COLLECTION ADDRESS DELIVERED AT THE EIGHTH SESSION mericaii ||flrafllogital ^utiety, PHILADELPHIA, PA., SEPT. 11, 12, & 13, 1860. MARSHALL P . WILDER PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIETY. fubltsljcb bjT the Sotictii. BOSTON: S. CHISM, — FRANKLIN PRINTING HOUSE, H A W L E y S T K i; E T , C O 15 N E R OF FRANKLIN. 1860. A D D p. E S S DELIVERED AT THE EIGHTH SESSION gnuritaii ||0rafllngital ifltietg, PHILADELPHIA, PA., SEPT. 11, 12, & 13, 1860. MARSHALL P. WILDER, PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIETY. fablisl^cb bg tlj£ iocittg. BOSTON: S. CHISM, — FRANKLIN PRINTING HOUSE, HAWLEY STREET, CORXER OP FRANKLIX. 1860. ADDRESS. Gentlemen of the Society, and Friends of American Pomology : By our Constitution, my official position requires me, at the opening of this session, to address you on the art or science of pomology, on the interests, progress, and present condition of our association. In the performance of this duty, I am happy to meet you in this city of brotherly love, the birthplace of that Declara- tion which gave us an independent national existence ; of that Constitution also, which embodies the wisdom of our venerable fathers, and is the charter by which we hold the inheritance we seek to improve, enjoy, and transmit. Here, too, by a former inhabitant of Philadelphia,* a few years later, was first exhibited the application to vessels of that invisible agent, which now propels thousands of steamers through our navigable waters, which has wrought such wonders in all the useful arts of life, and is progressing upon a stupendous scale of development. Here was organized the first society for the promotion of American Agriculture. Here, also, orig- inated the first association for the advancement of American HorticuUure, having, for one of its leading objects, the intro- duction and cultivation of new and choice varieties of fruit. * John Fitch, in 1788. To his steamboat Perseverance. Most of the venerable men who were the authors of these institutions, the founders of these civil and social compacts, have fulfilled their earthly mission ; but the enterprises which they inaugurated continue, diffusing, through the land and the world, the blessings of progressive art, of rural life, of social order, of civil liberty. These fathers have fallen in the great battle of life ; and since our last biennial session, others, more intimately associated with us in our favorite pur- suits, have passed away never to return. Two of the found- ers of the society, who have occupied official positions from its formation, will meet with us no more. DECEASED OFFICERS. Andrew H. Ernst, of Cincinnati, Ohio, one of the Vice Presidents of this society, died at his residence in that city, February 13th, 1860, aged sixty-four years. He was a gen- tleman of foreign birth, but thoroughly nationalized ; being a great admirer of American character, and a firm supporter of American institutions. He was a pioneer and champion of our cause in the northwest section of our country ; a gen- tleman favorably known and highly appreciated by all who knew him for his pomological knowledge, for his character- istic modesty, for suavity of manner, and for his eminent Christian virtues. We have also to mourn the death of Benjamin V. French, of Dorchester, Massachusetts, a member of the Executive Committee, who died April 10th, 1860, aged sixty-eight years. Mr. French was ardently devoted to the cause of terra-culture, in its most comprehensive sense, and has, for many years, held important official positions in the Agricultural and Horticul- tural Societies of his State and country. Few men have been more interested in the cultivation of tlie soil, and few have been so strongly attached to rural life and rural happiness. Even to the close of life, these were his most cherished objects. In reflecting on the usefulness and example of our de- parted friends, on their labors and contributions to the cause of pomology, their honorable life and peaceful death, we shall ever retain a high appreciation of their worth. We cheer- fully accord to their memory our gratitude for their valuable services, and enrol their names among the benefactors of man- kind. We mourn the loss of these worthy associates, but our institution still lives, and other friends survive to cooperate with us in advancing the cause so dear to our hearts. EIGHTH SESSION. This is the eighth session and twelfth year of our associa- tion. Much has been accomplished since its organization, but how wonderful the improvement in every branch of hus- bandry, and in all that concerns the progress of society since the formation, in this city, of the first association for the pro- motion of rural art, just three quarters of a century ago ! It is profitable to look back occasionally, and see what has been achieved in the past. Most sincerely do I congratulate you upon the general in- terest now awakened in fruit culture — on the zeal, enter- prise, and industry of