fifty-six degrees in about twenty-four hours. The warm air and bright sunshine, with frequent showers, caused the buds to burst forth into leaf and bloom, and in a remarkably short time the trees, vines and plants had set their fruits; and by the 10th of May the season was far in advance of that for many years. By the 20th of May all fears of frost were dispelled, the spring planting had made a rapid growth, and through the district the prospect of the most bounteous crop of almost all kinds of fruits was assured.

Because of the short harvest of the previous year, the plants had been well cultivated and were in good condition to yield well. That, with the great demand for the early strawberries, and the good prices received for them, and the large supply of empty jars in the cellars, made many a grower smile to think that his once fat pocketbook, that had been so scantily filled in the past year, now would have its sides puffed out farther than ever before. But as "the race is not always to the swift," so it has been with the growers the past season. Often those with large crops who were compelled to furnish packages, pay express charges and commission, received less than the grower with a small plantation near the same market, but who could avoid such expenses, and to many the season of 1895, with its frosts and drouths proved to be the most profitable of the two.

All varieties of fruit ripened about twenty days earlier than in other seasons. The growers in the southern part of the state sent their surplus crops to our markets to find them already supplied with the same fruits by the home growers. The time of ripening seemed to be the same all over the state. The city markets were receiving the same kinds of fruit from all directions at the same time. This, and the poor condition in which the raspberries and blackberries were sent to market caused the greatest glut of these fruits ever in our city markets. Much of it probably would have been averted if the fruit in the different sections had ripened at their usual time.

The plantation of strawberries was large, and on both high and low lands they produced fine crops of large berries which sold readily at from eight to fifteen cents per quart, the small varieties and culls finding slow sale at from three to six cents per quart.

In some localities many new plantations failed to produce full crops. The wet weather in June caused the berries to be soft, and some varieties rotted badly. Considering the large yield, and the scarcity of money among the people, the strawberry was the best paying crop in 1896. Many of the newer varieties have been tested for the first time, and none have given promise of yielding larger crops, or berries, than the Bubach, Greenville, Haverland, Barton's Eclipse, Lovett, Tennessee Prolific, Saunders and Gandy, all of which produced large crops of mammoth berries. Of the newer varieties tested, the Bissell for large crops, the Brandywine for large, and Princeton Chief for late berries, were the most promising.

For the last five years I have been testing a seedling of my own, planted alongside of some of the newer varieties sent out each season, and have found nothing that yields better or produces as many large, fine colored berries.

The early raspberries yielded a heavy crop, and brought the best prices, ranging from $1.25 to $3.00 per bushel. The Eureka and Palmer are the favorites. On my own grounds a crop of sixty-six and one-half bushels of Palmers were gathered from thirteen rows, twelve rods long, and it was estimated that fully fifteen bushels were left ungathered, on account of the very low prices. The Gregg raspberry and the Snyder blackberries yielded the largest crop of these fruits ever gathered, and prices were the lowest, ranging from fifty cents to $1.25 per bushel. The Erie and Lawton's BB were fine, and sold for $1.40 to $2.00 per crate.

The market was well supplied with red raspberries and prices here ruled lower than for several years.

Currants and Gooseberries did well where planted, especially the Fay currant, which produced a fine crop and sold high. There is not enough currants grown in the district to supply the home demand.

There was nothing new in the line of cherries. The crop was heavy and quite free of worms, and with prices at from five to ten cents. The demand was not Supplied.

Plums produced abundantly of the newer varieties. The Burbank yielded some fine fruit. Fully one-half of the Lombards and all of many other varieties rotted. The little Blue Damson gave the best satisfaction. Prices varied from fifty cents to $1.50 per bushel. My attention was called to a seedling called the prune plum, that has been bearing for several years. The tree is a thrifty grower, of the spreading habit. The fruit is somewhat smaller than the German prune. It is of a bronze color, turning almost black when it is ripe. The people seem to think it a better plum than the Damson, but I think it inferior to that variety, and in shipping it did not bring as much as the Damson.

