Transactions of the Worcester County Horticultural Society

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1878-79

TRANSACTIONS

WORCESTER COUNTY

Horticultural Society,

FOR THE YEAR 1878;-??:

COMPRISING

ESSAYS: — UPON THE APPLE, BY O. B. HADWEN; THE

PEAR, BY JAMES DRAPER; THE STRAWBERRY,

BY WM. H. EARLE; VEGETABLES, BY

SYLVANUS SEARS.

ALSO,

THE ANNUAL REPORTS OF THE LIBRARIAN AND OF
THE SECRETARY.

WORCESTER, MASS. :

PRESS OF THE FRANKLIN PRINTING HOUSE.

1878.

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WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.

The Committee on Publication have deemed it unnecessary
to burden this volume of Transactions with the Schedule of
Premiums for 1878.

They also wish it to be distinctly understood that the Society
must not be held responsible for opinions or statements, in the
Essays now printed, which must depend, for verification, upon
the good faith and reputation of their respective authors.

EDWARD W. LINCOLN,

Chairman.
Horticultural Hall,

January 12, A. D., 1878.

INDEX

Essay on the Apple 5-10

Essay on the Pear 11-17

Essay on the Strawberry 18-22

Essay on Garden Vegetables 23-26

Annual Report of the Librarian 27-28

Annual Report of the Secretary 29-52

THE APPLE.

Bead before the Society, February Sth, A. B. 1877.

BY O. B. HADWEN,

If briefly considering the Apple in a ^few of its phases, will thereby
afford material for discussion, tending to create an interest and forward
the purposes for which these meetings are called, we most cheerfully
comply with the wishes of the Society.

Considering the subject by aggregates we are assured by the last cen-
sus of Massachusetts' agricultural products that the apple takes the lead
of the fruit-growing interests of the State. The soil and climate are
found congenial to the growth of the apple; the product of the State in
the year 1874 amounts to the very respectable number of 3,252,957 bush-
els, valued at the sum of $1,450,252. We are also safe in assuming that
the people of Massachusetts consume as much, if not more, fruit than
the people of any other State in proportion to their number: in fact the
home supply does not often equal the demand. Worcester County takes
the front rank among the counties of the State in the apple product. In
the year 1874 the product of the county was 933,013 bushels, valued at
$380,594. The importance of the apple crop both in bushels and dollars
is very apparent, but there are other phases of the subject, which are
especially important to those who grow fruit as incidental or special pro-
ducts.

Worcester County occupying a central portion of the State, and lying
within the great fruit-growing belt, is, both in soil and climate, especially
adapted to the growth of the apple, which has received care and cultiva-
tion from the earliest settlement of the county. Here many varieties of
apples have had their origin that are proving highly satisfactory, not only
here, but wherever they have been disseminated. Among these are the
Hubbardston Nonesuch, first found growing in the town of Hubbardston,
and the original tree is still in existence; few apples rank higher in its
season^ or are more universally esteemed wherever cultivated. The Holden
Pippin originated on the farm of Captain Samuel Hubbard, of Holden.
2

6 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1877.

The tree is at the present time about one hundred and twenty years old,
and is still in bearing. The tree is a strong and vigorous grower and
bears abundant crops in alternate years. The fruit is highly prized for
culinary purposes, and in condition when other apples are not abundant.

The Mother apple, originating in the Town of Bolton, is one of the
high aromatic flavored apples, and much sought as a dessert fruit; the tree
is but moderately vigorous, but bears abundant crops in alternate years.
But few apples have a deeper color or more flavor than the Mother.

The Palmer Greening, or Washington Koyal, has as many desirable
qualities as any, not excepting the once famous ITewtown Pippin. It had
its origin on the farm of Joseph P. Hay ward, of Sterling. This apple is
regarded in the neighborhood where it originated, and is considered
where it has been introduced, as one of the highest excellence, both for
the tabte and for cooking, and commands a higher price in market than
other sorts; it has not yet been widely disseminated, although in our
judgment it ought to be.

The Sutton Beauty also originated in this county, on the farm of John
Waters, in the town of Sutton. This is also proving the peer of th©
Hubbardston Xonesuch, in some respects even better, has more character,
flesh more tender and juicy, better color, and keeps later; a very abund-
ant bearer, and the tree having an upright growth supports its heavy
crops with less injury by breaking than trees of a spreading habit. We
have no doubt that this sort will grow into favor as it becomes better
known and more extensively grown.

The Foundling, having its orign in Groton, is also proving a desirable
sort, as well as an annual bearer of large crops. Some years we have
found this our most profitable apple, having the characteristic of com-
mencing to ripen in August, and continuing on the trees even till No-
vember. Thus we have an early apple for three months, equally good for
the dessert or culinary uses. The tree has a low spreading habit; it is
more desirable to engraft it into upright growing trees.

The Twenty Ounce, is supposed to have originated in this county,
north of Worcester, and used to be sold in our market for the Lyscom,
which it sometimes resembles. When shown at the early Exhibitions
of the Society it was soon discovered that it differed from the Lyscom,
and being exhibited from the town of Sterling it was named and shown
as the Sterling for many years. In the meantime it was described by
Downing under the name of Twenty Ounce, and a half-dozen other
synonyms; but let us call it the Twenty Ounce henceforth. This apple,
whether to the manor born or not, proves itself a very desirable variety,
large, showy, juicy, and sprightly, an annual bearer of large crops, and

1877.] ESSAY ON THE APPLE. 7

the tree of excellent habit ; ia fact no apple seems to thrive better with
reasonable cultivation ; and its season is from September to January.

The "Worcester Spy, also originating here, has some desirable qualities,
but after ten years trial we cannot recommend it for general cultivation.

The Leicester Winter Sweet, had its origin in Leicester, and was
brought into notice by the late J. Milton Earle. It is proving after fair
trial, to have many desirable qualities and worthy of cultivation. It is
the most showy of the Winter Sweet apples, and especially good for
baking.

There are of course many other varieties of apples of both foreign
and native origin, that will repay well for good cultivation; among these
are the Red Astrachan, Williams' Early Red, Duchess of Oldenburg, Sweet
Bough, Gravenstein, Maiden's Blush, Pumpkin Sweet, Fameuse, Bald-
win, R. I. Greening, Yellow Bellefleur, Roxbury Russett, which are very
generally cultivated. In almost every town in the county there exist
some apples of decided merit, which have not been brought into general
notice, that seem to thrive well and bear abundant crops, and if more
generally disseminated would prove valuable acquisitions. But we have
already varieties enough, unless the new ones prove better than the old,
and but few apples probably will ever be introduced superior to the
Duchess of Oldenburg, Williams' Early Red, Gravenstein, and other
popular varieties in their respective seasons.

Good care should ever be adopted in the cultivation of fruit, but the
treatment should vary with the condition of the soil and other surround-
ing circumstances. The orchardist who succeeds well with his trees in
grass, in land of great depth and fertility, should not recommend or pre-
scribe grass for orchards in thin and impoverished soil. The man who
has a shallow soil and has injured the roots of his trees with the plough
because they are near the surface of the earth, should not object to the
thorough manipulation of deep soils. Therefore it is absolutely neces-
sary for each and every grower of fruit to diligently and patiently study
his situation and surroundings, if he desires the best results to reward his
labor. Fruit trees exposed to bleak, and especially to drying winds at
the time they are in blossom, are likely to be damaged by drying and de-
stroying the adhesive qualities of the pollen of the flower, and wafting it
from, and beyond the uses which IS'ature intended it to serve. Thus
shelter is as important to the orchard as is good cultivation ; and without
shelter, crops are more uncertain, and many orchards failures. Shelter
from winds is very easily obtained by belts of trees surrounding the or-
chard, and no better tree can be found than the European Larch for that
purpose, at least for this county. If set at the same time of the orchard,
its rapidity of growth gives the orchard complete shelter before the trees

8 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1877.

come in bearing; and even if neglected at that time, they can be planted
out afterward and in six or eight years will be sufficiently grown to afford
protection. There are other trees which also are desirable for protecting
the orchard ; the White Pine, the Norway Spruce and the Hemlock. These
trees are of spreading habit, requiring more room, but as it is always de-
sirable to add to the beauty of the landscape, a variety of trees if judi-
ciously planted, having a regard for appearances, will be both ornamental
and useful; but old-fashioned farmers have strong objections to trees,
and cherish the dogma that they injure grass more than do tlie winds; at
the same time forgetting all about the advantage and shelter they afford
the fruit, as well as other crops. But the're are those who love to believe
that true economy and true taste are accordant; and that the graces, as
well as the profits of life, may be kept alive and in view, by the practical
aims of all farmers worthy of the name.

In considering the cultivation of the apple we have therefore concluded
that due economy requires that the orchard, and trees growing out of the
orchard, should be well sheltered from fierce winds from any quarter, and
especially from the drying winds blowing from southwest or northwest
to insure good crops; and if large annual crops of fair fruit are expected
no otlier crop should be taken from the ground, unless annually enriched.
But if the soil is deep and retentive of manures and moisture, and the
trees are planted at least forty feet apart, other crops may be taken from
the orchard without apparent injury to the apples. The soil must by no
means be allowed to become impoverished, but should receive an annual
dressing of suitable manures. Experience teaches that for extensive
orchards, trees planted forty feet apart is a desirable distance; the trees
growing shapely, and giving ample space for cultivation of other crops
if desired ; and it must be remembered the roots of trees occupy and are
nourished by the lower strata of the soil to a considerable extent, and the
tops unquestionably derive sustenance from the ocean of atmosphere
that surrounds them.

