The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-12-29

Among the speakers arranged for at
later sessions will be Prof F. A.
waugh, horticulturist of the Massa-
chusetts Agricultural college; Prof. J.
4. Whltten, hOrticulturiSt of Columbia
college, Missouri; Prof. w. E. Lazenby,
horticulturist of the University of Ohio;
FRED Taylor, chief, and John T Stin-
son. assistant. from the division of
horticulture of the st. Louis exposition
The tragedy of the fruit crop of 1903
was the theme of all the state and dis
trlct reports read to the State Horti-
cultural society this morning. The
snow storm and freeze of May 1 killed
or seriously damaged the crops of all
sorts of fruit in every quarter of the
state. In a few hours the prospects for
a tremendous fruitage We're Withered
Where crops were not total loss they
were nearly so. District reports were
society, giving in some detail the re-
suits of the untfmely frost
b. f. Van Orsdal of Silver Lake re-
ported for the First congressional dis
trict. In Douglas and Doniphan
counties he reported enough apples for
small shipments. Grapes made half a
crop. Small fruits and pears rendered
from nothing to half crops Peaches
had been killed early in the winter.
B. F. Smith, strawberry Smith, of
Lawrence, for the Second district, fore
casts good year for 1904. He said:
notwithstanding this years calamity
/ to the fruit crop, the fruit men of our
district are hopeful, hence we are able
to report progress in all kinds of fruit
| growing. This has been a good year
for the growth of the bearing wood in
our orchards, and fruit buds are album
dant on all kinds of trees. Insect pests
can not possibly be abundant as they
have had nothing on which to feed or
increase their number"
For the third district F. L. Kenoyer
of independence is optimistic. The gas
field in which he lives is MAXIM a
ready market. While 1903 produced a
at present could not, he says, be i'm
proved. All sorts of fruits have had
good development during the last sea-
son and have gone into the winter in
good condition.
John Cousins of Eskridge says that
while apples, peaches plums, cherries,
grapes and small fruits ranged from a
total failure to third crop this year
prices have been good and most grow
ers are looking forward hopefully.
Reports of the Fifth district by VIM.
Cutter of junction City; the Sixth dis
trict by J. J. Alexander of Norton, and
| for the Seventh by DR.. G. Rohrer of
Lyons, were in the same tone and
hopeful for next year.
The destructiVeneSS of the freeze
which occurred on the first day of May
seems to have been scarcely paralleled
| in Kansas. A year ago, at the thirty
sixth meeting of the Horticultural so
ciety the most cheerful outlook pre-
sented itself The peach crop had been
given up then. by many. but for all
| other sorts of fruits there was hope OF
a record breaking harvest This bril-
liant prospect continued while the buds
formed and matured. Then the far
reaching storm touched almost every
section of Kansas. With very little to
show for the fruit harvest of the past
season farmers have been planting
Spraying and tending their trees for an
other season. Few opinions are volun-
teered, but SO far the winter has proven
| a favorable one, and the expressions are
very hopeful for 1904.
| In his annual report read this morn
/ ing Secretary w. H. Barnes touches
upon the disheartening events of last
year but slightly There are twenty
million fruit trees in Kansas and his
attention is directed to getting results
from them in the years to come In
referring to experiments with spraying
Mr.. Barnes lays special stress upon its
necessity as well as to the encroach-
ments of the enemies which can be Sc
1