cultivators in the acquisition and production of new and choice varieties — on the multiplica- tion of local associations and publications, all laboring with us for the promotion of pomology. In this presence, and on this occasion, I have no specula- tions or doubtful theories to promulgate. We have had already enough, and perhaps too many of these for our own benefit or others. What we especially need, are the results of the ripe and united experience of the best cultivators, guided by the deductions of science. Some of the recom- mendations in former addresses I desire to reinforce, for it is " line upon line, and precept upon precept " that makes a deep and lasting impression. New topics, as they arise, are entitled to respectful consideration, and the discussion of them will undoubtedly elicit important information. REVISION OF CATAL03UE. It has been our custom on former occasions to enlarge and revise our General Catalogue by a discussion and vote on each variety. Great advantages have already resulted to the coun- try and the world from the catalogue of this Society, which classifies our fruits, registers those suited to general culti- vation ; those adapted to particular localities ; those which promise well ; and those that are pronounced unworthy of cultivation. It will be rem.embered that, at the last biennial session, the Chairman of the General Fruit Committee recommended the appointment of local committees in each State and Territory, charged with the duty of producing and submitting to a special committee a list of the fruits cultivated in their re- spective localities. From these local catalogues, embodying the ripest experi- ence of the best cultivators in all parts of the country, it \vi\\ be easy for the society, at its next session, to transfer fruits to the corresponding department of the Society's General Catalogue. I therefore respectfully recommend, First, That no revision of that portion of our catalogue embracing fruits for general cultivation be attempted at this meeting. Secondly, That local committees be appointed, each of which shall be charged with the duty of preparing a catalogue of the fruits in its own locality, on the same general plan as the Society's Catalogue. T/drdlijy That a special committee be appointed at this time, to whom these various local committees shall make their report during the year 1861. Fourthly, That the Special Committee be charged with the duty of compiling, from these local catalogues, and from the present catalogue of our Society, full lists of all the fruits therein named, properly classified and arranged, with due regard to nomenclature and terminology, and shall submit the same at the next biennial session for its consideration and action. This labor, well performed, will redound to the honor of American Pomology. These recommendations are not intended to preclude a discussion of the merits or demerits of any variety now on our catalogue. On the contrary, they call for a full and free expression of opinions in respect to any department of the same, as this may aid the labors of the several committees. Neither are they intended to preclude the addition of varie- ties to the list which promise well. If this association had rendered no other service except to give to the world its present catalogue of fruits, it would have fulfilled an important mission ; but it has done more ; it has encouraged and originated many kindred associations, has brought together experienced cultivators, and made them teachers of each other. By this action and reaction of mind on mind, many of the 8 first principles of judicious cultivation are no^ fi^Hy settled and well understood. Among these are the following, to Avhich I will now only briefly allude, as they have been more fully considered in former addresses : CULTURE OF TREES. 1. The healthful development of fruit trees, as of other liv- ing substances, depends on the regular reception of a certain quantity of appropriate food. This food, whether derived from the earth, air, water, or other natural elements, is con- veyed through the medium of the atmosphere and the soil. AVhile we have only an indirect and imperfect control of the atmosphere and other meteorological agents, the Great Arbiter of Nature has committed the soil directly to our care and treatment. 2. To this I may add the general sentiment in favor of thorough and perfect drainage, beneficial to all cultivators, but indispensable to the fruit-grower. 