In the earlier history of Pomology in this county, the fruit-grower had
but few insects to contend with; but it is found that just in proportion as
you increase, improve and cultivate your fruits, insect enemies increase
in like proportion, confronting the fruit-grower on every hand, and there-
by his best efforts are often thwarted. We can only master these enemies
by studying their habits, and we may thank the entomologists that have
pointed out their habits, and the life history of every insect that make
depredations in the orchard and garden. Among the insects that com-
mence at the root or base of the tree is the too well known apple tree borer.
They do vast injury to the apple tree, but they are easily checked if taken
in their early stages of insect life. The egg is deposited near the base of

1877.] ESSAY ON THE APPLE. 9

the tree ia the mouth of June. Instinct seems to direct the deposit of
the eggs where the bark is moist and soft, the worm soon comes from
the egg and perforates the bark; making a small hole it finds its susten-
ance beneath the bark, at the same time making a circuitous apperture.
If trees are examined early in the months of August or September, their
hiding place may at once be detected by a slight discoloration of the
bark, an increase of moisture, and by their castings being thrust outside,
which appear like fine sawdust; and it is by this that their presence in '
the tree is most readily recognized. At this stage of their growth they
are easily cut out with the point of a knife; but if neglected they work
their way into the sap wood and can only be removed by a flexible copper
or iron wire, and they are with considerable difficulty reached even with a
wire, if too long neglected.

There are also insects which feed upon the leaf of the apple tree;
hereabout the tent caterpillars are most numerous and destructive. For-
tunately the habit of these insects render them so conspicuous that their
destruction in the early stages of their existence is easily accomplished
The female lays her eggs in June or July, arranging them in the form of
a broad ring, on the twigs near the extremity of the branches; they are
protected by a coating substance apparently water and weather proof, and
which is eaten by the young worms when first hatched. The eggs thus
deposited remain until the next spring when they commence hatching,
about the same time that the buds begin to expand, but seldom all the eggs
are hatched at once; if cold days intervene they do not hatch until
warm days return. By the cold storm which occurred in 1876 nearly all
the tent caterpillars were destroyed soon after being hatched, but when a
season favors them, which is usually the case, they come forth in vast
numbers, and their great voracity strips the trees of their foliage and is
of serious consequence to the orchard. Soon after the worms are hatched
they commence feeding upon the young and succulent leaf, and unite in
their efforts to form a web to protect them from the weather; at this
stage they are conspicuous enough to be easily seen, and when in their
tent are readily destroyed en masse; and no orchardist can afford to ne-
glect to destroy a worm, at once so destructive and unsightly.

The canker worm has sometimes overrun some of the orchards in the
county, and they have often counteracted the injurious depredations of
the codling moth, by cutting off the supply of fruit, thereby starving
them out; therefore it would sometimes seem that insect can more effec-
tually contend with insect than the fruit-grower does.

The Codling Moth and the Curculio, are most destructive to the ap-
ple; often rendering the bulk of the crop unmerchantable by their dep-
redations; and thus far they have had almost undisputed sway. But few

10 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1877.

cultivators successfully prevent or contend with these insects, and they
are rapidly increasing. We think that the fruit-grower in the future will
have to devise means and give time and labor to destroy these insects if
good fruit is to be grown, and the sooner we learn the most effectual
means for their destruction the better.

The cultivation of the apple has long been an important interest in our
county, and holds a respectable rank among our agricultural industries.
The money value received for the last crop of 1876, apples exported from
the county, will probably exceed by far the value of any other product;
thousands of barrels having been, and are still being sent to other cities
and foreign ports; and although the price has been comparatively low,
still the sum total must amount to several hundred thousand dollars.
This has been accomplished by very ordinary, I might almost say by hap-
hazard cultivation; good cultivation, or the care that other crops have to
receive, would have undoubtedly doubled the money value of the apple crop
by largely reducing the per cent, of fruit that is unmerchantable, and un-
fit for use. All questions regarding the culture of crops of all kinds,
sooner or later resolve themselves into the one great problem. Profit,
which is the bottom round of the ladder of success.

THE PEAE:

ITS CULTIVATION AND VARIETIES.

Read before the Society, February loth, A. D. 1877.

BY JAMES DRAPER.

While the question of the over production of fruit, and the over stock-
ing of the market is being agitated, some may doubt the expediency of
increasing the cultivation of fruit in this section as a matter of profit.
Consequently it may not be time wholly misspent to discuss some of the
features of fruit growing that will be of practical value to every tiller of
the soil. Whether the growing of fruit for the market is as profitable
taking all things into account, as the culture of vegetables, or the pro-
duction of milk, I shall not attempt to decide. But on one point I am
certain, that no farmer or owner of a garden plot can afford to do less
than to provide a liberal supply of fruit for his own family of the choicest
varieties, so arranged as to cover the entire season of the year. It would
certainly seem presumptuous for me to think I could give much new in-
formation to a body of old and well tried fruit growers like many we find
present to-day, but as you have requested me to open the discussion to-
day, by a paper on Pears, I have briefly noted down a few things that
come to mind from my observation and experience during the last fifteen
years. The matter of the origin of the many varieties may not be of anv
special interest, but while we are indebted to the pomologists of other
countries for the production of some of our best and highest flavored va-
rieties, we are glad to note that our own American cultivators have o-iven
as the reward of their labors, some of the hardiest, most productive, and
most valuable varieties, the Clapp's Favorite, Seckel, Sheldon Howell
Onondaga, and Lawrence, proving to be in many respects equal to any
given us from foreign sources.

Shall we plant standard or dwarf trees? Many will answer emphat-
ically, standards. I would not give much for dwarfs, they do not amount
to anything. My experience with the pear on a quince stock on my
heavy, clayey soil, has been very favorable, and I have now in bearino-

12 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1877.

many dwarf trees that have produced heavy crops for over twenty years,
and some trees yielding from two to four bushels of fruit annua;lly. If
one has a light or sandy soil I would not recommend dwarfs, except per-
haps I should want the Duchesse, Louise Bonne and Vicar, on the quince
roots. On our rich, loamy and heavy clayey soils, where the pear seems
to thrive best, I should set one-third to one-half of the dwarfs, taking of
the varieties that seem to be particularly adapted to the quince stock; of
these the Duchess, Louise Bonne de Jersey, Belle Lucrative, Vicar,
Doyenne du Comice, Beurre Superiin, and perhaps the Clapp's Favorite.
I should plant these trees between the standards, and by so doing we can
plant nearly double the number of trees on an acre. Pear trees may be
set in rows twenty feet apart, and twenty feet apart in the row. By
planting dwarfs between we get the trees ten feet apart in each row,
which is a good distance for an orchard.

How shall a tree be planted? I am aware how hundreds of trees are
planted, by digging a small hole, filling it half full of strong manure,
stick in the tree, jam the roots down with the boot heel, fill up the hole
Avith sods, stone and dirt, and then vent your wrath upon the nurseryman
for selling you poor trees, calling him a cheat, a swindler, a scoundrel, and
other pet names, because your trees happen to die. In the first
place the roots of a tree must have room; so let the hole be dug
large enough to admit all the roots without cramping them, and then set
the tree into the ground so that the small surface roots will be about two
inches lowtjr than where they stood in the nursery rows. Dwarf trees
should be set so that the quince stock will be buried three to four inches
below the level of the ground; in this way many dwarf trees will strike a
pear root above the bud, and so the tree eventually becomes a standard;
we then have the advantage of early f ruitf ulness and long life to the tree.
Having placed the tree in the hole in proper position, fill in the hole with
fine dirt, working it in around the roots with the fingers or a small tamp-
ing stick; when the roots are well covered a few shovelsful of compost
may be used to advantage, but the use of green, unfermented manures
should always be avoided in the transplanting of trees.

In regard to the after culture of the pear, if the soil is already rich the
tree will not require much extra feeding, but on the average of our New
England soils, trees need liberal manuring to grow and produce well. The
manure should be applied in the fall of the year; three or four good shov-
elsful of well decomposed manure piled around the trunk of the tree will
answer a double purpose of preventing the ravages of mice, and of fur-
nishing nutriment to the tree, at the right time. The spring rains cause
the leaching of the manure about the roots, which by being enriched
early in the season will make a good growth of wood that becomes well
ripened before the autumn frosts.

1877.] ESSAY ON THE PEAR. 13

The time for transplanting trees, spring or fall, should also be consid-
ered. If the soil is dry and well drained of surface water, trees may be
transplanted in the fall of the year with as equally good results as in the
spring. The soil is in better condition, being dry and mellow, and will
pack better around the roots; the tree will get firmly estabUshed ready
for an early growth the next year; and, again, a farmer usually has more
leisure in the fall, and can give more time to the work, which will be
done better than in the hurry of the spring work. If the land is in any
way wet or exposed to the bleak northerly winds, I should invariably
take the spring months for transplanting. The proportion of spring to
fall planting, as practiced by my customers, has been as two to one, two-
thirds of our trade being in the spring, the other third in the fall of the
year.

