The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-12-19
EDITORIAL CoRRESPoNDENCE.
Kansas as a Fruit COuntry-SessIOn of
the.State POmOlogIcal SOcIety-DIso uS-
siOns upon Apples, PeHches. and Small
Fruits-FIne Specimens of FIR uIt Ex
hibited

LAWRENCE, Kansas, Dec. l3, 1867.
The session of the State Pathological Society,
now being held in this city, and quite largely
attended by prominent fruit growers from this
State and from Missouri, furnishes fitting
occasion for few remarks concerning Kansas
as a fruit-growing State. To get into district
adapted t. the culture of fruit is an almost
universal desire on the part ol settlers going to
a new country, and has, doubtless, turned the
attention Of many persons to this State. There
Is a constant influx of immigrants here from
Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, as well as
from the more northern OF the Atlantic STATES,
who come to get into a warmer climate, and
one where they can raise fruit more surely
and abundantly than in the sections
thought to be good fruit coun
try from the abundance of fruit raised in
Missouri. There is probably no better apple
district in the United States than Platte, Clay,
and other border counties in Missouri, separated
from Kansas only by the Missouri river, or by
the State line. The apple in Kansas is proving
equally prolific and excellent. l never saw
finer specimens OF that fruit than are now on
exhibition here before the State PomologcaI
Society; and at the Illinois State Fair in Oc-
tober last, some fifty or sixty varieties of Kan
sss apples, grown in various sections of the
State, were exhibited, and exceeded in size any
others on exhibition. They would doubtless
have received the highest premium except that
they were entered too late for ompetition.
DR.. Buck, of Jefferson county, has raised this
year several hundred bushels in his orchard OF
as 1ne apples as can be found anywhere. Mr..
Bracket, of this county (Douglas), has raised
quite large crop, and hear of similar success
in other parts of the State. spent an evening,
O few days since, at a friends house, where
apples were set before me from trees of my own
planting, seven years ago, 1 never saw finer
fruit, These trees were planted in the spring of
the "lry year" in KANSAS, and yet nearly every
one Of them lived, and is now in full bearing
fact which shows the capacity of this soil to
resist dro nth. The success of the apple in this
State consider settled beyond doubt.
The peach has been largely planted, but with
varying success. The trees grow with great
luxuriance, but the yield of fruit has thus
far been precarious and unsatistying, From
the discussions on the peach in the POmOlo-
gical Convention, yesterday, 1t seems to be set
tied that the great difficulty is found in the pre-
mature swelling of the buds, caused by the
very mild sunshiny weather which occurs
so frequently during the winter, followed by a
temperature which is so low as to destroy their
vitality. Practical experience has shown that
the fruit succeeds the best on high ground
with a northern exposure. Protection against
the fierce sweeping northwest blasts of winter
by planting belts OF timber was highly recon-
mended by Mr.. Coleman, OF the Western Rural
World, and other experienced peach-growers.
Another fact of interest brought out by the
discussions at this meeting was the almost uni
Versal failure Of the budded peach in Kansas
Mr' Ross, an experienced horticulturist, living
IN This city, after trying budded peach trees for
eight years, without success has cut them down
ana supplied their places with seedlings. He
got fne growth of wood. but almost no
! peaches. The seedlings are more hardy and
prolific. The Wyandot Indians living in wy
andot county, have raised peaches successfully
! for twenty years past. Theirs are all seedlings.
! Many OF the varieties are very choice On the
! whole, the true state OF the case seems to be
that by planting seedlings In well-selected
localities, peaches may be raised here in SUN
cient quantities for the wants of the people. 1
may add that, In the more southern portions OF
the State, the peach succeeds much more gene
rally than in the northern and middle por-
tions.
Grapes succeed admirably in all portions
IhS state Mr.. Barnes, of Coal Creek. in this
county Is one OF the largest growers in the
sI"Ue' HIS crop this year amounted to severaI
bons anu commanded remunerative rates. The
chlel Narletes are the Isabella Catawba Con
cord' ana Delaware This branch of fruit oul.
ture Is doubtless destined TO assume large pro-
portions here' Both soil and climate seem ad.
mlrably adapted TO 1t. 1-Ia0E
. The other small fruits, such aA strawberries