3. Not less uniform is the experience of the salutary effects of a proper preparation of the soil for fruit-trees, both in the nursery and in the orchard. These principles are settled in the minds of all intelligent fruit-growers ; but they need to be often promulgated and enforced. It should be equally well understood that success depends upon the adaptation of the habits of the tree to the constituents of the soil, the location, and aspect or exposure. A disregard of this principle, and the fickleness of seasons, are among the most common causes of failure, not only among inexperienced cultivators, but among professed pomologists. More attention should be given not only to the location, but especially the aspect of trees. A common error is to dis- regard the time of ripening. We plant our early fruits iu the warmest and most genial locations. These should be as- signed to our latest varieties. For instance, we, at the north, have too often placed our late fall and winter pears, like Easter Beurre, or Beurre d'Aremberg, in northern aspects and exposed positions, where they are liable to injury by the gales and frosts of autumn, whereas we should have given them a southern aspect, and our most fertile soils, to bring them to perfection. The most favorable locations are not so indispensable to our summer fruits, which mature early under the more direct rays of the sun, and in a much higher temper- ature. This rule may require modification and even rever- sion to adapt it to the south or southwest portion of our country. And here I cannot refrain from expressing the earnest hope that our local catalogues may be framed with a wise reference to this principle, and that the day may not be distant when the Society's Catalogue shall designate the par- ticular locality, aspect, and soil, adapted to each variety of fruit. But however important these considerations may be, the subsequent cultivation of trees must receive a passing notice, even at the risk of repeating some opinions of myself and others, which are already before the public. The sentiments contained in the communication of Mr. J. J. Thomas, at our last session, against the growth of any other crop in orchards, especially against relying upon small circles dug around trees in grass ground, as a method of cul- ture, deserves to be held in perpetual remembrance. Equally injurious, in my own opinion, is the habit of deep digging or ploughing among fruit trees, thereby cutting off the roots, and destroying the fibrous feeders, which frequently extend be- yond the sweep of the branches. However necessary the prac- tice may be of cutting off roots in old orchards, in the process of 10 renovation, it should be carefully avoided in grounds properly prepared, and where the trees are in a healthy or bearing condition. From experiment and observation, I am persuaded that working the soil among fruit trees, to the depth of more than three or four inches, should be carefully avoided. The surface shoukl only be worked with a hoe, or scarifier, for the purpose of stirring the soil, and keeping out the weeds. Thus we avail ourselves of the advantages of what, in farming, is called flat-culture, at present so popular. For the same reason, manure should not be dug in to any considerable depth, and some of our wisest cultivators now recommend its applica- tion on the surface. So iiivorably impressed with this practice is the Massachusetts Board of Agriculture, that it has ordered a series of experiments with cereal grains and other products in the application of manures on the surface as compared with specified depths beneath it. The practice of surfiice manuring is no novelty of our day. An eminent cultivator of fruits, nearly two hundred years ago, said, "Manures should be appHed to fruit trees in the autumn upon the surflice, that the rains, snow, and frosts may convey the elements of fertility to the roots ; " and " that, by this method, one load will do more good than two used in the common way of trenching in to the depth of one foot." Other distinguished cultivatoi's and scientific gentlemen re- commend the same practice. Hence we are of opinion that our orchards and gardens should be manured in the autumn, and on the surilice, so that the manures may be thoroughly decomposed, made soluble during the fall and winter, and suitable for the nourishment of the tree early in the spring. In the history of this art, as of most others, it is wonderful how human opinions change. AYhat were once considered as fundamental, are now rejected as unphilosophical or injuri- 11 oas, and those once rejected are now adopted as wise max- ims. The doctrine has prevailed, from the time of Columella and Varro, that manures should not be exposed to the air, but should be incorporated with the soil as soon as laid out ; whereas, we have now the opinion of cultivators and chemists in ftivor of exposure to the air and other external agents of decomposition, and that it is not a source of nutrition to the plant until it is thoroughly decomposed. This opinion is certainly corroborated by the practice of skilful gardeners in all past time, who will never use green manure in the pot- ting or cultivation of plants, and only that which has be- come old and fine. NEW NATIVE FRUITS. Changes of opinion have also taken place in regard to the acquisition of new sorts of fruits. Formerly we looked to other countries ; now we rely more especially on our own seedlings for the best results. When we reflect upon the great number of new varieties which have, in our time, been raised from seed, and the progress which has thereby been made, no apology need be offered for repeating what has been said in former addresses in commendation of this branch of pomology. It was my first, so it shall be my continual and last advice : " Plant the most mature and perfect seed of the most hardij, vigorous, and valuable varieties, and, as a shorter process, ensuring more certain and happy results, cross or hijbridize your best fruits.