When and how shall we prune? The nurserymen have hit upon one
general rule: " to prune when your knife is sharp," which establishes
one fact, — that light knife pruning may be performed at any season of
the year. On the other hand, if large limbs are to be taken off, or a
heavy pruning on large trees, we should take the months of March and
April for the purpose. Trees, when first transplanted, should be cut
back heavy, at least two-thirds of the previous year's growth should be
taken off. This will help counterbalance the loss of root, and also give
the root a chance to get established first, without being compelled to
furnish sustenance for bud and leaf on superfluous wood. I believe that
more trees from the nursery die every year for lack of this cutting back
process than from any other cause. After the first 5'ear's heavy pruning,
a young tree will not require much pruning for several years; simijly
keep them clear of sprouts and cross limbs. When we find the trees
making a heavy growth, say of two to three feet in a single year, it is
best to cut them back again, which will make them more stocky, and it
also tends to bring them earlier into bearing, which is desirable when a
tree has attained a bearing size.

If one's orchard is in an exposed place where strong winds prevail, a
shorter, more stocky tree is most desirable.

As nearly every variety of pear is better to be taken from the tree and
ripened in the house, a general rule that will apply to every variety is
most desirable; in this I have special reference to the summer rnd early
autumn pears. The later autumn and winter pears should all be gathered
about the first week in October. The earlier fruit should always be
gathered a week or ten days before it is ripe, and the time to pick them
can generally be decided in a very simple manner. When the windfalls
and worm-eaten specimens that drop from the tree, have the appearance
of ripe fruit by their color, mellowness and natural flavor, it is safe to say
3

14 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1877.

that it is about the right time to gather the crop. Pick them carefully by-
hand, and store in a dark, dry, cold place, and they will soon be ready for
use or the market. Pears intended for the market should be sent away
before they become mellow, as it does not much improve the looks of
fruit to carry it over rough roads and pavements when in a ripe or mellow
condition. The later varieties should be gathered with great care, not al-
lowing them to get bruised in handling, and stored in a dark, dry cellar,
as cold as may be without freezing. If it is desirable at any time to
hasten the season of ripening, carry them into a warmer room and they
will usually ripen in a short time.

With a list of over a thousand named varieties, and some over a hun-
dred in general cultivation in this country, there may arise some differ-
ences of opinion from what I consider the most valuable sorts for general
cultivation. I have aimed to name the varieties that contain the greatest
number of valuable qualities, such as productiveness, healthy, vigorous
growth of tree, excellence of flavor of fruit, and good keeping sorts that
will not decay too rapidly.

To report the conversation with a customer last spring will give som®
idea of what is generally conceded to be the most popular variety. After
the usual salutation, I put the question: " Something I can show you to-
day, sir? " " Yes, sir; I want to buy some pear trees." " Do you wish
for standard or dwarf trees? " " ISTo, sir; them are not what I want at
all. I want them kind what you call Bartletts." " Very well; we have
that variety, both as standards and dwarfs, but they do best as standards;
I will show you what we have." Showing my stock of trees, size and
price being satisfactory, I learn that he wants a dozen trees, and suggest
that as he is just starting his fruit garden, and as he has room for only a
dozen trees, that it would be desirable to have several varieties so as to
give him a succession of fruit through the season. I mention that we
have some varieties of summer pears, some ripening during the fall, and
some winter varieties. " All right, sir; them's just the kind I want. Put
me down two early Bartletts, two fall Bartletts, two winter Bartletts, and
I'll have all the rest the regular Bartletts." The sum and substance of
this matter is that the Bartlett pear is the one above all others that every-
body knows. I think I am safe in saying that fully one-half of my
yearly sales of pear trees are of that one variety, and although I would
not recommend planting as many varieties of the Bartlett as did my Irish
customer, I should make it the leading variety for market culture on ac-
count of its unrivaled popularity.

Kext to the Bartlett in value, as a market sort, I should name the
Clapp's Favorite, which I consider one of the greatest rivals of the Bart-
lett we now have, ripening a week or ten days earlier, being larger in

1877.] ESSAY ON THE PEAE, 15

size on the average, of a rich crimson and yellow color, which makes it
very attractive on the fruit stands, and also having a more sprightly,
vinous flavor, which I consider far superior to the Bartlett. The tree
makes a very healthy, vigorous growth, is perfectly hardy, and comes in-
to bearing young, another desirable feature.

Kipening after the Bartlett, next in value I should place the Sheldon,
one of our most valuable American pears. It is not as productive a sort
as the two first named, but a fruit of good size and most excellent quality,
and becoming more and more popular every year on our fruit stands; we
find it also an excellent keeper, a very desirable quality in our fall pears.
Following the Sheldon in order of ripening comes the Louise Bonne de
Jersey, one of the heaviest and most regular bearing varieties now in
cultivation. In size it is rather below the average, but it is generally a
very highly colored fruit that gives it an attractive appearance on the
stand, and makes for it a ready sale. The Duchesse you are already
aware is the largest size fruit grown. It is verj'^ juicy , but a coarse grained
fruit, and not of the highest quality, but its extra large size commands
for it a ready sale at high prices. This is one variety that seems to thrive
best on the quince root, many having found it to be a failure on the pear
root.

The Beurre Bosc is perhaps the most popular variety of October pears
now in the Worcester market, and the large, rich, golden russet colored
specimens are much sought after by the lovers of a delicious fruit. To
get this variety it is best to graft it upon some old trees, as it is a very
poor grower in the nursery row, and but few nurserymen attempt to grow
the tree for sale, on account of its slow crooked habit of growth. Next
to the Beurre Bosc, we shall place the Beurre d' Anjou, now generally
admitted by fruit growers and horticulturists in this section to be the
best in every particular of the late fall pears. It commences ripening in
October, and many years will keep till Thanksgiving. The President of
the American Pomological Society, the Hon. Marshall P. Wilder, claims
for this sort that it is the best pear of its season grown in this country,
covering more points of value than any other, and all lovers of a fine
grained, rich, melting, high flavored fruit, will coincide in his opinion.

For a later fall or early winter pear we have the Lawrence, a fruit of
medium size only, but ranking among the best in quality, being of fine
texture and most excellent flavor. It is also a good keeper, and ripens
and colors up well. I have named a list of eight varieties of pears, cov-
ering almost the entire season, that, in my judgment, are the most valua-
ble sorts for general cultivation for the market, to be found in the list of
pears.

The tendency to cultivate a great number of varieties is, I think, a

16 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1877.

mistake; the fewer sorts the better. If I were ojrowing fruit for the
market, and was to plant a dozen trees, I should not care for more than
two sorts; out of twenty-five trees I would not have but four, and out of
a hundred not over eight, and those eight would be the ones before
named.

To go on a little farther, we will consider a few varieties for amateur
culture, or for one's own family use, covering a longer season, following
in closer succession, and embracing some of the finest flavored sorts of
the highest character. Kipening a few weeks before the Bartlett, we
have the Eostiezer, a juicy, sugary pear, of small size, and the Beurre
Giffard, a fruit of medium size, a good bearer and of fine flavor. Ripen-
ing after the Bartlett, we have the Seckel, known to you all as one of the
richest, finest flavored pears in cultivation. Although I would advise
every one to have a Seckel pear tree for their own use, I hardly think it
a profitable variety to grow for the market.

The Doyenne Boussoc is a fruit of large size and quite showy, and
some cultivators have found it profitable as a market sort. Like the
Bartlett, it decays rapidly, and is not as reliable as some other varieties
ripening at the same time. The lovers of fruit of a sprightly, vinous
flavor will find the Beurre Superfin and Paradis d' Automne to be most
excellent varieties. If a sweet, melting, sugary pear is -wanted, the
Beurre Hardy will supply the want, and ripening about the first of October

If any one wishes for a fine growing tree of a shapely, upright habit
of growth, as an ornament to an estate, take the Buffum and you will be
well suited, but you will find the fruit small, and number two or three in
quality. If you like a mealy pear you will have it in the Bufiium, and get
a crop of them every year. The Belle Lucrative is another regular and
heav3' bearing variety of good size, and very juicy and sweet, in fact it
is rather too sweet to suit some tastes, but our sweet toothed pear eaters
all claim that it is just splendid. I have found this to be a profitable
market sort, being of good size, and a heavy bearer every year.

Another variety of the highest character, and ripening in N^ovember,
is the Doyenne du Comice, a fruit of a large size, and a fair cropper.
This variety seems to thrive best on the quince stock. The Winter Nelis
is a small sized November pear, but a very rich, melting, juicy fruit, of
the highest flavor. This is one of those rambling growing trees that dis-
courage nurserymen, and it is best obtained by grafting it upon some
older trees.

