Little Peaches

"LITTLE PEACHES,"

A New Fruit Disease Believed to Be Infectious

SATISFACTORY RETURNS

For Grapes, Plums, Peaches, Pears and Apples.

Secretary Reid's Report to the Horticulturists. -- Apples but Three-Fifths of a Crop. -- Peach Profits Came From the Later Sorts.

The following is the annual report of Edwy C. Reid, the secretary of the State Horticultural Society, which was read at the meeting in this city Wednesday afternoon:

To the officers and members of the Michigan State Horticultural Society:

I have the pleasure to report to you a generally prosperous and satisfactory condition of our society. This can only be qualified as to the number of annual membership which we have received during the past year. The lack of these is accountable entirely to the restricted opportunities we have had. Our meetings have been held in the smaller towns where there were local societies, and inasmuch as our reports are obtainable by the fruit growers in the state without cost the latter fail to feel it a duty to help sustain the state society financially. There has been no material change in the number of local societies in the state but there has been a considerable increase of what are commonly known as shipping associations, being companies formed for the purpose of co-operative packing and marketing of fruit. To some extent, I think, these purely commercial organizations have detracted from the interest felt in the societies that have for so many years done so much for the advancement of cultural methods. It is doubtless true that the purely commercial features of horticulture absorb attention in these associations to the detriment if not the exclusion of the other aims and possibilities of our art.

The demand for volumes of our Reports has been more general and active than ever before, and the distribution has been larger and wider.

The past season was one of generally satisfactory returns to pomologists. The strawberry crop was excessive, and in the main sold at prices at which there was little or no profit to the grower, but this is not a new condition to the berry grower of Michigan. The other small fruits sold at better rates. Prices for grapes left good margins to growers, while there were satisfactory profits in plums, peaches, pears and apples. As to the latter crop, while the product of Michigan was far below what was anticipated in the spring.and in quality was nothing of which to be proud, the price obtained was high. Failure of the apple crop was general throughout the country east of the Rocky mountains, Michigan having a better crop, poor as it was, than any other section. The poor quality of the crop was due mainly to the prevalence of scab, although the codlin moth played its usual part. Some have estimated the crop at 60 per cent of the great yield of 1896, but early in June, I issued a bulletin of the society, stating the condition of the apple crop at the time, and giving acreages by counties, and reports by counties of the percentage of a full crop which might be expected, together with a variety of other information. This was distributed quite generally throughout the United States, among those to whom it would be of commercial interest and value, with a result, I am sure, of bringing to Michigan a very large number of buyers of the fresh fruit, as well as evaporators, and therefore increasing the price which was received. But the growers generally parted with their crops too cheaply. Were it not that our president is to treat this subject of the Michigan apple, I would have suggestions to offer as to what course must be taken to revive our apple orchards, or to provide new ones, so that our state may retain the high place it held as an apple producing region. That something must be done is evident to all, and many have very well defined and undoubtedly correct ideas as to what that something is.

The crop of peaches, which early in the season was expected to be exceedingly large, proved to be quite otherwise, but there was enough to meet the demand. There was the usual mid-season glut and low prices, followed by very good rates at the close. The long autumn season permitted the ripening of even the very latest sorts that are cultivated here and it was from these that the profits more largely came. There was a noticeable increase in thoroughness of distribution of this fruit. The use of refrigerator oars and the making of long shipments thereby was a very marked feature of the season, while the operations of cooperative packing companies, who have established markets for themselves outside the greater cities, was another important development. It has become more and more possible for the grower of poaches who sold bis product at the nearest railway station, receiving a fair price in cash on delivery. This is a condition which has long been sought, but whether it is in the end to lead to a better condition as to price than formerly existed, is a matter about which even those now acting under it have come to have some doubt.

The grape crop was exceedingly abundant, so much so that satisfactory profits were obtained by those who had large quantities to sell.

There probably will not be increased planting of any species of small fruits the coming year. The general improvement in agricultural conditions will have a tendency to decrease the acreage of small fruits, especially those held by growers who were not thorough their methods. I believe there will still be much planting of pears and peaches, while the plum acreage seems to have reached the limit of profits, if indeed it has not passed that bound. I expect to see a revival of apple culture in Michigan, especially in the northern and newer parts of the state. I saw fruit some weeks ago from certain localities in the north central part of the state, which was extremely fair and perfect in all ways. The growers said that neither codlin moth nor scab had appeared yet in their localities, and that planting of apples would be engaged in largely the coming spring on this account.

There has not been any unusual increase of disease nor of destructive insects or fungi that has come to my attention unless we may excect the progress of the disease known as "little peaches" which up to the present time seems confined to the western portions of Allegan county. Prof. Taft, of the Agricultural College, made some investigations of this malady in 1897, and during the past season Dr. E. F. Smith, of the national department of agriculture, went into the matter more extensively. He spent some time in the study of the disease but the report which he submitted to the Saugatuck and Ganges Society failed to reveal any definite or satisfactory cause, nor could he suggest a probable remedy. This is believed to be infectious; but whether it is or not, the growers remove all the infected trees, for, once smitten, a tree is worthless from that moment.

The receipts of the society the past year from memberships and its invested funds were $187.37. A balance was carried forward from last year of $250. - 50. There was expended from these funds during the year $4.72. The ash balance on hand at present date is $182.65. The details of our financial affairs will more fully appear in the report of the treasurer.