Peaches were abundant wherever trees were healthy and old enough to bear. The choice budded fruit was in demand at from 50 cents to $1.50 per bushel, while the common seedling did not pay to gather, and many were allowed to rot on the ground. The Lemon Free, Elberta and Smock seem to be the best varieties. The Crosby is well spoken of in Ashland county.

Grapes and quinces were a drug on the market. Quinces spotted badly. Prices varied from 15 to 50 cents per bushel, and grapes were dull sale at from 40 to 50 cents per hundred pounds.

For several seasons our apple crop has been a local one, but this year it was a general crop on both old and young trees, except where they bore a crop in '95. The fruit was almost perfect in appearance, generally large, high colored and of fine quality. Prices have ruled low, 30 to 40 cents per 100 pounds for choice handpicked apples, while wind-falls and cider apples were from 10 to 20 cents. Many seedlings have borne their first crop. Some, I think, are worthy of propagating, but it will require another crop before venturing far. Of the newer varieties the Yellow Transparent and Wealthy were very fine and will be planted largely. The Red Bietigheimer and Stump made a fine show, but that seems to be their chief merit. The Ohio Nonpareil has made another great record. The trees bore a heavy crop of very large, high-colored fruit, and the prices and demand were greater than for any other apple. Columbiana county fruit growers may be proud that their county is the place of its origin. It should have a place in every orchard. The Baldwin still heads the list as a market variety, but for home use and near-by markets the Grimes' Golden is a better apple and takes its place. The Ben Davis were large, fine and high colored. The Flushing Spitzenburgh were fine, and the trees held up their heavy loads with the least damage by breaking.

Many orchards were sprayed for the destruction of the curculio and codling moth. The former was very abundant early in the season, but no perceptible difference could be observed between the crops gathered from sprayed and unsprayed orchards. The largest and finest colored fruit was mostly gathered from the orchards located on the hill lands. Those grown in the valleys were generally off color and covered with a mould and had a mildewed appearance, which injured the sale of them, although the reverse seemed to be the rule in Ashland county; their finest fruit was gathered from the lowlands.

The season has been favorable for the production of wood, and fruit buds and plants have gone into winter quarters in fine shape, and notwithstanding the large crops of tree fruits the chances are favorable for a fair crop in 1897.

The display of fruits at the county fairs was large and fine, but of those I visited, that of Summit county was the most elaborate of any, they showing the finest display of grapes I have ever witnessed at a county fair in this section of the state.

The horticultural societies in the district are in good standing and hold regular monthly meetings. Some of them have taken up the work of enforcing the black knot law, with good results. I believe that we can do more effective work in enforcing the black knot and yellows law through the aid of our County Horticultural Societies than in any other way, by having them appoint committees in each township in the county to see that the law is enforced in their respective townships, and have them make monthly reports to the Society of what they have done.

There have been no new Societies organized in the district the past year, but an effort should be made to organize a good live Society in each county in 1897 for the purpose of enforcing the black knot and yellows law.

AD INTERIM REPORT FOR NINTH DISTRICT.

By S. R. MOORE, Zanesville, O.

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Ohio Horticultural Society:

Since our meeting at Dayton last February, we have had an abundance of almost all kinds of fruits, flowers and vegetables, as well as an abundance of rainfall; also an abundance of weeds, which in some places almost absorb what the crops should have had in the way of fertility, especially on the low lands, which last season was more suitable for crops than the season of 1896. Wheat was least productive of all others, all things considered. Pastures and lawns never looked so green at this season as they do to-day, December 2d. Berries of all kinds are in most elegant condition for bearing heavy crops the coming season of 1897. The past season, where the peaches were fairly treated, yielded an abundance of as fine fruit as ever was sent to market. Our local market was at all times stocked, and hundreds of bushels were shipped to Cleveland, Youngstown, Pittsburg and other markets, where growers said they received better prices. Mr. Kearns, one of our best and most successful growers, gathered, in the height of the season, nearly 100 bushels of strawberries per day for several days, most of which was sent to other markets. Another grower with about four or five acres told me he realized over $1,000; and $700 of it was clear gain to loan to some less fortunate neighbor. The strawberry is his special crop; but he grows other garden crops, such as several acres of tomatoes for canning house, etc. And, not being a boastful man, but rather reserved, I drew from his conversation that his small farm of some seventy acres was making handsome returns over and above a living, far better than others with broad acres, where quantity of land is the principal of its owner with old time methods of corn, wheat, etc.