^' What wonders this art has already accomplished in the production of new and improved varieties in the vegetable kingdom ! How much it has done for the potato, the turnip, and other vegetables, — producing, from a parent stock of 12 inferior grade, numberless varieties of great excellence ! How it has brought forth, from the hard, acrid, and foxy grape of the Y.'oods, the delicious varieties that are now obtaining notoriety and extension ; from the bitter almond, the luscious peach and nectarine ; from tbe austere button-pear of the forest, the splen- did varieties that command our admiration ; from the sour crab, the magnificent apples which now constitute the dessert of our tables ; from the wild raspberry and blackberry of the liedge, from the native strawberries of the pasture, those superb varieties which crown the tables at our exhibitions. We believe it is now admitted that our native varieties are more hardy, vigorous, productive, and free from disease than most foreign sorts. Thus we have seedling gooseberries free from mildew, and pears that never crack. Why can we not breed out the black wart from the plum ? It has been suggest- ed, by a gentleman of great knowledge, that, by taking the com- mon wild plum, the Primus Americana, of which there are several varieties, varying in color, size, and flavor, we may produce kinds not subject to disease, if judiciously crossed with our best garden sorts ; or, if bred between themselves, we might perhaps add new varieties to our species of culti- vated plums, which would be healthy, productive, and de- licious. This suggestion is certainly worthy of consideration and experiment. Let not this recommendation, however, in regard to cross - fertilization, discourage the sowing of other seeds, because they have not been artificially impregnated by the hand of man, for they may have been fertilized by the wind, or in- sects conveying the pollen of one variety to the style of another. In this way have been produced most of the superior sorts of American fruits. How extensive and invit- ing is the field here opened even to the most common fruit 13 grower, wlio, practising upon this principle through a series of years, can hardly fail to produce some good fruits, although he may not be acquainted with the higher and more delicate process of artificial impregnation. But infinitely superior and more promising is the sphere of enterprise which opens before the scientific pomologist. It is broad as the earth, free as the air, rich as the land of promise. In his hands are placed the means of continual progress without the numerous uncertain- ties which must ever attend accidental fertilization. He has the sure guide of science, which never misleads her votaries, but elevates them from one degree of excellence to another towards absolute perfection. By these processes, new varie- ties are multiplying with unparalleled rapidity throughout our country. We rejoice in the intense zeal which has been awakened in this pursuit. It augurs well for the future, whether prompted by the desire either of fortune or of fame. But the spirit of adventure, thus awakened, needs occasionally a little wholesome discipline, lest it foster an undue reliance on immature experience, and tend to quackery, imposition, and fraud. While we refrain from all personal reflections, we cannot forbear exhorting all, and especially the officers and members of this association, to increased vigilance and caution in the recommendation of novelties, until they have been thoroughly tested by competent judges. As it is human to err, so it is natural to be partial to one's own offspring and friends, and this partiality often sways the judgment of honest and good men. But a more common and serious difficulty under which Ave labor, is the promulgation of seedlings by individuals and associations that have not the information requisite to form an intelligent, and therefore reliable judgm.ent. Another evil 14 which increases with the mania for what is new and rare, is the exposure for sale, by flaming advertisements and specu- lating agents, of old varieties under new and specious names, varieties which, like Jonah's gourd, were known in their day and place, but have long been consigned to oblivion. As in the past, so in the present and in the future, let it be our purpose and practice to reject those that are worthless, to withhold our approbation from those that are doubtful, and to encourage the multiplication of those only which are of