A variety that many have condemned on account of its ripening so
poorly, is the Vicar, one of our latest keeping varieties. Now the fault
does not rest so much with the pear as with the management it receives.
It is an enormous bearer, and bears regularly every year. By thinning

1877.] ESSAY ON THE PEAR. 17

the fruit, and not leaving more than one third upon the tree, we shall get
fine large specimens that will ripen well, and prove to be of very good
quality. Like all winter pears it wants to be stored in a dark, cold, dry
place, till ready for use; with this management the Yicar is a very valu-
able variety; with neglect it will be worthless every year. The Beurre
Clairgeau is a very profitable market sort, being a good bearer, and a
large sized, red cheeked, handsome fruit. Its attractive appearance will
sell the fruit, but its quality would never commend it. I did not put this
on my list of eight best market sorts, as I consider it an imposition upon
the public taste, to palm off upon them such a poor fruit as this, even if
it is handsome, and there is money in it.

The Flemish Beauty was quite popular a few years ago, but of late
years the fruit has cracked badly, which makes it unreliable. In point of
flavor it is superior, and on this account I would venture a single tree in
a collection for one's own use. Beurre Diel, or I^ovember pear, once
very popular, has the same habit as the above, but I think not quite as
bad. It is a great bearer, good size, keeps, and ripens well, and with a
bright golden color. On account of this habit of cracking, I should place
the Onondaga in place of the Beurre Diel, as it is very much like it in
appearance and ripens nearly at the same time, perhaps a little earlier
of the two.

This list might be extended by adding the St. Ghislain and Washing-
ton, fine September pears, and the Josephine de Malines and Mt.
Vernon for winter, and so on to the end of the chapter. I will allude to
one more and then I am done. The Earle's Bergamot, a seedling origi-
nated by the late Hon. John Milton Earle, of this city, is a variety that
has impressed itself very favorably upon my taste. It has a peculiar
flavor of its own that lovers of choice fruit will enjoy. Our friend Mr.
V. P. Townsend, of Quinsigamond, is the only exhibitor of this fruit at
our Horticultural Exhibition, to my knowledge, but I hope that in some
way it may become more generally disseminated through this section, for
m point of quality there are few pears that will equal it.

In this rambling sort of a manner I have given you my views and ex-
perience. The subject is open for your discussion. If, as the result of
it, some are induced to thus improve their homes by planting a few trees,
let me add get good trees, of good varieties, from some reliable nursery-
man; give them good care, and your labors will be crowned with a lib-
eral harvest, and your children and your children's children will rise up
and call you blessed.

THE STRAWBERKY.

Bead before the Society, February 22, A. D. 1877.

BY WILLIAM H. EARLE.

The cultivation of the Strawberry is a subject of increasing impor-
tance to all persons interested in the growing of small fruits, especially
in the vicinity of large cities and manufacturing villages.

In my boyhood days in the quiet country town of Hubbardston, on my
father's farm, which by the way was adjoining the farm where still stands
the original apple tree, nearly a half mile from any human habitation,
from which sprang the delicious fruit now known all over the continent
as the " Hubbardston Nonesuch," — on this same farm I have often gath-
ered a pailful of native strawberries in an afternoon; but cannot remem-
ber ever having seen, in that town, a single dish of cultivated strawber-
ries before I was fifteen years of age; in fact, for some years after, the
growing of a family supply even was considered doubtful, and the idea
of selling cultivated fruit for profit was seldom entertained. Now, per-
haps, there is no fruit grown that finds a readier market or affords the
grower a better profit.

The interest manifested within the past few years in growing straw-
berries is most encouraging, and shows how earnestly the people desire
to raise their own fruit. And this is right, for fruit long since ceased to
be looked upon as a mere luxury for the few and fortunate, and has come
to be regarded as an essential article of healthful food. I know of no
other fruit that thrives and flourishes over so large a portion of the earth's
surface as the strawberry. It is adapted to almost all kinds of soil, and
with intelligent treatment will bring the grower ample remuneration for
his labor and outlay.

More than 400 varieties have been under cultivation in this country
within the last twenty years. To produce these 400 varieties many hun-
dred thousand seedlings have been raised. I was told last summer by
Mr. Durand, the originator of the " Great American " Strawberry, that

1877.] ESSAY ON THE STRAWBERRY

he seldom obtained more than two or three varieties, out of several thou-
sand seedlings, that were worthy of being propagated. It is said the late
Seth Boyden raised some twelve or fifteen thousand seedlings, conduct-
ing many of his experiments on strictly scientific principles, crossing
varieties, guarding against accidents from the elements and insects by
protecting his propagating plants during the blossoming season, but from
this lai'ge number we seldom hear of any except the " Agriculturist,"
"Green Prolific," and " Boyden's No. 30"; and even this last has
recently been greatly improved and is now known as " Boyden's No. 30
Improved.''^

Although I have grown strawberries in Minnesota, New Jersey and
Massachusetts, yet my experience is comparatively limited; and in this
paper I can only attempt to touch upon a few of the more important
requisites for the successful cultivation of the strawberry.

The best soil is a deep light loam, not too dry, which should be pre"
pared in the fall by deep ploughing (and if not too stony the sub-soil
plough should be used), putting on all the well rotted manure you can
make or buy — being careful to first see that it is thoroughly pulverized by
being worked over at least two or three times — and then applied so as to
leave it as near the surface as possible, but well mixed with the soil.
Leave the ground in the fall in rough furrows, and at the earliest practi-
cal moment in the spring cross plough with a light one-horse plougl;. In
this condition leave it until the day you are ready to set your plants.

And now comes the question, " What kinds shall I plant," and '■'■where
shall I procure genuine plants strictly true to name? "

In answering this question I shall name only a few kinds and such as I
have quite thoroughly tested and consider best adapted to the soil and
climate of this neighborhood. I shall also name them in the order in
which my own experience, as a grower, has proved them to be valuable,
both for family use and the market, — Charles Downing, Jucunda and
Wilson's Albany.

These are all hermaphrodite, having perfect blossoms.

The "Charles Downing" is a seedling from the Downer's Prolific,
which originated with Mr. Downer in, Southern Kentucky. It is ex-
tremely hardy, ripens early, is of excellent flavor, and a great bearer.

The " Jucunda " I believe to be the handsomest and most attractive
strawberry yet produced. It is uniformly large, of beautiful scarlet waxen
color, and nearly every blo?som forms fruit. It has a very long season.
One year I gathered fruit from the same vines for six weeks in succes-
sion. The plants of this variety, however, make a very slow growth the
first season after planting.

The " Wilson's Albany " needs no description. To those who have

20 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, [1877.

not the taste, time or patience to cultivate the far more preferable varie-
ties, and who expect a fair crop of fruit, with little or no care; or with
those who live a long distance from their market and must therefore
grow a kind that is firm in texture, and that will color up well, even when
picked quite green, the Wilson's Albany will probably fill these unprofit-
able and unpardonable conditions better than any other variety I know.
It originated twenty years ago, and by its great hardiness and productive-
ness has won its way in estimation among growers as a profitable market
berry, until it is probably safe to say that nine-tenths of all the straw-
berries now raised for market in this country are of this variety.

To the question where shall we buy plants? I answer, only of persons
who are known to be perfectly reliable, and who will therefore sell plants
true to name. " By their fruits ye shall know them," applies in this case
not only to the plants but also to the seller.

If possible select your plants from beds in your own neighborhood,
where you have seen the perfect fruit growing. If possible set them out
the same day they are taken up. Plants shipped by mail or express,
from one State to another, are not worth on the average one-fourth as
much as the same varieties procured near your home.

Your ground having been smoothed off and prepared as previously di-
rected, you are now ready to mark off your rows with a garden line. The
plan I have followed for the past few years has been to plant in beds of
three rows each, the middle row being eighteen inches from each of the
others, and the plants set twelve inches apart in the row. Fruit can thus
be the more easily gathered. These beds should be three feet apart. The
beds should be prepared only a little in advance of the planting, in order
that the earth shall be fresh and moist in which the new plant is to be
set. If the soil is in the condition it should be you will need no trowel,
but should set your plants with your hands. If this is found too severe
for the fingers, holes may be made with a dibble made from the handle of
an old shovel. Suppose for instance you wish to plant out one acre in
strawberries. If set as before indicated it will require about 21,000 plants
to set an acre. To set these plants properly and economically will re-
quire two men and two boys, and if a dibble is used, a fifth man. The
first one will prepare the ground and place the lines; the second will pre-
pare the plants by cutting off with sharp shears the ends of the roots,
and if the tops are much grown, the larger leaves, and then dip the roots
in a liquid manure, made by putting a quart or more of well rotted ma-
nure into a pail of water. A boy then takes enough plants in a basket,
covering the plants with a wet 'cloth, and drops them only as fast as the
fourth man can properly set them out. They should be set well down
into the ground and the soil firmly pressed sibout the plant; the surface of

. 1877.] ESSAY ON THE STRAWBERRY. 21

the ground nearest the plant being, by this process, made as it should be,
a little lower than the surrounding surface. In this manner I have set
out 5,000 plants in a day with my own hands. Vigorous plants set in
this way, freshly transplanted, will nearly every one live and succeed.
Plants should be set out very early in the spring. I have no faith in fall
planting. Properly set out they will very seldom need any watering. If
set out late in the season it should be done on a cloudy day or late in the
afternoon. After the field is planted the ground should be kept entirely
clear from weeds, and all blossoms and runners should be pruned off the
first season.