I make this statement, not to induce every owner of land to follow in the same line, as soil, market and facilities for operations are not all alike; but many of them could be made better by a little study and a few trial experiments with but little outlay. "Prompt action and thought" must be the motto to attain success. Delays of a day or two in berry culture, especially in strawberries, means a failure. Planting, cultivating, picking at the exact time, together with fertility and a good home market, are the essential qualities to be sought for. Each season appears to add more acreage, which means more berries, and we hope for more prosperity, that all classes may have remunerative wages, constant employment, and enable them to purchase every luxury produced upon the farm, whether it be berries, peaches, pears or meat.

But few gooseberries and currants are grown. Our market has not been so much depressed by a superabundance of either, and it might bear a few more producers of the best kinds, if someone would undertake it. Perhaps this would only apply to

our own town.

Cherries, when in bloom, were promising as anything I ever saw; but for some unaccountable cause, after the fruit formed, they nearly all dropped from the trees, with some few exceptions; but what ripened were nice and free from knots and other defects. No frost occurred to attach the blame to, as has often been the case.

The quince crop was quite good, notwithstanding the blight, and sold at our market from -40 to 80 cents per bushel.

Plums bid fair until almost matured, or about the time of coloring, when they began to rot; and under the trees was only a mass of decayed fruit. One beautiful Lombard tree near my house was laden, and when they commenced rotting I made an effort to shake down the rotting ones, and gathered them up off the ground thinking every day the rot would cease. It was all to no good; only a few dozen ripened, while I think a safe estimate of the loss by rot was four to five bushels from this one tree. A few on the Murdy, the first to bear its fruit, rotted just the same. The same is true of nearly all others.

Pears were not a large crop with most growers, but enough to supply the home market, at prices of 60 to 80 cents per bushel according to kinds. A pair of Bartlett trees on our ground, which last season blighted considerable and produced a fair crop of fruit, was trimmed, and all the affected branches removed at the time the fruit was gathered; and this year they were almost free from any blight, and better and larger Bartletts never grew anywhere in this section of Ohio than the crop of this season (1896) and they now bid fair to live a number of years. Others, and some other kinds, were treated in like manner with reasonably good results, especially the Keiffer.

Peaches! This was of all crops immense. Peaches. everywhere. Old trees loaded and broken, young ones, seedlings, in by places, everywhere, some excellent, others not so good. On almost every farm could be found some seedling good enough to be propagated. As our list is getting so great, unless of some special merit, it would seem as though we had enough varieties that are profitable. In fact, some of them that have but little merit in Ohio should be stricken from the list. The experienced orchardist knows what is the best for him to plant, but the new beginner is generally the one to suffer loss of time, money, etc.

I had the pleasure of examining the peaches here at the Athens County Fair. Among the excellent varieties, some of which to me were new, I. wish to say, the growers, who were exhibitors, were certainly no novices in peach growing. However, some of them may have learned by actual experience that some varieties planted and recommended were not well adapted to their locality. As we are here among them they can speak for themselves.

Their apples, some very good ones, were badly misnamed; not much more so than other counties where Horticultural Societies have not yet been organized. Our apple crop throughout the country was not,so large as last season. The fruit was larger and quite free from worms or scab. Prices in our market at this time 35 to 50 cents per bushel in a small way; less by the barrel.

