a Fe mispiternars c Ss am ; ee oe ahs: yg et Bere mer - XS As te : are ~ : SON OT ett ne WOE EE EE TE eR ene ere ee . . . pomernetage — : : 7 . — 7 SN a IR meg = Sige me pm pee ene ne ner a tert nr et eta pn re EN ET et pce ertonrge nage 7 — = wares “swe roerle- sys: : en Te TS ETN FE EN TE NE BEE OT na SRT OE eS ee ee Sm on noe : - : j wrens wet a acts Soe ~~; = ain a a a eee NTR A EEE IES OF IRR ECS OO I ET EP TT IT ee aera MA cane | &&6 Link any THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN BRONX NEW YORK 10458 AHI — Se MARSHALL PINCKNEY WILDER. | See Biographical Sketch on page 565. | SLATE ER To ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SECREYTARY OF THE STATE HORTICULTURAL SOUTETY OF MICHIGAN. 16.5105 BY AUTHORITY. LANSING: THORP & GODFREY, STATE PRINTERS AND BINDERS. 1887. ny n REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF THE MICHIGAN STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. GRAND RaPIDs, MICHIGAN,| December 31, 1886. \ To Cyrus G. Luce, Governor of the State of Michigan: I have the honor to submit herewith, in compliance with legal requisition, the accompanying report of 1886, with supplementary papers. Respectfully yours, CHARLES W. GARFIELD, Secretary of the Michigan State Horticultural Society. TA BEET On OON TEN TES. PAGE ‘M\fricers of the state Horticultural SocietYy---—2--<-==- === 5 === == a = awe eee an ena vii Branchesior the State eorticulturall Socletya-2- sees ere te eae ee ee ee oe eee eee ee ix Constitution and By-Laws of the State Horticultural Society -----..---.--------------------------- xi Proceedings of the Winter Meeting_---.-------------. ------ ------ <= -e n no 1 wroceedinges of the Summer Meeting. 22 = 2- << 22-225 = oan ea mene a en 31 Proceedings of the Various National Societies-_---.-.-.------.--------------------------------------- 107 SRE PATINA EH aie OL SSO see see saa e re eee ate nee aie eee ne eee eee tee eee ae 163 Proceedings of the Annual Meeting-------------.---------------------------------- ------------------ 183 Notes Concerning Sister State Societies--........-.------------------------ ------ ------ -------------- 267 Reports of Auxiliary Societies ----------2. ---.22 22-02-35 sow oo ene ann on nn 5 ww nnn nn n= = == 291 ISecretaryss) POntLO WO see eases a ae ae ee eee oe nen ee le ne aoe eee eee 389 iistioL Ammnuall Memberss 22> 2-2-2 .o secre oases acer as nee le tena ae aaa a 551 WistoLiaite Wem bersicsesse esses ae aa ale eee ee a ea ee ea ol 559 IN fruysT ae TE aha Ve) ea venye NAVA espe se eee pace pene nee Se Cece mis ene bassariasEaaa== 565 OFFICERS OF THE STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY FOR 1887. PRESIDENT—T. T. LYON, South Haven. SECRETARY—CHAS. W. GARFIELD, Grand Rapids. TREASURER—‘S. M. PEARSALL, Grand Rapids. LIBRARIAN—THOMAS H. FORSTER, Lansing. EXECUTIVE BOARD. ‘W. K. GIBSON, Jackson, 3 years. L. H. BAILEY, Jr., Agricultural College, H. W. DAVIS, Lapeer, 3 years. 2 years. ALFRED G. GULLEY, South Haven.2 E. H. SCOTT, Ann Arbor, 1 year. years C. A. SESSIONS, Mears, 1 year. STANDING COMMITTEES. On FRUIT CaTALOGUE—T. T. LYON, South Haven, Chairman; GEORGE C. McCLATCHIE, Ludington, for Northern Lake Shore ; W. A. BROWN, Benton Harbor, for Southern Lake Shore ; EVART H. SCOTT, Ann Arbor, for Central Michigan ; H. W. DAVIS, Lapeer, for Eastern Michigan ; D. G. EDMISTON, Adrian, for Southern Michigan. On New Fruits—T. T. LYON, Chairman; G. H. LAFLEUR, Mill Grove ; GEO. C. McCLATCHIE, Ludington : C. ENGLE, Paw Paw. On FInANCE—E. H. SCOTT, A. G. GULLEY, H. W. DAVIS. On ENTOMOLOGY—ALBERT J. COOK, Chairman. On VEGETABLE PHysIOLOGY—L. H. BAILEY, JR., Chairman. On LANDSCAPE GARDENING—J AMES SATTERLEE, Chairman. ON VEGETABLE GARDEN—W. W. TRACY, Chairman. EA hy a ye BRANCHES OF THE STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Name of Society. | | | Secretary. { | Address. Allegan County Pomological Society_._..._--_---- Grand River Vailey Horticultural Society-___--- -- Saugatuck and Ganges Pomological Society------ Hawton -omolopical! Society: =.=. 222-------e22_5 Berrien County Horticultural Society_....----..-- Oceana County Pomological Society ---.---------- Benzie County Horticultural Society__.-..---.---- Lapeer County Horticultural Society___----------- Bay County Horticultural Society_--......-.------ Lenawee County Horticultural Society__---------- Eaton County Horticultural Society ---.---...__-- Holland Colony Pomological Society-_--.-.-.---_-- Jackson County Horticultural Society___.---.-.-- Ingham:County Horticultural Society __-_---...-- Mason County Horticultural Society _--..---..-.-- Muskegon County Horticultural Society_----_--_-- Washtenaw County Pomological Society__-_-.--- Barry County Horticultural Society__-..---...___- Genesee County Horticultural Society____-__-- Lenawee and Hillsdale Horticultural Society Spring Lake Horticultural Society __.._...---.---- South Haven and Casco Pomological Society Ionia County Horticultural Society..........-.__-- Manistee County Horticultural Society----..----- Oakland County Horticultural Society__....-_.__- Grand Haven Horticultural Society-__.-.--------- Wayne County Horticultural Society..._.._...__-- Wayland Horticultural Society__.........-.-..---- Osceola County Horticultural Society__...._..__-- Wexford County Horticultural Society---....__-- Hillsdale County Horticultural Society_--_--.__-- Lake County Horticultural Society_...._..-._..--- | | | | | Gj He Lalleur «S22 222 ss- —— | IWOND Cook: 2206 Sete. 2-8 | J.F. ey ee eee te Chas. ha wton 22 2s.4---- Ee Marsilje:<2 ss | | R. T. McNaughton --_-----_-- C2 Bo Stebbins:-o--=-4=-=— Tn Win EUOS@S2 22 Soo 2e aes Ae ta 2) 3 1 eee een ESL | Jacob Ganzhorn -.----------- | James C. Woodruff.....-._.- | [id El J Rock woods sa-e-2 == | | Jae 2s Mukaute2 a | James 8. Bradford______- sad | | Gin Davisone- > = a Wile Stoddard sass sess | Ernest Nichoson-.------- ----] Millgrove. Grand Rapids. Douglas. Lawton. | Benton Harbor. | Shelby. | Benzonia. Lapeer. Bay City- Adrian. Eaton Rapids. Holland City. Jackson. Lansing. Ludington. Muskegon. Ann Arbor. Hastings. Flint. Hudson. Spring Lake. South Haven. | Tonia. Manistee. Pontiac. | Grand Haven. Northville. Wayland. Evart. Cadillac. Litchfield. Luther. nia! bi i CONSTITUTION OF THE MICHIGAN STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. ARTICLE I.—NAME, TERRITORY, AND OBJECTS. The name of the society shall be the Michigan State Horticultural Society; and its territory shall be the State of Michigan. Its objects shall be the development of an adequate appreciation of the peculiar adaptation of the soils and climate of the State to the pursuit of horticulture in all its branches; and the collection and dissemination of information bearing upon the theory and practice of the same, as well as upon the arts and sciences directly or indi- rectly associated therewith, or calculated to elevate or improve the practice thereof. ¢ ARTICLE II.—OFFICERS AND MODE OF ELECTION. The officers of the society shall be a president, a secretary, and a treasurer, together with an executive board of six members, aside from the president, secretary, and treasurer, who shall be ez-officio members of the said board. Said board shall designate one of its members as vice-president. The officers shall be elected by ballot. ARTICLE III.—A QUORUM. Four members of the executive board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting of said board: Provided, That each of the members thereof shall have been notified, in the usual manner, of the time, place, and object of such meeting. ARTICLE IVY.—ANNUAL MEETING AND ELECTION OF OFFICERS. The annual meeting of the society, for the election of the officers specified in Article IJ., shall occur on the first Wednesday of December in each year, and the officers then elected shall enter upon the discharge of their duties as il xii STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. such, on the first day of January next ensuing; but in case of a failure to elect at that time, such election may be held at a subsequent time at an adjourned meeting, or at a meeting of the society called for that purpose, in the usual manner. ARTICLE V.—TERMS OF OFFICE. The officers specified in Article IJ. shall hold their offices till the thirty- first day of December of the yeir for which they were elected, and thereafter until their successors shall have been elected, and shall have signified to the secretary their acceptance: Provided, That the terms of office of the six members of the executive board shall be so arranged that but two regular vacancies shall occur in each year. ARTICLE VI.—ANNUAL AND LIFE MEMBERS. Any person may become a member of the society for one year by paying to the treasurer the sum of one dollar; but all annual memberships shall expire on the thirty-first day of December of the year for which they were taken, except as may be provided by the by-laws. Any person may become a life- member by the payment at any one time of the sum of ten dollars into the treasury of the society. ARTICLE VII.—AMOUNT OR LIMIT OF PROPERTY. The society may hold real and personal estate to an amount not exceeding twenty thousand dollars. ARTICLE VIII.—BY-LAWS. By-laws for the government of the society shall be framed, and when need- ful, amended by the executive board; but changes thereof may be at any time proposed by the society in general meeting. ARTICLE IX.—AMENDMENTS. The constitution may be amended at any regular meeting of the society by a vote, by ballot, of two-thirds of all the members present and voting: Pro- vided, That notice of such proposed amendment, specifying its purport, shall have been given at the last previous regular meeting. BY-LAWS. xl BY-LAWS OF THE MICHIGAN STATE HORTICULTURAL SOC Var x: I.—THE PRESIDENT. 1st. The President shall be the executive officer of the society, and of the Executive Board; and it shall be his duty to see that the rules and regula- tions of the society, and of the Executive Board, are duly enforced and obeyed. 2d. He may, in his discretion, and in the lack of needful rules, during the recesses of the society and of the board, prescribe rules for the management of the interests or business of the society, such rules to continue in force till the next session of the Executive Board, and until by its action they shall have become no longer necessary. 3d. He shall act in conjunction with the Secretary in the preparation of programmes, or orders of business for the sessions of the society ; and in the devising of plans and processes for the maintenance of its interests. 4th. He shall have the best interests of the society at heart, and shall lead in forwarding any and all enterprises calculated to add to its permanency, or to increase its usefulness, and establish it more firmly in the public confi- dence. II.— VICE PRESIDENT. The Vice President shall perform the duties of the President in case of the absence or inability of that officer; and may be called upon by the President to assume the duties of the chair at any meeting of the society or Executive Board. IIlI.—THE SECRETARY. 1st. The Secretary shall be the recording, corresponding, and accounting officer of the society, and he shall also be, jointly with the business commit- tee, its financial and auditing officer. 2d. He shall incur no expenditure of a large or doubtful character, except with the sanction of the Executive Board, or of the business committee. 3d. He shall submit all bills or claims against the society to the business committee for approval, and endorsement to that effect, before drawing his order upon the Treasurer for the payment of the same. 4th. He shall attend all meetings of the society, and of the Executive Board, and shall keep a faithful record of their proceedings. 5th. He shall sign all certificates of membership, and all diplomas and certificates of merit awarded by the society. 6th. He shall have charge of the society’s books and papers, excepting only such as by the advice or direction of the Executive Board shall be placed in charge of the Librarian, and he shall be responsible to the board for the safe keeping of the property placed in his charge. XIV STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 7th. He shall be the custodian of the seal of the society, and shall have authority to affix the same to documents when needful. 8th..He shall seek, by all suitable means, to secure the fullest announce- ment of the meetings of the society in this State, as well as in adjacent States, when such shall be found desirable. 9th. He shall, as far as practicable, cause the transactions of the society, together with such valuable or interesting papers as shall be read at its ses- sions, to be properly published, and thus placed within reach of the State. 10th. It shall also be his duty, yearly, to prepare for publication the annual report of the society, together with such other matter as he shall deem proper—he being aided in the selection of such matter by an advisory com- mittee of the Executive Board. IV.—THE TREASURER. Ist. All the funds of the society shall be paid into the hands of the ‘Treasurer. 2d. He shall disburse the moneys of the society that shall come into his hands only upon the order of the Secretary, countersigned by the President. 3d. He shall keep the moneys received by the society for life memberships as a distinct fund, and shall invest the same under the advice and direction of the Executive Board, applying only the interest accruing thereon to the purposes of the general fund. 4th. Immediately upon assuming his office, and before entering upon its duties, he shall execute to the society an official bond with sufficient sureties, conditioned for the safe keeping and disbursement of the moneys of the society, and for the proper discharge of the further duties of his office, in such sum as shall be specified by the Executive Board. Such bond shall receive the approval of the President, and shall be deposited with the Secre- tary. 5th. He shall, at the close of each year, report to the Executive Board the amount of money that shall have come into his hands during the year, the sources from which it has been derived, and the disposition made of the same. V.—THE LIBRARIAN. 1st. The librarian shall have the custody of the library of the society. He shall be appointed by the Executive Board, and may be displaced at its pleasure. 2d. He shall act jointly with the Secretary in the care and arrangement of the same, and in the reception, custody and disposal of the volumes of trans- actions annually supplied to the society by the State. 3d. He shall have the custody of the rooms assigned to the society at the State capitol, together with such books and other property as the society or the board shall direct to be deposited therein. 4th. He shall report annually, at the close of the year, to the Executive Board the amount and condition of the property in his hands. BY-LAWS. KV VI.—THE EXECUTIVE BOARD. 1st: The Executive Board shall enact all rules and regulations for the management of the affairs of the society, determine the salaries of its officers, and assume the control and management of its exhibitions. 2d. It shall have power to displace any officer of the society for neglect of duty or abuse of position, and to fill all vacancies by appointment, to con- tinue till the next annual election. 3d. The board shall hold four regular sessions during the year, to occur at the times and places for the regular meetings of the society. 4th. Other meetings may be called by the Secretary, under the advice or direction of the President, or of a majority of its members, at such times and places as may be deemed most convenient; but in all such cases each member must be notified of the time, place, and object of such meeting. 5th. It shall be the duty of the board to carefully guard the general interests of the society, to watch over its finances, and to provide for its necessities as they shall arise. 6th. All important measures shall be submitted to this board, but ee may by the board be re-submitted to the society with recommendations. 7th. The board shall at the annual meeting submit through the secretary, in connection with the reports of officers, such farther report upon the condi- tion, interests, and prospects of the society as it shall judge necessary or ex- pedient. 8th. Two members of the Executive Board are to be elected each year, to hold the office for three years, but if any such member shall absent himself from two or more consecutive meetings of the society, and of the board, with- out reason satisfactory to the board, the said board may, in its discretion, con- sider the office vacant, and proceed to fill such vacancy by appointment, to continue to the next annual election. VII.—THE BUSINESS COMMITTEE. 1st. It shall be the duty of the Executive Board, annually, upon entering upon the duties of the new year, to appoint, from their own number, three members, who shall constitute a Business Committee for the year. 2d. All accounts or claims against the society, when presented to the Secre- tary for payment, shall, before payment, receive the sanction and endorsement of the Business Committee. 3d. Such claims shall be submitted to this committee and approved in duplicate ; one copy to remain with the Secretary as his warrant for the pay- ment of the same, and the other to be transmitted by him to the President, along with his order upon the Treasurer, as his warrant for countersigning the same. 4th. It shall be the duty of the Business Committee, upon application of the Secretary, during the recess of the Executive Board, to advise with him as to the expediency of making any contemplated but questionable expenditure for which occasion may arise during such recess. Xxvl STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, VIII.—STANDING COMMITTEES. Ist. There shall be a Standing Committee on Revision of the Catalogue, to be composed of one member from each of the five districts into which the State is, for this purpose, divided, with one member chosen from the State at large, who shall be the chairman of the committee. 2d. Hach member of said committee (except the chairman) is empowered and expected to choose a sub-committee for his district, of which he shall be chair- man. 3d. It shall be the duty of each sub-committee to collect and report, each year, to the general chairman, such facts respecting fruit culture in the dis- trict as shall promise to be of value in the revision of the catalogue. 4th. There shall be a Standing Committee on New Fruits, to consist of a chairman, with as many associates as such chairman shall find it desirable to appoint. 5th. Such other standing committees may, from time to time, be appointed by the Executive Board as, in its discretion, it shall deem desirable or neces- sary. 6th. All standing committees are expected to report at the annual meeting in Dezember any information of value to the society or its members that may haye come to their knowledge during the year, as well as any scientific theories, deductions or facts that, in their opinion, may be useful in advancing the ob- jects for which the society is laboring. IX.—LIFE MEMBERSHIP FUND. Ist. All moneys coming into the treasury of the society in payment for life memberships shall constitute a perpetual fund, to be known as the life mem- bership fund. 2d. The principal of this fund shall be invested by the Treasurer under the advice and direction of the Executive Board. 3d. All interest accruing upon any portion of said fund shall constitute and become part of the fund of the society devoted to the payment of its ordinary expenses. X.—MEETINGS OF THE SOCIETY. 1st. The society shall hold its first regular meeting for the year during the month of January or February for the inauguration of the officers chosen at the annual meeting held the previous December, as provided in article IV. of the Constitution, and also to arrange its plans of operations for the year. 2d. Its second regular meeting shall be held in the month of June at such date as shall best accommodate an exhibit of the early summer fruits. 3d. Its third regular meeting shall be at its annual exhibit of autumn and winter fruits, in the month of September or October. 4th. Its fourth regular meeting shall occur in connection with its annual election of officers, on the first Wednesday of December, as provided in article IV. of the Constitution. BY-LAWS. XVll 5th. The times and places for the occurrence of these regular meetings (excepting only the ¢ime of the annual meeting) shall be determined by the Executive Board. 6th. Other meetings may be called by the Secretary, under the advice or direction of the members of the Executive Board, at times and places by them deemed expedient. %th. In case of the calling of a special committee for the election of officers of the society, in consequence of any failure to elect at the annual meeting, as provided in section IV. of the Constitution, all persons entitled as members to yote at such annual meeting shall be considered as retaining such membership for such purpose until such election and until such officers so elected shall haye been inducted into office. XI.—RULES FOR DISCUSSIONS, ETC. 1st. The deliberations and discussions of the society shall be conducted in accordance with ordinary parliamentary usages. XII.—AUXILIARY SOCIETIES. 1st. The society sha!l in all reasonable and proper ways encourage the formation of local horticultural or pomological societies auxiliary to this society in all such counties or other municipalities of this State as shall afford a reasonable prospect that they will be able, effectively, to maintain the same. 2d. It shall be the policy of this society in supervising the organization of such local auxiliaries to secure an identity of constitutional provisions throughout, and in so doing to insure harmony among them; but at the | same time it will not discourage the including by them of special or local objects in cases in which such shall be found desirable, so long as the intro- duction of the requisite provisions therefor into the constitution and by-laws of the auxiliary society shall not be deemed likely to interfere with the har- monious working of the whole. 3d. Any person may become a full member of an auxiliary society, for one year, by paying into its treasury the sum of one dollar; and a compliance with the provisions of clause fifth of these by-laws shall constitute him also a member of this society, for the same term. 4th. The wife, and the resident single or unmarried daughters of any full member, may also become members of such auxiliary society upon the pay- ment of fifty cents each: Provided, that in such case such entire family shall become entitled to a single copy, only, of the current volume of the transac- tions of this society. 5th. On receipt of the names of such members, with the required fees, the Secretary shall immediately transmit their names and postoffice addresses, together with half the membership fee of each, to the Secretary of this society, who shall record the same and pay the money into the treasury for the benefit of the general fund. 6th. It shall be the duty of the Secretary, on receipt of such remittance, with list of members, to supply such auxiliary society with a certificate of xviii STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. membership in this society for one year, together with a copy of the current volume of transactions for each full member so remitted for. 7th. The proceedings of such auxiliary societies shall, at the close of the year, be forwarded, in succinct form, to the Secretary of this society, to be by him incorporated into the annual volume of transactions, accompanied by a list of its members for the year. 8th. The auxiliary societies shall, as far as practicable, be made the medium for the distribution of the annual volumes of the transactions of the society; the nuclei for its meetings, and the means of creating interest therein, as well as the means of collecting such facts or other information or material as shall, from time to time, become needful or desirable in the con- ducting of its various operations. XIII.—AMENDMENTS, ADDITIONS, SUSPENSIONS. 1st. Amendments or additions to these by laws may be made bya majority vote of the Executive Board, at any meeting; but if objection shall be made the same shall ‘‘lie upon the table”? till the next regular meeting of the board. 2d. These by-laws, or any one or more of them, may be suspended for the time, by order of a majority of all the members of the society present and voting. 3d. A proposition, in the general meeting of the society, for an amend- ment or addition to these by-laws shall be referred to the Executive Board for consideration and decision; but the society may submit therewith its advice or request. 4th. All amendments of the constitution and by-laws of auxiliary societies shall, before they shall take effect, be submitted to the Executive Board of this society, by whom their approval or rejection shall be considered upon the principle provided in section XII., clause 2d, and the determination of said Executive Board shall be final and binding upon the auxiliary society. PROCEEDINGS OF THE WINTER MEETING. PAPERS AND DISCUSSIONS AT THE CONVENTION HELD IN THE CITY OF ADRIAN, FEBRUARY 9, 10, 11, 1886. The city of Adrian has the honor of sustaining the oldest local horticult- ural society in the State. Until recently it was known as the Adrian Horti- cultural Society, but it is now reOrganized under the title of Lenawee County Horticultural Society. The work that the association has accomplished threads into the homes of a large proportion of the residents of this vicinity, and many are enjoying the fruits of its usefulness who have never attended its meetings, or given a dollar in its support. A few names may be found upon its list of members who helped to establish it, and many haye been added who have brought a wealth of experience and a generosity of spirit which still render it a power for good in the county. It was in acceptance of a cordial invitation from this society that the Mich- igan State Horticultural Society convened in the city of Adrian for its fifteenth annual winter meeting, on the evening of February 9, 1886. The following scheme of topics had been given wide publicity, and how well the society followed the programme may be seen by the report here given: SCHEME OF TOPICS. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9. 7 Pp. M.—Address of Welcome and Response, Management of Local Horticultural Societies. Methods of Purchasing and Selling Plants and Trees. Comparative Value. The Best Way. Announcement of Committees. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10. 9:30 A. M.—Fertilizers—for the Orchard, the Garden, the Small Fruit Plantation. Green Manuring. Commercial Fertilizers. Special Manures for Special Crops. Enrich- ing Lawns. Methods of Applying Fertilizers. 11:30 A. M.—The Relation of Bees to Horticulture—benefits and injuries. Afternoon. 1:30 Pp. Msk—Lawns and Lawn Bedding, Shrubs and their uses. Making Walks and Drives. Trees in and out of Place. 2 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Selection and Management of House Plants. Sizes of pots to use; Soil: Drainage. Overcoming Difficulties in Living Rooms. Managing the Insects. House Plants in and out of Place. 4:15 p. M.—Orchard Drainage. Is it Practicable? How to Overcome Difficulties. Evening. 7 Pp. M.—Rotation in Fruit Plantations—in Garden Crops. 8 p. M.—Horticulture in the Department of Agriculture at Washington. A Retro- spective View. Needs. Promises. What we ought to have, and its power for good. THURSDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 11. 9 a. M.—Reports of Committees. The nomenclature of Fruits. Miscellaneous Busi- ness. Adjournment. President Lyon called the meeting to order promptly at the appointed hour. After prayer and appropriate music, Mr. L. H. Salsbury was introduced and delivered an eloquent and exceedingly appropriate speech. He traced the inti- mate relations between the moral character of a home and its floral surround- ings. No matter how humble the vines which cling to the sides of the cottage, or spread themselves about the window, they gave character to the home, and told of some one within whose soul was ulive and warm. And these, he said, were the homes where the character of the young was best formed. He held that the man who causes the beauties of nature to adorn his home is a public benefactor, for such a home spoke with a potent eloquence of the author of his being. In such a home children will be reared, in whose hands the country will be safe. When he saw and realized the work the society was engaged in, he felt like extending the heartiest personal welcome, and in the same connec- tion he bid the society thrice welcome in behalf of the city. President Lyon responded suitably, recalling how he had come to the State over fifty years ago, and how horticulture had since then grown. The first topic on the programme was then taken up MANAGEMENT OF LOCAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETIES. BY S. B. MANN, OF ADRIAN. The management of local horticultural societies, to be successfully done, must be about the same as other societies are managed. It is one of the easiest of tasks to organize anew a local society, and while it is a new thing it will flourish like a green bay tree. But the secret is to manage it so as to hold the interest in any society after the first burst of enthusiasm has passed off. The officers of any local society, where all the labor has to be gratuitous, must possess a good degree of tact, wisdom, and indomitable perseverance. When the society is of sufficient strength and importance to pay even a small sum for the labor necessary, it will be easy to find some one to do it. In a local horticultural society, to be successful for any length of time, there must be a few men, at least, who are so in love with their calling, and able in pocket, as to be willing, month after month, year after year, to lay aside their work and spend a day, merely to instruct their less energetic neigh- bors; for I claim that the men most faithful and energetic at the meetings of a local society are the men who read most about the theme they most love, and, as a consequence, are best able to make a success of their calling, inde- pendently of what they learn at society meetings. PROCEEDINGS OF THE WINTER MEETING. 3 To make such a society successful for a term of years, requires men to engage in it who possess the rare qualities of self-sacrifice, patience, persever- ance, and a good amount of common sense. The world is full of good men who are always ready to work for pay; but they are few who can take upon their shoulders the burden of the manage- ment of a benevolent work, and carry it on for years, and not weary of it. For, in most of the localities where horticultural societies and farmers’ clubs are run, the work must be done for the love of doing it. Hence, I believe I may venture the assertion that to tell how to manage successfully, for a long time, a local horticultural society, is a knotty problem. If it chance to be in a purely fruit-growing region, where that is the leading business, and where there is money at stake in the knowledge of how best to fight some destructive insect or disease that seriously interferes with the income; or where organization is a necessity to develop or protect the market, and a sort of mutual protection societv can live because of the money value in the business, then the task is easy. But when there is no stimulus of that sort, after the society has run till the novelty has gone, it will weaken, and eventually die. It is evident to all of us that a local horticultural society is a benefit to that locality. In a general way and for a short time, as I have just stated, men and women will labor very zealously for the general good. But you take away per- sonal benefit, financially, and very soon personal effort will cease. This is not that the human family is personally selfish, but it becomes a ne- cessity that the best of every man’s life and talent must be used for the welfare of his own family, and it is not a selfish wrong that prompts it, either. The Bible teaches us that “a man who neglects to provide for his own household is worse than an infidel.”’ The local horticultural society here, whose guests you are, is a case in point. I find from its records that it is more than a quarter of a century old. I find among the early officers such names as Thomas M. Cooley, B. W. Steere, Wood- land Owen, F. R. Stebbins and many more honored citizens of Adrian’s youth- ful days. As eqidence of the unselfish zeal of these men is seen on every street of this beautiful city, in the tasty lawns and luxuriant shade trees that line every street and avenue of the town. But though this society has lived in name till to-day, there have been times when its name was all there was of it. Why? Because these men, when young and active, bent their energies to this work just so long as prudence would allow. Judge Cooley could not stay here to give his life to the local horticultural so- ciety, but his great talent demanded a larger field, and he went away. Dr. Owen found that however much he loyed fruits and flowers, his profession must be held first in importance to maintain a livelihood. The same is true of Helme, of Sigler, of Steere and many others, and until some new theme or subject appeared that aroused the eld zeal again, the society would languish for a time. The only pay these men have ever received has been the satisfaction of knowing they have benefited their community. In the busy whirl of the daily life of Adrian’s good people, few have stopped to ask as they admired the beautifully arranged lawns and shady streets, who was the designer of all this? but simply admired and passed on. There was no rush to the quiet little gathering of those few who came together semi-occasion- ally to hold and keep alive the Adrian Horticultural Society. No resolutions of 4 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. thanks, no public recognition of the grand result, hence little or no stimulus to newcomers and new members. For the last year or two there has been a little revival, as it were, but yet, as ever, the work rests on the shoulders of a few un- tiring souls, with no thanks from the masses or concern about the matter. Why is this true of Adrian more than other towns? do you ask. I answer it is not. The same is true of all communities where there is no dollar at the goal. Show to us, by any means, that there is money in it, and local horticultural societies. will flourish. DISCUSSION. C. J. Monroe—It seems to me that there is money in these horticultural socie- ties, and that they should be sustained on that account. I believe that the wonderful increase in fruit production in parts of our State is due largely to these societies. But there is much more that they may do. We need to meet. together to devise ways to increase the quality of our fruits and to preserve them so as to prolong the supply through the season. I believe the latter one of the important questions of apple growing especially. This becomes of more impor- tance in view of the recent cold waves in the South, cutting off much of the fruit supply from that direction, an evil which is likely to increase with the re- moval of our forests. S. M. Pearsall—If, when I came to Michigan, I had known one-half that I now know about fruit growing, it would have saved me many mistakes. He urged the importance of societies taking strong ground against dishonest packing. C. W. Garfield—Our Grand River Valley Society has its waves of prosperity and depression. ‘The people who carry it on occasionally get tired. I am satis- fied that success lies in interesting the younger people. We are now about making an effort to interest professional people and ladies. We believe we can show that horticulture touches nearly every one. Mr. Cole—The boys are going where they will be interested. You have got to get down where the boys are. There are some things that they do know, and we must draw them out on those. Mix in something in the meetings that the boys and girls are interested in, then they will take hold. E. Baur—We make the Washtenaw Society a success by publishing the topics in advance. W. W. Farnsworth—Our society has been in operation fifteen years. We found it difficult to get the ladies to take part. We now have three sections, one for the men, one for the ladies and another for the young folks. We meet from place to place and our exercises are largely of a general and social nature. D. Woodward—I have found in the Lenawee Society that, to keep up the interest, 1t is important to begin on time. METHODS OF BUYING AND SELLING TREES AND PLANTS. B. W. STEERE, ADRIAN, MICHIGAN. It seems difficult to touch this subject without plunging at once into the old hackneyed theme of tree agents. It will hardly do to call them all rascals, as ~ PROCEEDINGS OF THE WINTER MEETING. a) we know there are many honorable exceptions; but, that at least nine-tenths of them are utterly ignorant of much they ought to know before undertaking so important a work, is patent to all who understand the subject. And why is this so? May we not admit that their employers are the really guilty parties ? Nurserymen are supposed to understand their calling, and if they do they also know what should be the qualifications of a good agent, and in sending out one lacking such qualifications, are they not more deserving of censure than the honest but ignorant man, who, like all tyros, is very apt to think he knows all about it? If we admit ignorance as a common and principal defect in agents, a partial remedy should be found, in nurserymen requiring of them at least one year’s service in the various departments of an establishment, where it should be easy for one who knows, to judge their fitness for the work. Such fitness, I believe, should depend not alone on thorough-going business qualifications, but also upon being thoroughly honest and too manly to stoop to the little tricks of trade. He should know all about the various fruits and plants he offers, not only their growth and quality, but their adaptation to soils, climates, etc., and should be quick to detect differences in kinds and signs of disease or damage in root or top, with various other requirements unnecessary to mention here. It might have been added, however, that he ought not to have a lazy bone in his body, but should be able and w illing also to deftly handle a spade, in showing how much time and labor are saved and how much better a tree or plant is set with the little mound at the bottom of the hole, or how quickly the hole may be enlarged by digging under and leaving the sod intact, etc. Of course the agent should be a fair talker, but judging from some we meet, it is natural to conclude that this talent has had undue weight with the employer and caused him to overlook the want of many other essential qualities. To show that a man may be too good a talker, I will relate a case or two of the many that have come under my own observation. I met a neighbor one day on the highway who, possibly, began to suspect he had been sold. At any rate, he seemed anxious to tell me of a little trade he had just made with a tree agent. It appeared the fellow professed to have trees of an altogether new apple, superior to all others in perfect hardiness, and in being a very young and an annual bearer of enormous crops of very large and beautiful fruit; and, best of all, the quality was more delicious than any other, and being very tender and juicy, was especially suited to aged people like my friend and his wife. My friend said he appeared like a very nice man, and offered him one of the trees for fifty cents; but, as a special favor, would let him have three for one dollar, adding that ¢hat was all he could possibly spare him, the stock being limited, and a fruit of such wonderful value should be in the hands of as many good people as possible. That hook was well baited, as the dollar changed hands, and the oily tongued agent continued to entertain mine host till after reluctantly (?) partaking of a bountiful dinner, when he finally bade him adieu, charging him as he left to take the bert of care of his three pets; hoping, he said, to revisit these parts when the trees were in bearing, and when the pleasant acquaintance could be renewed, and they could enjoy the luscious fruit together. Was my neighbor a fool? Not by any means. He was a hard-working, honest man, who had acquired a competence; was fairly intelligent, with a fund of common sense and unbounded trust in and charity for the weaknesses of others. (=P) STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. A little different, but much harder case, was that of a colored woman who. desired me to look at some trees, etc., they had just set out, and which must be paid for with money earned by wood-sawing and house-cleaning. Among the rest were two scrubby little cherry trees, labeled simply ‘‘ white cherry.” The name of course, excited suspicion, and stepping back and taking a good look, I mentally exclaimed, “ Nothing but Morello suckers!’”’ I was sure of it; but to leave no doubt, examined carefully for any signs of budding or grafting, clear down to the roots, removing earth enough for the purpose. These two trees, I suppose on account of color, were one dollar each, and a couple more, for some equally good reason, cost the same, and two miserable little grapevines, Concord or something, at fifty cents each, made the five dollars her husband had agreed to pay. ‘I'wo dollars and a half had been paid, and the man was soon to be around for the rest. You may be sure I hated to tell that poor woman what those trees were, and that very fine cherry trees,. true to name, could be bought for thirty or forty cents each, and excellent grapes for half, or less, than they had paid. Would five years in the penitentiary, at hard labor, be too much for a thief like that? Is it not likely that the first mentioned smooth-tongued villain was the same who sold in that and adjoining neighborhoods, at marvelous prices, a number of that wonderful Canadian peach, which, on account of its north- ern birth, was never known to flinch at the most intense cold, but would bear without fail, every year, large crops of peaches of great size, and of the very best quality. I learned that one tree did bear a few little worthless specimens before the late hard winters cleaned them out. Not so very long ago, in driving to our lower lot, I overtook and picked up. a nice, slick-looking fellow, who, when he got out, said he was an agent for an eastern nursery—most of them say that—and opening his large book, kindly invited me to look at the pictures. From a child I have loved picture books, and of course’ gazed with open-mouthed wonder at the beautiful peaches, grapes, etc., painted in a style that nature has utterly failed to reach. I did not say much, but I suppose my looks betrayed me as a fit subject for operation, as he turned the leaves rapidly till he found a showy plate of the Allen raspberry. Ah! that was what I ought to have. Why, an acre or so of it would make any man rich; the money there was in it was astonishing; you could almost see the dollars rolling in, as his oily words rolled out. But I hadn’t time to listen to their, or his jingle, but as a parting word, told him I had been in the nursery business, in a small way, for forty years, and twenty or thirty years ago was induced to buy two dozen of the Allen, and had grown erayer day by day in my efforts to get rid of their progeny. What more I said need not be repeated, but, as Phoenix once said, “he seemed to hear something break,” and he broke down the road at a pace that I trust carried him to some bourne from which he will never return. The aboye are given, not as isolated cases, but as fairly representative of thousands occurring in various portions of the west. Of course, there are reliable men scattered here and there all over the country, who do their best to supply stock as represented, and who should be encouraged, especially those who push into remote and difficult places of access, inducing people to set val- uable fruit and plants, who, but for them, might never have the opportunity. If asked the best method of purchasing, I can but repeat what has been so often said already. Buy at the nearest reliable nursery, going, if possible, yourself, though it PROCEEDINGS OF THE WINTER MEBRTING. : 7 may be many miles, and require being out a night or so. Take time to talk over kinds and other matters with the proprietor. Be on hand when plants are dug, or if heeled in, when they are taken out, ready to reject anything you don’t like, as men have to be trusted sometimes who care little whether the roots are on the tree or left in the ground. It would be unjust to laborers, however to pass this remark without adding that some proprietors will stand by, looking as honest as “old Grimes” while trees are being handled for a customer, that they know are black-hearted or otherwise diseased, or who will coolly label some kind of which there is a surplus with names of sorts called for but which they cannot supply. The second best method, and often just as good, is to order direct of the nuiseryman, and if he is honest and wide awake to his own interest, you will have cause to rejoice when you unpack your stock; no little stunted stuff or substitutes there; for if he could not properly fill your order, he wrote you at once and said so. In closing I wish to refer briefly to what has seemed to me a great and growing evil, and a most prolific cause of mistakes in purchasing. I allude to the overpraise bestowed in some cata- logues and other horticultural advertising, especially upon new varieties. Is not the praiseworthy desire to guard customers against mistaking and to supply them with the very best of everything, in danger of being supplanted by this talent for overwrought description ? And is not this method too nearly allied in its results to some of the first mentioned cases for honorable men to adopt? The Secretary read the following paper from J. N. Stearns, of Kalamazoo, on the same subject : HOW TO BUY NURSERY STOCK. This is really an important subject to be discussed at this time, as many of us are now making plans of what we will plant in the spring. I made the re- mark at our December meeting that I had no sympathy for those that were being ‘‘taken in” by the unprincipled tree peddler at this time, with all the means we have for information through our horticultural reports, and still only a few years since I, myself, was “sold’’ by not heeding one of the points I shall mention under the head of caution. Those contemplating planting should know first what they want. If they have not had sufficient experience with varieties, they should read carefully the reports of this society, that they may have the benefit of the experience of practical growers in the State. Then, a little time spent conversing with a neighbor, who is making a success in fruit growing, will be found of value to the planter. After deciding what you will plant, club with your neighbors and send your order directly to a reliable nur. seryman. If you have not this information, write 1o some person whom you have confidence in that would be likely to know of such nurseryman, for all nurserymen are not to be trusted, more than all tree dealers. But, as a class, my experience leads me to the belief that they are fully up to the average of other business men in reliability. CAUTION. Do not buy of an agent who has some extraordinary new fruit, “curculio proof,’’ “ironclad,” and of wonderful size and extra quality, for which, on ac- count of these superior qualities, he is obliged to charge five or six prices. 8 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. You will be very likely to get some common variety of which some nurseryman had a surplus and offered very cheap to close out. This, I am sorry to say, is the way more money is being paid for nursery stock at the present time than in any other way. On the other hand, do not buy of the nurseryman that is offering to sell a little under the price of most others. This is the way I was “sold.” It was at the time the Gregg raspberry and Sharpless strawberry were first being sent out. I wished to procure plants of these and some other fruits. Of course they were high, and I desired to get them as cheap as possible, and of all the numer- ous price-lists I had, one offered nearly everything a little under the average, and the “thee and thou’’ of this price-list ‘‘took me.” I said, I guess he is a good, honest Quaker, so I sent him my order. The main part of the stock proved true to name (although the Sharpless proved to be Mt. Vernon), but they were so badly packed and selected that much of it was entirely worthless, so I would better have paid double price to a reliable grower and one that knew his business. A nurseryman makes his money by hard work, the same as any other tiller of the soil, and when a man offers to furnish stock for much less than the average grower, you may suspect something is wrong. If you must give your order to an agent representing a reliable nursery, do not say to him, “ Now, if these trees are not all just so large and straight I will not take them.” Buyers often compel the agent to substitute by such orders, as many varieties will not grow shapely. In regard to the many new, high-priced fruits, I would advise buying sparingly. Of course it is always interesting to test new fruits, but it is risky to invest large amounts in them, no matter how well recommended they come, for my experience of more than twenty years teaches me that not one in fifty will stand the test. Of the small fruits, I would advise buying as near home as possible, as they are yery liable to heat and destroy the vitality unless much care and experience is exercised in packing. Of the large fruits, I should have no choice if equal care in growing, handling, etc., had been observed. DISCUSSION. A. G. Gulley: Lam not afraid of distance in getting trees, if necessary. If well packed they may be sent any distance with safety. Young trees may readily be sent by mail. J. W. Helme: Members of a society can buy to much better advantage by clubbing their orders and getting their trees at one place. Mr. West and others described how they had been swindled by the agents. B. W. Steere: No man should sell trees who has not had experince in rais- ing them. The nurserymen should employ only properly experienced and edu- cated agents. Mr. Reynolds: The nurseryman cannot afford to educate his agents. Horti- cultural societies are to educate the people at large so they will not be deceived by ignorant or unprincipled agents. T. T. Lyon: Buy direct and skip the middlemen if possible. Still, it is well to remember that many are now enjoying the fruit of trees who never would have bought them had it not been for agents. H. E. Van Deman: There is a class of people who cannot be reached by hort- icultural papers and societies, and can only be reached by agents. The main objection to dealing with agents is that it costs more. PROCEEDINGS OF THE WINTER MEETING. 9 E. Baur made a humorous reference to the adaptability of the English language to persuasive speech. It would be impossible, he said, for agents to obtain such results as they do in the harsh German tongue. J. W. Helme: The reliability of agents depends largely on how they are paid. Ido not hire agents by the percent. Buyers should find out the reli- ability of those from whom they buy. Many dare not trust an order with a distant unknown firm. Local agents are necessary. C. W. Garfield: If people will not be educated by horticultural societies and publications let them be educated in their own way, even at the expense of being swindled. A. G. Gulley: Do not deal with those who are pushing a new thing at a high price. These people are chiefly responsible for the too highly colored plates and oyer-wrought descriptions. Still, the growth of varieties differs in differ- ent locations, and the originators may be mistaken as to their general merits. President Lyon announced the following committee on fruits exhibited : H. E. Van Deman, Kansas; Mr. Moore, Ohio; W. W. Farnsworth, Ohio. Wednesday—Morning Session. The exercises were opened with music, following which the Secretary read this letter, addressed by S. 8. Bailey, of Grand Rapids, to the Commissioner of Agriculture, which had been endorsed by the Grand River Valley Horticultural Society and by the Executive Board of the State Horticultural Society : MR. BAILEY’S LETTER, GRAND Rapips, MICHIGAN, } February 1, 1886. \ _ Mr. NorMaN J. COLEMAN, Commissioner of Agriculture : Dear Sir :—The destruction of the peach orchards of the country, more es- pecially those of the Northern States, by a disease called the “ yellows,” and no remedy having as yet been found to check the spread of the disease except the destruction of all the trees affected, and that check only temporary, there seems to be a demand that those in high authority in the nation who can com- mand the proper talent for a thorough scientific investigation should at once make an effort to solve the mystery of the vellows and determine the cause and the remedy. Science alone can do this, and may require a long and patient investigation and much means to extend the research which is not likely to be furnished by horticultural societies or aid from the States. No one but yourself has at present the power or the means to make such a thorough and exhaustive investigation of the subject as will meet the wants of those interested in peach growing and satisfy the country. It is unnecessary for me to call your attention to the loss to the country during the last fifty years, more especially during the last twenty years, by this disease, as you are more familiar with the facts than myself. 2 10 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. I am assured by your horticultural friends that you will do something for horticulture during your administration, and this assurance has encouraged me to write this letter. Permit me to suggest that in your investigation you determine, if possible, whether the yellows in the more Hastern States, said by some to be curable, is the same as the yellows in the Western States. Also that you find out through our representatives in other countries whether, in peach growing localities of other countries, the yellows, or a similar disease, is known among peaches, and if they have found a remedy. I see by the papers that you have recently made an addition to the botanical division of your department, of a section which is designed to furnish informa- tion respecting the diseases of al] field and garden crops caused by the attacks of parasitic fungi, and that Prof. F. 8. Scribner has been placed in charge of the work, and that “his attention has already been called to the following plant diseases: grape rot, pear blight,” etc. Could he not include the yellows in peaches ? But I have said enough. You, perhaps, have already anticipated appeals of this kind, have seen the wants of the country and commenced the work. Per- mit me to say in closing that the agriculturists and pomologists of this country have great confidence in your administration ; everybody seems to be looking for grand results, and we all know it will not be your fault if their anticipa- tions are not fully realized. Respecfully yours, S. 8. Barney. On motion of 8. B. Mann, the letter was unanimously endorsed by the society. The following discussion took place on the question: Mr. Mann stated that he did not believe that the yellows which had been cured in the Eastern States was the same as the yellows known in Michigan. A. G. Gulley: We at South Haven heartily endorse this letter. From the experiments of Dr. Miles we are fully satisfied that if some man can investigate it at different places as fully as he did there, we will find whether the disease is the same or not. T. T. Lyon: Some years ago I received from Mr. Berckmans, of Georgia, some peach trees for experiment, and one of them developed a well defined case of yellows before it blossomed, showing that if the disease is conveyed in the pollen, that is not the only way. T. T. Lyon presented the following preamble and resolution regarding a bureau of pomology in the Department of Agriculture, which, on motion of B. W. Steere, was unanimously adopted: WHEREAS, With the rapid recent increase and development of the fruit-growing interests of our country, in their various forms; and with the corresponding increase of the consumption of fruits, the pomological interests of our country have assumed a magnitude and importance not heretofore anticipated or provided for; AND WHEREAS, The success of varieties of fruits usually varies greatly, and to some extent, even unaccountably, with change of locality; AND WHEREAS, Long periods are usually required for the satisfactory local testing of varieties; and for this reason, extensive interchange of experiments, as well as a wider inter-acquaintance with the fruits of different localities, becomes important; therefore, Resolved, That this Society deems this department of agriculture of such importance as to warrant and even demand the fostering aid of a special branch of the National Department of Agriculture, under the supervision of an expert and capable pomologist, with the facilities and appropriations requisite to the efficient discharge of the duties of such position, PROCEEDINGS OF THE WINTER MEETING. Bid The secretary read a letter from Erwin F. Smith, of Ann Arbor, asking that the botanical department of the University be furnished with data regarding the spread of grape rot in the State. The following discussion then took place upon the next topic: FERTILIZERS. Mr. Moore, Toledo: In our nursery, near Toledo, Ohio, we find com- mercial fertilizers cheaper and better than stable manure. We like bone meal the best. That which we use costs thirty-five dollars a ton, and is made by the Cincinnati Dessicating Manufactory. We apply it in spring, mixed with muck or barn-yard manure by means of Kemp and Burpee’s No. 2 spreader, at the rate of 600 to 800 pounds of the meal per acre. After it is spread, it is cultivated in, and the effect lasts two or three years. The soil is a sandy clay, with clay subsoil. C. W. Garfield: In orchards, how near the trees should manure be placed? Mr. Niles, Blissfield: The best effect is when it is placed under the ends of the limbs. ‘ T. T. Lyon: After ten or fifteen years the roots fill all the soil, and the manure should be applied broadcast. Whether it should be applied only to the surface, or plowed in, depends on the soil. In clay soil the roots run near the surface, and the orchard, when old, should be plowed very shallow, if at all. B. W. Steere: I have obtained the best results in old orchards by applying stable manure liberally over the whole surface, and plowing it in. The best time to apply it is fall or winter, and the plowing should be done early, as any injury to the roots does much less harm to the tree then than later. K. Baur recommended cow manure as mulch for grapes. He keeps chickens among his grapes until the fruit begins to ripen. Mr. Griffin inquired the cause of the bursting of the bark in young trees, whether it was caused by too rapid growth. T. T. Lyon replied that trees could not grow too fast early in the season. Bursting of the bark was common with trees which grew late, but in them, not until after growth ceased ; grows beans in his orchard, stopping cultivation just before wheat harvest. D. G. Edmiston: I have a large quantity of hard wood ashes. How shall I use them ? W. W. Farnsworth: I have applied them to wheat and grass without results, but have doubled a crop of raspberries by their use. What shall I apply to a field of newly set strawberries this spring ? A. B. Mason: Ihave had good success, near Toledo, by the application of two parts ashes and one of hen manure to poor, sandy spots. Mr. Niles: I have found L. L. Crofer’s fertilizer, Buffalo, N. Y., costing $40: a ton, to be good for newly set strawberries. A. B. Mason gave an example of the value of old leached ashes. Had known raspberry roots to run nine feet to a pile of them. They are useful to soften clay soil. C. W. Garfield: The best market gardeners near Grands Rapids haul manure from the city stables at a maximum price of a shilling a horse a month, and store it in large flat piles not over three feet deep. Care is taken to have no part of the heap higher than the rest to act as a chimney and cause it to burn. It is turned about twice; each time as soon as it begins to heat, the frequency 12 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. depending on the time of year. The fermentation destroys most of the weed seeds. For the cabbage family of plants, the use of fermented manure is con- sidered essential. One of the worst plans is to draw directly to the field and place in small conical piles. Coal ashes and plaster are sometimes used as an absorbent of the escaping ammonia when the manure cannot be turned in time. It is important to turn the piles as soon as evenly warmed through to prevent burning. In summer the second turning may need to be done within three or four days of the first. J. W. Hill: Strawberry growers at the East think they cannot grow straw- berries without ashes. They pay as highas 25 cents a bushel for leached ashes. Uses salt for pear and plum trees, and says that one cannot apply too much, but the grape, peach and cherry may be killed by a small quantity. A. B. Mason uses hen manure extensively, mixing it with road dust as it is made, and adding ashes at the time it is applied. CO. W. Garfield uses coal ashes as an absorbent, scattering it beneath the hen roosts and letting the manure remain until wanted. GREEN MANURING. C. J. Monroe: At South Haven we have practiced green manuring for ten years, especially with rye. It is sown during August and plowed under the next spring about the time it begins to head. Some peach orchards receive no other manure. Some sow clover instead of rye on alternate years, sowing it at the same time. Whichever is used, oats are sown with it for winter protection. One peach orchard of 1,500 trees has r-ceived, during the last nine or ten years, an annual application of a bushel to a bushel and a half of muck to each tree, applied in the fall, close to the stem. In the spring it is hauled away and plowed under. The owner thinks this treatment prevents the yellows. Eleven years ago the yellows appeared in the orchard in seventy trees, but it has since gradually diminished and a good crop has been produced every year. We have a good deal of faith in muck and green manuring. When we are to sow rye we can continue cultivation a little later. We treat the clover the same as the rye, except to plow it under a little later. We never leave a crop on the ground through the summer. During June, July and August the trees must have thorough cultivation. ENRICHING THE LAWN. In opening the brief discussion on this topic, Mr. Garfield asked if it were necessary to use on lawns the unsightly stable manure, as is so frequently done. Mr. Hough thought the use of stable manure needless. He uses wood ashes, apphed in early spring with a sieve. Mr. Sigler stated that he had maintained a good lawn for twenty-five years by the use of wood ashes only. B. W. Steere said that it was important to haye a deep, rich soil when the lawn was first made. President Lyon announced the following Committee on Resolutions: C. J. Monroe, South Haven; L. D. Watkins, Manchester; S. R. Fuller, Eaton Rapids. PROCEEDINGS OF THE WINTER MEETING, 13 THE RELATION OF BEES TO HORTICULTURE—BENEFITS AND INJURIES. W. Z HUTCHINSON, ROGERSVILLE, MICHIGAN. That bees are an important factor in the economy of nature has been proved beyond a doubt. Only a few days ago I came across the following in the Ameri- can Bee Journal: “ Most of the readers of the Journal are aware that in England melons, cucumbers, pumpkins, and squashes cannot be raised in the open air; they are all raised in green-houses and hot-bed frames, and many hours have I worked in the garden at home in England with a fine, long cam- el’s hair brush, conveying the pollen from blossom to blossom where the bees could not get to do the work; and even now, in this climate, if we do not have good weather for the bees to work on the fruit bloom, and especially on red clover saved for seed, we get but a poor crop. Last year I had a good crop of mammoth clover seed, while afew miles from here there was none, and I think I owe it to my colonies of Italian bees, for they worked on it first- rate. “W. ADDENBROOKE.”’ A few weeks ago I heard two old farmers discussing bees and buckwheat. “*T tell you,” said one, “ buckwheat is a good thing for bees.” “‘ Yes,” replied the other, ‘“ but the bees are not a very good thing for the buckwheat.” ‘‘No, I suppose not,” said farmer number one. And thus the conversat*on ran on,. until I ventured to ask Mr. Farmer how he knew that buckwheat was injured by the bees. ‘“ Why, they take something from it, don’t they? If they do this, it injures it. How can it be other wise 2” replied my farmer friend. I then explained that I was a bee-keeper, and also a raiser of buckwheat; that my buckwheat, which was at times fairly ‘‘swarming ” with bees, yielded fully as well, if not better, than buckwheat that was far removed from the busy workers. I explained now necessary were the bees for the fertilization of blos- soms; that if the blossoms were covered with muslin, so that the bees had no access to them, they produced no fruit. My opponent contended that it might not be lack of visits from the bees that made the covered blossoms unfertile, but lack of heat from the sun’s rays, as - the result of being covered. I then cited to him the experiments of Prof. Lazenby, of Ohio, in covering strawberries with boxes, and fertilizing one variety with the pollen from another. Specimens that were left unfertilized produced no fruit; those that were fertilized did. I also told that oft-re- peated story of how the fruit growers of a certain town in Massachusetts, years ago, compelled the bee-keepers i in that vicinity to move their bees out of town. ‘The bees injured the fruit, so said the fruit growers. Ina few years they were persuading the bee-keepers to bring back their bees, as the crops of fruit had been exceptionally light since the removal of the bees. The bees were brought back, and with them came abundant crops. I told him that crops of red clover seed could not be raised in Australia until bumble bees were imported to fertilize the blossoms. I then waxed eloquent, and declared that the beautiful colors were not given flowers simply to please the human eye, the grateful fragrance to regale the human olfactories, nor did the nectar flow simply that it might be gathered up and used to tickle human palates; these things were the blossom’s advertisement which attracts to it the honey- loving bee, which came, bringing with it the fertilizing pollen from distant 14 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. flowers. When I had finished, my opponent said: “ Well, I don’t know any- thing about it; maybe you are right, my friend.” Now, those of you who know that bees are largely instrumental in the fer- tilization of blossoms, and that the removal of the nectar in no wise injures the fruit or grain, may be inclined to smile at the old farmer’s views, but, my friends, he is not alone in his ignorance; even editors—yes, and agricultural editors at that—have exhibited lamentable ignorance upon this subject. The agricultural editor of a very prominent New York weekly very gravely in- formed an inquiring correspondent that bees were an injury to buckwheat, taking the same grounds as did my farmer opponent. It was this same editor who said he had watched with interest the progress of the Italian bees ever since the first pair (?) was brought over from Italy. It is nearly always ignorance that leads to trouble about bees. In Wisconsin the past season, the owner of an apiary was sued for damages alleged to have been done to sheep while grazing in a pasture of white clover. It was claimed that the bees came in swarms and drove the sheep from the pastures! It is well known to those who are conversant with the habits of bees, that, when foraging, a bee is timid, and will flee upon the approach of any object. The plaintiff in the suit was not only ignorant of the habits of bees, but seemed to forget that were it not for the services of the bees in fertilizing the white clover blossoms there would have been no white clover pasture for his sheep. The judge in this suit decided that there was no law applicable to the case, and dismissed the suit. The plaintiff probably mistook the attacks of the troublesome gad-fly for the attacks of bees, which he saw working upon the clover. In California, recently, a bee-keeper has been sued by a fruit grower for alleged damages done to grapes. The suit was in a justice’s court; the apiarist was beaten, but has, I believe, appealed to the higher court. As to whether bees really do injure fruit is a question that has been fre- quently asked. I presume many fruit growers will unhesitatingly say ‘that they do, and they Anow they do, while bee-keepers are equally certain that it is impossible for bees to pierce the skin of fruit. At the convention of bee- keepers, held last December, in Detroit, Prof. A. J. Cook said: ‘“ People have several times told me that their grapes had been destroyed by bees, and I have offered to come and witness the destruction, if they would let me know when it was going on, but I cautioned them to first be swe that they had a case. I have never been called. Bees do sometimes attack grapes, however, but it is when the weather has first caused them to crack, or something else has attacked and opened the skins.” At Aurora, Ill., there is an experimental station of the United States, in charge of Prof. Nelson W. M. Lairs. The Professor was at the December meeting of bee-keepers in Detroit, and read from the advance sheets of his report. He had placed colonies of bees in a building, deprived them of food, except fruit of different kinds, which was placed upon shelves around the sides of the room. All specimens having cracked skins, or that were intentionally preforated, were entirely consumed, except the skins, dwt, although these bees were starved to death, not a sound grape, apple, peach, or fruit of any kind was injured. It is a physical impossibility for a bee to cut open the skin of a . grape; its mandibles are not capable of cutting. Now, then, although I deny that a bee can attack and destroy a sound grape, I do not deny that bees are sometimes a source of great annoyance, and per PROCEEDINGS OF THE WINTER MEETING. 15 haps some loss to the grape grower. ven if the skins of his grapes are cracked, or have been pierced by wasps or birds, the grape grower may not wish them sucked dry; or if he does not care for the loss of the cracked grapes, the presence of the bees is a great annoyance in gathering the fruit. Bee- keepers should nos ignore this, neither should the grape growers forget that the bees are their best friends, inasmuch as they fertilize the blossoms, and thereby produce the fruit. In the spring, when there are but few insects to fertilize the blossoms, the bees are very valuable. Both bee-keepers and fruit growers should learn to bear and forbear. If I understand the matter, the injury and annoyance that grape growers suffer from bees is often of short duration, only lasting afew days, and, if all parties would exhibit a neighborly spirit, it is probable that the bees might be shut in their hives fora few days, with no great loss to the bee-keeper, as bees never frequent cider mills, nor suck the juices from fruit, unless there is a dearth of honey, and the loss of honey would not be great. If the weather is warm, the hives would probably require a great amount of ventilation. But let us suppose that bees do injure grapes, or other fruits, and that the bee- keeper cannot, or will not keep his bees at home, can the fruit grower, in jus- tice, ask the bee-keeper to pay damages, or to move his bees away? It may help us to turn the telescope, and look through it from the other end. Let us suppose that the juices of fruits were injurious to bees, that when stored and used for winter food, it led to disease among bees. Could not bee-keepers then, as consistently, complain if a vineyard was started near them, as fruit grow- ers Can now complain when an apiary is brought into their neighborhood? Bees have existed as long as have fruits, and the keeping of one is as legiti- mate and recognized a business as the raising of the other; andif there are times when the two industries clash, it is doubtful if the difficulties can be set- tled by legal proceedings. In my own opinion, however, there is a moral law that is applicable to the case. Ihave reference to priority of location. If bees are the cause of loss and annoyance to a grape grower, and this loss or annoyance is not counterbalanced by the benefits derived from the bees, then the man who knows this, and plants a vineyard in the vicinity of anapiary is morally bound not to complain of the depredation of the bees, while the bee- keeper who brings an apiary into a grape-growing district should feel himself morally bound to keep ‘his bees from annoying his grape-growing neighbors. Afternoon Session. The first paper of the afternoon was upon MAKING WALKS AND DRIVES. BY DR. WOODLAND OWEN, ADRIAN, MICHIGAN. Oue of the leading and attractive features about a home, whether it be of costly and magnificent proportions, or whether it be smaller or unpretentious in its appearance, is its well-kept lawn, with its walks and drives, sharply de- fined by the green carpet in which both are cut. These walks and drives 16 . STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. should be made for a double purpose—use and ornament. Their length, breadth and shape must be in just proportion with the size and aspect of the grounds and the landscape of which they form a part; their borders should be accurately cut and all rubbish carefully raked off and thrown in the compost heap. Thus kept, their graceful curves and bends are objects of attraction, which give pleasure to the observer and satisfaction to the proprietor. But I am not called upon to express the satisfaction one has in looking at or walking over a beautiful lawn with its well-kept walks and drives, and the pleasure one has while looking at a beautiful landscape where nature and art are judiciously blended ; but we must come down to the practical methods of making these walks and drives which are so directly connected with the utility and adorn- ment of the surrounding landscape. In making walks and drives, a practical man will not lay out a plan for them until he has made himself acquainted with every feature of the surroundings, haying viewed them from every point, that he may choose the choicest and most picturesque spots through which he can lay the easiest and most graceful lines. Straight walks and drives should always be avoided where there are any pre- tentions to size and adornment, though the ground forming the lawn should be even and level. But you must always have an object to turn you aside from a straight line; you must butt against something to make a curve, even if you have to plant a tree or a group of shrubbery, which will soon appear as if you made the curve to prevent digging up the tree, or rooting out the shrub-: bery—a cause for the curve must be made to appear. After we have carefully selected our route and decided upon the line which we think will add most to the picturesqueness of the place, we proceed to stake it, usually doing this by staking out the general outline of the walk from the two given points the width desired, then with stakes throw out your curves and graceful flowing lines as seem the most appropriate and satisfactory. These stakes may have to be changed frequently before you are quite satisfied as to the effect, as most has to be done by the eye, and must be considered from every point. When all the outlines are established, we proceed to make our walks and drives according to the following general rule, varying, however, to some ex- tent on different soils. In the first place we must make provision for the easy escape of water, either bv drainage if the soil is heavy and holds water ; or if light and porous, the water being readily absorbed by the soil, we have no dif- ficulty, except where the grade is great, and in heavy rains would wash and gutter out; then we must make frequent outlets, that the surplus water may run off without washing, or it could be run into a tile drain under cover, but in a light sand or grayelly soil the surplus water soon disappears, and the dam- age, if any, can be easily repaired. The water being provided for, we proceed to throw out the soil to the depth of six inches for a walk, and ten inches for a drive, more or less according to the nature of the soil, making the bot- tom level, on which we place about three inches of coarse gravel or stones, well tamped or rolled down; broken brick or stone, which are usually to be had when the house is built, or any coarse material of the kind well tamped down, will make a good bottom ; on this put sufficient gravel sifted through a coarse sieve to bring the center of the walk on a level with the lawn, rounding to the edges with a depression sufficient to carry the water, when it rains, from the center to the sides of the walk, where it is soon absorbed into the lawn; roll well with a heayy roller, and your walk will be smooth and solid. The PROCEEDINGS OF THE WINTER MEETING. Ee width of the walk depends something on the size of the grounds, but in no case would I have less than five feet, and if the grounds are large, you may add something to that, remembering always that two and often more link arms to enjoy the beauties which nature has so lavishly spread before them. A walk thus made will last an indefinite length of time. But a much less expensive walk can be made on most soils by taking out two or three inches of soil, and replacing with good clean sifted gravel, raising the center as high as the lawn, with sufficient depression towards the grass to take off the water ; roll with a heavy roller, and your walk will soon be hard and solid, but it would be improved if rolled again soon after a rain, which has a great tend- ency to assist in its solidification. The same principles carried out make an excellent carriage drive, but we must bear in mind always that a much heavier weight is brought to bear on it, consequently the coarse stones in the bottom want to be thicker and well tamped down with coarse gravel, making a bed at least four inches thick, then two or three inches of coarse gravel well rolled down ; upon this put about three inches of gravel sifted through a coarse sieve, or sufficient to raise the center of the drive even with the lawn, slightly falling towards the outside to carry off the water. But if I was called upon to make a drive, where money was no object, where it made no difference whether the expense was one hundred or one thousand dollars, 1 would dig out my driveway twelve or fourteen inches deep and place in the bottom flat square stones, five or six inches thick, one or two inches apart with the flattest side down, then fill the spaces with coarse stones or gravel well tamped in between the stones. Then put on about four inches of coarse gravel, roll well and leave it till a heavy rain came, which would assist very much in settling it. After the rain I would roll again, then put on gravel sifted through a coarse sieve until the drive was as high in the center as the level of the sod, slightly falling towards the outside to carry off the water. The width of the drive must, like the walk, depend somewhat upon the sur- roundings and be in keeping with the extent and style of the buildings, but in no case be less than ten feet. In finishing off both walks and drives, give no prominent roundness of appearance, but just enough to take the water from the center to edge of the walk or drive. In speaking of gravel, I use bank gravel, us being far preferable to lake or river gravel; packs harder, quicker, and in all cases makes a better walk or drive. Walks thus made and well kept add largely to the beauty and convenience of the home, and are not expensive to make or keep in order when proper tools are used. But they have one drawback which it will be proper to notice here, and for which I know of no remedy; when the frost is coming out in the spring the gravel will be like a sponge filled with water until it is thawed deep enough to let the water through, when it will be hard enough to walk on in a very short time, but till then they are useless as walks. In my own walks I provide wide boards to lay down the center during the thawing period on those walks most in use. On the others we sometimes en- croach upon the sod, which usually holds the frost till the gravel has thawed out and let the water through. DISCUSSION. C. W. Garfield inquired the value of coal ashes for walks. 3 18 F STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Dr. Owen said the ashes were liable to track into the house. N. B. Covert said coal ashes made a good foundation for walks of tar and gravel concrete. . Mr. Hough said that coal ashes were good for drives but too dirty for walks. C. W. Garfield said that it was often best to combine the walk and drive in one, as it saved half the labor in keeping them in order. He described an im- proved implement for cutting borders, consisting of a wheel cultivator with a sharp cutter like a plow-share. With it he could cut as much border in an hour as with a border iron in two days, and do it more uniform. The next topic was: TREES IN AND OUT OF PLACE. Upon which an excellent paper was read by Mr. Porter Beal, of Geneva, Mich., the manuscript of which we have been unable to obtain. T. T. Lyon: Trees may be in place when small which need removing when they become large. E. Baur: I would have along the north and south roads in our State native evergreens, and along the east and west roads winter apple trees. A. A. Crozier preferred groups of trees along the roadside rather than rows which were imperfect. L. D. Watkins asked what to do with trees in the yard which became so large as to hide the house. It might have been remedied when they were set by leav- ing clear openings to the street. He thought the oaks and the white pine bet- ter for parks than for the door-yard. He liked fruit trees on the outskirts of the grounds. S. M. Pearsall: I set the trees of my first apple orchard twenty feet apart. They are too thick, and I cannot thin them and have them in good shape. B. W. Steere: My idea of the distance apart for trees has been growing wider and wider. At an early day so many soft maples were set here in Adrian as to have given it its name, “soft maple city.” They were set in uniform close rows, and when you have seen a few rods you have seen all. Some of our common council have no idea what a tree will develop into when it has a chance, and as a result there are more misshapen trees in this city than in any other place inthe State. The council ordered all trees to be trimmed up ten feet from the ground, and subsequently raised the requirement to twelve feet. C. W. Garfield called attention to the use of trees for producing desired effects in the landscape, describing a case in Illinois, where the appearance of a hill was produced with trees alone. A piece of music was then given by Mrs. Dr. and Miss Mattie Sager. IN-DOOR HORTICULTURE. MARY N. ALLEN, HUDSON, MICHIGAN. The love of the beautiful is one of the strongest incentives to a pure and noble life. The jasper walls, the pearly gates, the golden streets of the Heavenly City, with the evergreen foliage of that wonderful tree that is to yield its fruits by the side of the river whose waters are clear as crystal, the beauties of which no earthly city could ever compare, form some of the attractions that are held out at the end of a Christian life, and the more beautiful and attractive we can PROCEEDINGS OF THE WINTER MEBRTING. 19 make our earthly homes, the nearer shall we come to solving the problem, “‘ How to guard the rising generation against the evils of the day.” House plants form one of the cheapest and most attractive of the long list of home decorations, and as this talk is to be for home adornment and pleasure, not for any money that there may be in it, we take the ground that no house- keeper should try to keep any more plants than her time and strength will allow, and not interfere with the more essential home cares. It is wonderful how much pleasure and inspiration can be derived from the cultivation of a few varieties ; how they brighten and enliven the home, and the real company those objects of life are in the season when all nature is in- animate. I entered the clean and cheerful kitchen of a friend some time since, where she was doing the week’s ironing, and noticing the look of real pleasure and satisfaction on her countenance, and seeing that she was quite alone, I said: “Why, Mrs, B., I thought you had company?” “And so I have,’”’ was her reply, introducing me at once to a thrifty calla lily with a blossom of creamy white luxuriance standing on the table in front of her work. “T cannot stay in the sitting room all the time to feast my eyes on my lily, and so I have brought it out and placed it where I may enjoy it while I work.” And so after first assuring ourselves that we are equal to the task of not allow- ing them to be nipped by Jack Frost, we should decide as to the amount of room we can allot to this purpose; and the next very important step is the selection of plants, and those that will give you the most satisfaction for the care you can give them, are the ones to decide upon. In this taste they may as widely differ as the nature and disposition of individuals. I have found the most enjoy- ment in the geranium, coleus and begonia, because I have so little room to give to plants, and these varieties are always attractive from their bright and varie- gated foliage, which in some instances is as handsome as blossoms can well be. I would not exclude from ever so small a collection a few of the trailing vines in hanging baskets, as they add much of grace and beauty to window gardening, and some varieties can be placed where they do not have the direct influence of the window light, and do well. I was much pleased recently with a pot of smilax, placed behind the cornice of a friend’s secretary with its dark, glossy green, foliage drooping gracefully from the corner. The madeira vine, tradescantia, English ivy and oxalis are among the most common and easiest of cultivation and beautiful for window decoration. The farfugium is very ornamental, and if you have room for its broad leaves, no collection is complete without it. I would not neglect the modest little primrose, whose blossoms will turn a smiling face to you, as an ample reward for the little care that it demands in your north window, while the old-fashioned oleander with its wide spreading boughs, will remind you of the tropical clime in the home, although without may lie deep the Arctic snows. I have sometimes thought that if I could not keep another plant, I would still want the rose geranium and sweet fern for the aromatic fragrance they will bestow. I have found that plants give the best satisfaction in the common earthern crocks from five to eight inches in diameter, and from five to seven inches in depth, resting in saucers of the same material to receive the drainage, in case they should be given too much water at any time—the crocks to be filled with sandy soil mixed with leaf mould. The greatest difficulty I have found in keeping plants in the living room is the dust that will arise from sweeping, and this may be obviated, in a measure, 20 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. by placing a light cloth over the collection during the process of sweeping and dusting the room. If plants are kept in a bay window, drapery can be taste- fully arranged so as to protect them at such atime. If dust collects on the begonia it should be wiped off with a dry sponge. I have brightened up ge- raniums by submerging the tops in tepid water. I have never been troubled very much with insects, excepting a small para- site, which adheres very closely to the under side of the leaf of the oleander. They killed the first one I tried to grow. Ido not know the name of this little pest, but it looks quite formidable under the lens of the magnifying glass. I have succeeded in preventing them from harming my present oleander by wiping the leaf with a soft wet cloth. The earth worm can be easily managed by carefully examining the earth before repotting the plants. I have never seen house plants out of place when they did not take the care that should be given to more essential home com- forts, and little children were not neglected thereby, and there was not more of the blessed soil on the floor than there was around the plants; but even then, while we admired the plants, we should feel like saying with Burns, “To spare thee now is past my pow’r, thou bonnie gem,” and they would all find a place out of doors, no matter where the mercury stood. A writer has said that where he finds house plants in the home he is sure of a kindly welcome. Be that as it may, we always feel a deeper interest in those — who speak admiringly and approvingly of our plants. The love of approba- tion is another of the strong motives that influence mankind. The Greeks recognized this in giving as their highest award for military achievements, for literary merit, for civic renown, a laurel wreath. For this, Demosthenes wrought in his immortal oration, For the Crown: “The laurel faded, but the honor was imperishable;”’ and although we may have no laurel wreaths or am- aranthine flowers among our house plants, yet there is a broadening and refin- ing influence connected with them that will lead the thoughts through these green pets of nature up to nature’s God. A lady in the audience said: I have a calla fourteen years old which blos- somed regularly for seven or eight years, since which it has not blossomed, though repotted every year. Whatcan I do for it? Also can callas be grown successfully in a north window? Mrs. : My best success has been in tin, though I do not get many blossoms. They are a pale green in color. They are in a north window; perhaps they need the sun. Mrs. Hough: It does no harm to let them multiply in the pot. We have no difficulty in getting them to bloom. We turn them down under a tree after blooming, and repot the next winter, and water with very warm water. C. W. Garfield spoke of the maiden hair fern as a house plant. It is not sen- sitive to a change of air, and is one of the most handsome for the decoration of rooms. It needs but a short period of rest, beg beautiful nearly the whole year. L. D. Watkins: It can be obtained from the woods in winter, at any time when the ground is bare, and will start into growth in afew days. It will do well where there is but little light. B. W. Steere recommended lily of the valley and dicentra spectabilis as house plants. C. W. Garfield spoke of the value of Impatieus sultana as a house plant. HK. W. Allis opened a short discussion on the next topic, PROCEEDINGS OF THE WINTER MEETING. 21 MANAGING THE INSECTS. Bisulphide of carbon is coming into use for the destruction of insects, and it will kill all kinds, but it is not yet known how much can be used with safety to the plants. ‘To fumigate with sulphur for the green fly, place the pot con- taining the plant in a close box. Lady beetle placed in a conservatory will destroy large numbers of insects. The larva of one species of this beetle did more than any other insect to rid the State of the maple cotton scale louse. Pyrethrum is not successful in the open air. For its use on house flies, give afew puffs from the bellows into the room, when the flies will all seek the windows, where a few more puffs will cause them to drop to the floor, where they may be swept up and burned before they recover. C. W. Garfield: We use pyrethrum for the green fly. In our little con- servatory it easily kills over half of them at one application, and a second application kills many of the remainder. The next best remedy is tobacco water. It is not so offensive in the house as the smoke. W. W. Farnsworth, in reply to a question, said that in growing cabbage on a large scale he was not troubled with the worm. EK. W. Allis said that in a small garden the worms could be kept in check by introducing its parasites. ORCHARD DRAINAGE, This subject was opened with the following note, read by the Secretary, from J.J. Harrison, of Painesville, Ohio: “T have had no experience in orchard draining, but from the 200 or 300 acres that we have underdrained and planted to nursery trees, frequently let- ting elm, maples, poplars, etc., get four inches through and twenty to twenty- five feet tall, and never having been troubled with the roots checking the tile, I think tile can be profitably used in orchard drainage. I would place the tile at good depth, say four feet, and have the drains between the rows of trees and tile of good size, say four inches; should plant the trees on the ridge and place drains in the dead-furrow, planting the rows, if apple, about 40 feet apart and 32 feet in rows; and if the trees were planted on the ridge that one plowing would make, there would be but little danger of water remaining on the surface long enough to do any injury to soil or trees, and the rootlets of the trees would be a long time making the 20 feet to the drain and filling a four inch tile. “As to the cost of our tiling and the success achieved by it in our operations, the former is more easily answered than the latter. We commenced under- draining 16 years ago when labor was $2 a day and file very dear, and had to go a long way to get sutticient fall for outlets, making it very expensive, with drains two rods apart. The first 100 acres we estimated the cost at $75 per acre. We are now doing it for $40 per acre, using 24 and 3 inch tile for the laterals. Of course if the mains are tiled, using large sizes, it adds greatly to the aggregate expense. We have one of Rennie’s elevator ditchers, which opens up the ditches nicely where the Jand is of even texture, but is not as sat- isfactory where there are hard, stony ridges or spots. “* Now as to the value underdraining has been to us, I would estimate it as the difference between success and failure; and think had we planted the same amount of nursery stock on the same land without underdraining we should 22 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. ; be $100,000 worse off than we now are. I have known four inch tile to choke up two years after being laid so they had to be taken up, and not a root in the tile either, but all caused by failure to get a true grade. If the bottom of the ditch is uneyen and the tile settles the depth of its bore, the probability is that the tile will be choked as soon as silt enough gets in to fill it up. The most important thing in tiling is to have suitable fall and a true grade.” In continuing the discussion of the subject, this note from Dr. M. Miles, of Amherst, Massachusetts, was presented: DRAINAGE OF ORCHARDS. PROF. M. MILES, AMHERST, MASS. It seems to be a popular notion that tile drains have some mysterious attraction for the roots of trees, and that a growth of fine fibrous roots in the tiles is a very common cause of obstruction. The inference is therefore made that the thorough drainage of orchards is impracticable; or at least, that the results of such drainage are attended with so much uncertainty as to make the liberal expenditure of capital in such improvements undesirable. : This inference cannot, however, be accepted as a legitimate one, as the assumption which gives rise to it is based on insufficient evidence. The reported cases in which tiles have been stopped by the roots of trees, seem to show that this cause of obstruction may be looked upon as an excep- tional one that is liable to occur only under certain well defined conditions. From the facts I have been able to collect, relating to this subject, water- loving trees and shrubs, like the elm, willow, swamp ash, and elder, are almost exclusively the offenders, but I have yet to learn that they have been trouble- some when there was not a perennial stream of water running in the tiles. There is, moreover, no evidence that the roots of fruit trees are more likely to cause a stoppage in drains, than the roots of some of our ordinary farm crops, which have been known to fill the tiles in seasons of drought, where the water was constantly running. When perennial springs are discharged through the drains there is always more or less danger of obstruction from the roots of low land trees in the vicinity of the line of the tiles; but it must be noted, that those which are close to the drains very often, or perhaps in a large proportion of cases, do no harm, while other individuals of the same species, at a considerable distance from the drains, are quite as likely to prove the invaders, so that other condi- tions than mere proximity to the drains must be taken into consideration to account for the facts observed. The character of the subsoil, and especially its capillarity, or porosity, which largely determines the facility with which a supply of water is obtained from other sources than the drains in time of drought, will undoubtedly have an in- fluence on the habit of root growth; and it is only when the available supply of water from the subsoil is not sufficient for the purposes of the plant that the abnormal method of invading the tiles for water is resorted to. It is not from choice, but from compulsion that the erratic habit is developed. And here the mistake must not be made of assuming that the thorough and deep drainage of the subsoil will increase the erratic habits of the roots in time of drought. Thorough drainage is one of the most efficient methods for increasing the capil- PROCEEDINGS OF THE WINTER MEETING. 