could that rest be more complete than when you find it where the flowers grow and the trees are growing and the birds are singing. My little boy has been planting all kinds of trees in a box, and he enjoys it. He had some little beds in the house in which he germinated the seed, and there was scarcely a day he did not call my attention to these plants. And one day he set a little tree out and the wind broke it off, and it nearly broke his little heart at the same time. I was glad he felt bad about it. (I think it developes the boy’s sensibilities in the child to give attention to the things that grow.) Thata child, when a tree is broken or a shrub is injured, has much the same feeling as when a pet bird or cat has been hurt, and when you get the feeling stirred up in that way the finer sensibilities are cultivated and it is a good thing for the child, and when he grows up to manhood you will not be surprised to know he is a humanitarian. The horticulturalists of this country had not given attention to these things to so very large an extent until probably about fifty years ago, when we began to do things in earnest. And it is in the past century that horticulture has had its highest de- velopment in the United States—especially along the line of fruit growing. And it is said no country in the world has made the advancement that America has made along these | lines. If this is true, and I think it is, we can justly feel proud. There may have been men who have discovered great things, made inventions that benefitted mankind, but I believe the man who made two spears of grass to grow where one grew before, the men who braved the dangers of this western country, braved the dangers of the hot winds and the adverse conditions and again began planting the apple, plum and cherry tree and improve the fruit of these, have done the world a great deal of good, and humanity will call them blessed for the efforts they v. Pie e- B ia a Ly 3 =f 3 VALUE OF HORTICULTURAL EDUCATION. 37 have put forth. When in the beginning, in this state, men came to this country and said we cannot grow apple trees. A ‘gentleman said to me this morning he had-been here for thirty- _ five years; he lived in Nemaha county; he said we had no idea we could grow an apple in that country. I came here twenty-one years ago, and I think that the oalt place they could grow apples was in Richardson, Nemaha and Johnson counties, in the southeastern portion of our state. About ten years ago they discovered that the northeast part of the state was the real place where orchards could grow, it was a great apple country. They told me up at Sioux City they could grow better apples there than any where in the state of Nebraska, and they were filled with hope that these things could be done. I know it is only a short time ago that they said fruit could not be grown here, and yet we find there beau- tiful orchards. A man brought some to my house a few days ago; and if any apples made oy better sauce than those I never saw them. The value of horticultural education cannot be over estimated for the general welfare of this country. There is nothing in the world that advertises a country as a good, substantial farm- ing country any better than the plants, flowers and trees that you see growing in that country. There is nothing that speaks better for a class of people in the world than to see the orchards and the meadows and the gardens and the flowers that are in blossom. If you show me a community where every home is adorned with trees, shrubs and plants, I will show you a com- munity where civilization has reached the highest point, it has the completest farm. And if you will show me a community where the ornaments in the front and back yards are the swine; if a man upon his lot will say that he has saved the price of a lawn mower by permitting his cow and horse to eat the grass, I will show you a condition of retrogression that this country - should not tolerate. We are speaking for better things. I think we depend too much upon our lawn mowers and not enough upon cultivation. We don’t think all our lawns in our villages should be grass plots. I think there ought to be a large part of it planted to shrubs, trees and flowers of every description, and the children 88 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. that grow up in a place of this kind will have real enjoyment, and they will begin to study these things in their natural way. The plant as it grows, and the child as it grows, have a kind of an affinity one for another. They seem to thrive well together, and as they grow one may shead its leaves and the other grow in knowledge and wisdom, untill finally by a natural order of things he will not forget the plant or love it less; he will not for- get the orchard and meadow, he will not love them less but he will, possibly because of these things, love his philosophy more, not because he does not know of these others but because he does know of them, and appreciate them. I think this horticultural society means much good where- ever these sessions are held in the community in which they meet. I only hope and only trust that we can enjoy more of the association of men who give this their thought, give this their attention, because certainly if their is one thing that speaks well for humanity it is the growing of trees, of shrubs and of beautiful flowers in general (Applause). _ THE PRESIDENT: Weare pleased to listen to suchan address. We are glad to know that it is not only the people that are here today who will receive the benefits of these proceedings, but re- member we are speaking to an audience of 10,000 people through our reports, so that every thing said here is reported in short- hand and goes to a larger audience than what we now see. This that we have just listened to should be published in every educa- _ tional paper in the United States; school teachers throughout the United States ought to hear that as well as horticulturists. I hope they will. The next address will be by Frank Harris, on “HOW I GROW CHERRIES.” Mr. Harris: Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: My talk is on “‘How I Grow Cherries’’. I suppose all of you know how to grow cherries. Thousands of them have been trying it, and, I suppose they know as much as I do. The first thing to do is to prepare your ground in order that HOW TO GROW CHERRIES. 389 you may grow cherries. Have your ground plowed from seven to eight inches deep and mulch that ground throughly. Then order your trees. Put out your trees as they should be. See that the roots of those treesare not broken. Cut your limbs off all excepting two or three runners, train your tree _ pro- perly and keepitthat way. There are many who think when they order trees from the nursery that the tree should be attended to in the nursery. But it is likea pig in the pen. There are those who will put a pig in a pen, and then say we have got him in the pen, and we have got nothing more to do until we get ready to sellhim. But treesare not that way. Inorder to get anything out of trees you have got to keep them grow- ing. The tree after it once gets bark bound, becomes as a runty pig, it will not produce its fruit its natural size. It stands there and the bark gets hard on it; the leaves look sickly and very small. But I will tell you the way to prevent it, the. way I do, everybody else don’t do that way. When I see a tree that is that way, I make up a bucket of ‘strong soap suds and go at that tree and rub it thoroughly with it, and let it dry. And then I take about three table spoonfuls of salt and have half a quart of flour and mix that with white- wash, about 8 quarts, then I go over that tree. I do so with all my trees. That keeps the bark tender, the tree growing, and it produces fruit as nice as you ever saw. That is the way I do. I find that I have better luck that way than I do other ways. I have also tried other trees, just put them in the ground and let them grow like other people would. Butit was not a suc- cess. The tree soon becomes grown up with ordinary sprouts on the sunny side and they will soon take the strength from the tree and don’t let the sap circulate in the tree as it should; then the tree will have very small leaves and small fruit and hence does not produce its natural size. Inorder to have any thing you have got to attend to it. If you plant corn and leave it there until gathered, it will bea mistake. The corn has to be tended to; the same with trees. Then you can see what the tree will do. I have six trees that are sixteen years old. There shows the fruit in the can (indicating to can of fruit.) Seven bushels and eighteen quarts on one tree; and that was not the largesttree. I intend to get the amount that grew on the largest I 40 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. tree, but I had a party picking it and they got them mix- ed up, therefore, I kept track of the next largest tree, and all the same size as you see there. (Those are the smallest cherries I raised there.) Off of twenty trees I raised seventy- two bushels of cherries and sold all for a $1.50 a bushel and gave a good round measure. If there is anybody here who got some I would like to see their faces (applause.) I dont believe in cheating aman. If I cheat aman out ofa dollar, I believe I will lose $10. I believe in being honest with a man. That is the way my cherries are, as you see them, the whole orchard that Ihave. Out of twenty trees, seventy two bushels of cherr- ies came off the trees, and that is the size they are. I would like to have you all see my orchard. Of course it is just small, but my trees are not trained like other people train theirs. I trim my trees up so that the tree may devlope the fruit its nat-— ural size, and you can see there what itis. But by letting it grow upinordianary sprouts it will make a weak and sickly tree and will not produce its fruit as it ought to. Therefore, I find that I have better luck by doing that than I would to let it grow. Lots of people want their trees to bush down to the ground so. that the limbs will protect the body of the tree from the sun. I say trim your tree up and scrub it—it does a person good lots of times (laughter) and I say do your trees thesame. Then after you do that put that whitewash on it, that is a great pro- tection from the sun, and also keeps the bark tender, and the tree will then grow and produce its fruit right. But of all the growing cherries here I will take the Early and Late Richmond for Nebraska. When atree grows seven bushels and eighteen quarts of cherries that is good enough for me. I came here in an early day, and when I came here the people told me you could not raise fruit in this country. Of course I brought a lot of seed with me that I planted, and thought I would try it that way, and I found out that you could get trees from the nursery- men that would do a great deal better. So I had a little means, and I bought me a little place here in town and bought a few trees. My wife says, “What do you want to put out those little bushes for, they will not amount toanything.”’ But I find today that she is very glad to receive the money that has come from them. —__.* DISCUSSION. 41 Now in raising cherries, they want to be cultivated, and keep the ground around the tree pretty loose; the looser the better, and the faster then the tree will grow. When the tree becomes hidebound and grows up around it and packed around the tree it is not good for the tree; it becomes sickly and dies out ina few years. My trees today sixteen years old are as nice and green as those I put outayearago. I seetrees set out since mine - ofthe same kind of cherry; they are dead, limbs sawed off and tops broken, all like that. Of course, last year my trees were all full of bloom when the sleet came, and they all bent down to the ground. If I hadn’t tended my trees, the limbs would have been dry and then would have broken off. I keep my trees ten- der and they bent to the ground and they didn’t break off, and you see the result of what I got off from them here. I have six acres south of town that I planted in fruit trees, and my cher-_ ries and other trees that I put out have made a growth of three feet this season. And cherries I put out a year ago this spring had from each a quart of cherries on, as nice as I ever saw, and I ordered the trees from Harrison Bros. of York, and I find that that nursery suits me; and my old trees that I got, came from that nursery, and Iam very well satisfied with it. And I have also got half a block that is planted into fruit from Shennan- doah, lowa. That is pretty nice fruit, but my trees are quite as nice. I believe, of course, in getting trees as near home as pos- sible, and they suit the soil and climate better, and I think you will do a great deal better to do that. I believe that is all I have to say. (Applause). DISCUSSION. A MEMBER: Did you say you cultivated, and did they in- crease? Mr. Harris: My old trees, I cultivate them every year, but this is the first year I have not spaded around them because I had too much to do. A MEMBER: You spade around them every year? Mr. HARRIS: Yes sir. 42 ' NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. “ A MEMBER: What have you in the ground now around the old trees? Mr. Harris: Grass which is in my lawn; blue grass in the lawn. A MeMBER: In regard to that late Richmond. Mr. Harris might be right about that, but the trees are hard to get. The horticulturists know how difficult it is to get together to compare these specimens, therefore, we have no way of learning about them. From our experience with the Late Richmond, I believe he must have something else than the Late Richmond. I could not say a good thing for the Late Richmond. For the early Richmond I could not say too much. Was that Late Richmond light or dark? Mr. Harris: Light cherry. A MEMBER: Does it have heavy foliage? Mr. HARRIS: Yes sir. A MEMBER: Is it about ten days later than the Early Rich- mond? Mr. HARRIS: Yes sir. A MEMBER: I wonder if you didn’t have Montmorency in- stead of Late Richmond? Mr. Harris: When I bought my trees I got them for the Late Richmond. A MEMBER: Did they come in bearing as soon as the Early Richmond? Mr. Harris: No sir. A MEMBER: Couple of years later? Mr. HARRIS: Yes sir. A MEMBER: Did you get them from Harrison Bros? Mr. HARRIS: Yes sir. Mr. WILLIAMS: I would like to ask Mr. Harris how he meas- ured his cherries. [cannot imagine his getting seven bushels of cherries from one tree. I think I never saw a tree with over DISCUSSION... tess three bushels. The question with me is how did he measure them? ; Mr. Harris: I measured my cherries in half bushels, and gave two half bushels for a bushel. (Applause). Mr. WILLIAMS: Did you leave the stems on? Mr. Harris: Yes sir, just as you see them there (indicat- ing). If there is anybody here that bought cherries from me, they can rise and speak about it. Mr. HARRISON: Referring to the question of the kind of trees these are, I don’t think there is any doubt but the tree as described, is the Late Richmond; that has fruit that ripens ten days after the Early Richmond. Mr. YouNGERS:. I wish to state in regard to the Late Rich- “mond. Thirty years ago all the Montmorency through this country were called Late Richmond. We have since discovered that they are Mortmorency instead of Late Richmond. I had the Montmorency that have been disseminated all through. PRESIDENT: The nurserymen are about as ignorant about the variety as the people. Mr. YouNGERS: Among the Montmorency, the large one, there isa great variety, and there are several types of Mont- morency’ that all ripen at about the same time, within four or five days, but they vary in shapeand in size and productiveness, and also the growth of the tree; but all of the Montmorency type ---and we come to the conclusion that the Montmorency ordi- narily, as it is known, in the east of New York, is one of the most productive Montmorency we have in this state. Mr. Swan: Do you ever spray your trees? Mr. Harris: No sir. Mr. Swan: Just depend on soap? Mr. HARRIS: “ Yes sir. Mr. C. S. HARRISON: I was over to Father Dorr’s place this summer, and he had a large number of Late Richmond trees, which he had been growing for years, yet they are shy of cher- 44 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. ries, a little larger than the Early Richmond; they are dark col- ored and exceedingly rich, and sweeter cherry. I think there is that type of cherry, but we don’t want to mix them with the Montmorency. I don’t think we have gota live English Morello in York County. Mr. YounGErs: I wish to say that the Terry has stood it as good as any tree we have had—equal to the Early Richmond or Montmorency. Mr. MARSHALL: Iam getting tired of bobbing up and down. I want to say something about that cherry. We had some ex- perience. The Terry in the nursery will stand a whole lot of grief. I remember the greatest we have here to speak of in the cherry line is cold weather. The reason Nebraska has been such a good cherry country is because of the glorious sunshine. But when we get fifty instead of twenty-two or twenty-nine in- © ches of rain fall, then the cherry is going to suffer. Now the Terry will stand that in the nursery; I cannot explain why it will stand that in the orchard while it is young, but about the time it comes in bearing it, willturn up its toes. That is the way ours did. Now in the nursery they didn’t die but lived and seemed all right, but we cannot explain the difference; but it is there and shows for itself. In regard to that English Morello, it will out-bear any cherry, Early Richmond and all; but it will not stand the amount of cold weather we have had in the last two years, but if we don’t have that I will say it will out-bear any of them—even the Early Richmond. We have proved it for years and years. It is the heaviest bearer we havehad. This very sort, the Montmorency that Harrison speaks of, I think he will testify, it is the quality that is the best. I don’t like the English Morello. The English Morello will be all right if we have the normal weather and it will fruit heavy. But anybody growing it in large quantities must expect it to die if we have much rain. Mr. STEPHENS: Weare accustomed to regard the horticul- tural portion of Nebraska, as confined to the eastern half of the state; but there is a western portion of the state, and there the Engilsh Morello is a very good fruit. There is one point I wish DISCUSSION. 45 to bring before the meeting, cultivation. Perhaps you all know that we have had enthusiasism from the subject of cultivation. I have some times thought of the English Morello that cultiva- tion was like whiskey; in winter a man takes it to keep warm, and in summer time to keep cool or rather guard againts heat. The English Morello—we have had two or three very wet sea- sons, and it has been very hard on all of the roots of these cherries, but the thorough cultivation has carried our English Morello cherries through and saved nearly all of them, and gave us a greater growth this year, somewhat heavy growth. We have succeeded in carrying them through the last two years, and kept on enough foliage to keep the trees in a fair condition, and carry them forward for the future. In what way does cul- tivation assist these trees? We believe that cultivation will not only conserve moisture in dry seasons, but if there is an excess of rainfalls, it prepares the surface and gives them a better growth, and that cultivation is very valuable in wet seasons, and we should do a great deal more of it. This particular orchard was kept in health by cultivating it twenty-five times. Mr. Harris: You bought your original trees? Mr. STEPHENS: Never got any good out of them. Mr. Harris: A few years ago I got fourteen kinds when I was out in Franklin county. They did remarkably well: they were very large. I put out a plantation in Colorado under ditch, and they out-sold every thing else. I got some seeds of late ones. They had them out in September, and I planted, but I found like the English Morello they will not stand our wet weather. I don’t know but in the extreme west they might be all right. As soon as these wet seasons come on, there are a very few cherries that will stand it. I am speaking about these original trees. Mr. Bates: I have handled as many kinds of cherries in Hamilton county as any other man. The Montmorency does fairly well, next to the Karly Richmond. For Hamilton county the Early Richmond is the standard cherry. I have had ex- perience of thirty years. I would state heavy mulching is just as good in my judgment from my experience in raising of fruit 46 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. trees of over one hundred varieties. For three years cultivate them. Mulch heavy until the trees get well set is the proper thing.’ Mr. H. S. HARRISON: The mulching question may be all right when well protected, but there is one objection. That is, it brings the roots too near the surface. Mr. Swan: In our country, I know they didn’t die with the wet feet, but they are dead. The balance of them are dying now. Mine is on quite a steep hill, and all the heavy rains run off, and therefore the wet weather does not kill mine. They froze up a year ago last May, and the leaves became yellow, and every Morello in my orchard is gone. Mr. BELTZER: The gentleman is in favor of mulching. Mr. Harrison says it will not do. I want to know whether mulch- ing apple, cherry and plum trees will have the same effect as it does on cedar trees, tobring the roots up to the ground sur- face. Have you experiments? Mr. HARRISON: We have not. Mr. MARSHALL: ‘Take it for ten years and it will do it every time. A MEMBER: We have experimented for twenty years. I mulch them as often as they need it. Mr. BELTZER: I find mulching is a benefit from the time they are planted until they fruit. Mr. MARSHALL: The impression left with me was, there was probably four inches of mulching kept on them all the time. Now that will not work. If you do that you will bring the roots up. The mulching is all right, but you must let it wear away. A TRIP THROUGH THE SOUTHERN ORCHARDS. BY MR. PETER YOUNGERS. Mr. YOUNGERS: The paper I have prepared on this subject is very brief (applause). A TRIP THROUGH THE SOUTHERN ORCHARDS. 47 After the meeting of the American Association of Nursery- men, which adjourned June 23rd, we had the pleasure of visit- ing the orchards of Central Georgia, through the courtesy of the Georgia Central Railroad, and invitations of the Orchardists. As we had visited the same section in 1892, we were surprised at the immense increase in the planting. In 1892, the largest orchard of the section contained nearly 100,000 peach trees. On this trip we visited five orchards containing 755,000 trees. After we left Atlanta, we were taken to May- field, Ga., where some 150 persons were met at the station and driven to the orchard of Berckman Bros., which contained 710 acres, consisting of 180,000 trees, largely peach with a small per cent of plum and pear. After a delightful drive we reached — the house and were royally entertained by Berckman Bros., they having prepared a real old fashioned Barbecue, consisting of eight sheep and four hogs and other good things in propor- tion awaiting the hungry nurserymen. The tables were under the shade of a great spreading oak, and the drive had created a good apetite for all. Peaches were piled high upon the table and such good ripe fruit at this season of the year was enjoyed by the northern people. After a most delightful time in the orchard, we returned to Macon, Ga., and stopped over night. This is a very progressive city and has the appearance of being very much alive and up to date. The next morning we visited the orchard of J. H. Hale, near Ft. Valley. This orchard contains 2,100 acres and has 250,000 trees. They employ 200 hands and will ship 250 cars of fruit this season. Our next trip was to the Albaugh orchard, and here we found 100,000 trees in most excellent condition. As Mr. Albaugh is one of the pioneers in peach growing, we were pleased to note his success. Wealso had the pleasure of visiting the orchard of of S. H. Rumph, the originator of the Elberta peach. His orchard consists of 165,000 trees. He gave the nurserymen a most hearty welcome at his home and we fully appreciated his hospitality. Our last trip was to the orchard of E. J. Willingham and G. M. Withoft. The Withoft orchard contains 110,000 trees and they were in the best possible condition. In all we visited five 48 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY orchards, containing 755,000 trees. All this development of the southern fruit industry is the result of the eastern and north- ern blood that is developing the south. Ohio and Connecticut people are largely interested in bringing about the change. From barren fields they have produced train loads of fruit and are employing thousands of laborers to develop the south. DISCUSSION. Mr. Youncmrs: (After finishing reading his paper states:) Georgia in the last 12 years has put out 12,000,000 peach trees. A MemBer: Do you think there is an opportunity for Ne- braska to compete with Georgia in the peach business? Mr. YounGERS: I don’t believe it is advisable unless they would form a company and plant on a large scale. In the first place the land is so poor you have got to fertilize it; and when you get fourteen bushels of corn to the acre, planted at four feet apart, one kernal to the hill, you are getting a good crop- A MremMBer: Can you make peach growing as successful in Nebraska as they do in Georgia? Mr. Youncrers: I think youcan. They ship their peaches to Boston and New York, they don’t come in competition with the west at all. I believe if we had orchards large enough so we could ship them that way we could make good money in Ne- braska. Mr. Snopcrass: How do our Nebraska peaches compare with Georgia peaches in flavor? Mr. YouNGERS: I think the Nebraska peach superior to the Georgia peach. We had that tested at the World’s Fair, when the committee on awards made their award on peaches. They gave New Jersey first and Nebraska second in quality. They tell us they hadn’t any rain for practically three months in Georgia. That made considerable difference. When I was down in Georgia twelve years ago they were very juicy and smaller than our own, but this year they had no rain for about three months. Mr. HARRISON: I was in Mobile last winter and had a chance to observe a little not far from Mobile, and the peach orchards SPRAYING EXPERIMENTS. 49. are rather sad affairs. The scale seems like a needle which enters the stump, and it dies. There were trees there you could rake the scales off; they had to cut off the limbs and leave nothing but the stump, and then whitewash them. I thought we had some advantages in Nebraska. I think Nebraska, from what I can see of the United States, has the best show of raising peaches of any state in the Union. Mr. Swan: Mr. Youngers, you think Nebraska is ahead of all of them? Mr. YOUNGERS: Yes, for profit and quality. SPRAYING EXPERIMENTS WITH APPLE SCAB AND CEDAR RUST. BY PROF. R. A. EMERSON, UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA. INTRODUCTION. During the past three years two fungous diseases of the apple, scab and cedar rust, have been unusally prevalent in eastern Nebraska. Of the two, rust has attracted the more attention, owing to the fact that the trees attacked by it are often defoliated. and thereby seriously weakened, ifnot killed. The further fact that the rust seriously injures cedar trees has brought it to the attention of many who would not otherwise have beén concerned about it. Scab, on the other hand, becomes noticeable only by disfiguring the fruit of certain varieties of apples. Asa matter of fact, scab is more injurious than is often apparent. It not only attacks the fruit but also injures the foliage to such an ex- tent that the fruit is sometimes undersized. Moreover, the scab very commonly reduces the yield of fruit by attacking the flowers or very young fruits, causing them to drop early. This is of course a more serious trouble in “‘off years’? than in seasons when there is a heavy set of fruit. For instance, after the freeze of 1903, which came while the trees were in bloom, there was a very noticeable difference in the amount of fruit set on sprayed: and unsprayed apples, in favor of the sprayed trees.. 50 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. The observations recorded in this bulletin are mainly the re- sults of tests of spraying’as a preventive of the diseases under consideration. The tests of spraying against apple scab can hardly be said to be experimental. They are more in the nature of demonstrations. Although spraying for apple scab is in reality beyond the experimental stage, tests of the sort reported here are of considerable value, since Nebraska fruit growers and farmers have not been uniformly successful in their attemps to hold scab in check by spraying. As regards cedar rust, the work is largely experimental, comparatively few attemps having been made before to control it by spraying. HOW THE DISEASES WORK. Before passing to the consideration of the spraying tests, it is well to understand something of what the diseases are and how they work. Description of the fungi concerned and detail- ed accounts of their life histories are rather for the plant path- ologist to undertake than for the horticulturist. Nothing of the sort will therefore be attempted in this account. Fic. 1 Leaves of Ralls Genet apple showing apple scab. ” * SPRAYING EXPERIMENTS. 51 Fic. 2. Winesap and Red June apples showing apple seab. Let it be said at the start that “cedar apples,’’ which are seen so commonly on cedar trees in spring, have no relation whatever to apple scab but do have a very close relation to the rust on apple leaves. Many fungi have two or more stages of growth. One stage of apple scab occurs on the foliage, fruit and twigs of apple trees during summer and the other on the dead apple leaves in winter and spring. Fig. 1 indicates something of the appear- ance of scab on the leaves in summer and fig. 2 shows how scabby fruits look. At first the scab shows as a brownish discoloration _ in spots on the underside of the leaves, on the flower or fruit _ stems, and on the young fruits. Later the upper surface of the . : Sete a leaves shows the disease, appearing as if swollen in spots (see fig. 1). The affected fruits often present many small, grayish- brown spots of scab and usually a few large patches of a similar color. The larger scabs often crack open (see fig. 2). If the fruits are badly affected while quite small, they frequently drop before they have grown appreciably. Infection takes place in 52 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. spring or early summer from the leaves of the preceding year’s growth. Later the disease spreads from the parts first affected to the new growth. In like manner cedar rust has two stages of growth. One stage occurs on the foliage, twigs, and fruits of the apple in summer, where it appears at first as definite-yellowish spots, very unlike the rather indefinite brownish spots caused by scab. On sus- ceptible varieties the spots increase in size as the season ad- yances, often running together to form large patches. By mid- summer the affected parts of twigs and fruits and the lower surfaces of leaves show short thread-like growths. Onsome less susceptible varieties, however, the diseased spots remain small and undeveloped throughoutthesummer. The foliage of apples is generally much more seriously injured by the rust than the fruit is. Apparently only the most susceptible varie.vies suffer from diseased twigs. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 give some idea of how the disease appears on the leaves, twigs, and fruits of apples. The other stage of the rust occurs, not on the apple,. but on the foliage and twigs of cedar trees, where it appears during fall and winter as small, brown knots, commonly called “cedar apples” EA Ta Si iate Bak + Fic. 3 Leaves of the Wealthy apple, showing cedar rust. SPRAYING EXPERIMENTS. 53 oe Oe OE A 4 Ve, are ae ee a Fic. 5. Jonathan apple showing cedar rust on the fruits. (see fig. 6, No. 1). With the warm weather of spring, these knots produce threadlike tubes (fig. 6, Nos. 2 and 3), which 54 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Seeietbenien xtcorediteamatae ; RS Fic. 6. “Cedar apples” on cedar twigs. No. 1, Winter stage of cedar rust; Nos. 2. 3, and 4, pring stages of cedar rust. SPRAYING EXPERIMENTS. 55 orange-yellow color (fig. 6, No. 4). About this time spores are carried by the wind to apple trees, where in turn they produce the summer stage of the rust. Spores from the summer stage on the apple infect the cedar trees again during late summer and autumn. RESISTANCE TO RUST AND SCAB. Varieties of apples differ widely in their susceptibility to rust and scab. While a considerable number of our common vari- eties of apples are not very seriously injured by scab, few of them are perfectly free from its attacks. Varieties like Ben Davis are commonly regarded as so resistant to scab that it does not pay to spray them. They are nevertheless, far from being per- fectly free from scab. From the behavior of young trees in the Experiment Station orchards, Oldenburg, Whitney, Wealthy, Salome, and Patten Greening might be said to be almost perfectly free from scab. The writer has had no experience with old trees of some of these varieties. From the same standpoint, Red Astrachan, Windsor, Jonathan, Ingram, York Imperial, Ben Davis, Gano, Northwestern, Missouri Pippin, Iowa Blush, and Grimes Golden might be called fairly resistant to scab, while Winesap, Mammoth Black Twig, Sheriff, Ralls Genet, Virginia Beauty, Red June, and Northern Spy would be regarded as very susceptible to scab. From publications of other Experiment Stations, notably Ala- bama and Deleware, from reports received from a few fruit growers in this State and from personal observation, the writer has prepared the following provisional list of apples commonly grow in Nebraska, arranged with reference to their resistance to rust. Some of these varieties may have to be changed upon further observation, and it is certainly desirbale to add to the list: 56 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY Varieties Resistant to Rust. Varieties Susceptible to Rust. Cooper Early Red June Oldenburg Wealthy Early Harvest Whitney Sweet June Iowa Blush Yellow Transparent Jonathan Red Astrachan Missouri Pippin Maiden Blush Grimes Golden, Ben Davis Prairie Crab and its rel- Gano atives and hybrids. Winesap Mammoth Black Twig Ralls Genet Northwestern York Imperial Grimes Golden! REMOVING CEDAR TREES AS A PREVENTIVE OF RUST No lessthan fifteen Experiment Stations have discussed cedar rust in their reports. Ten of them recommend to remove the cedar. trees or at least to destroy the cedar apples, and some suggest destroying the effected parts of the apple trees. A num- ber of reports suggest spraying with some fungicide, like Bor- deaux mixture. RESULTS OF SPRAYING FOR SCAB. The results of spraying for apple scab are shown in the follow- ing table: SPRAYING EXPERIMENTS. 61 TABLE II.—Hffect o7 spraying on apple scab. Tee No. of No. of Fruits. eer F ri A spray- D f spraying. cent 0 No. Variety Me . ny ates of sprayin aaacie oxgt, scabby 1,2 |Winesap ............ Oper Raters coe aa ees Me 248 63 80 3,4 Carpets Gay emciee cir | Cpe Ey a ey ae May 27 36 | 169 13 be ai Miniden.- blush s|> On - |r santos Sneha wana 133 val 65 es Ohegeaeesiligetn lism, lutein en aco ek doe May 23 Wee 4 7-9 |Sweet June.......... (hese ee eeetsea enor Dah ty cele ee) 39 11 78 10-12) ‘ CS eae ileaaes lease ey ot Many esos cote 20 30 40 13-15 [2 =! ye eae Ltr [ec Ce May 28 10 40 20 16-18) ‘‘ Sis cea ene Dill ase ee es May 9, May 28 2; 48 4 19-21) --** peas ot 3 |Apr. 27, May 9, May 28 2 48 4 22 = |OMMLNAN 2. ee. () al ares eapie Aen peak ae aieena i 54 AG | 32354: 7B} Pe aise Grin Rea (Via | eae ES eRe ee RS haat Pha J 49 51 49 24 Be ice Oto South SPs ACIS ch nee ce MAE net eae 46 54. 46 25 Soe nee RO [Daete [ PS cali Ate came Sarat May 23 2 98 2) 26 SSN Sa ee ee Sehr Bee VATIe. Big. cases A May 23 0} 100 0: 27 ~~ BS ee aS 2 Ape 2.04732. Sate May 23 1 99 1 28 ipa im oe Nae Ca Dee sl eae alae May 7, May 23 0} 100 0 29 ES 3 ieee eee erd 3 |Apr. 26, May 7, May 23 0} 100 0 30 |Ralls Genet ........ (Oe SE pean WRG Sean ee eae 1185 | 400 5. 31 eS scaeenee seo. (cpt a ies aes Se OS et ee ees ne 210 59 78 32 ae Loy AS HA OI Apres noes eS ces 80 25 16. — 33 a Ny ae ais lik ar aa May 7, May 23 4} 258 2 34 UG BIE ete Dee aise SE May 7, May 23 TSA 22b2 5 35 : pierete tee 3° |Apr. 26, May 7, May 23 16 | 1411 1 In the records of the tests given in the above table, two or three facts stand out with special prominence. (1) The un- sprayed fruit was very scabby, running from about 50 per cent in case of Jonathan to 80 per cent with Winesap. (2) The first. spraying, April 26 and 27, when the leaf buds were just open- ing, afforded no protection to the fruit. Trees sprayed late in April and not sprayed afterwards, had practically as scabby fruit as unsprayed trees. (8) The third spraying, May 23 and 28, gave very good results. Winesap trees sprayed only once late in May showed only about 13 per cent of scabby fruit as against 80 per cent for unsprayed trees, and Maiden Blush only 4 per cent of scab on sprayed as against 65 per cent on un- sprayed trees (see figs. 7 and 8). (4) The second spraying, May 7 and 9, while beneficial in practically all cases, was not: quite so effective in controlling scab as the later spraying. (5) The best results followed two sprayings, one early and one late. in May. This is well shown in case of Sweet June, where an 62 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. unsprayed tree had 78 per cent of scab, one sprayed early in May, 40 per cent, one sprayed late in May, 20 per cent, and an- other sprayed both early and late in May, only 4 per cent. The failure of the early spraying to give valuable results this: year may not mean that early spraying can safely be omitted other seasons. Scab was rather slow in starting last spring, which may account for the poorer results from early than from late spraping. INJURY FROM SPRAYING. Some of the apples, notably Jonathan, were injured consider- ably by the spraying of May 23. The fruit was badly russeted on one side. In the worst cases the injury took the form of one- sided development of the fruits. Whether the injury was due to an overdose of the spray, to improperly made Bordeaux, to the green arsenoid used with the Bordeaux, or to the extreme tenderness of the Jonathan fruits, it is impossible to say. Color is lent to the latter supposition by the fact that Maiden Blush, Ralls Genet, and Oldenburg, sprayed the same day and with exactly the same spray mixture, were injured very slightly, scarcely being russeted at all. The marked effect which spraying has in lessening scab is ‘shown more clearly by photographs than by columns of figures in tables. Figs. 7and 8 are from photographs of sprayed and unsprayed apples shown as a part of the spraying exhibit made by the Experiment Station at the Nebraska State Fair of 1904. The difference between the sprayed and unsprayed trees shown at the Fair was so marked that some skeptical persons sug- gested that the poorest of the unsprayed fruit and the best of the sprayed fruit had been chosen. Asa matter of fact, how- ever, the exhibit was a perfectly fair one and showed the actual | average condition of the fruit on sprayed and unsprayed trees. The specimens were taken at random, the only selection allowed being the throwing out of the smallest fruits from each lot. As a matter of fact, the difference between the sprayed and un- sprayed fruit in the Experiment Station exhibit at the Fair was but little greater than the difference between the exhibits of the several orchardists who showed fruit for premiums. Except SPRAYING EXPERIMENTS. 63 Fic. 7. Maiden Blush and Winesap apples sprayed once with Bordeaux mixture (as exhibited at the State Fair, 1904). 3 MAIDEN BL ee Fic. 8. Maiden Blush and Winesap apples not sprayed (as exhibited at the State F air, 1904). * 64 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. . in case of scab-resistant. varieties, one could tell at a glance whether a particular exhibit had come from a sprayed or an un- sprayed orchard. If the general exhibits had been labeled, there would indeed have been little need for the sprayingex- hibit made by the Experiment Station. Mt * V5 Br * Fic. 9. Leaves of Ralls Genet apple sprayed (on right) and unsprayed (on left). That spraying has a beneficial effect on the foliage” of apple trees as well as on the fruit can be seen from fig. 9, which shows leaves from sprayed and unsprayed trees. PREPARATION AND USE OF BORDEAUX MIXTURE. The character of Bordeaux mixture varies greatly, according to the way in which it is made. The following method of per- paring it, now very generally employed throughout the coun- try, has been found to give best results and should be adhered to quite rigidly. To make Bordeaux mixture, take— 4 pounds quicklime (stone lime.) 4 pounds copper sulphate (blue vitriol). 50 gallons water. SPRAYING EXPERIMENTS. , 65 Slack the lime carefully and add water to make twenty-five gal- lons. Dissolve the copper sulphate in water and dilute the so- lution to make twenty-five gallons. Mix the two solutions to- gether by pouring firsta pailful of one and then of the other into a third vessel. Never mix the solutions while warm. The lime is best slacked a day or two before being used, so that it will be perfectly cool. Strain the mixture as it is poured into the spray barrel or tank. Made in this way, Bordeaux mixture should remain in suspension in the water for some hours, but if the solutions are mixed together in concentrated form and then diluted by adding water to make up the fifty gallons or if they are mixed while hot, the resulting mixture settles very quickly, making it difficult to distribute it evenly in spraying. Bordeaux mixture should be used while fresh. After it has once settled it can never be made to stay in suspension well again. The copper sulphate solution can be kept indefinitely, and the lime will also keep well if the water is not allowed to evaporate, leay- ing itdry. When the two ingredients are brought together, however, the mixture should be used within a few hours at most. It is often desirable to make up stock solutions of the lime and copper sulphate in sufficient quantity to last through- out the season. When this is practiced it is common to dissolve the copper sulphate at the rate of one pound to the gallon of water and to make up the lime mixture in the same way, allow- ing one pound of stone lime for each gallon of water. The lime and copper sulphate can then be diluted and mixed at any time, just previous to spraying. If desired, Paris green or any other of the arsenic poisons may be added to Bordeaux mixture to kill the apple worm and other insects which may feed upon the fruit or leaves of the ap- ple. It is especially important to add poison with the Bordeaux mixture at the second spraying for scab—soon after the blos- soms have fallen. Use from one-fourth to one-third pound of Paris green to 50 gallons of Bordeaux mixture. Copper sulphate solution and Bordeaux mixture should never be kept in iron receptacles, but will not injure wooden, earthen, copper, or brass vessels. The spray pump should always have brass working parts—valves, cylinders, etc. 66 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. The best spray is a fine mist. 'To get this it is necessary to have a good nozzel and a fairly high pressure. The tree should be sprayed until all the foliage is wet as with dew, but not until the mixture runs off from the leaves as ina rain. The spraying must be thorough. Every leaf should be hit if possible. Where whole limbs are missed, as often occurs with careless work- men, uniformly good results can not be expected. One or two sprayings carefully and thoroughly done are better than several sprayings carelessly applied, and are certainly much cheaper in both labor and material. Bordeaux mixture adheres to foliage very well. When once it has dried onto the leaves, it is not easily washed off even by heavy rains. In the spraying tests of the past season it hap- pened that a heavy rain fell within a day or two after almost every application of the spray, and yet the mixture was plainly visible on the foliage for two or three months after it was ap- plied. On one occasion the spraying had to be stopped on ac- count of rain which came while the spray was being applied. The next day it was found necessary to renew the application in case of such trees as had been sprayed within perhaps the last half hour before the rain. Trees sprayed earlier in the day so that the spray had dried on the leaves before the rain, did not need respraying. CONCLUSIONS. CEDAR RUST. The tests here described indicate that cedar rust can be held in check, even in the case of varieties that ordinarily rust bad- ly, by spraying the apple trees with Bordeaux mixture in spring when the apples on cedar trees are becoming gelatinous and orange-colored (fig. 6, No. 4), followed by a second spraying ten days or two weeks later. Picking and destroying the cedar apples during winter or early spring should prove of advantage but has not been tested here. The destruction of cedar trees for a distance of not less than a mile from the orchard, as is of- ten recommended, will undoubtedly prove beneficial. This remedy, however, for various reasons can not always be em- ployed. It is not, therefore, to be expected that this method of controlling cedar rust will be adopted except in rare cases. DISCUSSION. 67 Spraying will probably have to be resorted to by most apple growers whose orchards are near cedar trees, unless the varie- ties most susceptible to rust are discarded, and it is unlikely that such varieties as Wealthy and Jonathan, for instance, will be given up soon. APPLE SCAB. The tests described in this bulletin indicate that apple scab can be controlled by spraying with Bordeaux mixture just be- fore the apple blossoms open and again soon after the blossoms ‘fall. It should be noted that during the past season the two _ sprayings recommended for apple scab practically coincide in - time with the two sprayings for cedar rust, though the earlier of the recommended sprayings gave the better results in case of rust, and the later of the two better results in case of scab. DISCUSSION. Mr. Harris: Why not check the trees in some way? PROF. EMERSON: A very common recommendation is to check the cedar tree with an ax, get it out of the way. It isa valuable tree in some parts of the state, and in others it is not. The spraying acts too as a good result this year. We are now - carrying on some experiments in spraying cedar trees. We cannot tell a thing about it until winter. We spray the cedar tree if it willdo any good. I don’t know yet. If it will do any good with spraying it must be done from this time on. From this time on the cedar rust comes from the cedar tree to the apple. It may be possible to keep it off of the cedar tree, but we don’t know yet as to that. I have never seen any cedar trees killed by this disease, though I have had reports to this effect. There is another disease working on cedar trees. which isa kind of a fiy or blight which I don’t know anything about. Whether these reports that come to me are true I cannot say. I have never seen a cedar tree yet that was killed by disease. I have seen apple trees absolutely defoliated. Mr. YOUNGERS: Have you ever seen the cedar tree attacked? ProF. EMERSON: I don’t know that I have. 68 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Mr. BELTZER: Talk about these cedar trees. I don’t believe in cutting them down; in same parts of the state I imagine the cedar trees are as valuable as the apple trees. I want to say that on Platte Valley there was a lady experimenting with this cedar rust, and she commenced to use wood ashes when the dew was on, or just after a rain, and that tree looked a hundred per cent better. There was a cedar ball there, and I examined it, and it seemed dead. My opinion is that the spraying did some good. There are trees twenty years old in our county that haven’t died. PrRoF. EMERSON: In the lasttwo years there has been a blight. I don’t think it is business for horticulturists to study the fungus diseases; I think that is the business of the botanists. I think it is their duty to try to control these diseases. I cannot study these diseases as botanists do, I haven’t had the training in this line. Mr. J. R. Davipson: Will spraying do much good if followed immediately by heavy rains? How do you manage to keep the spray on the tree? PROF. EMERSON: I admit when you have a large orchard and have to get in there with heavy machinery, it is a hard proposition. There has not been a single time this year when it has not rained within forty-eight hours, and most of the time ‘the night following. In one case I began one afternoon and sprayed for two or three hours, and was compelled to quit on account of heavy rain, and the trees which were sprayed in the ‘ first part of the afternoon the next day looked just as well as if the rain had not come at all. The trees sprayed immediately before the rain didn’t show much of it. I don’t believe after it is dry once it will wash off of apple trees. If you-can get into the orchard, I will risk the rain washing the spraying off. I would not stop for that. Mr. Russeuu: If they are through with this question of cedar rust and spraying, I would like to ask the Professor if he has had any experience in spraying the peach tree for this blistered leaf? PROF. EMERSON: I have not had any experience except I have sprayed two or three trees and see no disease this year. DISCUSSION. 69 It has now disappeared. The peach curl is related to that dis- ease which affects the plum fruit, and causes it to swell up. Spraying cannot prevent the first infection entirely, but it is said spraying certainly does reduce the amount of leaf curl. Spraying that will hold the leaf leach in check, but not prevent it entirely. It is caused by a fungus disease. A MEMBER: I read the government reports. They say to spray peach trees in the month of March. I did that this year, | and it checked the fungus. You may not be able to check it all together in one year. Mr. ©. S, HARRISON: What do you spray with? A MEMBER: With Bordeaux mixture, the same kind that was mentioned by others here. Mr. WILUIAMS: Itis avery appropriate topic, is the check- ing, of the disease of the cherry trees which is the cause of the death largely among the Morello cherries, the late ones. If we can check that disease by means of this spraying feature, there is no reason why we should not continue to grow the Morello cherries. The wet weather the past few seasons has been suf- ficient to spread that disease and make it worse than before. I understand our nurserymen have succeeded very well in checking this disease by the use of Bordeaux mixture. I would like to see the question brought up and discussed by those who have had direct experience in the use of Bordeaux mixture as applied to the disease of the cherries. Cherries is one of our most valuable and profitable crops this last year, and if we can check this disease, I would certainly advocate the growing of the late cherries, as well as the early ones; not abandon it be- cause of this disease. Mr. SPENCER: How about setting out cherry trees where apple trees have died out? Mr. Harris: I have apple trees that are in with my cherries, and my cherries are just as healthy as they were when I put them out. They are not affected at all by the apple. My apple trees the blight has taken a couple of crab apple trees I had, and begun to get on to. the other and I had one of these long tree trimmers, and I cut the limbs off and burned them, and have not been bothered with them any more. And I also 70 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. sprayed them with this whitewash and sprayed all underneath the limbs and am not bothered at all. I raise apples every year. CHAIRMAN: Would you advise planting them in where apple trees had died out; would you put in cherries or apples there again? Mr. Harris. I would put in cherries if it were I. Mr. SPENCER: I would like to hear from some of the nursery- men in regard to replacing the dead apple tree with live apple trees. Jam inclined to think it a little easier to raise*a cherry | tree than an apple tree. I think it grows a little better than the apple tree. I would recommenc the cherry in preference to the apple. Mr. WILLIAMS: That has been my experience. I have an apple orchard. A MemBer: The Early Richmond is the standard in Nebr- aska. When you strike any other trees you are trying an experi- ment. It may result in good and it may not. Mr. WiuuiAMs: I knowfrom myownexperiencethere is a wide market for cherries. We sold the early Richmonds, which were very abundant every where, and while they brought a good price being the first in the market, they soon dropped down to$1.75a bushel. That was because every one who had those kind of cherries were bringing them in. A couple of weeks after the glut was over the prices recovered, and as soon as the late cher- ries were on the market there was a decided advance. You could get $2.00 a bushel for Montmorency and English Morellos, where the early Richmond were $1.00 abushel. That was this last season. I have seen that repeated time and again. It is not advisable to grow all cherries of one kind or variety. I should put Montmorency first, as most desirable for a large commercial orchard, Early Richmond second, and English Morello third; one-third Montmorency, two-thirds of the other third in Early Richmond, and the other one-sixth in English Morello. A MEMBER: The general concensus of opinion of nursery - men why cherry trees died this season, was owing to the wet season. Mr. BELTZER: I would like to know if anybody has any DISCUSSION. Wk idea that the sleet we had last spring had anything to do with the killing of our trees? Mr. MarsHauu: Mr. Chairman, I dont know what to think about that. I don’t believe that hurt the trees with us, yet from what Mr. Swan said about his trees 100 miles south of us, which were further along and had leaves ’on,--- and I know if you freeze a cherry tree when grown, if it is frozen hard, that it will kill it. We had forty killed on the 19th of May about 10 years ago when it froze about four inches. I would not doubt there was something init that far south. I think the great cause - of our trouble is we have had too many cloudy days for the last two years, and it has taken too many leaves off the trees. No cherry tree can live more than three years without having the leaves on in the fall to put the food into the top. Whenitcomes , to spraying, if you have sunshine and usea very good spray IL think it will do some good; but if it is going to rain right along, we have got to have something more. If we have sunshine and trim the little stuff up and carry that all out, and get alltheair to it you can, that will do more good thanthespraying. And then spraying the top leaves that haven’t had any attack yet, and then have sunshine, then you will get good results. Ifit contin- ues to rain you cannot do any good if you spray every day. We have got to have sunshine. [I understand Mr. Keyser is work- ing on that question now. He is trying to get something that will have some effect on this question. I would plant the trees wider apart than before, keep all wind breaks away. All the trees that we have that are in the open are all right today. Mr. BeuTzER: Then youdon’t believe the sleet had anything to do with the dying of the trees down where Mr. Swan lives. The'trees were pretty well out of bloom, and the leaves were pretty well out probably that did kill his trees. We have five cherry orchards consisting on an average of about 300 trees to each orchard, and there is one part ina little basin all through these dry seasons was producing very good crops. There was no air got in there, and they would bloom two weeks before the other orchards. <~J bo NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. THIRD SESSION. JULY 28TH, 1904, 8:00 P.M. NATIVE SHRUBS FOR ORNAMENTAL PLANTING. BY CHAS. A. SCOTT. Mr. Scott: While I cannot undertake to cover the subject ful- ly as to how pine trees are grown, I hope to clear up some few ideas and if I am not explicit I hope you will take advantage of the opportunity to ask me questions. I may not be able to answer all questions regarding pine trees or how to grow them. The basis of my paper is drawn entirely from the experience we have had in the sand hills. I take it that the greater number of you are aware and familiar with the fact that the United States goverment has set aside over 200,000 acres in the sand hill region of this state for a timber reservation. At the present time there is very little or no timber on the reserve, and our purpose is to grow the trees and plant them in the sand hills and ultimately have a forest where today there are no trees atall. This is the second year of our work. Our headquarters are on the Dismal River Forest Reserve. However, we are situated on the middle Loup River near Halsey, a small town about 200 miles west of this on the B. & M. road. HOW PINE TREES ARE GROWN. BY CHAS. A. SCOTT. Very frequently have I been asked: “How do you grow pine trees?’’. followed by the exclamation ‘‘you don’t grow them from seed!’”’ The reply is alwaysin the affirmative. We gather the pine cones from the trees in September or October and spread them out on large sheets of canvas or burlap to dry and open in the sun. When it is possible we spread the cones on the sur- face of large flat rocks. The time required to open the cones by this method varies from two to ten days; depending upon the HOW PINE TREES ARE GROWN. 73 conditions of the weather, the warmer and brighter the weather the quicker they will open. Somecones, however, will not open readily under the influence of the sun; these we opened by ar- tificial heat. A close room is secured, a stove is set up as near the middle as convenient and a series of shelves or trays with four inch sides, are built up around it. The trays have wire screen bottoms so as to admit a free circulation of heat and air. To catch and hold the seeds a canvas or muslin apron is hung be- neath the wire bottoms. The cones are spread about two layers deep in the trays and the room is heated to as high a temparature as we dare for the safety of the cones and building. In some instances I have had a temperature of 200 degrees in a drying room. The length of time required to open cones in a drying room varies with the species from four to six hours to as many days. When the cones have opened, i. e. when the scales have expanded sufficiently to allow the seedsto drop out, they arestirred around witha garden rake or a stick in such a way as to loosen or dislodge as many of the seeds as possible. The number of seeds borne bya cone varies from 10 or 12 to 60 or 80 according to the species. In weight a bushel of cones will yield from 4% to2™% pounds of seed. Each seed is possessed ofa very thin membranous wing that aids in distribution, the wind often carrying them several rods from the parent tree. To rid the seeds of the wings we usually put a peck or so in a sack and beat them over a stump or smooth stone and then run them through a fanning mill. The cost of collecting seeds de- pends upon several features, the abundance of the seed, the diffi- culty or ease of collecting cones, and the distance that they have to be transported. We have collected seed for 25 cents a pound while other seed has cost us as much as $8.00 per pound. THE SEEDBEDS. Upon the preparation of the seedbeds depends very largely the success of the planting. The beds must beina perfect state of cultivation, and prepared as finely as you would prepare a bed for onion seed. The soil should be a sandy loam containing considerable organic matter. A porous soil with good drainage 74 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. is absolutely necessary as the seedlings cannot endure an ex- cessive amount of water. The little trees also need some shade during the early months of their existence. Our seed beds include two one acre blocks that are covered with a lattice roof, supported six feet above the groundon posts and 2x4’s. The slats forming the roof are 2% inches wide with an equal space between the slats, When young the seedlings are as tender as any garden plant. and be- cause of their slow growth they require the protection of the shade frames during the first summer. The seedbed blocks are subdivided into seedbeds. Each in- dividual seedbed is six and one half feet wide and as long as the seedbed block. The beds are divided by fifteen inch paths. which are about four inches lower than the level of the beds. . - Besides affording a passage between the bed the paths provide a ready drainage. PLANTING SEASON. The seed may be planted in the fall anytime after the middle of October or in the spring up until the middle of June. Fall planting has some advantages over spring planting, and at the same time ithas some disadvantages. If the season is favorable and the seedbeds are in good condition the seed should be plant- ed in the fall. The plants will then come up early in the spring and continue growing throughout the summer, producing seed- lings four inches in height. If April happens to be an unfavor- able month and a late freeze occurs the entire crop may be killed before the seedlings are a month old. — April, May and early June are the months for spring seeding. | The earlier the seed is planted the larger will be the plants at the -end of the season’s growth. The advantage of spring planting is that the danger of spring freezing is avoided. The seed may be planted in drills or sown broadcast. We like the drill method; because we can care for the seedlings and “weed the beds more satisfactorily; the beds look neater, and we know by experience that the trees can be dug from the drill beds with less injury to the roots than they can from the broadcasted beds. In either method of planting the seed should not be covered toa depth exceeding three times their diameter. When HOW PINE TREES ARE GROWN. 