Cider was abundant, from the fact apples were ready to gather about the second week in September, or about the 10th day, almost or quite a month in advance of other seasons. A wind storm at that season reduced the picked apples to one-half of what it should have been. Our Jonathans and Fameuse should have been gathered not later than the 12th of September, but a few days delay and the greater part, at least three-fourths of them, were on the ground. Sold as drops or made into cider, and most excellent cider, too, they made. However, trees that bore heavily last season, and in certain localities, had nothing or scarcely any on this

season.

Nut bearing trees in their wild and uncultivated state. We have an abundance of walnuts and shellbark hickory. Chestnuts failed for some unknown cause. The trees were full of tassels, but failed to set nuts. Whether rains at that season may have destroyed the pollen I am unable to say exactly.

Trees and plants of all kinds ripened up in excellent condition and bid fair for enormous crops in 1897.

The fall has been the most favorable for planting orchards, shade trees, shrubbery and outdoor bulbs of any that I can remember in my experience of thirty years. The weather was not cold or raw; the ground was neither dry nor wet, but as near perfect as could well be. Some planters made good use of the opportunities, while others are yet waiting to see.

The Ohio weed law as amended does not appear plain enough for the average man. We, as a County Horticultural Society, made an effort to enforce it. I sent two or three communications to the council; the same to the Mayor and Street Commissioners; had an interview with the City Solicitor, and all found some flaw or excuse for dodging the law, and in fact regretted such a law existed,—plead ignorance, and offered all manner of excuses to evade the enforcement, and the most dangerous weeds, like the prickly lettuce, ox-eyed daisies and Canada thistles are on the increase, and bid defiance to laws, and officers whose duty it is to enforce them. About our own place we do not allow them to exist, but others nearby and on the streets, alleys and byways do. The prickly lettuce is flourishing as though it were intended to be. It may be a useful plant; as yet I am not aware of what it is used for.

Insects did but little harm, and spraying, so far as I know, was but little practiced.

Some few grapes are grown in a small way, and sold by marketers early in the season before fully ripe, at 3 to 5 cents per pound in very small quantities. When the grapes come in from the Northern Ohio growers, and are sold by dealers at two baskets of nine or ten pounds for 25 cents, it is useless for our people to undertake competition. I hardly see how the grower can realize anything after the commission men, railroads and retailers get a profit.

As an organizer of Horticultural Societies in my District (the ninth), I confess that what efforts I made, nothing came from them. Here in this county (Athens), a society has been organized, but no part of it can be credited to any effort on my part. Prof. Green may have had a hand in its organization. The peach growers may have caused it for mutual benefit. I am glad to see such an organization springing up among the people of Athens County.

Here, under the shadow of such a fine educational institution as the College, with young men and young ladies of more than average intelligence, instructors without their peers, is a golden opportunity for a society, second to none other in the state of Ohio or any other state. The farmers' institutes are the best opportunities for young people, as practical men of large experience are paid by the state, and no class needs assistance more than the tillers of the soil. The past few years have brought about changes that in the end may be a lesson of great good. A very large number of our leading and public men sprang up from the farms-some of them from Athens county, Perry and Muskingum. Go where you will in any county in Ohio, and look up its history of great statesmen, great generals, and you will find Garfields, Sheridans, Shermans, Hayes; and there is no other state in the Union to compare with Ohio for its endless resources. Clays of all kinds underlie the hills; coal, ore, peaches and pastures on the hills, on the level lands, corn, wheat, and meadows abound. Along the lakes, grapes, peaches, plums, fruits of all kinds in abundance

Take courage, young men, and let knowledge and industry abound. Be industrious, and those who are the young men of to-day, will be the coming men twentyfive years hence, either as Horticulturists, farmers, statesmen or professional men. At the last moment I gathered a few statistics as follows:

Along the line of the B. & O. R, R., between St. Clairsville and Concord in the eastern part of Muskingum county, 46,000 bushels of strawberries and raspberries were handled by the express company, the principal markets being Pittsburg and Chicago. Barnesville alone shipped 22,000 bushels.