Fruit Prospects

The monthly meeting of the Washtenaw Horticultural Society was held last Saturday and was presided over by Evart H. Scott. The Corresponding Secretary reported that he had that morning visited President J. Austin Scott, who had been confined for three weeks to his room. He said: "Brother Baur, teil the bretbren that I am sorry not to be able to attend the meeting, my heart and hand is with them." The society gave expression to its profound sympathy with the suffering chief, who, in spite of his great age, had served this society, of which he is the founder, most faithfully and cheerf ully. May it please a kind I'rovidence to restore him to future usefulness to those he served as a true friend of every good and charitable cause in churcJi and state. The fruit prospecta were discussed. Lutlier Palmer, of Dexter, said the prospocts for an apple erop were very slim. Strawberries did remarkably well. Cuthberts were badly winter killed, the foliage was attacked by a green worm, fuzzy on the side and smoothe on the back. The winter killing is perhaps caused by the snowy cricket, ,(occantus niveus) known by its peculiar repetition of the chirp "Katy-did." The injury caused to the cane of the raspberry by the female depositing its eggs in the cane is a serious one. The eggs are deposited late in the summer or in autumn, but they do not hatch till the early part of the following summer. The infested canes should be cut out in the spring after the other canes have put forth their leaves, but before the eggs have hatched. By burning these canes the increase of the insect can be checked. The dead appearance of the canes thus punctured by this cricket may have appeared to Mr. Talmer as winter killed. Mr. Stephen Mills: Have not seen such a small prospect for apples in 50 years. Cherries are short. The black knot in the plum is destroying many trees. The commission on diseases of fruit trees should at once be awakened to atteud to this very destructive, contagious fungous disease. Will Mr. A. A. Crozier and the other members of the commission attend to this at their earliest convenience'r1 liev. Mr. Wortley, of Ypsilanti: My observation is confined to my, own orchard of seven acres. Apples are falling off. Pears are one-third of a erop. Grapes are promising. Wm. McCreery : Have been thróugh Jackson couiity, found no apples. I expect a fair erop of peaches on high ground. They are thin on low ground. Evart II. Scott: Peaches well ülled. There will be some Baldwin and Ben Davis apples. Flemish Beauty pears are affected by the scab. Kieffer is tree iroin the scab, some trees are fairly loaded. Blackberries are very fuU . Niágara grapes are looking well; on low ground they were winter killed. E. Baur: The Bartlett pears are en - joying a year of rest and show a healthy growth of young wood, yet there is u, prospect of some Bartletts. The Flemish Beauties are fairly loaded but somewhat afflicted by the scab. Mount Vernon and Lawrence pears, full; Kieffers are sound. This ia a grand season for root crops. Have taken advantage of this and sowed plenty of Oxheart carrots, of Mangles and blood beets. Experimented with Jerusalem artichokes. No degree of cold kills them. Can be fed early in the spring to cattle and horses. They kill out all weeds, have no insect enemy and can not 'be exterminated after they are established. In case of a farnine they would be a great help. My attention to this very important vegetable was iirst drawn by Mr. Edward Clark, 86 E. Huron street. Mrs. Mary E. Clark, widow of General Clark, informeel me that sliced, cooked and seasoned they are a very palatable dish. I am indebted to these friends for their kindness in drawing my attention to one of the most important succulents, which for fattening purposes has not its equal arnorug the root crops. Plums would bc a full erop were they not so badly afflicted by the rot. They are a very uncertain erop. Mr. R. Waterman spoke in favor of the artichokes. They are a fine vegetable for the table, better tlian vegetable oysters. Emil Baur exhibited D'Arenberg pears, Luther Talmer his quart baskets. He said he never before had so many orders for berry baskets as he had during tliis strawberry seasou. The next meeting or the society is to be held Saturday, the 2nd of July, aud the committee on transportation is reminded to report. The committee on diseases of fruit trees should report and examine into the black knot and other fungous diseases, which, by neglect endanger all oor orehards. Remember the meeting next Saturday. Emil Bauk, Cor. Sec. ïlie Michigan Central Eailway are now selling tickets to Cleveland and points in Ohio and Pennsylvania, via the Detroit and Cleveland boats. Tliree boats leave Detroit daily (except Sunday) at 11 p. m., arrivina; in Cleveland the next morning at 5:S0 a. m. This is the shortest, cheapest aud pleasantest route from Ann Arbor to all points in Ohio and Penn.