75 covered too deep the plants exhaust their vitality before getting above the ground, and those that do get abovethe ground leaf out sonear the surface that the rain will splash soil over them, partly or wholly burying them. A good plan is to cover the seed with a half inch of gravel; this provides a good clean surface, prevents the soil from splashing up on the stems and leaves, and also permits the surface to dry quickly after a rain. The drills are made six inches apart and run cross wise to the bed. When planting we sow the seed thick enough to pro- duce from forty to fifty plants per linear foot. In making the drills we use the edge of an inch board thus making the drill wide enough to grow the plants two or three ranks in depth. In broad cast seeding we expect to grow from eighty to one hun- dred and twenty-five plants per square foot. There is always more or less loss from several causes and if two-thirds of this number are growing at the end of the season we consider the stand remarkably good. DAMPING OFF. Damping off is the only malady attacking the seedlings with which we have had to contend. This is a fungus disease which attacks the seedling just beneath the surface of the ground, and is most active in warm moist weather. Damping off is most destructive on plants under four weeks of age; but attacks the pine seedlings throughout the first summer of their existance. The only practical means of preventing the destructiveness of this disease is to dry the surface soil as quickly as possible after each rain. As mentioned before a gravel seed cover allows the - surface to dry quickly and is desirable on this account. When the garden soilis used for seed cover we hasten the drying by giving the beds alight raking immediately after each rain. This loosens the surface soil and permits it to dry very quickly, and at the same time forms a dust mulch which serves to retain the subsurface moisture. HIGHT OF ONE YEAR OLD TREES. One year old Western Yellow Pine seedlings should be about _ three and one-half inches in height with roots twelve to eighteen 76 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY inches in length. Jack Pine seedlings the same age are about two inches in height, and have a great many side roots the long- est of which are from six to teninchesinlength. ThePinon Pine at- tainsaheightofaboutthreeinchesthe first season and sends down astrong tap root with few side branches. The main root is often eighteen inches in length. The Blue Spruce is by far the slowest growing of any tree that we have yet tried, one inch is the aver- age height growth for the first year. Their roots however are large in proportion; the main root being about eight inches in length with many side roots. Growing evergreen seedlings isnot a difficult proposition when one is equipped for the work and gives it his entire attention. But it is work that requires patience and constant attention. DISCUSSION. A MEMBER: What are the best evergreens for ornamental planting for Hamilton county? Mr. Scorr: I presume from what I have seenthe Blue Spruce is perhaps the best ornamental evergreen there is. Itis hardy and grows well throughout the state, and is certainly one of the most beautiful trees we have. MEMBER: Do you know anything about the Ball Pine. Mr. Scorr: It ts a hardy tree, is difficult to transplant how- ever, but when transplanted it makes a very nice tree, except it gets very large for an ornamental plant in the yard. MEMBER: At what age do you plant the forest reserve? Mr. Scort: This last year, one-year-old. We found that is too young, and hereafter will plant them two-year-old. The wind and rain together cover the seeds up; this on level land would injure. On the side hills they are covered within a week after planting. Quite a per cent of those planted on the side hills are covered with sand. MEMBER: What is the method of second year culture? Mr. Scorr: Well, this last spring, we transplanted nearly all of our one-year-old trees; otherwise, we leave them in the seed beds where they were last year without being touched. We take as much of the root as we can; we cannot take the entire root but we get as much of the root as we can. DISCUSSION. vive MEMBER: Do you have trouble in planting? Mr. Scott: We have had no experience of that aged trees. It is difficult proposition to transplant a Ball Pine after the third year, unless it has been root pruned. Mr. HARRISON: I have had ninety-five per cent of two or three rows. Mr. Scott: That would be a very good per cent. You would not advise growing them longer than three years? Mr. Harrison: No sir. Mr. Scott: I presume the Ball Pine is the most difficult one of the pines to transplant successfully. MEMBER: It has a root about eighteen inches long. You want to get as much as you can? Mr. Scott: Yessir. It is avery hardy pine, but the dif- ficulty is in transplanting it successfully. MEMBER: Have you had any experience in propagating the Red Cedar? A. Have not succeeded. Mr. SporrorD: Evergreen, Scotch Pines and quite a num- ber of others? Mr. Scorr: That is a very difficult question. There is one general fact with the Scotch Pine, it does not live to be an old tree in this country. In this region they are a short lived tree. ; MEMBER: Ten years ago, fully one third died. Mr. Scorr: It is possible there is some disease; although I have no experience in trees dying with us. Mr. Harrison: The Scotch Pine does not belong to this country and we ought not to plan it. The further west you go the shorter lived it is. I have known whole groves blotted out ‘in the Republican Valley. You ought not to plant them at all. Plant the Austrian Pines if you want something to depend on. We had a meeting at the University, and there were represen- tatives from Kansas, lowa, Nebraska and the position of the 7 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. @ leading horticulturists was, you can depend on the Austrian Pine. The blue Spruce is all right for ornamental planting. The next is the Blue Fir, that is a fine hardy tree. Mr. Curisty: There is the importance of this meeting, to get at the thing we want to plant. You can get your money back but never get your time back, and the fact we ought not to plant an uncertain tree is worth much to us. The Austrian Pine is the surest Pine. Mr. Harrison: I planted those along the line of my farm at York, and that was the grasshopper year, and we had some hot winds and the grasshoppers combined. and their was not a Scotch Pine left. Mr. BELTZER: In behalf of the Black Pine, I want to say, of all the Pines that stood the climate and came out whole, it is the Austrain or Black Pine. FRUIT FOR THE HOME. BY G. A. MARSHALL. MR. PRESIDENT: I did not prepare any paper. In the first place I did not have time. In the second place I did not know what phase of the subject you wished discussed, but after talk- ing with the the program committee I got an idea of what they wanted. They wanted us to talk about the value of the Nebraska farm. The idea being that we were to discuss the value of the Nebraska farm as a home, and what we needed in that home in order to make it the home that it should be. Now that is a good subject and I wish I could do it justice, because the future of America depends on the rural home in America, and when we look over the state or over the United States, we read- ily see that we are gradually undergoing a change. Go Hast in the worn out districts and see the farm homes there in a run down condition, with almost a hopeless future, because of the land being completely worthless and producing nothing unless commercial fertilizer is constantly applied. There, when FRUIT FOR THE HOME. 79 we consider a farm home at all, it must necessarily be coupled with a worn out farm. Go south and we find a worse state of affairs, caused largely by poor soil which gives only meager returns. Now, with the best of wishes for our good brethern -of the East and South, and their country, with its so-called ad- vantages, yet when we go where we really find thrifty homes and the place to make thrifty homes, and more and better homes, as time rolls on, with a soil that is productive, where do we have togo? We have togo to Nebraska. Now that is no joke. (Ap- plause) We have got a country here that is unsurpassed. I don’t say that we have got to be in Nebraska but close enough to be confortable. Got to bein Iowa or some adjoining state. (Voice: Or Hamilton County) Yes we might say so because we. arehere. IfI lived here I would say so, and I hope every citizen of Hamilton County thinks that, because I believe a good Ameri- ean citizen will not stay where he don’t like the country. The selection ofhishome can largely bea matter of choice, and should be, and then he will stand up for his country and for his rights. If he does not believe Hamilton County is a good county he will not live in it. I would not live in Nebraskaif I did not believe it was the best place for me to live. The country is free and we can grow enough stuff here, and get enough money, to get out of the state We live here as a matter of choice, but the great question beforeus now is the building of the home as it should be built. In that case, we as Horticulturists should take up the fruits for the home. - Fully three-fourths of the home and the home attraction consists of the Horticultural surroundings. I fear we underestimate the influence, that these home surroundings have over the little ones, those boys and girls. I venture there isn’t a family in this county of half a dozen children, but what they have a chance for at least one good horticulturist among them, and most of them will enjoy the horticultural work during their entire lives, if they havea chance to develop it at the proper time. They should learn it while they are young; while it is natural for them. And if we improve the opportunities we shall surely and easily succeed. Weare inoneof the best countries of the United ‘States to make a home, a beautiful, thrifty country home. Not. a place we call home, but realy a home that we might be proud to take all of our friends to no matter where they came from. We 80 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. have a soil that we can grow the best of grass, the best of lawns which the south has not, and we have a soil that can grow the best of trees and the best of everything that it takes to make a home. Wedon’t want toexclude the fruits. I know some are think- ing, ‘‘I have tried to grow fruit in Hamilton County and didn’t make it grow and I don’t believe youcan grow them”. I imagine you haven’t tried very well. Horticulture comes dragging be- hind in the development of any country. The time was, in Illinois, they could grow corn and hogs but thought they could not grow fruit. [believethere are some here who remember that time. Then it passed over into lowa. Later it crossed the river into Nebraska and they could grow plenty of fruit in Iowa; would have good homes there because they could grow fruit but could not doitin Nebraska. But now that timehas passed. Eastern Nebraska and the older parts of the state are growing an abund- ance of fruit now and we are not halftrying. Weare in too good a farming country to strive very hard to grow fruit. While the country is young you have to be driven toit. They are driven to growing fruit and a few specialties in most of the irrigation dis- tricts of Colorado because they cannot grow the general crops we grow. You know in Wisconsin, they were driven to excel in dairy work. Why? Because the lands and climate in Illinois gave the Illinois farmers advantage of the Wisconsin brother, and if he grew the general crop like the Illinois man, he had to walk behind. Therefore he learned how to raise cows and make butter. We are not in that kind of a territory. That is what is the matter with this country. It is alittle toogood. (Applause) The lazy man can exist here. Hedon’t have to be somebody to exist,and that is the worst drawback to fruit growing we have. Farther, we have learned to grow corn, and hogs, and cattle, and in all these things excel. And on top of that we are living and we are well fixed. The prospects are that we will stay well fixed, because we are getting prepared to stand the drought if it should come along, that used to scare us so badly. The next thing is to grow the fruits for these thousands ofhomes. Well, that is very easy if we only get interested. If we fail once, try again. By and by we are bound to succeed. You can walk around this town and put your finger on those who have some fruit and have been successful. Ifa man has planted twenty FRUIT FOR THE HOME. 81 varieties, selected at random, he will surely have one or more that is really choice and does well. Another has planted twenty and has got possibly four or five that are valuable, and so on. I venture I could, in a day’s time, find plenty of varieties of ap- ples that are of choice quality and that will thrive and bear here to last me the year round. You can grow cherries here until they can hardly steal them. The plum, the peach and the apri- cot will also all thriveandgivegood returns. Thestrawberry is quite at home here, and other fruits too numerous to mention can easily be grown at a profit. After some observation and careful consideration I cannot but believe that the way is very easy. Now then, if I had expected to sermonize on this I would have called on Brother Harrison. Returning to the subject proper, I might first take up the strawberries. We should prepare the ground and plant the plants very carefully, the same as we would prepare the ground for the lettuce or onion bed. Then plant the plants with care like we would the tomato or cabbage plant. Plant justthe right depth, not too shallow or too deep. Either is destructive. Give thorough cultivation, mulch in the fall very little. Do not put on four or five inches of covering, not more than one or two inches. Scrape it off the plants in the spring and allow it to re- main betweenthe rows. Nowabout-varieties, there are at least twenty-five varieties that you can grow and be happy with every one of them. However, some are much better than others and if you want to know more about them, get some of the near-by growers’ catalogues or consult the horticultural reports. For raspberries and blackberries, my idea is to prepare and handle the soil so as to conserve moisture through the latter part of the summer and fall, and the whole secret is then solved. If it is a dry season, or like it was this last season, dry in autumn, mulch them and you will carry them through. If you have an extreme dry summer and autumn, you can only grow canes and wait another year for the bearing. If you have planted a young orchard, plant your berries in your orchard. Some object to that but I can see no objection. You can grow them all together. We grow blackberries and raspberries when we have a young orchard to grow them in. There is no drying out of the trees or of the soil under the plants. They are not great plants to 82 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. sap the moisture out of the ground. It is a perfect plant to put in the orchard. The soil never crusts under them. The young trees in the course of two or three years will furnish the neces- sary shade and windbreak that the berries want. Therefore they work together. As to currants and gooseberries, put them in the same place, only in the fruit tree row, North and South. If you plant a currant in the sun, it will grow and bloom perfectly but it is a little too bright and warm for the fruit to hang on in large bunches as it should. Ifyou put them in the shade they will succeed much better. They do better here than East. We have no currant worms here. We do not have to spray the cur- rants. Wesimply want to give them their natural condition. The gooseberries are to be handled in about the same way. CHERRIES. As tovarieties of the cherry, would plant for earliest—the Karly Richmond, followed by Montmorency, then English Morello for the latest. Their ripening season will lap onto each other. Therefore they will work well together, either for the market or for the home. .A dozen or two dozen cherry trees will fur- nish an abundance of fruit for the home use. However, if you - want afew more and let the boys and girls make some money, plantas many as you like. But they bear abundantly and afew trees produce a great plenty for the birds and boys and possibly some for the neighbors. In planting those, plant fifteen or twenty feet apart. Plant a little deeper than the bud. Put the offset under the ground a little bit. A great many who complain about their trees dy- ing or sprouting, get their trouble by not planting the proper depth. If planted too shallow, some cold winter kills the stock just below the bud and you don’t know what killed your tree. The roots are alive but the tree does not leaf out right, and by the middle of the summer it is dead. Now, if it sprouts, it was planted too deep. It was planted six inches, probably, below the bud. So bear in mind in planting to plant it about two or three inches deeper than the bud. I know some of the Horti- culturists object to encumbering our reports with such little FRUIT FOR THE HOME. 83 things but each one of these reports is supposed to be complete within itself. Therefore it should contain some A. B. C. of Hor- ticulture as well as the more advanced information. Then one would not have to read a whole series of the reports in order to obtain valuable information. PLUMS. In growing the plums I would plant them about the same as the cherries, about the same depth for the same reason. I be- lieve in mixing the plums somewhat, but using largely the American varieties. There are several reasons for mixing them. It is claimed they will bear better. Also you can have plums from this time of the year up until frost, by using the different varieties. For the earliest I would plant the Milton or Wild Goose, followed by the Wyant and Wolf. Theseare Americans. Of the Europeans I would plant the Lombard and the Shipper’s Pride. Of the Japs, the Burbank and a few Abundance. I will not detain you much longer. I will saya few words about the Apple and mention a few varieties, then if they wish to dis- cuss it farther, alright. In this part ofthe state I would plant the apple trees about twenty-five feet apart each way. You want quite a number of varieties. I should recommend at least ten or twelve. I don’t mean forty or fifty varieties. Have them scattered along so that you have fruit from the earliest ripening season until early the next spring. That can be done here to perfection. Use judgementin planting. Have a wind- break on the South and Southwest sides of your orchard, and if not too closely hemmed in, the orchard is even benefitted by a windbreak allaround. Use the varieties that are best adapted in your best judgement to your locality. There is some talk of dividing the state up into more districts, now we have only nine districts. Butin the absence of that, use the varieties you have in your neighborhood. Don’t use the varieties that you had in some state you came from, unless youare sure they have been tested here, unless you want to experiment, and that is very unsatisfactory on the whole. Experimenting in an or- chard on the farm is very expensive. The country is too old for that. You can profit by the experience of others in your part of the state, and life is too short to do this experimenting over. 84 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. I would suggest varieties about as follows forthis part of Neb- raska: For summer, Yellow Transparent and Duchess; for autumn, Wealthy and Utter; for winter, Ben Davis, Gano, and Northwestern Greening. Then add to these such other vari- eties as have proven valuable in the locality where the or- chard is to be planted. With these you will always have fruit. Without these you will oftimes be without fruit. You might think, ‘““‘we’ve got plenty of money and can buy our fruit easier than we can grow it.’’ If we undertake to buy we will likely not have it more than half of the time. If we grow it, we have got it all the time and we don’t realize how much good we get out of it. We don’t know how much pleasure we get out of caring for the orchard and vineyard and seeing them bloom and bear. Taking allin all, I believe that the most pressing work directly in front of the Horticultural Society today, is the development of the family orchards and dooryards of the average Nebraska > home. (Applause.) DISCUSSION. MEMBER: When did the Yellow Transparent come to the front? Mr. MARSHALL: I think in our district it has been the best summer apple we have had for five or six years. What I sayis not authority of the society. I will stand back of that myself. It is to the front in all northeast of Nebraska. It is the only © apple. MEMBER: ‘This is the first time for ten or fifteen years I have heard of the Yellow Transparent coming to the front. (Same) Mempser: I think his advise on planting cherry trees from two to three inches deeper than where they were a foot is a mistake. When you plant the tree you leave the place where you plant the tree a little lower. ‘ Mr. MarsHAuu: I saidtwo or three inches deeper, and I stick to it. Thetree is not planted until the ground is level. After a year or two, when it is complete, it is about two or three inches deeper and you want that a foot under the ground, in order not to winter kill. We have had quite a little ex- perience in growing cherries. Of course I believe that it is al- DISCUSSION. 85 right to leave a little basin around the tree, but if you do that be sure to make that allowance, and when it is complete it should be that deep. Mr. BELTZER: I believe that every tree that is transplant- ed the next fall should be mulched from a foot to eighteen inches for the first winter, and then remove that in the next spring after the frost is out. Mr. SPOFFORD: When he plants these things—raspberries, currants, etc.—in the orchard, how long is that to be kept up? ANSWER:—It depends on the growing kind of seasons we have, but they will run from six to eight or nine years before they become too old to be of value, and by that time you want them out of the orchard and want them out of the way. Mr. SPOFFORD: Then where shall we put them? Mr. BELTZER: It is time to find another orchard. H. 8S. Harrison: I would like to call attention to the fact that on the table there are some Burbank plums. I have been called _upon in several meetings to defend them. Most of the horti- culturists living along the Missouri river have failed to give us a recommendation on these varieties. We can demonstrate they can be raised here most successfully. I would like to go on record as endorsing the Burbank as one of the plums to be planted for family use. They are of rich flavor. I don’t sup- pose they are very long lived, and they have been grown for a number of years, and they ought to be pronounced as success- ful in this part of the state. We have got to endorse the Bur- bank for York and Hamilton counties. Mr. CHristy: When you can grow such plums in Hamilton county what is the use of going to California? Mr. MARSHALL: That is the beauty of having fruit districts. We could not endorse the Burbank for the state over, but there are several districts in the state that would be compelled to endorse that plum. I find it growing fifty miles north of us and more than fifty miles from here. It seems to be quite certain here. Ours failed but once in three years. Another thing, we have a little more rainfall and cloudy weather and it rots on the tree much worse than it does here. It is more or less decayed at time of ripening. R6 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. MEMBER: Isn’t there several varieties of the Burbank plum? Mr. HARRISON: We only recognize one variety here, and that goes by the name of Burbank. Mr. Curisty: There is quite a variety of Burbank that Mr. Williams has crossed, but there is only one Burbank known by that name. Meeting adjourned to next morning. SECOND DAY’S SESSION. JULY 29TH, 1904, 9:00 a.m. ORCHARDING IN SOUTH-EASTERN NEBRASKA. BY T. E. SNODGRASS. Orcharding in Southeastern Nebraska twenty-five years ago was far different from what is today. Seemingly almost every part of it has changed. In those days the trees were young and free from disease of all kinds. Insects had not found out that they could get a good living without work. The trees being young and free from disease, and no insects to mar or injure the fruit, bore large crops of fine fruit. And the mar- ket was at our very door. Wagons came in great numbers from the West, coming over two hundred miles and took every- thing, wind-falls and all. Sometimes we got more money for our poor fruit in the after part of the season than we got for our best fruit in the fore part of the season. Summer and fall varieties brought as much as Winter varieties. This made the season long and profitable for the fruit growers, It was an easy matter to be an orchardist then, when every farmer wanted to stand up and be counted as such, no matter whether he knew anything about the business or not. The or- chardist lost no sleep about who would help him harvest the crop. The teamsters were his help, and boarded themselves, being both pickers and buyers and not hard to please. Often the second crowd of buyers would help the first pick and load their wagons, so as to get them out of the way in order that they themselves might load up. Everything came the or- ORCHARDING IN SOUTH-EASTERN NEBRASKA. 87 chardist’s way. On their way home they would meet and send other teams to the orchard. Even advertising cost the or- chardist nothing. Today we have a different proposition. Our trees are older and full of disease in body, limb and leaf. The owners of once young and profitable orchards feel old age creeping in upon them, and they have lost all their former energy for the business. The orchard goes uncultivated, it is not sprayed, it goes un- pruned,—in short, general neglect is its condition. Nebraska is the home of the home-seekers, and even the in- sects of all nations have found that it is a free picnic, and they are here galore, entering their claims on the old farmers’ trees. The first gentleman of note to come (not welcome, however) was the Codling Moth, and he seems to be a Bible student; at least he does not believe in race suicide, judging from the way he multiplies. His staying qualities seem to be unprecedented. Then we have the Canker Worm, that delights to defoliate our trees. Wealso have the Leaf Curler and other insects too numerous to mention in this paper. However, all of them can be handled to a greater or less extent by persistent effort, by using the poisons in the proper seasons. Last, but not least, comes the Curculio. This fellow for a long time confined his depredations to the plum alone, but after becoming Americanized he conceived the idea of expansion and took up his abode with the apple also, and very much to the dis- comfort of the apple growers of Southeastern Nebraska. We have appealed to our Entomologist and Horticultural Professors for some practical remedy to exterminate this pest. While we are sure they have done all they can, yet relief is not in sight. While this pest seems in a fair way to finally outdo us, we have not lost all hope by any means. Aside from what our Professors may be able to teach us, we are still hoping that some rational enemy may appear. The cotton growers of the South waited long and patiently for the importation of the Red Ant which destroys the Cotton Ball worm. In regard to the fungus diseases, they have their high and low tides, and we understand pretty well how to cope with them. Hence we are not ready to give up orcharding in South- 88 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY eastern Nebraska because of their existence. With all the draw-backs we are having with diseases of various kinds and insects of every description, orcharding pays as well with most of usas any other partof the farm. Honey a few years ago was not worth saving. Cows at one time were so cheap that a calf was not worth saving. We have known hogs and sheep to sell for one and a half cents per pound. Only two years ago eggs were a drug on the market, and chickens were so cheap that a preacher would not eat them. The men and women who held onto the animals and fowls are making money out of them now. Itis the man who holds on when prices are low and when every one wants to get out of the business, who is in shape when prices turn as they are sure to do. Brother Horticulturists, we cite you to the above facts by way of encouragement. Orcharding in Southeastern Nebraska is sure to loom up again. Beready to reap your reward for holding on. If we got good crops of fruit every year and good prices for it, the business would soon be overdone; every body would raise fruit, even the Patriots. In 1902 the apple crop cut no small figure in Southeastern Nebraska. In Nemaha County alone there were five hundred car loads of apples. There were at least five hundred bushels per car (these figures are low) and at thirty cents per bushel we have $150.00 per car and this mul- tiplied by the five hundred cars makes the neat sum of $75,000.00 from one county alone. With abumper crop of apples on our hands, help scarce and hard to get, and lack of organization, at least one hundred cars more went to waste. This waste is what ought to bring a blush of shame to our cheeks. Is it not a shame that a man who has grit enough to plant and care for an orahard until it bears a car load or more of fine apples for him, has not grit enough left to get out and sell them? Or- charding will finally fall into the hands of men who are willing to learn the business from Alpha to Omega. It takes a man of grit and full of determination to plant an orchard; one has to learn the lesson “‘Learn tolabor and to wait!’’ There is plenty of labor and from five to ten years of waiting. My advice to young men would be to plant apple orchards now, plant the trees far apart, not less than two rods each way, and rather than any closer plant them COMMERCIAL ORCHARDING IN NEBRASKA. 89 farther yet. Planting peach trees midway between the apple trees North and South, and then keep the peach trees well clipped. Plant strawberries in the space between the apple and peach trees. The strawberries will bear fruit in one year, the peachin from three to five years, and the apple in from five to eight years. Those fruits seem to intermingle, and if the orchardist has made a careful selection of the above named fruits and gives them thorough cultivation and up-to-date attention, he will have a happy surprise. Keep the orchard clean of brush; keep worthless limbs pruned out of the trees and keep it clean of weeds. Dothese things for various reasons. First, such an orchard has a neat appearance and is in keeping with good taste, a silent speaker for the owner. Second, there is some comfort in getting around in such an orchard to gather the fruit, as one can make good time and do more work, and this pays the owner. Third, men working in a clean orchard are good natured and are willing to do better work. Fourth, an orchard that is kept clean of dead trees and worthless limbs is less liable to fungus diseases and insect pests. COMMERCIAL ORCHARDING IN NEBRASKA. BY E. F. STEPHENS, CRETE. The subject of commercial orcharding in central and western Nebraska is a topic of very deep interest to me. All of my ac- tive life has been devoted to a study-of the problems surround- ing the planting and developing of orchards under new and trying conditions. In the 60’s, after leaving the army, I lived for a time in southern California when orcharding was in the early stages of its development. There I learned how to handle soil so as to conserve the limited rainfall and grow crops without irriga- tion. Coming to Nebraska in the fall of 1871 my plan was to grow fruit in commercial quantities in a region where it was sufficiently difficult to keep the grower safe from the over- production so trying in California. Thirty-three years ago I 90 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. — called on Hon. Robert W. Furnas of Brownville, Nebraska, to ask hisadvice regarding the kind of land to purchase for commer- cial orchard purposes and what varieties to plant. The Gov- ernor kindly gave me the benefit of his experience and sug- gested that while they were successful in growing fruit along the Missouri river, it might be difficult to grow leading com- mercial quantities of apples as far out as Saline county. At that time people were in doubt whether corn could be grown on the table lands of Saline. Governor Furnas advised the planting of Siberians. He was confident that those could be grown with fair success and that the scarcity of better fruit would be such that people would buy them in absence of larger apples. FIRST VENTURE WITH APPLES. My first venture was twenty acres of apple trees and Siber-~ ians planted on sod land broken the previous summer. One thousand one hundred of these were purchased of Samuel Bar- nard at Table Rock. We lost but five. We did not fare as well with a lot of tall four year-olds shipped from Illinois. From this beginning we gradually extended our home plant until we had eighty acres of orchard. It was our original in- tention to devote our efforts almost entirely to commercial or- charding, but we soon fonnd that it required years of time to secure such returns from a commercial orchard as would keep up expenses. Many years ago we were engaged in contract planting of timber claims and orchards for other parties. We planted the trees and carried forward their cultivation for a series of years. This line of work gave us a wide acquaintance in central and western Nebraska and eastern Colorado. We became familiar with soil and climatic conditions. We learned of the wonder- ful fertility of the soil in western and central Nebraska. We gradually acquired confidencein the ultimate outcome of horticultural work under western conditions. We studied the causes of failure of trees that had been already planted, visit- ing thousands of farmers. We noted here and there an occa- sional success and the conditions under which success had been secured; also the numberless failures and the reasons therefor. COMMERCIAL ORCHARDING IN NEBRASKA. Q1 We now feel sure that with suitable care and the plant- ing of the right varieties, fruit can be grown in commercial quantities in central and western Nebraska. Our attention was first called to the lack of fruit in those districts and to the great expense of shipping fruit in from other localities. We pay $1.50 per barrel on apples from Crete to Bridgeport, Neb- raska, with proportionately higher freight to other and more distant points on the Guernsey division. FREIGHT RATES A PROTECTION. The orchardist who:can successfully grow apples in western Nebraska has a freight protection of forty to fifty cents per bushel in his favor as compared with the grower in eastern Nebraska. Should he grow small fruits, to the production of which the soil and water supply is peculiarly suited, he has the protection of heavy express charges on incoming fruit. Last summer I found summer apples retailing at ten cents per pound at Fort Morgan, Colo. At the present time they are worth six cents per pound in western Nebraska. Autumn apples sell at four cents per pound and winter apples are usually worth in car lots $1.25 to $1.50 per bushel. In seeking to overcome the difficulties connected with any new enterprize, it is well to make a careful study of the causes which led to previous failure. First and foremost, unsuitable varieties. The farmer living in western Nebraska naturally thinks of the varieties of fruit to which he was accustomed in his eastern home, forgetting the difference in altitude, soil and climatic condition. He is easily persuaded by the traveling salesman to purchase varieties of fruit, valuable no doubt in other locations, but unsuited to western conditions. The pic- tures of Japanese plums are very showy and attractive. He purchases and plants trees of this character, and also varieties of domestic or European varieties of plum. He plants varieties of apples better suited to Iowa or Missouri than to western Nebraska. He reasons that if a little water is good, a large amount is better. He uses so much water that growth con- tinues until winter. The trees are unripe when winter sets in and suffer severely. I have in mind two large commercial orchards in Lincoln 92 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. county, one of twenty the other of thirty acres. They were planted with Missouriand Arkansas varieties. The behavior of those two orchards has been such as to lead people in the neighborhood to doubt the possibility of growing fruit in com- mercial quantities in Lincoln county. . Turning now from this dark picture to the other view—con- sider what to plant in central and western Nebraska. The ele- vation of the extreme western portion of the state leads up to obout 4,500 feet, and we should study the experience of success- -ful growers in Montana and Idaho, Dakotaand Minnesota. We ~ learn that there is a very narrow list of fruit trees which through long generations of production in trying climates have acquired the habit of being ready for winterin September. In - Scotts Bluffs county I have seenappleand plum trees heavy laden with their crop of fruit, bending to the ground with an addition- al weight of four inches of snow in the middle of September. In a climate where such conditions are possible, we need vari- eties which will have completed their growth by the first of September, and should plant summer and early autumn vari- eties rather than the later maturing winter kinds. We should do all in our power to conserve moisture by fre- quent cultivation rather than induce late and rank growth of wood by the free use of water. David Hunter of Sutherland, Lincoln county, visited California last winter. He was somuch interested in their intensive system of frequent culture that he has already cultivated his orchard of forty acres seventeen times this season. This orchard has been irrigated only once, the water being applied about the last of March. His trees have made as much growth as can be safely carried and his outlook for a fruitful, productive orchard is very bright indeed. Mr. Hunter estimates that single apple trees will yield as high as eight bushels each. One tree gave one bushel and three pecks of apples the fifth fall after planting. FINE SPECIMENS OF APPLES. The finest Jonathan apples I have ever seen grown in this state were produced by Mr. Myers, six miles south of Kearney. The oldest peach trees with which I am acquainted in the state COMMERCIAL ORCHARDING IN NEBRASKA. 93 are twenty-six years old, and yet bearing, nineteen miles south- east of Kearney. Thomas Blackburn, fourteen miles south- west of Kearney, has an orchard of ninety-three apple trees, occupying a little less than one acre. From this orchard in 1902 he supplied three families with what apples they could use. Healso picked and sold six hundred and four bushels of merchantable apples at eighty-one cents a bushel, or $489.00. C. J. Nelson of Phelps county has a peach orchard two years and four months planted. There are twenty-one varieties of peaches in this orchard, and without exception all are in excel- lent condition. They promise to yield two to five baskets to the tree. Passing on westward, at Julesburg, Colo., N. C. Roth has a very promising and successful orchard. At Mitchell, about. eighteen miles from the Wyoming line, Mr. Ed. Scriven an- nually markets a fine crop of apples, cherries and plums. Three varieties of apples gave him an average cash value last fall of $9.00 per tree. It is a peculiar feature of growing fruit under irrigation that the apple tree does not rest one season to recover from an excessive crop. Under irrigation the or- chardist is a manufacturer. Whenever the orchard needs more water to enable the tree to ripen its heavy load of fruit and to set strong fruit buds the succeeding year, the planter irrigates. ‘The tree is therefore strong enough to repeat its best efforts with an annual load of fruit. In this respect the farmer under irrigation has a very marked advantage. SUB-IRRIGATED LANDS ARE BEST. Our observation would lead us to suggest that for orchard purposes the sub-irrigated lands are the best in the state. We also believe that the irrigable lands have great advantages over lands that depend upon rainfall in the production of frequent crops of fruit. In Scotts Bluffs county in orchards apple trees which produced an excessive crop of fruit last fall are now resting their overladen lower branches on the ground. In enumerating some of the successful orchards in cen- : tral and western Nebraska I have left until the last the Watson orchard, near Kearney. This is the largest enterprise of its Q4 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. kind in the state. Under the efficient care of Mr. Watson’s present manager, Mr. N. C. Dunlap, this orchard will be heard from in the near future. There are thousands of bearing cherry trees and many thousands of apple and peach trees. These orchards are showing that even the hill tops in Buffalo county are valuable for the production of peaches. If asked to enumerate a list of varieties of apples for far western Nebraska, I would suggest, Yellow Transparent, Duchess, Wealthy, Longfield, Patton’s Greening and North- western Greening. In cherries plant the Early Richmond, Montmorency and English Morello. In plum trees rely on the American group of plums. The Lombard and German prune may be planted under favorable conditions after the wind breaks are so perfected as to protect the trees from sudden changes and trying winds. . SUGGESTIONS AS TO PLANTING. When planting be sure to avoid low ground and alkali. Se- lect the drier and more loamy soils, not too near the water level. The advent of irrigation ditches has in some cases raised the water level too near the sarface. In planting set the trees six inches deeper than they grow in the nursery. Keep the trunk of the tree protected twelve months in the year for at least five years. Grow a dense, branched head. This offers some protection against hail. Protect by efficient windbreaks. If the orchard should unfortunately be in the track of a hail-storm, hail that comes straight down is not so destructive as that driven by the full sweep of a violent wind. It is of the utmost importance that the orchard should be ir- rigated in early November and carried into the winter with ample subsoil moisture. The market for fruit grown in western Nebraska is at this time local, and a large amount will be needed to supply the lo- cal markets. The soil, properly irrigated and suitably planted, is peculiarly adapted to the growing of small fruits for distant shipment. The strawberry is quite as productive in western Nebraska as in the Wood River Valley, Oregon, and a thousand miles nearer to market. The Kansas black raspberry does FRUIT RAISING. 95 very well without winter protection. The red raspberries and the blackberries should receive winter protection by covering with earth as in Michigan and Colorado. Our confidence in the future of this district is such that we are continuing to plant contract orchards—14,000 trees were planted this spring. Other orchards are contracted for next season, one in a very favorable location one mile from the Wyoming line. Up to this time Nebraska has shipped in a great deal more fruit than it has shipped out. Our home market is capable of immense and rapid development. When we grow more fruit than the people can consume we are fortunately located with leading trunk lines of railway, with a refrigerator car service already established and a shorter haul than other commercial districts, which will give us better access to the markets of the country. FRUIT RAISING. ‘BY J. R. DAVIDSON. Mr. Davipson: My address will be very brief indeed. I haven’t had time or help to prepare a long address, and I pre- sume you will all be glad of it. Nowthis includesawhole lotof hard work anda great many dis- appointments, at least this is my experience so far, yet there is a certain fascination about fruit growing that I can hardly des- cribe, but which is a fact just the same, and thereis scarcely a person to be found, who owning if only a town lot does not de- sire to raise some kind of fruit, and when the agents show their highly colored plates, taken from life, no larger than the original, we all feel a desire to raise tree currants, tree goose-berries, andstrawberries aslargeas Ben-Davisapples. That fewof us suc- ceed in attaining this high standard we aspire to, is but human. My experience so far has failed to enrich me, but I have gained some knowledge that I could obtain no other way, yet I find I have hardly commenced to investigate the most interesting sub- ject of fruit growing. I have succeeded fairly well with cher- ries, currants and plums promise well, especially the Burbank, 96 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. which is a rank grower, a heavy bearer and seems to be reason- ably hardy. I have a sample here of the fruit gathered Mon- day last. This fruit was colored and nearly ripe when gathered, while this was uncolored and perfectly hard. This plum will ship well and ripen on the road. The only disease that has troubled my Burbanks so far is. black knot which is easy to handle in the branches, but when it. attacks a crotch of the tree it is not so easy, I intend to try gaso- line, which I think will evaporate before doing serious damage to the tree, and will at the same time be death to the fungus. I have here some samples of the knot that have grown this sum- mer and were removed about ten days ago. I find that in the culture of currants, heavy mulching is far ahead of cultivation, as this plant must have plenty of moisture and the mulch pre- vents evaporation. My currants this year were very nice, and I could have sold any amount of them. I sold these in strawberry boxes at ten cents straight. I had no trouble to dispose of cherries, and had a good crop. The best shipping package for cherries is either the one-half bushel basket or the grape basket. ' I used the grape basket, picking direct into the basket. This way the fruit is not handled and looks much better than if emptied into a larger basket. I had no trouble to get thirty cents a basket f. 0. b. Aurora. I believe cherries are usually put onto the market too green. _ Should be left on tree until fully ripe. It is very hard to get pickers that will do good work and not muss the fruit. The looks of the fruit goes along way towards selling it. Strawberries winter killed badly on account of the dry win- ter, and grapes killed to the ground, and mulching with straw did not seem to save them. I covered some of my vines with earth and they came through fairly well and are loaded with fruit, I also mulched some vines heavily without laying them down, but it did no good, they killed to the ground just the same. This grape proposition is ahead of me I confess and I don’t know where lam at. With the peach I have not scored much of a success so far, but I have some nice peaches and I believe we will get them used to our climate later on. I have some | HARDY ORNAMENTALS. O7 ; twenty varieties and when I find the one that is a success I am ready to go into the peach business. J have a sample of an early peach here that seems to stand the winter quite well. I believe I have cultivated my peach trees too highly and have sown down to red clover, in hopes that by doing this they will stand the winters better. Now I do not care to take up further time as we have fruit growers here whose years of experience, and the magnitude of their labors so far out rank mine that I would much rather bea listener. I thank you. HARDY ORNAMENTALS. BY C. S. HARRISON, YORK. Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: You have been listen- ing to the successes and failures of fruit growing. We have heard of disease, insects and enemies without number which seem on the watch for every apple, pear and plum which makes its appearance. Now let us change the subject. Let us look away from failures to success—to hardy ornamentals. It is true we have lost much time and money in finding out what was hardy. We have followed the divine injunction, ‘Prove all things; hold fast to that which is good.’’ I bring here samples of some of our perennials. It is too _late, of course, for peonies, but it would have done your souls good to see the wonderful display of 50,000 in 400 varieties, all vieing with each other to do their best. Here are some gaillardi- as flowers, but little known. There is a species growing wild in the Republican valley. They have been improved till now we have eighty varieties; some of immense size, five inches across. Here are large single ones, very striking in color and some of mine are three inches in diameter. Here are double ones, very rich in the blending of tints, and these are single, blood red, very effective in masses. They are the most prolific of all flowers, doing a wholesale business from June till November. Here are some phloxes. These are imported and this col- lection is of my own originating. And I want you women to know something of the fascination in bringing new things out 98 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. ’ of the unknown. I get the choicest ones that money can buy. They come from the leading florists of Europe. I plant the seeds from these in the fall and in July of the next year have cheering results. Many of these you see surpass the parent flowers. Iam breeding for color and size. Yourown Mr. Green of Fremont, one of our best florists, visited my grounds and saw the phloxes. You know the old flowers had blossoms the size of a dime, and then, wonder of wonders, the imported ones were as large asa quarter. I showed some of my own to Mr. Green. He took out a silver dollar and laid it on a single flower, and it could not cover it. Deliberating on the matter so as to be exact he said it would take just about $1.35 to cover the whole bloom. So you see whata fascination there is in this search for new things and when you realize how much good old Mother Nature has in reserve for you then you realize you ought to be better acquainted with her. We have now come to shrubs. Please note these leayes, some as large as your hand, and then we have these delicate and tiny ones. These all belong to the lilac family, of which we have over fifty kinds at the York experiment station. If they have no bloom, their hardiness and varied foliage would make them fine additions to our home grounds. But when you add to this the fact that from early spring till July they give a succession of flowers, then we have something very desirable. Then what a family of syringas, viburnums and spireas we have—almost unknown to our horticulturists and strangers al- most in our state. Now, brothers, I am going for you, and you deserve it. Along the line of fruits you have kept up with the procession. But when it comes to ornamentation you are far behind. You say there is no call for these things. Well, what in the ~ name of goodness are you for? Why don’t you make a call? Are you going to let the ignorant man run your business? You have a grander mission than to live for dollars and cents. Plant these things yourselves. Get acquainted with them and you will be fascinated. Then let your agents see them and study them. Wake up the whole force and get them interested. HARDY ORNAMENTALS 99 Already some of your patrons are reading the Twentieth Century Farmer and are taking catalogues of eastern nurseries and an interest is being aroused. And when the people wake up to know how many things they might have had, they will blame you for not telling them, and eastern firms will soon send their agents into your territory and they will sell your patrons stock by the thousands that you ought to furnish them. You must keep up with the procession. We do not say who is to blame, but the horticultural depart- ment of the University of Nebraska is away behind the demands of the state. While the animal industry department is at the front, and challenges the world, horticulture is dragging in the rear, and I think makes by far the poorest showing of any state inthe union. With an able and intelligent professor, where is the handicap? The leading horticulturists of the state, as well as the leading citizens, feelthat a change must soon come. Our state farm should be the Mecca of the lovers of the beautiful. Every tree that can be made to grow and every flower that will bloom in our climate should be there. There should be at least 1,000 kinds of peonies. The 1380 kinds of lilacs now in other stations and the thirty or more kinds of spireas and as many more of the syringas, together, with the great family of viburnums all should be in evidence. Now, when the young farmer goes to the farm he sees the very triumph of animal industry and goes away enthused. He ought also to see the triumphs of ad- vanced horticulture. They are now making preparations for the education of farm girls, and they should be inspired by splendid displays of choice plants and flowers. Let the young people see the great family of lilacs, with their wealth of varied foliage, in bloom from early spring till the first of July. Let them see thousands of tulips open the campaign of loveliness, followed by thousands of columbines which have dissolved all the colors of the rainbow in their shadings; let gen- erous fields of peonies open their bloom and form a carpet of splendor fit to be touched with the feet of angels; let them see great masses of gaillardias and pansies lift their happy faces to _ thoes who pass by; let the Oriental poppies dazzle with their _ splendor, and the generous fields of phloxes in robes of peerless 100 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. beauty stand on dress parade, and the scene would have its ef- fect. The lessons of the state farm would reach every country. The expense will not be great. With a small outlay the experi- ment station at York has secured’a collection which attracts people from various parts of the state. One efficient man under the direction of the faculty and Prof. Emerson could attend to the whole thing, and further than this, in two or three years things could readily be sold to pay all ex- penses. There could be no complaint of competition any more than there could be objections to selling cattle from the station. We can but emphasize this matter and we want to see such a pressure brought to bear that the farm shall be a garden of de- light to all who visit it. There is no reason why a great state like ours with a soil so rich and responsive should drag along with so little to show for all these years. We know that careful experiments have been conducted along some lines, but this is not enough. » DISCUSSION. Mr. BELTZER: I don’t want to criticize any of the officers of our society, but I do really regret from the bottom of my heart, that things had not been arranged so that he could have de- livered that paper to the audience last night. With a gentleman who knows as much on that subject as he, it ought to have been so arranged that he could have delivered this last evening. I know I would have felt better myself. The Harrison family is quite noted, have been here quite awhile. I have been in Polk county for 82 years, and they have had their agents there through that country a great deal, and I have the first: one to ever meet who has ever purchased these fine flowers from the Harrison boys. Everybody knows he lives in Nebraska; that people are very anxious to pay $1, $2, $3 and $4 for a good plant. I think if he would jack up the boys alittle and get these started out as they should be, it would be a good thing. Mr. C. S. Harrison: I didn’t care for the audience last night, I wanted to get those horticulturists at short range. u. S. Harrison: I would like to apologize for my father in this case. He came by all his energy and enthusiam along this STRAWBERRIES FOR HOME USE. 101 line naturally. He took it from his boys, and took about all they had. Mr. C. 8. HARRISON: I used to call them in the morning to getup. They would say by and by, and they are getting up now, and they are going to get up by and by, and I hope they take after me. PRESIDENT CHRISTY: ‘This is one of the things that leads us from the making of dollars and cents in life, and I think we ought to do it more. STRAWBERRIES FOR HOME USE. BY G. S. CHRISTY, JOHNSON "Fhe year 1904 has been one to greatly encourage the _ plant- ing of small beds of berries for home use. The commercial grower has been blessed with too much rain this season and was forced to let the berries go unpicked too long, so that much of the fruit on the market was too ripe and soft to command good prices. The man who depended on buy- ing had to take these low grade berries, possibly cheap, but not at all satisfactory. Not so with the family that had their own berry bed, for while the boys were taking a forced vacation after the last rain the berry beds would not suffer from too many over-ripe ber- ries. Then, too, the matter of ownership enters largely into the’subject. and adds flavor to your berries and cream. Have you ever noticed how much better “‘my shorthorn cattle are than neighbor Jones’?’’ Or have you ever seen a hog ad- vertisement that did not announce the “the best lot of pigs I ever raised?’’ Or that baby ‘‘that never had an equal’’ in the estimation of its parents? So if you would get the full enjoy- ment out of a strawberry shortcake, grow the berries yourself. The size of your berry bed of course will depend on the num- ber of people you expect to feed; 300 to 500 plants should pro- duce ten to twenty bushels of berries, and will sometimes exceed that amount and sometimes fall far below it. 102% NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY One of the most important things in starting a berry bed is the question of varieties. Some varieties do well in certain 1o- calities and their virtues are heralded far and wide, and even in places where they will prove worthless. The Aroma, that is the leading berry in southern Missouri, is almost a failure in Nebraska. Our Warfield, that stands well to the head of the list here, is a failure in Texas. and the Brandywine, extensively planted at Nemaha City is a failure at Tecumseh, only thirty- five miles away. Again, the originator of some new variety has an exaggerated opinion of his handiwork; his description of the berry is cata- logued by leading nurserymen, and a new variety gets a reputa- tion it does not deserve. Be careful of these; better take some variety that has been tested in your vicinity and proved to be good; or get your horticultural report and find out the varieties recommended to your locality. Never send to your nurseryman and request that he send you three or four of his best varieties unless you know him to be a man of unbounded integrity, or he may be tempted to send you plants that are not selling well and that he fears may be left on his hands. Do not buy plants simply because they are quoted high in the catalogue. That is no criterion as to their value as berry producers. I was much interested recently by the “‘originator’s descrip- - tion’’ in a certain catalogue, and the $2.50 per dozen they priced the plants at. Being acquainted with the nurseryman ina bus- iness way I wrote him a personal letter asking his opinion of the berry. He replied that he had purchased the original plants at a very high price and had to sell accordingly, but un- less this variety did better the next year than it had in the past two, he would discard it, and advised that I let it alone. For our section we would place the Senator Dunlap at the head of the list. Dunlaps have healthy foliage, strong fruit ‘stock, productive medium large berry, good color, excellent quality, a free runner and a self fertilizer. Splendids, Bisel, Warfield and Crescent, all do well generally over Nebraska. August Luther and Excelsior for very early varieties, although the latter is of very poor quality and requires plenty of Jersey cream and beet sugar to make the berries palatable. Sample STRAWBERRIES FOR HOME USE. 103 and Gandy are excellent late varieties, with Lester Lovett con- tending for first place, but has not been tested here long enough to warrant crediting it with this position. The old Crescent and Bederwvod will stand more grief than any of the newer varieties and still produce berries. Many people seem puzzled over the time of planting, being undecided between Fall and Spring. It is possible to plant berries any time when the ground is not frozen, but far best results in Nebraska are obtained by planting as early in the Spring as it is possible to work the ground. Then be sure you have plants of last year’s growth as you can never tell by the appearance of plants or trees what they will bear. Your only safe way to buy is from a nursery that has a repu- tation at stake, and one thatisa permanent fixture. Never buy from traveling salesmen unless they represent nurseries that you know are “gilt edge.’”’ Buying nursery stock is “buying a pig in a poke,” and unless you have the reputation of a good nursery back of your purchase you may expect a blooded Poland China and get a worthless scrub. Plant your berries in rows four feet apart and fourteen inches to two feet apart in the row. Use a string or wire to make your rows perfectly straight and you will not be sorry when you get ready to cultivate. Be sure your soil is in good condi- tion, and plant deep, so that the crowns will be even with the surface of the ground. In regard to making the soil firm about the roots, do not be afraid of getting it packed too hard, pro- viding you stir the surface immediately after planting. Never scatter your plants along the row, but have them in a bucket with two or three inches of water, and transfer from the water immediately to the ground. Begin cultivation at once. If you have a two horse cultivator with small shovels you can cultivate all the surface except a strip three or four inches wide in the row. It requires but little work with the hoe to clean this out. Cultivation should be frequnt. once every week or ten days, and you will be surprised at the way they will set plants: By August first you can have a matted row and then you can cut off surplus runners after that. 104 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. In Nebraska our dry Falls are the worst enemies of the berry grower, and unless your ground is in good tilth, so the plants can make a strong Fall growth, they will go into winter weak and may die before Spring, or they will not have vitality enough to send up strong fruit stalks. Two or three cultivations in September. especially in a dry Fall, will increase your yield of berries the next June. ; Mulching.—The object of mulching is to retain moisture, keep down weeds and keep your berries clean, but do not mulch to keep the plants from freezing out. Mulch in the fall not to exceed two inches deep, and remove the mulch from the plants early in the Spring, leaving it in the middle oftherows. Ifthe mulch is left on in the Spring until growth starts and the plants turn white, you have injured your berry prospects. Fruit is a natural summer diet of the human race. I have attempted to grow everything in the catalogue for family use but find the strawberry the easiest grown of any, and as it is the first to ripen in the Spring we can not afford to be without it for the family. 'Then, too, by forcing them to lie dormant awhile, Dun- laps, Warfields and Bederwood and a few other varieties may be made to bear a Fall crop and greatly lengthen the straw- berry season. By the use of early and late varieties the strawberry season has been extended several weeks, and with a little extra work in 1903 we were able to pick berries for seven months. The ever-bearing varieties succeed in Oregon and California, but in Nebraska they will not produce enough berries, Spring or Fall, to pay for the plants. GARDENING IN AURORA. BY H.G. CASS. Mr. Chairman: Some one has expressed the opinion that gardening is a calling that no matter how high the social stand- ing of a man may be, is not disgraced thereby. If we look back to the first start of gardening, we shall form some idea of its importance. We are toldin holy writ that after God had created GARDING IN AURORA. 105 the heavens and the earth, and man himself,.after the creation was finished, that he planted a garden over towards Eden. That in that garden he planted not only those things which were good for food, but also things that were pleasant to the eye. In this garden he placed Adam as gardener to keep it. Now that was quite a compliment to the gardener to be placed as the first man to be keeper of the garden as long as he re- mained upright, obedient and trustworthy to the mandates of his Creator. He remained, but when he fell from his high estate he was no longer worthy of the position which he had occupied, and he was driven forth from the garden and the gates were closed, and we are told he becamea tiller of the soil. Now we see how rapidly whena man once gets on the toboggan slide and begins to go down how rapidly it becomes. . But we are not gardening in the garden of Eden. My subject is gardening in Aurora. I did think at one time to take up my lot of culture of some ofthe things of the garden. The subject is a kind of a hack- neyed one. Iapprehend that my name was put upon the pro- gram to fill in between times, and in thinking the matter over I came to the conclusion that nearly everybody has an idea that they know how to growa garden, and knowing that tobe the case, perhaps my particular method of culture would not be inter- esting. Ifit is to any body it can be brought out by questioning. The one thing of importance in making a garden is to select its proper site where it will be convenient, and where the soil is of a proper consistency, where it is not bothered by standing of rain water that cannot be controlled. Now having made the selection, the next important thing to be taken into considera- tion is the securing of proper seed. I care not what you may plant, what it may be, you must realize and understand one thing “‘that whatsoever a man soweth, that he shall also reap.” _ For instance you take the potato crop. If you select your seed and plant potatoes that are diseased from scab without giving them the proper treatment before they are planted; or, if by careless work your ground has been contaminated by the dis- ease, as it will be, your potato crop will bea failure. But by keeping this disease in check by proper methods, your ground is kept clean, and you produce an article that is attractive in appearance and a ready seller. So itis with the cabbage, and all 106 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. the leading products of the garden. Iwas ina field of cabbage the other day, and I presume some of them were as high as that chair, the stalk running that high—heads that tall, and about that big around (indicating). It all came from the buy- ing of improper seed. If you know where you can secure seed that is reliable from a reliable house, there is the place for you to buy it, and having tested the thing hold fast to that which is. good. ‘The same thingis true in regard to celery. A great many in buying celery think they should buy the self-bleaching seed. They may buy something under the name of White Heading, and it will turn out a different kind. These things. we must take into consideration. In selecting the ground as I said before, any ground that will produce good corn will raise fairly good garden; but there is nothing that responds to gen- erous treatment more readily than a garden crop. The more you enrich your soil, the more you fertilize it, the better re- sults you will obtain in every variety of garden plant. I know of but one exception and that is perhaps the potato; that is a. vegetable that will not stand ground that is freshly manured. The ground wants fertilizing a year or two ahead, a crop of something else raised on it, and then plant the potato and you will avoid the scab. I havea process of dealing with the potato scab, the corrosive-sublimate treatment, but it is a tedious treatment and it is a deadly poison, and I don’t like to handle it. My seed last spring was usually a little scabby in that re- spect. I didn’t treat them last spring a year ago and they were little infected with the scab owing to the wet season, but: this spring I bought my seed potatoes and got ready when the time came to plant. I sprayed the seed over until they became. wet, and used about a pint of flour of sulphur to a barrel of potatoes, stirred them up until the sulphur adhered to all the. parts of the potato, and dropped them in the row. This year I find 95 per cent of my potatoes are entirely clean from scab. notwithstanding the wet weather we have had. There is another thing in the cabbage crop. Some times this is affected by the black rot. I speak of these three veget- ables because they are the most profitable in the market gar- dening, and most important in the family garden, Some times. they are affected by black rot. The plant will start all right. DISCUSSION. 107 It may show itself before it comes to head, or not until after’ A yellow leaf will appear on one side of the plant, and upon in- vestigation you will find that the stalk of the cabbage is affected, and if left it will communicate itself to the head that is already formed, and it willrot and decay. The cause of this is plant- ing cabbage upon the same ground years in succession. Cab- bage can only be raised as a crop only about three years upon the same ground, and then you will notice what I have spoken of, and you must remove your crop from that ground and keep it off of the ground and not return with it for 3 or 4 years, when you con again return to the same ground. In regard to celery there are a great many people that are taking their first lesson in raising celery, and I want to say this, that in celery culture there is a fascination about it, and you | are just as likely to prove successful the first year as the fifth, but don’t think that it follows that you will make a success the second year. Itis a peculiar thing, and all at once you find you are entirely at sea withit. I used the self-bleaching variety; planted it in single rows, banking each row by itself. This year I have combined a new process with the old process, and planted two rows together about a foot apart, and banked on each side of it. This combination extends to at least four rows together, the banking on each side. There is one thing that must be taken into consideration in mass patches. For in- stance, the new process, where it is set in distances from six inches to a foot apart, it requires extremely rich ground and a great deal of water. If you can furnish these requisites, you may succeed, but you will be more likely to succeed with single rows first. As I said before, everybody understands the process of cul- tivating garden stuff, and it is not my province to go over that. I think I have said all on the subject I wish to say. DISCUSSION. Mr. KEYSER: Your variety of early potatoes? Mr. Cass: I have yet to find any variety of early potatoes earlier than the Early Ohio. I find early potatoes as early as that, and of better quality. There is a new variety, it is un- 108 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. doubtedly a seedling of the Early Ohio, it has white and pink eyes, a very good quality. Mr. KEYSER: Of late potatoes, what variety? Mr. Cass: I have a second variety, the Eureka, an excellent quality. I had intended to have brought up a sample of each of them. Mr. C.S. HARRISON: Don’t you find you get better results in getting seeds from the north? Mr. Cass: I think every man should secure northern grown seed from the Red River country; it will pay him to buy it even if he has his own seeds free. We then get a cleaner seed and a change in climate seems to produce better results. I have planted northern grown seed myself this spring. I sent to Shennendoah, Iowa, to Fields and I got two and a half bushels of these White Early Ohios northern grown seed, which cost me $6.00 laid down here, express and all, and I thought I was well paid for the expenditure of the money. Mr. Harrison: I gota barrel from northern Wisconsin and got 300 bushels on a half acre of ground. Mr. WiuuiAMs: How about your scab treatment? Mr. Cass: I don’t know as itis anew plan but I have adopted it. Ifa potato is badly diseased I throw it out. If a man is short of seed and only a very little scab on that, he can use that by using the sulphur treatment, or the corrosive-sublimate treat- ment. Dissolve it in hot water and put in about 15 gallons of cold water and then put your potatoes in that from 40 to 90 minutes. I cut my potatoes, and when I get ready to plant them I spray them with water just to make them moist and usea pound of flour sulphur toa barrel of potatoes after they are cut. The sulphur adheres to the surface of the potato and the results I have had from that treatment has been very satis- factory. MEMBER: Would you recommend sending for the northern grown seed each year. I think the seed should be changed once in four or five years? Mr. Cass: I don’t believe it would be a good. plan for a man unless he could get it very conveniently to send every year for DISCUSSION. 109 the seed. You will find the results of that change will last from three to four years, and if you renew your seed from the north every two or three years I think it would be often enough. Mr. HARRISON: How about celery? Mr. Cass: I would advise that system for family use, pro- vided, as I said before, they have the ground richenough. You can understand very well that when you come to planting a stock of celery 6 by 12 inches there is a wonderful graft upon the fertility of the soil to produce the amount of foliage there to get good celery; it also requires a lot of water. In order to raise it enmasse in that way, you want to be sure you have the fertility and the water there. Forasmall family I think a 12 foot lot would be just the thing. Mr. Curisty: Have you ever used formaldehyde for your potatoes? Mr. Cass: No sir, but I see no reason why it should not work well. It isa germicide of a very powerful nature, but I see no reason why it would not work. It would be better than. . ecorrosive-sublimate to have around. Mr. ForRRELL: If any one wants to raise potatoes I advise them to write to Mr. Ferguson of Beaver Crossing, who raises more potatoes than anybody in the state. He gave us some figures last fall that are astonishing. He experiments at his place. He has parellel rows; on one he will put the imported seeds from the north, and the next seed grown one year, and the next seed grown two years, and in that way, and the per- ceptible difference in the yield in each row, with the same kind of culture and treatment, seems to me would pay a man to im- port his seed every year. He raises potatoes on a very large scale. Mr. Curisty: If you have an institute here, Mr. Ferguson would be good man to talk to you. His information cost him $10,000, and he has been giving it out free. Mr. ForRELL: Mr. Merritt of Lexington is another good man to write to on this subject. Mr. WILLIAMS: Last winter I heard from one of our students in Howard county. He and his father makes a specialty of po- tatoes. They send for northern grown potatoes, and they get 110 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. better results by far. The point I wish to call attention to is that they get special prices for their seeds by shipping them further south. They raise them in the valley, and then they sell them at fancy prices for good seed potatoes, perhaps in Kansas and Missouri. The potatoes are passed further south and get about the same price that they have to pay for sending north. Mr. Curisty: The question in regard to this northern grown seed should be carefully put. There are a great many potatoes sent out by seed houses as northern grown potatoes that are not grown very far north. I find in the southern part of the state that Box Butte potatoes do well. Mr. WILLIAMS: ‘Take potatoes from northern Nebraska and planted in southern Nebraska will give very good results. Mr. SNODGRASS: I wish to give my experience in dipping potatoes. Take a coal oil barrel, and put it on an elevation three feet high and have your liquid in that, and then put your potatoes in and you can get about four bushels in a barrel, and when they have been in long enough, just have a faucet at the lower end, and turn your potatoes outto dry. Idon’t cut the potatoes; I do this before I cut the potatoes. PRESIDENT CHRISTY: I am pleased to note that we have Prof. Burnett, who is director of the Experiment Station at Lincoln, and also is director of the farmer’s institutes for the state, with us this morning, and he will talk to you for a few minutes. Pror. E. A. BURNETT. Ladies and.Gentlemen: TIhaven’t so very much to say this morning. I was thinkingas Mr. Harrison was talking on this subject of ornamental plants, and especially as he was trying to impress upon the audience the desirability of producingm iproved sorts, that perhaps one question of greater importance than almost any other going along with this meeting, of the surroundings of the home, is the education of the people to grow and care for these important varieties and to care for the things they pay for. We will admit we have got the things that they pay for. These important sorts have generally been raised under good conditions by pretty intelligent men. They gener- ally require good conditions in order to retain the standard of excellence that they "have been selected for. And especially on DISCUSSION. 111 farm homes I suppose to a large extent; same would be true in thetowns. People who purchase these ornamental shrubs don’t have enough educational knowledge of how to take care of them in order to make them do their best, and especially along lines of culture; probably also along lines of fertilization of the soil and winter protection in some cases. The question of tillage, probably above all others, is important when you commence to raise and improve varieties. The question of tillage is impor- tant in the growing of corn, but we plant corn so that tillage is relatively easy. In planting our ornamental shrubs it is not possible to do that unless you plant on an extensive scale. Most of the tillage has to be hand work, and we are very likely to want to grow these shrubs in the lawn, let the grass grow up to them as close as we can in order not to leave bare spots in the lawn, and this tillage must be hand tillage. We either forget or don’t know how much moisture gets away from the bare soilif not cultivated a good deal. Prof. Emerson set a row of Hackberry trees, in 1901. along the front of the farm that afterwards had to be removed; but along the side, south of the road,—you remember 1901 how dry it was from the middle of July until into September and how intensely hot it was—and I presume to say that more than 50 per cent of all the trees set in the state of Nebraska that summer died; if not that summer they died the next fall. IfIl remember rightly, under good cultivation one tree died in that whole row of nearly 100 during that summer, under cultivation. So I think if we are going to send ornamental trees out over the state we want to get the very best sorts, whether they are the very hardiest or not, the sorts that make the best show; and along with that we have got to carry on a process of education of the people in the way of tillage to care for these shrubs before they will get out of them the value there is inthem. Jam not an expert. I don’t know all of the details of the care of these various things, but I think that before you get a large market for these orna- mental trees and shrubs, we will have to get a pretty thorough education of the people in their care. I expect that many peo- ple think that water is a substitute for tillage. Out at Sidney last year I saw some cottonwood trees planted two or three ‘years. You know that Sidney is pretty high and dry. They 112 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. don’t expect it to rain there although itsometimes does. I saw a block of trees which had been irrigated from a wind mill three or four times; and another block of trees which were so high they could not be conveniently irrigated and had not been irri- gated, but had been pretty thoroughly cultivated. At the end ~of three years the cultivated trees were the more vigorous, there were fewer dead trees, and on the whole they were in better condition than the trees that had been irrigated, and should judge cultivation had not been considered impor- tant. They turned the water on and let it run and let the wind- mill pump and run filling the ditches full, or would dry up when the windmill was not running. Now these things I believe we ought to bring home to the people in some practical way. I don’t know just how to do it. I suppose all the horticulturists. here understand that thoroughly and I am not telling them any thing new at all, but a matter of dissemination of this know- ledge would be a matter of a great deal of importance. I sup- pose you know better how to get this before the people than I. Probably you have got to get an intense desire on the part of . the people to have these things before they will go to the labor of continuous cultivation. I don’t think many people know how much moisture the sod will take out of the soil, when the grass grows around a tree on the lawn as we like to see it growing around the tree, I don’t believe anybody knows how much mois- ture that.sod is robbing the tree of. But I believe that they could in most places, at least during the first five or six years, per- haps ten years that the tree is set, to keep a small piece of ground around this tree, if not more than six feet in diameter cultivated or mulched, and in that way save the moisture, at any rate during all the dry seasons. Now most any of these orna- mental things do well if you get them under congenial condi- tions. Not many of them do well unless they are so kept. Moisture is one of the things which is essential to congenial conditions. I suppose most of our soil is fairly fertile, not equally so and probably in a good many cases applications of manure well forked in around trees or along rows of ornamental shrubs, or where ever you want to enforce conditions, is essen- tial to get the best growth. I have nothing more to say at present. I think your program is full, and I am glad to meet DISCUSSION. 113 your association. To the people of this locality I want to say I am very glad of the record which the farmers institute has made in horticulture, and that we expect to continue to send out the best talent we know where to find, and we feel confident that the people of Aurora will continue to give the very best support they can to the farmers institute, because we believe it is a factor in the education of the people which is worth con- tinuing. (Applause.) Mr. C. S. Harrison: I think the point is well taken. I know of a woman who bought some roses, and she planted her roses that way and they didn’t live, and then she blamed the nurseryman for sending out such miserable stuff. Mr. SPoFFORD: In 1901 did you use any irrigation? ANSWER: No. Mr. SPorrorD: The students that attend the agricultural farm, are they instructed along these lines? Mr. BuRNETT: Yes, we spend a great deal of time on these several practical lines of agriculture and horticulture. The school of agriculture runs six months in the year, begin- ning in November and closing the latter part of April. We do that because we want the farm boys, and we want those farm boys to get practical experience on their own farms during the busy season. Wecan get a great many more for a six months year than we can for a twelve months year. During the six months that they are at home on the farm they are getting real practical experience which is just as valuable education as we could give them when we get them there for nine months in- stead of six months school. Now, what do we teach? 'Three-fourths of all the time of these boys is devoted to agricultural lines of work. For exam- ple, the study of the soil, and how to tell about cultivating the soil, take a great deal of it in order to produce the best crop. We study for example the effect of the benefit by plowing or original moisture, the effect of tillage immediately, of harrowing, and the effect of cultivation after plowing or original moisture. It might seem a curious thing, but I graduated from an agri- 114 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. cultural college and went to work on the farm, and nobody told me that you ought to harrow land the same day it was plowed. That was twenty years ago. Nobody told me when you go into a field and plow over that land, and let it lay two or three days in the hot sun before you put the’ harrow on it, that you are losing a great deal of moisture which you might save if you follow up with the harrow. Ican remember of going on and plowing a piece of land, part of the field, and going onto that a week afterwards, and it was all so lumpy that the harrow would not touch it and going on with the rest of the field, and by acci- dent harrowing right close after the plow, and it broke down as even as could be. And I didn’t exactly know why. Just a question of saving the moisture. Following immediately up with the harrow while the soil is moist it breaks down easily, saves you most all the work. You otherwise never get that land down fine unless you do lots of labor and have rain. That is one of the things we teach the boys how to save that moisture in the land. _ For example, we believe that even though you may have lots of rain in a dry season, or in a season like this, that you must prepare for adry season every spring. Now we recommend for example, if a man is going to list corn upon any kind of land, that does not have too much trash on it to get on to, that land as soon as the frost comes out of it in the spring, we should harrow and double disc it to loosen up the crust and save the moisture in the land; perhaps double disc it twice. In that way you can save moisture enough so that without any rain at allin the spring, your lister will run along in the soil easily. Whereas, otherwise it will throw up in big chunks from lost moisture. In the other case you have saved the moisture and the land is loose and friable. Two horses will work in it as easy as four the other way. In tillage, we teach the boys as the corn gets large, they have to use shallow cultivation. I had ayoung man on our own farm. He had been out in the fields one day without instruction. I happened to see him going in with his horses. I asked him how deep he was cultivating, he said he let the shovels right in. He was thus killing his team, injuring the corn, simply be- cause he did not know that cultivation two and one-half inches DISCUSSION. 115 deep would save more moisture, the flesh on his horses and raise more corn than he could by dipping down to the bottom of the furrow. So far as that applies to soil, it applies to all crops. We teach the boys that they ought to spread the ma- nure that they have on the farm. What we teach in horticulture? Prof. Emerson could tell you better—variety of fruits, methods of budding and grafting, lo- cation, something about gardens, varieties of crops, how to lay out a garden so as to do the work witha horse instead of doing it all by hand; cultivation of the garden so as to save the moisture and get the best crop possible, and all subjects pertaining to all these things. How much about floriculture I cannot tell you, Prof. Emerson can tell you about that. In regard to livestock, we teach them about the diseases of animals—how to prevent rather than to cure disease. ~ Although some about that, we teach them about the breeding of animals so as to raise a good sort instead of a poor sort. For example, last winter I sent a bunch of steers to the Omaha market which brought sixty-five cents per hundred more than any other cattle on the market that day. Now that was very largely because the cattle were well bred, they were of the right kind. They had made the best use of the corn and other feed. And we teach them how to feed these animals so as to get economical results. For example: It is of very great importance to the farmer to know whether the steers in his yard will pay at thirty cents a bushel for the corn that they eat, or forty cents a bushel for the corn they eat, and there are plenty of cattle right in the same feed yard on the same farm, one animal of which is not paying over thirty and the other animal paying forty cents and upward. Anda sufficient knowledge of how to select these animals will enable a young man to pick the animals which will pay the highest price for the corn which they consume. Now you may say if he buys them on the market he has got to pay that additional price. That is some times true, and it does not always pay to purchase the highest priced feeders that are found on the market, because the margin between the buying and selling price is not so great. But if this man is going to erow the feeder on his farm, then there is no excuse for breed- ing the inferior class of animals. We try to teach these boys 116 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. how to breed the very best class of animals on the farm and how to feed them. This winter we had some steers in five lots, feeding in dif- ferent yards. We knew they would not give equal profit. One lot fed on corn and barley hay—men say that seventy-five per cent of the steers fed in Nebraska are fed on corn and barley hay—they made thirty-eight cents per head. We fed another lot of steers on corn and alfalfa, and they made us nearly nine dollars profit per head. Same conditions, same grade of cattle. Just simply intelligent method of feeding. We try to teach the boys these things. We believe that six months experience on the farm each summer is better for them than twelve months in school, because it gives them a chance to practice under farm conditions the theories they have been taught in the school, and if these theories will work they will find it out, and if not, they will find it out, and I think that more than anything else forces the school to teach practical things to the boys—methods which will show the boys in dollars and cents when they go back to the land. And these boys are enthusiastic over the things they learn at the school, and every year there is an increase of about twenty-five per cent over the numbers there was there last year. This schoolis economical. We try to make the ex- penses very small, and any boy can earn pretty near enough in six months on a farm to pay his expenses during six months in the school; and most any farmer who has a boy sixteen years old can afford to send him to the school for one or two or three winters on account of the additional value he will be right on that farm, paying back more than the cost of schooling within the first three years. He will pay for three years schooling in three years in the additional money he will make that farm earn on the average. You all know Mr. John Brenner at York. He said that his boy paid him the first ninety days, saved him more money than he had cost the father to pay his expenses during the winter. Now, I don’t care to say any more. We would be glad to see all of you at the station. We are carrying on experiments there all the time and occasionally publishing reports. Three or four bulletins will be sent out in the next three months. We would like to send these bulletins to every farmer in the state of Nebraska. We send 22,000 of them now ROSES. 117 to farmers in the state, and I am sure the state would be glad to pay the expense of sending 50,000 of them, because it would pay a profit to every man who reads the bulletins that are pub- lished along his line. Mr: Harrison: Any arrangements made for educating farm girls? ProFr. BURNETT: Not as good as there should be. There is a School of Domestic Science at the University, that is a very nice course. That takes up sewing, cooking, household econom- ics and such questions. We hope very soon to have a building at the farm where the girls can be taken care of, and then we will offer courses for farmers girls which will be along this line, taking in horticulture, dairying and some little agriculture, and sewing, cooking and household economics and home making. These subjects, some of them can be had now at the University under our most excellent teacher, Miss Bouton, who I think has been here at Aurora. PRESIDENT: ‘This is very interesting and of great importance to the state. There are two classes of parents’ that have been making a mistake—one that thinks it is foolish to give educa- tion at all, and the other that thinks education is all, the fact is the two go together. Meeting adjourned. ROSES. C. H. GREEN, FREMONT. In the earliest writings, both sacred and profane we find mention of the rose, and away back in the days of ancient Rome, the rose was as well known and as carefully cultivated as it is today. Then as now it was considered the height of floral per- _ fection and was very generally esteemed and used for orna- mentation on both public and private occasions. An instance may be mentioned of the very significant’ use to which it was put by the Romans at some of their entertain- ments and feasts. A rose was hung above the entrance and he who passed under it silently pledged himself to forget or never 118 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. repeat that which was said or done within. And even to this day anything told sub-rosa, implies that it is not to be re- vealed. The species numbering several hundred, are found through- out the world, even Iceland, Greenland, and Siberia being repre- sented. China, Persia, and India however have furnished some of the finest species. From this raw material as it were, culti- vators have created the almost innumerable varieties that are catalogued today. From the Spinosissima, the type of those native to great Britian, the varieties known as the Scotch roses have sprung. There are several hundred varieties of these alone though they are not as much valued as many of the other classes. Rosa Centifolia, is supposed to be the hundred leaved rose of Pliny. It isa native of Eastern Caucasus and is one of the oldest and best known of the family. This is the variety known as the cabbage rose. Many fine hybrids of it have been produced by English and French gardeners since its introduction into England in the year 1596. The Centifolia Muscosa or Moss rose, the history of which is unknown, is supposed to be an accidental sort from the spino- sissima or from one of its hybrids. Plant seeds of the moss rose and you will find that perhaps one in three of the resulting seedlings will show moss and the others will have all the char- acteristics of the cabbage rose. For hundreds of years the Damask rose has been grown in the gardens and fields of Damascus and used for making the rare and very expensive perfume or essence known as Attar of Roses. And even in this day and age, great fields of this rose may be seen there. I have friends who were in Damascus during the harvest of the blossoms, and you may be sure I was interested in hearing them tell how the blossoms were gathered in great baskets by peasant women and taken to the places for refining where by means of lard or tallow and distilling, the very odor was reduced to liquid form. There is another family that is grown extensively for the same purpose. This is the Rosea Gallica, indigenous to France and Italy. Great quantities of them are grown around Paris ROSES. 119 for making the Attar of Roses. Nearly all the varieties noted for their great size and fragrance. This section contains a large number of variegated varieties, in fact all the sorts so marked owe this peculiarity to a strain of Gallica blood. Up through the years of many centuries the improvement of the rose has steadily advanced and will doubtless continue for many centuries to come. Not only have more beautiful and fra- grant blossoms been originated but the types and varieties and classes have multiplied almost without end, and every season we have from one to halfa dozen more or less worthy new sorts placed on the market and loudly proclaimed to be the best that was ever introduced. Most of them are heard of for a season or two only as world beaters and then the places that knew them know them no more. There is an occasional ex- ception however and a new introduction that is good enough to maintain a place near the top of the list in this day of progress is indeed worthy of the homage of the flower lover. Nor is this constantly and comparatively rapid improvement to be wondered at when we remember that master minds of floriculture have devoted busy life times to this end. Ina commercial sense, the forcing of roses under glass for cut flowers has attained a position of considerable importance, in the enterprises of the country and millions of square feet of glass are used for that purpose. Theamount of money invested in the business in the United States runs into the hundreds of millions and the number of blossoms produced, especially dur- - ing the winter months is practically beyond comprehension. In the little city of Fremont, hardly a speck on the map of floral production, were grown last season in this way over 37,000 rose- buds. Toone who does not fully understand the requirements, it willseem strange that less than a dozen varieties of roses are forced for cut flowers. Of these the American Beauty stands at the head. This is a hybrid perpetual and is nearer what the name implies than perhaps any other rose of the-class. _ It is really a perpetual bloomer in the greenhouse. ‘The rest of those on the florists list are teas and hybrid teas. The Bride, the Bridesmaid, Liberty, Golden Gate, Mmme Chatenay, Meteor, Pearl des Jardines, and Kaiserein Augusta Victoria make up the balance of the list. Occasionally a grower 120 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY will have another sort or maybe two but the ones named are the staples. The bread-winners. The methods of growing roses in the greenhouse are of course radically different from the treatment required by the same sorts when planted in the open ground. In any case however good treatment and careful cultivation will be amply repaid. For a winter supply of roses under glass we plant about July first, in five inches of rotted sod on raised benches, plants from three or four inch pots.. After becoming well established, the plants are kept constantly in a vigorous growing condition which is accomplished by never ending vigilance. The temperature and amount of moisture is carefully regu- lated, and the enemies which are, mildew, red spider, green aphis, thrip, blackspot, eel worms, clubroot and rose bugs, are kept in mind but as much as possible out of sight. One could spend hours discussing forcing methods of rose gr owing with- out covering the subject fully. As to the varieties best adapted to the rose garden, there is no doubt that the hybrid perpetual or remontant class is the most:satisfactory. Their ability to make the best of most any kind of treatment and to thrive, or at least exist even when neglected most shamefully is remarkable. The best of them are no doubt known to you all, for although new ones are constantly appearing, what will ever take the place of Gen. Jack, of Magna Charta, of Paul Neyron or of Anna de Diesbach? But little need be said on the subject of the garden culture of the rose. All that is wanted being a deep rich soil in an un- shaded position. In the dry climate of Nebraska, after the first burst of bloom in June no full crop of flowers is again ob- tained from the hybrid perpetuals although they continue to bloom moderately all summer long. With a little care however, a continued bloom of roses may be had during the summer and fall with the class known as the monthly or everbloomers, which includes the teas, hybrid teas, polyantha, and noisette classes. These are not hardy in this climate but can be wintered out of doors if they are laid down and covered with five or six inches of leaves or rough litter. This covering however should not be DISEASES OF FRUIT TREES. 121 done until quite hard frosts comes. If done sooner there is danger that the shoots may be smothered and decay if the sea- son should be mild. The covering should not be removed until after the first of April. With a bed or border of hardy roses and one of ever- bloomers, and a Rambler anda Prairie Queen clambering over the porch or trellis you will in truth say: x “Roses always roses fair, What with roses can compare? Nature Crowns the roses stem With her choicest diadem.”’ DISEASES OF FRUIT TREES. VAL. KEYSER, LINCOLN. In considering the diseases of our common fruit trees we in- clude, of course, the diseases of the fruit which the tree pro- duces. The subject is entirely too large to permit one to give anything like detailed description of each disease; therefore I shall try to take up briefly only a few of the most important and the most troublesome diseases of each of the common fruit trees. The botanical study of diseases is very interesting, and it has occurred to me that the pathologist is apt to attribute a great many things to a plant disease for which that particular disease may not be at all accountable. The death ofa fruit tree may be due to several causes other than plant diseases. Likewise the failure on the part of the tree to produce a fruit crop is probably as often due to other causes as itis to any particular disease. Wemay find unfavorable climatic conditions or un- favorable soil conditions, mechanical injury by winds, hailstorms or beating rains, also injury by insects and rodents, and self- sterility of varieties may also play an important part. Any or all of these conditions may be the real cause of the death of the tree or its failure to fruit, even when it is at the same time seriously affected with disease. 122 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. The pathologist may be able to profit by the observations and suggestions of the plant breeder. The fruit growers have discovered long ago that certain varieties were self-sterile. If we plant in isolation such varieties as the Warfield strawberry, the Ben Davis apple, the Wild Goose plum, or Kieffer’s Hybrid pear, we find they fruit very sparingly, and when planted where the flowers have free access to pollen of other varieties they become leaders of their kind. All these varieties might be suffering from disease and yet the disease might have nothing to do with the failure of fruit pro- duction. To what extent this condition is true among our cul- tivated varieties is perhaps not well enough understood, and the investigator of plant diseases must not overlook these points. Diseases are accountable for an immense amount of damage to our fruit trees, and for convenience we may discuss briefly the most troublesome diseases under each fruit. DISEASES OF THE APPLE. The apple is probably the most important of the tree fruits, especially in eastern Nebraska. We find upon investigation that our apple trees must survive the attacks of about ten or twelve different diseases in order to produce a crop of apples. Of this number I have selected four which seem to give the fruit grower most trouble. They are, apple scab (Venturia chlorospora), cedar rust (Gymnosporangium macropus), twig blight (supposed Bacillus amylovorus), and pink rot of the fruit. The first two diseases mentioned are discussed in detail in another paper before the society. In regard to the cedar rust, however, I might add that while I have no experimental proof to offer on the subject, I have observed the disease on the leaves of the apple until I am thoroughly convinced that the rust may spread from the Sporangia which are produced by the first stage on the leaves. : Pink rot is especially troublesome on some varieties of apple in storage. The fungus causing the disease usually obtains a foothold through the ruptures on the surface of the apple caused by scab or other epidermal diseases. It is, however, DISEASES OF FRUIT TREES. 123 possible for the fungus to enter at either the stem cavity or the calyx basin. If we raise apples free from disease by proper spraying and if we use the proper precaution in renovating our storage cellars, we can recude the the loss from pink rot to a minimum. The disease is recognized by the deep cavities it causes and by the pinkish moldy appearance about the decay- ing portion. Twig-blight is perhaps the disease which presents the most difficult proposition to the apple grower, especially when he deals with varieties most susceptible to blight. There seems to be only one solution of the problem, and that is, to keep up the practice of careful selection of buds and scions in propoga- tion until we have established varieties or strains of varieties which are blight resistant. Such varieties as the Hyslop crab, the Snow and the Missouri Pippin are too valuable to be dropped from our list and yet in some sections of the state it is impossi- ble to grow them on account of blight. DISEASES OF THE PEAR. Of the diseases of the pear tree, probably the two most troublesome are twig blight and crown gall. The blight is by far the most serious. The organism causing this disease is. suppose to be identical with that causing the blight of the apple twigs (Bacillus amylovorus Burr). For years the greatest diffi- culty of growing pears seemed to be how to overcome the blight, but since the introduction of varieties which are fairly resistant, growers are trying to assign some other reason for the failure to fruit. The crown gall trouble is apparently not very serious in its effect on the tree, but the presence of those unsightly nodular growths on the roots condemn the stock and make the disease of sufficient importance not to be overlooked. DISEASES OF THE PEACH. The peach is perhaps freer from the attacks of harmful diseases than any of the other common fruits. There are about a dozen different diseases which attack the peach, and the seriousness of the effect of any of the diseases seems to be governed largely by the variety and the locality in 124 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. which the peach is grown. In some parts of the United States, crown gall is the worst enemy of the peach, while in others, where crown gallis unknown, peach yellows may be the greatest hindrance to the successful peach crop. Since we cannot enter into a discussion of all the diseases, it would perhaps be safe to say that the four doing the most damage in our state are, peach leaf curl (Exoascus deformans B.), brown rot (Monilia fructigena Pres.), scab( Cladosporium carpophilium Thum), and crown gall. Propagators are compelled to throw away a great many trees which are apparently strong and vigorous, just because they have those unsightly galls attached to their roots. It is not known just how much damage these galls do to the tree. Itis certainly a disease which needs further investigation. The brown rot of the peach is caused by the same fungus that causes the brown rot of the plum and cherry, but it is not apt to be serious on the peach. There seems to be little danger from this disease where orchards are kept properly sprayed. The scab of the peach can also be controlled by spraying with Bordeaux mixture. Leaf curl is sometimes quite troublesome in certain sections of the state. It seems to thrive best in the early part of the season, while the weather is still cool. Two sprayings are usually sufficient to check the disease. The first should come in the spring, before the buds open, because the fungus threads live over on the buds. The second application comes just after the petals have fallen. DISEASES OF THE PLUM. Of the six or eight diseases troubling the plum, the brown rot is by far the most serious. This disease sometimes attacks the flowers just as they are opening and the tree may be filled with a mass of perfumed bloom one day, and the next day look as though it had been struck by a southwest wind and all the while a drizzling rain may be falling. The fungus causing the disease is one of the most active, requiring less than two days — for its round of life. The rapidity with which it spreads makes t very important that spraying be very thorough. Where or- chards are badly infected it would be advisable to go through DISEASES OF FRUIT TREES. 125. and remove all the mummy plums left hanging on the trees. The spraying is the same as recommended for cherry. The black knot (Plowrightia morbosa) has never been a very serious trouble, and it is likely that this disease can be kept under control by merely cutting out and burning the affected twigs whenever they appear. The shot-hole fungus, or leaf spot, of the plum is recognized by the shot-hole appearance of the leaves. Itisthesame fungus that becomes so very serious on the cherry, but it never seems to give the plum trees much trouble. DISEASES OF THE CHERRY. The most troublesome diseases of the cherry are shot-hole fungus (Cylindrosporium padi), the mildew (Sphaerotheca oxyacan- thae), brown rot (Monilia fructigena), and the heart rot (Polystictus versicolor). 'This last named disease is quite serious in neglected orchards and when once the fungus obtains a foothold there is no way to save the tree. The brown rot and mildew ought not to be troublesome where orchards are kept well sprayed. The shot-hole fungus, the disease which has done so much damage to our cherry trees during the past two seasons, is by far the most troublesome of any of the cherry diseases. The trouble has gone so far that the cherry industry in Nebraska is in a eritical condition. Early varieties, especially the Rich- monds, seem to escape the ravages of the disease. Reports from about twenty fruit growers in different sections of the state show that less than twenty per cent of the early cherry trees were injured and an average of not over three per cent were killed, while in case of Morellos and other cherries of the black juice type the average will run over ninety-five per cent injured and about ninety per cent killed. Estimates from seven or eight propagators show that the damage caused by this disease alone amounts to over $55,000. From my observa- tion and study of the disease, it seems to me that the damage has reached proportions beyond which there was no necessity, for only in a few cases was spraying resorted to. It seems to be difficult to control this disease, and it may not be possible to save the crop in wet seasons like the past two years, but I be- 126 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. lieve if the orchards had been properly sprayed we could have saved the trees inthe majority ofcases. It seems that thorough spraying is of prime importance and that the applications should come about as follows, with Bordeaux mixture: First spraying in spring, while the trees are yet dormant, using the 4 to 4 mixture. This is to catch the spores that might be lodged in the bud scales. The second spraying need not come until about ten days after the petals of the flower have fallen. This application is delayed because the leaves and flowers are opening at the same time and itis difficult to spray without injuring the fruit crop. The third spraying should come immediately after the fruit crop is harvested, and it is not safe to use over a 2 to 2 mixture at this time. This is about the time that the first infected leaves are falling and I take it that this is a dangerous time for new infection. Ifa fourth spraying seems to be necessary, it should come about twenty or twenty-five days later. Iam satisfied that this treatment will save our trees, even if it does not insure us a crop of cherries. ANNUAL MEETING. Proceedings of the annual meeting of the Nebraska State Horticultural Society, held at Horticultural Hall, State Farm, Lincoln, January 17, 18 and 19, 1905. PROCEEDINGS. 129 ANNUAL MEETING. The annual meeting of the Nebraska State Horticultural So- ‘ciety convened in Horticultural Hall, State Farm, Lincoln, Tuesday, January 17, 1905, at 2:00 p. m., with President Christy in the chair. Following is a copy of the program, which was carried out essentially as published: TUESDAY, JANUARY 17TH, 10:00 A. M. Renewing acquaintances and placing fruit on tables. 2:00 P. M. PCRS i NV CICEMNE 608 0. iy eke TE eee ee a A Oy see Bo as tale ee Prof. A. E. Davisson of the School of Agriculture Peel BOI te eat Pee MR a ies NS Se President Christy WAEICR Te ey eae rane delay ee eS ts: W. A. Anderson, Ord Results of the Fruit Exhibit at St. Louis ........... DAUD, See ep i ara Ne SURE LES, Pee Reet Se WA See Se a E. M. Pollard, Nehawka Diseases of the Apple 0. C. W. Pugsley, Woodbine, Iowa Secretary’s Report Treasurer’s Report WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18TH, 9:00 A. M. Fruits under Irrigation 0... T. M. Howard, Scotts Bluff Western Horticulture... _.K. F. Stephens, Crete Ornamental Gardening J.H. Hadkinson, Omaha ep rayine Hoe MOriMen tesco i rea erie pee pee SS R. A. Emerson, Professor of Horticulture, University of Nebraska. 2:00 P. M. Diseases of House Plants Miss Elsa E. Boyd, Hastings How much Plant Pathology ought a Fruit Grower to Know? =. DES a Ree eck Dr. C. E. Bessey, University of Nebraska 130 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Pe Be no A ee Prof. Lawrence Bruner, Entomologist, Girines siti. of Nebraska Methods UF Investigating Plant Diseases . See een TOL, BLD, Heald, Univer sity. of Nebraska Progress of Fruit Culture in Kearney County... Tas AL aie eee Te epic tee Aen is onan wat Hee Ged Sabi < Minden THURSDAY, JANUARY 19TH, 9:00 A. M. Diseases Arising from Improper Pruning... ss, BERS Se eee Mk Se erat TO Pear ig et Be Frank Williams, Tecumsele Evergreens Best Adapted to Nebraska ....C. S. Harrison, York Reminiscences of Karly Horticulture in Nebraska... Sa AS Pah Sieh EN ee ee Hon. R. W. Furnas, Brownville | hat) he ERR PRG Se Cena: Sep sty ee Bey Ma ls J. A. Shroyer, Humboldt Reports from Delegates to other Societies Reports from Experimental Stations. PRESIDENT CHRISTY: The annual meeting of the Nebraska State Horticultural Society will now come to order. The ad- dress of welcome will be delivered by Prof. A. E. Davisson of the School of Agriculture. ADDRESS OF WELCOME BEFORE THE STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY BY PROFESSOR A. E. DAVISSON PROFESSOR DAVISSON. Wr. President, Members of the Nebraska Horticultural Society, Ladies and Gentlemen: It is a very pleasant task, that of welcoming the State Horticultural Society to the University Farm. But Icannot see why I should have been selected to deliver this address of welcome, for so far asa knowledge of Horticulture is concerned, I am in much the same position as the man was when he went to church. A revival meeting was being carried on, and at the close of the service, the minister said, ‘‘All who want to go to Heaven, stand up.” They all stood up but this one man who was about two-thirds asleep at the time. Then he said, “‘All who want to go to Per- ee . 5 : oe ADDRESS OF WELCOME 131 dition, stand up.’’ This man stood up, and some of the un- thinking ones laughed alittle. Hesaid tothe preacher, “I don’t know just what you are voting on, but you and I seem to be in _ ahopeless minority.” I feel that way this afternoon, like I am - ina hopeless minority. It is a fact, Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, and mem- _ bers of the society, that horticulture is one of the most impor- tant things in our agricultural development, and one of the things liable to receive scant attehtion and very little consid- eration. I was talking toa man this afternoon, and I said, ‘‘I suppose you raise fruit.” Hesaid, “No, it costs too much; I can raise hogs easier than apple trees.’’ The commercial spirit that is abroad in the land today has grown to such an extent that I am afraid we are liable to overlook and give up some things which have in them the elements of a high culture for some things that give very great returns in short spaces of time. And yet, notwithstanding that fact, Nebraska has done well. This last year we had about 40,000 acres of land in vege- tables, and our products from the vegetables amounted to about $1,750,000. These are vegetables merely. If we include pota- a toes, and we had a wonderful yield in that respect, we would have to add $3,000,000 more to the $1,750,000. We have at the present time close to 5,000,000 apple trees in Nebraska, and the yearly product is very near 3,000,000 bushels. Then we have ; almost a million cherry trees with a product of fully 75,000 oi bushels for a good year. We have fully 1,500,000 peach trees which. give a good yield. Of plums we have something like 700,000, and almost as many pear trees. We have about two million grape vines in the state. When we take the products of the work in horticulture and add them all together, our yearly product last year (1904) was something near $5,000,000. But this is all from the commercial side. ; Now I am abeliever in horticulture. In the first place, I be- va lieve in horticulture because it adds so much to the comforts of - 3 life. I think that any man who keeps a garden, whether it be vegetable garden or a flower garden, and who makes an honest and earnest effort to make the garden productive and beautiful, gets in his work a great deal of knowledge and culture. I say this knowing that some of my colleagues will laugh at me be- 132 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. cause I don’t keep a garden myself, but I am no worse off than they are. This reminds me of a man I knew in New Mexico, and let me say that the people of New Mexico are considered barbarous. When I lived there, I had half of the house owned by this man. His name was Miles. He was rather free and easy in his manners, and had only a common education. He had one of the most beautiful flower gardens around his house that I ever saw. There were all colors of the rainbow. It was a very interesting study for me to see how this man, engaged in another business, was deriving so much real culture from his work. It is true, Mr. President, that in Nebraska one of the greatest needs we have is for beautifying our homes. It seems to me that the school of Agriculture in the University should see to it that every student who attends here shall go forth with the - firm determination of making his homea thing of beauty. Here again, we have the elements of culture. So I say, ladies and gentlemen, that horticulture is one of the things that belongs to the fine arts. While it is intensely practical, yet there is combined with it the highest elements of aesthetic culture. This gentleman in New Mexico knew more about grouping colors than any man I have ever met, and he learned it all by himself too. What joy and culture came to him as he worked among his flowers. It all came because of the fact that he was interested in them. Horticulture is not only a fine art, but it is one of the best educators. It gives the best training to the perceptive faculties that can be given by any science connected with agriculture. I think that Professor Emerson will agree with me in this estimate that I place upon the work in horticul- ture. Then another question of great importance is that of Forestry, which is a branch of horticulture. I believe there is a great step to be taken yet in this matter. It seems to me, ladies and gentlemen, that the State Horticultural Society will be fully justified in making such demand upon the Legislature and Board of Regents as will result in their equipping the de- partment of horticulture with facilities for carrying on experi- mentsnot only in fruit growing, butalso experiments in growing forest trees as well, and that we shall have abundant opportun- ities for disseminating this knowledge throughout the state. RESPONSE. 133 - Doubtless you have read ‘‘Planting the Apple Tree,” by William Cullen Bryant. If you have’nt, you should. It strikes me, when reading and realizing what such things mean, that there is no higher occupation in the world than that of horticulture. Ifa man has a knowledge of horticulture, and will use it, he can serve his home better; he can inspire others to more earnest work; he can make a place where men and women will love to come and live in peace. I hope I may be spared to see the trees waving their banners of green in every quarter of Nebraska, and in the Spring blos- soming into bowers of beauty, giving us the delicious fruits in the summer and fall, and at the same time, remind us that there are good and high rewards for labor. I thank you. {Applause.) RESPONSE. BY PRESIDENT CHRISTY. Ladies and Gentlemen and Fellow Members: I think, after listening to Professor Davisson’s talk, that those of us here this afternoon who are not horticulturists, would feel a good deal like the Irishman did. He was in company with an Englishman and a German, and they were talking about their nationalities. The Englishman said to the German, “lt you were not a German, what would you rather be?” The German _ replied, ““Why, if I were not a German, I would be an English- man, of course.’”’ The German asked the Englishman, “And if you were not an Englishman, what would you rather be?” He said, “Why, if I were not an Englishman, I would be a German.” They then asked Pat what he would be if he were not an Irishman. He replied, “Faith, sor, if I were not an ‘Irishman, I’d be ashamed of meself.’’ So I think those here this afternoon who are not horticulturists would be ashamed of themselves. The past season has been what would be called a big fruit season. At St. Louis we had a chance to test what Nebraska has done as compared to other states. Nebraska took more gold medals than any other state in the Union; and not only 134 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. that, but we took more medals according to the number of ex- hibitors than any other state. So I think Nebraska is nothing to be ashamed of. Right here it would be well to make a few remarks in reference to judging fruit in this state. We have classes here at the University for judging horses, cattle and hogs. And it seems tome that we ought to have something along this line in fruit judging. This is one of the things that we must learn, and it should also be taught to the younger men. Another thing that should be impressed upon our horticul- turists here is the subject of freight rates. It has been the rule that transportation companies and shippers have kept as far from each other as possible, and are always fighting back and forth. Now this should not be, itis all wrong. The Rail- road companies can do nothing without our assistance. I be- lieve that not later than our next meeting at least, some repre- sentatives of the Railroads should be invited to come here and talk this matter over with the Society. We have five experiment stations in the state testing new fruits all the time. There is one thing that seems to be the matter with this work, and that is, that we cannot disseminate fast enough what we learn there. The way it is now, nothing can be given to the people before the information is about two years old. Weshould get this information before the people just as soon as we can after we find and learn these things. If we should get into closer working order with the University here, within fifteen to thirty days after we find out that a cer- tain fruit is good or a failure, we should have the information before the people. We should get some sort of a method right away for getting such information to the public. Now while our horticultural interests are very good, we should have more members. Bring your friends to our meetings and get them in on the ground floor. Iam very glad to see so many out this afternoon. Weare glad to see the State Farm and University people showing so much interest in our work. We shall try to repay them for it. I thank you. (Applause.) THE PRESIDENT: Next on our program for this afternoon is a paper entitled ““SSome Experience with Cherries,” by W. A. SOME EXPERIENCE WITH CHERRIES. 135 Anderson of Ord. In the absence of Mr. Anderson his paper will be read by the Secretary. SOME EXPERIENCE WITH CHERRIES. BY W. A. ANDERSON, ORD. I came to Nebraska in the spring of 1879 and located in Valley county. Conditions were not as favorable at that date for the propagation of fruit and yet here and there settlers had a few trees of various varieties planted.as an experiment. The can- yons and banks of creeks had an abundance of wild plum, choke cherry and wild grape vines were plentiful in many places. My location was not far from the famous “sand hills” and in July and August of that year the sand-cherries were abundant and were eagerly sought for by the new settlers and were used in place of the cultivated fruit that many were used to in their previous homes in the east. To those not familiar with that fruit a word might not be out of place here. The sand cherry is a low, scrubby bush, seldom being more than three feet in height and more often from a foot to eighteen inches. It grows in great abundance everywhere in the sand hills and the more sandy the soil the better the fruit. I have seen cherries grow- ing on the tops of the highest sand hills where the loose sand had blown over and buried the fruit under the drifting sand and this fruit was bleached out white when uncovered and was of even better quality than that above the sand. 'The fruit grows along the limbs of the bush from the ground up to almost the ends of the limbs. We gathered an abundance of the fruit that season and I decided that if the fruit did so well in a wild state, if it were cultivated it certainly ought toimprove. The next spring I removed from the sand hills and set out quite a number of the bushes in my garden where I had designed later to plant an orchard. I gave them thorough cultivation and they made a rank growth but was much disappointed the next season to get no fruit. The second year after planting they bloomed freely and: quite a lot of fruit set on the bushes but when ripe it was bitter and unpalatable. This was the result whenever 136 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. they fruited in later years and my conclusion was that the sand- cherry was adapted to the sand hills, had become adapted to that locality through ages and would not doas well elsewhere. The next year I was out inthe hills in May and captured a pair of fawns of the Blacktail deer. These became a beautiful pair of pets but later in the season they became very destructive of the garden “truck’’ and finally showed a tendency to wander away and not come up at night and so in September when an itinerent fruit tree man came soliciting orders and wanted the fawns, I exchanged one of them for a bill of nursery stock, and on the list were two varieties of cherries, Early Richmond and jate Richmond. These were planted the following spring and that was my first experience with the cultivated variety of fruit. These trees did well and later were loaded with fruit. The next season after came avery severe hailstorm which destroyed all my start of an orchard with the exception of one late Rich- mond cherry. This tree was also stripped of its limbs but I cut off the stubs of limbs. A new growth came out the next season and thereafter for many seasons was almost invariably joaded with fruit. I did not plant any more fruit trees owing to being discouraged by the damage caused by hail until 1898. In the spring of that year I had some correspondence with Prof. J. L. Budd of Ames, Iowa, recently deceased. He had several new varieties of cherries and other fruit and offered to send me several trees of each variety for test purposes, I to report to experiment station the results. By and on his recommendation he sent me four Vladimir, four Sklanka, four Spate Morello, four Bessara- bia, four Griotto Du Nord cherries two years old. These were planted the spring of 1898. They were given good cultivation and made a vigorous growth. Some scattering fruit was on the trees the season of 1902 but not enough to form any base for an opinion as to their merits. Thespring of 1903 the trees were loaded with bloom as full as seemed in any way possible for trees to be, but on the 29th of April, there came a storm of sleet, ice and snow with such cold that only here and there was a fruit bud that survived the ordeal and again was our hopes of fruit blasted. The spring of 1904 however proved more propit- ious and the trees were full of bloom and seta great abundance SOME EXPERIENCE WITH CHERRIES. 137 of fruit. The Vladimir was first to ripen and were about even date with Early Richmond; but the quality I consider superior, being sweeter than the Richmond and fully equal to it in size. ‘The Sklanka was only a few days later and I think a little larger in size of fruit and for eating from the hand a little more tart, but very good. The Spate Morello were next to ripen but were too tart for eating from the hand but were in size about the same as Richmond and are excellent for canning purposes. ‘The Bessarabia and Griotto Du Nord came on about two weeks later than the others, ripening about the 20th of July. Itisa question which of these were the best but my judgement would be that the Bessarabia would be better in some respects. The Bessarabia is very fine and large, of a deep black red and when fully ripe one of the finest cherries I have ever noticed. ‘The tree is a vigorous grower with very heavy foliage and of rather an upright growth, inclined to be close-headed and I think on that account would be likely to resist the effect of hot winds. This season the fruit was all the trees could well have borne in quantity. The Griotto Du Nord fruit is not as deep a black red but is of fine size and excellent quality either for canning or eating from the hand. These trees now (January, 1905) are all filled with an abundance of fruit buds and so far I am convinced they will withstand any range of temperature we may have in this cli- mate. WerelI planting an orchard of cherries for home or commercial use, I certainly would place these varieties at the top of thelist. I have a number of Early Richmond trees in my orchard also and they are doing well, but the quality of the fruit the past season was not nearly equal to the Sklanka or any of those mentioned, except Spate Morello. Several years ago I removed some of the wild choke-cherry to my yard and gave them cultivation and more or less of prun- ing. The fruit has nearly doubled in size and they have not failed to be loaded with fruit every year which is of an improved quality and is much relished by the children of the neighbor- hood. One peculiarity of these trees is that they bear two crops each year, being in bloom while the first crop of fruit is ripe and the second crop ripening latein September. I believe 138 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY if we had a Luther Burbank in Nebraska there might be great. possibilities for the future of the choke-cherry if cross ferti- lized with some other fruit. DISCUSSION. Mr. Po“tuarpD: I would like to say just a few words in re- gard to Mr. Anderson’s cherries. It is commonly understood that the eastern part of the state is the only part of Nebraska where we can grow fruit. People have gotten the idea that it is impracticable to try to grow any kind of fruit in the central and western part of the state. Now Mr. Anderson is at Ord, in the central part of the state. He sent cherries to the Expo- sition at St. Louis, which were without exception the finest cherries we received. They were not only larger, but they held up better than any other cherries we had.- I think that speaks a good deal for central and western Nebraska. The cherry is one of the fruits that can be grown profitably in the central part of the state. A. J. Brown: I want to add a word on cherries. In his paper Mr. Anderson speaks about the Vladimir being better in quality, a little earlier and about the same size as the Early Richmond. We have the two growing side by side at Geneva, and so far as we can find out, the two are just alike. With us the Vladimir is certainly just the Early Richmond. L. O. Wiuu1AMs: I would like to say that the Bessarabia was grown quite largely in Iowa, but unfortunately I did not see any of the fruit. Iam of the opinion, however, that it was good and one of the varieties that Prof. Budd recommended. The Bessarabia was one of the best growing trees. I would not discard the Early Richmond though for it. For my ex- perience in eastern Nebraska and Iowa, I would stand by the old reliable varieties we know. Regarding the Sklanka,—there are a few trees here at the State Farm that fruit very well. I consider it a good acquisition for this part of the state. In season it is a little earlier than the Richmond, and has a good foliage. The fruit is larger than the Early Richmond and of good color. G. A. MARSHALL: We bit on that same proposition, of try- ing new varieties of cherries about fourteen years ago. We DISCUSSION. 139 planted ten varieties, and got every variety that has been men- tioned here. We planted them beside the Early Richmond, Montmorency and English Morello. We could not see any dif- ference between these new varieties and the old ones. If I . were planting an orchard today, I would plant the Early Rich- mond, Montmorency and English. Morello. We had another new one but it was identical with the Montmorency. We pro- pagated them in the nursery, and we could not find any per- ceptible difference. We had those with the long stems and it was of pretty good color too, but it was not more than two-thirds as large as the other varieties. Because of this long stem and smaller size it was not a good commercial fruit. In planting for commercial purposes, we ought to hold on to the old re- liable varieties. Mr. CUNNINGHAM: I am not connected with horticultural work in any way, but I would like to make a remark about the eastern part of the state being the only fruit growing part of the state. Cherries this last season in Hamilton county were very successful. They were a large crop and brought fifty to seventy-five cents per bushel. A. J. BRown: I would like to add to what this gentleman. has just said. There is not a spot of land in the state of Neb-— raska, where there is moisture enough to grow any trees at all, that you cannot grow cherries on. E. F. StepHENS: I would like to say that cherry orchards of considerable size are being planted in Buffalo county. They use the Campbell method of cultivation there. Their orchards are doing very well indeed, and as there are not very many orchards in that country, they will be quite profitable. E. T. HARTLEY: Just now the fungus is the worst enemy to the cherries. Mr. Jenkins told me that his cherry orchard is now on the brush pile, and one of the varieties most affected was the English Morello. It is important to know what varie- ties will resist this fungus. Mr. KEYSER: I might add that possibly about seventy-five per cent of the late cherries in eastern Nebraska are on the brush pile. I don’t like to think of having to give up the late cherry. I wish we had some experimental work along the line 140 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Rg of handling this disease. I think we can save the trees all right, and it is certainly worth the time and money to try. All we need to do is to use the Bordeaux mixture at the proper time. We have experimented a little in trying to prevent the disease, but have not carried it far enough. A MEMBER: What variety best resists the attacks of this disease that is devastating the trees in the eastern part of the state? G. A. MARSHALL: The Early Richmond stands at the head yet in the matter of resisting disease. A MEMBER: This same question came up last year, and no one was able to give an answer to it then. I had an orchard in Richardson county that I wanted to save. I thought quite a good many of the trees were gone, and when spring came I found that I had lost ten trees out of 108. I went to work this spring and sprayed with the Bordeaux mixture. Once early, before leafing out, and then when the trees were leafing out and then again when the cherries were setting. While the cherries were getting ripe a good many leaves dropped, but I sprayed then after that two or three times, and I was able to keep the leaves on as long as I sprayed regularly. The trees looked a great deal better at the end of the season than in the spring. Then no more trees died. Mr. Jackson: In south-western Iowa we had the same trouble. The English Morello and Wragg seem to be affected the worst withthis fungus disease. The Montmorency and Early Richmond were the best. Wherethey were sprayed thoroughly they have shown but very little of the fungus disease, while about seventy-five per cent of the Wragg and English Morello died. THE PRESIDENT: C. H. Barnard of Table Rock was to have been here this afternoon to give a talk on “Marketing Fruit.” Mr. Barnard is not here so I willask Mr. Parker to say a few words on this subject. Mr. Parker: Mr. President, I regret that Mr. Barnard is not here with his paper, and before I get through, probably you will regret it too. DISCUSSION. 141 I have had some experience in raising and marketing fruit here in Nebraska. Quite likely you have been told how to mar- ket fruit,—that you must select the best, put it in good attrac- tive packages so it will sell and get a reputation. Of course, all this is well and will help you, and you will have no trouble to sell that product. But what good is all this going to do you, after you have selected the fruits, planted and raised them, if the transportation companies are going to get all your profit be- fore your product gets to market? That’s what the case is at present. This question of freight rates is a vital one and in- terests all. A car of apples shipped from Auburn to Chadron, Nebraska, a distance of about five hundred miles costs eighty-four cents per hundred pounds. A car of apples shipped from New York to Auburn, a distance over three times as great, costs only seventy-five cents per hundred pounds. ‘The rate on a car of apples from Brock, Nebraska, to Waubay, South Dakota is fifty- two cents, while from New York to Waubay the rate is only thirty-nine cents per hundred. As a result of this discrimina- tion, 250,000 bushels of fruit rotted on the ground in five south- eastern counties of Nebraska last season. As I told the Gen- eral Freight Agent of the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Val- ley, ‘If you give us a reasonable rate up to Chadron, you will probably haul twenty cars of apples up there, whereas now you don’t haul one.”’ Down in the south-eastern section of the state,—Otoe, Nema- ha, Pawnee and Johnson counties, we have a horticultural asso- ciation or organization, and at a meeting we had the other day, this resolution was unanimously adopted: ‘Whereas, it has come to the knowledge of the Nebraska Fruit Growers’ Association that the interstate freight rate on fruit discriminates against the fruit growers of Nebraska, therefore be it RESOLVED: That this association requests our legislators to ask congress by joint resolution to support an amendment to the interstate commerce law which provides that when the interstate commission shall find that the rates charged by any common carrier are unreasonable, they shall have the power to 142 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. cancel such rates and establish reasonable rates which shall not be stayed, suspended, modified, or annulled, otherwise than by _ the commission in the establishment of a new rate or rates or by a final decree of the United States court of competent juris- diction for manifest violation of error of law.”’ I don’t know what better I could do now, than move the adoption of this resolution. Motion being regularly seconded, the above resolution was unanimously adopted by the Nebraska State Horticultural Society. THE PRESIDENT: It is our pleasure to have with us this after- noon, Professor Green of the University of Minnesota. We would like to hear a few words from him. PROFESSOR GREEN: WMr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: I just thought I would sort of sneak in to see what was going on. I didn’t expect to be called on to make any speech. But I will say that I like to see what is being done in the different sections of the country. Ihave a great power of absorbing horticul- tural information when I am ina crowdlikethis. I don’t know what I have to say that would do you any good. There is one thing I have noticed though, that certainly speaks well for horticulture in Nebraska, and that is the fact that there are men of force and energy interested in it. They are suffi- ciently interested to come together in meetings like this for the discussion of subjects and questions of mutual concern. This matter of Railroad rates, which we have just listened to is a rather discouraging one, and it is on just such important ques- tions as this that it is good to come together on and discuss. In this question of Railroad rates, nothing can be done without co-operation, and it is only by co-operation that we are going to get justice. When the people work together against the dis- criminations of the Railroads, and only then, there will bea public sentiment aroused that the Railroads cannot put down. (Applause.) When this sentimentis aroused, and justly so, the Railroads will be glad to fall into line and become just what they really are,—common carriers. (Applause.) I don’t think I have anything more to say while up here, un- - less it is to emphasize the inspiration we get from coming to- RESULTS OF THE FRUIT EXHIBIT AT ST. LOUIS. 143 gether. You havea program going on now, and I just want to bea listener. I want to sit down and enjoy the remainder of your program this afternoon. I thank you, Mr. President and fellow-workers for this welcome. (Applause.) THE PRESIDENT: These Horticultural Reports here are for free distribution. Any who care for them are entirely welcome to help themselves. The next subject on our program this afternoon is ‘“‘Results of the Fruit Exhibit at St. Louis,” by HK. M. Pollard. RESULTS OF THE FRUIT EXHIBIT AT ST. LOUIS. BY E. M. POLLARD, NEHAWKA. Mr. POLLARD: Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: Sep- tember first, 1903, I received my appointment as Superintendent of the Horticultural Department for the Nebraska Commission to the Louisiana Purchase Exposition held in the city of St. Louis from April 80th to December 1st, 1904. Immediately upon my appointment I began the collection of fruit to be placed in cold storage for use during the earlier part of the Exposition. On account of the extremely poor quality of our apples in 1903 I found it very difficult to find fruit suitable for exhibition pur- poses. I finally succeeded however in collecting sixty-six bar- rels and twenty nine boxes of apples and one-half barrel of pears which were placed in cold storage with the Mound City Ice and Cold Storage Company of St. Louis, Mo. I secured block six in the Palace of Horticulture as the space for the Neb- raska exhibit at the Exposition. Our space was in the shape of a parallelogram and covered seventeen hundred and ninety- _ five square feet. On account of the small amount of money available for the department of Horticulture the Hon. Commis- sion thought even this was more space than our funds would enable us to maintain. Consequently at the west end of the space we erected a Grape arbor which was simple, yet unique in design. In keeping with the arbor we enclosed the space with a rustic fence. The rustic appearance of our booth gave a very pleasing effect. Being entirely different from anything 144 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. else in the Horticultural building, it attracted a great deal of attention and called forth as much comment as Missouri’s lavish instillation which of itself cost several thousand dollars. The arbor made an inviting place for visitors to rest and in this way we extended Nebraska’s hospitality to a great many people who seemed to appreciate this cool retreat for rest. On the morning af April 30th, Nebraska’s booth was code for visitors and our tables were covered with four hundred plates of choice apples. From the opening day until the close we maintained a continuous exhibition of the finest specimens of fruit grown in the state. Of course we relied upon our stock of cold storage apples mostly from which the tables were coy- ered up until the 1904 crop of apples were ready for use. Acting on the advice of Hon. Peter Youngers who was Super- intendent of Nebraska’s Horticultural exhibit at the Trans-Mis- sissippi Exposition held in Omaha in 1898, I only collected a few varieties of apples for cold storage. The varieties I had in storage was as follows: Jonathans, Grimes Golden, Yellow Bell Flower, Mann, Stark, Genet, Willow Twig, York Imperial, Smith Cider, Northern Spy, Ben Davis and Gano. All of these varieties kept remarkably well in cold storage. We found that when the apples were in good condition when picked, and shipped properly to cold storage they came out in excellent con- dition. The condition in which the apples opened up when taken out of storage was dependent entirely upon their condi- tion when placed in storage. We opened up some Jonathans and Grimes Golden in July that were as crisp and juicy and in apparently as firm condition as when the were gathered from the tree. To illustrate the length of time certain leading varieties re- mained on the tables I cite the following instances: April 29th, eleven plates of Yellow Bell Flowers were placed on the tables and remained for fifty-three days, five plates of Jonathans which remained thirty-six days. June 9th, nine plates of G. G. Pippins remaining on the tables nineteen days, thirty-four plates of Jonathans remaining twenty-five days, July 9th, six plates of North-West Greenings remaining on the tables fifteen days, thirteen plates of York Imperial remaining on the tables RESULTS OF THE FRUIT EXHIBIT AT ST. LOUIS. 145 seventy-one days, twenty-two plates of Jonathans remained eighteen days, eight plates of Smith Cider were placed on the table July 23rd, remaining eighteen days. The same day five plates of Northern Spy were put that remained for twelve days. August 5th, eight plates of Allans Choice were opened on tables remaining twenty-three days, fourteen plates of Duchess that remained fourteen days. August 24th, twenty-nine plates of Jonathans were put out that remained twenty days, twelve plates of Ben Davis that remained forty-five days, seventeen plates of Wolf River that remained forty days, and twenty plates of Early Pennock that remained thirty-five days. September 1st, nine plates of Wealthies that remained eighteen days, eight plates of Porters that remained twenty-five days, seven plates of Chenango Strawberry that remained ten days. I might ex- tend this list indefinitely but it seems useless. Ofcourse there were other entries made of these same varieties, some of which we were able to leave on the tables for shorter time, while others remained even longer. The instances I have mentioned are perhaps a good average and they demonstrate that apples taken from cold storage under similar conditions will hold up approxi- mately the same time as fruit that is taken fresh from the tree. A great many people hold the opinion and I have always been of this class that when apples are taken out of cold storage they must be used at once as they would not keep any length of time. Very much to my surprise, however, our experience at St. Louis demonstrated beyond any question of doubt that the placing of apples in cold storage has nothing to do with the length of time they will keep when taken out of storage. The temperature of the refrigerator rooms in which the apples were stored was kept as near 382 degrees fahrenheit as possible. The range of temperature being 31 and 32 degrees. My observation teaches me that in order to carry fruit suc- cessfully in cold storage it is necessary to carry the apples carefully, taking great pains to select the stock eliminating everything but perfect fruit and then carry the apples to cold storage without delay. The temperature of the rooms must be held as near constant as possible, and right down to the freezing point. I would make this exception however, that such varieties as the Missouri Pippin, Ben Davis, Ganoand apples 146 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. that might be classed with the Ben Davis family should be held .at a higher temperature, just what that temperature should be I am not prepared to say. Iam satisfied that 32 or even 33 de- grees is too low for these varieties. I noticed that these varie- ties from all the different states scalded when placed upon the tables. The apples seemed to look bright and fresh when opened, but by the time they had been out twenty-four hours they looked very bad. We undertook to make a continuous exhibit of all the different species of fruit grown in the state as they ripened in their. respective seasons. Beginning with the Strawberry we ex- hibited all the soft fruits as follows: We exhibited two varie- ties of Strawberries, four of Raspberries, two Blackberries, two Gooseberries, four Currants, four Cherries, seven Plums, two Apricots, two Quince, eleven Peaches, twenty Grapes, nine Pears, and forty-eight Apples. This fruit was grown by forty- five fruit men, representing fourteen counties. I experienced trouble with small fruit. I made no effort to make an exhi- bition of all the varieties of the different species of fruit grown in Nebraska, but sought rather to present those varieties which can be grown with profit, and that are of good quality as well. {I made a special effort to demonstrate that the quality of our fruit is just as good as that grown in any other state in the Union. So many people are of the opinion that to secure fruit of good quality they must go to New York or Michigan to find it, I made a special effort to break down this prejudice against our fruit. From a comparative statement given by the Judges who passed upon the fruit, we proved beyond any question of doubt that the quality of our fruit is equalled by few of the States, and surpassed by none. In the distribution of awards Nebraska led all other States in the Union in the number of Gold Medals she received. We received fourteen Gold Medals which was two more than any other State wasawarded. Also twenty Silver and eighteen Bronze Medals. At the St. Louis Exposition we were brought into direct com- petition with thirty-three States and Territories of the Union. Nebraska had the smallest amount of money at her disposal for Horticulture of any of the States that made any pretense of RESULTS OF THE FRUIT EXHIBIT AT ST. LOUIS. 147 growing fruit. Our fruit was exhibited side by side with fruit from what is known as the great red apple district to the south of us, and from New York, Michigan and Connecticut to the east where a great many people think they must go in order to secure choice apples. And from Colorado, Washington and Oregon to the west of us where fruit of the higher color is grown, and if it was to be judged from its appearance alone would out-strip the fruit grown in any other section of the United States. Nevertheless Nebraska with her small amount of space maintained an exhibit that from point of general ap- pearance and quality surpassed them all. Gentlemen of the Horticultural Society we have passed be- yond the experimental stage in the growing of fine fruit. When brought into direct competition with the best fruit growing sec- tion in the world Nebraska can hold up her head and say with- out fear of successful contradiction that the quality of our fruit is surpassed by none. Those of us that arein the fruit business _ know that this is the case, but when we go out to sell our fruit we are brought face to face with a prejudice against our own fruit which I believe is due almost exclusively to the extensive planting and growing of the Ben Davis apple. Itissocommon and grown so universally that a great many people have come to the opinion that the Ben Davis is the only apple that we grow or can grow in the west. I realize that there is a reason for this situation. 'The Ben Davis treeis comparatively hardy, be- ing easy to grow, bearing young, very prolific, standing a great deal of rough treatment and being a good keeper. The only objection to the apple being its inferior quality. These good points are responsible for its universal planting. However I think that the Ben Davis apple is a curse to the state and the whole west as well. There is a great long list of varieties that I mightmention where the tree is just as hardy, just as prolific, just as good a keeper - as the fruit grown in Michigan, Colorado, New York or Oregon. The efforts of this society in the past have been directed along the lines of encouraging the planting of fruit trees in all parts of the state. This has been a splendid work and has resulted very beneficially to the state. Now that these fine orchards have been planted all over the eastern half of the state I believe 148 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. that we should change our attitude as a society. We should now undertake to demonstrate to our people that it is no longer necessary to go to New York or Michigan for fancy eating ap- ples, but that the same may be secured within our own state. Statistics show that seventy-five per cent of the apples con- sumed in Nebraska outside of those that are consumed on the farm where they are grown are shipped into the state by other states. Thus the fruit growers in Nebraska are robbed of the home market, which is the best market in the world. During the season of 1904 we shipped forty cars of apples from the home orchard at Nehawka. Thirty-nine of which went out of the state. Why? Simply because the demand at home was for ~ eastern apples rather than for home grown apples. This is a situation that ought not to exist. When such varieties as the Wine Sap, Mammoth Black Twig, York Imperial, Dominee, Genet, Swaar, White Winter Pearmain, Northern Spy, Yellow Bell Flower, Jonathan, G. G. Pippin, Roman Stem and Famuse can be grown successfully and in any quantity right at home, why should people send to New York for the Baldwin, New Town Pippin or any other variety? The quality of the fruit grown here is just as good as the fruit grown in any other part of the world and I think that this society should take upon it- | self the task of spreading this information among our own people. In conclusion I wish to express my appreciation of the valu- able assistance I received in maintaining the exhibit at St. Louis from all the members of the State Horticultural Society. I wish to thank especially, Messrs G. A. Marshall of Arlington; L. M. Russell and C. H. Frey of Lincoln; E. F’. Stevens of Crete; G.S. Christy of Johnson: G. W. Alexander of Julian; Wm. Davies of Brownville and Arnold Martin of Du Bois. I wish to make special mention of the valuable services of Mrs. Hadkinson who was in direct charge of the exhibit most of the time. The splendid showing Nebraska made, the credit- able manner in which the tables were maintained and the hos- pitable manner in which she entertained all visitors at the Neb- raska booth was a good credit to Nebraska. And as Superin- tendent of this department I feel lam very much indebted to her for her conscientious and untiring services to the State. DISCUSSION. 149 DISCUSSION. Mr. STILSON: Mr. Pollard is very modest in his statements of the work at St. Louis. I was where I heard what the public said regarding Nebraska fruit, and I want to say that there was no Stall that had the reputation on peaches that Neb- raska had. Mr. YAGER: Through the courtesy of Mr. Pollard, I was there a while. And when people wanted a good, first-class, every day apple to eat, they came over and asked for one of the Nebraska Ben Davis. (Applause.) Mr. Snoperass: I can verify that all right. I heard the same questions asked when any one wanted a good apple. I want to stand up for the Ben Davis. Mr. Masters: I would like to make a few remarks here. At the time Samuel Barnard was elected President of this So- ciety, we had a few apples on exhibit. Among them I had three or four plates of very beautiful Ben Davis. I told the man in charge, that if any one should ask what variety they were, to — tell them that he did’nt know. Soafter the exhibit was over, and quite a number had been asking questions, Mr. Barnard finally said, ‘“Now gentlemen, these exhibitors brought their apples here to show, and they don’t want totake them back home. I propose then that we eat them all up. So pitch in and help yourselves to the apple that suits you best.’? A good many of the fellows had been discouraging the Ben Davis, but every one of them reached for the plates of Ben Davis. They wished they could find out what varieties they were. Those apples were so good. I would like to tell you who those men were, but I don’t think I ought to. (Member in the audience)—Tell it, tell it. Mr. Masters: (continuing)—Well there was Dan Wheeler, R. W. Furnas and two or three others who had talked so discour- agingly of the Ben Davis, and every one of them pitched in and helped himself tothe Ben Davis. Finally when they got through bragging on them, I said, ““Gentlemen, I did not tell you what variety of apples those were—not because I did’nt know, but 150 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. because I did’nt want to. Those fine apples you have been eat- ing and discouragiug are Ben Davis.” (Laughter.) Mr. Potuarp: It is all well enough to have a little fun and sport over the Ben Davis, but my experience in St. Louis was that people did’nt ask for Ben Davis, but came over and asked for Yellow Bell Flower, Jonathan or Grimes Golden. NowIam up against this question from the practical side, and I know that the Ben Davis causes more trouble than all the others put to- gether. I know when we come to Lincoln or Omaha and go in- to the fancy grocery stores, we cannot sell the Ben Davis at all. Now, why is it? The people who know what good fruit is don’t buy the Ben Davis. The people are becoming educated along horticultural lines and are finding out what good varieties are, and I believe we as horticulturists ought to help disseminate this information and encourage the people to plant varieties that they know are good. I believe we should strive to raise the standard of fruit instead of dragging it down. When you have a good thing, let them have it. I don’t believe in panning a Ben Davis apple off on a man when he wants a good apple. (Applause.) Speaking seriously, I think the time has come when we ought to encourage the planting of other apples. Now the Winesap has caused trouble too. It has been practically worthless from a commercial point of view. Yet I can show you some Winesaps that I challenge any body in the United States to surpass for Winesaps. So Isay weshould encourage the planting of these better varieties we have, and discourage the planting of the Ben Davis. Mr. YAGER: Speaking about the Ben Davis,—I don’t like to see it condemned at this stage of the fruit business in Nebraska. And there is one thing I would like to call attention to. The one thing we saw and observed at St. Louis was that most peo- ple do not know many good varieties of apples we are raising here in Nebraska today. We don’t realize how many good varieties we have here. The people would come along there past the Nebraska fruit and say, ““Why, where did you get all this.fruit?’’ They were very much surprised at such a show- ing of fruit as Nebraska had there. I think Mr. Pollard is right in the main, but I do not believe in condemning the Ben DISCUSSION. ; 151 Davis. He is right though in advocating that we plant more good varieties and raise the standard. Mr. PARKER: I was up in the south-western part of South Dakota this last fall selling some apples. I had some Ben Davis, Winesap, Jonathan, etc. People did’nt want the Ben Davis though. Thought they were about as good as pumpkins. While I was up there in Dakota a couple of ladies came up to me one day and asked what kind of applesI had. I named over my varieties. ‘Well, we don’t want any Ben Davis,” they said, “but we will take a couple of bushels of this kind,’’ pointing to- ward my big bright Ben Davis. I measured up the Ben Davis for them and they went away satisfied. A few years ago peo- ple bought up all the Ben Davis apples they could get, put them in barrels that held about three and a half bushels, and then sent them to Niagara Falls and put them incold storage. They repacked them, sent them to Texas and got five dollars per bar- rel for them. Just common Ben Davis, you know. In making up our list we use the Horticultural reports. Whydo you ad- vise people to plant Ben Davis apple trees? Mr. VON ForREL: I speak for one who lives west of here. I went down town this fall to buy several bushels of apples, and they were Ben Davis. I probably would not have bought the Ben Davis for eating, but when we cooked the apples, I liked the Ben Davis first rate. They can be used that way and kept very nicely. We cannot raise all kinds of apples out west, but the Ben Davis is hardy there. With us we want an apple that stands our climatic conditions. There are many people out there though who do not know the difference between the Ben Davis and Winesap. ‘They simply don’t know the Ben Davis. It reminds me of atrip through Mr. Marshall’s orchard. A gentlemen and Mr. Marshall and I were riding through -Marshall’s orchard, looking at the trees. There were Ben Davis there looking fine. This gentleman said “I would just as soon eat a pumpkin asa Ben Davis.’’ We put up a joke on him. After a while we went down cellar to see the different varieties of apples, and of course, there were some fine looking Ben Davis. He took one of the Ben Davis which was called the White Pippin, and ate it with a relish. Heasked what kind it was. “Oh, that is the White Pippin.” That gentleman never 152 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. sold any more Ben Davis apple trees. They were all White ’ Pippin. Mr. Masters: When I was raising apples down near Neb- raska City, I used to sell wind-falls. A man came to my place one day, when I had mostly Ben Davis onthe ground. He asked me what varieties I had, and I told him they were mostly Ben Davis. He said, “I would like to buy Ben Davis, but I cannot sell them in Omaha.”’ I told him to sell them as something else. They have several different names you know. I told him to call them New York Pippin, and he would sell every one in the whole lot. He went to Omaha. A man came along to his wagon and asked him what kind of apples he had. He told him they were New York Pippin. The gentleman looked at them. He had just come from a wagon load of hand-picked Ben Davis. He came up to the wagon load of wind-falls called New York Pippin and said. “I want ten bushels of these.”” Inside of half an hour this man had sold out his entire load. That’s what a name will do. G. A. MARSHALL: It is not right to take my name in vain as has been done here this afternoon. But going back to Mr. Pollard’s side of the discussion about the better grocers who would not buy his Ben Davis, I venture to say that there is not a grocery firm in Omaha, Chicago, Detroit or Buffalo that does not handle the Ben Davis. They do not buy them of Mr. Pollard, however, because they can buy Ben Davis of anybody, and they can buy their other varieties from only a few people. When these gro- cery firms want Grimes Golden, Jonathan and such varieties, they have to go to the people who grow them, and consequently they goto Mr. Pollard. I expect he has more varieties than any other party in the state. Now if you should take the Ben Davis out of the west here, many places would be practically without apples. We cannot afford to condemn any variety that holds up like that. In Chi- cago, Buffalo and Detroit you find more Ben Davis on the mar- ket in the month of January than all other varieties put together. The poorer classes of people want apples, and the Ben Davis exists in such quantities that the poor man’s children can eat it. So I say we ought not to condemn the Ben Davis. DISCUSSION. 1538 THE PRESIDENT: We have Mr. Jackson with us this after- noon, as a delegate from Iowa, and would be glad to hear from him. Mr. JACKSON: Iam not much of a talker, and I hope you will pardon me if I don’t say much of anything. I have listened to these discussions over the Ben Davis apple, about cherries, and Railroad rates and I have been very much interested. In the first place I want tosay that the Ben Davis was one of the principal things with us in south-western Iowa this last year. While I do not think much of the flavor of the Ben Davis, yet it is one of our leading apples. We raise more Ben Davis than all other varieties put together, and it has made more money for us than any other apple. I want to say a few words also inregard to this freight rate question. We have been handicapped by that one thing more than anything else in disposing of our fruits. The excessive freight rates have actually hindered us in disposing of our crops. We have had to come into competition with the New York fruits shipped in here cheaper than we can ship from the Missouri River points. We have been working this up, and in one of our societies we have gotten up resolutions and have ap- pointed committees to wait on the Legislators. We had two - Railroad managers at the meeting of our Board of Agriculture to consult and work with our committees. Now the Railroad companies do not want this thing agitated any more. They have made propositions to two or three of our Legislators. I have had letters from several of our Legislators and they are standing firm for a fair regulation for everyone. We want all the people to have the same advantage that we are getting. I am surprised to see that you people do not have a little advan- tage over us, but I see you are laboring under the same disad- vantages that we were. We are not asking for anything that is not right, only what is practical and reasonable. We are working for this, and I think we are in shape to get it, and if we work together, there is no doubt but what we can get what we want. I thank you for your attention. (Applause.) FRANK G. STEPHENS: Iam sure that the society would like to be put on record as extending a welcoming hand to these young men who have come out this afternoon, They are going 154 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. to carry on the horticultural work of the state in years to come. I would like to see each of the older members constitute him- self a committee of one to welcome these young men, make them feel that they are at liberty to take advantage of our work. I think we can extend a welcome to these young men here and make them feel at home. Mr. GRIMSTEAD: Mr. President, I think itis due Mr. Pollard that the society extend a vote of thanks to him. On motion, regularly moved and seconded, the President, in behalf of the society, extended a vote of thanks to Mr. Pollard. Mr. PoLuarpD: I sincerely thank the society for the vote. THE PRESIDENT: We will now have the reports of the Secre- tary and Treasurer. Mr. POLLARD: I move that a committee of three be appointed to audit these reports. The above motion being duly seconded and carried, the Presi- dent appointed W. G. Swan, C. B. Campand C. H. Green as the committee to audit the reports of the Secretary and Treasurer. Motion carried that the meeting adjourn until 9:00 A. M., Wednesday, January 18th. SECOND SESSION. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 1905. 9:00 A. M. The committee on auditing the Secretary’s and Treasurer’s reports having examined and found these reports correct, were discharged after their report was duly accepted. Mr. SwAN: I move that the committee on redistricting the state be allowed $200 for necessary expenses. Motion seconded. G. A. MARSHALL: As chairman of that committee, I would like to make a little explanation. We want to extend this work, and it is important that we make a good report. There are nine members on that committee: Marshall, G. A. Strand, A. J. Brown, ©. H. Barnard, W. G. Swan, G. N. Titus, E. F. Stephens, H. 8. Harrison and W.F.. Jenkins. We commenced this work PROCEEDINGS. 155 last summer, and during the State Fair week we drew upa map. We have to gather so much information from all over the state, and the western part particularly, that we simply cannot give an intelligent report today. We have finally made up our minds that we must have more time. That is the situation just now. That motion should be that this committee be allowed more time in which to do the work, also that the: appropriation of $200 be allowed to pay the expenses of this committee. Mr. Swan: I consent to that addition to the motion. THE PRESIDENT: It is very important that the report of this committee be made right. The people in the western part of the state ought to know what is best to plant in their sections. So it is important that whatever is recommended for them be all right. Itis going to take some work and time to do this. Mr. Masters: A difficulty arises here, and that is, the so- ciety recommends certain fruits for these people, but when they buy the trees, they don’t know whether they are getting what is recommended or not. A. J. Brown: I think we can all realize the force of Mr. Master’s remark on this question; but that don’t have anything particularly to do with this committee. The work of this com- mittee is simply to find out what fruits are best adapted to cer- tain sections of the state. We can at least tell the planters what is best to plant and save them a little money in that way. Mr. YAGER: My observation has been that the former re- - districting of the state has been very poor. The districts have been too large north and south. Varieties recommended for a section may have been all right for one part of that section, but not so for another part. Theamount they are proposing to use for this purpose probably will not all be used, but I think it is well enough to give them a sufficient amount, and we will know that it is judiciously expended. And itis up to the society to find out to the best of their ability what is well adapted to the different sections of the state. The motion as amended—that this redistricting committee be given more time and $200 be allowed for their expenses—was carried unanimously. 156 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. THE PRESIDENT: We will now hear from Mr. T. M. Howard of Scotts Bluff county on ‘Fruits Under Irrigation.’’ FRUITS UNDER IRRIGATION. BY T. M. HOWARD, SCOTTS BLUFF. Fruit raising under irrigation bids fair to take a prominent part in the development of Scotts Bluff county, Nebraska, and while we have not the large number of grown and bearing or- chards that.eighteen or twenty years of settlement should show, we have, we think, sufficient reason for it other than that our soil, climate, etc. are not adapted to fruit raising. The early settlers of the county were largely cattle men and while they know all about raising, roping, and branding cattle, their early education and environments have not fitted them for successful fruit raisers. The first needs of irrigation in the county was felt by the cattle men that they could raise more hay to feed more cattle and the irrigation ditches in the county were largely built by them. It is true that they made some efforts towards fruit grow- ing but never seemed to carry the idea much beyond set- ting out the trees. I was at the ranch of one of our most suc- cessful cattle raisers a few years since. He had just trimmed the trees put out for shade, about his house, cutting the center down to about seven feet and trimming off the branches to make them symmetrical with lower branches about two feet from the - eround. When asked why he trimmed them so low, said he wanted to get the tops shaped to suit him, and when the tree grew up he thought the lower limbs should be about the right distance from the ground. What wonder then that they did not succeed in growing fruit trees. An orchard I have in mind was put up about twelve years ago by a tenant on arented farm. He was fairly well qualified for the business, set the trees and got them nicely started, then moved on, and other tenants came and went. Little or no work was done in the orchard farther than to burn the weeds off every spring, half till, and give it little or no water. The result is FRUITS UNDER IRRIGATION. 157 that some trees were burned up, some dried out, and of the sur- vivors only a few have the original trunk they started with but have branches out a little above the ground and now have from five to eight branches from twelve to fifteen feet high looking like huge shrubs rather than trees. It was my privilege to as- sist in picking the apples from these shrubs last fall, and it is. no fairy tale I am giving you when I say that we picked twenty bushels of as fine Wealthy apples from four of these shrubs as I ever saw,—size, color, and quality all taken into consider- ation. The Hyslop crab trees were the same, loaded to the ground with large finely colored and fully matured fruit. Had this or- chard been properly tended and the trees producing even as well as the shrubs, the crop this year would have been worth more than the entire crop on the balance of the forty acres. We have however a good many small orchards that are now bearing, that were well put out and well tended and the results give ample proof that fruit raising under irrigation is a success. The trees grow more rapidly—come into bearing early and pro- duce large crops of excellent quality of fruit. An altitude of nearly 4000 feet makes some difference in kinds of fruit grown, but from examples before us we can in a meas- ure shun the mistakes of others and only put out those varieties that are known to be good. Among them I can mention the following kinds that are proving satisfactory: Yellow Trans- parent, Red Astrachan, Wealthy, Duchess, Grimes Golden, lowa Blush, Missouri Pippin, North-Western Greening. The Ben Davis in most orchards is not keeping up its reputation here, but the trees grow well and seem hardy. Cherries do exceed- ingly well, trees grow rapidly, fruit early and heavily, and of excellent quality. Almost any of the standard varieties will do well. Of the plums, only the early maturing kinds do well every year, as the late varieties are liable to get caught by frosts in the fall, but the fruits that lead all others, and are the won- der of all who see them in fruit are the small fruits, such as currants, gooseberries, raspberries, strawberries and the like. The crops are simply enormous and the very best quality, and one marked feature of all these fruits or berries, under irrigation is that they all hold their fruit until fully matured. Take cur- 158 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY rants as an example, the fruit is ripened more evenly, and when ripe they will hang upon the stems until frost comes if you choose to leave them there, instead of falling off, just as they are ready for jellies, as the ladies say. The same thing holds true of all our small fruits and is a wonderful good fault, for we all know that the currant bush that grew in some fence corner on the old home farm and was not found until late in the fall had larger, nicer, sweeter currants on than any in the garden. Strawberries also grow well and with water at the proper time mature all their fruit, holding their size much bet- ter than when you depend on rainfall. It is better to cover these lightly in the fall that they will not dry out so badly during the winter. We water late, just before the ground freezes and put on the covering after the ground is frozen. It also tends to hold them back a little later in the spring until all danger of frosts is past. Dewberries and all of the Red Raspberries, as far as I know them, need to be covered for the winter. Blackberries and black cap Raspberries are better covered but some varieties do well without. Preparing the ground for fruit under irrigation is the same with us as else where, except that we must take more care in getting the ground smooth—by that I do not mean level, for you can irrigate successfully on a hilt side but even in that case you must have the ground smooth so that the water will spread evenly and well, and there is no time you can do this as easily and cheaply as before the fruit is set, for there is nothing in the way then of getting it as it should be. If dirt has to be moved any great distance the Buck scraper is the best implement to to use, if not the work can be done rapidiy with a common plank leveler. I wish to call particular attention to this, as it is a great time saver when you come toirrigate. With the land smooth and the laterals properly located you can simply raise the gate and it will irrigate itself, you soon learning how long it takes and when you must come and change it or shut if off, and besides the saving in your time you do not get quantities of water when you don’t care to have it and none when you do. FRUITS UNDER IRRIGATION. 159: Tt is said that mountain water will not run up hill, and we find this to be true, but it will find and fill the low places and the chances are that if smoothened as well as you can when you turn the water on there will be some surprises in store for you. In setting the trees, furrow for the rows, set the trees in the edge of the furrow and use the furrow for watering the first season. Later you can use smaller furrows further from the trees. Flooding the ground is not as a rule as good as allow- ing the water to soak in the ground from small furrows a little distance from the trees, but on some of our lands flooding does well, as water does not stand on the land, neither does our soil bake, and can be cultivated in a short time after flooding and be as loose and fine on the top as when first plowed and fitted in the spring. But having plenty of water is not all, for here as wellas elsewhere you must keep your cultivator going to have the best results, for when you get the moisture in the ground you must have the dust mulch to retain it. To know when, how much, and how often to water is after all the main - thing to know, and that has to be learned largely from the plants or trees themselves. They have a way of making their wants known if you study them, and if you don’t you are not on to your job. With water running by you all the time that can be had by just opening the gate, the tendency always is to water too much, and from my own experience I am satisfied that we do water too much rather than too little. Then again some fruits require more water than others, so that it is better not to mix varieties any more than necessary. Trees and canes that are of a woody nature may be watered quite freely early in the season but you must stop as soon as August that the growth of the trees may stop and mature tne wood for winter. Late in the fall after all danger of growth is past and just before the ground freezes, water freely. This might not be necessary when they have winter rains or snow but with us we have very little of either and while other parts of the state are having rain, snow, hubs in mud, with us the roads are dry and dusty as summer and almost continual sun- shine. Our irrigated vegetables have already made some records at the State Fair, and the day is not far distant when pure irrigated fruits will do the same. 160 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. DISCUSSION. Mr. WRIGHT: I would like to say a few words on the subject of horticulture. I was much interested in Mr. Howard’s paper, it was encouraging to listen to it. He likes his business. Ifa garden is among a man’s possessions, heis much better off than he would be without it. Now I am not interested in the com- mercial side of horticulture alone. I like to see every family have around them the very best to supply their wants, but I like to see the wife and daughters have a garden that they are proud of. I have never interested myself very much in the garden, but I have always taken a great delight in helping my wife care for it. I have grown to love it. Itis a delight for me to do those things which help to make the family happy. One thing we can raise in Scotts Bluffs county is currants, and we like them. We have conditions with us, coupled with irrigation, that could be made all right for raising currants. It is the same with gooseberries. Wecan grow hardy raspberries too, but we have to cover them through the winter. I don’t think we can grow as good Ben Davis apples though as you can here. I have never seen better fruit anywhere than some we have, although some of it was specked by the hail. We are in earnest out in Scotts Bluff County. We belong in the class of Wyoming and Colorado, but we are loyal to Nebraska. We are interested in our country and want to see it developed. A. J. Brown: I think these remarks we have just listened to show the necessity for greater diligence in the work of this committee on redistricting. It is quite possible that there are several varieties of apples and other fruits that are equally de- sirable under their conditions in Scotts Bluff county. THE PRESIDENT: Do you have the Missouri Pippin and Winesap? Mr. HOWARD: Yes, sir. { THE PRESIDENT: Professor Green is with us again this. morning, and we would like to hear from him on their horticul- tural work in Minnesota. DISCUSSION. 161 PROFESSOR GREEN: Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: I - think it is a little unfair to call on me again. However, I will say afew words about our seedling work in Minnesota. We are very much interested in seedling work, and are quite proud of what we have done along this line. Mr. Gideon worked at this work on seedling apples a good many years ago. He originated varieties that.he said were adapted to every month in the year. But the one of greatest: merit is the Wealthy. Itis quite a wonderful variety in many ways. While in many sections it isan autumn apple, it is the one variety to keep in cold storage. When Mr. Gideon origi- nated the Wealthy henamed it after his wife. After Mr. Gideon’s death, we established an experiment station for the purpose of experimenting with apples. In connection with this we went to raising seedling fruits, and we are now trying to get the people of Minnesota to raise seedlings. Shortly before Mr. Gideon’s death we had something like twenty or thirty thousand good seedlings. Many peopleexperimented with them. This work was commenced about eighteen years ago, and we are getting a good many nice seedlings. They look nice and make a very creditable showing. In 1899 the Minnesota Horticultural Society offered a prem- ium of one thousand dollars for a seedling apple that should be as hardy as the Duchess, have the good quality of the Wealthy, and the long keeping qualities of the Malinda. That money is still on deposit, and you people of Nebraska can have it if you want to earn it. Weare in earnest, and there is no humbug about this. At every meeting of our Horticultural Society we offer good premiums for seedling apples of merit. So you see we are doing a good deal to encourage the growing of seedling apples. We think we will get a lot of varieties that are well adapted to northern Minnesota. We have aseedling committee in charge of this work, two committees in fact. One of these committees is in charge of this one thousand dollar premium. We have had forty-two entries that have been made in competi- tion for this premium. They are from ten of the northern states, I think. Then we have another seedling committee on the lookout for seedling apples growing throughout the state. I think you Nebraska people ought to have a seedling committee 162 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. to visit the various states and report the results of their find- ings. They should report on them at the annual meeting. Now that is practically all we are doing. Cherries do not do well with us. The trees can be grown successfully, but the fruit buds are frequently killed by the severe winters. About the best cherry is between the sand cherry and native wild plum. Mr YAGER: What are about the five leading varieties of apples recommended as your best, Professor Green? PRoF. GREEN: The best varieties with us are Patton’s Green- ing, Hibernal, Duchess and Wealthy. I think the Florence crab is about the most profitable crab that we have. The Peerless is a disappointment. The Malinda we do not generally recom- mend. The North-Western Greening is rapidly coming to the front with us, and has been recently added to our list for gen- eral planting. Along with these varieties we also grow McMa- hon’s White, Wolf River, etc. Mr. G. A. MARSHALL: How long does the Wealthy keep? Can you make.a winter apple of it? PROF. GREEN: I think the Wealthy, putin cold storage, is one of the finest apples we can get for winter use. We can keep them until January, and they come out in find condition too. Mr. ALEXANDER: Would you kindly name two or three of your best plums? ProF. GREEN: The best plum we have is the Surprise. It has come steadily to the front and is gaining right along. It is a very hardy, strong grower, and has come tostay. Thennext comes the Freestone Wolf, Wyant, De Soto and Rolling Stone, which are doing well. The Stoddard is also doing well. Itis large and a good bearer. But we have nothing ahead of the Surprise in my opinion. It is a fine tree, very full grower, and the fruit is a good shipper. It is sufficiently prolific too. The Frestone Wolf is also one of our best. QUESTION: What is your list of cherries, Professor Green? ProF. GREEN: We don’t grow cherries very extensively in Minnesota. We are practically doing nothing with cherries, except in the south-eastern part of the state. The Richmond WESTERN HORTICULTURE. 