23 larity of soils and enabling plants to resist Lhe unfavorable influence of droughts ; and just in proportion to the provision made to facilitate the normal perform- ance of the functions of growth, will the abnormal or erratic tendencies of the roots be kept within proper limits. It will be found, as a general rule, that when orchards are thoroughly drained to the depth of three or four feet, where there are no perennial springs to keep up the flow of water through the summer, the tiles will discharge no water during the summer months, with the exception of a few days after heayy rains, and under such conditions there can be no danger of a stoppage of the tiles by the roots of trees. Where springs occur that are likely to keep running throughout the year, it will undoubtedly be a wise precaution to provide for them a separate drain and outlet, so that their supply of water will not be discharged it the general system of drains. It is an established principle of agricultural practice that the full benefits of thorough tillage and manures cannot be secured without the ameliorating influ- ence of thorough drainage on the soil, and there are no good reasons for the belief that orchards and the land devoted to small fruits cannot be benefited to the same extent by such improvements as the land under cultivation for the field crops of the farm. DISCUSSION. A. G. Gulley: Ihave taken up one year old peach trees with roots seven feet long reaching to a tile drain. Crabs, peaches and cherries are very likely to stop tile drains with a mass of fibrous roots. J.S. Woodward states that he has been pretty successful in cementing the joints of tiles to exclude roots. C. W. Garfield: Three years ago, in Grand Rapids, a two foot sewer, with continuous running water, was completely stopped by roots from a neighboring plantation of trees. Peter Coller: I have seen a tile drain stopped by the roots of growing corn. T. T. Lyon: I have drained an apple orchard with four inch tile without trouble from the roots. At another place, however, some three year old peach trees filled the tile with roots and cut off the flow. Norway spruce trees of older age standing near did not send roots to the tiles. S. B. Mann: + Se TS ey epeemenrnn ay Pept or tar eg SETS like most other cells of parenchyma in & ES CE reyes the leaf, contain granules of chlorophyll. Fia. 8. Figure 8 shows vertical sections and cross sections of palisade cells with dots = igure 9 shows two sorts of cells of a | leaf of Selaginella,in which the granules of chlorophyll are few in number but are unusually large. Dr. Beal: Starch is formed in the granules of chlorophyll, usually in the leaves, and is often carried to roots, root- CHLOROPAYIL stocks, seeds, tubers, etc., where it is OP THE | deposited as a store of nourishment for SELACINELLA. the future use of the plant. One mem- ASCooDWIN. ber of our class has been comparing the = ee § starch of our common potato with that _ FIG. 9. ‘of a wild potato from Arizona. We shall next hear from G. L. Teller. SUMMER MEETING. 41 G. L. Teller: The starch grains found in the tubers of the common potato, when fully formed, are flat- tened, irregular bodies, about one and one-third times as long as broad, per- haps .003 of an inch long, and usually broader at one end than the other. é, They are made up of alternate strata His) dis ae of different densities, 7. ¢., haying differ- , ; ent amounts of water. The strata are eccentric to a tiny globular portion known as the nucleus and give the grain-the appearance of being marked Fic. 10. with alternately dark and white irreg- ular lines eccentric to a point near the narrower end. The granules found in the tubers of a wild potato from Arizona (Solanum Jamesti) are smaller than those ae above described, proportionally much JAMESII, Toss. | ATTOWer, more regular in outline and thickness of strata, and nearly always have the nucleus near the broader end. [For illustrations you will consult Fie. 11. figures 10 and 11. | Dr. Beal: We have now seen and heard something of the structure of a leaf; its epidermis, stomata, the young hairs and the old hairs on the surface, the poisonous and moving protoplasm in the sting of a nettle; the palisade cells, the chlorophyll granules, the starch formed in the leaf. The account of the structure of the leaf will conclude with some illustrations and explanations of the frame-work of, or skeleton of the leaf. I introduce to you H. R. Case: I have bere in my hands some very large leaves of the rhu- barb, or pie plant. Here maybe seen prominent branches known as the fre me- work of the leaves. Small branches are very numerous, making a fine net- work. In each vein or rib is one or more fibro-vascular bundles. The frame-work of leaves and stems is made up of different kinds of tis- sues, among the most important of which are the sieve and tracheary tissues. In the sieve tissues the end walls of the cells are perforated, in order that the protoplasm and watery substances may pass from one end of the plant to another with perfect ease. In the ¢racheary tissues, or, as more commonly called, vesse/s, the end walls haye entirely disappeared, leaving long tubes with tips often coming to a point. These vessels vary much in shape and in their markings. Probably the most common form is the spiral vessel, in which the cell walls have thickened in a spiral manner, giving the appearance of a narrow band of cellulose material around the outside of the ceil. These spirals usually turn from right to left, or in the direction of the hands of a watch, but are found turning in the opposite direction, as in the young twigs of the Scotch pine. ‘These vessels terminate by turning to one side and coming to a point, as seen in the thick limbs to some cacti. We often have interrupted or double spirals, in which the bands pass in both directions in the same vessel. COMMON POTATQ, GaLtWlur, Seton cuss eee 42 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. In many of our water plants, as the white water lily, and Nelwmbiwm or pink lily of the Nile, we find many parallel fibres, bound together as one band. The number varies in the Nelumbium from fifteen to twenty-four as they contin- tinually branch. One can see the vessels of either of the above plants by breaking the leaf stem and pulling it apart. They appear like fine spider webs somewhat crumpled. We often find vessels in which the bands are in mere rings, a short distance apart. One often finds both spiral and annular vessels, as the latter are called, in the same vessel. The reticulated vessels have a greater development of cellulose and the markings are very irregular, being all the way from elongated proportions extend- ing half way around the vessel, to mere dots, with no order whatever .as to their distribution. These are due to an over-development, while the ringed and spiral vessels are due to under-development of the cell walls. The dotted vessels are similar in appearance to some parts of reticulated, except that the cells are very much shorter and thicker. The scalariform, meaning ladder form, vessels are prismatic tubes of three to six sides, and taper to a point at both ends. ach side is marked with very regular lines of perforations, much resembling the rounds of a ladder. ‘These are found in the fern stems, of many shapes and markings. The vessels are found in leaves and stems of all flowering plants, and make a very interesting study for the compound microscope. They may be separated from the surrounding mass by boiling thin slices for a few.moments in nitric acid and potas- | sium chlorate. Let them stand a day or so, in cold water, and they may be easily | separated with needle and forceps. If], colored with red aniline, they may be§ studied to much better advantage. In figure 12 may be seen various forms of ducts, or vessels. J, a spiral vessel of ten parallel threads. 2, a spiral ves-f sel of one thread. 3, a spiral vessel with | two threads running in opposite direc- tions. 4, annular vessels. 5, a pitted vessel. 6, one end of a scalariform, or ladder vessel. Dr. Beal: The next speaker will have something to say about cotton, two sorts of flax, and something about silk and wool. The one to address you is Miss C. L. Harrison: Cotton, during the growing state, consists of hollow tubes, and sometimes becomes about two inches long. As it ripens the tubes collapse and twist like a ribbon or band. Linen is made from the fibers of the inside bark of flax stems. To get these fibers free from the rest of the bark the whole stem is allowed to rot, and as these fibers are very tough they are not affected as soon as the chlorophyll-bear- ing cells, which are easily shaken out. The fibers are then prepared for use by bleaching with some chemicals. These fibers are about an eighth of an inch long, tapering at both ends, which overlap each other in the bark. These also have a small hole through the center and have very feeble marks. Silk is drawn out like a wire from a mass of wax or jelly-like matter. The thread is solid and varies in size. SUMMER MEETING, 43 Wool, also, is solid, but has very distinct markings, like bowls piled within each other, only the lines are very irregular and project out around the fiber in a sort of saw tooth manner. These little teeth crawling upon each other when washed is the cause of shrinkage in woollen goods. b, WOOL Gs Hartson aon, Fig. 14 Consult Fig. 13, a, for cross and vertical views of cotton; 4, the same, for common flax; c, for New Zealand flax. Fig. 14, a, shows two smooth, solid threads of silk ; 2, two fibers of wool. Dr. Beal: All parts of plants are made up of small cells, some with thin walls like those of elder pith, some with thick walls. To learn something in. regard to why nuts are hard we shall call on one who has examined small frag ments under a compound microscope. . The next speaker is : W. W. Diehl: Ifa piece of hickory nut is boiled in potash and nitric acid it will become softened, and the cells may be separated. When examined under a high magnifying power the cells are seen to be nearly filled—only a small branching cayity remaining. In vegetable ivory the small branches THICK CELL WALLS f of the cell cavity often correspond or ByVEGETABLE IVORY, meet those of contiguous cells. The CU APPRSIMMONS, | walls are very thick and firm. —uxemessiaeid ‘The seeds of Japancse persimmons Fia. 15. are very hard when dry. ‘The cell walls are very thick, the hole within is nearly spherical. Fig. 15 will illustrate the whole thing very well. Dr. Beal: The next one on the programme will speak of tough and brittle wood of white ash compared under the microscope. Least come” Yost cous Gass Galan f Gad ite Se dee Sie Crs Sedans . “ Wate haa. eames x ¢ Fie. 17 44 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. H. E. Bulson, Jr.: White ash, like all other woods, is formed of concentric layers of cells and vessels, and the strength of the wood depends largely upon their compactness. The plates here exhibited, showing cross sections of two pieees of white ash as seen under a compound microscope, furnish illustrations of the general dif- ferences between good and bad wood of the same species. This plate (Fig. 16, tough ash) represents cross sections of wood used by wagon and carriage man- ufactories; the wood being used where great strength is needed. This plate (Fig. 17, brash ash) represents cross sections of wood which they would gen- erally declare worthless, except for very light purposes. It is evident from a glance at these drawings that the good wood differs from the bad in: 1st. The much smaller area occupied by the ducts or vessels. 2d. The smaller bore and consequently thicker walls of the ducts and woody fibres. 3d. The much greater annual growth. These are the elements which it is but reasonable to suppose would give strength to the wood. Each plate represents a cross section from one piece of wood, showing the growth in the spring and also in the fall. In the spring the wood grows rapidly and the cells are larger, but in the fall they thicken up and become more com- pact. The darkened portion of the plates is intended to represent the wood cells, but their form and structure is not shown in detail. They are large in the spring and thick and compact in the fall, like the vessels. The dark lines running across the plates represent the broken portions of the medullary rays, which are smooth and glossy and help, to some extent, to give strength to the wood. These run from the bark of the tree to the center, or part way to the center. The ducts and vessels are used to convey sap and other nutriment for the support of the tree. Dr. Beal: So simple a thing as a grain of wheat may at first seem to be, is a grain or fruit in which the single seed completely fills the ovary to which it firmly adheres. off o : $ » ° o= 3 BE 28 Se ’ 8 z& s S Ss > =o = eor 5 $3 of | Bas 3 ae < =) = < S < ING Wid CLSOV: = 4s s> oe oe anes ae ee ece 175,000 | 236,831 174,125 24,000 | 198,125 38,706- New ins land ssn eee ee er ene 225,000 | 404,857 | 212,879 68,000 | 280,879 123,978 WVISCONSINMNCECE += =-hine oe ese. See OPP ee 160,000 | 322,179 198,324 66,108 264,432 57,747 NO LAIS* Seen Bae te Se ua Sree cee ; 560,000 | 963,867 | 585,828 | 158,108 | 743,436 220,431 — As thus shown the shortages from October calculations are for New Jersey 16 per cent., New England 30 and Wisconsin 18 per cent., and upon the whole 23 per cent. Some part of this may, of course, be considered shrinkage and waste, but it confirms the statistician’s apprehension, expressed at the time, that the October calculation overstated the crop. Some have thought that the growers’ reports, upon which the October calcu- lations are based, naturally tend to overestimates, on the ground that those having good crops will more generally report them than those having poor ones. But as two years from each are required, this would seem to make but little differeuce. Besides the October calculations have sometimes understated the crop. In 1884 the August estimate of the New Jersey crop was 130,000 bushels. The October calculation made it 114,598, and the movement in the end made it 124,648. At the annual meeting in January, 1885, the movement to January 1, taken from the October calculation of the New Jersey crop, indicated only 9,006. bushels then remaining in the hands of growers. But the members present figured up and located 12,500 bushels, and the subsequent movement showed that the unmoved stock must, at that time, have been over 19,000 bushels. On the contrary, at the last annual meeting, the movement to January 1, 1886, taken from the October calenlation of the New Jersey crop, showed 109,810 bushels unmoved, which the report set down as nearly incredible. The members present figured up and located 45,125 bushels, but the subsequent actual movement showed that there must have been over 71,000 bushels un- moved at that time. 126 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. IRREGULAR PACKAGES. Touching irregularity in the size of packages, there is nothing particularly new in the situation, so far as the country practice is concerned, and I have at this time no further suggestions to offer. I may remark, however, that the retail growers of the country now have a large and rapidly spreading organiza- tion, one of the leading objects of which is to detect and resist adulteration and short weights and measures. This has helped my firm, and benefited our pat- rons in the selling of cranberries in full-sized packages, and I hope it has equally hindered those that practice or abet short measure. THE CROPS ON THE VINES. After detailing the correspondence with reference to this year’s crop the sta- tistician summarized as follows: The ratio between these crop statements and crop estimates, when applied to the crops of last year, as hereinbefore deter- mined, will show the following results in bushels: Crop 1885. Increase Decrease Crop 1886. Per Cent. Per Cent. ING Wit GLBOY ca ee nee ae esa oe ee ce a eee 198,125 15h Gl Eee 227,843 Nevwaline an ds. ce eet aan oe eee See ae eee 280,879 Sie alist a seieys meee 289,305 AVVAISGCONSIM GOLG he ee ee ny tee een ae eines 2 ERE EE Le 264452) Ninccace ee ecee 71 76,686 Pobalsher sees keeles Bee Aloe Piper RE YE 743,436 18 71 593,834 We may, therefore, in round numbers, call the last crop of the country 750,000, and the crop now on the vines as estimated at 600,000 bushels. The apple crop last year proved larger than was expected, and prices were low, but not so low as cranberries. The statistician of the department of agriculture, in his August reports of last year and this year, rated the condition of the apple crops in the principal apple States as follows: 1885. 1886. 1885. 1886. MAINO PGs Secs ee eee esas Ae 83 Ohio? 2228 ke Se ee ee 54 95 MSSSaAChUSCLIS es sees eee eee 82 82 Michipantss2er2 ee eee 65 83 fwhodescland tes. eae en see eee 94 90 Indiana... -52-2-ec2o eee 45 90 INGWitMOl eet oe es Soe ee eee 71 63 MMM inOis2s 22 2 es) eee 55 77 ING Wiad CISC VE = fate es eee 60 91 MASSOURIE 22 co scene aa eee ener ee 68 85 Thus indicating a larger crop this year than the last. The encouraging features about cranberries are, that while the crop of the country is, by the showing of this report, about 20 per cent. smaller than last year, many must have last season used this fruit freely for the first time, and will desire it again. If the present crop estimates are realized, prices must be VARIOUS NATIONAL SOCIETIES. 127 again very low, but there is good reason to expect they will average, for the season, much better than last. TABLES. The early estimates of the cranberry crop of the country, for thirteen years, are shown in the following table in bushels: 1872. 1873. 1874, 1875. 1876. 1877. | 1878. New England! - 22 --222-=:-222---- 40,000 | 105,000 | 105,000 75,000 65,000 | 164,229 125,000 ING Wid CESO Yes a see eae nea 100,000 | 110,000 90,000 | 110,000 90,000 | 152,100 60,000 Western States-_..---.-.-_--------- 135,000 60,000 50,000 40,000 40,000 79,500 107,769 INGEN NOE eae ase e ee ts BNE Ce co ee eseeece 5,000 5,000 8,000 5,000 3,000 Motalstss. Sat te 2 ote ee ee 275,000 | 275,000 | 250,000 | 230,000 | 198,000 | 400,828 295,760 1879. 1880. 1881. 1882. 1883. 1884, 1885. BNewalingland acts Asano soe 195,000 | 247,500 | 155,825 | 191,664 | 141,964 | 130,583 225,000 ENGW: J OTSOYicsee See aos onsen ce acece 90,000 | 128,700 | 157,014 78,507 118,524 | 124,648 175,000 iWiestern: States=---~~-e2 22.2 ----5 75,000 113,430 143,186 50,000 135,507 24,783 160,000 INO WreViOE Rie ees s scons ese eee 3,000 3,000 5,000 2000), 2 as Sse |e ee Mtealisps estan eset se ee oo 233,000 | 492,630 | 461,025 | 322,171 | 442,207 | 330,000 | 560,000 A table showing the opening and closing prices of New Jersey cranberries, in bushel crates, at New York, for thirteen consecutive seasons, commencing with 1870: 1870S I eplenwbers ase ne sane eee eee $3 50 @ # 00 | 1879. September _--..-...------------- $1 75 @ $2 00 Ma yi etl aoe sons eee 1 00 1 25 Miya SU sees hectasee pees. 5 00 6 00 STS Septem DeLee a seeete eet e eee ees 3 25 4 00 | 1880. September _____---- sieet aos ee SS, 1 50 2 00 Maye Cee) 5 age e tee erste seues 4 50 5 50 Va yp 1a i ee es 50 1 00 18325 (September ---- = aoe ee renee 3 25 4:00) 188l) (September =------ eee eee eae 1 50 2 00 IMS solos se eee eee 1 50 00 JADUATY es Oe ee sees ener em aeaneeenes 3 50 4 00 Isis (September ss-- 5 ose a aneee = aes 2 50 3 00 Via yrie Se ee tee = eee Serene 2 00 3 00 Aprils eee e eee 3 75 LOO) 1882) October sea ee ne eee a eee 275 3 00 A8{4.) September 22 ss22--5-2-222ee=—-— 2 75 BLOOWPLSSS ne STU Ur yeaa ee ee ee 4 00 4 50 Maye bstorer stveneee SeeeseeS 1% 2 00 Apriliees se. a2 eae Jae genes 2 00 3 50 a Syos SOPLOM Der sae oe ee eae aaa eee 2 00 275 October aera se ee eee ee 275 3 00 Wiaiyiseih Gas pee ke ee eee 475 LOO! SSeeVantiaryul essa eee nee 3 50 3 75 asiGs ‘September)2.---2 2 5-- 4-52 —0css= 3 25 8 50 aN 0) ei U Meee PR IEE eS eee 5 25 5 50 Mia Wiican ct ata see en re pies 2 00 nom. October st reset or te eee eee 275 3 00 3 ESA) bs ie) OLN) 001] 0\2) Dey eye eye era 2 00 Po Wali i diehopiihay ile Sse Sen ee 4 50 475 Vai Oba see eee oes 4 00 Var ys eee eee ane ee 2 50 2 75 g878) > September’ 2-5 .- 2. 22 2425-6 2502.5 2 00 2 25 October sete ee eee ee 1 50 1 70 Be yy LS clei Nea ef st ae 2 25 250) | SSGc AU aye tee nee eee 1 20 1 40 TUTE rig USS ae dl eee ee 50 75 In closing his report Mr. French offered his resignation as statistician of the society. 128 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Afternoon Session. On motion, a committee of three, consisting of Messrs. A. J. Rider, Dr. Geo. Goodell and C. L. Holman, was appointed to give suitable expression to the feelings of the members concerning the work done by Mr. French, as statisti- cian of the association. This committee reported as follows: Mr. PRESIDENT AND MEMBERS OF THE A. C.G. A.: Your committee, ap- pointed to give suitable expression to the feelings of the association concerning the work done by Mr. N. R. French, respectfully report;ithe following reso- lutions: Resolved, That the most hearty thanks of the members of this association are due, and are hereby tendered to Mr. N. R. French, for the voluntary labor, expense and untiring zeal with which he has for so many years served the association in its statistical work, as well as his very successful efforts to secure an honest and uniform standard of meas- ures for marketing our fruit, and which has contributed so largely to the success of the association. Resolved, That we are not unmindful as an association, nor as individuals, of our obligation to him for the personal sacrifice he has made and the good done thereby; and, while we cannot consistently press him to continue the work, if it involves a greater personal sacrifice than his years and health will permit, we shall feel highly grateful if he can see his way clear to do so, and in such case we pledge that all attendant expense shall be borne by the association. We also advise that he be reimbursed for- any past expenses he may have incurred in collecting statistics. A. J. RIDER, GEO. GOODELL, C. L. HoLman, Commnvittee. The report of the committee was accepted and the resolutions unanimously adopted. On motion the portion of the report outside of the resignation of the statisti- cian, was adopted. A motion that the resignation of Mr. French, as statistician and member of the executive committee be not acepted, was unanimously carried. TREASURER’S REPORT. The report of the Treasurer was then read, as follows: Receipts for dues and membership fees, for six months, ending September 1st-_ $72 00 Hor Bulletim fang! 25s Bee ee ee ha a cae at he ee Re Re 24 00 Balance from’ last reports so eee cee oe eee mo ae ee ce Fo aera fee an 107 29 MO gall esx Ses ahs Shonen A elt AP PE a el Sok oe SS $203 29 Hapenditures. NPR Eirench) for prim tine yb ualle tims ses eee ee ee ee ere $131 26 Mac@rollishr dé Quito leyect orp raat oye s se ee ace eee ee vee oe 27 00 Stamps, wrappers, envelopes, copyright fees, etc____--..__...__.___-- 30 40 MR tale isn ie Se ee ay ee SL Rae ae Ie a Oe $186 66 Balance‘onhandes 2h vee elas TE a Ee ie eee $16 63 Wnpaidsbillyrrenchidéci Cor. Bulle tira ese ee ee ee oes $63 25 To meet this liability, there were sixty members who had not, as yet, paid dues for 1886. The report was accepted and adopted. VARIOUS NATIONAL SOCIETIES. 129 On motion, the secretary was instructed to send a postal to each member who had not paid dues, requesting remittance, and giving notice that he is only allowed to send reports to those who haye complied with this rule. It was resolved that the statistician continue the work of gathering crop re- ports and statistics, and that the entire expense be borne by the association. A motion was also made that the secretary be paid for his work, which motion was withdrawn by the request of the secretary. It was, on motion, resolved that the expense incurred in the publication of the Bulletin, up to this time, be paid by the association, and that it be absolved from any obligation in connection with its publication in the future. The following resolution was then offered and approved: Resolved, That the Statistician be permitted, should he desire to do so, to use the sta- tistical information gathered for the association in the Bulletin, and also the association name in connection with the publication. The market question was again taken up and the executive committee of the association was directed to prepare a compact, to be entered into between grow- ers and some competent organization (possibly the Fruit Growers’ Trade Com- pany), according to suggestions of Secretary and Dr. Goodell, and submit the same for action at the special meeting of the association, to be held on the third Tuesday of October, 1886. igh AMERICAN | HOREICULTU RAT +sO@ REI: CONVENED IN BIENNIAL SESSION AT CLEVELAND, OHIO, SEPTEMBER 7, 8, 9, 1886.* OFFICERS. President—Parker Earl, Cobden, Illinois. Vice President—T. V. Munson, Denison, Texas. Secretary—W. H. Ragan, Greencastle, Indiana. Treasurer—J. C. Evans, Harlem, Missouri. The Mississippi Valley Horticultural Society was organized in 1879, and has held annual meetings until the change in its name was made to American Horticultural Society, when it became generally understood that its sessions should alternate with those of the American Pomological Society, meeting in the even years. The convention in 1886 met in Cleveland, Ohio, Tuesday p. M., September 7. ‘The meeting was called to order by President Karle in the Board of Trade building, kindly donated by the city for the purpose. But this was soon found to be too noisy for comfort, and the remaining sessions convened in the taber- nacle, in which was spread the exhibits of fruits. The attendance was not large but representative, and the meeting through- out interesting and instructive. The condensed statements of Secretary Ragan and Treasurer Evans were received, following which the general topic of GRAPES was taken up and led by an article from Mr. George Hussman, of Napa, Cal- ifornia, on “The Past, Present, and Future of Grape Growing in California.” Mr Hussman spoke enthusiastically of fruit culture in California, where all the fruits of the temperate zone flourish, the apple growing in perfection by the side of the orange and lemon, and the grape grows in perfection and pro- fusion. The wine crop of California is estimated at 20,000,000 of gallons this year. It was formerly supposed that the grape could be grown only by irriga- tion, but now our vineyards look down upon us from the highest tops of the mountains, and there produce their choicest fruits without irrigation. He be- *This account of the Cleveland meeting I have compiled from reports in the Country Gentleman, American Rural Home, and Ohio Farmer.—SEcy. : VARIOUS NATIONAL SOCIETIES. 