de- cided and acknowledged worth. Thus shall we elevate the standard of judgment, and fulfil the mission providentially assigned us. We might enlarge on this and other topics, but the brief period which it is proper for me to occupy in this opening address, restricts me to one or two other con- siderations. AFFINITIES. I would here again recommend a more careful study of af- finities between the stock and the graft. Whatever be the opinions in regard to the manner and degree of influence which the scion has upon the stock, or the reverse, the fact of that influence is undeniable. For example, we have seen certain varieties of the pear, as the Cross, Collins, and others, which would not readily assimilate with the stock, however vigor- ous. We have, in many instances, seen healthful trees sicken and eventually die, by the insertion of these rincongenial grafts. So great was the want of congeniality, that we have seen the stocks throw out successive crops of suckers, and although these were frequently removed, yet the scion would refuse to receive and elaborate the sap in sufficient quantity to nourish it, and the trees would finally die. In such instances. 15 the only way to restore the health of the stock, is to remove the graft for a scion of its oAvn or some other appropriate sort. As I have formerly directed your attention to this topic, I have only space to embody a few general rules to guide practice. In deciding upon affinity between the tree and graft, con- sider — First, The character of the woods to be united, as whether of fine or coarse texture, of slender or gross growth. Second, The wood-buds, whether abundant or sparse, plump or leaii, round or pointed. Third, The seasons of maturity, whether early, medium, or late. These suggestions will suffice to indicate the direction of thought and the kind of investigation to be pursued. A better knowledge of the subject will, no doubt, hereafter be attained, and will reveal some of the inexplicable mysteries which now attend this branch of fruit culture. GRAPE CULTURE. Let me for a moment call yoxxr attention to the cultivation of the grape. This is now assuming so much importance in our country that it seems entitled to special attention at this time. Its progress is indeed marvellous. Until within a few years, it was supposed that Providence had assigned grape- culture and the manufacture of wine to countries in the south of Europe, and that the soil and climate of America were not at all adapted to their production. Still later, the theory was promulgated, which has not as yet yielded in full to a more enlightened judgment, that no good grape could flourish on our eastern slope. Noav it is known to succeed in almost 16 every aspect where soil and cultivation are suitable, and It is believed that no country on earth is better adapted to the extensive cultivation of the grape than the United States of America. This branch of fruit-culture is yet in its incipient state, but it has progressed so far as to authorize the belief that the grape can be grown with success in almost every State and Territory of the Union. With the progress already made in raising new sorts, it is only a question of time when we shall have varieties adapted to almost every locality. Thousands of cultivators, scattered over our extended country, are each of them raising new varieties from seed in the expectation of success. While some of them may be valuable, many must, of necessity, be failures, having been originated from natural and accidental impregnation, without any settled or philosophical plan. The laws of reproduction in this department are the same as in other branches of the vegetable kingdom. For instance, in northern latitudes, the great object should be to produce good kinds which ripen early and are perfectly hardy. To pro- cure these from the limited number of our native grapes, we must resort to the art of hybridization, taking for the parents those sorts which contain the characteristics we desire to combine. This work has already been commenced in good earnest, and is progressing rapidly in the hands of many practitioners. Illustrations have occurred under our own observation, proving the immediate and happy results from the crossing of native with foreign grapes. A gentleman in my own vicinity has taken, as the mother parent, the Vitis Labrusca, a common native grape, and crossed these vines with the pollen of the Black Hamburg, and the ^Vhite Chas- selas grapes. Of forty -five seedlings, thirty-seven have borne fruit. All progeny of these has proved perfectly hardy, and 17 have stood without protection for several winters, w^here the Isabella and Diana have been much injured. Of the seed- lings produced from impregnation of the Black Hamburg, most of them inherit, in a good degree, the color and charac- teristics of the male parent ; while those fertilized with the "White Chasselas, all were of a reddish color, intermediate between the natural colors of the parents. Thus we