163 and some of that class will grow there. We have had trouble there with the shot-hole fungus the same as you have here. Mr. E. M. PouuarpD: I would like to add a word about the Wealthy apple. The one apple that the Montana people had on exhibition at St. Louis, and which they recommended as doing the best for them, was the Wealthy. It came out in fine condi- tion. It wasarevelation tome. With us the Wealthy is a summer apple, but in Montana it is an early winter apple. It does not scald and is an all ’round good apple. Mr. YAGER: That Surprise plum was certainly a surprise to all who saw it at St. Louis. The quality is exceedingly fine. I think all that Professor Green has said for this plum is all right. It is going to be all right for this country. It is also a good nursery tree. THE PRESIDENT: If there are no further questions or re- marks on this subject , we will now pass on to the next number of our program. ‘‘Western Horticulture,’’ by Mr. E. F. Stephens of Crete. WESTERN HORTICULTURE. BY E. F, STEPHENS, CRETE. Fellow Members of the State Horticultural Society, Ladies and Gentlemen: ‘The public so far has always connected Nebraska orcharding with the eastern counties of thestate. Centraland western Nebraska has been practically unknown horticulturally. The public is tardily awakening to the fact however that there are in that part of the state districts as well suited to the grow- ing of excellent fruit as the best Kansas and Colorado counties. In addition to the three million acres of land capable of irri- gation in Nebraska, of which one million acres is already cov- ered with a network of ditches, we have considerable areas of valley lands which are sub-irrigated. I refer to the valleys of the Platte, the Republican, and the Loup rivers, which are sub- irrigated by the river water at a depth of from four to ten feet. This supply of water is unlimited and is available as long as these rivers flow. This system of irrigation is silent, sure, and effective. 164 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY There are no quarrels between rival claimants for water, and it gives rise to no litigation in the courts. Like other things sup- plied by nature it is the best system possible if a man takes in- telligent advantage of it. Not only is there no question about the water supply as long as the rivers run, but soil cultivation is easier than under ditch irrigation. Not only is the elevation less than some of Colo- rado’s most famous fruit districts, but the climate is at least equal to and very little different from that of Colorado. Cool nights, ample moisture, and bright sunshine all combine to give the high coloring and fine quality which has made Colorado fruit famous. Western Nebraska has all of these. The extreme western part of Nebraska has a lesser amount of sub-irrigated land because of the narrowing of the valleys. The bench lands are used therefore and have fine soil usually free from alkali. Their elevation above the river compells irri- gation from ditches. There are now within the state more than twenty-five hundred miles of irrigating ditches, the Platte river alone supplying about twelve hundred miles of canals, watering 560,000 acres. Additions are constantly being made to these ditches and to the areas brought under their beneficent in- fluence. The most important plan now in contemplation is to dam the North Platte river above Casper, Wyoming. Here the stream forces its way through rocky barriers having a narrow channel with a rock bottom. It is proposed to construct a dam of such height and proportions as will impound enough of the flood waters to irrigate at least 100,000 acres. The Government will construct the necessary ditches. It will be at once apparent that the storage of a portion of the winter flow until needed in midsummer will be of benefit to the entire Platte valley. Now given fertile soil, an abundance of water, and favorable climate, I see no reason why the fruit products should not equal in excellence those of Colorado. APPLES. Some of the finest Jonathan apples I ever saw, ten and one- fourth inches in circumference and with brilliant coloring, were WESTERN HORTICULTURE. 165 produced in the orchard of J. C. Myers six miles south of Kear- ney. His Ben Davisand Winesap were of extraordinary size and quality. In the twenty year old orchard of D. C. Blackburn in west central Nebraska single trees of Grimes Golden gave twenty bushels of the yellow fruit. From less than an acre of orchard he supplied three families and marketed six-hundred bushels of apples besides, for the sum $489. In Lincoln county more than three-hundred miles west of the Missouri river, irri- gated orchards are very healthy and promise large profits. Single trees of Missouri Pippin gave a bushel and three pecks the fifth season after planting. Among the varieties so far found successsful are Duchess, Whitney No. 20, Wealthy, Grimes Golden, Utters Red, Plum Cider, Longfield, Patten’s Greening, Jonathan, Ben Davis, Wine- sap, Missouri Pippin, Northwestern Greening, and Janet. This list applies to districts two-hundred and fifty to three-hun- dred and fifty miles west of the Missouri river. On the Gurnsey division of the B. and M. inextreme western Nebraska, Ben Davis, Winesap, and Jonathan have suffered from sunscald. Perhaps this may be remedied by protecting the trunks. The best varieties for that region are found in a narrower list comprising Duchess, Wealthy, Whitney No. 20, Iowa Blush, Day, and Northwestern Greening. To this may be added Longfield and Patten’s Greening which are equally hardy but have not yet fruited there. PEACHES. In a Platte valley peach orchard twenty-one varieties of bud- ded peaches gave a fine crop last summer, their third season’s growth. Many ofthese three-year-old trees drooped under the burden of more than a bushel of peaches. Inthe David Hunter orchard in Lincoln county, 318 miles west of Omaha, peach trees have given good returns four consecutive years without a failure. Last summer peaches fruited as far west as Lodgepole, and at Mitchell within twenty miles of the Wyoming line. Peaches of the North China type are much hardier than those of the Persian strain and should be used for western planting. The hardy list for central and far western Nebraska includes 166 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Greensboro, Waddell, Early Rivers, Triumph, Hales Early, Carmen, Hiely, Belle of Georgia, Russell, Champion, Crosby, Hills Chili, Wright. Elberta might be added to this number were it not for its liability to leaf curl, rendering it unsuitable for those orchardists who do not spray. The dry atmosphere of central and western Nebraska seems particularly well suited to the production of abundant crops of cherries. The trees are free from fungus diseases which effect the foliage in eastern Nebraska. Since the cherry does not re- quire a large amount of moisture there are successful orchards unirrigated in most of the western counties. They are handled solely by judicious and thorough cultivation. The hardy vari- eties for planting are Early Richmond, Large Montmorency, Montmorency Ord., and English Morello. Both the Americana and Domestica type of plums succeed much better there than in the eastern part of the state. Ap- parently the dry sunny weather to which western Nebraska is: accustomed at blossoming time is favorable to pollination. One of the very best and earliest of plums for this region is the San- doz which originated in Sheridan county. Forest Garden, De- Sota, Wolf, Wyant, Hawkeye, Profuse, Berwood, Lombard, and German Prune, all do well. Mr. W. F. Parks, Superintendent of the Wyoming division of the Union Pacific, produces superior crops of strawberries on his land in Lincoln county. At Julesburg Mr. Kortz grew strawberries at the rate of 10,000 quarts per acre. PLANTING AND CULTIVATION. At an elevation of 3500 to 4500 feet the evaporation is very rapid and it requires more care to plant trees successfully than in eastern Nebraska. Ifthey have been over long in transport- ation and have suffered thereby the bundles should be opened and the trees buried completely, root, body and branches. Two or three days in moist soil will restore them to their normal . plump condition. After planting it is of the utmost importance to prevent evapo- ration of sap by protecting the trunk and lower branches with burlap, or strips of cloth wound spirally; or cornstalks bound WESTERN HORTICULTURE. 167 about the trunk. Veneers are especially manufactured for this - purpose and cost but little. Trimming the branches back is of greater importance in western than in eastern Nebraska. After this has been doneif any trees fail to bud out within two weeks it is necessary to resort toa peculiar method. Construct an upright box which will enclose the trunk of the tree up to the lower branches, Fill this box with soil and keep it moist. This will not only prevent evaporation of sap, but will enable the bark to reabsorb moisture. Trees so treated will almost invariably leaf out within ten days. This treatment is of par- ticular value to large sized fruit or shade trees. Those who wish to do extra well by their trees can leave this box of soil about the trunk all summer, moistening the earth once in thirty days. In winter however the soil should be kept dry. Cultivation in western Nebraska differs very little from that in the eastern part of the state. The great aim is to conserve as much moisture as possible by frequent shallow culture. Three irrigations are sufficient for the first season, and should be given previous to the first of August. During the months - of August, September and October the trees should be allowed to ripen their wood. November first the ground should be thoroughly irrigated so that the soil may freeze up wet. . Until the trees come into bearing as much dependence should be placed on cultivation as on irrigation. When the trees begin to bear however, each variety of fruit as it matures should have an abundance of water so that the fruit may grow to large size and have the best possible flavor. It is a peculiar fact that western orchards planted at an ele- vation of three-thousand to five-thousand feet, with bright sun- light and rapid evaporation, set fruit buds earlier and therefore commence bearing younger than in eastern Nebraska. MARKETS. The facilities for marketing fruit brighten the outlook for commercial orcharding in western Nebraska. That part of the state will itself absorb large quantities of fruit upon which the orchardists will have no freight to pay. When those markets are over supplied, we are nearer the central markets of the 168 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. United States by far than the fruit districts of Colorado, Oregon, Utah, Idaho and Washington. Western Nebraska has daily fast freight trains on trunk lines of road giving unexcelled faci- lities for transportation. The time is coming when these fertile, well watered lands will be utilized in the growing of-fruit in large commercial quantities. _Mr. Jackson: I would like toask Mr. Stephens about those peaches. Those varieties that he mentions are varieties that we grow, and they do well all along the western part of Iowa. Mr. STEPHENS: This Platte valley orchard is 220 miles west of the river. We planted there the twenty-one varieties men- tioned, but of course, more of some varieties than others. They all did well this last season. I think that the list which I have given you would be about the best for that part of the state. Mr. JACKSON: Is the Greensboro one of the best varieties? Mr. STEPHENS: It is. ELECTION OF OFFICERS. The election of officers for the ensuing year resulted as follows: Ppt Gti dosh ee ea ere he G. S. Christy, Johnson HEL. Vice-President. (65 soe ee eee. H. S. Harrison, York Second Vice-President... cccesecccsesceeene E. M. Pollard, Nehawka RPMS O GEE Vi Re NE ye, DUR ena eee L. M. Russell, Lincoln POPPAN PCT) stent tte? CEE ney ene Peter Youngers, Geneva DIRECTORS Yas? SWANS ee a eee Tecumseh has: MPAaAuUNders. 2.0 ees a eh ee -Omaha Ret Green... ct oh SS Ae ee ee ee Fremont Mr. E. M. PotuARD: About this freight rate question. As I understand the situation, in order to get any relief in the way of freight rates, it is necessary for us to bring this matter be- fore the Interstate Freight Association. Now the only way we PROCEEDINGS. 169 can get at this is to appoint a committee to go before that asso- ciation, and present our cause. So I move then that a com- mittee of three be appointed to find out when and where this association meets, and make arrangements to wait on them and present our question of freight rates. Motion seconded. Mr. A. J. BROWN: We have usually found that we can get what we ask for if we show a good reason for it. Mr. PARKER: We don’t expect to ask for anything that is unreasonable. The South-Eastern Nebraska Fruit Growers’ Association has already appointed a committee of five on their part to look after this matter. This committee will appoint, probably this afternoon, one or more of their number to see the railroad people, and go to the Traffic Association meeting if necessary. I think Mr. Pollard’s motion is all right. If we follow it up we will probably get something reasonable. There is not a nurseryman whois not just as much interested in this question as the fruit growers are. Motion made to table the above motion until 2:00 P. M. The following resolution. introduced by Mr. E. F. Stephens, was unanimously adopted by the society: Whereas, the records and publications of this society have for a long time been kept in the State Historical Society rooms, and the publications distributed by that society on application at its own expense; RESOLVED, That this society extends its hearty good will and approval of the efforts of the State Historical Society to secure a permanent fire proof building from the legislature. Meeting adjourned until 2:00 P. M. THIRD SESSION. 2:00 P. M. The business of the original motion relative to freight rates was taken up, and Mr. Pollard made a new motion to the effect “That a committee of three be appointed to meet and confer with the Railroad men in regard to freight rates.” Motion seconded. 170 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Mr. Swan: I would say amend that motion by including the Express Companies. See the Express agents also. The motion as amended was carried unanimously. MR. YAGER: NowI move that the following named gentlemen be appointed on this committee: E. M. Pollard, Peter Youngers and G. A. Marshall. Motion carried. It was moved and seconded that Mr. C. B. Parker be named as a fourth member of that committee. Carried. The following resolution, introduced by Mr. Peterson, was adopted by the society: Whereas, There has been introduced in the Nebraska Legis- lature now in session a bill asking for an appropriation of $25,000 to be used in the erection on the State Fair grounds a live-stock pavilion at a cost not to exceed $15,000; and a Fishery building at a cost not to exceed $10,000: RESOLVED, That it is the sense of this meeting that we en- dorse this measure and use our best efforts and influence with the members of the present legislature in behalf of the passage of this bill. Mr. Stitson: If it would bein order now I would like to introduce the following resolution: Whereas, House Roll No. 49, introduced by Ernst of Johnson County, providing for the erection and maintenance of a bind- ing twine plant at the State Penitentiary, will be of great finan- . Cial value to the farmers of Nebraska in particular, and to the State in general; be it therefore RESOLVED, That this organization is in full harmony with the purposes of this bill and requests the members of the Legisla- ture to support the same; RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the members of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Resolution adopted by the society. THE PRESIDENT: We will now hear from Professor Heald on ‘“Methods of Investigating Plant Diseases.’’ ’ METHODS OF INVESTIGATING PLANT DISEASES. 171 METHODS OF INVESTIGATING PLANT DISEASES. BY PROF. F. D, HEALD, LINCOLN. That diseases of plants were known and recognized in early times is evidenced by the visitations of “blast” and “mildew” that are mentioned in ancient literature. These maladies were looked upon as due to the displeasure of the dieties, as visita- tions of the Divine wrath, and it was centuries before the human mind sought other explanations. Is it strange that even after centuries of human progress, vague ideas prevail in the minds. of some of our less educated people in regard to the true nature of “blights” and ‘‘mildews”’ and various other plant troubles, when we note that as recent as 1846 a scientific investigator attributed our well known “‘fire-blight’”’ to an epidemic and wrote as follows: “The atmosphere is I believe generally ad- mitted to be the principle by which they preyail, and are carried - from place to place. What that subtle principle may be which pervades our atmosphere by which infection is retained and transmitted, so that like the Asiatic cholera it makes the circuit of the whole earth, human science has not discovered.”’ At a much later date (1897) a noted scientiest affirmed that bacteria do not enter the closed living cells of plants. As a boy on the farm I rarely heard of such a thing as diseases: of plants, or spraying, or remedial measures ofany sort. Such things were not common knowledge as at present. That disease is aS universal in plants as in animals is now generally recog- nized. The last twenty-five years has been a time of rapid progress in our understanding as to the real nature of diseases: in plants, indeed I may say that its advances have been greater than in all of the preceding centuries. To-day plant pathology or the study of plant diseases constitutes an important branch: of the subject of botany and a field for profitable research for scientific investigators in Universities, Government Bureaus, and Experiment Stations. It may be said with a truth that. the time is at hand when “‘a farmer or a gardener will as little dare ‘to neglect the study of the physiology and pathology of plants as the surgeon will dare to practice without a knowledge 172 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. -of anatomy or a sailor hope to become a captain without study- ing navigation.” Even though the practical horticulturist or agriculturist must know much about how plants live and how they are subject to diseases, much of his information must come second hand from the specialist. The old time botanist, who with hand-lens and dissecting needles, and possibly compound microscope and a wise look, could tell you all about a plant disease, bears the same relation to the modern pathologists, that the practitioner | of the middle ages does tothe skilled physician and surgeon of the present day. Experiments must be carried on in field, plant-house, and laboratory, by an investigator skilled in modern laboratory methods. Itis from these specialists who should combine a knowledge of the practical with the scientific that the most may be expected. There are many cases where it would be just as unwise for the fruit grower to rely on his own judgment in regard to the nature and treatment of a plant trouble as it would be for him to fail to summon the family physician in case of an attack by some infectious disease. Rather than rely on his own limited experience and skill he should consult with the expert who has the scientific training that will enable him to probe to the bottom of the trouble. Plant troubles in general may be divided into three main classes in which various agents are the causes of the disturb- ances of the functions and activities that threaten the life of the entire plant or materially injure someof its parts or lesson its value as an article of culture. What may be termed inorganic troubles due to unfavorable soil relations, atmospheric in- fluences, etc., are to a great extent cared for by the scientific agriculturist; the insect troubles are mostly in the hands of the entomologist; and the diseases of plants due to other organisms, quite naturally fall to the lot of the botanist. Botanists are then the ones who have taken up the investigation of plant diseases due to parasites other than insects, yet but few botan- ists have been familiar with the exact methods of research that have been productive of suchbrilliant results in the study of the infectious diseases of domestic animals and man, and conse- quently much of the work has been little more than catalogues of plant troubles. More botanists have in recent years fitted METHODS OF INVESTIGATING PLANT DISEASES, 173: themselves for this important work, and much is being accom- plished every year that has not only adirect scientific value but means dollars and cents in the pockets of horticulturists and agriculturists. We must recognize then this line of work as preeminently the province of plant pathology, altho in the broadest applica- tion of the subject it includes all inorganic, and insect troubles. as well. It is concerning some of the methods used in investi- gating diseases due to parasitic organisms that I wish to speak to you this afternoon. It is not my purpose to enter into de- tail in regard to the different methods that may be used by the pathologist, for many are decidedly complicated, but to give you rather a general idea of the character of the work possible. There are two classes of plants that are important as the causal agents of the diseases of our cultivated plants: the bac- teria and the fungi. I need have no hesitation in using the word bacteria, since the importance of these simplest of all or- ganisms in many lines of human activity has made the name a household word. The bacteria are the smallest living organisms but they are most powerful. Probably not many of you have ever seen bacteria, altho you have seen their devastations. I -have here the bacterium of “‘fire-blight,’’ that deadly disease of apple and pear trees that is familiar to all of you. What you see is not one organism but millions. There are enough here in this tube to kill every apple tree in the state of Nebraska. Only a comparison can give you an idea oftheir minuteness. If one hundred were placed side by side, their total thickness would not equal the thickness of a single sheet of my manu- script paper. Let us put it in another way: I should have to increase the mass of a blight germ 22,000 times to get a body as large as a spore of the carnation rust, yet that is almost be- yond the limits of vision; again, I should have to multiply this by 350,000 to get a body as large as a number seven shot. If you should conceive of a number seven shot as a hollow sphere, there would be room and to spare inside it for something like 8,000,000,000 of the blight bacteria. Such statements are of value only as serving to give you an idea of the minuteness of these organisms. Is it strange then considering their minute- ness that the elaboration of the methods for studying and hand- 174 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. ling these and many similar organisms has been a slow and la- borious process. It is not however an exaggeration to say that at present the plant pathologist can transplant a single germ as easily as you can transplant a green house plant. The number of bacteria that cause disease in plants is not great, but new diseases are constantly being discovered. Only recently a bacterial trouble of calla-lily bulbs has been added to our list. Since Burrill first discovered the blight bacterium in 1880 something like thirty different bacterial troubles have been recorded. Of this total number probably not over half a dozen are prevalent in Nebraska. The other group of plants, the fungi, many of which are fami- liar to you in the mildews, blights, smuts, rusts, and leaf spots, are of even more importance than the bacteria as the cause of - diseases in plants. The total number of species of fungi may be estimated at something like 40,000. Of the total number per- haps 8,000 are found in North America, and ofthese not more than one-fourth are the cause of disease, yet this is a vast and powerfularmy. Only a fraction of the diseases are prevalent in our own state, but new diseases make their appearance from time to time, and as sporadic cases or general epidemics call for investigation, in field and laboratory. Many of the fungi are but little larger than the bacteria and here again the investigator encounters difficulties that are only being overcome by use of modern laboratory methods. There is hardly a cultivated plant that is exempt from attacks, so many are the hosts of numerous parasites. The apple for exampleis ' attacked by something like sixty different species. I have here several examples of these injurious parasites: the brown rot of apple, cherry, plum, peach: the green mould, which is one of the most important apple rotting organisms; and a common foe of green-house or hot-house plants (Botrytis). These few illus- trations will serve to show you what some of these organisms look like in a state of captivity. The advances made in the study of plant diseases have been slow until recent years for at least two reasons. First, in the earlier development of the subject, the microscope was the principal instrument of research. Of course the microscope - METHODS OF INVESTIGATING PLANT DISEASES. 175 opened up a hidden world to eager investigators, but it alone was entirely inadequate to the solution of the manifold problems that presented themselves. Second, prior to 1880 there was no accurate and at the same time convenient method of making pure cultwres of bacteria and fungi. It is the application of the perfected methods of making cultures, to the study of plant diseases that has been the most productive of results in recent _years. The plant pathologist now has besides his ordinary microscope, a modern stand fitted with immersion lens and condenser; he has cupboards full of glass-ware and analine stains; his laboratory is equipped with imbedding baths and microtomes, hot-air sterilizers, steam sterilizers for streaming steam and steam under pressure, incubators, test-tubes, Petri- dishes, damp chambers, and many other appliances that I need not mention. I must tell you about one term that I have used, pure culture. If the commercial grower of flowers had to grow his roses and carnations all jumbled together in one bed, and possibly over- run with weeds of various kinds, his difficulties would not be greater than that of the botanist who wished to study bacteria and fungi afew years ago. The horticulturistsegregates his roses and carnations and keeps out the weeds. The plant pathologist at the present time can for example separate his blight bac- teria from the common bacteria of decay and moulds that might overrun them like the gardner’s weeds, and grow them under conditions to which they are suited on some sort of an artificial medium. The medium is to the bacteria and fungi, what the soil is to the green-house plant. Just as the gardner has to use different kinds of soil for different purposes, so the pathologist has to use different kinds of media for his bacteria and fungi, only he deals with creatures that are far more delicate in their requirements than any green-house plants, and consequently must prepare many different kinds of soils to suit the varying needs. One single kind of an organism, a disease germ for example ‘growing on some medium, with all others excluded, isa pure cul- ture. If you should grow your carnations in a bed in such a way that it was impossible for any weeds to get into the soil, you would be doing only similar to what the pathologist must do for his disease organisms. 176 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Considering the minuteness of many of the disease producing organisms, you can readily see that this task of making and keeping purecultures has been no easy one. There are two things that have very greatly facilitated the operation: first, the discovery that it was impossible for even the minutest or- ganisms to get through a plug of cotton. It seems strange that such a simple discovery was not made until the middle of the nineteenth century. Second, the plate method, of growing bacteria and fungi, and the principle of intermittent steriliza- tion, has made the isolation of these minute forms possible. It — is as easy at present for the pathologist to grow bacteria and fungi in pure cultures in test-tubes, Petri-dishes, and damp- chambers as it is for the gardner to grow his plants in flower- pots, flats and benches, and with “needle” and “‘loop’”’ and “colony lifter’? he transplants these minute organisms with no less difficulty than the gardner experiences in the use of trowel and dibble. The advantages of the pure cultures are many. The disease organism can be subjected to a variety of conditions: treated to any food medium imaginable; given acids or alkali; its growth tested at high temperatures or low temperatures; the action of poisonous substances on its growth observed; the products of its growth determined; its life history eludicated, and inoculations made into the tissues of the host plant. It may be opportune that I review in brief some of the things that the working pathologist must determine in case of the ap- pearance of anew disease. The first question that he must ask and settle if possible is the cause. Is the disease due to a par- asite or does it belong to the category of inorganic or constitu- tional diseases? The exact cause is often difficult to determine, as may be noted in the case of several well known examples as ‘““ peach yellows’’, “‘peach rosette’’, and ‘“‘little peach’. The cause of these is but little better understood than when they were first observed, yet much valuable information has been obtained as a result of their study. In order to demonstrate beyond a question that a given disease is due to a certain para- site, four steps involving a considerable amount of labor and time in laboratory and green-house, and fleld are required: 1. The demonstration of the constant association of the organism with the deseased condition of the plant. METHODS OF INVESTIGATING PLANT DISEASES. VCC 2. The isolation of the organism from the deseased plant and its growth in pure culture whenever that is possible. 3. The reproduction of the characteristic symptoms of the disease by infecting the healthy plant with organisms taken from pure cultures, or in case pure cultures are not possible the direct infection may be substituted, using parts of the diseased plant that contain the germs or spores of the disease organism. 4. The rediscovery of the organism in the diseased tissues by microscopic examinations, and growth again in pure cultures. After the cause of the disease has been determined the path- ologist must endeavor to find out the complete life history of the disease producing organism. Many fungi produce several kinds of reproductive bodies, and in order that proper treat- ment and remedies may be discovered it is necessary to know when and where and under what conditions these reproductive bodies are produced. Accurate laboratory methods similar to those outlined, have yielded many important additions to path- ology in recent years. Clinton, in Illinois completed our know- ledge of the organism of apple scab; Spaulding and Von Schrenk have demonstrated the relation of canker and bitter rot in ap- ples; Norton has followed the complete life history of the brown- rot of the plum, and I might enumerate others but time will not permit. There are many diseases which have been only imperfectly investigated, and we may reasonably expect fruit- ful results in the near future. Even in our own state there is one disease that has caused the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars to fruit growers and still our knowledze in regard to the nature of the disease is too imperfect to suggest efficient treatment or preventive measures. The study of plant diseases thoroughly and effectively means a matter of dollars and cents to the agricultural interests of a community and consequently the pathologist must not stop with the study of the disease producing organism. The extent of the devastations due to plant diseases can best be appreciated from a number of specificexamples. It has been estimated that the brown-rot of peaches and plums cost the state of Georgia $500,000-$700,000 in the year 1900. The president of the 178 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. National Apple Shippers Association estimated that bitter-rot of apples cost the United States the enormous sum of $10,000,000 in 1900. The pathologist must carry his experiments farther, and attempt to find remedies and preventive measures. Much has been done in recent years in the way of treatment of plant diseases, but in the future this phase of work must be ap- proached from a more scientific basis. Every century will not witness the accidental discovery of a Bordeaux mixture or some equally important treatment. Painstaking, accurate, scientific experimentation must yield the results for which we are looking. Spraying with various preparations has been an important preventive measure, saving millions of dollars annually to the fruit-grower of the country. For example, spraying saved $12,700 in one peach orchard in California in one year on a single variety, and I have no doubt that many of you have seen the value of such treatment in your own experience as commercial growers of fruit. There are many diseases for which such ex- ternal application of poisons are of no avail, and other methods must be resorted to. In many cases the remedies or preventive measures recommended are too expensive or too laborious, to appeal to the practical man and better and more practical ones must be sought. Stimulated by the method of treating diseases in animals by internal medicine, an occasional claim is made by some investi- gator that certain plant diseases may be cured or prevented by similar methods. Itis safe to say that at present there is little of promise along that line. Just as civilization has produced races that are less hardy than aborigines, so cultivation has, generally speaking, produced less resistant races or varieties of plants. It is unfortunatethat our cultivated plants suffer more from disease than the worthless weeds. But there are individual differences thatmay be noted in any given species; some individuals are apparently more re- sistant than others, also some varieties are more immune from disease than others. If the hardy and resistant individuals and varieties are selected and propagated, the production of more resistant and even immune varieties may be accomplished. To DISCUSSION. 179 give a Single example, Dorsett has obtained excellent results in producing disease resistant violets. Plant breeding is becom- ing a more and more important phase of the subject, and I be- lieve we are just beginning a work that offers much of promise. It remains for farmers, and scientific agriculturists, and prac- tical horticulturists, pathologists and plant breeders to still fur- ther co-operate with each other in the prosecution of the work. After all when we consider the varied problem that the plant pathologist has to deal with, and the complicated methods that it has been necessary to discover and perfect for the prosecu- tion of the work in field, green-house and laboratory, it is not strange that it has required the accumulated results of nineteen centuries of human progress to place the scientific study of plant diseases on a firm and enduring foundation. Much has already been accomplished, but we look to the future for still greater achievements. DISCUSSION. Mr. MASTERS: Do you consider that it is the same bacteria that produces the blight on plums and pears? ProFr. HEALD: It is the same organism exactly. Mr. Masters: What would you expect if you took a knife and cut into a blighted limb on a poor tree, and then cut into a healthy limb of another tree? ProF. HEALD: I would expect that you would carry over from the blighted limb a disease and establish it in the healthy limb. Mr. Masters: If you cut into this same blighted limb, and then cut into a water sprout on an apple tree, would you expect the apple to blight? ProFr. HEALD: Yes sir. Mr. Masters: Well, that has not been my experience. I think in about twenty experiments I made on pears, that in every case it did not produce blight. I did’nt get a blight in the whole lot. Pror. Heap: Probably those organisms had become so 180 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. accustomed to the pear that they did not flourish very well when noculated into the apple. Mr. Masters: Is it not possible that there are two bacteria? PrRoF. HEALD: Not generally understood so. QUESTION: Is there any known remedy that will prevent this on plums? I would also like to ask the same about the brown rot, which is so destructive. Pror. HEALD: One way of dealing with this disease on plums, apples, pears, etc. is to dig them up. That means lots of labor, but it is recommended at the present time in the absence of anything better. In addition to destroying the trees, spraying has been used to some extent with fair success. QUESTION: Spraying with what? ProF. HEALD: The Bordeaux mixture has been used. A MEMBER: We have used that and found it a partial success. ProF. HEALD: You must be sure to_ destroy all diseased fruits. THE PRESIDENT: Dr. Bessey will now give a paper on ‘‘How Much Plant Pathology Ought a Fruit Grower to Know.” HOW MUCH PLANT PATHOLOGY OUGHT A FRUIT GROWER TO KNOW. BY DR. CHARLES E. BESSEY. In answering this question I propose to suggest what I con- sider to be the minimum knowledge which he should have, and I shall bear in mind the limited time which every active fruit grower has for devoting to the special study of this subject. While it would be a very handy thing for the fruit grower to know the subject thoroughly, everyone realizes that this is as impossible at the present as for every man to be an expert in regard to the diseases which are likely to afflict his own body. It is probable that we shall always need the advice of a physi- cian however well informed we may be in regard to human pathology. And yet itis true that the man who knows something PLANT PATHOLOGY. 181 in regard to the nature and origin of diseases is more likely to avoid them than if he were totally ignorant in regard to them. And so it is with the diseases of fruit-bearing plants. It is not likely that the grower will ever be able to dispense with the ad- vice of the expert plant pathologist, but he will avoid a good deal of trouble for himself and save much money (by saving his fruit) if he knows some of the main facts and principles as to plant diseases and their treatment. PLANTS ARE REALLY LIVING THINGS. What then are the things that the fruit grower ought to know? First of all he should know fully that a plant is a living thing. I know that in a certain way we all think of plants as living, but very largely this is with some limitations and reservations. I re- member the exclamation of a student in my laboratory, to whom I showed some unusally active low form of plant,—‘‘why it’s alive!’’ Yet I had talked and lectured to that student in regard to the life of plants, and all that I had said had not penetrated sufficiently to make him realize that life in the plantis like life in the animal. It wasonly when this life manifested itself in vis- ible motion that its full meaning was understood. Plants are alive, and their life is the same as that of animals. Not only is this true, but the life of a plant resides in the same substance in both kinds of living things. If we examine the animal substance under a compound microscope we find that it consists of very minute bodies which are composed of proto- plasm,—a soft and somewhat slimy substance. And so if we make a similar examination of the plant substance we find simi- lar minute bodies also composed of protoplasm. Now it is this essential identity of structure, and the actual identity of life, that I must insist upon here. The fruit-grower who is trying to get an adequate notion of the pathology of his apple trees, for example, must realize that they are as truly alive as are his horses and cattle, and that in their minute structure they are essentially alike. SOME DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PLANTS AND ANIMALS. Now while apple trees and horses are essentially alike as liv- ‘ 183 - NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. ing things, they differ in certain things. For example the tree has roots and leaves, while the horse has a mouth, a stomach, and blood-vessels. The digested food of a horse is carried rapidly to all parts of its body through a system of tubes,—the arteries and veins, but in the apple tree the food of all kinds merely soaks through the substance and has no tubes through which it runs. But in this the apple tree is like some lower animals, in which there is no system of arteries and veins, and as a consequence the digested food passes from part to part by a soaking process similar to that in the appletree. Allanimals having such a slow circulation are sluggish, some of them being almost as slow and sluggish as the trees are. It is noticed that just as animals are more active, their circulatory system is more perfect. The slow circulation in plants implies slow progress in their diseases. In an animal a poison may be carried to all parts of the body in a few seconds, or at’ most in a few minutes, but in plants this is much slower on account of their want of a circu- latory system. So it is with the bacterial diseases which may pervade the whole body of the animal in a short time, but in the plant their dispersal through the body is very slow. Plant di- seases are therefore slower and simpler than the correspond- ing diseases of animals, and this fact must be taken into the ac- count by the person who wishes to know evena very little about plant pathology. SOURCES AND CAUSES OF PLANT DISEASES. In the second place the fruit-grower should know something as to the more common sources and causes of plant diseases. These are briefly as follows: 1. Thirst, which in plants asin animals is the condition of the body in which there is a deficiency of water. Plants need water for the same purposes as animals, the principal one of which is to keep the inner tissues wet enough so that they can do their work properly. But both plants and animals lose a good deal of water and this loss is especially great in dry air, and for this reason there must be an extra amount to make good this loss. PLANT PATHOLOGY. 183 2. Starvation, which is like that of animals, namely the lack of a sufficient amount or kind of food. We know well enough that to do well a domestic animal must have what we calla “balanced ration,’ that is, one in which all the constituents which are necessary to build up all parts of the body are present in proper proportions. Now it is just so with a plant; it must have a balanced ration also in order to do best, and if any of the necessary food constituents are wanting it will suffer from starvation. Fruit trees never starve for the food constituents which come from the air, but they frequently suffer for want of some which they should get from the soil. Now and then in Nebraska a soil is deficient in nitrogen or phosphorous, or per- haps iron, and the tree suffers. In other regions there may be a deficiency of potash or lime, but this is rarely if ever the case in Nebraska. 3. Poisoning. This may be from gases in the air, which, when absorbed by the leaves kill or injure their tissues. This is not likely to occur in Nebraska, but it is common in manu- facturing regions, especially near smelting works, coke ovens, and like establishments which emit chemical fumes in consider- able volumes. A much more common source of poisoning is from the presence of harmful substances in the soil. Most fruit trees can not endure the presence of appreciable quanti- ties of common salt, and when this occurs in the soil in sufficient amount the trees are slowly poisoned. So too, the presence of “alkali’’ is harmful, as indeed is the case with many other soil constituents. It must be borne in mind that lime, magnesia, soda, iron, etc. etc. very dilute solutions of which plants need, or at least are tolerant of, when in strong solutions become fatally poisonous. In some cases the soil may be helped by the appli- cation of some corrective, but for the most part it will pay the fruit grower best to make selection of a soil which does not con- tain any of these substances in poisonous quantities. 4. Wounds. Attention has been repeatedly called to the in- jurious effects of wounds on trees; in fact they are comparable in their harmfulness to open wounds in animals. And just as in animals a wound is a place through which harmful bacteria may gain entrance to the body, so a wound ina tree allows various kinds of injurious fungi to enter the inner tissues. 184 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Every wound on a tree, from whatever cause is a danger, and should be cared for if the life of the tree is to be indefinitely prolonged. The most general cause of wounds is the wind, which breaks or twists the branches and often splits them badly. In the dense forests, trees are rarely injured in this way, as they protect one another, but every isolated tree is especially subject to the power of the wind. Orchard trees are usually planted so far apart that they are exposed to almost the full fury of the wind, and after every storm many trees show many ragged wounds through which fungi of various kinds may enter. Another fruitful source of wounds is the gnawing of the bark by rabbits and other animals. These wounds are not as deep as those due to the winds, and yet they are often even more harmful, since they expose or destroy the cambium, and so stop the stem growth, often resulting in the early death of the tree. The third class of wounds includes those made by the fruit grower himself when he prunes his trees. In many cases heis wise enough to so handle his trees that he does not have to re- move any large branches, thus avoiding the necessity of making large wounds. Butin too many cases the tree is allowed to grow as it will for a number of years, and then when too many branches have started, the top is severely pruned, leaving many open wounds through which fungi gains entrance, and in which decay sooner or later sets in. If these wounds in the top are accompanied with the wounds on the roots, which accompany transplanting, the tree is in a sad plight indeed. The wonder is that with so many gaping wounds the tree ever recovers. And there can be no question that these partially healed wounds are the cause of the early deathofmanyatree. Such trees are like the soldiers who have many wounds, from which they seem to recover for a time, only to find after a while that the old wounds which were only partially healed, finally drag them down to death. A wounded tree is like a wounded man, it may recover from it , but there is always danger that the wound is not fully healed, and may some day prove fatal. 5. Loss of necessary parts. All things considered the leaves PLANT PATHOLOGY. 185 are the most necessary organs of plants, especially of trees, and yet the leaves are frequently destroyed so that the plant is naked. Now the leaves are not the clothing of the tree, as is supposed by some people, but they are much more like the stomach, in which the food is prepared so that it can be used by the plant. A tree without leaves is in practically the same condition of an animal which has no stomach. Of course this is avery crude comparison but it is true to this extent that both leaf and stomach are necessary organs in the preparation and digestion of food, on the one hand for the tree, and on the other for the animal. When insects eat the leaves of a tree they de- stroy to that extent the power of the plant to use the available plant food, especially that derived from the air. And this is the real nature of the injury of the tree when its leaves are lost whether by insects, frost, hail or any other means. The result is always the same, namely the loss of the power of utilizing food. Such a condition is in fact one form of starvation, and the final result so far as the plant is concerned is the same. Roots are sometimes destroyed by insects, moles or other burrowing animals. The principal function of roots is to ab- sorb water and food matters from the soil, so that the loss of roots implies the loss of the power to absorb water and such foods as are in the soil water. A tree whose roots have been eaten off is in danger of dying from thirst as well as from starva- tion. But trees suffer from the loss of their roots at the hands of man himself, when he digs them out in such a way as to cut off the roots close to the base of the trunk. A tree so mutilated is in as pitable a condition as when it has suffered such a loss through other means.. The mere fact that the owner of the tree has purposely cut off the roots does not help the poor tree. It is quite as likely to die from thirst and starvation as though the mutilation had been been done by rascally gophers or moles. Some years the flowers of apple trees suddenly die before the fruit has set. Here the disease is confined to the reproduc- tive organs of the tree, and while the life of the tree itself is not threatened, the crop of fruit is ruined. This disease is often due to a form of blight, closely related if not identical with the 186 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. ordinary blight of twigs and leaves. In other cases it is due to the presence of small worms (larvae) which eat the soft tissues of the flower stalks and bases, killing the whole cluster much as in the case of the blight. 6. Fungi. Here we come to one of the most fruitful causes of plant diseases. There are so many species of harmful fungi that every kind of plant in which the fruit grower is interested is infested by at least three or four, and some are attacked by ten timesas many. These affect trees in different ways but for my present purpose I shall notice only the following modes: (a) Some grow over the surface of the leaves choking them so that they can not perform their functions properly. A good example of such a surface fungus is the Powdery Mildew, which often attacks the leaves of nursery stock covering them with a fine white powder. Every nurseryman knows that-young trees so affected can not make a good growth. The reason is that the leaves can make the necessary food constituents, and as a consequence the tree is partially starved. (bo) Another typeof fungus grows on the surface of fruits,, forming patches and blotches which are unsightly. The com- mon Apple Scab is a familiar example of a fungus of this kind. It is a surface fungus, never penetrating deeply into the tissues of the apple, but producing such disfigurement as to seriously injure its market value. (c) Still another type of fungus is that which lives inside of the leaf tissues, killing small patches. Such are the many Leaf-Spot fungi, of which many species are known to be parasitic upon all kinds of plants grown by the fruit grower. Now the damage done by fungi of this kind is directly proportional to the amount of tissue killed in each leaf. In case of the Shot-hole fungus I have seen leaves in which one-tenth of their tissue was killed, which implies that the leaves had only nine-tenths of their full power to make food for the use of the tree. It is equivalent to reducing the food of the tree by just that amount. (d) There is still another type of fungus which lives inside of some part of the tree and decays it. Such fungi are among the most destructive with which we have to deal, and unfortunately they are abundant. Some of them enter the root where it is wounded, and penetrate and rot the wood, turning it into a soft, dry, rotten mass. Hereis where PLANT PATHOLOGY. 187 the evil effects of mutilation of the roots are manifest. Where a tree has rotten roots it can not secure a sufficent supply of water and food matters from the soil, sothat it suffers from thirst and starvation, while at the same time it is liable to still greater injury by being blown over by severe winds. Allied to the fungi which produce root rot and possibly identical with them are those producing stem rot. They gain access through wounds and penetrate the stem tissues, turning them into a mass of decay. Aside from the weakness of stem, making them especially liable to injury in high winds, the trees so at- tacked show evidence of general thirst and starvation. Many fruits are attacked by rot-producing fungi, as in the common apple rot, where a fungus gains entrance through some puncture or wound inthe skin, and then penetrates all the tissues of the fruit, eventually turning the whole into a rotten mass. GENERAL NATURE OF FUNGI. It is not enough to know how a fungus acts in attacking a plant. While that is essential, it is by no means sufficient to enable the fruit grower to know what to do to eradicate it. We must know how and when it reproduces itself. Now every fungus at some time in its life produces tiny seeds (spores) so small that they are easily carried by the wind for considerable distances. No fungus comes spontaneously any more than do ‘weeds or grass. Every one comes from a seed just as every tree comes from a seed. It is these minute seeds that blow from plant to plant, and from tree to tree, thus carrying the disease. Now it is a well established fact that every fungus is much more easily combated if taken when it first appears than after it gains full headway. It is with fungi as it is with weeds in your garden:—you can kill them best when they are young, and it is a pretty big job to kill them after they are tall and pretty well rooted. It is important therefore that the fruit grower should know when and where the fungi begin their work on his trees and fruit, for this is the best time to spray with Bordeaux mixture in order to kill the largest number of fungi. Still another reason why the fruit grower should quite certainly 188 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY know when the fungi begin to grow is that while he can kill them with Bordeaux mixture as long as they have not penetrated the tissues, when that is accomplished and they are safely in- side of the leaf or fruit it is quite useless to spray. Here then is one of the most important things which a fruit grower must know as much about as possible, and it will pay him to give much time and thought to it. SOME FACTS ABOUT PLANT DISEASES. Another thing to be remembered is that some plant diseases ean be “‘cured,’? and many can not. Thirst can be cured if the trouble is in the soil, and the roots are all right. So starvation can be cured by enriching the soil, if the roots, stem and leaves are in good condition. Mild cases of poisoning can be cured, but severe cases invariably prove fatal. Wounds that have been neglected are incurable, but if taken when first formed, and treated properly they may generally be made to heal quickly and effectively. The loss of necessary organs is not necessarily irreparable. Leaves will sometimes appear after they have been destroyed by insects or fungi. Roots will often push out to take the place of those which were cut off, and even flowers which have been destroyed will be replaced by a later set if the tree is in vigorous condition. On the other hand diseases due to fungi are generally incurable in any proper sense. An in- ternal leaf fungus can not be eradicated when once it is inside of the leaf, and so a fruit rot or a stem rot can not be remedied. In such cases prevention is all that can be done. We can pre- vent the fungus from getting into the leaf, stem or fruit, but when once it is inside it is safe from any sprays or other remedial measures which we can employ against it. AVOID QUACKS. The last thing which I think the fruit grower should know in connection with this matter of plant diseases is that here as elsewhere there are quacks to be avoided. There are all sorts of patent medicines advertised for curing all sorts of plant di- seases. Now these things are just like the patent medicines which fill so many yards of shelving in the drug stores in every PLANT PATHOLOGY. 189 town,—they are made to sell, and to bring money into the pockets of the makers of the medicines. My best advice to every fruit grower is to absolutely refuse to buy any of these advertized remedies and invigorators. When you are sorely tempted to buy a cure-all for your tree troubles, write to the Experiment Station, and we will give you the best advice we can, and not charge youa cent for it either. After some discussion the President appointed a committee consisting of HE. M. Pollard, C. H. Green and J. H. Hadkinson, to confer with Dr. Bessey and Prof. Bruner in regard to a state appropriation to be used for fighting insect pests, after which the following resolution was unanimously adopted: Whereas, Each year great losses are sustained by thefarmers, fruit growers, stock raisers and other tillers of the soil, as a direct result of the ravages of various insect pests, and, Whereas, Many problems arise in connection with the con- trol of these pests which can only be solved by specially trained persons who devote their time to the study of matters like these, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That we, the members of the Nebraska State Horticultural Society, do favor and recommend that a liberal appropriation of funds be made, by the present session of the legislature for the use of the acting State Entomologist; such money to be used in the study and control of insect pests like the Hessian Fly, chinch bug, destructive grasshoppers, codling moth, apple curculio, San Jose scale, melon louse, bud both, alfalfa, corn, wheat, garden and other insects, as well as the in- sect enemies of domestic animal and injurious insects in general. Meeting adjourned until 9:00 A. M., January 19th. - 190 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. FOURTH SESSION. THURSDAY, JANUARY 19TH, 9:00 A. M. THE PRESIDENT: The first subject on our program this morning is “Progress of Fruit Culture in Kearney County,’’ by Mr. D. C. Blissof Minden. This should have been given yester- day afternoon, but we over ran our time, so we will hear Mr. Bliss now. PROGRESS OF FRUIT CULTURE IN KEARNEY COUNTY. BY D. C. BLISS, MINDEN. Mr. President, and Friends of Horticulture: I believe this is the first opportunity that has ever presented itself to me to be with the horticulturists of Nebraska. For that reason it gives me considerable embarrassment toappear before you. In addition to that, I realize there is another cause for embarrassment, which is the fact that horticulturists, their wives and families are considered rather superior in intelligence to the general classes of people we come across. . Kearney county, lying about 185 miles west of Lincoln, em- bracing Range 13, 14, 15 and 16 West, the northern limit extend- ing to the Platte river, and the southern boundary within twenty miles of the Republican river, consisting mostly of a level table land, with a rich deep soil, is preeminently an agri- cultural district. Agriculture and horticulture are so nearly allied that they should go hand in hand, that where all kinds of produce are successfully grown from year to year, more attention should be given to the growing of fruit and other trees. All kinds of produce, wheat, corn and oats, have but once in twenty years proved a failure. : The year 1894, not only in Kearney county, but largely through the state owing to the extreme drouth, was generally known as PROGRESS OF FRUIT CULTURE IN KEARNEY COUNTY. 