131 lieves that grape growing will continue to extend in California, and that it will be profitable at one cent per pound for the grapes, or twenty dollars a ton; which, with a yield of five tons per acre, will give gross receipts of $100 per acre. He says grapes can be cultivated at $20 per acre. When gold was discovered in California, no one thought that, in a region so free from rain in summer, grapes would ever add more to its glory than did the glittering gold. The Jesuit Fathers tried to raise one variety; now 400 varieties are grown, and the products amount to hundreds of thousands of tons yearly. Irrigation has worked wonders. France, Germany, Spain and Italy have furnished the vines, and with the vines came trained laborers, and last, but not least, comes the patient Chinese Jaborer, who has helped the “ Melican man ’’ more than he has been given credit for. Secretary Ragan said the grape crop had been so abundant this year that perhaps the members were so tired of them as not to care to discuss them. In his State (Indiana) grapes had been sold at retail for two cents per pound. President Earle remarked that grapes were profitably grown in California for one cent a pound. Mr. Charles A. Green, of New York, thought the paper solved the problem of how California grape growers can compete with eastern growers. It was by employing cheap Chinese labor and against this even high freights could not protect eastern growers. Mr. F. C. Miller, of Ohio, said that he was of the opinion that the Worden, a seedling of the Concord, was much superior to that old favorite. He had fruited the Worden for the first time, this year, and was much pleased with results. He asked if it is true that Wordens did not hold well to the stems. Mr. Cushman said, so far as taste goes, he preferred the Worden, but he had heard that, when well ripened, it drops from the vine quite badly. Mr. T. 8. Hubbard, of New York, had been traveling for some weeks among eastern vineyards, and his examinations had been very favorable to the Worden. All the reports he had received had been to the effect that Worden holds to its stem. He had visited Mr. Worden’s vineyard in Oswe7o, N. Y., and had seen the original vine that Mr. Worden said had yielded 110) pounds of grapes dur- ing each of the past three years. The crops of Worden this year were the finest he had seen, and there was no rot. ‘The Concord was not as productive as last year, but Deleware and other varieties are doing well. The Worden, he said, is a larger, handsomer and more attractive berry than Concord, and ripens from a week to ten days earlier. Mr. E. T. Hollister, Missouri, said that grapes had rotted badly this year in his State, and thus were a short crop. He thought growers were in too great a hurry to get their grapes into market. They picked them too green; started in with the Ives or sour Hartford and, when really good grapes were brought forward, they came upon a broken-down market. He wished the Ives and Hartford were thrown out entirely. Mr. Green said that would not remedy the difficulty, as growers would then ship green Concords. Mr. F. C. Miller, Ohio, mentioned that his grapes rotted so badly one season, that he used copperas (sulphate of iron) as a disinfectant, fearing that the odor was unhealthful. This was in July. To his suprise, it checked the rot. He had used it since successfully to prevent rot. He ap- plied it dry, simply strewing it broadcast among and upon the vines, putting 132 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, as high as three pounds to one vine, but he thought one or two pounds sufficient. His neighbors, who had tried it, were equally successful. Vines of his own, and of his neighbors, to which no application had been made, showed no fruit free from rot. He had also tried sulphate of copper with similar result but it was much more expensive and no better. The copperas also prevented the growth of weeds and grass. Mr. N. H. Albaugh, of Ohio, said that a gentleman in Montgomery coun- ty, Ohio, had sown oats between the rows of vines, and in that way had preserved the grapes from rotting. Dr. H. E. McKay, of Miss., said grapes had not done well in his State this year. The Concord had done the best, was safer, and more had been realized from it than from any other variety. Some growers like the Ives, but it was the general opinion that between the 30th and 35th degrees of latitude the Concord thrives the best. The Scuppernong is a grape that never fails, but is not a good fruit for market. ‘Thought the rot this year was caused by excessive rain; thirty days of frequent showers had ruined a prom- ising crop. Prof. A. B. McKay, of the Mississippi Agricultural College, also thought rain had been the cause of rot in his State, although in some parts the Dela- ware succeeded well. He thought trimming helped the fruit very much, the berry growing larger and coloring better. Mr. I. Van Lindley, of North Carolina, said that grape culture is decidedly increasing in his State. The State is divided, naturally, into three sections. The eastern section is the home of the Scuppernong; in the middle section they grow about seventy-five varieties of grapes, and among the finest in the country. Ives and Champion are the best paying; they call Worden the best black grape. Mr. H. E. Van Deman, of Kansas, had lately been through Texas and In- dian Territory. Near Fort Worth he saw several acres of Niagaras. The vines were three years old, and although the drouth had dried up nearly everything else, these looked well. A gentleman of Denison, Texas, had shipped large ~ quantities of the Ives as soon as they had turned. They were sent North and brought good prices. Mr. Van D. had traveled about a good deal with Mr. T. V. Munson, of Texas, examining the wild grapes of that State. Some of the bunches of the black varieties are a foot in length. Mr. M. is raising seedlings from these wild varieties, selecting the best of these and crossing them with the cultivated kinds, and hopes by selection to secure better varieties than we now have ; especially does he wish to establish varieties that will bear the drouth. This is the first attempt to infuse the blood of these wildlings into our domestic grapes, and the process is only in its infancy. Mr. Geo. W. Campbell, of Delaware, O., said this year had been the best in Central Ohio since 1840. Grapes of early and late varieties are ripening near together. He condemned Tallman, but some people like it because it colors early and can be sold for high prices. Worden is better than Concord, but has the faults of that sort, the skin being tender, making it a poor shipper. Mr. Chas. Carpenter, of Kelley’s Island, O., had noticed that when weeds and grass were allowed to grow among grapes, the rot seldom troubled them. Mr. Kizo Tamari, who was the Japanese Commissioner at the New Orleans Exposition, and is now a student at the Michigan Agricultural College, spoke of grape culture in Japan. They have only two varieties. One is a white VARIOUS NATIONAL SOCIETIES. 133 grape, but it does not seem to be of the same species as our American grapes. The skin is very thin and smooth, the flavor fine. The other variety is darker. He did not think the Concord would suit his people. They are beginning to import new varieties, and pay more attention to grape-growing. Three years ago a vineyard of 1,200 acres was planted. ‘The Chinese have raised grapes and made wine for centuries, but the Japanese are only commencing. One reason why the Japanese are so slow in raising fruits is that they use more vegetables than we do. The afternoon session closed with a paper by EK. H. Hart on the beauty of the Florida climate and the promises of the cut flower trade for northern con- sumers. Hvening Session. In the evening Mayor Gardner welcomed the society to Cleveland, in a brief and appropriate address, which was responded to by President Earle in a grace- ful manner. He then followed with his annual address, which was an able and comprehensive review of the rise and progress of horticulture in this coun- try, and its present condition. He traced the marvelous growth of horticul- ture in Ohio from the days of Johnny Appleseed down to the present, and paid a high tribute to that romantic pioneer of fruit culture. The nurserymen of Ohio should erect amonument to his memory “Tt was not many years ago,” he said, “ when all the peaches used in that: wonderful fruit market, Chicago, were grown in one orchard. Now the orch- ards of many States are required to furnish the hundreds of car loads that daily pour into Chicago.” President Earle suggested the need of a pomologieal bureau under government charge, and of experimental stations. Central Russia has been building up a race of fruit almost under the arctic circle that has for hundreds of years withstood the hard winters and arid summers. An investigation of these fruits with a view to their introduction in the interior of the United States should be made. ‘The complaint of over-production in fruit growing is not so much due to over-production as imperfect distribution. Apples in New York and Michigan last fall seemed too plentiful, but many a family out of the range of the apple district went unsupplied. He spoke at some length on the rapid destruction of our forests, and the bad results that have followed in producing extremes of climate, of drouth and flood, frost and heat. Ohio, in 1853, had 45 per cent of her surface covered with timber; in 1884, but 17 per cent. No wonder the Ohio valley was visited annually by destructive floods, and that the climate had changed for the worse. It seemed that the State was making rapid strides towards the agricultural con- dition of Arabia, and Ohio stands for America. “I quail before the inexorable penalties which nature has in store for all States and peoples who will ruthless- ly destroy so glorious a heritage of forest as the American people once pos- sessed. Without forests no successful agriculture is possible, and no high civilization can be maintained.” With regard to agencies to assist in the progressive movement of horticul- ture, he mentioned societies as among the most important: “Societies bring people together for the comparison and enlargement of views. ‘There is scarcely a State in the Union that does not show the fruits of 134 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. horticultural societies. If you could take away horticulture from the world, you would have bare walls and scanty food. We are constantly dealing with new things in horticulture. We have new ideas, new fruits new flowers, new diseases. All require our attention. There is no agency which so quickens investigation as organized societies. Horticulture has outgrown the old accept- ance of the term, and the word now relates to all that embellishes the home, the farm, the garden, and the park. “ Horticulture has its esthetic side, and its economic side, and which has de- veloped most in the last twenty-five years would be hard to say. If you travel over the country and view the elegant villas, and shady roads, and the pretty school-houses, you will be convinced that the xsthetic side has developed. Horticulture codperates with education, religion, and moral culture. On its economic side we look at the large business done in flowers. A history of nur- sery enterprises in this country would be of interest. A half century since how few and small were the nurseries of the country. All honor to the men who built up this business, and made our country the most fruitful, and the most flowerful under the sun. ‘Thirty years ago the fruit of the Chicago market could have been carried in a wagon, and now it takes whole railway trains to supply the same market. ‘The Wilson strawberry marks the era when the first efforts were made toward modern horticulture.’’ Mr. C. A. Green read a report on “ Animal and Vegetable Life.” Mr. Green argued that vines and trees are live beings, have sensibility. The tendrils of vines will reach out and cling to other vines and trees for support, but will never twine around branches of the same vine. The roots run in the direction of water and of fertilizers. Secretary Ragan suggested the reading of letters from absent members, and letters were read from Commissioner Colman, Charles Gibb, of Quebec, Isadore Bush, of Mo., and Prof E. W. Hilgard, of California. Voted that committees of three upon each class of fruits on exhibition be appointed by the President. Voted that three sessions, daily, of the meeting be held, commencing at nine, two, and eight, local time, which was about thirty-four minutes faster than railroad time at ninety meridian. Mr. L. B. Pierce, of Tallmadge, O., explained that the exhibition of fruits and flowers is made by the Ohio Horticultural Society, assisted by citizens of Cleveland, but it was expected that this society will take charge of this exhi- bition, and award premiums. Messrs. Campbell and Pierce were appointed a committee to take charge of the exhibition. Wednesday Morning Session. The society met in the tabernacle at 10:30 a. m., President Earle in the chair. “ How shall we protect our crops in time of drouth?’ was the title of an excellent paper by Mr. John M. Smith, president of the Wisconsin State Hort- icultural Society. Clay is the most difficult soil to manage; a dark, sandy loam the easiest. The first step is thorough drainage. A soil that is not drained bakes down hard and will not so readily absorb moisture. Next coms the abundant use of manure, and especially of wood ashes. They may be VARIOUS NATIONAL SOCIETIES. 135 applied at the rate of 100 to 150 bushels per acre. To show their value for this purpose, he mentioned that a large part of his potato field was one year heavily manured with barn-yard manure; to the rest of the field ashes were applied. During the severe drouths that followed, the vines upon the manured part of the field laid down and died, while upon the part having ashes he secured a fair crop. The next step is thorough cultivation, the loosened and pulverized soil acting as a mulch. The drouth this season has been unprecedented in Wisconsin, yet by follow- ing these plans, Mr. Smith had marketed 1,000 bushels of strawberries from three and a half acres of ground, the sales reaching $2,216. He also has 80,000 cabbages that are in fine condition, as the result of heavy manuring and almost constant cultivation; while his neighbors, who have neglected these things, have almost nothing. If compelled to say which he would give up— under-draining, heavy manuring, or thorough cultivation—he would be at a loss which to drop. Were the soil light and sandy, he probably would drop under-draining. He had tried irrigation; had water-works that cost him $1,000. It was costly. A large amount of water must be applied, or there is more harm than good as the result. The application of a little water forms a crust upon the surface; then, when it does rain, the water runs away, or is evaporated. If the soil is light and porous and recently cult*vated, it is surprising to see how much good even a sprinkle of rain will do; it soaks down to the right spot. It requires an enormous amount of water to saturate the soil to a depth of six inches, while the application of water in the shape of rain is much more beneficial than when applied artificially. Mr. N. Ohmer, Ohio, emphasized the importance of cultivating in drouth. Several years ago they had it very dry, two months without rain. Had four acres of Kittatinny blackberries ripening and continued to cultivate them while picking. Had 562 bushels on the four acres, which sold for $3,000. The valuable paper of Mr. Smith called out many questions which he answered about as follows: He commenced underdraining twenty-five years ago. If he was to omit any one of his remedies for drouth, did not know which it would be. His father laid the first underdrain in the United States. He uses for lateral drains two and one-half inch tiles; puts them three feet deep, a dozen emptying into a six inch main. In draining orchards should lay the drains half way between rows of trees and they would not become clogged ; he expended about $15 per acre on his land, $10 for the tile, and $5 for laying them. Whereupon Mr. Harrison of Ohio arose in great surprise and observed that his tiling cost him never less than $45 per acre. A few words of explana- tion showed that the latter gentleman paid more for his tile, laid them closer together and deeper in the ground and used larger tile. Mr. Matthew Crawford, Ohio, referred to the fact that it cost about as much to dig the last foot of a three and a half foot ditch as all above, as an explana- tion of the difference in cost of draining by Mr. Smith and Mr. Harrison. Mr. Albaugh, Ohio, and Mr: Harrison both declared that in the future they would lay nothing less than three inch tile. Frank Ford, Ohio, said small tile will not fill up with silt as soon as large; the water is concentrated and flushes out the silt. Would lay tile not less than three feet deep, and four feet would be better. Has had experience showing favorable effects of ashes in drouth. Mr. Harrison thought the flushing all theory, and would warn against trusting 136 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, to it. W.N. Cook, Michigan, said it depends on amount of water; in city sewers it had been demonstrated that with small amount of water, small sewers will not fill up as soon as larger. Mr. Caywood, New York, endorsed the theory. Mr. Wheeler, Ohio, on clay loam, with heavy subsoil, has drains from one and a half to six feet in depth, and uses tile from one and a half to six inches; the former are too small, but has opened two inch tile, after they had been laid many years, and found them all clear; has such drains thirty rods long. His orehard is tiled between rows, thirty feet apart, and no trouble from clogging. Prof. McKay, Mississippi, spoke of the benefit of tiles both in wet and dry seasons. During the past wet summer, ensilage corn, tiled, grew luxuriantly, while that not tiled turned yellow and stopped growing. A gentleman said that many years ago he was in South Carolina, where the Sea Island cotton was grown, and he advised draining the land. One man con- tended it would ruin his loose soil to drain it; after. some years, however, he concluded to try it, and the yield of cotton was increased from 150 pounds to 300 pounds per acre. Prof. N. 8. Townsend of the Ohio University, greatly preferred small tile, unless the drain was in a soil strongly impregnated with iron, when small tile were likely to become clogged with the accumulation of the iron. He had an apple orchard in which the trees stood two rods apart. There was a tile drain three feet deep between the rows. The apple roots gaye no trouble. os nek = Soe ae 236 21 EF .72)p tt Tem ae cane lo tea me Pees Sie tea aa Sa 456 96 prntine, blanks and stationery. 2-2) eee es ko 29 95 Erp Iai Clee a Se Serta se Sse ee eae 80 00 Bret ETE Gis AO eee ee est oe hn A ees 2 Erk a 25 71 - SAR Sotelo) Melee ed SER Oe eet eee toh ee eee eae 101 07 192 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. lor vexcluamce geo! si34 0 dd Ee obs 8 Oats eS ee ee $7 00 local societien six iia or spk eas SOR! Soa ate es ie een dgeeg0) incidentals, quarterly meetings. 222.2 i252 Sees Bee 52 €0 postage, secrotary’s: office lt £2222 ool Sse gee eee B5 94 empenses. of delerafes.2.25. 0) 262 Dy Aare ecg oo eee ee 32 80 PDO GA tre eet Screen Eke oS SUE OCT eel he had 2 ae eee $2,015 O04 Without regard to the money in the treasury at the opening of the year,. which amount will appear in the report of the treasurer, it will be seen by the above statements that our expenses have been larger by three hundred dollars. than our income; and a significant fact appears in the above figures, that our entire income from membership in State and local societies, is but $250. Our society is looked upon to-day as the leading one, in many respects, im our country, and not one, that I remember, has so small an income from its: memberships. I do not wish to complain, but it does seem as if the work done by our society is worthy of better support. The main income which enables us to publish our report, and carry on the: work of the society, comes from the efforts of a few individuals in making an effective exhibit at the State fair, for which the pote receives pay from the State Agricultural Society. It may be thought that there may have been some ipa on the part of the society, in importuning people to pay their dues, but if the postage account. of the secretary’s office were carefully analyzed, there would be no question but that people had been invited to do their duty. The society has a serious problem to solve with reference to its support. Hither it must curtail its work and hold one meeting in the year, with light. expense, cease to assist in the maintenance of local societies, and simply pub- lish a pamphlet with the vroccedings of its annual meeting, or else some method of securing an income must be planned and carried out for the support. of the broad work the society is doing. Our society cannot be maintained at the front of all organizations of its kind without the earnest, hearty, moral and financial support of our Michigan people. There is not a month passes but I hear some one extol the success of our society work, who has never paid one cent for its support. I trust this annuai meeting will not disperse until some definite action is taken for the solution of this problem. Respectfully submitted, Cuas. W. GARFIELD, Secretary. ANNUAL REPORT OF THE TREASURER. Ladies and Gentlemen of the State Horticultural Society: I have the honor to present to you my annual report: (Mhere wasn the treasury Weel A, WSsastss seas Sls See eee eee $1,528 34 Received from State Agricultural Socieby=--- 2. =22_ = 52522522225: 1,200 00 Receivediitom! branch “Societies state = meee wee ee De eee i eee eee 206 75 Received from interest on notes, bonds and mortgages--------.---- 104 O01 Received from*annual: memberships=20 2422 °2" ses See ee eee 44 00 hecerved irom’ all: othersources 22255 22h cae ee eee oe 168 00 Mga ret 0 cuit 38 TX eed i ee ge 3,251 10 SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 193 Palate Checks sa eropabiie is = yess stern eee Pe ee SS cog ee $2,015 04 Balance im treasury Nov. 30, 1886....-------2---2---.- Poe tere he 77s (SK 15) We have 202 life members and the fund is invested as follows: PSV HEOUETMIOnLT Aa Stee Se a OL Sk TU sy Be - 1,000 00 vibe Mer MMOLU MARC etm. Aa sae Sire Ties Mae eee 300 00 MigseMlary: Jos Stearns mortgage Poo) ei oLo Laan ie SL ee 250 00 Jacopnsmellmorigage™ a) in. Veet se OG ORUL ue in 300 00 PLO csoree ncn Linen oes apes ES PE? Te eRe OE 150 00 PACHERO UUENEM ENT COPEL come et. eee RUBY: SORE Ee Ue OA Ale SUD aed $2,000 00 This leaves twenty dollars of the life fund in the treasury uninvested. All of which is sub-nitted. S. M. PEARSALL, Treasurer. Grand Rapids, November 30, A. D. 1886. On motion the above reports were accepted and in-so-far as they related to the finances of the society, were referred to a committee consisting of OC. J. Monroe of South Haven, J. N. Stearns, Kalamazoo, W. N. Cook, Grand Rapids. REPORT UPON EXHIBIT AT STATE FAIR, The following report was read by the Secretary: To the Executive Board of Michigan State Horticultural Society: GENTLEMEN—Having received a very cordial invitation from you through Pres. Lyon to serve you as judge on fruits at your State fair, and having accepted it and performed the duties to the best of my ability, I deem it proper to add a few words of comment supplemental to the report on awards. Owing to the fact of your exhibition coming so near the time of our State fair I hesitated in accepting it, but esteeming it quite an honor to receive such an invitation, coming as it did from some of the best pomologists of the country, and affording an opportunity of seeing and testing under favorable conditions the famous fruits of Michigan, and of meeting Pres. Lyon, Sec- retary Garfield and other noted fruit growers of your State, I could not refrain from accepting the invitation and accordingly on the morning of the 14th of September I reported for duty on the fair grounds at Jackson, having pre- viously been furnished with a complimentary ticket through the kindness and courtesy of Pres. Chamberlain of the Agricultural Society. While perform- ing the work assigned to me it was my intention to have placed on record to be printed with the list of awards, the reasons that led to the decisions in awarding the several premiums, but owing to the pressure on me to serve on as many of the various committees as possible, I was unable to doso and had to leave it to others to attend to, which I trust was properly done. In reference to the general exhibit of fruit I can truly say that no better display has come under my observation at any of the State Fairs that I have attended, and well may the citizens of Michigan feel proud of the work that the State Horticultural Society is doing for the interests of horticulture and the Agricultural Society are indeed fortunate in placing this department of their fair under the management of such an efficient organization. From 20 194 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. my observation I know of no Agricultural Society that has succeeded in mak- ing a creditable exhibit of fruit that has not called to its aid the Horti- culturists of the State. The systematic arrangement and classification of the fruits in such a manner as to afford instruction to the public and lessen the labor of the judges was very good, but one of the most important works of the society under the leadership of Pres. Lyon, the correcting the nomenclature of the fruits, was very plain to be seen. As far as I was able to judge I do not re- member of ever seeing so large a collection of fruit where there were so few mistakes in naming. The display of grapes and plums was very fine, showing the adaptation of soil and climate to the growing of these luscious fruits. The cultivation of seedling grapes grown by Mr. Chidester contained some promising varieties, one of which the committee deemed worthy of special notice and with the ad- vice and consent of the originator it was honored with the name of your worthy President Lyon. We hope it will be given a trial in other States and prove an acquisition to our list of grapes. The exhibition from the Agricultural College by Prof. Bailey was interest- ing, especially the 70 varieties of tomatoes raised from seed obtained from the different seedsmen of the country for the purpose of comparison and de- tecting fraud. We notice some old varieties with new names. I was sorry that for the lack of time I could not make a more careful examination of the exhibit, and give a more detailed report. I cannot close these brief remarks without expressing my appreciation of the hearty reception given me and of the hospitable entertainment and the court- eous, gentlemanly treatment and the warm fraternal feeling extended to me by all with whom I had the pleasure of becoming acquainted. Very Respectfully, G. B. BRACKETT. Denmark, Iowa, November, 1886. THE EDUCATIONAL EXHIBIT. Mr. A. G. Gulley, who was in charge of the educational exhibit at the late State fair, submitted the following report: To the Annual Meeting of the State Horticultural Society: Division A, in my charge, was acollettion of varieties for educational pur- poses. It was intended to have all parts of the State represented as far as possible, but owing to lack of time, the superintendent of the division was unable to visit other sections and arrange for exhibits to add to the collec- tion, so but very few localities were represented very fully. About 150 circulars were mailed to horticulturists and others in all parts of the State, interested in the matter, stating the objects of the collection, and asking contributions of anything that would add to the value of the exhibit, calling especially for new or valuable varieties in the locality repre- sented. Replies were received from several, and nearly all promised assistance, which in every case was rendered. Still, had the matter been laid person- ally before the societies of the State, no doubt many additional valuable varie- ties could have been placed on exhibition. The collection, as placed on the table at the fair, consisted of about 200 > SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 195 plates of fruit, and of nearly as many distinct varieties, embracing nearly all the classes of fruit grown in the State. The exhibit was used by many visitors to identify varieties, and by others to make themselves familiar with new fruits. About one-half of the collection was from the vicinity of South Haven, and was collected by the superintendent of the exhibit. The next largest lot was sent by the Lenawee horticultural society in charge of D. G. Edmiston. These were both general collections, and the only ones. The collections em- braced nearly all the standard varieties of apples and pears, and of peaches and grapes in season; also a great many of the rarer sorts, as Mother, Dyer, Shiawassee Beauty, Haas and other apples; Souvenir du Congress, Mt. Ver- non, Keiffer, Le Conte pears; Brighton, Worden, Niagara, Lindley, Duchess, Prentiss, Vergennes, White Ann Arbor grapes; Golden Drop and Switzer- land peaches; and also several plates of odd fruits, berries, etc. The rest of the exhibit was made up of individual contributions as fol- lows: A fine collection of plums from W. R. Wadsworth of Lapeer. This collection was a great surprise, as no such exhibit was looked for from that part of the State. It embraced many of the standard and several of the rarer varieties. The success that Mr. Wadsworth had in competing with the exhibitors from the plum-growing part of the State seemed to have been a surprise to them as well. H. D. Cutting of Clinton sent six varieties of grapes, standard varieties, but all showing how they should be grown. Emil Baur of Ann Arbor furnished four varieties of white grapes, all seedlings of Missouri raising, all fair sized bunches of fair quality, but small berries. E. H. Scott placed in the collection a plate of Woodruff grape, giving the visitors a good chance to examine and test this, which seems to be a coming market grape. J. N. Stearns of Kalamazoo showed a plate of seedling peach, called Kal- amazoo. It resembled the Late Crawford in form and color, but is a sprout from Yellow Alberge, and its fruit buds have the hardiness of the Hill’s Chili. Should this prove true in other localities, it will be very valuable. David Woodward of Clinton furnished a fine basket of Duchesse pear. Said he had bushels like it. C. P. Chidester of Bellvue exhibited two plates of black grapes, seedlings of Concord, much like the parent in appearance, but earlier, and perhaps of better quality. E. H. Reynolds of Monroe presented a seedling apple, in appearance and season much like the Maiden’s Blush, of pleasant flavor, with him very hardy and promises to be valuable. Prof. L. H. Bailey of the Agr’] College added a collection of crab apples, which embraced Gen. Grant, Blushing Maid, Haskell’s Blush and several other odd, and some seemingly valuable varieties, for those sections that need to grow crab apples. For the first effort to make a collection of the kind, the society has reason to be grateful with its success, and could the society spare the means neces- sary to have the several parts of the State canvassed before the fair, a very complete and valuable collection might be placed on exhibition. This is the more necessary now as competing collections are limited to a few varie- ties of particular value for the purpose exhibited; and there is no other 196 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. means to become familiar with odd, rare or new varieties, which exhibitors: could not place in competition. - AG. GUE, Superintendent of Division A. The above reports with reference to the annual exhibit were referred to the secretary for publication. The reports having been disposed of, the meeting proceeded to the first discussion upon the programme, upon the general topic ‘‘ Intensive Horticulture;’’ the discussion being opened with a. paper upon FEWER ACRES OF SMALL FRUIT—MORE FRUIT TO THE ACRE. BY P. C. REYNOLDS, ROCHESTER, N. Y. Very general complaint has come from nearly all sections of the country where small fruits are produced for market, that prices the past season were unremunerative. Such being the case, one of two alternatives seems to be indicated, namely: The reduction of volume of products or the diminution of its cost. It is a very difficult matter for fruit growers, scattered as they are over a wide area, to combine to reduce production. The orderly opera- tion of the laws of trade and production have a tendency to diminish pro- duction when exercised, but combination rarely does. The prices of small: fruits are destined, I believe, to rule low in the future, and growers will be wise to adapt their business to that condition of things. With unlimited land and labor for production, the amount produced will be likely to increase: quite as fast as population. The other alternative is cheaper production. The proper way to cheapen production, in my opinion, is by producing more per acre. Every grower can do this for himself without the necessity of combination or co-operation. Small-fruit growing used to be considered a branch of horticulture. Re- cently many have conducted it as if it belonged to agriculture. The result is not surprising. The horticulturist aims to grow large quantities of pro- duce on small areas of land by means of heavy manuring and high culture: The agriculturist spreads his operations over broad areas of soil which he cul- tivates enough to enable the roots of crops to spread through the soil, with- out serious obstruction, in search of adequate supplies of suitable food, and to prevent weeds froin obtaining such growth as to overcome the plants he is seeking togrow. ‘The horticulturist seeks a small tract of garden soil, near a town or city, where he can have an abundance of fertilizers, laborers of the right kind, and where proximity to market enables him to deliver his products, from day to day, fresh to consumers. Now, it seems to me that too many small-fruit growers have, within a few years, come to adopting the methods of the agriculturist rather