Wood ashes will be found one of the most valuable top dressings that
can be appUed. Late in the fall when the ground has become frozen, a
mulch of pine leaves, hay or straw, should be applied, covering the whole
ground. If the strawberry growers would unite in buying salt hay,
probably there is no other material that is superior for this purpose. The
following spring I should not remove the mulch, but only open a small
space for the crown of each plant. This mulch will serve three purposes.
It will keep the ground moist, prevent the growth of weeds, and keep
the fruit clean as it ripens. But to secure the most bountiful crop per-
haps the most important hint has not yet been suggested.

When President Wilder, our eminent horticulturist, was asked how
he succeeded in growing such beautiful strawberries, he replied, " three
" things are necessar3^ First, you should give them plenty of water. But
" this will not answer unless you observe the second requisite; viz: Give
" the plants a little more water. But with all this labor and care you will
"fail in obtaining the best results if you fail in the third condition, viz:
" Give the plants a little more «jaier." This I believe to be the grand secret
of success. How it can be accomplished is an important question for us
to discuss.

After the fruit has been carefully gathered the tops of the plants may
be cut off with a scythe and allowed to remain on the ground a few days,
until the new shoots start up from the stools, (otherwise the hot July
sun may kill the plants) then the whole ground should be raked over,
and all mulch and rubbish removed and stacked up, ready for another
winter's use.

For the remainder of the season the ground should be thoroughly cul-
tivated and manured, and my practice has been to continue to keep off
all runners as before ; yet many prefer to let the runners take root the
second season, and by covering the ground with plants, secure one more
very large crop (although of rather smaller berries than when grown in
hills) , and after that plough them up and reset.

In the cultivation of this fruit, as in all others, remember the better
4

22 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1877.

the culture the better the crop. Let no green thing be seen in your stra'^-
berry field, except the plants and fruit, for if weeds abound the greenest
thing about the premises will be the management. If one " takes inter-
est in the business, hates weeds, is up with the lark and free with elbow
grease," he will be surprised at the possible results.

A Mr. Smith, of Wisconsin, says he grew 411 bushels on an acre.
Thomas Meehan, editor of " Gardener's Monthly," says he saw at the
grounds of J. B. Whitney, near Detroit, Michigan, a large milk pan filled
with fruit by the picker, from a space so far as he could reach out ai'ound
him without moving his feet away.

Year before last at my grounds at Sunnyside, on about three acres of
land, I realized a gross income of a little over S2,000; a large proportion
of my crop being choice varieties of strawberries.

In preparing strawberries for the market the same care should be used
in making a second quality of all inferior fruit, as we practice in assorting
apples or other fruit.

To those who plant, cultivate and market with intelligence, perse-
verance and care, the choicest varieties of strawberries, there will always
be found a ready market, at good prices; while for inferior fruit (and in
this list I must include the " Wilson,") a glutted market often affords
the grower naught but low prices and disappointment.

If the same force, thought and effort that many of our amateur culti-
vators show in the pleasure and profit they obtain from their gardens, can
be carried to the cultivation of our larger fields and farms, we shall all
soon have a better appreciation of the capabilities of the soil, and more
correct ideas of the uses and value of Horticulture.

To aid and encourage such progress is a worthy and commendable
work.

GARDEN VEGETABLES.

Bead before the Society, March 22, A. D. 1877.

BY SYLVANUS SEARS, OF "WORCESTER.

The first garden we have any account of in Sacred or Profane History,
was the Garden of Eden. It was certainly the most beautiful, as it con-
tained everything that could delight the eye. It was certainly the most
useful, as it contained everything that was needed, both for the food of
man and beast. It was certainly the most comprehensive, as it contained
not only all the flowers of fields, and all the vegetables that grew out of
the ground, but also all the trees whose fruits were pleasant to the eye or
good for food or any other use. That garden has passed away and the
place where it was supposed to have been is now a howling wilderness.
But man transgressed and was driven out of that garden, and since then
he has been obliged to earn his bread by the sweat of his brow. But I
am digressing and must come at once to my subject.

The great secret of success in market gardening lies in the succession
of crops, heavy manuring, thorough cultivation and a good market; but
all of these will not give the best results without the gardener's skill in
keeping the ground fully occupied, and in that more than all other things
is where not only gardeners but farmers fail; they keep loo much unoc-
cupied land, for if it is not occupied with crops it soon will be occupied
by weeds.

In selecting a location for raising vegetables many have made great
mistakes; first in locating too far from their market. It is done perhaps
because the land is much cheaper, but they find their mistake when they
come to transport their fertilizers to their land and cart their vegetables
to the market. The cost of manure is very much enhanced by carrying
it a long distance, and the vegetable gardener must have a good supply,
else his crops will be meagre and of small size, and his profits will be
proportionately small, and if his vegetables must be carted six or eight

24 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1877.

miles over rough roads, and through the hot sun and dust of summer,
they become bruised, wilted, and lose much of their fresh and inviting
appearance, and as a matter of course cannot command so good a price
in market. If he locates within one or two miles of his market, his teams
will accomplish three or four times as much in hauling manure and in
carrying his produce to market as he would if he was six or eight miles
from it. Peter Henderson says in his " Gardening for Profit," "it is bet-
ter to pay $500 an acre for land lying one or two miles from market than
to have it given him at eight or ten miles away."

A gentleman was once asked how he managed to raise such beautiful
flowers, replied:]" I manure them with brains.^'' So the market gardener
has need of a large quantity of this commodity in order to make the
business pay. He may not be able to write a nice essay, or speak elo-
quently, as many who have preceded me have done, and although he may
not be able to tell how many hundreds of dollars he has made from an
eighth of an acre of land, as some who have preceded me have done,
yet he may show by the superior quality and size of his vegetables that he
has not applied his talents in vain.

When to apply the fertilizers, how, and in what quantities, and what
kinds, requires much discrimination and study, for on this hinges success
or failure many times.

Some vegetables require fertilizers containing Ammonia and Nitrogen,
in order for them to grow successfully; while others require potash, and
others require phosphate of lime to develop them to perfection. Thirty
years ago we had but little choice in fertilizers; barnyard manure was
then the only source of supply and we must use that or none. But now
we have fertilizers for almost every crop we grow if we have need to
purchase them. I use barnyard manure for my principal supply, either
fermented or in its green state, according to the crop I apply it to; and
then use home-made superphosphate of lime to stimulate the crops to an
earlier development; the same as some of our Congressmen take whisky or
brandy to stimulate their brain when they are writing or speaking. And it
operates the same in the vegetable as with the man when we use too much;
it floors them, or in other words it kills the germ and the seed does not
vegetate; but to obviate this trouble I throw a little soil over the phos-
phate and plant on top of that when I drop it in the hill.

Prof. Stockbridge, since he has been connected with our Agricultural
College, has instituted a series of experiments which, I think, will be of
incalculable benefit to the market gardeners of this State. He has demon-
strated by his experiments that chemical fertilizers may be prepared
which will be of equal benefit to the growing crops as animal excrements,
and that they are to be procured and applied much cheaper, thus giving

■ 1877.] ESSAY ON GARDEN VEGETABLES. 25

a larger profit to the producer. Dr. Nichols has raised corn on the same
piece of land twelve years in succession and applied nothing but chemi-
cal fertilizers, and the number of bushels per acre constantly increased
until they reached 105 bushels per acre, and it was raised at a cost of less
than fifty cents per bushel. I raised a crop of potatoes the past year
with nothing but chemical fertilizer at a cost of S18 per acre, and it was
a good crop.

In my opinion it is^betterfor each gardener to raise some leading crop,
whatever his land is best adapted to; for instance, if his land is warm and
mellow, early peas or tomatoes will thrive and bring good prices if he
gets them early; but if his land is a heavy, clayey soil, let him raise cab-
bages, squashes, or other late vegetables, and not attempt to compete
with those having warmer soils. "Whatever you attempt be sure and get
good seed; what is more vexatious than finding after you have planted and
tended a nice bed of early beets, when you come to pull them that they
are nothing but mongrels, so stringy as to be unfit for use? It may cost
a little more at first to get good seed, but it pays to do it.

"What to plant and when to plant it, requires much discrimination and
judgment, for if we plant our beans and early sweet corn too early, the
late spring frosts are liable to cut them off, and if too late, others will
get them into market before us.

"What are the most reliable varieties of vegetables, is a question easier
asked than answered. I will name some of the kinds of vegetables I
have found reliable in my experience. Of early potatoes the Early Eose
and Bresee's No. 1, have proved good with me. Of peas, I planted for
succession Landreth's Extra Early, Little Gem, McLean's Advancer and
Brown's Dwarf Marrow. Of beans, I find the best succession is the
Yellow Six "Weeks, White "Wax, Dwarf Horticultural, Concord and
Lima. Of beets, the Egyptian and Dewing's are the standard varieties.
Of sweet corn, I plant first Russell's Extra Early, Naragansett, Moore's
Concord and Stowell's Evergreen. Of cabbages for early market, I plant
Jersey "Wakefield, Winnigstadt and Fottler's Early Drumhead; for late or
winter use. Flat Dutch, Red Drumhead, Mason Drumhead and American
Savoy. Of squashes. Summer Crookneck, Canada Crookneck, Boston Mar-
row, Turban, Hubbard, and -perhaps the Marblehead. Of tomatoes, the
Canada Victor, Trophy, General Grant, Boston Market and Tilden stand
pre-eminent. I have tested these kinds of vegetables and find them
worthy of cultivation.

