10

5 Wolf River, two of which are just beginning to bear.

Seedlings.

3 Totofski..

2

In the last mentioned tree there is no profit. In all I sold not including what we used for cider, 355 bushels. I have given up trying to raise winter apples except the Wolf River. I raised apples the last year of the following varieties: Talman Sweet, Bailey Sweet, Ben Davis, G. Russet, P. Russet, Washington, Westfield and Seek-no-Further, but the trees are nearly dead. The Haas and Duchess are the trees for me."

I do not know of an orchard in this district on higher ground, or an orchard raising all these varieties.

A. S. Bennett, of Royalton, reports having sold something over 500 bushels of apples, about one-half of them seedlings. He has the best or one of the best orchards in this county. He has many nice seedlings. He has chestnut trees fourteen inches in diameter. The trees appear healthy and bear quite a quantity of nuts. His orchard is on high ground, sloping to the southeast and quite stony.

The once splendid orchard of Wm. Wilson, of Weyauwega, is nearly dead. He says there is nothing winter tọ tie to but the Wolf River.

On the same hill E. Wrightman has an orchard on the south slope. He has thirty-five bearing seedlings, from which he sold fifteen bushels. He has Duchess, Wealthy and Wolf River in bearing and hardy. Mr. A. V. Balch, on the same hill, northwest exposure, has 113 seedlings in bearing, from which he gathered 180 bushels. He has 50 grafted apple trees, just a few commencing to bear. He has about ten varieties of grapes, yielding him 250 pounds of grapes. There are several more orchards on this hill, where varieties are raised that are raised nowhere else in the county. In the town of Lind we find several orchards, mostly of seedlings. H. Gibson and Mr. Hebblewhite have each a

hundred or more seedling apple trees. Many others have a smaller number. Of these seedlings, there are many deserving of propagation; some of which you will have on exhibition, the trees of which are, to all appearances, perfectly hardy. These latter are not on hills, but on quite level ground.

Mr. A. Smith has quite a seedling orchard and some very nice apples. Has a lot from seed of Duchess, all as hardy as the Duchess in appearance, and some quite good keepers. We have a great many seedlings of the Duchess in this county, and not a poor one. All fair size and better keepers; but one of which is very early.

In the northeastern part of Waushara County are several nice seedling orchards. I have not been able to go further to observe.

E. W. Daniels reports his Northwestern Greening, Wolf River, Duchess and Pewaukee doing well. He speaks of only these that he is raising that are good trees. He has Snow, Walbridge, Wealthy, Utter, Red, and too many crabs.

There is not half enough small fruit raised to supply the demand. Some are going into it and are making more money from an acre planted to small fruit than from the farm.

O. A. Rich is doing quite a little business in that line, but the drouth hurt him badly this year.

In the western part of Outagamie county the orchards are about with us here. Most all the old standard kinds are dead, occasionally a good seedling.

There was quite a crop of grapes last year. Not much mildew; but the drouth lessened the crop materially and ripened them early. For mildew we use sulphur with lime put on dry; the hotter the day the better. It should be used when in bloom and just before turning.

We would advise planting seeds from the largest, hardiest and handsomest apples, and a large per cent. of the fruit will favor the parent seeds. Of Alexander almost every tree the fruit in looks in part resembles the parent.

The Garfield Sweet, the largest, handsomest and most

salable sweet apple is of Alexander seed. The Lind and Ma Whinny also large, handsome and good keepers; and the two latter quite hardy.

I have not known the seeds of the Duchess to give a worse apple than the Duchess. Many of them winter apples are of good size and quality and the trees are all hardy.

We have seen the same with seeds of the Wolf River, only they are not so good keepers. We have got, and will get more that will stand this climate without going to Russia.

FOURTEENTH DISTRICT MRS. H. C. VAUGHN, ASHLAND.

Counties-Ashland, Bayfield, Douglas.

Conditions of Temperature, etc.

In submitting report for this district, I give the observations and experience of twenty-two years. My garden is on the shore of the bay, exposed to the lake winds, but I have never noticed any injury to trees from the strong winds. There has been but little attention given to fruit and vegetable culture with a view to profit, as they are brought in from the central portion of the state, but I am sure if one were to turn his attention to gardening, it could be made profitable.

Varieties Fruited.

Last year, 1886, I had a fine crop of apples - Duchess of Oldenburg, and two other varieties the names I have forgotten.

Of strawberries, the favorite varieties are Sharpless and a Canadian variety.

Currants Common red: White Grape and Fay's Prolific fruited well.

Of red raspberries, Herstine Lumn; of black, Doolittle improved.

Blackberries do not do well in our gardens, although a few are found wild, but of inferior quality.

Gooseberries and cherries do well here.

Soils, Sites and Resources.

The soil is a heavy clay, but peculiarly adapted to flowers and small fruits. There seems to be a great amount of lime in it. I use wood and coal ashes as fertilizers.

Fruit Growers, etc.

Capt. Tanner, of Ashland, has several acres about two miles from town, devoted to fruit and vegetable culture. The soil is sandy, but very productive. He raises large crops of strawberries, which sell readily for 18 cents per quart. He also has a large crop of celery of excellent quality, all kinds of vegetables and many small fruits.

Diseases, Insects, etc.

In 1874 we were troubled with currant worms, and our fruit crop ruined by black caterpillars, but a free use of hellebore drove the currant worm away, and we have had no trouble since. The caterpillars still trouble our fruit trees, but a free use of insect powder has so far saved our trees.

Vegetable Gardening.

There is more encouragement for vegetable gardening than in any place I have ever seen. The season is short but the rapid growth of vegetation brings to our table everything in perfection. There is no vegetable that cannot be raised here; crisp celery that keeps until April, delicious sweet corn, cabbage, in fact all varieties. The cut worm is unknown in fact vegetables have no enemies in this soil.

Flower Culture, etc.

I have in my yard over thirty varieties of roses, many of them classed as Tea, China and Bourbon. They all bloom profusely and not one of them requires winter protection nearly every shrub I have seen cultivated in Ohio grows luxuriantly and there are none of the insects so common in other localities. My experience has taught me that too much care for the protection of my plants is ruinous-so in

the fall I have well decayed manure put around the roots of all fruit trees and shrubbery. My dahlia, gladioli and other bulbs are stored in the cellar.

Fruit and flower culture involves very little labor if weeds are kept down and the soil well enriched.

New or Specially Valuable Sorts, etc.

I have tested hundreds of new varieties - I always note those marked hardy and give them the preference - and usually am successful in their culture. I wish particularly to call attention to the culture of the purple leaved barberry and high bush cranberry, both useful and ornamental. They grow luxuriantly and are no trouble and well repay for a little care in planting.

A also want to call attention to the Glendale strawberry. I have for ornamental trees cut-leaved maple, horse chestnut, wild plum, oak and ash.

I shall be glad to give any information in regard to gardening or fruit culture which I may have omitted in this brief report.

REPORT OF JANESVILLE HORTICULTURAL

SOCIETY.

Our society is twenty-one years of age, being organized in 1866. The changes in membership are but few. At our annual meeting held October 27, 1886, the following officers were elected:

Geo. J. Kellogg, E. B. Heimstreet and James Helms were appointed delegates to the meeting of the State Horticultural Society to be held February, 1887.

The June meeting was a decided success. There were fifty-three members of the State Society present. The best show of fruit ever exhibited before, and by the society.