than those of the horticulturist. They have planted their fruits in fields instead of gardens; they have manured as if for farm rather than garden crops, and they have cultivated after the manner of farmers rather than as gardeners cultivate. Moreover, many have located remote from town, subjecting them- selves to quite a tax in transporting their fruits to market and in transport- ing their laborers to and from their labor. Let the farmer stick to farm crops, and they who are fitted by nature, tastes, and training for horticul- turists grow small fruits. This, I think, is the natural order of things, and to this, I believe, we shall be obliged to come. SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 19% Can it be proved that growing the same quantities of fruits on smaller areas of land will reduce their cost? I think it can. Let us first take strawberries, the fruit in which the grower now sinks the most money. We will say that 200 bushels per acre is a possible crop of strawberries. I have known much larger crops grown, but we will take 200 bushels for our dem- onstration. I do not believe that the average yield, in the way they are gen- erally grown, is over fifty bushels per acre. Suppose that a grower of straw- berries cultivates so as to grow on one acre what he now grows on four, does any ivtelligent horticulturist believe that the berries would cost so much per uart? i To start with, the rent of three acres would be saved. At alow estimate this would amount to $24 inthe cost of 200 bushels. It would neither re- ‘quire the same amount of maure or iabor to grow 200 bushels on one acre that it would on four acres—one-half of each would be aliberal allowance. If 20 two-horse loads of barnyard manure to the acre is generally applied under the present system, I think forty loads would answer under the approved system, thus saving forty loads, worth $40, in the 200 bushels. The cultivator of one acre would probably plow deeper, and pulverize much finer, expending about as much labor in preparing the one acre for planting as the farmer does in preparing four acres. Only one-fourth the number of plants, however, would be required. If we plant three feet by eighteen inches it would take 9,680 plants to set one acre—three times the number, or 29,040 would be saved. At $2.50 per thousand, these would amount to $72.60. In planting the strawberries I suppose that about one- half the time would be expended on the one acre that is ordinarily devoted on large plantations, to four acres, and about half the labor in cultivating, hoeing, weeding, and clipping runners. It is not practicable to make a very close estimate of the value of the labor saved, as different tracts of land dif- fer so much in the amount of labor required to keep them clean and mellow, and the same grounds require so much more labor in a wet than in a dry season. ‘Taking an average of seasons, we will say that it would take four days’ work to clean an acre of the larger plantation, and that it would need cleaning four times before the first crop is grown. That would be sixty-four days for four acres, which at $1.50 per day would amount to $96. It would be fair to estimate that half of the $48 would be saved in labor, by our plan of intensive culture. When we come to the picking I think all will agree that it would cost not more than half as much to pick 200 bushels from one acre as from four. If it costs two cents per quart for picking, on the larger plot, it could be done for one cent on the smaller, and this saving of one cent per quart, or $64 on 200 bushels, would afford a moderate profit on an acre. We have figured out savings as follows: ABET ON GEO Tel arid ery: ores ee ween? 22 eae sede) TS ES he eeu or eRe Re | $ 24 00 SOT) CERES TATE gs ale ae ae SN ee ee id ae, sp SOW a Rank eae eee Pal Ra ie AB ik 8 hes | on 40 00 AES Ee GSS eer eas se eae en Oe eee RE, See Le See e me ee eae, Sees 3D! 72 60 Ingen lire 5. ee ee ee ee eek tee Se Serene ae PSTD ay hat Be NS. Beet! soe Se eRe eS 48 00 AIC Kin a ee a age ete ee ee ee, - Sedat See 2009 15° Ey st NO Oa ee he SE Phy ge 2 64 00 UGH: Sap SA Me is hah Seen ess ha BORAT Ah ee een tO eek Se Pee PRN Ae oo Ne ee es $248 60 This in 200 bushels, or nearly four cents per quart. If the agricultural strawberry grower comes out about even by growing strawberries by farmers’ 198 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. methods, the horticultural grower might make a few cents per quart at the reduced cost. Very likely considerably more can be done in cheapening production by intensive culture in strawberries than in other small fruits, but the same principle holds goodinall. It is quite doubtful whether plantations of black | raspberries, covering from 40 to 80 acres, yield upon an average more than 50 bushels per acre. Yet 150 bushels are a possible yield. By cultivating so: as to produce the latter amount you save the rent of two acres, the value of nearly 5,000 plants, and quite a sum in manure and labor. Raspberries planted six feet by three require 2,420 plants to the acre. To grow 150 bushels, 4,800 quarts, on those plants, every hill must yield about two quarts. There must be no vacancies and every hill must contain quite a number of strong, vigorous canes, and every cane must be productive. Such results can only be achieved by thorough intensive culture. The same methods would undoubtedly result in cheapening production of blackberries, currants, and grapes. I have visited a great many small-fruit farms during the last fifteen years, and the difference in yields where slack, partial culture and high, thorough culture were followed, was too apparent to permit a doubt as to which resulted in most profit. In continuance of the discussion the following letter was read by the secretary: Mr. Chas. W. Garfield : Dear Srr—If the subject “Intensive Methods in Horticulture,’’ is to be treated by the accomplished editor of American Rural Home it cannot be doubted that it will receive full justice at his hands; but as you invite short remarks on any of the topics entered for discussion at your meeting I beg to: be allowed to state my conviction that the successful horticulture of the future must have an extensive side as well as an intensive one. The successful production of fruits and vegetables alone does not neces- sarily make horticulture, as a profession, a success. The conversion of the already produced article into money is often the more important and gener- ally the more difficult part of horticulture. The creative branch of horticulture, in order to be made profitable, should be carried on entirely on the intensive plan. In the present era of low prices the cost of production has to be cut down correspondingly. It will not do any more to spread a one-acre effort over a twenty-acre lot, as the result is not in keeping with the amount and expense of land. Hence the horticulturist, to be successful, must resort to high feeding and thorough cultivation, using a full one acre ration of manure and a plump one acre ration of labor on each one acre of land, thus enabling him to grow at the smallest possible expense, crops which are somewhat in proper relation to. the capabilities of the soil. In conducting the mercantile branch of horticulture we should also have an eye to cutting down expenses wherever practicable; this, however, can be done in the fullest measure only by adopting the extensive method. Heretofore we have been buying tools, fertilizers and other supplies at the highest retail rates, and selling our produce at lowest wholesale rates less two or three middlemen’s commission. This thing must stop, or the horticul- turist’s honest labor will not receive its just reward. If we are compelled to sell at wholesale rates we must also buy at wholesale. How can this be done? A “Fruit Growers’ Union”’ is needed in every locality. A few are in. SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 199 existence even now and seem to work to the satisfaction of all concerned. An appointed agent, chosen from among their own number, attends to the buying of supplies—tools, fertilizers, groceries, etc.—as well as to the selling of the members’ products, makes arrangements with the railroads and express companies for lowest rates, selling directly to the retailer, etc., hence marketing cheaper and obtaining better prices. Iam well aware that there are difficulties which often prevent the estab- lishment and working of such unions; but these difficulties are not unsur- mountable. The subject is one of the utmost importance to every fruit grower. I can only express the hope that it will be thoroughly discussed at your meeting and that this discussion will bring us many valuable and prac- tical suggestions. With best wishes for the success of the meeting, I remain Yours respectfully, TiIwsco GREINER, Editor Orchard and Garden. Thomas L. Brown, a successful market gardener of Grand Rapids, said: If anyone should oppose the intensive system of horticulture, he would be: an enemy of the soil, of his own pocket and of the welfare of the community at large. A high system of gardening or farming is better in a thousand ways than the cultivation of many acres at the expense of proper tillage. I will not pretend to show the thousand superior ways to-night, but will sat- isfy you better with the brevity of a few remarks in favor of a little farm well tilled. In the first place it is our greatest safeguard against the attacks and. increase of insect life, and for this one reason should commend itself to all; it is preferred because it enables us to take more from half the space, and few men there are who oppose working five acres well when assured of the same: returns they would receive from ten done in the ordinary way. We will take one acre of a sandy-loam nature, manured and plowed for potatoes ;: there should be a good crop, but as the land is required for gardening pur-- poses it must be prepared rapidly. If early potatoes were planted they would come off in time to manure the lot again and sowrye. This should be done early so that the rye can make a large growth before winter. Dur- ing the winter months we will manure it heavily again. In the spring it will be no easy task to bury rye and manure; two men besides the plowman are required to do the work. After it is plowed ashes or superphosphate can be sown broadcast; then harrow, and the lot is ready for cabbage, cauli- flower, early corn, squashes, asparagus, and many other crops. This fair condition of the soil has been brought about in one year; the acre has received five dressings in thirteen months, besides growing acrop. What- ever occupies the soil, the second year, should there be time, prepare again the same as the previous year, plowing a little deeper each time. Three years of such treatment, with good cultivation and disintegration of the manure going on, aided by the rye roots, and we find the land rich enough for onions. From now on lighter dressings will answer; expenses are less and receipts are larger, showing plainly the necessity of capital and energy during the first few years to handle the land properly and proving that establishment for tillers of the soil is the only way to get the equivalent of their labor. No man can afford to prepare land in the way I have mentioned and allow weeds to grow; so the more he does to the soil to enrich it the: harder he will contend with the weeds that are so anxious to show what they 200 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. can do. No one could afford to buy broadcloth to wear in a slaughter-house, but even that would be economy compared with letting weeds grow and go to seed on our best prepared soils. My grandfather used to say, ‘One year’s seeding makes seven years’ weeding.” I don’t know whether it was an original saying, but I have proved its truth and concluded that strictly clean culture must be practiced before we can claim we are living up to an inten- sive system of horticulture. As regards earliness in the maturity of crops our rich soil is always first, thus bringing the produce to a better market. Looking at the loss side which is inevitable, resulting from the elements, I should put frost first. As I have already stated, the frequent and thorough working of the land is death to insect life; and Iam going to show you how to provide against drought. It is simply the rye I have been talking about; plowed under in the spring, it decays, gradually furnishing moisture to the crops and aiding the manure plowed under with it. Cabbages require a great deal of moist- ure. I have in mind a half-acre of that crop where every one headed, through the most protracted drought I remember. It was the early part of last summer. ‘The sole reason of success lay in the moisture of the decaying rye; the land was sandy. Such a sure and cheap mode of sub-irrigation should be practiced to a much greater extent than it is. In the compara- tively arid parts of these United States a more thorough test of the intensive system of horticulture can be given and its possibilities made more clear in consequence of the necessity of a proper system of irrigation. With an unlimited supply of water at our command to turn upon a crop when needed there is little risk about reaping abundantly. It is not likely that we in this region will irrigate except in a small way, although there is not a season that passes but that the plan commends itself to us with the accompanying knowledge of a rapid growth of crops; so, to get the utmost from mother earth, we must add to our labors a surety of moisture for the crops. Then, and not until then, will we know the producing capacity of one acre. S. D. Willard, a prominent nurseryman and fruit grower of Geneva, N. Y., told how he got valuable ideas about fertilization from a lecture he once heard from Prof. Kedzie at one of thissociety’s meetings. It led him to buy two car loads of wood ashes at a cost of $400. He gave his quince dressings of this manure two years in succession, and produced thereby fruit that brought $3.75 per keg in the Philadelphia market when the ordinary price was $1.75 to $2. Similar results followed from plum and pear trees. In 1885 his Keiffer pears brought him $7.50 per barrel in Detroit, and this year $1.50 more than that. He had paid what to some would seem fabulous sums for manures, but they have all returned to him ten-fold. It does not pay to employ labor upon poor or unfertilized soil. Later, replying to a question, Mr. Willard said the quality of late pears depends very much upon the method of ripening and care. He sometimes had ripened the Clairgeau and had it really excellent, and again about like a turnip. Again, much is due to seasons and localities. The Keiffer pear is said to be much better in New York than in New Jersey. Tastes for pears differ very widely, hence he would not decry any of the established kinds. President Lyon thus constituted the regular committees: On Exhibit of Apples and Pears.—J. N. Stearns of Kalamazoo, W. A. Brown of Benton Harbor, Thomas Wilde of Coopersville. Sub-tropical and Other Fruits.—S. D. Willard of Geneva, N. Y.; D. L. Garver of Oceana county; E. H. Scott of Ann Arbor. SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 201 Plants and Flowers.—Prof. L. H. Bailey of Lansing, Mrs. L. D. Putnam and Mrs. W. N. Cook of Grand Rapids. Resolitions.—Prof. W. J. Beal of Lansing, C. A. Sessions of Oceana county, A. G. Gulley of South Haven. Paintings.—N. L. Avery of Grand Rapids, Prof. M. Miles of Lansing, C. J. Monroe, South Haven. After the announcements for Wednesday’s sessions the convention adjourned. Wednesday Morning Session. By Wednesday morning the exhibit which occupied the banquet hall just adjoining the parlors was all in place and attracted a large measure of attention. One table held a brilliant display of chysanthemums, sixty or more specimens and nearly as many varieties. These were accompanied by several rare ferns and some begonias, cacti, etc., the whole being from Henry Smith of Grand Rapids. In the fruit show were twelve plates of apples from EK. Chase Phillips of Walker; thirteen from Wm. K. Emmons of Wyoming; seven from Henry Smith of Walker; eight from T. W. Crosby of Cadillac, and four from the orchard of Dr. 8. B. Smith of Ohio, grown near Grand Rapids, by Mr. Plume. A. J. Brown, 18 North Division Street, Grand Rapids, occupied a long table with a large and attractive show of popcorn, onions, honey, cran- berries, grapes and tropical fruits tastefully arranged. Herrick & Randall’s exhibit of commercial canned fruits in glass, Niagara (home grown) and Catawaba grapes, with other tropical and preserved fruits, was extremely meritorious in arrangement and quality. As curiosities, J. Albert Hovey, a local florist, showed a branch (with leaves and fruit) of black pepper and a sprig of Chilian pine, both grown in Los Angeles, Cal. The pine sprig in appearance resembled closely the foliage of ferns. S. D. Willard of Geneva, N. Y., was the only exhibitor of pears. He had four sorts, Lawrence, Winter Nelis, Josephine D. Malines and Keiffer. W. K. Emmons of Byron Center, showed three sorts of onions, good in size and condition. \ The apples showed a much greater degree of ripeness than they should at this season. The cause of this was the warm weather of last fall, which ripened them prematurely. The room was bedecked with a large number of oi] paintings of fruits and flowers. Most of these are by Mys. P. Clements Taber, but Mrs. Ellen Wilson had two pieces, hollyhocks and marguerites, and E. Morris Ball had a loan exhibit of seven pieces. The first business of the morning was the election of officers. A com- mittee on nominations, Messrs. J. N. Stearns, C. J. Monroe, W. A. Brown, Benton Gebhardt, T. W. Crosby, and John Sailor, made a report, which was adopted, each nominee being balloted for and receiving almost every vote. The choice was: 26 202 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. President, T. T. Lyon, of South Haven; secretary, Charles W. Garfield, of Grand. Rapids; treasurer, 8. M. Pearsall, of Grand Rapids; members of executive committee, W. K. Gibson, of Jackson, H. W. Davis, of Lapeer. Pending the report of the nominating committee, discussion was begun upon the question, ARE MICHIGAN APPLES DETERIORATING. President Lyon—They are deteriorating. Probably there is not more than one in twenty growers but are impoverishing their land. Prof. Bailey—The increasing age of the orchards may acccount for ‘it. H. H. Scott—The apples certainly are deteriorating. We can no longer grow Hsopus spitzenberg, fall pippen, Newtown pippin, or bellflower. President Lyon said many reasons conduced to this. Growth from year to year in untoward conditions, the increasing age of trees, tend to deterior- ation. Yet in some particulars there is improvement, as increase in age of trees gives better flavor and keeping qualities, and it is a question where the balance of gain or loss would fall. The following note was read from B. W. Steere of Adrian: I had wished and intended to write something on the question touching the deterioration of some old varieties of apples, but can only say here that I cannot agree with those who lay it mainly to insects, but believe that exhaustion of the soil—may we not say the almost complete destruction of some of the prime elements of successful fruit culture—has had more to do with it than any other cause. Deep, black strong clays are the exception in our State, and our light sands and gravels cannot stand for forty or fifty years the constant draft of exhausting grain, grass, and root crops. Suc- cess with farm crops on such soils may be secured with the help of stable manure, clover and plaster. Not altogether so, however, with fruit. Those: of us who can look back fifty or sixty years know that most of our unculti- vated lands were burnt over nearly every year, so that ashes made from leaves, grass, bushes, decayed wood, bark, etc., were abundant. It is also true that in many places particles of limestone were freely mixed with our sands and gravels. Assuming that these, and probably other important ele- ments in fruit culture, have been worked out of our land a partial remedy at least should be plain to all. With us the Newtown pippin was one of the first to suffer, and experiments with that variety suggested that more lime might be the great need. Under medium sized trees that were bearing imperfect fruit, Dr. Bailey spread (to each) a bushel of stone lime, and within a year or so exhibited fine apples from them. He even claimed that trees hmed only on one side bore much better apples on that side. I am aware that it isclaimed that the Newtown needs more lime than others, but can you prove it, or may it not with the help of other defectssuccumb the quicker for want of it? Some of our horti- culturists want to drop these good old kinds from our premium lists. Rather might it not assist in finding what is the matter to double the premium, and thus possibly help in restoring the old favorites? Think, for instance, of losing the EK. spitzenberg, where should we go to find its equal for cooking? W. K. Gibson: If the first apples were good, and the climate is not differ- ent, we should seek the adyerse influences in the soils, and there we may find why apples deteriorate, if they do. S. M. Pearsall would set spitzenbergs, were he to plant an orchard to-day.. SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 203 Insects are more numerous and we cannot expect as good results from old trees, but when proper care is given we can do as well as ever. 8. D. Willard: It is well known that quicklime isin no sense a manure, but like salt it sets us free and makes available certain elements. With destruc- tion of the forests and other causes, fungus diseases haye wonderfully increas- ed. The thin-skinned sorts were first to suffer. The wheat, sheep and cattle that Michigan has sent to market have carried off the phosphoric acid which the fruit so much needs. The needed elements have been taken from the soil. Restore these and you will again be able to grow fine apples, even of the thin- skinned kind. Mr. Lyon controverted the claim that the climate remains the same. Sixty years ago he began to grow apples and peaches in Michigan, and winter-killing was unknown. ‘This began in the fifties and has continued. We cannot expect trees to maintain vigor under such circunstances, even though the soil be all right. Prof. W. H. Ragan of DePaau university, Indiana, said similar conditions of deterioration of the apple exist in that State. The Winesap, however, had once lost condition and recovered it. Mr. Lyon said the same had occurred to the White Doyenne pear, and maintained that varieties are not of themselves losing quality. Prof. Bailey: We have two methods of propagation—by seeds and by scions. The latter will reproduce absolutely and always, but the product of seeds often deteriorates, and there is a constant tendency in that direction. This is over- come by cross-fertilization, which is always going on. ‘There are many varieties of greenings, because seeds of the original and some of its product have been used, instead of scions, for propagation, while the Baldwin, for opposite rea- sons, remains singular and pure. Then, there is tendency toward deterioration in each plant. There is a difference in character between apples upon the upper side and those beneath upon the same tree. Scions taken from underneath make variations of variety but this is notdeterioration. Sorts have not gone backward, but have been superseded by better kinds. Replying to a question, Prof. Bailey said it was undecided as to the effect of stocks upon the fruit of scions. There is often a mechanical influence, dwarfing or magnifying the growth of the scion; but there are only a few cases, and they not well authenticated, of change in character of fruit. W. H. Parmelee, of Allegan county, said he found that apples that did well in Ohio 30 years ago, were not successful here; but those he found good at first he was able still to grow in perfection. Capt. W. L. Coffinberry showed a very small apple of a kind which is found growing in the forests about Burt lake, Cheboygan county. They are palatable and are good cookers. Some presume them to haye sprung from seeds scattered by earily French voyagers. He said he saw in 1856, in James- town, Ottawa county, after a winter when the mercury went to 34 degrees below, a peach orchard bending under a load of fruit. Discussion shifted to methods of combating the codling moth. W. A. Brown, of Benton Harbor, said growers in that vicinity had for three years practiced spraying the apple trees with Paris green with great success. Sprayed on just after the blossoms fall, the poison seems to kill off the brood of moths that survives the winter. This brood is small, comparatively, the main damage being done by the later hatchings. The effect has certainly 204 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, been marvelous in making apples perfect, even when the adjoining orchards were not treated—showing that the moths migrate but little. W. H. Parmelee used London purple this year and had more perfect apples than for years, nor so free from codling moth, some being almost wholly sound. ‘There is danger of injury to trees by use of too strong solution. He uses one pound to 50 gallons of water, but half the quantity is sufficient. The mixture was benificial also upon cherry trees. W. N. Cook spoke of the danger to the operator. Do not allow the spray to be blown back against you. Kerosene emulsion is said to be much better. Prof. Ragan: Prof. Riley’s position is that the emulsion is preferable. It is made of 75 per cent of oil, 25 of soft soap, to one gallon of water. S. D. Willard: It requires more skill to use the emulsion without injury to the trees than to use Paris green. ‘Three ounces to 40 gallons of wuter is a sufficient quantity, but the powder is often adulterated and so is of variable strength. I have used it upon pears also, while the blossom ends were upward, with good effect. Keep to windward of the spray and wear gloves lest the poison enter wounds upon the hands. Mr. Cook: If the emulsion is perfect it remains uniform when diluted, but if the union of the ingredients is not perfect injury is likely to result. The question ‘‘What amount of Paris green is necessary?” elicited replies of “a level tablespoonful to a tobacco pail of water,” and “a rounding teaspoon- ful to two gallons of water.” In continuance of the discussion the author read the following paper: UPON WHAT DOES THE FUTURE SUCCESS OF APPLE GROWING DEPEND BY J. N. STEARNS, OF KALAMAZOO. To my mind the success and profit in apple growing in the future will depend upon the same points that the successful growing of all other fruits will, and I think they may be summed up under the following heads: judi- cious selection of varieties; proper planting of the same on soils adapted to the varieties; thorough cultivation (including fertilization) ; protection from insects; and putting on the market only first-class perfect fruit. Under the first head I may say that I doubt if one orchard in a hundred is now planted with varieties adapted to the location and soil. I know of many orchards of from two to five hundred trees that not one-fourth of them are of varieties that have proved profitable. The owners of such orchards at once pronounce apple growing a failure, when if the three-fourths had been planted to varie- ties adapted to his soil, and the other points mentioned carried out, that five acre orchard would prove more profitable, in one year with another, than five times the same ground devoted to any other farm crop. Under the subject of cultivation I will pass with but very few remarks, as I believe that it is pretty generally understood at this time, that to have a good orchard, it is necessary to give good cultivation, for a few years at least. It may be well, when an orchard is old enough to commence bearing, to seed down for a year or two, but I am satisfied that cultivation is as necessary in a bearing apple as a peach orchard, to get good smooth fruit, and especially, in a dry season. Much of our knotty, scabby fruit is due to the want of cultivation. Protection from insects, I believe, is the one important thing to be attended to, to make the future of apple growing profitable. The masses SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 205 never will attend properly to this, thus the orchardist that attends faithfully to this branch of culture, so as to be able to put perfectly sound fruit on the market, can command good remunerative prices. To illustrate, in our market at the present time, the bulk of fruit brought in has to be sold for about forty cents per bushel, while the same varieties properly cared for, and well selected in putting up, bring two dollars per barrel at wholesale, and retail at two dollars fifty cents. At these prices, and the present prices for other farm crops, it would seem that the outlook was good for the proper care of the apple. In regard to marketing, the time has come, with all fruits in this State, when it is necessary to give special thought and care to the way fruit is put on the market, to make it profitable, and in the future, this feature will re- quire closer study. Our large markets, like Chicago and other large distrib- uting points, have been glutted most of the time the past season with poor fruits. The consequence was that prices ruled low, and many claim the prices received did not pay. This was tha case with other fruits as well as with apples; but on inquiry you will learn that those who have a reputation established for shipping only first-class fruit were able to realize very fair prices for their fruit. I heard one man say, who is a large apple grower, that he had all the orders he could fill at two dollars per barrel, while many found it difficult to get one dollar. A reputation to command the extra. prices is not established in one year, but in the persistent sticking to this idea of placing on the market only strictly choice fruit. I have been engaged in the fruit business, more or less, for twenty years, and I have as much faith in it to-day as I ever had. I believe the apple grower of the future, who adheres closely to these suggestions, will be well repaid, both for what is put on the market and for private use. W. A. Brown: We are advancing in our ability to cope with the disadvan- tages in apple growing, and I believe it is in the future to be one of the most reliable and profitable branches of horticulture. As to marketing, the great point is in selecting and honest packing. Mr. Brown told of the formation of a fruit exchange at Benton Harbor, the members of which use a stamp bearing their names and addresses, guaranteeing honest packing and good quality. It has proved advantageous in profits. At this juncture a note was read from J. W. Van Deman, of Benzonia, urg- ing that where orchards are planted the land be given up to the business of growing the trees and not be expected to grow a crop of grain each year and do well by the trees, too. He gave several striking illustrations in his own neighborhood, showing the bad effects of grain crops upon the growth of trees. The closing paper of the forenoon was upon THE PLEASANT ART OF GRAFTING. BY CHARLES S. CRANDALL, AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. There is a large class of plants, including all our fruits, many flowering plants, roses, and double-flowering plants, that, propagated from seed, lose their valuable qualities; they tend to revert back to some wild and worthless ancestor. This tendency to reversion was understood long ago. Virgil says: ‘* The tree again that is raised from fallen seed grows up slowly, so as to form a shade for late posterity, and its fruits degenerate, forgetting their former juices.”’ 