In preparing the land for vegetables much discrimination should be
used, some^kinds requiring a very rich soil and very mellow, while others
require but moderately rich soil, but all of them will grow better in a
good mellow seed-bed. Therefore, it is best to plough thoroughly twice

26 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1877.

and harrow or cultivate to pulverize and level the surface. Thorough
cultivation is necessary in raising vegetables successfully; the weeds
should be kept down at all events. I have seen a crop of potatoes reduced
one-half by suffering the weeds to get the mastery during hay time, and
then it cost double to dig them. Who is there who admires a weedy gar-
den, and who is there that does not admire a well kept, orderly garden,
where the fruits and vegetables thrive in their luxuriance, and where
profit blends with beauty and utility? And now, as we stand upon the
verge of another spring, let us prepare in earnest for the work before us;
for soon the warm sun and genial showers of May will awaken Mother
Earth from her lethargy and we must be prepared to drive our work and not
let the work drive us, for where so many things demand our attention at
once we are liable to neglect some of them.

In conclusion I would say, let us look to the Giver of every good and
perfect gift for a blessing upon our endeavors and for a fruitful season.

EEPORT OF THE LIBRARIAISr. "

To the Menibers of the Worcester County Horticultural Society :

Another year has closed since my last annual report was made, and the
Librarian is expected to make some statement in regard to the condition
of the Library. In the discharge of that duty it gives him pleasure to
say that the members have used the books and different publications, fur-
nished by the societ}^, to a greater extent than the previous year. The
Library Committee place upon the shelves of the Library many of the
most valuable publications issued, in this and other countries. It seems
strange that they are not more fully appreciated by the members, and that
greater numbers do not avail themselves of the advantages thus provided.

The LibraryCommittee have been laboring assiduously for several years
past to procure such volumes of the Revue Horticole as are already pub-
lished, but until the present year have been unable to do so, owing to the
scarcity of the volume, interrupted by the war in 1870. They have this
year succeeded in obtaining the volume of 1870, together with the other
volumes complete to 1870, inclusive.

Other choice and valuable books have been purchased by the Commit-
tee, which will be found in the list herewith given, comprising all books
and periodicals added to the Library the past year.

Public Libraries in the U. S. A. ; their History, Condition and Manage-
ment.

Special Report from John Eaton, Commissioner of Education.

Report of Commissioner of Education, 1875 ; from John Eaton, Com-
missioner.

Census of Massachusetts, 1875 ; Prepared under the Direction of Car-
roll D. Wright, Chief of the Bureau of Statistics of Labor ; 3 vols. ; first
edition: from O. B. Hadwen.

Agriculture of Massachusetts, 1876 and 1877 ; by C. L. Flint ; from O.
B. Hadwen.

Hand Book of British Mosses ; Comprising all that are known to be
natives of the British Isles ; 24 finely colored plates, with about 200 fig-
ures ; 8vo. ; cloth ; London ; Society.

The Amateur's Greenhouse and Conservatory ; illustrated with colored
plates and wood engravings ; 8vo ; cloth ; London, 1873 ; Society.

Jamain H. and Eugene Eorney ; Les Roses, Histoire, Culture, Des-
cription ; 60 Chromo-Lithograthics d' apres nature ; 60 gravures surbois ;
imp. Bvo ; half morocco ; Paris, 1873 ; Society.

28 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTTCULTUH AL SOCIETY. [1877.

Pomological Magazine ; or, Figures and Descriptions of the most Im-
portant Varieties of Fruit cultivated in Great Britain ; 151 beautiful col-
ored plates ; 3 vols ; royal Svo ; half calf ; Society.

The Pinetum ; being a synopsis of all the Coniferous Plants at present
known, with descriptions, history and synonyms, and a comprehensive,
systematic index ; by George Gordon, A. L. S.; Society.

Transactions of Massachusetts Horticultural Society ; Part 1 and 2 ;
from E. "W. Buswell, Treasurer.

Schedule of Prizes of Massachusetts Horticultural Society ; from E. W.
Buswell, Treasurer.

Curtis' Botanical Magazine ; by J. D. Hooker ; vol. 32 ; col. plates ;
London (still publishing) ; bound ; Society.

Florist and Pomologist ; a Pictorial Monthly Magazine of Flowers,
Fruits and Horticulture ; conducted by Thomas Moore ; 1876 ; large Svo;
col. plates ; London (still publishing) ; bound ; Society.

Country Gentleman, The ; vol. 42 ; 1877 ; Society.

Gardener's Chronicle, The ; 1877 ; folio ; Society.

American Agriculturist, The ; vol. 36 ; 1877 ; folio ; Society.

Agricultural Gazette, The ; London ; folio ; Society.

Gardener's Monthly, The ; vol. 19 ; 1877 ; Svo ; Society.

Villa Gardener, The ; 1877 ; Svo : London ; Society.

Massachusetts Ploughman, The ; Geo. H. I^oyes, proprietor and pub-
lisher ; 1877 ; from Geo. H. Koyes.

Eeport of the Commissioner of Agriculture ; 1876 ; from Frederick
Watts, Commissioner.

Sixth Annual Eeport of the State Pomological Society of Michigan ;
from C. W. Garfield, Secretary.

Twelfth, Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Annual Reports of the
Michigan State Board of Agriculture ; 1873-1874-1875-1876 ; bound ;
from Robert G. Baird, Secretary of Board.

Journal of Horticulture ; a chronicle of the homestead, poultry yard,
apiary and dovecote ; conducted by George W. Johnson, F. R. H. S. and
Robert Hogg, LL. D.; 3 vols. 30, 31 and 32 ; London ; Society.

Floral Magazine ; flgiires and descriptions of the choicest new flowers
for the garden or conservatory ; by F. W. Burbridge ; new series 1876 ;
4to ; 56 col. plates ; London ; Society.

Revue Horticole ; Journal d' Horticulture Pratique ; E. A. Carridre ;
r^dacteur en chef, 1870-'76 ; 6 vols ; Svo ; many col. plates and cuts,
(still publishing) ; Society.

AH of which is respectfully submitted.

JOHN C. NEWTON, Librarian.
Hali^ of Flora,
November 7, 1877.

ANNUAL KEPORT OF THE SECRETARY.

To the Members of the Worcester County Horticultural Society :

At a special meeting of the Trustees, on the 20th day of February,
A. D. 1876, it was voted :

" That the use of the Hall and Library of the Society be tendered to
" the State Board of Agriculture, during its country meeting, which is to
" commence on the Fourteenth (14th) day of November proximo."

AX&o, voted: "That in the event of an acceptance of this invitation,
" there be held simultaneously, in one of the Halls of the Society, a Free
" Exhibition of Flowers and Fruits grown any where within the State."

In his Annual Eeport for A. D. 1876, your Secretary, calling the atten-
tion of the Society to the subject, suggested that a public and social
Beception, in the evening; whereat delegates and visitors might have an
opportunity to become better acquainted with each other than would
be afforded in the restriction of otficial intercourse; would be a suitable act
of hospitality, gracefully supplementing the formal invitation. That
meeting of the State Board of Agriculture was duly held, and, in connec-
tion with it there was a creditable display of Fruits and Vegetables in
your Hall of Ceres. The liberal subscriptions of your members, and of
some gentlemen whose largeness of heart thoroughly qualifies them for
an association that they have too long neglected, provided a Banquet in
the Hall of Flora which would have done no discredit to a far more pre-
tentious occasion. As an attention without precedent at their meetings,
it may have made an unusually favorable impression upon our visitors.
That it proved so acceptable to them was, of itself, a suflticient reward for
those who originated and realized the idea, and incidentally maintained
the fair repute of Worcester.

The official sessions of the State Board of Agriculture, for the transac-
tion of its specific business, v/ere largely attended. And, although much,
whether of essay or discussion, had no clearly strict relation to our imme-
diate pursuits and studies, yet he must be an indifferent Horticulturist
who could fail to derive benefit from the detailed conclusions of those
expert and wary observers. No field of research in the broad and almost
5

30 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1877.

boundless domain of TerriBCulture, can be so alien or remote from another,
that it shall not readily assimilate the profitable instruction of practical
or scientific analysis. Agricola and Horticola are equally interested in
all knowledge; — whether it pertains to the mutations of the seasons; the
reciprocal influences of forest aud rain-fall, of desert and drought; or
whether, in an humbler sphere, it limits itself to protecting home indus-
try in the frugivorous bird and granivorous insect. Even Prohibition af-
fects them: warning the gi^ower of countless apples not to feed with them
the worm that ravageth ceaselessly, and covering the Turdus migratorius
with the asinine shield of an endless close season. Literally may Ihey
sing, with the Poet: —

Civis llomanus sum ; nihil humani

A mo alienum puto. .