191 the year of almost total failure of all kinds of crops. Soil, cli- matic conditions, and a sufficient amount of rain-fall, are the principal request which enter into successful production of all agricultural and horticultural products in all places. These are natural requisites which vary to a considerable ex- tent in different sections of the county, and can be modified only to a limited extent by anything which man can do. Thesoil, or the elements of which it is composed, when exhausted by ex- cessive production, may to a limited extent be renewed from time to time. We believe the soil on the great divide from the Missouri river to the western part of the state, between the Platte and the Republican river, is more uniform in quality than in most other states in the union. As to climate we think, comparing the extreme eastern counties of the state, where successful orcharding has so many years been carried on, to the central and western districts, there can be but little difference. As to the amount of rain-fall necessary to produce crops of all kinds, as well as to the successful growing of trees and plants, the amount varies to some extent from year to year. In Kearney county since the year 1890, the greatest rain-fall was in 1891, amounting to 44 89/100 inches. Thesmallest amount falling in 1894, being 16 43/100 inches. ‘This was the year of almost a total failure. The average yearly rain-fall since 1890, being 29 60/100 inches. The decade previous to this the aver- age was 85 48/ 100 inches. We find by comparison with the eastern and north-eastern counties of the state, that these averages were but little below the average there, while -it was somewhat greater than the record shows in some of the south-eastern counties. We mention these facts and figures to show that while Kear- ney county and the central and western section of our state is not so much behind other parts of the state in these natural conditions, but comparing the eastern portion of the state with the western in the matter of fruit production, we must have to submit to be relegated to the rear. We must then look for other reasons than those above men- 192 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. tioned to show why we do not come up to the standard of fruit raising in some other places. It is surely not altogether be- cause we do not plant trees enough, neither is it because there is no demand for fruit, or that people do not cultivate a taste for the same. We have in Minden a wholesale fruit man, Mr. Ben. Johnson, who informs me that he has some years bought and shipped to Minden as high as 105 car loads of apples alone in a single year, in addition to many car loads of all other kinds of fruit in its sea- son. Someone must buy and consume allthis. I do not wish to be understood, however, that all of this is consumed at home, as his shipments extend all along the different lines of road west. The demand is very rapidly increasing from year to year, and a plenty of room for the home grower. I have so far said but little in regard to the progress of fruit culture in this county and the counties lying adjacent to this, and do not wish to be understood to mean that we do not grow fruit to some extent. Kearney county contains no large com- mercial orchards, but contains many small family orchards, consisting largely of apple, cherry, plum and peaches. Within the last few days we have visited and had reports from quite a number in this immediate vicinity, who are engaged to some extent in growing fruit. G. A. Strand, a typical farmer and stock raiser living three miles north-west of Minden, and a horticulturist as well, with a beautiful farm home, surrounded with beautiful flowers, ever- ereens, shrubs and shade trees, reports about one-hundredapple trees planted in 1886, largely Ben Davis, Wine Saps, Genetan, Wealthys and Duchess. Trees all in fine condition at the present time, and entirely free from twig blight, which we trust has run its course here. Mr. Strand reports a very light crop of apples this year, but - other years has produced fairly well, especially the Ben Davis, Duchess and Wealthy. His cherry orchard, mostly Early Rich- mond and Montmorency, produced a crop of fine cherries, mar- keting from 130 to 150 bushels. English Morello all killed. Mr. J. T. Kelly ten miles east of Minden planted twenty acres PROGRESS OF FRUIT CULTURE IN KEARNEY COUNTY. 193 of apples seventeen and eighteen years ago, mostly Ben Davis. This orchard since coming into bearing several years ago, has produced from 600 to 700 bushels per year, and two years ago produced from 1000 to 1200 bushels. Winesaps and Genetans usually inferior in quality and little worth. Mr. Kelly usually cultivates with a disk and harrow, and thinks the quality of fruit has been much improved by spraying, which he usually does from once to three times during the season. John Beishein seven miles. north-west has a small number of apples planted twenty years ago, which borea crop the past year of from five to - seventeen bushels per tree. Planted last spring about one hun- dred trees, consisting of apple, some cherries and peaches, which cost him a little less on an average than $1.00 per tree, with pears at $1.50 each, bought of an agent of an eastern dealer. Says he does not care about the cost if they only grow. Alonzo Springer reports two-hundred of apples and cherries in good condition, bearing good crops of from five to ten bushels per tree, with Duchess and Early Harvest in the lead. John Havens, section 16-7-14, reports an orchard of six-hundred apple trees, seventy-five cherry, two-hundred budded peaches, and two-thousand seedlings. Many of these latter killed by the ice storm on the 29th and 80th of April, 1908. Balance of trees in good condition. ‘This is a contract orchard where he gives one- half the crop for a series of years. Mr. Haven sends samples of seedling apples which has borne a heavy crop of fruit for several years, of excellent quality. He wishes the samples in- spected by this association. Mr. Buchanan, section 8-7-14, near the above, reports another contract orchard of eight-hundred apples, one-hundred cherries, and six-hundred and fifty peaches. Apples five years old, and cherries and peaches two and eight years old, all in good con- dition, with the exception of the English Morellos which are all gone. Mr. Shearer also reports similar to the above, about twelve-hundred trees in good condition, and had two-hundred bushels of peaches. Mr. Shearer cultivates with disk and har- row, as per contract. Edward Krick reports two-hundred apple trees planted twenty-three years ago, twenty-eight feet apart, with no wind- break for protection, and has borne good crops for many years. 194 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY Mr. Krick, like many others, who planted years ago, has always cultivated witha stirring plow two or three times each year, but wouldnot now recommend this method of cultivation. I have been over other counties in this horticultural district more or less the past twenty years and find about the same conditions to contend withas here, finding once in a while some man who has had faith enough in Nebraska to plant and care for successfully, while the majority of men fail from different causes. We visited a peach orchard near Beaver City last summer while the crop was being gathered, where the owner reported between two-thou- sand and three-thousand bushels of fruit, which he was selling from $1.50 to $2.00 per bushel. In one orchard near McCook, one-hundred miles west of Minden, two-thousand bushels of cherries were grown. The planting of budded peaches, to any extent over these western counties is of comparative recent dates, many thinking that a seedling peach is good enough, and think that they cost them nothing. This idea seems to be wear- ing off in the past few years, that it costs no more time and labor to produce a choice budded tree than a seedling. Realizing that the failure of the many, in comparison with the success of the few, in localities where the local conditions as to soil and climate are the same to the man who fails, as to him who succeeds, we are led to believe that the causes of success or failure lie largely in the interest and the knowledge of him who plants. It is then largely a matter of education and from what source that information is obtained. In the first place then, one must become interested in any work of the kind as the principal element in his success. It must be of that kind of interest which will prompt him to obtain all the practical knowledge available, which will bear on the subject in hand. John Smith buys a bill of trees, and afterwards says to himself, “T was a fool to let that agent talk me into bnying this bill, be- cause the trees will not grow in Nebraska any way. But now I have bought them, I will plant them, but I do not expect they will grow, and if they do I will never get any fruit from them.”’ He plants his trees as quickly as possible, just to get the job off his hands, and perhaps does not see them again till sometime in the fall, when he finds the result as he at first predicted, all dead. PROGRESS OF FRUIT CULTURE IN KEARNEY COUNTY. 195 He does not stop to consider whether he first prepared his soil in a proper manner, or whether they were properly planted, and whether the lack of care had anything to do with his failure, and says he will never try again. Will Jones also is seized with a desire to beautify his home and add to the value of it, by planting trees and says to himself, “TI believe I can successfully grow trees in Nebraska, I have made a study to some extent of the conditions existing in my community. I will attend horticultural meetings and farmers’ institutes, and obtain all the information possible in relation to what to plant and how, and fully inform myself in regard to best methods of cultivation as to when and how to do the same.”’ He goes to the nearest reliable nurseryman he can reach, one who has spent years of study and thought, and who perhaps is a specialist in his line, and buys his trees and has the confidence of his nurseryman, and tries to follow his advice in reference to the future of the same. John Smith fails and Wm. Jones succeeds. Wm. Jones has faith and follows up his faith by his works. John Smith has neither faith, works or trees. Howtoreachthem. Perhaps something might be done in some sections through well organ- ized horticultural county societies. I woud favor an organiza- tion of this kind in every county in the state. The local press might, ifit would do something along this line. I believe every live county paper should have an agricultural and horticultural department, and invite a discussion along this lineto its columns. Every one who plants a tree should know a little something of the principal of propagation... He should at least, know some- thing of what seeds come true to name, and what must be bud- ded or grafted to produce like the parent tree, and a knowledge of how the operation is performed. I know a man who bought two-hundred peach trees, at one dollar each, because the agent told him they were bred ona “‘Hard Maple’’ root and just could not freeze down. About all this man has to show for his invest- ment, is his experience. We do not expect every one to bea Luther Burbank, Baily or Hodge, a Harrison or a Stevens. I do not wish to close this article without making reference to one of the growing evils of the day, an evil in which every Nebraska horticulturist should be interested in checking, as it not only 196 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. affects the man who plants, but the nurseryman as well. An evil which does not probably exist in the eastern part of the state to the extent it does here, and elsewhere over the west, as the masses of the people there who plant are better informed along these lines. ;, I refer to the work of the so called “Tree Agent” or dealer, claiming to do business generally through eastern nurseries. These western counties have for many years been made the dumping ground of nursery stocks which was never grown in Nebraska and never passed through the hands of any Nebraska nurseryman. In my twenty years experience in this county, as nearly as can be estimated, from $5,000 to $10,000 worth an- nually, of such kind of stock has been distributed among the farmers of the county; and other counties have about the same experience. Purchasers usually paying from three to five times as much for the stock as the same might have been pro- cured for at home. Probably not five per cent of such stock is rowing to-day. It is not always because of the poor quality or worthlessness of the stock that renders the same of so little value, but more because of the fact that in buying of the class of adventurers they are made to believe thattheir success depends altogether on buying of them, without giving any practical knowledge of how to dothe work. Theaverage salesman repre- senting this class usually knows little and cares less whether the planter is successful than the planter himself. I would not disparage the honesty and intelligence of all salesman, as many are honest, and honestly represent some well known nursery. The majority of the salesman, however, are not of this class in {his western country. We have the “model orchard-man”’ who sells from $75 to $100 orchards, agreeing to plant, care for, and warrant for a series of years, who get their money and are never seen again. Nextcomes some one claiming to represent some northern nur- sery, and lay claims to the extra hardiness of this stock on ac- countofthe same being grownin a cold climate, then go to Hunts- ville, Alabama and buy stock to fill their orders. Another man sells two year old stock on three and four year old roots, al- ways different from that of any one else. Again some one sells some variety of peach or cherry, on which they have a copy- right, and the same can only be obtained through them. DISCUSSION. 197 In the same class of salesman belong the whole root man, and the budded tree man, who claims a monopoly on the same kind of trees they sell, and claim that Nebraska tree men are not up to date, and never discovered things as are well known to them. Experience of twenty-five or thirty years of a Nebraska nursery- man does not count for as much as one or two months of experi- ence as salesman which they have had. Only a year or two since Icame across a “gang’’ of men in one of our western coun- ° ties who were making a run on “Buck Thorn Hedge” at fancy prices, and furnishing Osage Orange to filltheir orders. Per- haps more sales are made on the old trick of selling at fancy prices and agreeing to take half their pay from one-half the third years crop, the purchaser always thinking he is getting the best of the bargain. Our observation is that the majority of sales over the west are made on such schemes as these; schemes to which the honest nurseryman or salesman does not resort. Is there any remedy for all this? DISCUSSION. Mr. SHROYER: I am notanurseryman, but I am a buyer of trees, always have been; I believe I was a born lover of trees. While the gentleman was relating the experiences with tree agents, many recollections came back to me. I don’t know whether I felt bad or not. I have been through the mill, but I want to say that I visited a nursery and saw trees dug up early in the morning and left on the ground in the hot sun until one o’clock in the afternoon. Now can you wonder why such trees would not grow, and why we don’t patronize home nurseries more? It is for such reasons as this that we deal with the tree agents. Mr. Buss: What the gentleman says about the home nur- sery digging up trees early in the morning and leaving them on the ground until afternoon may be true occasionally, but I would like to ask whether a home nursery is more liable to do that than any other nursery. I believe as a rule that our home nur- serymen handle their stock very carefully. THE PRESIDENT: If you have a home nursery that don’t do _ business right, then find another that does and deal with them. Know their reputation. They are generally reliable though. 198 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Mr. Snoperass: If aman is going to set out a dozen trees, he ought to go to some home nursery and get the trees himself. Iam very particular about the kind of trees I plant out. When “I am going to set out a bunch of trees, I want to go to the nur- sery and get the trees myself. I want to select the trees. When I geta tree in good condition, properly taken up and with a good root system, I will take care of the balance of it. Mr. GRIMSTEAD: Down in the south-eastern part of the state a traveling nursery agent has pretty lean picking with the tree planters. We have never had to complain of our home nurseries yet. If I was ever swindled by a home nurseryman, I have never known it. We have done some business with the traveling nursery agent, but the trees they sold have never borne any fruit yet. Mr. HAe:. Nevertheless, the people generally buy of agents, and I understand the nurserymen sell to the agents. So the agent can put in one variety or another, just as he pleases. I am sure weare handicapped along that line. Wecannotalways depend upon our nurserymen unless we can go direct to the nursery and get the trees ourselves. Mr. IsAAc POLLARD: It seems to me that that ought to be one of the duties of this society, to disseminate the knowledge that local nurseries are all right. We oughtto stand up for them and support them. We have something like twenty thousand fruit trees at home, and have never bought of fruit agents and have never had any trouble with our trees. We have always sent direct to the nursery and have never had any trouble in getting what we want. If aman wants to plant trees, he will do better to send direct to some local nursery or go him- self. Don’t depend upon anagent if you want to get good trees. Deal direct with the nurseryman who has a reputation, and you will get what you want and be treated fairly too. Mr. A. J. BRowN: This society in its wisdom yesterday ap- pointed a committee to look after the fruit interests of the state in connection with railroad freight rates. Now this committee is bound to be put to some expense, and the society should pro- DISCUSSION. 199 vide them with funds to carry on their work. So I move that the society appropriate $300 or as much as is necessary to carry on that work. Motion seconded and carried. Mr. E. M. Powuarpb: I would like to introduce the follow- ing resolution: To the Chancellor and Regents of the State University: We, who are members of the Nebraska State Horticultural Society, are much pleased to find in your Seventeenth Biennial Report that you say, “The duty confronts us, urged, and justly, by the leading fruit growers in the state, of making ample provision for investigating plant diseases. The demand must be met at the earliest moment, and plant pathology made a regular line of inquiry at the Experiment Station.”’ We wish to commend most heartily this portion of your re- port, and to urge upon you the absolute necessity of providing for the beginning of this work the present year. The losses which we have suffered from diseases affecting apple and cherry trees within the past two years are so great that we feel that the Ex- periment Station must not wait longer before taking up the work of investigating the causes of the trouble. Do not let this matter fail. Weaskthat you carry out your excellent suggestion in your Spring meeting, so that the work may be begun this year. It is of vital interest to us and the fruit growing industry of the state is largely dependent upon your favorable action. If you act now, you may be the means of saving this industry. If you delay action, it will imperil its very existence in the state. We hereby authorize our committee to call upon you and pre- sent this matter further, and ask you to give them a favorable hearing. Above resolution unanimously adopted by the society. Mr. POLLARD: I move that acommittee of three be appointed to call upon the Chancellor and present this resolution, and do it in such a way that it will be regarded as coming direct from the society. Motion carried. 200 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. - Mr. Hapkrnson: Mr. Marshall and I were talking with the Chancellor this morning, and he will be pleased to see anybody from the society. This is the proper time to do this. The President appointed EK. M. Pollard, J. H. Hadkinson and J. A. Yager as this committee. THE PRESIDENT: We will now hear from Ex-Governor R. W. Furnas, who will speak on “Reminiscences of Early Hor- ticulture in Nebraska.” REMINISCENCES OF EARLY HORTICULTURE IN NEBRASKA. BY R. W. FURNAS. Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, Members of the Nebraska Horticultural Society: It affords me a great deal of pleasure in- deed to meet with an organization of which I am proud to say I helped organize. Ihave been honored with an invitation to take the subject ‘““Reminicences of Early Horticulture in Nebraska.” I fear if I get launched into this, I will not know when to stop, so I will try to take as little of your time as possible. I really felt though that I would not be able to fill my engagement this morning, but when I learned that Mr. Masters was here at- tending the meeting, I came to see him and to shake his hand. He and I started at almost the same time in Nebraska. There is a great fascination about early work in a new, untried region of country. I think Mr. Masters came here about as I did, from on older region of country, where everything was pretty well established and sure. Going into a new country then was something that very few persons ever thought of. I came here in 1855, from an old and well settled portion of Ohio. A young man in Ohio at that time was simply known as a son of his parents as long as they lived. But when I came west to the new country, I found that a young man counted as a whole man here. We came here with big ideas of Horticulture. All this country west of the Missouri River was then known as the Great American Desert. It was quite an undertaking for a young man to start into this new country. We did’nt know EARLY HORTICULTURE IN NEBRASKA. 201 whether we would do well here or not, but we made a beginning. We had a great deal to learn. We learned that our old time favorites of the east could not be raised here. In figuring up, we found that it cost us about one dollar per tree to learn what could be grownhere. We had to pay good prices for our stock. I remember I paid one dollar each for the-first Concord grape vines that I bought and planted. The price did seem high. But when, ina few years, I gathered the delectable fruit from the vines and sold what I had to spare at ten cents per pound, I felt amply repaid. Now you are compelled to take ten to fif- teen cents per basket for it. Of course, there has been an in- creased supply and demand. But I say yet, that good number one fruits do not go begging today. They bring good prices. People do not think of the price when they are getting good fruit. Now to keep on growing this good fruit, the depreda- tions of the insects have got to be gotten rid of. Orchards ought to be kept in better condition than they are. Diseased and feeble trees are the hiding places of insects. If the trees were keptin better shape, I don’t think we would have the insect depredations that we have today. The young men and young women of this day and age of the world have advantages that we old folks never had. See all these improvements on this University Farm. There was no Profes- sor of Horticulture in those days with a fund of information at his command for our benefit. Then each man was his own hor- ticultural professor, and our school was the expensive school of experience. Those were the days when it meant not only hard work, but self sacrifice as well to be a horticulturist. I have been very much interested in ascertaining who planted the first apple trees in the state. My friend Mr. Masters planted his first trees on the sixteenth day of March, 1855. That same fall a certain Mr. Bobst went down into Missouri and brought back a bundle of apple trees on horseback tied be- hind his saddle. These were planted on the twentieth of Sep- tember, 1855. I have been given to understand that a Mr. G. B. Lore planted some apple trees at DuBois, in 1853, some of which are still alive and bearing fruit. So far as I know these three plantings were the earliest of any in Nebraska. iE have been associated with the horticultural movement in 202 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Nebraska for nearly half a century. I am satisfied with Nebraska. I would not give up my Nebraska home for a home in any part of God’s domain. The very fact that I have lived here for fifty years is ample proof of the fact that I believe with all my heart that Nebraska is the best spot on God’s earth. I thank you for your attention. (Applause.) THE PRESIDENT: Next onour program is a paper on “Pears” by Mr. J. O. Shroyer of Humboldt. PEARS. BY J. O.SHROYER, HUMBOLDT. Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: In the early days of the history of our state it was often hinted to the settler that his family must forego the fruit that was considered a substantial part of the product of his former home in the Kast. How well we remember how we fought the gnats and mosquitoes as we bent over the wild gooseberries along the creek, or trudged a mile or two to get a pail of wild plums and even the tart wild grapes that hung so tantalizing from the very top of some brit- tle boxalder would cause us to risk life and limb to secure the wherewithal to make a few pies. The friendly ties of the most social neighborhood was often drawn to the tightest tension in the scramble for the posses- sion of the wild fruit that grew along the streams, indeed we remember one man who cut down a fine patch of plums because his wife was every year so aggravated because the plums would be attacked by gangs of the marauders that would pick the fruit before it had a chance to ripen. Then later on apples began to be plenty and a few of the bravest began to plant cherries, peaches, and other tame fruit. Then the wild fruit had to be pretty handy or it was not picked at all, and now a lusty vine can flaunt it’s clusters of purple fruit beside the road through all the autnmn days and no hand is stretched to gather. We had an appetite for something better, and we have proved that Nebraska’s fertile soil has bid- PEARS. 203 den a hearty welcome to the luscious fruits of which we often dreamed in those early days. On our trees, bushes and vines at Glenview Farm we soon had apples, berries and all other common fruits growing in such profusion that we no longer haunted the hunting grounds of the gnat and mosquito, but we were not completely happy, for in memory we still had one dream that had never come true. We coveted the old pear tree bending beneath it’s load of golden fruit that grew close down over the woodshed beside the old home back East. Some eighteen years ago when I bought my first order of trees for my orchard, I put down two Keiffer pears, I had heard that Keiffers were about the only pears that would do any good at alland Iwas warned that I probably would never eat a Keiffer from my own trees, but I loved trees, and it was not the only. time that I have invested money to experiment with some new thing. Now that nurseryman with whom I dealt (peace to his ashes) did something that none of his profession who live in this day would think of doing. Not having a supply of Keiffers, but be- ing long on Keiffer tags, he put a tag of that name on a couple of Bartlett trees and sent them along without explanation. Of course I have since blessed that man for being a deceiver, as the Bartlett is a vastly superior pear. I planted those trees in the apple orchard between the trees as I was told they would die ina few years anyway and be out of the way. ‘Then some fellow told me that pears would not bear unless in a sod and as I wanted pears as well as trees, L dug them up and moved them to the lawn right in the midst of a bluegrass plot. They are small trees yet but are thrifty and during the past few years have borne two crops of pears, but the winds blew so hard in those early days and the wood of a pear tree was so supple that they are not very fine specimens. When those trees did begin to bloom I noticed that the hard south winds often struck them roughly, so I decided that I would set out more trees and put them where a belt of cedars kept off the south winds. This time we made a more extensive selection and bought 204 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. both drawf and standard trees, and my success with this lot of trees has been satisfactory, and as a plate of Anjou pears from Glenview Farm took a gold medal at the St. Louis Exposition, I feel that my experiments along this line have proved that the prairie home need not be without this delicious fruit. But re- member that whatever I may say in this paper is but the ideas obtained from limited experiences and I would hardly dare at- tempt to say anything along this line, did I not know that there are a score of fruit growers with a vastly wider knowledge of this subject who are present and whom I invite to allow no wrong impressions to be taken away from this meeting by listeners. WHAT TREES TO PLANT. The season for pears begins in August and during the past season we enjoyed the pear from about the middle of that month until Christmas day, when we ate the last of the Anjous. And now we are going to plant some winter varieties so that the sea- son will be farther prolonged. Wilder Early is a medium sized greenish yellow pear that ripens before the middle of August, and is nice looking and fine eating, our trees of this variety are small but have borne two light crops. Bartlett then follows the first of September and if you only have room for one pear planta Bartlett, for it is sim- ply perfection in what a fine pear should be, fine in shape, fine in color, fine in texture and above all fine in flavor. Then comes the Idaho, and this is a very fair sort of pear, a heavy bearer of nice large fruit that is fine for household pur- poses and not so early as to strike the busy season of canning and preserving. We had a surplus of this pear this season and besides selling some, we hada nice supply that lasted all through November. If you plant pears, pears to eat, pears to can and preserve, pears for the children to carry to school, and pears to sell, then plant a few trees of the Idahos. They will not be so good in quality as the Bartletts, but you will have pears and plenty of them, in fact the Idaho is the Ben Davis of the pear family, a good honest everyday sort of a pear. PEARS. 205 But if it had not of been for the dwarf Anjou pear tree that I planted a few years ago you would not of had to bear the burden of hearing this paper read. The Anjou is a remarkable pear. It keeps in fine eating shape from the first of November until the last of December and is a large bell-shaped pear, one speci- men that I measured was eleven and three quarters inches in circumference. They are just juicy enough to eat well out of hand, and the keeping quality is superb. PLANTING AND CULTIVATION. A pear tree should be set deeper than it was grown in the nursery, and in the case of dwarfs it should be set three or four inches above the graft. I would plant some dwarfs, for they are quite ornamental and would grace any lawn and do not take up much room, and then they come into bearing so much sooner. As to putting them in the sod, I think they will grow and bear in the heaviest bluegrass sod, in fact I have them do- ing so, but it is better to cultivate them some while young and mulch them later on. Fertilization will not hurt them. Indeed I told one fellow that I put twenty-five dollars worth of fertilizer around every | pear tree I had, and when he looked at me as if he thought I had gone crazy, I speedily told him that when my barn was burned some years ago, I distributed the ashes among the pear trees and estimated the value at so much per load. Nevertheless we find it a good plan to put both wood and coal ashes about the pear trees, and also while remodeling our house some time ago we distributed the plaster and lime about them also, and the tree from which the gold medal fruit was raised had a compost heap of stable manure within six feet of it for the past year, as we have such a heap of rotted manure handy for use about the lawn. Of course this rich plant food will in- duce a large growth and it is well to prune the pear trees some- what, and in order to prove this we used the knife very severely on some of our trees last spring and the result was beyond our anticipations, it is alright to remove from one-third to one-half of the previous years growth. In this way the trees will not grow so pyramidal in shape and the bearing surface will be ul- 206 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. timately increased as well as brought nearer our base of oper- ation in picking time. In fact itis very hard to pick the fruit from a tall slender tree. But in trimming remember that it is the last years wood that contains the fruit spurs, and do not re- move so much of it that there will be no bloom. There is no branch of pear culture more neglected than that of pruning, the pyramidal form is the most natural, although there are other forms such as the vase in which there is much to be commended in our western country for it contemplates a low head composed of three or four main branches that are allowed to start from the main stem at aheight of not more than two feet from the ground, and by careful work an open spreading head is obtained. But for the average westerner this may entail too much labor and perhaps the best plan is to let the natural form alone and when the trees begin to arrive at that stage where they grow rapidly, it is only necessary to remove all water sprouts and limbs that interfere, cut excessive growth and attain a moder- ately low heading. By a yearly pruning in this way the bear- ing surface of the tree may be wonderfully increased and a ten- dency to blight be vastly counteracted. , DISEASES OF THE PEAR. Blight, scab and leaf blight are the most dreaded enemies that we have to contend with in pear culture, and perhaps blight is the dread enemy of most of the Nebraska growers. It is acontagious bacterial disease of the pear and allied fruits. It may attack any part of the tree, blossoms, new growth, limbs or trunk, and while the blight may not attack the leaves it is certain that they succumb in a short time after the limb is struck by this dread disease. 'The leaves do not fall after dying but remain attached and are a mute feature that points us to the trouble. Only that part of the tree that is directly struck by the di- sease is affected and all remaining portions are healthy until the bacteria reaches them. The progress is usually at the rate of from two to three inches a day but may be more rapid. PEARS. 207 It has been proved that by innoculating a healthy tree with the germs a state of disease is produced. Bees or other insects may transfer this disease from one part of a tree to another, or from a diseased tree to a healthy one. The only efficient remedy is to cut away all diseased portions leaving only the healthy wood. Scab is another disease that in some sections is very much to be feared, but it is rather a wet weather disease, we have little to fear from it except in phenomonally wet seasons. The means of fighting this foe is found in the spray pump with the Bordeaux mixture. But after all the pear -has no more diseases than other fruits, and it is well deserving of more attention than the horticul- turists of our state have heretofore allowed it, and if anything that I, acommon farmer, can say, will cause my brother farmers to take up this much neglected fruit and give it the place that it deserves, then will these feeble efforts not have been in vain. But even if you are not quite sure that I have convinced you that the pear will give you a profitable return for labor and money expended, experiment on your own account, plant both the dwarf and standard varieties and plant for fruit both early and late. Others have experimented with the cherry and apple until they are growing where the men of twenty-five years ago said it was folly to plant them, so let it be with the pear. Let us no longer dream of the old pear tree back of the wood shed on grandfather’s farm back east, but let us anticipate a near realization of an ideal western home, where the pear tree shall become a boquet of snowy white in early spring, its branches bending beneath a weight of gold in days of autumn. I presume that by this time you have made up your minds that what I do not know about pears would make a very large and interesting volume and my surpries at being asked to ad- dress this honorable assembly upon this subject was very great and could hardly have been greater had I been called upon to tell Rockerfeller how to make money out of oil, or explain to Jim Hill the best plan to buy up a railroad. 208 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. But if my blunders in this attempt will have the effect of drawing out the knowledge of the knowing ones, then, not all of this valuable time will have been lost. What Idoknow about pears is limited to the experience gained in the way of providing a choice selection of this delicious fruit for home use, simply an ordinary farmer’s experience. DISCUSSION. Mr. Arxinson: ITamapearman. Itseems tome that there is possibly a wrong impression. Are you sure of the pears you call Idaho? f , Mr. SHROYER: Well, I got them from the nurseryman for that. Mr. ATKINSON: My experience is that the trees I got for Idaho have not been profitable. The original tree I got has never borne any. Mr. Martin: This is the first paper on pears that I have ever heard in Nebraska, and itis a good one. I think south- eastern Nebraska has ideal places for pears. I think pears can be grown there profitably, but we must stay with it. Mr. SHROYER: I bought a good many pear trees a year ago, and I got a few Idaho in them. They did all right for me, and I think it is a fine pear. Mr. HapkKINSoN: At St. Louis the Nebraska grown pears were commented upon quite freely. Mr. Masters: I would like to say just a word about the Idaho pear. I got afew Idaho, paid good prices for them, and I believe it is genuine and allright. The original tree has not borne a pear yet, but I took some scions from it and grafted them into the limbs of a bearing tree and got quite a number of speci- mens of the Idaho pear. It looks very much like the Duchess, - but don’t ripen at the same time. It is fully as good a pear I think. I don’t think it will blight any worse than other varieties. THE PRESIDENT: If there are no further questions or remarks we will now hear from Mr. Frank Williams of Tecumseh, on The Physiology and Pathology of Pruning. THE PHYSIOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY OF PRUNING. 209 THE PHYSIOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY OF PRUNING, BY FRANK WILLIAMS, TECUMSEH. The question often arises, why do we prune? To answer this question we need only visit a neglected orchard or grove of shade trees. We find that trees often suffer from mechanical — injuries which they receive in various ways. The more common are those received from storms, animals and insects. To re- pair these wounds, it is often necessary to regulate the growth by taking away certain of the old limbs and adding new ones. The crown of a tree which is left to develop naturally, often assumes a form which is disadvantageous. It produces such a_ number of branches that it becomes too thick at the center. This shuts out the light which is essential to the formation of plant food in the leaves. Then again we often find a large num- ber of water shoots produced, which hinder the growth of the tree, or may even stop it for atime. Therefore, it is necessary to prune to regulate the crown and take away the “water shoots.” A tree cannot be removed from a nursery row without having alarge number of its roots cut or broken. This diminishes the root system while the top is not changed. Thus if the top is not pruned the diminished root system will have to supply the entire top, which it cannot do satisfactorily. There are circumstances under which pruning is harmful, es- pecially if large branches are removed. The removal of large branches, while it may not cause a direct shock to the vitality of the tree, often exposes dangerous wounds. It perhaps opens the tree so much that some of the remaining parts sunscald, and borers and insects gain a foothold; it may also destroy the beauty and symmetry of the tree. Such branches represent a certain amount of energy which should have been directed to some part of the tree where it could have been used in building up structure which would benefit the tree. My attention is often called to the abominable work of the would be pruners who go about our cities horribly mutilating 210 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. beautiful structures which nature has been years in producing. These men seem to work without the slightest knowledge of the significance of pruning. They will prune at any time of the year; leave jagged stubs; peel the bark; cut all kinds of limbs and leave wounds unprotected. The worst example I have noticed of this pruning was upon a row consisting of twelve beautiful boxelder trees. The tops of the trees were entirely removed by taking off all the main branches late in the autumn. The branches were cut from four to six feet from the trunks. This not only completely ruined the beauty and symmetry, but it also left large exposed surfaces which allowed serious loss of water when the trees were least able to withstand it. These large rough wounds were also fruitful sources of infection for the wood-rotting fungi. The result was that at the end of two years nearly all the trees were dead, while similar unpruned trees in the same locality were healthy and vigorous, If the ordinary shade and forest trees are left to develop naturally I think there will be little or no need of pruning. In most such cases nature will prune sufficiently. Fruit trees are pruned almost entirely for economic reasons. A fruit tree, if left to develop naturally, will produce so many branches that when it begins bearing, the food-manufacturing organs of the tree will not be able to supply asufficient quantity of food to produce a superior quality of fruit. The question often arises, what is the least injurious form of a cut to make. If we examine a number of healing wounds it will be found that the younger the shoots the least injurious were the wounds. The danger in making wounds lies in what may follow. The setting in of decay is the most to be feared. Therefore the wounds should be made in a form which will heal most rapidly. The position of the wounds with reference to the main branch is also of importance. The cut should, in most cases, be made parallel to the primary axis of the main branch and the cut sur- face should be as nearly as possible in the same plane as the surface of the branch. It sometimes happens that a wound made in this way would be left with the cut surface in a horizon- tal position facing upward. This would be a very dangerous THE PHYSIOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY OF PRUNING. Fit position for a wound, especially if it werea large one. The reason why this position is dangerous is perfectly clear. Every wound while healing forms a cup shaped depression. If this depression be left in an upright position it would be an excel- lent device for catching various kinds of organic material to- gether with bacteria, and fungus spores, which will produce decay. Incase it is necessary to cut a limb which would leave a wound in this position, I think it would be better to cut it somewhat diagonally in order to prevent the danger, even though _ the wound does not heal so smoothly. In the healing of wounds the age of the injured organ is of foremost importance, as the process of healing works more ra- pidly the younger the injured tissues. The youngest tissues of roots and shoots are madé up of cells which are not differ- entiated into permanent structures. These cells are still able to undergo cell division and may be changed into a different structure. If the tip be pinched from a young root it will be found that the entire surface will begin to form new cells and the tip will be entirely renewed ina short time. If, however, a root or branch two or three years old be cut off it will be found that only a small ring just outside the wood has the power of forming healing tissues. At first the tissues formed by the cambium and spreading over the cut surface, consist of delicate soft cells (callus). Later these cells become greatly differ- entiated and form permanent structures. Thus the delicate callus cells gradually form the layers which cover the wound. They may then be looked upon as a part of the cells which formed the branch. The shape of the wound has a great deal to do with the rapid- ity with which it heals. If we examine a wound we will find that there is more healing tissue formed at the upper end than at the lower. This is explained by the fact that the plastic sub- stances which enter into the healing tissues descend from the leafy portion of the branch. The upper surface of the wound stops the downward current and causes a large amount of heal- ing material to collect. Thus on a wound which is proportion- ately broad a large amount of material will collect and the heal- ing will go on more rapidly than if the greatest length of the _ wound were parallel tu the long axis of the main branch. 912. NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. There are three ways in which the careless pruner Can. greatly endanger the life of the tree. First by leaving a jagged or split surface. Second by letting the bark peel back from the wound. Third by cutting the limbs where it is most con- venient, leaving stubs of various lengths. It is not to be under- stood that all such wounds lead to wound-rot diseases, but the point is that they may induce them, since on every wounded surface a certain amount of death and decay are inevitable. On a jagged or split surface there is necessarily a large amount of decay. This decaying organic matter together with the mois- ture it absorbs, forms an excellent culture medium. To this fertile medium bacteria and spores of the wood-rotting fungi are brought by rain and wind. Under these conditions the spores germinate very rapidly. The bacteria are not so much to be feared as the fungi belonging to the toadstool family, as the former are only prominent in the early slow process of decay. The filaments of the fungi penetrate the entire trunks of large trees, causing them to decay. One is everywhere familiar with ‘the fruits (sporophores) of these fungi growing upon dead logs and even upon the decaying parts of living trees. The germi- nations of the spores consists in sending out delicate threads which gradually work their way from the wound through the trunk and branches causing decay as they proceed. It often happens that the conditions do not favor the formation of the fruits on the surface and the cause of decay may not be evident. In this state there seem to be very few if any species of de- ciduous trees free from the attacks of this fungi. This was brought forcibly to my mind about a month ago when I saw an Osage tree in its last stage of decay as the result of the work of one of these fungi. There are some species which only work on a certain variety of trees, while others are very general in their attacks. Thus it is impossible for the pruner to exercise too much care to insure the safety of the tree. In case it is necessary to make large wounds they should be dressed. The dressing does not hasten the healing but allows it to go on without interruption. Professor Bailey says: “A good dressing is one which is antiseptic and durable, which af- fords mechanical protection, and which does not itself injure the tissues. Lead paint is perhaps the best single dressing or preservative for wood wounds.” DISCUSSION. 213 DISCUSSION. Mr. HADKINSON: We ought not to let this paper pass, and I for one will heartily endorse everything Mr. Williams says. Mr. ISAAc POLLARD: What do you use for dressing wounds? Mr. WiuuiAMsS. White lead is recommended as best. QUESTION: What time? Mr. Wiurams: I think the best results are obtained from the first of February until the first of April. Mr. FRANK STEPHENS: What size wound would you think it worth while to paint? Mr. WiuuiaAMs: I don’t think it would be worth while to paint a wound that was less than oneinchin diameter. Wounds that size and smaller will be over grown very rapidly if the pruning is done at the proper time of the year. Mr. STEPHENS: It is very important then that it be done in - the latter part of the winter or early spring? Mr. WILLIAMS: Yes sir. PRoF. SWEEZY: Howlargealimb would it do to take off? Mr. HApDKINSON: A limb that needs to be cut off at all will undoubtedly break off. You will have to do something sooner -or later. Itis better to cut off the limb before it gets too large. Cutting off very large limbs, say six to eight or more inches across is not advisable. Mr. Masters: My experience in Nebraska has taught me ’ that every wound that bleeds will produce rot. If you can close up the spores with some good paint, it willnot rot. White lead is good if mixed with oil. There are several cheaper things that are not satisfactory. Mr. JACKSON: I was heard from day before yesterday, and I don’t know that I have anything further to offer now, but I do want to repeat that Iam glad to have had the opportunity of meeting with you Nebraska people at this good meeting. I want to thank you for the courtesies that I have received from this society. 914 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Mr. A. J. Brown: Mr. Jackson is representing the State Horticultural Society of Iowa. The methods and work of their society are almost identical with those of Nebraska. And what I want to do now, is to move that Mr. Jackson and E. S. Welsh of Shenandoah, Iowa, be made annual members of our society. Motion carried unanimously. The resolution introduced by Mr. C. B. Camp of Cheney was tabled by vote of the society. The location of the Summer Meeting of the society was left with the Executive Board. Meeting adjourned. EVERGREENS. BY C. S. HARRISON, YORK. I am requested to write a paper on evergreens suitable for Nebraska. It is an important subject, one which is thought too little of. If twenty-five years ago people had planted on a large scale, and had filled the land with groves of pine and spruce, what a change would have been wrought. Evergreens can be raised for beauty, utility and also profit. How much five acres of pine would add to the value of a farm. They should be planted on the north and west of thehouse. It is a cheerful sight in winter to see these heroic trees outlined against the sky, standing like sentinels to shield man and beast from the storms. There is no such ideal play. ground for chil- dren as an evergreen grove. Take the Austrian or Ponderosa pine, plant them eight feet apart each way, and alternate with ash till the trees are large enough to take the ground. There is such a grove about fourteen years old on the experiment grounds of the Minnesota Agricultural College. Though the grove is but fifteen years old, the tops have met, and they shut out the sun, and there you have an ideal place for rest. What a resort for those with weak lungs to swing a hammock in the delightful shade, where the cool breeze would wander in the summer time, and how children would rejoice in such a place. EVERGREENS. 215 I recall a grove of Norway Spruce in an eastern state, where the trees have grown straight as an arrow fifty feet high, and the branches interlock so that no rays of the sun can penetrate. There you see play houses of all kinds, swings and hammocks are putup. There go the father and mother when wearied, and it is home to the little ones. We cannot have Norway Spruce except in the eastern part of the state, but we can have the White Spruce of the Black hills, the Pungens, and the Con- color of the Rockies, and the Austrian and Ponderosa pines. People have a wrong impression regarding the growth of evergreens. One reason why nurserymen are so shy of them is, they grow so rapidly, that very soon they are too large to handle. Another wrong impression is they are too hard to transplant, and the loss is so great it does not pay. I would.as soon agree to make one hundred Austrian pines live, as one hundred Elm or Ash. They are just as sureif you handle them right. A tree ten to fifteen inches high, twice transplanted, if well handled, is quite sure to live. The first year it gets hold, making but little growth. After thatit shoots upward and out- ward. Asa general purpose tree for Kansas, Nebraska and lowa, by general consent, the Austrian pine leads everything. I planted some in York about twenty-five years ago, and at the same time planted some of the hardiest of Catalpas, and there is but little difference in their growth. In thirty years you can get quite a lot of lumber from an acre of pine. Let it grow a while and then cut out the alternate rows. It is one of the strangest things on earth that men will not look out for the future. They must have a crop they can har- vest next year. The idea of planning for twenty-five or fifty years ahead never occurs to them. For shame on a man if he so lives that you can gather up all there is in him and bury it in a narrow grave. A man should be immortal here. He ought to raise something that will last longer than a corn stalk or a straw stack, and yet that is about the limit of many. a man’s ambition, no thought of the coming years or coming ages. Plant a beautiful pine grove for your monument. Let your grandchildren say, “Our grandfather planted these trees.’’ The expense is not so very great. Take it as you can, an acre atatime. I think it takes about 700 trees to the acre. These 216 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. may cost you ten dollars per hundred if you get some twice transplanted. You should get them at half that if you could raise your own seedlings. Plant them and take the best of care of them. People have a wrong ideaofevergreens. They watch them as they grow. It is all done in four to six weeks. They make a push of a foot or so outward and upward, and you say they have got:through for the season. By nomeans. If they have a good chance they begin a vigorous root growth in August and keep it up all the fall. They must do this. They must lay vitality in store for those needles. It takes a good deal to sus- tain them, and then they must have a powerful reserve for that spring push when they shoot up so rapidly and stop, so the tree must have care all the while till it is well established. It is strange in this bleak country that people do not plant ever- green shelters for stock. Plant two rows of Austrians so as to break joints. Put them eight or ten feet apart around a half acre and what a fine shelter for cattle. In our dry win- ters, most of the time these trees would give ample protection. They would be vastly ahead of the wire fence so generally used for shelter. In one season the farmer would save enough to pay for his grove twice over. It takes but a little while to se- cure this shelter. Plant good strong trees, and when fairly established they will grow eighteen to twenty-four inches a year. If you put them ten feet apart their branches will soon come together and in a short time you havea splendid shelter. What are the people thinking of? Have the farmers all turned Adventists or Milorites, and think the world will be wound up in a year or two? I think any responsible scientist would agree to insure for a millenium at least. Most of us believe there will be another century added to this, and with this belief it will be well to be getting ready for it. 1 think that there are a good many evergreens that will do fairly well. The Jack pine is all right for timber, but is worth- less as an ornamental tree because it cannot ornament, it soon begins to bear cones, and the cones will cling to the tree till others come, and then they will all hang on together, and wait for others and then they will all be there. For a timber tree it is one of the hardiest, thriftiest and best. Only you want a man with both skill and conscience to handle them. They have done EVERGREENS. 217 well in the Sand Hills, and the man who furnished the first lot is yet in the business. He keeps a large nursery of them, and also has great success in collecting and handling. Amonga dozen kinds the Jack pine will lead everything in growth. For twenty years I have been raising the Chinese Arborvitae. Mr. Douglas, the father of the evergreen business, advised me to go into this. In the main they have been thrifty and hardy. Last winter I wrote them up, and before the ink was dry, there came that death wave, so fatal to many of our choice trees, and nipped there heads. Well, they stood it as well as the Scotch pines and the Red Cedars. I have one now growing just where it came up in the seed bed. It has grown six years, and is now a beautiful and shapely tree nine feet high. If any one ever knew an evergreeen to grow one and a half feet a year right in the spot where it came up, let us know it. I have been raising evergreens a good many years and never saw anything like this before. These trees are exceedingly beautiful in the summer. They have a system of fans which converge toward the center, and the tree is of pyramidal form, and is very fine. In winter, like the Platte Cedar, they turn brown. Did I say Platte Cedar? Forgive me. Weare all saddened when we think of a good man who has borne a good reputation and then goes wrong, and spoils all the good of a life time. The Red Cedar, like the In- dian, was all right when wild, but don’t seem to stand civiliza- tion. How all these years we have praised him, recommended him and endorsed him, and what zest was awakened in the prop- agation, and as soon as we found out, we did not want to know any more. How terribly they went back on us. There was good Brother Bruning who invented the process of having them come up a year ahead of schedule time. He had them by the million, and they all went back on him. The blight wiped out thirty thousand dollars in two years. They could not stick to their own sphere. Their business was just to grow and make good fence posts, and bear seeds. But they got ambitious and wanted to raise oranges. Looking at them at a distance you would say they were succeeding, but a near inspection showed _ they were frauds. They and the apple trees had been playing shuttle cock—acting and ve-acting oneach other. Well, the up- shot is that Mr. Platte has lost his reputation altogether, and it 918 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. may be necessary to blot him entirely out of existence. Many of our best apples are very sensitive to his presence. The noble Wealthy, one of the best apples, cannot endure him. I hearda preacher once say when speaking of the Lily of the Valley, that it was so “Very beautiful and so fragrant that you could smell it two miles away,’’ and he added “‘that is just so with the Christian.” It is so with the Platte Cedar, and the Wealthy don’t like the smell. It is so rank it makes all the leaves fall. The reputation of the Cedar is decidedly rusty. THE SCOPULORIUM. Or Rocky Mountain red cedar. At first we supposed this was the mother of the platte cedar. But she disowns him, has no relationship with him, and will have nothing to do with him. They are different in form and foliage. The Rocky Mountain tree needs two years to perfect its seed. Again there will be several seeds in the berry of the Platte cedar, and only one in the berry of the Scopulorium. Ihave had them growing side by side for years. Last summer the Platte cedars all died with the blight or looked as if they wished they had, and the Scopu- lorium made a vigorous growth, and not one died. I think this for the Western half of Nebraska is the most beautiful tree on earth. There will be some fungus bulbs on them even when wild in the mountains, but they do not seem to effect them in the least. Itisa pitty that these are so scarce. People did not know about the seeds, and they gathered them the first year and none came up. They are very scattering and of course high. But there should be one planted here and there. They grow in very compact, conical. symmetrical shape, and often have a drooping habit which makes them look as if shingled with silver of emerald. There are some under the 100th meri- dian as fine as any trees on earth. The Concolor is growing in favor. It is a little sensitive to our changing climate while young, but when it gets age it is very hardy. Ihave had them in exposed places during the most fearful heat and in the full sweep of our American Siroccos, and they would come out un- scathed. I have seen them growing on a hill and in the grass in a Nebraska Cemetery, and under such adverse conditions EVERGREENS. 