206) io? STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Plants that have this tendency must be multiplied in some other way, and the one other way is by means of buds—by grafting or budding. Grafting as a means of propagation can be applied to most trees, and its chief use is in the perpetuation of valuable varieties of fruit, peculiar beauties in orna- mental shrubs, and the many wonderful productions of the gardener in the way of the double or otherwise abnormally developed flower. The art is regarded by many as being enveloped in mystery, as being hard to learn, and difficult to execute. This is not the case as far as the practice of the art as adapted to the ordinary necessities of the farmer or fruit grower is concerned. True, a certain degree of mechanical skill is required to properly cut a cion and so adjust it to the stock as to insure success; but this requisite skill can be acquired by anyone who has the desire to learn and is willing to take the knife in his own hand and devote a little time to practice. There are certain principles which must be understood, and some knowledge of the relationship of plants to each other is necessary to success- ful practice. The principles are easily learned, and intelligent observation will supply the rest of all that is requisite for the ordinary use of the art. The limits within which plants can be grafted is still a problem, and one well worthy of experiment and study. The laws of the affinity of species are not well known, and the anomalous results of many grafting experi- ments only serve to show how wide and interesting this field for research is. It can be stated as a law that no plants can be made to unite as a stock and cion, that do not belong to the same natural order. Plants of different genera of the same order will in some cases unite, and as we come to the nearer relationship of plants of different species of the same genus we find greater affinities, and greater willingness to take the one with the other. There must be similarity in the structure of tissues, and in the workings of the vital organs of the plants. In many cases when one plant will not suc- ceed upon another the cause can be directly traced to some physiological dif- ference, as in the case of the platanus-leaved maple, which, it is said, will not receive cions of maples of other species; here there is an observable dif- ference in the sap. In many other cases no cause of failure can be assigned. Why certain varieties of pears do better on quince stocks than on seedlings, and other varieties do better on seedlings than on the quince, is not easily accounted for. The pear will take on the apple, but does not thrive, and the union is short-lived. De Candolle mentions the grafting of the lilac on the ash and the fringe tree on the lilac, all plants of the same order, but of different genera. We find the necessary affinity existing between the apple and the crab, and the peach and the plum, hence they unite readily; but it does not exist between the apple and the plum, nor the rose and the thorn, and they can not be made to take. The ancient writers, Varro, Virgil, Columella and Pliny, while giving minute and generally correct rules for all the mechanical operations of grafting would have no limitation. Columella says: ‘‘ Every kind of cion may be ingrafted into every kind of tree if it is not unlike in its bark to that into which it is ingrafted, but if it brings forth fruit also at the same time it may be ingrafted very safely, without any scruple.’’ After describing three kinds of grafting, which he says ‘‘the ancients have taught us’ (viz., cleft grafting, crown grafting and budding), he describes a fourth method (inarching), which he claims to have invented, and by which ‘‘ everybody may graft any kind of cion they SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 207 ‘please upon all sorts of trees.’? Evelyn in his ‘‘ Pomona,’’ in commenting on Columella’s claim to the invention of this method of inarching says, ‘it was no news to Varro who wrote two hundred years before Columella.’’ From the fact that Varro was born in the year 116 B. C. this tends to show how very ancient the art of grafting is. Virgil and Pliny wrote of apples on the plane tree, chestnuts on beeches, and oaks on elms, and these erroneous notions have been repeated by other writers down to a comparatively recent period. The earliest objection to the theory of grafting ‘‘ any kind of cion on all sorts of trees,’’ I am able to find is in Sir Hugh Platt’s work ‘‘ The Garden of Eden,’’ published in 1659, -and his objection is only in reference to the apple, plum and pear. Evelyn in his ‘‘ Pomona,’’ published in 1706, follows Sir Hugh. I quote from the <“Pomona’’: ‘‘ And here we note from Palladius, that the ancients had the success which we all, and particularly Sir H. Platt does so frequently deny, as in the particular of grafting the apple on the pear, and contra. Let us hear him, de Pomo.’’ “The graffed crab its bushy head does rear, Much meliorating the inserted pear; Its self to leave its wilderness does invite, And in a nobler issue to delight.” Prof. Thouin, of Paris, has been long engaged in making experiments in grafting. He says that plants, widely apart in character, may sometimes appear to take, but they all perish more or less promptly. This subject of limitation is one of the important parts of practical horticultural science: it is not subject to general laws, and stands an open question awaiting study and experiment. The influence of cion on stock and stock on cion is a topic for me to pass lightly over. I know nothing of it, and, after studying the literature of the subject, | am in confusion over opposite results and antago- nistic theories. I think it will be safe to say (as of the subject of limitation) little is known concerning it. Examples of a reciprocal influence between stock and cion are not wanting, but the reasons deduced leave the impression that here too is an open field for investigation. Lord Bacon says: ‘‘ The compounding or mixture of kinds in plants is not found out, * * * wherefore, it were one of the most noble experiments touching plants to find it out; for so you may have great variety of new fruits, and flowers yet unknown, graft- ing doth it not. That mindeth the fruit or doubleth the flowers, but it hath not the power to make a new kind, for the cion ever over-ruleth the stock.”’ Phillip Miller, author of the ‘‘Gardener’s Dictionary,’’ is decided in his statement that the fruit is influenced by the nature of the stock. He says: << Crab stocks cause apples to be firmer, to keep longer, and to have a sharper flavor.”? He is also authority for the statement that gritty and stony fruit results from grafting the breaking pear on quince stocks, while the melt- ing pears are improved on the same stocks. We graft the apple on the para- dise stock to dwarf it, and for the same purpose the pear is grafted on the quince. The mountain ash grows more rapidly when grafted on thorn than on its own roots. In these cases the stock is the smaller tree, but in the case of the mountain ash the result is reversed, and instead of dwarfing an in- crease in size occurs. The examples of change in size, color, and flavor of fruit by grafting are numerous. Mr. Knight cites an instance of taking two cions from the same apricot tree, grafting one upon an apricot, and the other upon a plum. 208 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Both fruited, and the first varied so as to appear two distinct varieties, and from his remark that the apricot does best on its own roots we infer that the plum stock exercised a degenerating influence. Mr. Knight also conducted experiments from which he concludes that the condition of the parent tree has much to do with the success of the cion: thus, a cion taken from a very young tree will grow vigorously, but will not blossom, while a cion from a. very old tree fruits at once, but will not make a healthy tree. The first consideration in the every-day practice of the art is to give atten- tion to the relationship of the plants, that their natures may be sufficiently alike to insure their union. If different stocks are available for the cions. you wish to propagate, estimate their probable advantages and choose the one that gives the best promise of serving the particular purpose. Observe all points of resemblance and difference as to size attained, style of growth and time of starting into growth; note the healthiness and vigor of the stock and the plumpness and ripeness of the cion. Attention to all these points will add to the successes and lessen the failures. In performing the operation the prime principle is the accurate adjust- ment of the cambium of the cion to that of the stock; without it no union can take place. It is through the cambium layer, interposed between the wood and the bark, that the living connection between the roots and the leaves is maintained; it is formed by the deposit of new matter from the descending assimilated sap, and it is by means of this newly formed matter that union takes place between the stock and cion; hence the necessity of the accurate adjustment of this natural and only channel by which commu- nication can be maintained. Several cases have come under my own observation, where young men who had given the subject some study had read the rules laid down and were able to repeat them, yet when they came to handle the knife made most serious blunders on this very point, showing a lack of understanding or misinterpretation of the principles they could repeat so readily. In this. connection I wish to quote from a paper read before the Royal Horticultu- ral Society of London by the Chairman, Mr. James Bateman. He says: «©The theory and practice of grafting is little understood by the young gar- deners who come to Chiswick to complete their education. It is rare that any of them are able to graft successfully until after the erroneous notions. with which they have come imbued are eradicated and corrected. Itseems that the drawings and wood-cuts given by the most eminent writers on the sub- ject almost always convey an erroneous impression on the very point on which success entirely depends. The wood-cuts of the slips and grafts pre- pared for adhesion turn the attention more to an equality of dimension and to a correct fitting of the outside of the bark of the one to the outside of the bark of the other than to an exact apposition of the cambium of the one to that of the other, on which, in point of fact, adhesion and grafting abso- lutely and solely depend.’’ Mr. Bateman’s remarks are to the point, and may well serve as an illustration of the utility and necessity of laboratory practice for the student in horticulture, as well as for the student in any of the other sciences. The purposes for which grafting is used are various, the main one being, as before remarked, the perpetuation of varieties of plants valuable for fruit, flower, or beauty of foliage. A thousand orchards contain Baldwin, Northern Spy, or Canada Red trees. Each variety had its origin in a single tree; generation after genera- SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING, 209 tion they have been perpetuated by grafting. A skillful gardener pro- duces an abnormal flower of peculiar beauty ; by grafting he multiplies the parent plant, guards carefully his prize, and, at his pleasure, sells at his price. In a short time, still multiplied by the same process, it becomes a common thing, none the less beautiful but no longer a rarity, and hence no longer a source of profit. Very many of our plant beauties have come to us in this way, all of each variety originating in a single plant that had by some accident developed a strange quality. Certain plants have tender roots, readily yielding to the influence of cold; such plants are grafted upon stocks of known hardiness, on which they live and thrive. The delicate plant is made hardy by grafting. To change the variety of fruit on an established tree, and to render a barren tree fruitful, are two of the most useful purposes to which the art can be applied. Many old orchards that produced little fruit and none of good quality have been so renewed by judicious grafting as to become sources of profit; and there are many more that under a careful hand might be made to yield rich returns. Just how far the renovation of old orchards by grafting can be carried with profit will depend, however, on many circumstances. Some trees may be too old and have too little vitality, some may be diseased, some may be of such ill shape from long neglect as to be beyond the reach of any- one’s skill. ‘There is but one course to pursue with such trees—take them out, root and branch. They occupy good ground and mar the landscape to no purpose. But there are vigorous and well-shaped trees that for some reason are not fruitful or produce worthless fruit; such may be renewed with good results. The operation should be performed by degrees; a portion each year for two or three years, that the tree may not receive too great ashock. Care is required to preserve the symmetry of the tree; this cannot always be done, but in skillful hands the shape in most cases need not be greatly altered. After grafting an orchard, do not leave it to take care of itself; pruning must be promptly attended to, and judicious cultivation and manuring will go a great ways toward bringing about the desired result. If the principles and practices of grafting were more generally understood among our farmers, we would certainly see better kept orchards. Every farmer would find it both interesting and to his advantage to acquire enough of the art to enable him to do the work of his own orchard. Of all horticultural operations grafting is one of the most pleasant and of the greatest use. We hope that coming generations may witness a more widespread knowledge of this most practical and useful art. 27 210 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Wednesday Afternoon Session. The Secretary presented the following paper upon WHAT ILLINOIS HAS DONE FOR ENTOMOLOGY. BY CLARENCE M. WEED, OF CHAMPAIGN, ILL. The great importance of a study of the life histories and habits of the hordes of injurious insects which are so constantly lessening the productions of American agriculture, and of discovering and applying practical and comprehensive remedial measures by which this great annual loss may in part, at least, be saved, is becoming more and more impressed upon the minds of intelli- gent soil tillers everywhere. And though as in the days of Say, Fitch and Harris, one too often meets with farmers who are ready to sneer and scoff at the entomologist and his results, they are almost invariably men whose opinion is not worth the asking, who know nothing of that which they are talking about and have no more right to condemn off hand the actions of a student of insect life than a jury would haye to render a verdict in a murder trial before hearing any evidence pro or con. No other of these United States has done so much for the progress of eco- nomic entomology as Illinois, and haying been so fortunate within the past year as to see and learn something of the results and of the methods by which they have been reached I take pleasure in acceding to Secretary Garfield’s request to write something about what Illinois has done for entomology. In that portion of this paper treating of the history of the office of State entomologist I shall quote freely, from the only summary of the facts with which I have met, that of Prof. 8S. A. Forbes, in the introduction to the appendix to the fourteenth report of the State entomologist of Illinois. Of the establishment of the office Prof. F. there writes: “The office of State entomologist of Illinois was established by an act of the legislature, approved and in force March 9, 1867, by which the Governor was authorized to appoint ‘by and with the consent of the Senate some competent scientific person as State entomologist, who shall hold the appointment for two years and until his successor shall be appointed.’ This officer was required to investigate the entomology of Illinois, and particularly to study ‘the history of the insects injurious to the products of the horticulturists and argriculturists of the State ;’ and was directed to ‘collect and preserve a cabinet of insects to be deposited at the Illinois Industrial University.’ He was re- quired to ‘prepare a report of his researches and discoveries in entomology for publication by the State annually; and his salary was fixed at the sum of $2,000 per annum.’ The first appointee under this law was Benjamin Dane Walsh, of Rock Island, a man with whom many who listen to this paper have been acquainted, either personally or through his numerous articles in the agricultural press, and whose untimely death on the 12th of November, 1869, from the effects of in- juries received in a railway accident, was much lamented. Mr. Walsh issued but one report which was made to the State Horticultural Society and published as an appendix to the transactions of that society for 1867. SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 211 On April 2, 1870, Dr. Wm. Le Baron, of Geneva, was appointed as Walsh’s ‘successor and he continued to hold the position until April 9, 1875, when Dr. ‘Cyrus Thomas, of Carbondale, was appointed. Dr. Le Baron made four re- ports which were published either separately with the reports of State officers made to the general assembly, or appendices to the transactions of the State Horticultural Society. Dr. Thomas continued in office until June 30, 1882, making six reports which were published in connection with the transactions of the State department of agriculture. After the resignation of Dr. Thomas, at ‘the date just given, Prof. 8. A. Forbes was appointed to the position, which he still holds. Prof. F. has made three reports and a fourth will be published within a few months. I again quote from the introduction above mentioned : “'The scope and variety of the fourteen reports of this office are sufficiently indicated by the voluminous lists and indexes necessary to give convenient access to their contents. In volume they far exceed the literature of the econ- -omic entomology of any other State, amounting in all to 2,358 pages, of which 104 have been contributed by Walsh, 419 by Le Baron, 1,187 by Thomas, and 648 by Forbes. They may broadly be said to contain four classes of matter,— (1) original contributions to entomology, chiefly prepared with reference to economic applications, characteristic especially of the first four and the last three reports; (2) treatises on the classification of single orders of insects, as in the fifth and sixth reports (Coleoptera), the seventh and tenth (Lepidoptera), the eighth (Homoptera especially Aphides), and the ninth (Orthoptera) ; (3) full summaries of existing knowledge respecting the most important injurious insects, as the Hessian fly and the army worm; and (4) monographs of all the insect enemies of a single crop, as of the insects affecting the strawberry, in the thirteenth report.” The salary of the State entomologist was at the time of the creation of the -office fixed at $2,000 per annum, a sum which has not since been changed. With one or two exceptions no appropriations were made for any other ex- penses of the office until 1883-4, when $500 per annum was appropriated, as an item in the appropriation bill of the Illinois State laboratory of natural history, for the office and incidental expenses of the State entomologist. At the time of his appointment to the office just mentioned, Prof. Forbes held the position of director of the Illinois State laboratory of natural history, a unique institution which has had and is having a marked effect upon the progress of scientific knowledge and culture in the west. It has grown within a very few years from a small beginning when it was supported by a mere pit- tance and all the work connected with it was done by asingle person, into an insti- tution which receives the hearty and liberal support of the State, giving employment to a half dozen trained assistants, possessing a large and valuable library as well as much of the latest and most approved apparatus necessary for biological investigation, and being recognized and honored by the highest scientific organizations of Europe and America. After his appointment as State entomologist Prof. Forbes continued to hold the position of director, and was thus enabled to utilize the many advantages of the laboratory, including such time of assistants as was thought desirable for the work of the office. As a consequence remarkable progress has been made, and I only repeat the pub- lished verdict of the scientific world in stating that in few places elsewhere have the difficult and complicated problems of economic entomology been grappled with so much earnestness, originality and distinguished success. 212 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. I may be permitted to mention one or two of the practical results of investiga- tions concerning economic entomology in Illinois. The farmers of the State had been for some years troubled by a worm that ate the roots of young corn, annually destroying great quantities and entailing a serious loss of time and labor. No successful remedy was known. The life history of the pest was studied by several of the leading entomologists of the State and it was discovered that the insect was the young or larve of a common green beetle (Diabratica longicarnis, Say). It was also found that these beetles deposited their eggs in the soil of cornfields in autumn, so that the following spring when the young larve hatch they are ready to attack the growing corn. From this it was an easy step to the suggestion that by an intelligent system of crop rotation, such as that of following corn with oats, the young worms would not have suitable food at hand, aud being unable to escape from the environments of their birth must of necessity perish. Thus there was provided a simple, practical and inexpensive means of escaping from the ravages of a pest that had threatened to put a stop to the production of the chief cereal grown here; and to-day this idea has entered into the scheme of agricultural practice in the most successful farming communities of the State. Another instance is also in point here. As doubtless all who listen to this paper are aware, the production of strawberries is one of the chief pursuits of the horticulturists of Southern Illinois. The business had been so long continued, that a few years ago insects of various kinds had increased to such an extent as to seriously interfere with the successful production of fruit. The State entomologist was appealed to, and the whole subject was exhaustively studied a few years ago by Prof. Forbes and his assistants, the result being an elaborate paper upon the insects affecting the strawberry which was read at the meeting of the Mississippi Valley Horticultural Society in 1883, being published in the transactions of the society for that year and also appear- ing in the thirteenth report of the State entomologist of Illinois. It was there recommended that to prevent the undue increase of injurious insects the old strawberry plantations be plowed up at such times as would kill the young of the worst of the pests by starvation, and that the plantations be frequently renewed, rotating with other crops as much as possible. This, too, is now the ordinary horticultural practice in Southern Illinois. In conclusion I cannot better give an idea of the importance and scope of the work now being carried on by the office than to ask your attention to the following reswiné of the present season’s work, as it appeared in a recent issue of one of the local papers: “The State entomologist of Illinois, Professor 8. A. Forbes, reports that the work of his office has been this year extremely successful, and its results more important than for any previous year within his knowledge. The interesting discovery was made last spring that the corm plant lowse hibernates in the ground, and invariably takes its first start in fields which have been in corn the year before—a fact which brings this destructive insect under the control of an intelligent rotation of crops. “Elaborate studies of the chinch bug outbreak in Southern Illinois have brought to light new facts in its life history, and have suggested new and sim- ple methods of attack upon it. *‘Concerning the Hessian fly—the arch enemy of wheat culture in both new and old worlds—an insect which has been before the entomological world for more than one hundred years—the professor reports that he has succeeded SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 213 this season in determining, for the first time, the midsummer history of the species. For this purpose plots of wheat were sown at two points in southern Illinois, at regular intervals from the middle of July to the 1st of October. By watching these wheat plots from week to week he has clearly established the occurrence of a third generation of the fly breeding in volunteer wheat and completing its development in the fall. This observation seems to make it entirely possible to keep this pest in check by such a management of the wheat fields in midsummer as will bring this third brood into existence in the volunteer wheat and then destroy it before sowing for the new crop. “Another less-known wheat insect, the wheat bulb worm, was shown, as an incident of these experiments, to be sometimes as destructive as the Hessian fly and to be commonly confounded with it by wheat growers. A third brood of this species also was discovered in midsummer wheat, so that the same measures which will destroy the fly will apply to this as well. “An elaborate trial has been made of Paris green and other chemical poi- sons applied to apple trees in spring, to test precisely the value of this measure as a protection against the codling moth and curculios. More than 22,000 apples from these trees were examined, one by one, in the course of this experi- ment, and nearly as many more last year. ‘Various apple-leaf insects have lately made it almost impossible, in some localities, to raise young nursery stock, the young leaves being destroyed as fast as they put forth. Experiments made in the field have shown that by a combination of hand picking and poisoning, used with due reference to the life histories of the species, these insects may be rendered harmless at a rela- tively small expense. “Very numerous and careful studies and experiments have been made by Professors Forbes and Garman on the contagious diseases of insects,—a sub- ject which has become a leading specialty of the office, systematically studied nowhere else in the country, and nowhere else in the world on nearly so large a scale as here. It has been demonstrated this summer that one of the most destructive of these diseases may be conyeyed at will to healthy insects by arti- ficial means, and that it may also be thus carried from one insect species to another. “Besides the above, a great number of minor items of information of both scientific and practical value have been gathered from the field and from the breeding cages of the office, altogether making up a very unusual record of progress. In addition to a full detail of the subjects mentioned, the next report from the office will contain an elaborate illustrated monograph on all the insects known to affect Indian corn in America.”’ Several questions concerning insects were presented and answered, follow- ing which the general topic for the afternoon was taken up. SCHOOL HORTICULTURE. A note was read from Geo. R. Knapp, Associate Editor of the American Garden, to open the discussion: HOW TO TEACH HORTICULTURE. The ennobling profession of horticulture has gained so many devotees, and taken so high a standing among preferred and valued industries, that the question of the best methods for its thorough promulgation has become a 214 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. leading topic of discussion, not only before such assemblages as this, but in the home and theschools. It is amatter of congratulation that the youth of our country are yearly becoming more interested in horticultural pursuits ; nor is this interest confined to any chosen or favored portion of our land. It extends from Maine to California, and from.ocean to ocean. I confi- dently believe that the time is not far distant when the rudimentary branches of horticulture will be taught in all schools where circumstances and surround- ings will admit of theories being reduced to practice; for that theories, as drawn from text-books and charts, must have practical illustration in the field and garden, is incontrovertible. It has been a matter of much regret to me that our teachers of horticul- ture in many of the schools have had charges made against the methods they employed. That many of these charges are base canards, we all know, but surely the instructors must have been seriously at fault in their duties to have given cause for even the slightest complaint. That less time must, in the future, be spent in the class-room, and more in the field is a foregone conclusion, and, indeed, I am constrained to take the final step forward and advocate the entire abandonment of books, charts. and class-room. In brief, teach grafting, budding, hybridizing and the vari- ous parts of the work, where they should be taught, in the field among the trees and plants. I grant that instructors may be learned, and their method of book-teach- ing pleasing. Text-books may be accurate, but the average student cannot be expected to become greatly interested in a subject of which he can under- stand but little while denied the privilege of seeing and examining for him- self. Iam fully satisfied, gentlemen, that the use of text-books and charts must be eventually abandoned before that measure of success for which we hope and labor can be secured. Iam led to this conclusion by the experi- ences of myself and others with whom I have been associated from time to time. As an illustration, in my earlier studies of horticulture I became deeply interested in the art of budding, and eagerly read everything on the subject which came into my hands. Innumerable peach-pits were planted in the back yard, on which to practice what I had read; but alas! there were as many feiluresas there were stocks. The following budding season I visited a large nursery in the vicinity, where the work of budding was going on. A few words of instruction, practically illustrated, from the man in charge, and three hours’ close observation of the work going on before me accom- plished more than years of text-book reading, and before the season was over I had put in about 3,000 peach buds, with a loss of only about ten per cent., as I afterward learned. I may have been a trifle thick-headed in my book- studies, but in the field I proved as bright as the majority of mortals. A young friend of mine was greatly interested in the study of strawberry blossoms. He had had the difference in construction shown him by engrav- ings, and had read up the subject thoroughly; yet when the opportunity came for him to test his knowledge in the field, it was weeks before he could accurately distinguish the pistillate blossom from the bi-sexual. Indeed, he was forced to lay aside his book-knowledge and learn anew from the plants before him. He had read that the variety Manchester was pistillate in blos- som, but had not learned (because he could learn it nowhere but in the field), that the blossoms of the variety named contain some stamens, nearly, if not quite enough to supply the necessary pollen for its own fructification. As a natural result, he termed the variety at sight bi-sexual in blossom. SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 215 I need cite but one more illustration in support of my position. Since en- gaging in the work of horticultural journalism, I have never neglected to have a garden of my own, or else pay frequent visits to plantations of others near me. ‘True, I have a good library, read all the new horticultural books that are issued, attend horticultural meetings and have the benefit of ex- change with nearly every agricultural and horticultural journal published in America, and some from Europe. For all this, without my work in the garden among fruits and vegetables, testing new varieties, experimenting, ete., I should grow.rusty. Now, am I alone in this opinion? Dr. Hexamer of the American Agriculturist, Mr. Carman of Rural New Yorker, Judge Miller of Rural World, Secretary Reynolds of Rural Home and many other prominent and authoritative writers on horticultural subjects have access to: fields and gardens where they may see the practical work going on. And need I say that they take advantage of their opportunities? I would not be understood as uttering a general condemnation of books, etc., relating to the subjects in which we are interested, for I am a faithful believer in their efficacy; but in the study of horticulture and kindred work, actual work in the field must occupy the primary position. In the shop, we: learn the mysteries of mechanism; in the mills, the methods of manufacturing, and so, to the field where the work is being done, theories demonstrated and facts practiced, must we turn for solid, useful and practical instruction in horticulture. Prof. Bailey spoke against this idéa. To do away with books is impossible. If but two or three students are to be instructed the work may be success- fully done by experiment and demonstration, but a large class cannot be so managed. Yet all important points in the books may be illustrated in the field, and this actual practice is chief in importance. It is not practicable to instruct all students in all field operations, but sometimes it is best to give the out-door work first and give the science of it afterward. In common schools pupils should be encouraged to carry on simple experiments by them- selves, giving formative instruction later. W. K. Gibson—Boys should know some of these things before they go to the Agricultural College, and thereby much time saved. The morals and esthetics of the matter should be considered and instruction begin in the common schools. We should gain more knowledge of the objects about us and spend less time with abstract principles. The moral effect of these studies is very great and desirable. Land should have been set apart for a garden in connection with each school. To these sentiments Prof. Bailey assented warmly. At the college there is great waste of time in teaching boys the elements, and most of them are farm boys, too. In aclass of sixty there were two who had seen budding done, but none had himself performed the operation. Mr. Bailey illustrated the difficulties in the way of large classes through practical work in all branches by instancing cross-fertilization, in which only two or three can be instructed at a time. Prof. Ragan commended Prof. Bailey and his ideas, and thought Michigan very fortunate in having him in her Agricultural College. Secretary Garfield said the society had tried to get the State Superintend- ent of Public Instruction to have some requirement of horticultural know- ledge to be made of teachers, but with no effect. We should exert ourselves to make the teachers understand that interesting pupils in horticulture 216 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. would be a great help to them in maintaining order. Their self interest would incline them to it. Simple experiments, like the germination of seeds, can be carried on indoors in any weather. He advocated the school garden and the oral teaching of botany. As school inspector of his township, he found not one of the thirteen teachers who knew the names of the plants the children put into the vases. It is the province of our society to insist upon this instruction, and persevere to success. Prof. Bailey—Germination is the beginning of horticultural study, and is very interesting, and full of possibilities of good. Dr. Manly Miles, of Lansing, reminded that they must first get the teacher. They had advocated bringing in horticulture for oral instruction only, and that is the hardest kind of teaching. He spoke of the bad mental equipment of some students he had known who had graduated from teachers who knew nothing of physiology, for instance, but what was within text book covers. Prof. Daniels, ex-superintendent of Grand Rapids public schools, read a paper upon HORTICULTURAL INSTRUCTION IN KINDERGARTENS, PREPARED BY MISS LILLY JONES, OF GRAND RAPIDS. Frederick Froebel called his institution an infant garden (kindergarten) because he thought it necessary that a garden should be connected with it; and because he wished symbolically to indicate by this name, that chiidren resemble the plants of a garden, and should be treated with similar care. He considered no such institution perfect unless it had a patch of ground sufficiently lerge so each child could have a small garden for himself. This is especially wanting at the present time, when kindergartens have multi- plied and spread over all the globe. Wherever this new education has been introduced it has to contend with very defective arrangements. Private dwelling-houses, workshops, stores, even abandoned breweries—as has often been the case in England—have been utilized for this purpose. The garden or cultivated open space is what is especially lacking. In Froebel’s kindergarten the children could be seen digging in the soil, throwing up mounds, and little by little making themselves small gardens of their own. At first the little spade that accompanied the child out of doors was only used for heaping up sand and stones as an exercise of strength without aim. As soon, however, as any power of observation had begun to supplement the merely instinctive movements, there was awakened an impulse to till the ground and to make use of the productive force of nature; thus the child in its play and man in the earliest stages of civiliza- tion seeks to obtain better and more plentiful nourishment. Even though the instinct which moves the child to enclose its little garden with sticks be an undefined one, it is, nevertheless, that out of which the science of agri- culture has arisen—the instinct or need of possession. Practical doing awakens love and thought, and sympathy with nature is intensified. Dependence is realized through waiting for the result of work. The following incident is told by the Baroness Marenholz-Bulow, the most devout of Fréebel’s co-workers: Two little girls, four and five years old, had in the kindergarten a garden, where, like the other children, they had planted a few peas and beans. Every day they dug them up to see why SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 217 they didn’t sprout. The beds of some of their companions showed already green shoots and tender leaves and this increased their disappointment and impatience. They were told they must stop digging up their seeds and must wait patiently if they wanted to have any plants. After this they kept their hands out of the dirt but watched closely. At last, one morning they were seen on their knees gazing with wondering, delighted eyes on a number of small green shoots which had pushed up into the lhght. Often before had seeds sprouted before their eyes, but they had not noticed it. They were indifferent because they had not been active, incurious because they themselves had not dug and planted and waited. These little children were in the presence of a miracle. Yesterday their garden was brown and bare, to-day it was green with little shoots. When asked if it was their waiting that made the seeds grow they at once said ‘‘ No,’’ and then told how the warm sunshine, rain and dew were all necessary. The child who receives one of these beds in the spring will dig, rake, sow and water it, under the direction of the teacher, and what he reaps from it will be his own property. In the United States the kindergartens that have gardens for the children are the exceptions. This is partly due to the fact that very few institutions of this kind have any summer session, mostly due to the lack of room. Most kindergartners, however, have at least a flower pot for each child to plant his seeds in, and water, and care for. Superintendent Kendall, of the Grand Rapids schools, spoke of the value of internal and external embellishment of school premises, advocating earnestly that great attention be given to the matter, citing instances among his own schools and from those of La Porte, Indiana, where this work had been suc- cessfully carried out by teachers and pupils, in conjunction. He said the influence of such work could not be measured by any standard; it threaded into the homes of the children, leaving lasting impressions. Prof. Daniels followed, citing instances from his own experience of the wholesome influence of the adornment of school buildings and grounds. Prof. W. H. Ragan, secretary of the American Horticultural Society, being present, was invited to address the convention on THE PROGRESS OF COLD WAVES. He illustrated, by means of a series of charts, the line of progress of the cold waye of January that reached to Florida and froze the oranges upon the trees, then returned north by way of the Atlantic coast, and passed off through the valley of the St. Lawrence. He showed clearly the wonderful influence of the great lakes upon the climate of Michigan, by the lines of low temperature which curved above our peninsula, and saved us from serious damage. He said that the waves that were most liable to do Michigan harm occurredjin February and March, when the lakes were most nearly covered with ice, thus putting our protection at minimum. The address was wonderfully interesting, and the audience appreciated every word of it. wo 9 2) 218 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, EXPERIMENTAL STATIONS. The following letter was read by the secretary: SPRINGFIELD, Mass., November 9, 1886. Charles W. Garfield: DEAR S1r,—Accepting your invitation to forward short notes of opinion for the meeting of the Michigan Horticaltural Society, permit me to call the attention of the progressive members of this enterprising body to the merits of the Hatch Agricultural Experiment Station bill, now before Con- gress. Copies of this bill, and circulars relative to the same, I send herewith, for the information of such members as may desire to post themselves fully upon this important measure The immense value of the proposed experi- ment stations to American horticulture, must be apparent to every thinking man. Through them the pomological and forestry interests of the various States and territories will be aided by practical experiments carried on with scientific accuracy. ‘There are a multitude of questions relative to these two. industries alone, which the proposed experiment stations can solve to the direct practical benefit of every farmer in Michigan, and throughout the country. In the testing of new trees, plants, etc., the stations can do much important work; protecting farmers against buying worthless stock, and encouraging to to plant such varieties as experience has shown to be the most profitable. The various questions in your scheme of topics should receive much assistance from these stations. The Agricultural College of Michigan, already recognized as perhaps the most successful institution of its kind in the country, is doing a good work for the farmers’ interests, in the way of experiments, in addition to its educational work; but the latter requires so much of the institution’s funds, that the col- lege proper cannot be expected to carry on the legitimate work of an agri- cultural experiment station. Now, the Hatch bill provides an income of $15,000 annually, for the establishment of an agricultural experiment station in connection with your Agricultural College, under simple provisions that will not in the least interfere, but will rather promote its effectiveness. It is not impossible, therefore, for a society to do aught but earnestly support this meas- ure. I suggest that besides passing resolutions urging the enactment of the Hatch bill, that members of the Michigan Horticultural Society individually write to their senators and representatives in Congress to spare no effort to pass the Hatch bill at the approaching session of Congress. Then, if they will induce all the local agricultural and horticultural associations throughout Mich- igan to follow their example, and to circulate petitions, etc., in behalf of the measure, there will be no doubt of the unanimous support of the Michigan delegation in Congress. This is not a matter that will take care of itself, but something every pro- gressive farmer must take hold of, feeling that its success rests upon him per- sonally. Then, if we will pull together, not only in Michigan but throughout the United States, there is no doubt that we shall secure the enactment of the bill before the meeting of the 49th Congress. Trusting that your society will take active, aggressive, and determined steps. in this matter, I am Yours very sincerely, HERBERT MyRICcK, / Editor Farm and Home. SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. “219 Professor Miles said none of the agricultural colleges have half as much money as they need. Ours is better off than others, but all its revenues might be profitably expended in one of its departments. The central idea of the college is to teach students by their own investigation and not by the know- ledge of others. This requires more means and the college is constantly hampered in its work. He spoke of Strasburg university and its generous endowment by the German government, and said Michigan should follow this example as to her agricultural college, that it may take the lead and keep it. Mr. Willard: This is a matter of greatest importance and each member should interest himself in the success of the Hatch bill. He further spoke of the value of experimental stations. Senator Monroe stated that just before the close of the legislative session of 1885 he prepared a joint resolution asking Michigan senators and congressmen to support the Hatch bill, but learning that that measure was to go oyer the term, he reserved his resolution and would at the approaching session introduce it. He urged horticulturists to write their representatives to support the Hatch bill because its passage would make our college of great value to our State and the whole country. Wednesday Evening Session. At the evening session the first hour was devoted to reports upon the merits of the newer fruits. Condensing the remarks, they appear as follows: Champion Gooseberry—LHither a seedling or an English berry disseminated some time before its alleged origin in Pennsylvania. A berry of the same name was said to have come from Oregon. Hudson Gooseberry—Prof. Bailey sent for some, but all came labeled Indus- try. Mr. Willard said he got the worth of his money, then, for it is an excellent kind—an English berry. Fay Currant—A superior sort and large but may become smaller as bushes grow older. No variety of currant tested here is exempt from the borer except Victoria. Yellow Transparent Apple—A most valuable early sort; precedes by some weeks the Early Harvest; of extra good quality, pleasant flavor, beautiful color, waxen yellow; hardy wood. A Russian sort sent out 17 years ago, same as White Astrachan and very likely same as Transparent Moscow. Planted ex- tensively in Virginia and the Carolinas for early New York market. New Crabapples—Biushing Maid is excellent but General Grant worthless. Whitney’s No. 20 is one of the best crabs Pres. Lyon ever met; doubts if it should be called a crab, appearing to be more a Russian sort. Minnewaski Blackberry—Fruit resembles Lawton and is highly spoken of; the special favorite of A. J. Caywood; fruits fully, keeps a week or so with- out changing color; said to be not hardy. Western Triumph Black Cap—Good as the average of 30 or 40 kinds, but not equal to the Kittatinny, Lawton or Taylor. Wilson jr. Blackberry—Not materially different from the Wilson. Marlboro Raspberry—Opinions were various ; does not show promised vigor; about like Cuthbert in growth, but not as good quality; if it does not do bet- ter Mr. Scott will take out his three acres; half the size of the Cuthbert and 220 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. of poor color, though it at first did well; at Benton Harbor canes quite strong, ripens with Turner, firmer and better color than either Turner or Cuthbert and brought much better prices; grows slowly and om no consequence; there are s>veral strains of Marlboro. Lucretia Dewberry—Mr. Lyon has had good crops for Bice or four years; best dewberry he knows; is not derived from wild dewberry, but is a trailing variety of the high blackberry, may be a hybridization of the two; fruits well at Ionia, but turns red and sour; two weeks earlier than any blackberry. Niagara Grape—Rots when the Concord does; white grapes are not more subject to rot than others. Belmont Strawberry—One member only had fruited it and found it very promising; others were pleased with quality of the plants. Golden Queen Raspberry—Fine color, a yellow Cuthbert; not so good as Brinckle’s orange. Hilbourn Blackcap—Less seedy than others and of fine quality, but not yet well tested. The secretary read the following: NOTES ON SOME NEW APPLES. BY T. H. HOSKINS, M. D., OF VERMONT. Fameuse Sucree.* This apple was first brought to notice by the report of a committee on seed- ling apples (consisting of the Rey. Robert Hamilton and Charles Gibb, Esq.), to the Montreal Horticultural Society, in 1875. In the fall of 1877 1, having seen and tasted the apple at the Montreal society’s fair, procured cions from (as I supposed) the original tree in the orchard of the Hon. KE. Prud’homme, near Montreal. Unfortunately, through a mistake in cutting, much the larger part ‘and, as I supposed for some time, all) of these cions were cut from neigh- boring trees of the common Fameuse. Later I find that I have five or six trees of the true Fameuse Sucree, several of which bore the present season. The tree is to all appearance a seedling of Fameuse, and is quite as hardy, perhaps a little more so. It bears as early and as well as its parent. The fruit as grown here is in season from the middle of October, lasting about a month. It has the fault of spotting quite as much as its parent, but when perfect is a most elegant as well as most delicious fruit. It is full medium in size, roundish oblate, very dark red, resembling polished rosewood. The flesh is white, deeply stained with red. It is very tender in flesh, at once mildly sub-acid and sugary, and must stand among the very first of dessert apples. Its flavor resembles that of a rich strawberry ice-cream. In places where it spots but little it would proye a most profitable fancy apple to grow, as it conjoins the highest beauty with the greatest excellence of dessert quality. Its skin is firm, and the apple bears transportation very well. McIntosh Red. This is, I think, without doubt, another seedling of the Fameuse. It origi- nated on the north bank of the upper St. Lawrence in Dundas county, Ont. The original tree is said to be about 50 years old, but the variety has not been *Specimens were shown of this apple sent by Dr. Hoskins and admirably preserved. SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 221 disseminated until within the last 15 years. It has a tendency to spot, yet often grows perfectly fair. The tree is very nearly iron-clad—distinctly hardier than its parent. It bears young, and the fruit will rank as large—often very large. It is nearly round, dark red in color, with a heavy blue bloom—in its perfection a most magnificent apple. It has the white flesh of the Fameuse, but a fuller and richer flavor, being a dessert apple of the first class. It isa better keeper than the Fameuse, in this respect standing equal to, if not above, the Wealthy. Gideon’s Martha Crab. After testing not less than 150 varieties of improved Siberian apples of this class, I have fixed upon this one as, all things considered, the most desirable variety. The tree is very vigorous, and bears young and profusely. The fruit is large of its class (14 to 2 inches in diameter), in color a brilliant rosy red, with darker and lighter shades, on a yellowish ground. It is nearly round, a little flattened, with a long stem strongly inserted. For canning, or for jelly, it is a most superb fruit, the flavor being high and rich, and the jelly of a dark ruby red, haying almost the firmness of the West Indian Guava jelly. McMahon's White Apple. This is one of the new Western iron-clad seedlings, which seems to be gain- ing considerable favor in that section. I find it a vigorous grower, very hardy, and an early bearer. The fruit is medium to large, greenish white, with a dull red cheek, roundish conical, slightly angular, short stem, closed calyx, shallow cavityand basin. It is apparently productive, season late fall and early winter. It has a white and tender flesh, with a pleasant sub-acid flavor. A useful apple of its season, and might be profitable in some localities as a market fruit. Origin, Sauk county, Wisconsin. It has received the approval of many of the leading fruit growers of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa. The Golden White Apple. This is one the Russian apples of the government importation of 1869-70,— No. 978. The tree is a most vigorous grower, and as hardy as Oldenburgh, but a rather tardy bearer, yet when it reaches about the 12th year in orchard it becomes a very productive tree, biennially, with some fruit on the odd year. The apple is large and round, somewhat ribbed in many specimens, with a firm, smooth greenish white skin, becoming golden, with a liberal striping of light red on the sunny side In quality it is very good for dessert or cooking. Its season is October in Northern Vermont and Quebec. The Woif River Apple. This seems unquestionably an Alexander seedling, and very close to the par- ent as regards the fruit, which is very large, roundish-conical, nearly covered with dark red on a greenish ground. Downing could not see any difference in the fruit of the two, but the trees are distinct. The Russian apples are a very thoroughbred race, and often reproduce themselves closely from seed. The tree of neither the Wolf River nor the Alexander is entirely iron-clad. It is claimed for the Wolf River that it keeps considerably better than Alexander. Quality about the same, very good for cooking, and very salable. 222 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. The Enormous Apple. This apple (No. 398 of the government list of 1870) is a strong rival of the Alexander in size, and is probably the largest known apple of its early season— August in Northern Vermont, and probably July in Southern New England and westward to the lakes. It is of the Alexander type, oval in form, striped and almost covered with red. It is a good sub-acid apple of fair quality, excellent for cooking. Specimens 14 inches in circumference have been exhibited. The tree is a very strong and rapid grower, forming an open head and needing very little pruning. It is also productive. It is much hardier than the Alexander being apparently quite iron-clad. The Alexander (or as if is called in Russia the Apost family) contains apples of all seasons, and the long keepers (Winter Apost, etc.,) are said to be the best in quality, yet all are good. The following letter addressed to the secretary, by J. S. Stickney, vice- president of the Wisconsin Horticultural Society, was next presented: RUSSIAN APPLES. SECRETARY GARFIELD:—Extra hardy apples are less important to your peo- ple than to us of Wisconsin, yet I think almost any one who produces or uses apples would have enjoyed a recent day with me in the trial Russian orchard of Mr. A. G. Tuttle, Baraboo, Wisconsin. If the visitor should bring the very common impression that the Russians are all coarse grained and sour, and only give us summer and autumn kinds, he will very soon be driven to a change of mind, if not of “heart.” If he is so far interested as to understand and appreciate the needs of the northwest, I think his heart will so far soften as to make him an earnest friend and advo- cate of the better Russians. He will see through them a more direct road to abundant and good fruitage, to take the place of our dead favorites, than by the production and long trial of new seedlings, though in no way checking the interest in and efforts for new varieties from seed. Some of the Russians can discount all that was ever claimed for them in way of ugliness, and would do you good service in the road-side rows of orch- ards as fruit thief reformers. The pity is, that these worthless kinds have been sent out from so many points before their quality was known, instead of first testing thoroughly, as Mr. T. is doing. The further pity is that the enter- prising “tree missionary” is so actively selling ‘‘ Russians,” and delivering any worthless kind that he can buy cheapest. But over against this evil stands the good of twenty-five to forty varieties, comparing well with any equal num- ber that Michigan or Wisconsin has ever produced, in season, quality, and quantity. For a brief list, White Transparent, Repka, Beautiful Arcade, Long Arcade, Hybernal, Longfield, Golden White, Arabaskce will give a succession round the year, as good as anybody has, and handsome enough to be proud of. I have called this a trial orchard, and so it is in the most severe and impar- tial sense. In 1877-8, two trees each of some eighty kinds were planted on soil of average fertility, which had borne one or two crops of nursery trees —part were planted in among nursery trees—no manure or fertilizers have been used, and only ordinary cultivation given. With this treatment, growth has been very moderate. A few kinds show slight twig blight; aside from this all carry broad, heavy, dark green foliage, the most conclusive evidence of vig- \ SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING, 223 orous health, while in the same field Fameuse, Haas, Peweukee, Golden Russet and many others are dying or dead from the winter injury of 1884. In the nursery these trees will make glad the heart of him who has been accustomed to see his young stock frozen back more or less every winter. Nearly all are very upright in habit, and rarely fail to start from the terminal bud. All carry an abundance of luxuriant foliage, and a planting of grafts, with good treatment, will turn out a very large per cent of salable trees. J. S. STICKNEY. 2 Several remarked as to the way the JEWELL STRAWBERRY had behaved in Michigan, which brought out the following from P. M. Augur, the disseminator of that variety: New fruits are quite likely to be over praised by interested disseminators. Mr. Hills of Plaiston, N. H., says, ‘‘ we are paying $2 per dozen continuously for new varieties highly lauded which are of no value.’’ He is “glad to hear the Jewell represented in the discussion as so promising.’? The public in Michigan would undoubtedly like another year’s experience with the Jewell. Its peculiarities. First, the plant is exceptionally large and strong, ‘specially adapted to single rows or the hill system of culture; it makes plants fairly but not profusely; indeed the plants differ in this respect, some will make fifty to seventy new plants, while others make very few indeed. The Jewell needs more attention to secure a good stock of plants than most varieties. Our practice, however, secures success in all cases; it is this, we ‘select ideal plants for our stock, choosing the best; we plant on good, well fertilized land, cultivate well; begin pressing in summer as soon as the rootlets show, laying a small stone on each joint and repeat frequently. So we get our ground well stocked with plants by October 1. Second, under the best circumstances new plants set as soon as August 1, and given best ‘culture with runners all cut off, will average the next June a quart to a plant (2 feet by 14 feet). Single plants under such treatment have on our grounds touched both ways and given two quarts of large berries to a single plant as a maximum. The Jewell, as an enormous bearer of large berries, on our grounds has no peer; neither the Wilson nor Crescent can equal it or even approach it; but to attain perfection in ripening it should be in hills or narrow rows. The ‘Crescent is called the lazy man’s berry. The Jewell is not so; we do not recommend it to a careless man; just as the short-horn steer wants the best feed and care to gain 2 lbs. per day from birth to maturity, so does Jewell strawberry. But you say the same feed and care will reach the same results with any steer. No, sir, by no means; we must first have the capacity, then the requirement to fill it. With the Jewell under high culture we have the capacity met. In June of this year (1886), rows fourteen rods long of Wilson, Prince, Dan’! Boone, James Vick, Downing, Gypsey, Sharpless, Manchester, Mrs. Garfield, and several others, and the Jewell, the last, aggregated 50 per cent more than any and four times more than most of them. On June 30 Jewells same length, etc., gave thirty-eight to fifty quarts to the row in matted rows; Sharpless, same date, twelve to thirteen quarts. July 7, Jewell, twenty-seven quarts to the row; Sharpless, one to 224 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. three quarts; while most varieties were altogether through bearing; while in the first picking of the season we got more Jewells than any kind except. Wilson, and second picking more than Wilson. Under favoring circum- stances it will on our soil outyield any and all other varieties. On a high hill in a peach orchard our neighbor, who raised Jewell plants for us with best snecess, gives us the following. ‘(We took all plants except. a strip in each row 14 inches wide.) Having this season fruited the Jewell upon quite a large scale, it gives us pleasure to endorse all that has been said in its favor, with still more to add. We unhesitatingly pronounce the Jewell in all respects the peer of any other variety. We began picking June 9, and close to-day, July 16. We have given the Jewell only ordinary field culture, the same as the other varieties. The Jewell was fully double on the average side by side with the Sharp- less, which was its closest competitor. The last two pickings, while the Jewell was giving 12 to 18 quarts to the row, the Sharpless gave on rows the same length 1 to 3 quarts. The size of berries on the average through the season exceeds the Sharp- less. The plants are very vigorous and healthy. Asa variety it is all a reason-: able man can ask. It runs large early, large late, large all the time; with that bright, rich color so attractive that dealers and their customers prefer it every time. There is a point not to be overlooked, viz.: That it is pistillate. Plant every third row with Wilson, Capt. Jack and Warren alternately. With this combination and high culture an enormous crop of high-colored large firm shipping berries is attainable. Ten years hence the Jewell will be more widely and favorably known than at present. We feel that in dissem- inating the Jewell we have done the world good service. Lithographs of Itasca strawberries were shown by the originator, J. H. Haynes, of Delphi, Ind., and in response to an inquiry the secretary said: ‘ UUbONS? ose see hee eee nee Coane See eee ee ee Growing Ammateunem en =a ae ee eae eee Gomimercialeeeaey sess e ere eee nee Nae ees IPR CKAG OSE soos sees eee eee eee oes oe eee eae IPACKOLS 22 seo ssee oe eee oe oe anes Se eee eee Blamtsyebalc kines seesse = se eee oe ae ee eee ee eee ee ihe Je welisess—= seen ae ae eee (aL a ae eee Sees [BH@MVVAI SON: 22) ce eae ea. 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