That session of the State Board of Agriculture was prolific of other and
more direct benefit. Under its influence, and largely stimulated by that
example, members of your Society were induced to prepare essays upon
the propagation and culture of the various Fruits and Vegetables; and to
read them at successive weekly meetings, held throughout the ensuing
winter. Many of those essays were quite elaborate, meriting preservation
in some more permanent form than the columns of a newspaper. Should
there be no objection, on your part, the Committee on Publication may
think it advisable to incorporate the whole, or a major portion of the more
thoughtful of them, in their next volume of Transactions. The Society
would not thereby commit itself unreservedly to the opinions of the au-
thors : but it would pay them the decent civility of placing their views
before a larger audience, than the exigencies of daily business could per-
mit to assemble at the time of their original delivery. Few might be at
leisure to listen to them; comparatively many would " inwardly digest"
them off the printed page.

Under the date of February 15th, A. D. 1877, your Secretary received
an Official Notification from the Director-General of the United States
Centennial Commission that the " Group Judges" had reported in
favor of an "Award" to the Worcester County Horticultural Society for
its "Product" — " Sixty (60) varieties of Apples" for the following rea-
sons, viz.: "Large and interesting collection of Apples; the following
" very well grown : — Leicester Sweet, Winter Harvey, Pomme Water,
"Beauty of Kent, Williams's Favorite, Holden Pippin, Porter, Summer
" Pippin, Mexico, Roxbury Eusset,Gravenstein, Maiden's Blush,Cogswell,
" and Primate. Also, for " Salisbury's Seedling," and a seedling from
" Northern Spy,— both thought to be worthy of trial." Which Eeport,
the Centennial Commission had accepted, approving its reasons and
decreeing an " Award " in conformity therewith.

1877.] REPORT OP THE SECRETARY. 31

The next succeeding mail brought another letter from Mr. Goshorn
announcing that an "Award" had been recommended and decreed to this
Society, as such for " Forty-three (43) dishes of Pears, from seventeen
" growers. This collection is one of very great merit, showing the in-
" telligent culture necessary to produce such handsome fruit in a very
" unfavorable season."

Your Secretary also holds in possession, or qualified trust, a similar
Notification from Director-General Goshorn, wherein the " Worcester
County Agricultural Society " is informed that it has been adjudged
worthy of an Award for " Peodtjct " Pears. As the "Worcester Agricul-
tural Society" made no Exhibit — whether of pears or cabbage-heads — its
vigilant Secretary thought thnt there must be some mistake. In that
opinion your own Secretary might readily concur, had he not been fully
possessed with the Scripture that men often gather where they have not
strewn.

Awards were also decreed to individual members of our Society, as
follows, viz.:

William H. Earle, " for six varieties of Pears, all large and well-grown,
" including the Bartlett and Beurr^ Clairgeau, which are exceptionally
"fine.

John C. Newton, " for one dish of ' Paradise of Autumn ' Pears which
" are grown to great perfection."

Newell Wood (Millbury, Mass.), "for one plate of ' Doyenn^ Boussoc,'
" very finely grown — perfect in form and color."

Edward W. Lincoln, "for one plate of ' Beurr^ Bosc,' and one of
" ' Washington,' both of which are very attractive dishes of fruit."

Mrs. George A. Chamberlain, " exhibits one dish of the ' Howell,'
*' very finely grown and exquisitely colored."

O. B. Hadwen, " for one plate of Ananas d' Etd, fine in size, perfect
" in form, and beautifully colored."

The Diplomas and Bronze Medals which constitute those " Awards"
deserve to be safely preserved, and might well find a permanent custodian
in this Society.

The Keport of your Secretary for A. D. 1876 contained the following
passage: — " Upon one feature of this Pomological Exhibition, however,
it would be impossible to enlarge in too sti'ong terms of censure. Massa-
chusetts, Ohio and New York were wholly unrepresented upon the Com-
mittee of Judges. The exclusion of their statues from funeral proces-
sions in the decadence of Ancient Kome, but served to recall to mind
even more vividly the patriots Brutus and Cassius. And who of us, in
looking through the roll of those who had been selected to adjudicate
upon ' Northern Pomological Products,' could fail to note with amaze-

32 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1877.

mentthe absence of such names as John A. Warder, Patrick Barry,
Charlks Downing, John J. Thomas, and, — clarum et venerahile
nomen I — Marshall, P. Wilder. Honesty is an indispensable qualifi-
cation for a just judge, but should not capacity also be deemed essential?"
The Editor of that invaluable Horticultural Magazine the Gardener^s
Monthly, — invaluable because of its possession of him as Editor, — feels
sorely aggrieved by those remarks, and takes exception to their general
tenor in language which is quoted in full, that he may receive the hear-
ng to which he is, in every respect, entitled : " It is a remarkable com-
' mentary on this paragraph that the utter ignoring of Horticulture and
' Agriculture in the programme of judges, and through which no judges
' for these departments were appointed, was the work of a New England
' Man. The judges who did serve, did so without any recognition from
' the Centennial Commission, and without any arrangement for pay,
' while the regular judges had both. They worked steadily at this for
' from two to four days a week, for six months, and then were told that
' as there was no provision made for Pomological judges, their services
' were expected to be gratuitous. If Dov/ning, "Warder, Thomas, Barry,
' Wilder, or that other gentleman, Clarum E. V. Nomen, of whom we
' never heard before, were willing to undertake this long and weary ser-
' vice, out of pure desire as pomologists, to see some justice done to the
' great pomological interests, such knowledge of their disposition never
' came to Philadelphia; nor we do not know that either Brutus or Cassius
' ever did work like this ; but if Massachusetts have any of these noble
' Romans in these days, she is quite welcome to send some of them along
' next time."

" It is also but fair to state that while the pomological judges from .
' other parts of the country, who were called in during the heavy week
' to assist, hy the Commission, were paid SIOO.OO for the week's work,
' and which they earned much better than some of the regular judges in
' other departments, even this trifle was refused to the Philadelphia
' judges for six months' work," &c., &c.

To all which the replication of your Secretary, re-atiirming his orig-
inal position, is that the answer of Mr. Meehan concedes everything es-
sential. Whatsoever the sins of commission or omission whereof a " New
England Man" (can tliat intend the " Gentleman in Politics ?") may have
been guilty, the writer knows not nor cares. Massachusetts, Ohio, and
New York constitute a larger territory and a more comprehensive desig-
nation. Sectionalism is the last fault that your Secretary ever supposed
would be ascribed to him.

That the judges who served were not "recognized" by the Centennial
Commission; that they were not paid while others, of no more conse-

• 1877.] REPORT OP THE SECRETARY. -33

quence, were; that they were worked like pack-horses, while needed, and
thereafter turned out to grass ; was never asserted by the writer, because
the facts were not known to him; is not now doubted, because it is pro-
claimed by Mr. Meehan: but is not absolutely stated since, even if true,
it would be immaterial to the precise issue. The gravamen of the charge
against the Centennial Commission, in these Eeports, was that such rep-
resentative men as " John A. Warder, Patrick Barry, Charles Downing,
" John J. Thomas, and, — clarum et venerahile nomen, — Marshall P. Wilder;
" were not selected to adjudicate upon ^Northern Pomological Products.^ "
i'or the Circular from Philadelphia was sectional in that it invited com-
petition solely from Northern Pomologists. Mr. Meehan admits that his
colleagues and himself served without "recognition." Were they also
self-constituted Judges — without invitation ? But it is added that no
knowledge ever came to Philadelphia of the willingness of Downing,
Warder, &c , &c., to undertake this long and weary service. Why should
it, when these gentlemen were not asked ! The truth is, — and all the
casuistry between the Delaware and Schuylkill cannot confuse it, — that
the actual judges did their work well. But that it might have been done
better, is only a just and legitimate inference from the peculiar composi-
tion of the bench which assumed or undertook the task. Pennsylvania
may have originated the Seckel and Tyson: yet Massachusetts challenges
her for superiority of specimens. A back-yard in Girard Row developed the
BrincMe^s Orange Raspberry : but it is quite neglected in its birth-place,
although growing and yielding to perfection in this city of Worcester.
Here is the home of the Apple; of the Leicester Winter Siveet, and the
Washingt07i Boyal; of the Holden Fippin and the Mother; of the Sterling
and the Hubhardston Nonesuch. Shall we have to recite the origin, within
an hour's journey, of the Eoxbury Eussett, the Baldwin, or the
Ehode Island Greening? Cannot a country that will produce such
fruits, grow "noble Eomans" also, might have been a pertinent inquiry,
it would seem, for the Centennial Commission or even the Tail-Centre
of the " Bureau of Agriculture" !

Au reste ! Mr. Meehan is facetious; poking fun at defunct Eomans.
He is not ashamed to confess his ignorance of the nature of their "work"
when in the flesh. Might he not take it for granted, if only because of
their fair standing in the community, that they were engaged in Civil
Service Eeform? If Virgil could pen the Georgics, but a few years later,
why assume so coolly on the strength of "what we do not know" that the
noblest Eoman of them all never "did work like this" ! '^ Facilis des-
census Averni /" May they not, now at least, thoroughly comprehend
the application of bottom-heat?