see the positive and powerful effect of the art of hybridization in the hands of scientific cultivators, who can, in a measure, control the process of reproduction, and render it subservient to their purpose. But, to prevent discouragement and sustain perseverance, it should be remembered that, in conformity with the experience of Yan Mons, Knight, and other pioneers, a seedling does not attain to perfection at once. To arrive at its culminating point of excellence, it must often be fruited for several years. Others maintain that a number of manipu- lations are requisite to bring a new variety to perfection. Some varieties attain this much earlier than others, and the same variety reaches it earlier or later in different localities. Hence an originator should not reject a seedling of some ap- parent good qualities simply because it may have some defect ; for this may result from local or external influences. He should, therefore, cause it to be transferred for trial to a dif- ferent soil and climate. Even grapes of acknowledged excel- lence are improved by this change. The Concord and Diana of Massachusetts, valuable as they are at home, acquire a superiority in the south and southwest unknown in their original locality, even rivalling the Catawbas and Isabellas of those sections. It seems to be a general law of nature, illustrated in our forests and fields, that some trees and grains will flourish in 2 18 nearly all localities and latitudes, while others are particu- laily restricted to certain districts. By this arrangement an all-wise Providence diffuses blessings over our country and clime. Each has its appropriate share in the general munif- icence of the Creator, together with luxuries peculiarly its own. The grape is common and almost universal ; but the varieties of this fruit are mutable and local, capable of endless adaptation by human skill. Hence this field for the culture of the grape, upon the borders of which we have scarcely entered, is, to the intelligent cultivator, full of promise and reward. While it was formerly supposed that the peculiar, and, to many, the disagreeable aroma of our common grapes dis- qualified them for the production of choice fruits and wines, it has been proved, we think, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the characteristic designated, by way of contempt, as the fox or pole-cat flavor, will hereafter constitute one of the chief excellencies of our new varieties, when, by the art of hybrid- ization and civilization, this flavor shall have been modified and changed, by alliance with other grapes of excellence that are destitute of this quality. This flavor, thus improved, seems destined to form a distinctive characteristic of an im- portant class of American grapes, even to give them a marked superiority over such varieties as the Black Hamburg, Sweet- water, and such other foreign sorts as are destitute of any especial aroma, and consist mainly of sugar and water. It may yet make our seedlings rivals of the Muscats, the Fron- tignacs, and other highly flavored foreign grapes of the Old "World. INIultitudes of seedlings, deriving their origin from our native vines in various stages of civilization, and with a special view to this result, are now on probation in various 19 parts of our country. From these must necessarily arise, in coming time, many sorts of superior quality. What if the desire for new varieties has become a mania ? What if it produce, here and there, personal sacrifices and disappointments ? What if, from want of skill, or from ad- verse causes, many inferior or even worthless varieties are produced ? The result is certain. The time fast approaches when the ultimate good will be realized, and when America will become the great grape-growing and wine-producing country of the world. I admit, in respect to all our fruits, that, as the number of varieties increases, more judicious and severe discrimination in the selection of very valuable, and in the rejection of com- paratively inferior varieties, will be demanded. This is the lesson which past progress teaches us. What would the gardener of fifty years ago have said, if he had been told that his favorite Bon Chretiens, Muscats and Blanquets, were soon to be thrown into the shade forever ? He would have shown as much incredulity as some of our modern amateurs do when we talk of future progress. The Duchesse d'Angouleme, the Beurre d'Anjou, Doyenne Boussock, Beurre Superfin, Bartlett and Seckel, had not revealed to him the vast extent of improve- ment in fruits which was to be made. What was true, in this respect, fifty years ago, is equally applicable to present varieties. The impossible has no place in the history of pro- gressive science, whether relating to natural arts, or to mechanical industry. CONCLUSION. But, gentlemen, I have occupied my share of your time and attention, yet I must beg your indulgence in a few con- cluding remarks. 