219 making a splendid growth. They were considered hard to transplant. If left alone they develop one large tap root much like the Oak or Black Walnut. In the nursery they should be lifted every two years. Let two men with spades on either side the row lift them so that every rootis severed. Then drop them back and stamp the ground solid. Follow this up with good cultivation, and in two years you will have a tree with as fibrous roots as a spruce. Alcock’s Spruce is a beautiful tree. I have known it to stand several years and do well. Frazer’s Fir is a charming tree from North Carolina. I have only a few left out of ahundred. You cannot depend upon it. I have not tried the Wisconsin Balsam Fir. I thinkitis a short lived tree anyway. The Foxtail Pine of the Rockies does well and should be largely planted. The Douglas Spruce is worth- less as a wind break. The foliage is too soft, and like the White Pine, it cannot stand excessive heat. In some cases they have done splendidly when surrounded by other evergreens. Ihave never had but one specimen of Brown Cedar which will grow perhaps with less moisture than any other, and that did splendidly. Engleman Spruce will do well if you keep it out of the sun. All know the Picea Pungens, one of the finest of all for a single lawn tree, but of not much account as a forest tree. Sub Alpina has a white body, and foliage much like Balsam Fir. I have had a few specimens. They need to be sheltered from the sun, then they do well. American Arborvitae is worthless in the west half of the state. It may do in some of the River counties. For the west there is no tree that will do as well as the Pon- derosa. It does far better in the western than in the eastern portion of the state. The seed should be sowed in the fall. It then comes up early and puts on the second set of leaves before the intense heat which induces the damps when it is very young and tender. The seeds are cheap. They can be raised by the million. Take them when three years old from the seed bed, and they transplant as well as any evergreen that grows. They handle well and grow about two feet a year when once estab- lished. I do not believe there is a section anywhere in the west 9°20 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY or north-west where with care they cannot be made to grow. People have had a prejudice against them because they could not transplant them readily from the woods. They did not have roots enough. I have often had a stand of fifty per cent, and if I could select and dig the right sizes in the right kind of soil, I could save seventy-five per cent of collected ones. I have had perhaps as much experience with these as any man living. I know them. Treat them right, and they are all you can ask for. The Black Hills Spruce is all right unless you take three years of consecutive drouth beyond the 100th meridian. In such case they cannot live. I see our Forestry experts are recommending the Scotch Pine for south-western Kansas. The west is now having its wet cycle of years. Kansas realizes this; so does the Kaw river. During the wet cycle trees will live which will be utterly blotted out when the dry years come. A man to be a Government expert, or any other kind of an ex- pert, needs to be with his trees and summer and winter them, and stay by them. A man never can be an expert by graduat- ing ata Yale School of Forestry. The Scotch Pine can no more live in south-western Kansas twenty-five years than an orange tree can live in the open on the Nebraska Experiment Farm. It is hardy in Minnesota and the Dakotas. It can stand the cold, but cannot stand the heat like the Austrian and the Pon- derosa. Our reliance for forests will be the Douglass where you can put it in the center, the Chinese Aborvitae which is the best tree to propagate we have, for the seedlings never damp off, Black Hills Spruce and the White Spruce from northern Minnesota, the Austrian and Ponderosa Pines for wind breaks and general planting. White Pines may do for river counties, but as far west as York county we have perhaps a dozen that have survived the thousands that have been planted, and under the 100th meridian it is utterly impossible for them to live. The Platte Cedar may do for the extreme west in the semi-arid belt, but it has no business in the eastern part of the state. WHAT IS NEEDED. I think the state, in consideration of the fact that it isTafwind swept country, should have an experiment station for growing evergreens. For most kinds they are past experiment; we EVERGREENS. 221 know just how to grow them. But the Concolor and the Pun- gens and Engleman want special favors. They cannot be grown by ordinary processes. The ground selected should be sandy loam with plenty of sand near by. The most skillful men should be selected for the work, and every facility should be granted. An especial propagating house should be devised for the more difficult evergreens. ‘Trees should be raised by the million, and should be sold at the cost of production. It would pay for some man or company to go into it who could take contracts for plant- ing and show people what can be done. But there is no proba- bility that this will be done. The U. S. Experiment Stations have taught a lesson on the cheapness of production. Per- sonally I suppose I have had more experience with ever- greens in this state than all the nurserymen put together. But my land at York is not suitable. A plunging rain makes a brick-bat of it. Light and porous soil is needed, and must be had or you cannot make a success. Land invaded by angle- worms is worthless. These are among the worst pests the state has ever known. They take a rich piece of land that once could be tilled so it would be fine and pliable, and they reduce it to a sticky mass which dries out in a short time, and it is im- possible to pulverize it. Some eastern soils may be benefited by them, but they are a terror in our gardens already and a menace to our future. If the state should expend say ein 000 or even $5,000 for this work, it would repay them a hundred fold. The blizzards of winter and the hot winds of summer would be checked, and we would have cheerful people. While the air filled with the aroma of pines would make the state a delightful sanitarium. This is not visionary. Evergreens of the right kind grow well here. I do not know of a country where they make a more sturdy, healthy and vigorous growth. 222 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. THE FOOD HABITS OF SOME COMMON NEBRASKA BIRDS. BY MYRON H. SWENK. THE BROWN CREEPER. (Certhia familiaris americana and C. f. montana. ) This unobtrusive little bird is a stranger to most people al- though it is really one of the commonest birds in our woods and orchards during the winter. There it may be found creeping up the tree trunks and over the limbs like a diminutive wood- pecker, or flitting from tree to tree in search of food. No de- BROWN CREEPER. THE FOOD HABITS OF NEBRASKA BIRDS. 993 tailed examination of this bird’s food has been made, but suf- ficient has been learned to place it along with the entirely use- ful species. Associating as it does with chickadees and nut- hatches, it eats much the same kinds of food, and large numbers ‘of small beetles and beetle larvae, ants, small flies and insect eggs of many kinds are devoured by it. To the horticulturist, especially, the Brown Creeper is an exceedingly valuable ally. THE SHRIKES. (Lanius borealis, L. ludovicianus migrans and L. 1. excubitorides. ) Birds, like men, cannot always be correctly estimated by ap- pearances; for who, on seeing these plain colored, modest de- meanored birds would suspect that such an innocent exterior concealed a nature at times as blood-thirsty as a hawk’s. Yet if the bird be carefully watched as it sits like a flycatcher on some elevated perch, it may suddenly dart down at some ven- turesome or unsuspecting small bird or field mouse, and if un- able to snap it up at once, pursue it either to capture or cover. Once caught, the quarry is carried to some sharp thorn or splinter or very often a barb wire fence, and there impaled to be devoured at leisure or to serve as a reserve stock for less fortunate days to come. This impaling habit is general among these birds and not confined to vertebrates but applies to in- sects as well. We have three shrikes in Nebraska. All are gray with wings - and tail black, conspicuously relieved by white. The Northern Shrike is a winter bird, appearing in October and tarrying un- titlate in March. It is larger than the other two, and differs from either in having the breast crossed by fine wavy dark lines in the adult and lacking any black on the forehead. The other two are summer birds, present from the time the Northern Shrike leaves until it returns again, and are known as the Migrant Shrike and the White-rumped Shrike. These twoare very similar and differ principally in the latter having the rump distinctly whiter than the back while the former has it about concolorous. The White-rumped is common all over the state, the Migrant only in the eastern half. The food of shrikes is all of ananimal character. Being a 994 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. winter bird the Northern Shrike would of course be compelled to eat different food than its summering relatives, and conse- quently is considered separately. Birds and mice constitute sixty per cent of its food while with us, the remaining forty per cent being insects, chiefly grasshoppers. Among the birds killed by the Northern Shrike are the Chickadee, Tree Sparrow, Snow-flake, Downy Woodpecker, Junco, Golden-crowned King- let, Goldfinch, Pine Siskin, Cardinal, Longspurs and Horned Larks. Very often it comes into towns and cities and destroys large numbers of English Sparrows, a trait certainly not to its: discredit. Occasionally, when very hungry it even becomes NORTHERN SHRIKE. Sylvester D. Judd, Bulletin No. 9, 1898. THE FOOD HABITS OF NEBRASKA BIRDS. 9925 cannabalistic, and will devour one of its kind. Birdsaggregate thirty-four per cent of its food. Mice constitute twenty-six per cent of the food and are most frequently eaten in March. They are mostly meadow mice, while some are harvest mice, white footed mice and house mice are also eaten. Carrion also is sometimes eaten. The forty per cent of insect food is largely grasshoppers and crickets, which are constantly taken and together form twenty- four per cent of the food, and over half of that eaten in October and November. Beetles form five per cent, and over half of them (four per cent) are useful predaceons beetles, the remain- der (one per cent) tiger beetles and tenebrionids. Caterpillars form eight per cent of the food of January and February, and six per cent of the entire food, and includes both cutworms and the bristly kinds. Ants, wasps and flies (two per cent) consti- tute the remaining insect food. Spiders form three per cent of the food. The summary, then, of one-fourth mice, one-fourth grasshop- pers, one-fourth other injurious insects and English Sparrows, while the last one-fourth only is of beneficial wild birds and in- sects, shows that the Northern Shrike does decidedly more good than harm. Considering now our summering species. Here vertebrate food comprises only twenty-eight per cent, and of this fifteen per cent is small mammals, mostly mice and especially the white-footed mice, taken mostly in winter when it forms one-half of the food. Birds amount to only eight per cent and include the Tree Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Chip- ping Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Chimney Swift, Bell Vireo, Snow-flake, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and, as a relief, the English Sparrow. The other four per cent of vertebrate food are snakes, lizards, frogs and fish. Like the Northern Shrike the southern species will occasionally eat carrion. ; But it is in their insect diet (seventy-two per cent) that the smaller shrikes do most good. Orthoptera (thirty-nine per cent), mostly grasshoppers, are very extensively consumed, and when these insects are abundant the birds are left alone. They in- clude the Red-legged Locust, the Dusty Road Grasshopper ané 226 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. the Pellucid Grasshopper. Beetles (twenty-two per cent) come next in importance, and unfortunately a large portion of these (nine per cent) are useful forms, mostly Carabidae; the remain- ing thirteen per cent: of beetles devoured are of considerable variety and of varying importance from the dung-beetles and carrion-beetles to the weevils, click-beetles, May-beetles and wood-boring beetles. Caterpillars (four per cent) are relished and include canker-worms, cut-worms and bristly caterpillars. Wasps, ants, crane-flies, may-flies, dragon-flies and true bugs together form three per cent, spiders form four per cent. The young are fed principally on grasshoppers, beetles and cater- pillars. It is.thus evident that the food habits of the smaller species, the Migrant and White-rumped Shrikes, are even more benefi- cial than those of the Northern, and that the bird is full worthy of protection. THE WAXWINGS. (Ampelis garrulus and Ampelis cedrorum. ) Our Waxwings, like our Shrikes, are represented by distinct species in winter and insummer. At the former season we can expect occasional flocks of the Bohemian Waxwing to de- scend upon us from the frozen north, remaining only until the conditions are such that they may return. The Cedar Waxwing, however, not only braves the winter in small numbers with us, but as spring comes on, passes through in large flocks and re- mains until summer approaches, when the majority retire north of us to nest, returning early in the fall. Both of these birds are of a rich brown color, conspicuously crested and with a dark, broadly yellow-tipped tail. The Bohemian Waxwing has white wing-bars and chestnut under tail-coverts while the Cedar Waxwing has wholly dark wings and white under tail- coverts. By these signs ye may know them. Considering the scarcity and irregular occurence of the northern species it is evident that it can affect us but very little economically; all the more so since its food consists almost en- tirely of wild fruits and berries of various kinds. But with the Cedar Waxwing it is different, and an extended account of the food of this species is preferable, especially since its reputed THE FOOD HABITS OF NEBRASKA BIRDS. by ~J ne Nh \ \ {\ BOHEMIAN WAXWING. extreme fondness for cherries have earned it the name of “cherry bird” in many localities. The animal food is entirely insects and amounts to thirteen per cent of the food of the year. Insects are most eaten in May, when they form fifty-one per cent of the food; in June twenty-two per cent, July twenty-one per cent, August thirteen per cent, September fifteen per cent. Beetles are most eaten, the only useful ones being a few tiger-beetles, the rest are _ various scarabeid and chrysomelid beetles, the latter including many of the destructive elm leaf-beetle. Caterpillars are the next choice, one stomach containing over one-hundred of them. - 9I8 NEBRA n KA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Y 4), 7, wy, Gi RU : \ iy NN NW LWA; Y) N ‘ i) CEDAR WAXWING. F. E. L. Beal, Earmer’s Bulletin No. 54, 1897. Ants and ichneumons, crane-flies, bark and scale lice, grass- ‘hoppers and earwigs are also eaten but together not equaling the beetles and caterpillars. Spiders are frequently taken. The nestlings are fed mostly on insects, these forming over four-fifths of the food. The vegetable food amounts to eighty-seven per cent. Except for buds eaten mostly in May, the vegetable element is entirely fruit. This is mostly wild fruit (seventy-four per cent) and in- cludes agreat variety, suchas Juneberry, Hackberry, Dogwood, Huckleberry, Red Cedar, Mistletoe, Pokeberry, Black cherry, Choke cherry, Black elder, Black haw and Wild Grape. The cultivated fruit taken (thirteen per cent) is cherries, blackber- ries, raspberries and mulberries. Frozen apples are occasionally eaten in winter. The extent of cultivated fruit stolen by these birds is much less than is generally supposed, amounting to less than one-fifth of the fruit taken, and largely of varieties hav- ing little value. The only depredations of any seriousness what- ever seem to be upon early cherries in June and July, but as the bird is scarce in Nebraska during these months no harm can be- done by it in this state. The horticulturist, therefore, will do well in protecting the Waxwings. . THE FOOD HABITS OF NEBRASKA BIRDS, bo bo Ne) THE CHIPPING SPARROW. (Spizella socialis and S. s arizonae.) Although a close relative of the Field Sparrow, which was discussed in the 1903 report, the Chipping Sparrow is much more sociable than that species, and during the nesting season shows a decided preference for human company; but it lacks the pretty song of its relative, and its “‘chip” and simple little song are apt to become very monotonous. It is only fairly common as a summer resident over eastern Nebraska, but is abundant during migrations, when it is to be found in the fields and brush rather than about the house. In the spring the Chipping ~ Sparrow is easily told by its bright red cap and the black line through the eye, but in the fall the young are not so easily recognized. The food habits of this species are very similar to those of the Field Sparrow. Animal food amounts to thirty-eight per cent, vegetable food to sixty-two per cent. Of the former sort three- fourths are noxious insects of which grasshoppers (ten per cent), CHIPPING SPARROW. caterpillars (nine per cent), and beetles (eleven per cent) form the bulk. The beetles eaten are of great variety, including weevils (six per cent), leaf-beetles (two per cent) and predaceous 230 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ground, click, dung and May-beetles (three per cent). The eight per cent remaining is composed of leaf-hoppers, true bugs, ants, spiders and parasitic wasps, the latter (which are useful insects) together with the useful predaceous insects aggregating only one per cent of the food. In the month of June, ninety-three per cent of that month’s food is insects, of which grasshoppers form thirty-six per cent, caterpillars twenty-five per cent and leaf-beetles six per cent. Weevils form sixteen per cent of the food eaten in May. As to the vegetable element only four per cent is grain, and that mostly oats. The remaining fifty-eight per cent is seed, of which forty-eight per cent is grass seed and ten per cent other seeds, including clover, ragweed, amaranth, wood sorrel, lamb’s quarters, purslane, chickweed, knotweed and black bind- weed. Of the grass seed twenty-six per cent is crab-grass and pigeon-grass, chiefly crab-grass, the remaining twenty-two per cent other grasses, including timothy and orchard grass. The Chipping Sparrow has been seen taking cultivated cher- ries and sipping grapevine sap but the instances of such oc- curences are few, and furthermore are completely overshadowed by the observations on its caterpillar eating propensities. It has been seen devouring caterpillars of the brown-tail moth and gypsy moth in the east, and also eating tent caterpillars, canker worms and army worms. Mr. C. M. Weed (Bull. 55, New Hampshire Coll. Exp. Sta.) watched a pair with three young birds from the time they commenced to feed the young in the morning at 3:57 until 7:50 in the evening when the day’s work was over. During this day the birds made nearly two-hundred visits to the nest bringing food nearly every time; among the insects observed fifty were caterpillars, and there were many crickets and crane-flies. It has also been found to feed upon the pea louse, which is becoming very destructive in some localities. There is no doubt but that the Chipping Sparrow is an ex-. ceedingly valuable little bird and one that should be encouraged in its domesticity by rigidly protecting it. THE PHOEBE. (Sayornis phoebe. ) This abundant plaincolored Flycatcher is the one that builds ‘THE FOOD HABITS OF NEBRASKA BIRDS. 931 its mud nest attached by the side under bridges and culverts, and which when disturbed flies away a short distance and by emphatically repeated ‘“‘phe-be’”? shows its displeasure at the intrusion. Itis avery common species over the whole of eastern Nebraska, westward being replaced by a congener, the Say Phoebe (Sayornis saya). There is no reason for believing that the food habits of these two differ greatly in this state. Of the eastern species Mr. Beal writes: “The phoebe subsists almost exclusively upon insects, most of which are caught upon the wing. An examination of eighty stomachs showed that over ninety-three per cent of the year’s food consists of insects and spiders, while wild fruits constitute the remainder. ‘The insects belong chiefly to noxious species, and include many click-beetles, May beetles, and weevils. Grasshoppers in their season are eaten to a considerable extent, SS \=S] ‘ . = BESS SSE A , fl, > 7. as peg Dy ) Nf 7 WY) eZ RY] \'\ WAG tip SS y VAR Gana 2 WY “SN GE) pp THE PHOEBE, F. E. L. Beal, Farmer’s Bull. No. 54, 1897. while wasps of various species, many flies of species that annoy cattle, and a few bugs and spiders are also eaten regularly. It is evident that a pair of phoebes must materially reduce the number of insects near a garden or field, as the birds often, 932 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. if not always, raise two broods a year, and each brood numbers from four to six young.’’ “The vegetable portion of the food is unimportant, and con- sists mainly of a few seeds, with small fruits, such as wild cherries, elder berries, and juniper berries. The raspberries and blackberries found in the stomachs were the only fruits that might have belonged to cultivated varieties and the quan- tity was trifling.” “There is hardly a more useful species than the phoebe about the farm, and it should receive every encouragement. ”’ THE SMALL FLYCATCHERS. (Empidonax spp.) During the first half of May and again the first half of Sep- tember there passthrough eastern Nebraska on their migrations at least four species of small flycatchers belonging to the genus Empidonax, all very similar in coloration and very difficult to distinguish. One of these, the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, is rare; the other three, the Acadian, Traill and Least Flycatchers are all common, and, while their food habits have never been ACADIAN FLYCATCHER. given detailed attention, it is certainly known that they are all quite beneficial. All of the common species frequent the or- chard fully as much as the woods, and consequently their good work directly affects the horticulturist. Beetles, crane-flies, gnats, mosquitoes, and grasshoppers are all eagerly eaten, while various sorts of larvae and berries vary the diet. THE FOOD HABITS OF NEBRASKA BIRDS. 933 THE WOODPECKERS. Probably no other group of birds are of greater importance to the horticulturist than the various species of woodpeckers,— for it is to them that the important task of seeking out and de- stroying the wood boring larvae from their hiding places be- neath the bark and in the wood is delegated, and to this labor they devote almost undivided attention. Modeled by nature for this very work, with their chisel-like bill, long, extensile barbed tongue, yoke-toed and strong clawed feet and stiffened tail, they are capable of great things in this direction. Hence it is proper that we should know how well they utilize their talents. We have in Nebraska a dozen different kinds of woodpeckers. Of these one is practically extinct, another very rare and three are confined to extreme north-west Nebraska; of these five we shall take no account. The Downy, Hairy, Red-headed and Red-bellied Woodpeckers, The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and our two Flickers are for the most part common, generally dis- tributed, and of considerable economic importance. As they vary greatly among themselves in economic value they are treated separately. Of these seven the smallest, commonest and most beneficial is the familiar Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens medianus). This little chap is easily recognized by its plain black and white plumage, the colors being arranged as shown in the illustration of the next species. It is commonest about our homes and in our orchards, and seems really partial to such spots rather than the woods, and remains with us the yeararound. Insects constitute seventy-four per cent of its food. Beetles (twenty- four per cent) come first in importance and are mostly wood- boring larvae, the other forms being May beetles and a few predaceous Carabidae. Ants (twenty-three per cent) come next, and are apparently greatly relished. Caterpillars (sixteen per cent) are extensively eaten. Bugs and plant lice (four per cent) Grasshoppers and their eggs (three per cent), spiders (three per cent) and flies (one per cent) constitute the remainder of the animal food. Mineral matter amounts to one per cent. The vegetable matter (twenty-five per cent) is mostly fruit, in- cluding dogwood berries, Virginia creeper berries, June ber- ries and pokeberries, along with a little strawberries and apples. 234 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Seeds of various kinds are extensively eaten, especially those of the poison ivy, sumac, mullien and hornbeam. Nuts, cam- bium and flower buds are alsoeaten. It is probably largely due to this bird that the seeds of the poison ivy and sumac are spread, an unfortunate circumstance, yet not one of sufficient importance to seriously act against the species. Almost an exact counterpart of the Downy, only larger is THE HAIRY WOODPECKER. F. E. L. Beal, Bull. No. 7, 1895. the Hairy Woodpecker (Dryobates villosus). Like the Downy this species is resident, but it prefers the woods to human proximity and isa shyer, noisier bird. Its food is quite similar to that of its smaller relative, animal matter aggregating a little less THE FOOD HABITS OF NEBRASKA BIRDS. 235 (sixty-eight per cent) and vegetable matter a little more (thirty- one per cent), while mineral matter remains the same (one per cent). Beetles (twenty-four per cent) are most eaten, caterpil- lars (twenty-one per cent) next, ants (seventeen per cent) being third in importance, just the reverse of the last two being true with the Downy. Spiders amount to four per cent, plant lice to two per cent. Grasshoppers are but slightly eaten. The vegetable food is of about the same character as that eaten by the Downy, including additionally spice berries, sourgum ber- ries, wild black cherries, choke cherries, wild grapes, blackber- ries and raspberries. Fruit altogether constitutes eleven per cent of the food and is all wild. Weed seed are often consider- ably eaten here in the west. The Red-headed Woodpecker was discussed in detail in the 1903 report. Its relative the Red-bellied Wood-pecker ( Centurus carolinus )isfoundin fair numbers in the heavier timber of eastern Nebraska, but it is so retiring that it plays but little part in the insect destruction among our orchards. Itis not very fond of in- sects, which amount to only twenty-six per cent of its food;among them ants (eleven per cent) are most eaten, while beetles (ten per cent) are next preferred, especially the adults, which form seven per cent against three per cent of larvae. Caterpillars (four per cent) are sometimes eaten greedily. True bugs, crickets and spiders are eaten sparingly. The seventy-four per cent of vegetable matter is almost entirely wild fruit and seeds, including mulberries, elderberries, wild grapes, Virginia creeper berries, pine, poison ivy and ragweed seeds. Corn is occasionally eaten to a slight extent. The species thus does no harm and is fairly beneficial. THE FLICKERS. Our two Flickers, the Yellow-shafted (Colaptes auratus luteus) and Red-shafted (Colaptes cafer collaris) are both present over the entire state, the former more abundant eastwardly the latter more so westwardly. Both of tlese birds are well known, and need no description here, especially as they may be readily recognized from the accompanying illus- tration. Their food habits are practically identical and will be treated together. Animal matter amounts to fifty-six per cent, e 236 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY vegetable matter to thirty-nine per cent, mineral matter to five per cent. Among the former element, ants are the greatly pre- dominating food, forming forty-three per cent of the whole. These are eaten in immense numbers, often to the exclusion of all other food, single stomachs containing over three-thousand of them. Flickers may frequently be seen upon the ground digging in the ant-hills for these insects. Next to ants comes beetles (ten per cent), mostly the useful predaceous Carabids, but also including May beetles and click-beetles. Grasshoppers and crickets, caterpillars, bugs, May flies, termites and spiders together form but three per cent. The vegetable matter eaten is quite varied. Cornand buckwheat are both sometimes taken, but never extensively so, and when the Flicker is seen in the YELLOW-SHAFTED FLICKER. F. E. L. Beal, Bull. No. 7, 1895. cornfield he is in all fikelyhood searching for grubs. The fruit includes hackberries, blueberries, blackberries, June berries, elderberries, mulberries, the berries of dogwood, Virginia creeper and sourgum, wild grapes, choke cherries, wild black cherries, and rarely, cultivated cherries in small amounts. The THE FOOD HABITS OF NEBRASKA BIRDS. 937 grain and fruit together amount to twenty-five per cent, the re- maining fourteen per cent being principally poison ivy, sumac, juniper berries, polygonum, clover, pigweed, mullein and rag- weed seeds, and acorns. THE SAPSUCKER. For final consideration we have the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, (Sphyrapicus varius) a species accused of doing harm and not without some reason. Fortunately this species is quite un- common in Nebraska, and is found only as a migrant, so that very little harm indeed is ever done here. Yet it is inter- — ‘ cated a - a —T a Se YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER. F. E. L. Beal, Bull. No. 7, 1895. 938 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. esting to note just what this bird eats. The animal and vegetable matter eaten just about balance. Of the former, ants (thirty-six per cent) greatly predominate. Beetles (five per cent] are not nearly so extensively eaten as by some of the other species. Flies(three per cent) of various’ kinds are often taken, largely crane-flies. Caterpillars amount to two per cent, spiders to the same figure, grasshoppers, crickets, bugs, wasps and May flies together to a similar per cent. Vegetable matter is about half (twenty-six per cent) fruit, including berries of dogwood and Virginia creeper, wild black cherries, blackberries and raspberries. Other vege- table substances taken were a small amount of poison ivy and mullein seeds, juniper berries and buds, and a great deal of cambium. While there is nothing very objectionable to the above record, the real harm done by this bird is in its habit of drilling holes in the bark of trees so as to form girdles of punctures which cause the ultimate death of the tree in severe attacks. The trees mostly injured by this bird are the-apple, maple, red oak, white and mountain ash. This puncturing is done to secure the sap which oozes out and is greedily sipped up by the bird, as well as to form an easy foraging ground against the many insects which are attracted to it by its sweet- ness. But as the bird is numerous only in forested areas, where trees can be spared, it is doubtful whether it does suffi- cient harm to warrant its destruction. DISEASES OF THE APPLE. BY C. W. PUGSLEY, LINCOLN. — It is the object of this paper to present the diseases of the apple in a plain and practical way, and only the diseases of economic importance to fruit growers in Nebraska will be dis- cussed. Each disease will be treated under the following heads: Cause; Description; How spread; Treatment. For the benefit of those who wish to gain a more thorough knowledge of a disease than this paper affords I have appended a partial list of publications treating of various diseases, I have also added a partial list of references to writings treating of insect enemies. In these lists are included only those DISEASES OF THE APPLE. 939 treatises which are easily obtainable, such as Experiment Sta- tion Bulletins, etc. BITTER ROT. Cause: Bitter Rot is caused by a fungus (Glomerella rufoma- culans) which attacks, not only the apple, causing Bitter Rot, but also the twigs, causing Bitter Rot Canker. Description: The disease is first noticed as a small circular spot on the unbroken skinof the apple. Later, as the spot en- larges, it becomes a pale brown with a dark surrounding circle. Sometimes around all is a purple stain. The tissue becomes slightly shrunken, and in the center the fruiting pustules are formed. The entire fruit never becomes covered with these, as in the case of Black Rot. The disease begins sometimes when the fruit is not yet half grownbut is much worse as the fruit reaches maturity. The first outbreak usually occurs about the middle of July. The disease has not as yet done much damage in Nebraska, but its appearance in a destructive form may be > looked for at any time. It has been definitely shown that in some cases the disease passes the winter in the form of cankers on the limbs or twigs of the trees. How Spread: The spores wash off during a rain, and in this way reach the apples below. They may also be carried some distance by the wind. The disease is also spread to some ex- tent by insects. Treatment: All cankered limbs should be removed and burned, and all affected fruit should be destroyed. 'The disease can be checked by the early use of a Bordeaux mixture spray, while the apples are young. BLIGHT. Cause: Apple Blight, sometimes called Twig Blight or Fire Blight, is the result of the growth of bacteria (Bactiriwm amy- lovorum) in the young and tender twigs of the tree causing the destruction of the cells attacked. Description: The disease attracts the attention of the casual observer first by the fact that the twigs at the ends of the limbs are dying, presenting an appearance very much as if they had 940 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. been scorched. The entire killed portion of the twig may not be infected by the bacteria, for if the cells in the lower portion of the twig are killed the upper portion will die. In severe cases the smaller limbs may be attacked but usually only the young succulent growths. The disease was first a disease of the pear tree, later going over to the apple. How Spread: The disease is undoubtedly spread by the wind and by insects of various kinds. Insects may puncture the di- seased parts and carry the bacteria to healthy twigs. Little drops of sticky sweet sap come out on the diseased twigs and bees and files are attracted to these carrying away with them many bacteria to other twigs and flowers, the stigma of which afford an excellent culture medium for their growth. Mr. A. F. Woods, of the United States Department of Agri- culture, says: “The disease is considered to be extremely infectious, the bacteria being carried in the form of dust from tree to tree by the wind.”’ Treatment: The best remedy, so for as yet known, is the re- moval of the diseased parts and their destruction by fire. The twigs or branches should be cut off a few inches below the lowest point of infection. BROWN ROT. Cause: The organism which causes this disease is commonly known as Monilia fructigena, an imperfect fungus, but the cup stage has been found growing on the mummied fruits, and the fungus is now known as Sclerotinia fructigena. Description: The germinating spores form threads which penetrate the cells of the the fruit, come to the surface and form long rows of spores, either single or multiple. The di- sease attacks the young apple and prevents its ripening. The apple in this case remains hanging on the tree often through- out the winter. Such apples are commonly spoken of as “mummy apples.” . How Spread: When warm wet weather comes the spores from the fungus carried over the winter by the mummy apples, are carried to other apples by wind, rain, or insects, and there they germinate. DISEASES OF THE APPLE. |. 241 Treatment: A good preventive is to remove all mummy apples. The only remedy suggested is to spray with Bordeaux mixture Jate in June or early in July. CANKER. This is a general term applied to diseased. areas where there is a deep seated killing of the tissues. It may. take the form of asweiling, a scale, or a crack. Cause: The cause of the apple tree canker is a fungus known as Sphaeropsis malorum. The Bitter Rot Canker, which occurs on twigs or small branches, is caused by the Bitter Rot fungus entering some wound. Description: The apple tree canker is likely to occur on any part of the tree, and on trees of any age, but is more likely to occur on the little trees. The bark becomes rough and cracks open. Treatment: Spraying with Bordeaux mixture has been used with good results. The young trees affected should be de- stroyed, as should all diseased branches and twigs. CROWN GALL. Cause: It isnot known what causes this disease. Mr. Miles, in a paper read before this society in 1903 says: “Some crown galls are caused by nematodes or eel-worms.” Prof. J. W. Toumey, Arizona Experiment Station, says that in his opinion the cause may be refered to either one or two closely related species of slime-moulds. This seems to be the popular opinion at present. Description: The crown gall is an irregular enlargement of the tissue of the apple tree, just below the surface of the ground around the crown of the tree. The galls become quite large and undoubtedly interfere with the process of nutrition. The trouble is not easily noticed, being under ground, but if the leaves appear pale and the tree has a general sickly appearance, it is best to examine carefully for this trouble. An examination will probably show an unusual amount of fibrous roots at and below the crown. The disease: is commonly a disease of the 9492 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. young trees and should be carefully watched for in all nursery stock. How spread: As long as we do not know the cause we can not tell how it is spread. It is undoubtedly spread from orchard to orchard while the trees are young by planting affected trees. The disease also spreads from tree to tree in the nursery. W. B. Alwood of the Virginia Station says: “The organism undoubtedly attacks the seedling apple trees in the nursery. The organism gaining entrance to the radicle or main root stock soon after germination, by entering through one or more of the main root hairs.’’ HEART ROT. Cause: There is much difference of opinion as to the cause of this disease, but it is certain that some pore fungus causes the trouble. The threads of these larger fungi are found ram- ifying through the tissue. Description: There are two kinds of heart rot. In one case the heart wood becomes soft, punky, and brown and is known as wet rot; in the other case it becomes dry, brittle and white, and is known as dry rot. The tree, when the disease is well advanced, is easily snapped off by the wind, or broken by any small force. The processes of nutrition are stopped and the tree dies. The fruits of the fungus are produced on the tree trunks in the form of brackets, but do not appear until the dis- ease is well advanced. How spread: Thespores borne on the brackets are carried by the winds and insects to other trees, where they germinate and enter the tree through any wound they may find. Treatment: Great care should be exercised in the manage- ment of the orchard to prevent wounds. In pruniug, or when the trees are injured in any way, the wound should be painted or covered with wax. ‘The fruits should be destroyed as soon as they appear, and as soon as the tree is so badly affected as to be worthless, it should be removed from the orchard and burned. POWDERY MILDEW. Cause: Powdery mildew is caused by a sac-fungus (Podos- phaera oxycantha) which grows over the surface of the leaves DISEASES OF THE APPLE. 943 and twigs sending in little suckers (haustoria) which rob the plant of food substanee. Description: Dr. Bessey, in his paper “The Botany of the Apple Tree’’ read before this society in 1894 says: “The leaves of young trees, especially those in the nursery, are quite subject to the attacks of a powdery mildew which covers their surface with a white powdery coat. The leaves soon be- come somewhat curled and wrinkled and eventually are greatly injured.” How spread: “The summer spores blow away in the wind, and under favorable conditions germinate quickly and give rise to anew growth of the fungus. Later in the season, usually not until the autumn, the fungus produces its small spherical fruits which are black in color and barely large enough to be seen with the naked eye.”’ These germinate the next spring and infect the young leaves of the apple. Treatment: All the old leaves should be burned in the fall or early spring. Spraying a few times in the spring will usually check this disease. For this spray Dr. Bessey recommends a solution of ammoniacal carbonate of copper. PINK ROT. Cause: The fungus which causes this disease is known as Cephalothecium noseum. It was first described in 1836, but not in connection with the apple Description: Pink rot is an attendant of apple scab and should be looked for wherever scab is present. When it once gets a start it is very destructive. Thescab spots, or any injury, make a good place for the entrance of the spores, where they germi- nate and grow beneath the skin for atime. The skin is finally ruptured and a white fungus, turning gradually to a pink color, makes its appearance. The apple turns a brown and the spots sink a little below the surface. The entire apple may become affected. How spread: The spores are carried by currents of air, by insects, are washed by rains, or when the apples are in piles, drop from apple to apple. 244 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY Treatment: Since the disease is prevented by the prevention of apple scab, spraying is about the onky remedy of economic value. If theapples are healthy and free from injury no trouble need be feared from pink rot. RUST. Cause: This disease is caused by a fungus (Gymnosporangium macropus) which lives during the summer on the apple twigs, leaves or fruit, and in the winter on the red cedar. Description: The disease is the most noticeable on the leaves of the apple tree in the spring or early summer. Orange colored patches appear on the under surface of the apple leaves, and often little projections occur directly over these on the upper surface. The spores, formed at the spots on the lower surface, germinate on leaves, or on the young twigs of the cedar during the summer, and by fall they have formed the so-called “cedar apple.’’ The enlargement seen on the twigs of the red cedar is not the fungus, but the abnormal growth of the red cedar tissue caused by the presence of the fungus. This growth continues throughout the winter and in the spring there is an extrusion of a yellow gelatinous substance which contains myriads of spores of the fungus. These find their way to the apple tree and there begin their destructive work. It seems necessary that the fungus shall have both the apple tree and the red cedar in order to persist. The disease on the fruit had not been observed in this State by the department of botany until this winter. However, the fact that the fungus will attack both fruit and twigs has been known for some time as shown by B. T. Galloway, Report of the Chief of the Section of Vegetable Pathology for 1888. He says in part: “Some species frequently attack the young fruit and twigs, and in developing greatly distort them. This is particularly true of Roestelia aurantiaca which infests several species of haw- thorne, june-berry, apples and quinces.”’ The Roestelia aurantiaca is the Roestelia stage of the Gyimnos- porangium macropus, the common rust of the apple. A knowledge of the appearance of the disease can best be gained from the accompanying cuts. DISEASES OF THE APPLE. DAD e : Uv enpaars a ri Le Seance veh ic Sue Nn 1h Wok Ren NUN OU VeRS tT ONE ND STR NTU TE ane Jonathan apple showing eedar rust on the fruits. How spread: 'The wind is undoubtedly the greatest agent in spreading rust. The spores are very light and are easily carried for long distances. Without a doubt insects play an important part in the spread of the disease. Treatment: The common recommendation has been to cut down all the red cedar trees. It is certain that if there are no red cedars in the community the apple trees will not be affected 246 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 7 | | Sanaa RSE al amUESPRER rtd LsteaeCcL aie stars ene Mn elastase nema meee enna ‘ =, ' erp ieee by therust. Another treatment sometimes recommended is to remove all the cedar apples, but those who have had experience covered with tar when the tree is planted to prevent the entrance of the fungus. DISEASES OF THE APPLE. 247 with the disease realize that this is next to the impossible. If the cedar trees are valued, as they undoubtedly are, they may be saved and the disease on the apple at least checked by the use of the Bordeaux spray, as shown by Professor Emerson. © “Two sprayings with Bordeaux mixture, the first at the time the apples on thecedar trees were becoming orange colored and gelatinous, and the second two weeks later, kept the apple foliage practically free from rust. Theaverage number of rust spots per hundred leaves from sprayed and unsprayed apple trees were as follows: Sprayed, Wealthy 19; Jonathan, 13. Unsprayed, Wealthy 260; Jonathan 112. Unless the disease is perennial on the red cedar it can prob- ably be stamped out by spraying. RHIZOMORPHIC ROOT-ROT. Cause: The disease is caused by a parasitic fungus (Clitocybe parasitica. ) Description: The fungus enters the tree near the surface of the ground, works its way through the roots, and by delicate white threads (mycelium) penetrates the ground and infects root after root. These fungi ordinarily work on decaying wood or other vegetable matter, but readily adapt themselves to living plants, if they haveachance toenter through some wound, such as acut root. The disease is first noticed by the turning yellow of the leaves, caused by a decreased food supply. Next the bark withers and the fruit becomes wrinkled and drops. How spread: It is claimed by the Oklahoma station that the mycelia make their way through the ground ten or fifteen feet. The disease is spread by the spores which are borne on the fruits. These fruits appear on the trunks of the trees. The spores are carried by wind and by insects. Treatment: There is little that can be done to check the ray- ages of the disease on the tree if it once gets started. A diseased tree should be destroyed as soon as it is past its usefulness. It has been recommended that a ditch about two feet deep be dug around the tree to prevent the spread of the disease by the mycelium. The wounds on the roots should be 248 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. SCAB. Cause: The disease is caused by one of the fungi (Ventwria chlorospora). The fungus is regularly branched and creeps in every direction from the place of infection. It is a superficial fungus. . Description: The disease shows first in the spring by the appearance of velvety dark green spots on the leaves. It is sometimes called mildew or leaf blight. When the disease is at its worst the leaves may curl up or fall off. Mr. Longyear of the Michigan Station says that the fungus may attack the stem at blossoming time and cause the fruit to drop. The fungus also attacks the fruit causing spots which at first resemble those on the leaves. The fungus works just under the cuticle, which finally scales off leaving a dark brown color with olive borders. This is one of the worst diseases of the apple and perhaps causes more damage than any other in this state. it not only does harm itself by preventing the proper growth of the fruit and leaves, but it opens the way for rot producing fungi. Apples free from scab are usually much larger and more regular than those affected by it. How spread: The spores are very small and are blown from place to place or carried by the insects. 1reatment: Burn all the leaves in the fall or early spring and cut out affected twigs. The disease may be checked by spray- ing, as demonstrated by Professor Emerson: “Two sprayings with Bordeaux mixture, the first just before the flowers opened and the second soon after the blossoms fell, prevented practically all injury from apple scab both to the foliage and the fruit. One spraying after the blossoms fell gave nearly as good results. The results in detail are as follows. The figures represent the percent of fruit free from apple scab: Sprayed Unsprayed Winesap 1 spraying 82 20 Maiden Blush 1 cb 96 35 Sweet June 1 ¥, 80 11 6 ¢é ) “cs 96 1 1 Ralls Genet 2 % 95 27 Jonathan 2 - 99 49 Average 91 26” DISEASES OF THE APPLE. 249 SOOTY FUNGUS. Cause: Sooty Blotch is caused by a fungus (Phyllachora pomigena) which creeps over the surface of the apple. Description: The disease is characterized by sooty, black, roundish like spots. The blotches are simply on the skin of the apple and may be of any size up to one-half of an inchin diameter. The disease causes no damage except as to the appearance of the fruit. How spread: The disease is spread by spores which find their way from apple to apple by the aid of currents of air, water, or insects. Treatment: The disease may be checked by spraying with Bordeaux mixture when the apples are small. TIME FOR SPRAYING. It is not necessary for the man with an orchard to give ‘special attention to spraying for each disease. A spraying in season to check one will often check others. It seems that three or four sprayings during the season are sufficient to keep down the destructive diseases. Mr. Youngers in a paper read before this society in 1902 says he would spray three or four times. The first time he would use Bordeaux and paris green and would apply this as soon as the blossoms fall. He follows fifteen days later with a spray of paris green, and with another of the same fifteen days later. When the orchard is to.receive a fourth spraying he uses Bor- _deaux and paris green again about fifteen days later. The cost for the four sprayings should not exceed six cents per tree. In looking over the time for spraying for each disease it would seem that three sprayings with Bordeaux mixture as follows should prove effectivein checking the diseases common in the state: One when the buds begin to swell, or just as soon as they are opening in the spring; a second just before the flowers open, and a third shortly after the blossoms fall. 250 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. REFERENCES TO DISEASES. Bitter Rot. Bulletin No. 1 Fruit Experiment Station, Mountain Green, Mo. zs as. Agri. “ ‘* Washington, D. C. of hee AD tae % Blacksburg, Va. sie Aca 4 i Urbana, Ill. Canker. Bulletin No. 70, Agri. Experiment Station, Urbana, II. S Pk Beret Geneva, N. N: se “ec 163, a9 ee ce Pink Rot. Bulletin No. 207, Agri. Experiment Stat., Ithaca, N. Y. 5 FIO at | ‘Geneva, Rust. Bulletin No. 107, Agri. Exper iment Stat., New Haven, Conn. Skee aise ‘* Lincoln, Nebr. Scab. ; Bulletin No. 20, Agri. Experiment Stat., Moscow, Idaho. 3 wrote ess ‘‘ Pullman, Wash. “s B75 ie arta is ‘* Madison, Wis. ee SO ita + - Ee bpannas Eu: ee AO ee fi ‘Lincoln, Nebr. Notes on Apple Scab, Bessey, State Hort Society Report 1901 Prevention of ss s 1904 Miscellaneous. Botany of the Apple Tree, Bessey, State Hort. Soc. Report 1894 Diseases of the Apple Tree, Miles, “ jk ‘* 1908 Es ae eta ‘ Williams, State Hort. Soc. Rpt. 1904 Apple Rots in Illinois, Bulletin No. 69, Agricultural Experiment Station, Urbana, II. REFERENCES TO INSECT ENEMIES. Apple Plant Louse, Bulletin No. 148, Agriculture Experiment Station, New Brunswick, N. J. Sting in the Apple, Bulletin No. 64, Agricultural Experiment Station, Columbia, Mo. Insects Injurious to Fruit, Bulletin No. 24, Agricultural Experi- ment Station, Agricultural CoHege, Mich. _ THE CROWN GALL CONTROVERSY: 251 Fruit Tree Bark Beetle, Bulletin No. 44, Agricultural Experi- ment Station, Columbia, Mo. Common Apple Tree Borer, Bull. 44, Agriculture Exp. Station, Columbia, Mo. Apple Insects, Bull. 56, Agriculture Exp. Station, Orona, Me. Apple Bud Borer, Bull. 53, Agri. Exp. Station, Newark, Del. Fruit Tree Bark Borer, Bull. 53,Agri. Exp. Sta., - Periodical Cicade, Bull. 53, Agri, Exp. Station, He ¥ Codling Moth, ree nds ie Logan, Utah. Ribbed Cocoon Maker, Bull. 214, Agri. Exp. Sta., Ithaca, N. Y. Woolly Aphis, Circular 20, U. S., Department of Agriculture, Washington. Insect Enemies of the Apple Tree, Bruner, State Horticultural Society Report 1894. Insect Enemies of the Apple Tree and Fruit, Bruner, State Horticultural Society, Report 1899. The last two references cover nearly all the known insect enemies of the apple tree, and in many cases no other refer- ences need be consulted. THE CROWN GALL CONTROVERSY. BY F. E. DENNY, LINCOLN. Since about 1892 when attention was first directed to the disease called crown gall, a great deal has been written upon the subject. Except in a few cases these opinions were not the result of careful, scientific experiments, but were more in the form of speculations upon the reports of others. The literature upon crown gall has therefore become a mass of conflicting testimony, so conflicting in fact that upon almost every point authorities differ. The object of this paper is to show in what | a dissatisfactory state the crown gall problem is in at the pre- sent time, and to indicate to the reader what statements in regard to this much-talked-of disease may be believed, and. what statements may reasonably be doubted. bo Sit bo NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. THE APPEARANCE OF CROWN GALL. There is practical unanimity upon this point among the various authorities. The galls or nodules are usually found at the crown of the root, although they are also, but less frequently found upon the minor roots. Their size is variable. Starting as a mere speck, they gradually increase in size until they become as large as walnuts, sometimes as large as apples, and sometimes even larger. They are soft, spongy, and granular, and, although whitish in color when young, they gradually assume the same color as the roots. The galls are usually annual in growth, that is, they begin their growth in the spring and become mature in the fall. Around the galls a mass of fine, fibrous roots usually start out. They are not to be con- fused with the galls produced by the wooly aphis. The latter galls are small, hard, and are mere swellings of the roots, while the former are large, spongy, and are more in the form of excrescences. WHAT CAUSES CROWN GALL. This question has never been settled. There are a variety of theories concerning it, but none have been generally accepted by the botanists of the world. Sorauer, the celebrated German botanist, gives it as his belief that the disease is caused by an injury to the root, such as bending or breaking it in the process of transplanting. Since the galls were first noticed on stock coming from irrigated districts it was concluded that irrigation was the cause. But this idea was abandoned when cases of crown gall were found in compartively dry places, where irri- gation had never been practiced. ‘The galls are frequently found at the place of union of the stock and scion in root-grafted trees, and it was thought at one time that grafting was the cause of crown gall, but since the galls are common upon seed- lings which have never been touched by a knife, grafting can- not be regarded as the cause of the disease, although it may provide for the easy entrance of the disease into the plant. The latest and most elaborate opinion as to the cause of crown gall is that of Professor J. W. Toumey of Arizona. As a result of a course of careful experimentation he decided it to be due to a certain organism very low in the scale of life, belonging to THE CROWN GALL CONTROVERSY. 953 the slime mould group. Unfortunately he did not prove to the satisfaction of all that he had located the organism, and until later experiments are performed the cause of crown gall must remain a debatable question. IS CROWN GALL COMMUNICABLE? According to the great preponderance of evidence this ques: tion should undoubtedly be answered in the affirmative. Pro- fessor Heald of the University of Nebraska has succeeded with very little difficulty in producing the galls upon perfectly healthy raspberry plants by inoculating the crown of the root with bits of crown gall. Professor Selby in bulletin 121 of the Ohio Experiment Station, says ‘‘soil which causes this sort of: growth upon peach trees has been known to produce the same upon the apple and conversely.’’ And in bulletin 111 he gives as a result of an experiment carried on by the Ohio station that peach trees set in a raspberry plantation affected with crown gall became attacked by crown gall to the extent of 70.8 per cent. in two years. Professor Toumey of the Arizona Station was able to transfer the disease from seedling to seed- ling with ease, and found that almond seedlings grown in soil into which minced galls had been introduced, showed a larger percentage of infected trees than similar seedlings grown in soil where the minced galls were absent. In opening bundles of trees where there are trees infected with crown gall, it has often been noticed that several diseased trees would be found together, indicating that they were near each other in the nur- sery row. All these examples tend to show that from what is. known at present crown gall should be looked upon as com- municable. HOW MUCH DAMAGE DOES CROWN GALL DO? Our authorities are divided upon this point also. The botanist of the Michigan Experiment Station in bulletin 25 says: “The effect of this disease upon the tree is to produce a spindling or stunted growth and usually leads to the death of the tree. Trees affected with crown gall when planted from the nursery seldom reach bearing size, but frequently die the first season.” On the other hand a nurseryman in writing to the New York 254 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Experiment Station says in bulletin 191: “‘Two years ago we planted a row of apple trees affected with crown gall beside a row of healthy trees. This fall we dug up a number of the trees and some had galls on them and some had not. The trees with the crown gall made just as good a growth as the healthy trees near by, the root system seemed to be healthy and sup- plying the top with all the nourishment needed for a strong growth.’’? While the New York nurseryman could not say from his experiment that crown gall does no damage, he could deny that affected trees ‘‘frequently die the first season.” The Utah Experiment Station in bulletin 55 publishes the fol- lowing statement: ‘Almost sure death to a tree, without cure or preventive, supposed to be highly contagious, crown gall is becoming one of our worst orchard troubles.” The above state- ment isdenied by the Alabama Experiment Stationin bulletin 124 in the following terms: ‘Until experimental work now in pro- gress has been carried so far as to warrant conclusions on this point the crown gall of the apple now so common in many nur- series of the Mississippi valley can be regarded as a suspicious object and not certainly as a dangerous one.” ‘The testimony of an ex-nurseryman may throw some light on this subject. This man, who, some twenty-five years ago, was engaged in selling nursery stock, said that there were galls upon the roots of many trees at that time, and that such trees had been dis- tributed to various portions of the state. Now if crown gall is as communicable as many would have us believe, and if, as has been stated, an infected tree is doomed sooner or later to death, it is remarkable indeed that vast numbers of our fruit trees have not succumbed to this disease long ago. THE TREATMENT FOR CROWN GALL. This is another controversial point. Many authorities advo- cate cutting away the galls and burning them, but Professor -Close of Utah says in bulletin 65 of the Utah Experiment Station: “Even if the galls are removed when the tree is planted new ones will nearly always develop.” It is some- times advised as a precautionary measure to apply Bor- deaux mixture, but bulletin 93 of the Kentucky Station says: ‘‘Bordeaux mixture applied to the outside can do little more REPORT OF C. S. HARRISON, DELEGATE. 955 than kill the parasite on the surface.’’ All authorities agree, however, in advising that all infected trees should be rejected, _ and many urge that no trees from nurseries where crown gall _is known to exist should be planted. CONCLUSIONS. 1. Crown gall is not a disease over which to be greatly alarmed. It may in the future become serious but at present it is not doing any vast amount of damage. 2. The cause of crown gall is not known. 3. Allexperimental work done up to the present time indi- cates that the disease is communicable. 4. No remedy has been found for the trouble. As a pre- cautionary measure no trees obviously infected should be planted. If a great many trees in the consignment are dis- eased none should be planted but the whole shipment should be returned to the person from whom the treees were bought. ~ 5. Since solittleis known of crown gall, the need of accurate -and scientific experimentation upon the supjectis obvious. Not until this is done will the crown gall controversy be settled to the satisfaction of all. REPORT OF C.S. HARRISON AS DELEGATE TO THE MINNESOTA HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. The thirty-eighth annual meeting of the Minnesota State Horticultural society was held in the audience room of the First Unitarian church, Minneapolis. The basement being used for the fruit display. The writer has visited many horticultural societies, but never any where saw a finer display than was made here of showy splendid apples. They were clean and bright and exceedingly attractive. One large table was devoted entirely to new seed- lings and among them were many of great merit. Never was there a more persistant, determined and heroic band of men who in the face of every obstacle have pushed on to success, and the results are most cheering. One by one the old veterans 256 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY: are passing away. But when we saw a hundred students from the agricultural school coming in we were sure their places would be filled with a splendid set of men who would carry on the work already begun. One feature of many of our horticultural societies is the presence of gray heads and the absenceofyoungmen. I noted this in Kansas, and it is too much the case in Nebraska. We older men realize the fact that we need the vim, push and en- thusiasm which young blood alone can impart. A LIVELY PROGRAM. The secretary, Mr. Latham, determined to have short papers— right to the point and plenty of them for discussion. This made a lively time, and there was a sort of love feast in the inter- change of views and experiences. First came the address of the president, Clarence Wedge. Mr. Wedge stands at the front in horticulture. He is aman of experience, not simple theories. He is horticultural editor of The Farmer published at St. Paul. His articles arealways full of instruction. His address was right tothe point. He wished to emphasize one thing, and that was: “Look out where you get your seeds and stock. Take the white spruce for instance. The impression is that white spruce will do well in Minnesota. Find out first where this white spruce is born and bred. We cannot emphasize this point too strongly.”’ Mr. Wedge said he had four collections. The best, most thrifty, compact and beautiful was the type from the Black Hills. Next best came from north Minnesota. Another lot came from eastern nurseries with seed probably from Maine or New Hampshire. They were of little account. Another lot came from Europeand they were utterly worthless. We cannot emphasize this too strongly. For instance a man in Minnesota wants red cedar. He looks over catalogues and finds a firm in southern [llinois offering seedlings very cheap. They are the genuine red cedar all right, but they are all dead the following spring. Had he paid five times as much for Min- nesota stock he would have been far ahead. REPORT OF C. S. HARRISON, DELEGATE. D567 A man in Manitoba sees cottonwood growing and determines to have some. He sees them offered cheap in a Nebraska nursery and buys a lot, but none of them can live, for they are southern born and bred. Had hetaken them from the Manitoba streams, he would have been all right. So with boxelder, called Manitoba, maple. The natives are all right, but those imported from Ne- braska or Kansas would be a failure. Carry this further. Rocky Mountain evergreens grown from seed gathered in the foot hills are all right for the plains, for the conditions are sim- ilar. The same trees planted in the north would be too tender, as they have found to their cost in Minnesota, On the other hand seedlings raised from seed of the high alti- tudes which corresponds to almost arctic conditions would be worthless on the plains, but all right for Manitoba. These things are too little regarded, but we must accept these facts and act accordingly if we would have success. THE POSSIBILITIES OF FLORICULTURE. The next paper was on “The Possibilities of Floriculture,” by C. S. Harrison of York, Nebraska. The writer presented the second chapter of his forthcoming book, ‘“The Gold Mine in the Front Yard; How to Work It” soon to be issued by the Webb Publishing company of St. Paul. He spoke of the wonderful carpet captured by the Saracens from the Persians. This was 450 feet long and 590 feet wide. It was set with gems, to imitate a flowering garden. He said: ‘‘We cannot own a carpet like this, but there was only one of it, while millions of people could have carpets of flowers fully as beautiful.’”’ He spoke of standing by the original Concord grape in the old, historic town in Massachusetts; that humble vine was worth more by far than the choicest gems ever discovered. He spoke of the charms of finding new things in the fields of floriculture, and said that Rosenfield of Nebraska and Terry of Iowa were finding several gems richer than diamonds, which were bringing beauty and joy to thousands of homes. T. T. Bachellor of Minneapolis read an extremely interesting paper on garden experiments. Hereferred to what the writer said a year before, “‘that never had an acre in the west been put 958 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. to its best.” He had been trying to see what could be done with a few lots, and he was gratified with the results. His paper showed how much of beauty and utility a busy man could get out of a small piece of ground. The subject did not seem large when he commenced on it, but it grew as he un- folded it. Wyman Elliott of Minneapolis, that veteran in horticulture, gave some short “‘chop talks” hints gathered here and there. He emphasized one point we wish to note. There is now special attention given to raising seedling apples from the hardiest kinds. He said the seedlings should stand till they were two to three years old, and then pick out those that had the largest and healthiest leaves and the smoothest twigs. That the crooked, thorny ones with small leaves never could amount to anything and should go on the brush pile to begin with. PROBLEMS OF THE PRAIRIE. Prof. Erwin of Ames, Lowa, gave an interesting paper on “Prairie Problems,’’ and some of the difficulties to be encoun- tered. First, there is less rainfall on the prairie than in the timber belts; timber grew where it did because there the most rainfall came. Again, the winds were unobstructed on the prairie, and they pumped out the moisture. Wind at thirty miles an hour drank up more moisture in one day than would be absorbed in calm weather in a week, and this emphasized the need of evergreen wind breaks, which would deflect the wind upward. Another difficulty in orcharding on the prairies was, good rich ground was very poor orchard ground. The trees grew too rank and made wood rather than fruit. Land somewhat broken, with clayey soil was better for apples. Preston McCully of Maple Plain read a very helpful paper on ginseng culture, at which he seemed quite successful. Then the meeting was confronted by the ginseng disease bulletin of Cornell, giving warning to six dangerous diseases which were getting away with these roots rapidly. George W. Strand, who is an up-to-date nurseryman and hor- ticultural editor of one of our great farm papers, gave an inter- REPORT OF C. S. HARRISON, DELEGATE. 259 esting address on theapple orchard in Marchand April. Mr. Strand is located at Taylor’s Falls. Prof. Washburn of St. Anthony Park, connected with the Minnesota Experiment station, gave an interesting paper on the plum curculio as a foe tothe apple. He had cuts showing the damage they inflicted. Nurtured in the plum orchard when the food there was not sufficient, they took to the apples, often © ruining whole orchards. The matter was thoroughly discussed and a warfare planned against the pest. A leading plum grower gave his experience. He had no trouble now that he understood the business. He kept hens in his plum orchard and cultivated the ground every week or two. He gave those in hiding no rest, and the chickens were on the alert to catch everything they could find, and he was rewarded with an enormous crop of perfect fruit. Jarring the trees was recommended. There must bea sudden jar; shaking was not enough. Give the rascals a sudden shock and they fall. Have a Sheet ready to catch them. But the hen cure seems the best ofall. It pays to keep fowls. The more you have and the more they lay the higher their products, and when the little faithful chemists can transform such worthless pests into good, wholesome eggs, better give her a chance, and let orcharding and chickens go together. No use in trying the hap-hazard way of letting an orchard take care of itself; with that system you court a failure. PLUMS AND CHERRIES. Minnesota seems well adapted to the plum. Nowhere in all the west can you find finer native plums than in this state. I well remember that along in the ‘50s we used to go out plum gathering, and as the crop lasted for weeks we had fine times, often bringing bushels of splendid and luscious fruits. Inthose days there was no curculio, and the fruit was perfect. By gen- eral consent the most popular and successful plum is the Sur- prise, which seems by far to lead all others. When you reach the center of Minnesota—dividing the state north and south—you cross the cherry belt, and there does not seem to be much use in trying to move the belt farther north at present, unless some new kinds or new methods can be chosen. 260 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. The last two wet seasons seem to have given the parting blow to the cherry business, giving the trees the rust to the extent that the last winter finished them. There were ten experiment stations represented and their reports were very interesting. As a general thing pears were not a success and cherries were failures, except the Homer, which is a large black morello, which sprouts freely and thus reproduces itself. Plums were good and apples were gener- ally a success. For strawberries, the Senator Dunlap took the lead of all others; besides this were the leading sorts which do well in Nebraska and Lowa. WOMAN’S AUXILIARY. The Minnesota State Horticultural society makes way for the women Wednesday afternoon and for the State Forestry associa- tion Thursday afternoon, and thus extends a helping hand and a cordial reception to two of its most helpful auxiliaries. Dr. Mary S. Uhelston of Minneapolis gave a very interesting address on apples as a healthy diet. Miss Margaret J. Evans gave a genial, sensible and suggestive address on hospitality and the simple life as advocated by Wagner. Trimming orchards was discussed with a good deal of vigor. Some advocated pruning any time of the year, but the best in- formed thought June was the proper time for them, as the tree was most active and would heal the soonest. It it well known that the tree understands self-surgery, and if alimb is cut off near the bark this immediately grows over the wound, just as the surgeon makes a flap of flesh cover the bone when he saws off a limb. Mrs. N.S. Sawyer of Excelsior, gave an interesting paper on flowers, recommending planting in masses and so arranging a succession as to have blossoms from early spring till the killing frost of autumn. While in Minneapolis I received a telegram from Dr. A. T. Peters of the Nebraska University, asking me to secure the services of Prof. Green for one of the leading sessions of our great association week at Lincoln. The professor thinks he can be with us. Most of our scientific men are scholars rather REPORT OF MINDEN EXPERIMENT STATION. 2°61 than speakers. Prof. Green is a good talker with a clear, full voice, and he can hold an audience and pour redhot facts into it. Let all hear Prof. Green. Thursday afternoon the meeting was turned over to the Forestry association. The veteran General C. C. Andrews made a Stirring address. A paper was read prepared by the game warden on “Forestry and Game Protection.”” Forest and game go together. The fish and game of Minnesota are worth over $1,000,000 a year, and the state of Maine receives several mil- lions a year from those who fish in its lakes and streams and travel in its forests. FORESTRY AS RELATED TO THE FARM. One of the most important addresses of the session was given by Mrs. Lidia Phillips Williams of Minneapolis on ‘‘Forestry as Related to the Farm.’’ The address was replete with practical points and humor. She described a visit to Washington to con- fer with Minnesota congressmen and enlist their efforts in the forest reserves. She spoke of the woods on the farm and that the two were intimately associated. She said that many cases of insanity among women dated back to treeless and cheerless homes, and the terrible drudgery and monotony of unadorned and desolate homes. The annual banquet is always an interesting feature where there is “the feast of reason and the flow of soul,’’ and full vent is given to witand humor. One hundred and twenty-five were present, paying seventy-five cents each for tickets. I think the Minnesota Horticultural society the best in the world. It has 1,800 members and another year will bring it up to 2,000. The reason is that it has one of the most energetic and business-like ‘secretaries that can be found, who puts his life into the work. -_ The members are grand, wholesome men, who have fought their way through many a defeat to sure victory. REPORT OF MINDEN EXPERIMENT STATION. 2 BY G. A. STRAND. Mr. President and Members of Nebraska State Horticultural So- ciety, Gentlemen: I beg leave to report from Minden Experiment Station as follows: 262 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. The trees are young; they were planted in 1900 and 1901. Nearly all were peach and plum trees. .The plums are mostly European and Japanese varieties. In 1899 I planted foreign plums but of different varieties from those sent me by your association. I have about twenty varieties of the foreign plums. . Wickson have fruited, color greenish yellow, sweet. Dorma fruit blue, meat nearly green, sour, and a cling, size medium. All the varieties are in good healthy condition. They have made a better growth than any of the American varieties, but I am in doubt that they will ever give to the planter the returns in dollars and cents that the American plums will. The Amer- ican varieties are ten to fifteen years old, and consist of Robin- son, Wild Goose, Miner, Wolf, Pottawatamie, Forest Garden and De Soto. All except the Robinson had the largest crop and the cleanest fruit they ever had. The insects did not bother them last season. Peaches planted in 1901. Experiment. Twelve varieties. See report of 1902. Trees in fine condition. Three varieties fruited. Russell, six trees, had about five bushels of peaches last season. Wright fruited well, also Coolidge, fruit large and handsome. I had some older trees which fruited well, namely the Bokara, Elberta and Champion. Lincoln and Suddeth pears.living, and showing no blight. Baldwin and Terry cherries killed by the shot hole fungus in fall of 1903. REPORT OF CHAMBERS EXPERIMENT STATION. BY J. ly COPRPOC; Mr. President, and Gentlemen of the Nebraska State Horticultural Society: I beg to submit the following report of my work as di- rector of the Chambers Experiment Station. The past season has been one of great encouragement to the horticultural in- terests of this part of the state. APPLES. All trees of this fruit old and large enough to bear were loaded with the finest apples, as to size, coloring and flavor. They were also very free from worms and disease. The season of REPORT OF CHAMBERS EXPERIMENT STATION. « 263 1904 has been so favorable that it is difficult to determine which did the best.. One Ben Davis tree six years old from planting yielded three bushels of very large, nicely colored fruit. The Iowa Blush of the same age only produced a few specimens, but the trees are in fine condition. The Whitneys were so full of fruit that I thought best tothin them, and in fact, this was the case with the Tetofska, Maiden’s Blush, Roman Stem and Ben. Davis. CHERRIES. Cherries of all varieties except the Vilna Sweet and Yellow Glass have borne fullcrops. The varieties mentioned have given no evidence so far of any value. Of eight varieties tested at this station, I think the Early Richmond would be counted the best, all things considered, with the Montmorency a close second. But this is not speaking disparagingly of the other sorts, as all the sour cherries did well. PLUMS. I have not much to report in regard.to plums, as most of my planting of these were on too low ground for the wet seasons just past. The later planting has not come into bearing yet. One Wolf tree yielded one and one-half bushels of very nice fruit. PEACHES. It has been thought that peaches could not be grown as far north as this, but the season of 1904 has proven that the hardy varieties will do well here. Onetree of the Bokara No. 3 yielded three pecks in 1904, its first crop. STRAWBERRIES. Strawberries have exceeded all expectations here. I have only tested two sorts, the Bederwood and the Warfield, both of which have proven to be well suited to this-soiland climate. I will be able to report upon the behavior of several other varieties next year. ORNAMENTAL TREES AND FLOWERING SHRUBS. Of the twenty dollars worth of these, kindly donated by Rev. C. S. Harrisons of York, everything made a good growth and °64 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. there was but little loss except Buffalo Berries which appear not to be suited to this soil. The Thurlow Willows made a very large growth from cuttings, some of them made a growth of seven feet in height with limbs two feet long. FRUIT BUDS. All fruit trees are budded for a large crop next year except cherries, and the older trees of these give promise of a fair crop. Peaches are well budded, and the buds are uninjured, unless the late cold weather (the mercury fell to twenty below zero) has affected them. PROTECTORS. I have tried several kinds of tree protectors, but have found nothing so satisfactory as the wood veneer protectors. They cost less than a cent apiece. I use them on all my young fruit trees. For fasteners I use No. 20 spool wire, cutting it into proper lengths. Isoak the protectors until they are thoroughly pliable, wrap them around the trees pressing them into the ground about two inches, making the circle at the top a little smaller so that the wire will not slip down, place the wire round the protector above the middle and giving it two or three twists and the work is done. REPORT OF VALENTINE STATION. BY C. M. VAN METRE. Mr. L. M. Russell, Secretary State Horticultural Society, Lincoln, Nebraska. Dear Sir: Please find enclosed report of Valentine station. The peach trees we planted are in hedge form, one row thirty rods long, 160 trees and had twelve baskets of peaches in 1903, thirty-seven in 1904, and never were in as fine condition as now. I do nothing whatever except sit on the disc and let the horses draw it up one side the row and down the other, then gather, can and eat. My wife and I can forty quarts a day, and they keep perfectly in the Mason jars. But I want peaches that will ripen a little earlier. Weare liable to lose a crop by the early REPORT OF SANDOZ EXPERIMENT STATION. 265 freeze. This year the freeze came at the last of October and there were a few peaches left on the trees at the time. The experiment of this last season with strawberries was with twenty-four varieties from the R. M. Kellogg Company of Three Rivers, Michigan. A new method looking to overcome the ad- verse climatic conditions to the strawberry was planned, and some good beds of plants were secured. Will report fully on this at the 1906 meeting. Would like to try other varieties this firm catalogues the coming season, also a few varieties of peaches.® . REPORT OF SANDOZ EXPERIMENT STATION. BY JULES A. SANDOZ. Mr. President and Members of the State Horticultural Society, Lincoln, Nebraska. Gentlemen: Not being able to attend the meeting in person, I hereby report by mail as follows: All the trees planted and cared for by me have made a good growth during 1904. I have now several plats, altogether about three thousand trees, and keep a close record of every one. I replant every spring every one missing. Rain is sufficient here for all. kinds of fruit trees, and that on the driest land in the north-west, with clean cultivation, of course. Allthe Plum trees were loaded with fruit as usual but only the earliest ones such as Sandoz, Bizeby and Rockford ripened well. Others like De Soto, Wyant and Hawkeye were frozen on the trees, yet ina green state, in the first part of September. Cherries were all - loaded, but one Terry tree sent me by the Society three years ago was a beauty. Sucha beautiful growth and loaded with the _ finest of large cherries on such poor dry, sandy land makes this variety suitable for north-west Nebraska. I predict that in cherries, plums and pears the north-west will outdo the east, as soon as such trees are planted here in a commercial way. In fact we have the altitude of Colorado, with better soils and more rainfall, no irrigation needed. I have eleven varieties of pears which have now stood two winters unharmed, and this where the Ben Davis and Wealthy apples winter-kill. Some of the 266 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. pear trees will bear the coming summer. I had also Florence: crabapple trees loaded with fine fruit. All Japanese plums winter-kill with me on sandy conglomerate soil, but the Burbank is bearing six miles north from here at the farm of Mr. Dreyer. Sweet cherries always winter-kill here, but in Rushville there is a tree in the garden of Banker Musser, against a high brick wall on the north side, which has stood several winters un- harmed, and will likely bear the coming summer. This shows that with the Burbank also the soil and location have to do with the resistance of trees. Ps European plums I always reported as worthless here, but years ago I got from Professor Budd a lot of Glass seedling plums. They all winter-killed, but I happened to graft two on with native. These trees have grown well and last summer were loaded with large blue prunes that ripened well before the: frost. This I must add to recommend list for these parts. I believe that many more trees that winter-kill on usual nursery roots would do well if grafted on hardier stock like the native Sandoz. I am going to try the Japanese varieties again that way. The season being so short here, only the earlier plums, apples and pears will do, but these do so well as to fully repay for those that do not ripen. Spring frosts have no effect on trees here. All plums stand heavy frosts during or after blos- soms. So do the cherries with land practically free. Iam still locating settlers on 640 acre homesteads. This part of the country ought to draw a big immigration, but this has been dis- .couraged by our big cattle men who in some cases hold hun- dreds of sections by hobo filings which will not stand a. $10 con- test. Potatoes are being raised extensively here, also corn and wheat, and I am proving and showing to everyone here that fruit of the best quality like the Colorado brands can be raised here with limit. There are scattered through the country a few apple trees which have been bearing for years, mostly in the town gardens, the only place where I would plant two year trees. On the open two year cherry do fairly well, but two year apple and plums are worthless. I have still lots of land, and if the society think it proper I would like to have more varieties of pears and hardiest peaches for spring planting. I have found out that they are raising lots of Flemish Beauty pears one-hun- dred miles north-west from here in Dakota. REPORT OF SANDOZ EXPERIMENT STATION. 267 There are no insect pests or tree diseases here. I hada few tent caterpillars at first but have burned them and have not seen. any for two years. The ‘pocket gophers will clean out an orchard if given a chance, also alfalfa whichis being grown quite extensively here without irrigation. But the gopher can be tamed with a New- house trap or strychnine in potatoes. Prairie chickens or Grouse: is the worst enemy we have to contend with. There are thous- ands of them on my place and they eat the blossom buds of cherries and plums, and I have to kiil them every day or give fruit raising up. Irrigation is what north-west Nebraska needs, and fruit rais- ing will take care of itself. The following resolution was passed by the Executive Board of the Society: RESOLVED, That we, the Executive Board of the Nebraska State Horticultural Society, in Executive Session, approve the efforts of Mr. G. W. Alexander in producing new varieties of grapes for the west, and heartily commend his efforts in pro- ducing such varieties. Pres GaensgHas N REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON REDISTRICTING THE STATE. 269 REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON REDISTRICTING THE STATE. We, your committee, to whom was referred the matter of redistricting the state and revision of the list of fruits and orna- mentals recommended for general planting in Nebraska, beg to. submit the following report: APPLES. For District No. 1, comprising the counties of Richardson, Nemaha, Otoe, Johnson, and Pawnee, we recommend the fol- lowing varieties of apples for general planting: Summer: Duchess, Coopers’s Early White, Cole’s Quince, Early Harvest, and Sweet June. For second choice we recommend Red Astrachan. Autumn: Wealthy, Maiden’s Blush, Famuse, Dyer, and Warfield. Winter: Grime’s Golden, Winesap, Jonathan, Gano, Ben Davis, Salome, N. W. Greening, Missouri Pippir, and Virginia Beauty. For District No. 2, comprising Cass, Sarpy, Douglas, Wash- ington, Burt, Dodge, and Saunders counties, we recommend the following for general planting: Summer: Duchess, Yellow Transparent, Cole’s Quince, Dyer, Sweet June, Red Astrachan, Red June, Chenango Strawberry, Early Pennock, Early Harvest, American Summer Pearmain, Benoni, and Summer Hagloe. Autumn: Wealthy, Utter’s Red, Maiden’s Blush, Ramsdell Sweet, Fulton Strawberry, Flora Belle, Plumb’s Cider, Famuse,, Warfield, Porter, Fulton, and McMahon’s White. Winter: Ben Davis, Gano, Wine Sap, Windsor, Jonathan, Grime’s Golden, Janet, N. W. Greening, Salome, Ingram, Black Twig, and Isham Sweet. For second choice we recommend Missouri Pippin and Iowa Blush. For District No. 8, comprising Stanton, Thurston, Wayne, O70 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Dakota, Dixon, and Cedar counties, we recommend the follow- ing varieties for general planting: Summer: Duchess and Yellow Transparent. For second choice, Red Astrachan and Sweet June. For trial; Summer Hagloe. Autumn: Wealthy, Utter’s Red, Flora Belle, Famuse, and Ramsdell Sweet. For second choice, Maiden’s Blush and Plumb’s Cider. For trial, Warfield and McMahon’s White. Winter: First choice for entire district—N. W. Greening, Salome, and Janet. First choice for south half of district: Ben Davis, Gano, and Wine Sap. Second choice for entire district: Iowa Blush and Missouri Pippin. For trial, Windsor. For District No. 4, comprising Gage, Jefferson, Saline, and Lancaster counties, we recommend the following varieties for general planting: Summer: Yellow Transparent, Duchess, Cooper’s Early White, Early Harvest, Red June, and Sweet June. Autumn: Wealthy, Maiden’s Blush, Famuse and Utter’s Red. Winter: Ben Davis, Gano, Wine Sap, Jonathan, Grime’s Golden, Missouri Pippin, and N. W. Greening. For District No. 5, comprising Thayer, Nuckolls, Fillmore, and Clay counties, we recommend the following varieties for general planting: Summer: Duchess, Cooper’s Early White, Cole’s Quince, Early Harvest, Red June, and Sweet June. Autumn: Wealthy, Maiden’s Blush, Famuse, Dyer, and Warfield. Winter: Ben Davis, Gano, Wine Sap Jonathan, Grime’s Golden, Janet, and Missouri Pippin. For District No. 6, comprising Seward, Butler, Polk, York, and Hamilton counties, we recommend the following varieties for general planting: ' REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON REDISTRICTING THE STATE. AAA Summer: Yellow Transparent, Early Harvest, Cooper’s Early White, Red June, Duchess, Summer Queen, and Sweet June. Autumn: Wealthy, Maiden’s Blush, Utter’s Red, Patton’s Greening, Wolf River, Peerless, and Snow. Winter: Wine Sap, Missouri Pippin, Ben Davis, N. W. Green- ing, Janet, Salome, Walbridge, Ingram, M. B. Twig, Gano, Jonathan, Iowa Blush, Grime’s Golden, York Imperial, Minkler, and Rome Beauty. For District No. 7, comprising Colfax, Platte, Boone, Nance, and Merrick counties, we recommend the following varieties for general planting: Summer: Yellow Transparent and Duchess. For second choice, Sweet June. For trial, Summer Hagloe. Autumn: Wealthy, Utter’s Red, Ramsdell Sweet. For second choice, Plumb’s Cider, Flora Belle, Famuse, and Maiden’s Blush. For trial, Warfield. Winter: Ben Davis, Gano, Wine Sap, Janet, and N. W. Greening. . For second choice, lowa Blushand Missouri Pippin. For trial, Solome, Black Twig, and Windsor. For District No. 8, comprising Madison, Pierce, Antelope, and Knox counties, the following varieties are recommended for general planting: Summer: Duchess and Yellow Transparent. For second choice, Red Astrachan and Tetofska. For trial, Summer Hagloe and Sweet June. Autumn: Wealthy and Utter’s Red. For second choice we recommend Plumb’s Cider, Flora Belle, Snow, Ramsdell Sweet, and Maiden’s Blush. For trial, Warfield and McMahon’s White. Winter: First choice for entire district—N. W. Greening, Salome, and Janet. 972 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY To be added for south half of district—Ben Davis, Gano, and Wine Sap. Second choice for entire district—Iowa Blush, Missouri Pip- pin, and Walbridge. For trial in entire district—Windsor. For District No. 9,comprising Holt, Boyd, Keya Paha, Brown, and Rock counties, we recommend the following varieties for general planting: Summer: Duchess, Yellow Transparent, and Summer Hagloe. For trial, Red Astrachan. Autumn: Wealthy and Utter’s Red. For trial, Maiden’s Blush and Plumb’s Cider. Winter: Salome, N.. W. Greening, Janet, Iowa Blush, Wine Sap, Walbridge, and Ben Davis. For District No. 10, comprising Howard, Greeley, Wheeler, Garfield, Valley, Sherman, Custer, Loup, and Blaine counties, we recommend the following varieties for general planting: Summer: Yellow Transparent, Early Harvest, Cooper’s Early White, Duchess, and Sweet June. Autumn: Wealthy, Maiden’s Blush, Utter’s Red, and Pat- ton’s Greening. Winter: MissouriPippin, Ben Davis, N. W. Greening, Salome, Walbridge, Janet, Gano, Jonathan, Iowa Blush, and Grime’s Golden. For District No. 11, comprising Hall and Buffalo counties, we recommend the following varieties for general planting: Summer: YellowTransparent, Early Harvest, Cooper’s Karly White, Red June, Duchess, and Sweet June. Autumn: Wealthy, Maiden’s Blush, Utter’s Red, Patton’s. Greening, Wolf River, and Snow. Winter: Wine Sap, Missouri Pippin, Ben Davis, N. W. Green- ing, Janet, Salome, Walbridge, M. B. Twig, Gano, Jonathan, Iowa Blush, Grime’s Golden, and York Imperial. For District No. 12, comprising Adams, Webster, Franklin, Kearney, Phelps, and Harlan counties, we recommend the fol- lowing varieties for general planting: REPORT. OF COMMITTEE ON REDISTRICTING THE STATE. 973 Summer: Yellow Transparent, Early Harvest, Cooper’s Early White, and Duchess. Autumn: Wealthy, Utter’s Red, and Plumb’s Cider. Winter: WineSap, Missouri Pippin, Ben Davis, N. W. Green- ing, Salome, Gano, Jonathan, Iowa Blush, Grime’s Golden, and Janet. For District No. 18, comprising Furnas, Gosper, Frontier, and Red Willow counties, we recommend the following varieties for general planting: Summer: Duchess and Cooper’s Early White. Autumn: Wealthy and Maiden’s Blush. Winter: Wine Sap, Missouri Pippin, Janet, Ben Davis and Gano. For District No. 14, comprising Dawson, Lincoln, and Keith counties, we recommend the following for general planting: Summer: Duchess, Early Harvest, and Yellow Transparent. Autumn: Wealthy and Utter’s Red. Winter: Ben Davis, Wine Sap, Janet, Missouri Pippin, and Jonathan. For District No. 15, comprising Hitchcock, Hayes, Perkins, Chase, and Dundy counties, we recommend the following va- rieties for general planting: Summer: Duchess and Yellow Transparent. Autumn: Wealthy, Utter’s Red, and Famuse. Winter: N. W. Greening, Ben Davis, Gano, Janet, and Wine Sap. For District No. 16, comprising Logan, Thomas, Hooker, McPherson, and Grant counties, we recommend the following varieties for general planting: Summer: Duchess. Autumn: Wealthy. - Winter: Walbridge, Iowa Blush, and N. W. Greening. For District No. 17, comprising Cherry and Sheridan coun- ties, we recommend the following varieties for general planting on dry land with good care: Summer: Duchess. Autumn: Wealthy. 274 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Any varieties recommended for districts 3, 8, or 9 will do well in most places in district 17. For District No. 18, comprising Box Butte, Dawes, and Sioux counties, we recommend Duchess and Wealthy, but they must be given good care. Any varieties recommended for districts 3, 8, or 9 will do well in most places of district 18, under irrigation. For District No..19, comprising Deuel, Cheyenne, Scotts Bluff, Banner, and Kimball counties, we recommend the follow- ing varieties for general planting: Summer: Duchess, Yellow Transparent, and Cooper’s Harly White. Autumn: Wealthy. Winter: Ben Davis, Gano, Janet, Grime’s Golden, Iowa Blush, and N. W. Greening. APRICOTS. For District No. 2, we recommend the following varieties of Russian apricots for general planting: Alexis, Budd, and Moorpark. For Districts 6, 10, 11, 12, and 13, we recommend the Russian varieties of apricots. For District No. 7, Russion apricots are fully as hardy as the hardiest peaches. ASPARAGUS. For Districts 6, 10, 11, and 12, we recommend Conoyer’s Col- ossal and Palmetto. For District No. 15, we recommend Conover’s Colossal. BLACKBERRIES. For Districts 1 and 4, we recommend Snyder and Early Har- vest. For Districts 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, and 14, we recommend Snyder. For District No. 7, blackberries are unsuccessful except in damp seasons and favored locations. Snyder, and for trial, Stone’s Hardy. For District No. 9, werecommend Snyder, for trial only. REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON REDISTRICTING THE STATE. 975 CHERRIES. For Districts 1, 4, 14, and 19, we recommend Early Richmond, Montmorency, and English Morrello for general planting. For District No. 2, we recommend Early Richmond, Mont- morency, English Morello or Wragg, and Dyehouse. For District No. 8, we recommend Early Richmond, Mont- morency, and English Morello. For trial in District No. 3, we recommend Terry, Baldwin, and Ostheim. For Districts 5 and 15, we recommend Early Richmond, Mont- morency, English Morello, and Dyehouse. For District No.6, we recommend Early Richmond, Dyehouse, Large Montmorency, English Morello and Ostheim. For District No. 7, we recommend Early Richmond, Mont- morency, English Morello, or Wragg. For trial in District 7, we recommend Dyehouse, Baldwin, and Terry. For District No. 8,.we recommend Early Richmond, Mont- morency, and English Morello. For trial in District 8, Terry and Baldwin. For District No. 9, we recommend Early a IN Mont- morency, English Morello, and Terry. For Districts 10, 11, and 12, we recommend Early Richmond, Large Montmorency, English Morello, Baldwin, Dyehouse, and Ostheim. For District No. 13, we recommend EHarly Richmond, Dye- house, Large Montmorency, and English Morello. For District No. 16, we recommend Early Richmond and Montmorency. For District No. 17, we recommend Early Richmond, Mont- morency, English Morello, and Dyehouse. For trial in District 17, Early Morelloand Terry. For District No. 18, we recommend Early Richmond, English Morello, Montmorency, Dyehouse, and Terry. ore 7 r 270 NEBRASKA: STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. CRAB APPLES. For District No. 1, we recommend Whitney No. 20, Hys and Siberian. 0 ee For Districts 2, 8,5, 7,8, 9,14, 15, 16, and 19, we recommend Whitney No. 20, Hyslop, Florence, and Martha. For District No. 4, we recommend Whitney No. 20, Hyslop Florence, Martha, and Siberian (Red and Yellow). For District No. 6, we recommend Whitney No. 20, Florence, Martha, Golden Beauty, Hyslop, and Transcendant. For Districts 10 and 11, we recommend Whitney No. 20, Flor- ence, Martha, Golden Beauty, and Hyslop. For District No. 12, we recommend Whitney No. 20, Florence and Martha. For District No 138, we recommend Whitney No. 20, and Florence. For District No. 17, we recommend Whitney No. 20, General Grant and Virginia. . For District No. 18, we recommend Whitney No. 20, Florence Hyslop, Transcendant, and Martha. : CURRANTS. For Districts 1, 4, 14, and 19, we recommend Red Dutch, Vic- toria, and White Grape. ‘For District No. 2, we recommend Victoria, Cherry, White Grape, Fay’s Prolific, and North Star. For District No. 8, we recommend Victoria, White . Grae Cherry, and Fay’s Prolific. ; For District No. 5, we recommend Cherry, La Versailles, Vic- toria, Prince cise London Market, Red Dutch, and White Grape. For District No.6, we recommend Victoria, Cherry, Versailles and White Grape. ; For Districts 7 and 8, we recommend Victoria and White Grape. For trial in Districts 7 and 8, we recommend Cherry, Fay’s Prolific, and London Market. REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON REDISTRICTING THE STATE. aay by For District No. 9, we recommend Victoria, White Grape, Cherry, Fay’s Prolific, and London Market. ‘For Districts 10, 11, and 13, we recommend Victoria, Cherry, Versailles, and White Grape. For District No. 15, we recommend Red Dutch, Victoria, Cherry, and White Grape. For District No. 16, we recommend White Grape, Victoria, and Cherry. For District No. 17, we recommend White Grape, Victoria, and London Market. For District No. 18, we recommend Victoria, White Grape, White Dutch, and Red Dutch. DEWBERRIES. _ For Districts 5, 6, 10, 11, and 12, we recommend Lucretia Dewberries. JUNEBERRIES. For Districts 5, 6, 10, 11, and 12, we recommend Dwarf June- berries. GOOSEBERRIES. For District No. 1, we recommend Downing, Houghton, In- dustry, and Red Jacket. For Districts 2, 8, and 8, we recommend Downing, Houghton, and Champion. For District No. 4, we recommend Downing, Houghton, and Industry. For Districts 5, 7, 9,10, 11, 12, 18, 14, and 15, we recommend Downing and Houghton. For District No. 6, werecommend Downing and Pearl. For Districts 16, 17, and 18, we recommend Houghton. For Distrist No. 19, we recommend Downing, Houghton, and Smith’s Improved. GRAPES. For District No. 1, we recommend Concord, Worden, Moore’s Early, Niagara, Moore’s Diamond, and Woodruff Red. 278 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. For District No. 2. we recommend Concord, Worden, Moore’s Early, Agawam, Brighton, Pocklington, Moore’s Diamond, and Woodruff Red. For District No. 3, we recommend Concord, Worden, Moore’s Early, and Pocklington. For trial in District 3, Brighton, Agawam, and Moore’s Dia- mond. For District No. 4, we recommend Concord, Worden, Moore’s Early, and Niagara. For District No. 5, we recommend Concord, Worden, Moore’s Early, Duchess, Agawam, and Brighton. For District No. 6, we recommend Concord, Worden, Moore’s Early, Elvira, Niagara, Wyoming Red, and Pocklington. For District No. 7, we recommend Concord, Worden, Moore’s Early, and Pocklington for general planting. For second choice in District 7, we recommend Elvira. For trial in District 7, Moore’s Diamond and Brighton. For District No. 8, we recommend Concord, Worden, Moor s Early, and Pocklington for general planting. For trial in District 8, Moore’s Diamond and Brighton. For District No. 9, we recommend Concrod, Worden, Moore’s Early, Pocklington, and Moore’s Diamond. Grapes should be covered in winter to insure success. For District No. 10, we recommend Concord, Worden, Moore’s Early, Elvira, Niagara, and Wyoming Red. For Districts 11 and 12, we recommend Concord, Worden, Moore’s Early, Elvira, Niagara, Wyoming Red, and Pocklington. For District No. 13, we recommend Concord and Elvira. For Districts 14 and 15, we recommend Moore’s Early, Wor- den, Elvira, and Concord. For District No. 16, we recommend Concord. For District No. 19, we recommend Concord and Moore’s Early. PEACHES. For Districts 1 and 4, we recommend Alexander, Early Rivers, REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON REDISTRICTING THE STATE. 279 Triumph, Hale’s Harly, Russell, Champion, Crosby, Hill’s Chili, Heath Cling, Salway, and Wright. For District No. 2, we recommend Alexander, Early Rivers, Triumph, Russell, Champion, Bokara, and Wright for general planting in Cass and Sarpy counties, and for trial in balance of district. For District No. 8, we recommend Alexander, Triumph, Champion, Bokara, and Wright, for trial only. For District No. 5, we recommend Amsden, Alexander, Hale’s Karly, Early Rivers, Russell, Cooledge, Champion, Triumph, Heath Cling, Wright, Smock, and Hill’s Chili. For Districts 6 and 11, we recommend Alexander, Early Rivers, Triumph, Hale’s Early, Russell, Champion, Crosby, Hill’s Chili, Wright, and Bokara. For District No. 7, we recommend Alexander, Triumph, Champion, Bokara, Russell, and Wright, for trial. For trial only in Districts 8 and 9, we recommend Alexander, Champion, Bokara, and Wright. For District No. 10, we recommend Alexander, Triumph, Russell, Bokara, Hill’s Chili, Crosby, and Wright. For District No. 12; we recommend Alexander, Early Rivers, Triumph, Hale’s Early, Champion, Crosby, Hill’s Chili, Wright, and Cooledge. For District No. 18, we recommend Alexander, Early Rivers, Hale’s Early, Triumph, Russell, Champion, Hill’s Chili, and Wright. For District No. 14, we recommend Alexander, Early Rivers, Champion, Crosby, and Wright. For District No. 15, we recommend Alexander, Karly Rivers, Russell, Hill’s Chili, and Wright. For trial in Districts 17 and 18, we recommend Alexander and Wright. PEARS. For District No. 1, we recommend Kieffer, Bartlett, Sheldon, and Seckel, For District No. 2, we recommend Kieffer, Flemish Beauty, Sheldon, Duchess, and L. B. De Jersey. 280 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY For District No. 3, for trial only, we recommend Kieffer, Flemish Beauty, Sheldon, Duchess, and L. B. De Jersey. For District No. 4, we recommend Duchess, Flemish Beauty, aud Seckel. For District No. 5, we recommend Flemish Beauty, and Bartlett. For District No. 6, we recommend Flemish Beauty, Seckel, Duchess, and Lincoln. For District No. 7, for trial only, we recommend Kieffer, Sheldon, and Flemish Beauty. For Districts 8 and 9, for trial only, Kieffer, Sheldon, Pamiae Beauty, and L. B. De Jersey. For Districts 10 and 11, for trial only, we recommend Flemish Beauty, Seckel, Duchess, and Lincoln. For District No. 12, for trial only, Flemish nee. Seckel, and Kieffer. For trial only in District No. 13, Seckel, Sheldon, and Flemish Beauty. For District No. 19, we recommend Flemish Beauty, Bartlett, and Kieffer. PLUMS. American varieties—Wild Goose, Wyant, Wolf, Forest Gar- den, De Soto, Stoddard, Hawkeye, Cheney, Weaver, Robinson, Pottawattomie, Miner, and Hammer. European varieties—Lombard, Shipper’s Pride, Green Gage, Shrop, Damson, Bradshaw, German Prune, and Tagge. Japanese varieties—Burbank, Abundance, and Wickson. For District No. 1, we recommend Abundance, Wyant, Forest Garden, Burbank, and Wild Goose. For District No. 2, we recommend Wild Goose, Wyant, Wolf, Stoddard, Hawkeye, De Soto, Forest Garden, Lombard, Ship- per’s Pride, Green Gage, Shrop, and Damson for general planting. For trial in District 2, we recommend Burbank, Abundance, and Wickson. For District No. 3, we recommend Forest Garden, De Soto, REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON REDISTRICTING THE STATE. 281 Lombard, Shipper’s Pride, and Green Gage for general planting in the entire district. First choice for south half of district, Wild Goose. For trial in entire district, Burbank and Abundance. For District No. 4, we recommend Wyant, Hawkeye, Wild Goose, Forest Garden, and Burbank. For District No. 5, we recommend Wild Goose, Miner, Forest Garden, Wolf, Wyant, De Soto, Hawkeye, and Lombard. For District No. 6, we recommend Lombard, German Prune, Tagge, Burbank, Wickson, Wyant, Wolf, Weaver, De Soto, Forest Garden, Stoddard, Cheney, and Hawkeye. For District No. 7; we recommend Wild Goose, Wyant, Wolf, Forest Garden, Lombard, Shipper’s Pride, and Green Gage for general planting. For trialin District 7, we recommend Stoddard, Burbank, and Abundance. For District No. 8, we recommend Wyant and Wolf as first choice for entire district. Second choice for entire district, De Soto, Forest Garden, and Stoddard. First choice for south half of district, Wild Goose. For trial in entire district, Burbank, Lombard, Shipper’s Pride, and Green Gage. For District No. 9, we recommend Wyant, Wolf, Stoddard, De Soto, and Forest Garden. For District No. 10, we recommend Burbank, Wickson, Wyant, Wolf, Weaver, De Soto, Forest Garden, Stoddard, Cheney, and Hawkeye. . For District No. 11, we recommend Lombard, German Prune, Burbank, Wickson, Wolf, Weaver, De Soto, Forest Garden, Stoddard. Cheney, and Hawkeye. For District No. 12, we recommend Burbank, Wickson, Wyant, Wolf, Weaver, De Soto, Forest Garden, Stoddard, Cheney, Hawkeye, Wild Goose, Robinson, and Pottawattomie. For District No. 13, we recommend Forest Garden, Burbank, Hawkeye, and Miner. 282 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. For District No. 14, we recommend Wyant, De Soto, Forest Garden, Hawkeye, and Lombard. For District No. 15, we recommend Forest Garden, Hawkeye, Wolf, and De Soto. For District No. 16, we recommend Stoddard, Cheney, De Soto, Forest Garden, Wolf, and Wyant. For District No. 17 , we recommend Wyant, Stoddard, Cheney, and Hammer. For District No. 18, we recommend Wyant, Stoddard, Cheney, Hammer, Lombard, and Shipper’s Pride. For District No. 19, we recommend Forest Garden, Wolf, Pottawattomie, De Soto, Cheney, and Stoddard. RASPBERRIES. For District No. 1, we recommend Cumberland, Kansas, Gregg, Nemaha, Turner (Red), Cardinal (Purple). For District No. 2, we recommend Nemaha, Kansas, Palmer, and Cumberland. For District No. 3, we recommend Nemaha, Kansas, Palmer, and Columbia. Cumberland for river counties and balance of district 3. For District No. 4, we recommend Kansas, Palmer, Gregg, and Turner. For Districts 5 and 9, we recommend Kansas, Palmer, and Nemaha. For Districts 6 and 10, we recommend Cumberland, Kansas, Gregg, and Ohio. For District No. 7, we recommend Nemaha, Kansas, and Pal- mer. Successful only in damp seasons or favored locations. For District No. 8, first choice for river counties and for trial in balance of district, we recommend Nemaha, Kansas, Palmer, Cumberland, and Columbia. For trial in entire district, Cardinal. For Districts 11, 12, 14, 18, and 19, we recommend Cumber- land, and Kansas. REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON REDISTRICTING THE STATE. 983: RHUBARB. For Districts 6, 10, and 11, we recommend the following vari- eties of rhubarb: Linnaeus and Victoria. For District No. 15, Linnaeus. STRAWBERRIES. Aroma, August Luther, Bederwood, Brandywine, Clyde, Gandy, Senator Dunlap, and Splendid are Staminate or self- fertilizing varieties. Crescent, Haverland, Sample, and Warfield are Pistillate va- rieties, and should be planted with Staminate varieties for fertilization. For District No. 1, we recommend Senator Dunlap, Splendid, Bederwood, Crescent, Gandy, and August Luther. For Districts 2, 8, and 9, we recommend Senator Dunlap, Splendid, Bederwood, Crescent, Sample, and Warfield. For District No. 4, we recommend Senator Dunlap, Splendid, Bederwood, Crescent, and Gandy.: For District No. 5, we recommend Senator Dunlap, Clyde,. Bederwood, Crescent, and Warfield. For District No. 6, we recommend Senator Dunlap, Warfield, Sample, Aroma, and Haverland. For District No. 7, we recommend Senator Dunlap, Warfield,. Crescent, and Bederwood. For trial in District 7, Sample and Splendid. For Districts 8, 9, and 18, we recommend Senator Dunlap, Sample, Warfield, Bederwood, Splendid, and Crescent. For Districts 10 and 12, we recommend Senator Dunlap, Sam- ple, Warfield, Aroma, Haverland, and Crescent. For District No. 11, we recommend Senator Dunlap, Sample, Warfield, Aroma, Haverland, and Bederwood. For Districts 13 and 15, we recommend Bederwood, Warfield, Crescent, and Senator Dunlap. For District No. 14, we recommend Senator Dunlap, August Luther, Splendid, Bederwood, and Crescent. 284 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. For District No. 17, we recommend Crescent, Bederwood, and Warfield. For District No. 19, we recommend Warfield, Senator Dunlap, Brandywine, Gandy, and Crescent. LIST OF ORNAMENTALS. INCLUDING TREES, SHRUBS, ROSES, VINES, BULBS, ETC., WHICH APPLIES TO THE ENTIRE STATE, EXCEPT WHERE OTHERWISE SPECIFIED. HARDY SHRUBS. Snowball Prunifolia. Hydrangea Paniculata Grandi- Golden Leaf (Aurea). flora. High Bush Cranberry. Syringa, all kinds. Altheas. Weigelia, Variegatedand Rosea. Caragana. Flowering Almond. Yucca Filamentosa. Lilae, all kinds. Forsythia. Spireas as follows: Purple Berberry. Van Houtii. Golden Leal Alder. Arguta. Tamerix Amuerensis. ‘Thunbergii. Dogwood. Collosa Alba and Rubrea. Wahoo. Anthony Waterer. Rosa Rugosa. Bumalda. Bechtel Flowering Crab. Billardii. Moss Accacia. BULBS AND TUBERS. Paeonias. Dahlias. Tulips. Gladiolas. Lilies. Tuberoses. PERENNIALS. Phlox. Iris. Oriental Poppy. Larkspur. Columbine. Foxglove. Gaillardia. Cannas. LIST OF ORNAMENTALS. , 285 Bleeding Heart. Caladium. Golden Glow. CLIMBERS. American Ivy (Ampelopsis Trumpet Vine. Quinquefolia). Clematis. Honeysuckles. Bitter Sweet. Wistaria. CLIMBING ROSES. Crimson Bambler. Prairie Queen. White Rambler. Baltimore Belle. Wichuriana-creeper. JUNE ROSES. Harrison’s Yellow. Madam Plantier. Persian Yellow. MOSS ROSES. Luxembourg. Glory of Mosses. Crested Moss. White Moss, HYBRID PERPETUAL ROSES. Alfred Colomb. General Jacqueminot. Anne De Diesbach. John Hopper. Margaret Dickson. Ulrich Bruner. Baron de Bonstetten. Paul Neyron. Coquette Des Alps. Magna Charta. Mabel Morrison. Madame Chas. Wood. Prince Camille de Rohn. Fisher Holmes. Tom Wood. Jules Margotten. Marshall P. Wilder. Mrs. John Lang. WEEPING TREES. Thurlow Weeping Willow. Camperdown Weeping Elm. Teas Weeping Mulberry. Cut Leaf Weeping Birch, ORNAMENTAL SHADE TREES. Hackberry, Catalpa Speciosa (S. E. part). Sycamore (S. E. part). American Linden. Carolina Poplar. White Birch. 286 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. European Mt. Ash. Black Walnut. Butternut. Ash. Soft Maple. Elm. Berberry. Japan Quince. Spirea. Osage Orange. Honey Locust. Elm. Ash. Soft Maple. Catalpa Speciosa. Walnut. Black Hills Spruce. Pungens. Englemon Spruce. Douglas Spruce. Concoler. Horse Chestnut (S. E. part). Sweet Chestnut (S. E. part). Russian Olive. Oaks. ; Hard Maple (Extreme East). Russian Mulberry. ORNAMENTAL HEDGE. California Privet. Tamerix. COMMON HEDGE. Russian Mulberry. FOREST TREES. Honey Locust. Russian Mnlberry. Osage Orange. Box Elder. EVERGREENS. Ponderosa Pine. Austrian Pine. Scotch Pine. White Pine (Extreme East). Balsam Fir. Respectfully submitted, G. A. MARSHALL, Chairman. G. A. STRAND. A. J. BRowNn. C. H. BaRNARD. W. G. Swan. G. N. TIrvus. E. F. STEPHENS. H. S. HARRISON. W. F. JENKINS. Committee. SECRETARY'S REPORT. SECRETARY’S REPORT. 287 The following warrants have been drawn on the Treasurer: No. 106 107 108 109 110 111 At? 413 114 115 116 ita Wy 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 G. S. Christy Per diem winter meeting 0.0... $15 Wie Seeger Pere teminer «Sele ei i ea 12 TER. NESSIE CON Erg oro Wie aso tia ia AU te eR Pa ca ele ee Nn ede ese 9 Peter VGunerers ber Clie ih Ml An ee Ses ab SCS nell 2 Gres ene Taye Ay Me Moa neh COO Nee le eR RR 1. J. G. Neff SO a aig le sR VR GD a PUL OM, eh 9 OC. H. Barnard Eros fey We SLANE See eh ee 12 G. S. Christy, Delegate to Missouri State Society. 10 Frank G. Stephens, Delegate toIllinoisStateSociety 10 J. W. Brewster, Part pay reporting winter meeting 25 Widwistysione. Drayaeer joe sae ene: 2 Youngers & Co., Apples furnished at State Farm for Bere ee ee gee peice eee rs Thee PM ace et 15 00 L. M. Russell, Postage and Express 02.02.0020... 15 25 Lindell Hotel, Board Delegate from Lowa..................... 4 00 Te abpussells POSstas esti. ee TA ee 15 00 Bee NACHE GTESSEliy sesai laa y nee ee ae ee We 125 00 ie Mise Selle alery note eel ae aN) ents 125 00 C. S. Harrison, Stock for York Experiment Station 20 00 Marshall Bros., Stock for stations Valentine and Tr ay aie ane Bad OME Wee 22 Se MEN SNE te ek ec capa ea 20 90 GC. H. Barnard, Stock for Chambers station... 2.25 R. M. Kellogg Co., Stock for Valentine station ... .... 9 95 J. W. Brewster, Balance reporting winter meeting 25 00 G. S. Christy, Per diem Summer meeting......... .......... 12 00 Pater: Vouncers, eer Glenn eek Lite eee 12 00 Chas. L. Saunders, Per diem Summer meeting... 9 00 Opacr bie Green, Ser gent: 200% oo Oe ae ae 12 00 fey es LAGE TISOR Siete vce le eo tae eer tigate hag 12 00 eo Ave Mer shiablis oS seoneite ek ote ee ae 12 00 J. E. Ferris, Part pay reporting Summer meeting. 25 00 Jacob North & Co., Printing programs........00.0000000. 6 25 W. P. Aylsworth, Premium State Fair... 0. 1 00 G. W. Alexander, Wiaiice Pee taben inky Urn Sats Ae 48 00 -C. H. Barnard, Or SRBC Bae Me Pa ch ga oat, The kin, ieee 110 00 Not drawn. NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Geo. S. Christy G. M. Whitford ~» R. I. Brown Premiums W.S. Blake + C. B. Camp ve Crete Nurseries ~ sé Wm. Comer : R. T. Chambers os S. W. Christy ss Chas. D. Crone s O. M. Easterday is Frey & Frey 2 C. H. Green yi C. J. Gilbert s Mrs. L. A. George “ ’L. Henderson Led Peek ye eae Ray Hesseltine . Geo. W. Hagan a‘ C.B. Hain = J. W. Johnson wos MERE eee eS Wm. Krough ss A. B. Kenton ie eee. fee M. Kovarik a John Logeman @ G. A. Marshall ng Arnold Martin < A. P. Mickey Pee. See tyes ees R. A. Martin rer: Saegtin Agnes E. McCall ‘“ R. C. Marshall 4 M. Nineehelser Sor owe cepa C. J. Nelson a John Peckman fs Aug. Quiller ia Rae nny Baal Bada: J; M: Rubsells& Coc sweet ae Stackhouse & Tyrrel, Premiums... J. C. Stokes Bi Aug. Schmutte fr 5 E. E. Smith “s O. R. Trimmer Bn pe SECRETARY'S REPORT. Ray Hesseltine, Premiums |... 0.20... 2 S. Banning iz aha. ee 2 Guw “Alexanders ssi ee . ek Elen K. E. Smith > BRON ERs cence ne gels oe 2 G. S. Christy Ss 1 Crete Nurseries ch 4 Fry & Fry z 6 Delia Evans i, 2 C. H. Green mK 2 Margaret Sutton, Labor ae State Wis 17 H. S. Harrison, Per diem State Fair .. 20 G. S. Christy, Per diem State Fair. 2G Peter Youngers, Per diem eS 27 C. H. Greem, Per diem... “fa. mA G. A. Marshall, Per diem <....... Pa W. J. Blystone, Labor at State Fair erpande S160 G. S. Christy, Fruit, and Express for State Fair. 18 PN isselle Salary ces sore eone ee se REO aoe erty aE 125 A. Booth & Co., Cold storage on uit 5 J. E. Ferris, Balance reporting Summer meeting 25 Geo. A. Wilson, Building Lagoon at Fair Grounds. 527 Jacob North & Co., Warrant and Entry Books .. ) 289 OOOO Sc Srna o.oonons Se SS VSS NS ay NS oles le Miller & Paine Bunting for Horticultural Hall 5 80 L. M. Russell, Postage BS ap hit Ae = 35 45 FeV AS SELIS Ale Pye ne Alte Sone oe a ae 125 00 Nebraska Paper & Bag Co., eeiics for State Fair 7 60 Dr. A. T. Peters, Supplies and Postage. ec. EO ZOU L. M. Russell, Supplies and Postage... 2 17-20 ©. S. Harrison, Delegate to Minn. State Society _. 10 $1148 05 The following amounts have been received as membership fees and turned over to the Treasurer: C. B. Parker $5 C. A. Hale 1 R. B. Fields 3) B. E. Fields 5 John Williams 1 E. C. Leigh 1 Dunkin _ 5 mo M. 00 00 00 00 00 ae) 00 290 Apsold: Martina ie ee eee bold) Ray W. Hesseltine S . i For sale of fruit at State Fair . ; 10 Total, ane S39 TREASURER’S REPORT. WARRANTS PAID. Series 1903. No. 18 W.G. Swan $1 71 J. W. Christ 1 Series 1904. No. 106 G.S. Christy ....... 15 107 W. J. Hesser . 12 POS 2 T.-M POM ar Gs io ee Se CIE Se ee ea ee 9 109; -Peter Youngers*2 72 sx 12 110: -H: S=Harrison--= 12 Pde td. 4a. GNCie nS oe 8) $12>-C. He Barnard: 127 113 G.S. Christy ... 10 ded = rank Go Stephens oes toc eee se oe cae ee 10 Pe GV. ESTO WSURI ic con ee dene Ce gin See ees 25 116 W. J. Blystone 2 PIT SV OUNPEPrS.. dy, OO ek ee 15 IS bs, Whs RUSssen 15 119 Lindell Hotel ....... 4 120 L. M. Russell... 15 121 L. M. Russell... 125 122 L.M. Russell Se Pre 45; 123 C.S. Harrison 20 124 Marshall Bros. 20 125 C.H. Barnard Pee. 126 R. M. Kellogg Co. 9 127 J. W. Brewster 25 128 G.S. Christy. 12 129 Peter Youngers 12 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 TREASURER’S REPORT. Cis: 15s SAUDGETS 0 oe ee Shas. biG reenter HS “Baa risons = ene ane Se eb arrigs i cob North & Co... 8. Jai pera aus ee Sia me Mierke eve WO bp 2 eo. eae oy ote ey ICR ANOCE SS et Oe ee ee Gon parharas 2 EP ebrowa.. = oo ee eae ae Col. Camps Sone 3 OLE TER SOTICS ote et ae en eee ne oe pete FOO one MTISty so ra ee Wri ORI Grs Se tae He Chemis 2 or oe eS GH Su cet CDS op ean Se DUN ee ieee RO aie OPO eer etn ayo enh a MES iced yomeet eee re ee OS ; : : ie ; Prey 6; ETeyes = sae ect BN Fe ee Oped © Fela C2 oo Nig eens og pee ay an I =e ahs ca es ; Cro Her het et, uate ae BUTS Riegel 1-770 COLE Ba eer ie SE Pe enGersonss sn. ee ee ie Raye hexseltwmel 2) =e ree ea Geo: W; Hogan's... oa RUSE IA TOUS Mle easier soe ie cabs RE, iy aia tele a ee | A. {E-aHi oG E1000) 6 eae oe Aten en Nena aes iy eee ee ae Meera ence epee en ete tee Be, RE ay oe deh Wop emda i eae CO Natahalicn seen oe pee Arnold: Martin 2° 22.0.3 S.> Mat gees Pee MAGK EN = oe es ee See | Besos ew C29 ig 1G Ee ee eee et ee Mn ia 7 OS eae ie | Agnes E. McCall.......... eae Ory ee ote. ® enti heer Mere Shiai ce Wiekt rtd Bao ee MeN ishoGee et at ee (PA EWS) ot let es Mead Sk PSR Re oe epi IR eM be ~f2 c© rm ee oP LO RO nor Lora 00 OO 00 OO 00 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. John Peckman $1 00 Aug. Quiller Diet Sgt 6 00 J. M. Russell & Co. 2.0000... 39 00 Stackhouse &Tyrrels.7 i oe re hs cee eee 74 00 J. C. Stokes eo 4 00 Aug. Schmutte .......... 2 00 Fee TRS Son ise 2s he ae 10 00 OMB Reinimen Goo sk ee ee ee i Re oe 1 00 GYM. Wihitiord 25. ee lr ee gene ane ee 15 00 ay Hesseltine- "0 kes 2 eee 2 00 Bae PaeuIN NINO og he We ere ty ee ; 2 00 G. W: Alexander™ 0003.5 17 00 1 THORENS we eh a es aan el 2 00 (55/8) Christy ee ee ae ee ee 1 00 Crete Nursery tk wv pose ee ee ee niet RY 4 00 Brey w.Hvrey oA aso ee EES ie aed ace ee eRe 6 00 Della Hwane i ae ee 2.00 O-- sG Treen tito sy ee Biles. Bye a I ea ede sin, yee en 2 00 Margaret Sutton 222200 2t eco Pisces a eee GS Christy 2.20 oe ee ee Sai ete ee ee eee .27 00 Peter: YOUNES os et a ne re 27 00 . FEMG ree n s5 87 cider Boe Ae Say ete SHON Bin tied oe: 27. 00 G. A.- Marshall’: t02 os pte yee Ur a 5 a a ae 27 00 Wed Blystone h:2ho3u we SER Ay Andy ce me ee eee 60 00 Ge SHCNPistyer ss ash £4 SEE Sh AN oi te mee 18 35 Lb, Ms Busselton re ee eee aa 125 00 A Boot. Gi Oa: ee oer pee oS a ee 5 40 de Hi Berriss is. s a4e See: Red. Stat ate at Den oh 25 00 George A. Wilsons oe ee ie eee ee Jaco Norvthv& C63 Ge eek ee eam oO Miller & Paines..0.i 03.005 Piette tals Nee ene 5 2S ie 5 80 1. Hh. The crown. call COMLFOVErSY stele Bane eds ee 251 oC SESEP ISTE oh ae est ook ae cece RRS a eae I og PE ee 121 rseases OL the- apples: oan ee ere, Bo ec Lah eee eee Le 238 j BUD SST NO) tekecteltnn coeeg Ge aah nal Pels em MeN at. oc, nae Iai ee Da ee Re bea 239 Pep UL OR tenes eer eon ie ot eee ae nL a anh oh ee ee 239 FEV ISOMW idee OU ches oe wy mC Nan a) nN ete ese Vi rt re fia cece fees Pita ep 240 ATE (CTS a ne Re eee eae OUR teh I Re lr ce MN 241 TRON PTR Ege RSS Sa Zee 1 PRs gea, aece sO Nc SAE A a Bal o 241 Heart rot... Eelam ee RUT Eta erm atan eel ees aL ate dir Derm NE ei, Mente rate 242 PEO Cle Vie TINH OL Wyn oe oer eee ter Ur ARNT eek Sas een 242 "PAGO ER SHO WR gee oe ea cay at URAL INN ge Ne ee ag a 243 Hie SU eee ee ae sie s A Pee Neral ce ek eater ee or Aoi eae 2 244 Rhizomorphie root rot.. -.................... Re ee yad swine MDE SA ge y= Atanas Seger 247 SAGE CARA ohana Se aie ea ge pe ede ACURA Se CES eR ae SSR Mea N eal fen Pic 248 SOLO Et BOR US ae es SA on ae mee ag a a ceee aeh a Ne Sos 249 Imerson, Prof. R. A.— Spraying experiments with apple scab and cedar rust.............0....-.- 49 BETO CONS 5005s oe an es eo Pease eas nee, ETA Oe all ey. 214 Experiment stations, Reports of— eS ental 1st neil pele Greens eres ae Moe pe Mi Ee SW oT eee 262 Minden.......... Re nc EE antirnel a Cetera tte LY Set ee AM de Leg eee cw 261 NS EEITOMG GVA PR Se A eR oak cNe peste re aes ae att Leia ae e S 265 BN peti UU HLM chee mee ree eee Ce ae Rie 2 oe oe Nee Nae Iona 264 Food habits of some common Nebraska birds ........000.. ..... Sod hs Winie see: ... 222 Hrust. culture in Kearney County, Progress Of... oie 190 OPTIC TES RPT RCL = 0 Fa @ Be ea Ao cela ec RC a2 268 Beaune xh Olova i obs duOUuls;-mesults: Ol. :2 sole ele i ais ye sna oe Aa LPP TG GUE SIAN OU 0s Nee a ae Rea OO cd ere gS ay RES RN Pret OE 78 TEULESDIIE Te WIS Win lee ae ee meee cee i CO oe SH RAL E A o pt VRE SO EMR LE eg clad i 95 Mise CeCOMIMEN GEG Ste OL sot. etre re pate LN lee BON as oy ok een 269 UUM eCC Ss. MEISE GISCS: Olas coat e (ik tama ty ee No ae eA a ee eee 121 Pats uS UU G CT sUirel Oa blOm setae ie ere tes ie ea) Seared 156 Furnas, Hon. R. W.— Reminiscences of early horticulture in Nebraska .......... . Beate De et 200 \ Gyan eran a eer a WA UH ON chs sae R ein eid Bee ere a mee Pee Wires asics ga ge tie SRE 104 Grapes, ecommended-listiot.22 oe ie ge deseo et earl Gorecnien ida Fla OSES esse os oe ea race Bier I se eee eh ae 117 Green, Prof. S. B.—Remarks by. .............. ry Se NE We EM SO Deg eh 142, 161 SMC hILS rab SUMMER MeCN 5 Bees ass ah vn at ON Piacente ten tae 29 MEIN SOR MAICT Yalta eR ee aren. ag Ee mg ey Na pe et 97 Harris, Frank—How I grow cherries.................... eS ag oR ET ea 38 Harrison, C. S.— TEENY ST Goa LeXet NSD feces esac? Weel ee er egos BaP CPE ea Wen Pe See Re event om Rat Goes 214 Pa cly< Cian NC IN anaumer als Sates EA ss De er ea 97 Revort of as delegate to Minnesota society ......0 0.0. 2509 296 INDEX. Heald, Prof. F. D.—Methods of investigating plant diseases ............ 171 Horticultural education, Value of How; pine trees “are Prown.. 2.220 2.2 Se eae of nnn ae 72 Eow: to: grow cherries... 260s: Arh E Woe ee ee 38 Howard, To M.—Fruits under irrication:..2024-se.-) ee eee ee 156 Keyser, »-V-al,—Diseases of fruit ures) ns ee eae eee 121 fetter Of-transmustal. 7c) Rocey3to er Mion eee he ee Rr Hee Sc i, Marshall, G,.:A.-—Pruitfor the: bhomie:s-.2u. a 78 Membership: list. ic -$..2 Se ie Se are a Eee a 11 Nebraska birds;sFood habits) Of < 25-20 Le. as. a ee 222 Oficers;, Blection joes 422 2e oh ee Oy Pe re es ee 168 Officers and standing committees ..000..2.. iN tO EI aa Ee ee 7,9 Orcharding in ‘south-eastern Nebraska. =.