20 We have spoken here, and on former occasions, of the ad- vancement which has been made in pomology in our age and country. This is to be ascribed in part to the great scheme of Providence which has developed such stupendous results in the march of civilization and all the arts of life. Human pursuits are allied by affinities so intimate, that a remarkable discovery or improvement in one advances them all. Never before has the public mind been so profoundly moved, nor the energies of mankind so concentrated upon efforts to relieve toil, to perfect skill, to reward labor, and to multiply the comforts and blessings of life. Truly we live in an age of transition and wonder ! The invention of to-day supersedes that of yesterday, and in its turn is to be supplanted by that of to-morro\y. No enter- prise, however bold, adventurous, or vast, whether the con- struction of a railroad from the Atlantic to the Pacific ; the laying of the mystic wire in old ocean's bed, or threading it through Behring's Straits and winding it around the globe, is too great for the capital, energy, or intelligence of the present generation. How wonderful the scale of development in modern society ! The old wheel and hand loom of our mothers have passed away, and given place to the busy hum and clatter of our princely manufactories ; the needle of the weary housewife^ plied by day and night for clothing her family, has been ex- changed for the ingenious sewing-machine, turning oif its ready-made garments, and performing the labor of months in a day ; the old printing-press of our Franklin, working off by the sweat of the brow only a few hundred newspapers per day, has yielded to the steam-press of our time, throwing off its twenty thousand impressions per hour ; the brush of the artist patiently filling up his outline, touch by touch, through 01 toilsome days, to the pencils of light in the hand of the king of day, picturing at a flash the image of yourself, and of all around you ; the coaster, creeping cautiously along the shore, dependent on wind and tide, to thousands of steamboats which now dash over our lakes, rivers and oceans, despite of current or tempest; the old stage-coach, making only fifty miles per day, to our despatch and lightning trains, running fifty miles per hour ; the horse express and carrier-pigeon, hailed as wonders in their time, to the electric telegraph, which, quick as thought, speaks with a tongue of fire, the languages of earth. Discoveries, inventions, and improvements equally re- markable characterize all the arts of husbandry. Witness, in place of the forked stick of the ancients, or the wooden plow of our boyhood, the improved iron plow of every model, and adapted to all kinds of soil and situation ; and, still more mar- vellous, the Steam Plow, moving as a thing of life across the broad prairie, turning up its numerous furrows at once, and leaving behind it a wake like that of a majestic ship. Wit- ness also, instead of the rude hook, the sickle, or the scythe of the farmer, slowly and tediously gathering his crops, our mighty mowing and reaping machine, cutting down its ten to twenty acres per day. The great industrial pursuit which this Society seeks to promote furnishes testimony of progress not a whit behind the most favored of the arts. Behold the improved methods of cultivation ; the vast number of nurseiies and orchards, springing up everywhere, as by enchantment ; the novel processes of reproduction, multiplying plants in endless profusion, and as by the stroke of a magician's wand. Witness the interminable lists of varieties now in cultivation, increasing with each revolving year ; tlie restless and anxious desire to obtain every thing new and promising from whatever country or sea-girt isle it comes ; the refined taste for choice fruits rapidly ex- tending through every gradation of society ; the standard of pomology, like the star of empire rising in the east, moving still onward to the west, and exciting the atten- tion and astonishment of mankind. But this progress results from no supernatural power. It is rather an illustration of human capability, acting in con- formity with natural laws, and in harmony with the benev- olent designs of the Great Husbandman for the amelioration of society, and the display of his infinite wisdom and love, " sought out of those who take pleasure therein." It exhib- its the conquests of mind over matter, the dominion of man over nature, improving, adorning, and elevating her to the highest and noblest purposes of her creation. Inspired with these sentiments, let us take encourage- ment, and press on in the career of improvement, ever remembering that study and experience make the man ; and that, for the highest attainment and the greatest success, we must depend upon the culture of the mind as well as of the soil. ^ Survey the globe through every zone, From Lima to Japan, In lineaments of light 'tis shovi'n That Culture makes the man. All that man has, had, hopes, can have, ""^X Past, fummmit, or possessed, /'^'^"fi^'/ ^'/ /