Neither, in his calm Bseotia, has he ever heard of " Clarum et venera-

84 WORCESTER COUNTY SORTlCtTLTURAL SOCIETY. [1877.

" hile nomen." But that is attributable to his individual modesty, real or
feigned : since, mutatis mutandis, any child in Germantown could readily
designate " Clarum;''^ and " venerahilis^^ is presumed, not unreasonablj^
to have been the chief object of his own recent visit to the South of Eng-
land and the Channel Islands.

Finally, it may do no harm to Mr. Meohau to be informed that, in no
community are his botanical labors more highly appreciated than in
this, which must be suffered to keep its eyes open yet a while longer to
the shortcomings of the Centennial Commission. Years have elapsed
since it was the privilege of your Secretary to move the enrolment of
Mr. Meehan among the Honoraky Members of the Worcester County
Horticultural Society. That action of his, meeting as it did with your
unanimous sanction, has never been regretted. We can surely hope that
" honors are easy.*'

Circulars were received by your Secretary, in close and frequent suc-
cession throughout the winter of A. D., 1876-'77, wherein a person sub-
scribing himself " Gen. C. B. Korton, Late Secretary of the Bureau of
the Centennial Board of Finance," offered to frame Diplomas for a con-
sideration in money. Individual members, and even the MASSAcnusEXTS
Horticultural Society, were the recipients of similar communica-
tions. It is inconceivable that the Centennial Commission should lend
itself to such jobbery. And yet, how otherwise can we account for the
delay in transmitting the Diplomas and Medals ; unless by adopting the
absurd supposition that the Mint, and the American Bank Note Compa-
ny, whose facilities have been regarded equal to any demand, proved
inadequate to the stress of this moderate exigency !

At a special meeting of the Trustees, convened in the Hall of Flora,
upon the 21st of April, ult., on motion of Hon. George W. Eichardson,
seconded by ex-President Francis, it wasFoiecZ ; — " That the Secretary be
" authorized to procure a portrait of the late Governor Levi Lincoln, to
" be placed in the Library, of similar size and style to those of John Mil-
" ton Earle, and Daniel Waldo," now in the enjoyment of the Society.

It was an unalloyed pleasure to execute that commission. The portrait
has been procured and is suspended in this Hall of Flora. Of its merits
you must be tlie severe judges. But it may not be improper to add, in
relation to its value as a likeness, that it fully meets the hopes and antic-
ipations of those who held him dearest in life, and to whom his lineaments
were most familiar..

There can be no adornment for these walls so appropriate as the Por-
traits of our Worthies. Towns and cities run economy into the ground,
— for compost forsooth ; — and cannot afford such extravagance. But

1877.] REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 35

wherewithal shall it profit the Worcester County Horticultural Society to
save up income, and starve its taste for beauty and its appreciation of all
the nobler sentiments ? Your Secretary would earnestly commend to
your consideration the propriety of securing, next in succession, a like-
ness in oil of the late Frederic William Paine. His name rnay not be fa-
miliar to our younger members. But the faithful historian of the Society
will mention him as one of the Original Corporators,* and as the Treas-
urer of the Corporation, from its earliest organization until his death in
A. D. 1869. To his fidelity and honesty may we largely attribute our
present prosperity. And to no virtues, in these days of reckless or dis-
honest management of trusts, could an enduring memorial be more fitting.

The Yeiinal Exhibition of the Society was unusually successful.
Occurring, as it does, when the severity of Winter is rapidly relaxing,
that Exhibition seems to meet the want of our natures in their impatient
anticipation of bud and flower. The attendance is always large, and was
especially so upon this occasion. The Cyclamen proved a leading attrac-
tion ; showing that the efforts of the Society to encourage the cultivation
of this charming house-plant are beginning to be crowned with success.
Very noticeable were some seedlings of Mr. Auguste Le Due (gr. to^P.
L. Moen, Esq). A specimen plant from Hon. Stephen Salisbury was
also conspicuous, with its profusion of bloom. Some shapely plants of
Azalea Indica appeared upon the tables, as if to show that their produc-
tion may be independent of the offer of Premiums. For long years did
your Secretary vainly proprose an award for the best six Azaleas. No
sooner was that cup otherwise bestowed than the Azalea, so shyly coy,
puts in its blushing appearance. It is to be hoped that a plant of such
exquisite beautj'-, which is so much easier to grow than the multitude with
which our ladies choke up their windows, may at last command the ear-
nest devotion that it never failed to merit.

The WeeJcly Exhibitions of the Society were resumed, after the unfor-
tunate intermission of a year, and have been continued throughout the
summer. Sparsely visited at first, the attendance upon them gradually
increased until, towards their close when the Annual Autumnal Ex-
hibition was imminent, the Hall of Flora seemed too contracted for
their convenient accommodation. It is not the easiest thing to resume
habits and practices long laid aside. But enough was accomplished, al.
though our fair florists did not appear in quite their pristine force, to
make it evident that, in this direction lies our path of useful progress.
So only, in fact,can the Floral Department of Horticulture receive, at our

* There were but four (4) named, in all :— John Green, Anthony Chase, Frederick William Paine
aud George W. Richardson.

36 WORCKSTEll COUNTY HOIiTICULlUIJAL SOCIKTY. [1877.

hands, its meed of equal and exact justice. Flowers are perishable and
their beauty and fragrance evanescent. A few species may present an
almost changeless charm, for successive exhibitions, but ordinarily the
laws of Nature are inexorable, constraining the lovers of continuous
bloom to cultivate a variety that they would not otherwise affect. And
that constraint, carrying with it burdens of its own, it should be our priv-
ilege and pleasure to recognize and alleviate, so far as may be within our
power.

Do we then offer a sufficient pecuniary recompense for the earnest inter-
est and zeal to which we are so often indebted for the attractiveness of
our Summer Exhibitions ? For that visitors are drawn thither by Plants
and Flowers, and not by Fruits, as a rule, must be obvious to the most
casual observer. Yet worthily to fill one of our Flower-Stands which, in
our aim at the highest excellence, is the sum of our present requirements,
compels our contributors tp sacrifice their daily, home enjoyment. Their
best specimens must be ruthlessly severed; to be spoiled in all likelihood;
upon which otherwise their eyes might have gazed until

■' Dazzled and drunk with beauty."

Hours must be spent in displaying them to the best advantage, for is not
skill in arrangement to be considered in the decision of relative merit ?
The plaudits of visitors are bestowed upon contributors, should the
weather be pleasant enough to coax their attendance; and no counter at-
traction solicit, of stronger magnetism. But what return is made by this
Society for so much devotion and toil ? Why, the barest pittance to but
two (2) out of any possible number of competitors; and not even the
diplomatic assurance of our distinguished consideration to those who fail.
Possibly a winner, with more than ordinary luck, might gain enough in
the course of a whole Summer to justify the purchase of a barrel of Poor-
Farm fiour; but, even that, only by a stern self-denial of those higher
trades whose excellence is so extreme as to compel reduction. Certain
it is that no fortunes are to be saved up, from the Floral Premiums at our
Summer Exhibitions. Nay, it is even doubtful if their aggregate sum
would more than satisfy the original outlay for Flower-Seeds Your Sec-
retary would rejoice, beyond measure, could he impress the Trustees
with whom lies the establishment of Premiums, with his own views upon
this especial matter. Fore-casting the future, he anticipates a period, not
remote, when the lean kine and the scrub-race will cease propagation and
propulsion, and there will no longer be occasion or place for an Agricul-
tural Society — strictly such — in the City of Worcester. When the Town-
Lots will be covered with dwellings, the chaste homes of the political
elect, who are all Hayes Republicans, all Skillings Democrats ! Then

1877.] REPOI'.T OF THE SKCUCTARY. 37

indeed will Horticulture, its Apple and Pear Orchards destroyed , its Cur-
rant and Strawberry Plantations extirpated, see and own its dependence
upon the Florist, from whose co-operation and support, only, can it de-
rive any assurance or hope of ultimate prosperity. The window-garden
will endure so long as the sun shines and woman has a roof to cover her
head. Our constituency bid fair to last through all time; the pertinent
question is — have we the wit and will to learn and heed its instructions ?
The world Avould miss its flowers; but a Horticultural Society, neglect-
ing or false to its mission, might die and leave no sign.

Of course, no Premiums that we might incline to propose, and which
the condition of the Treasurj'^ would justify, could remunerate our fair
contributors for the devotion to our service of so much labor and time.
But the offer of them would make our thorough appreciation more clearly
evident; and that, in itself, would go far as an incentive. As it is, we
expect and feel aggrieved not to find exhibited the latest novelties; forget-
ting that we may exact too much from limited means and still more
straitened opportunities. " To him that hath shall be given," may ans-
wer for Christian philosophy. But it should be a fixed and vivid impres-
sion in our minds that Flora is a heathen goddess; to whose worship we
must individually contribute, tliat the smoke of the sacrifice may ascend
within her shrines. A judicious revision of our Premium-Schedule, by
which any superfluity assigned to the purposes of our Ankual Autumnal
Exhibition shall be diverted to the more ample and satisfactory main-
tenance of Floral Exhibitions throughout the lale Spring and Summer,
commends itself to my deliberate approval and is most earnestly advised.

The Summer Exhibition of KosES and Strawberries was a repeti-
tion of that of last year,in one of its most important features. The books
of the Secretary contain the follov,ing record under the date of June 29th,
A. D. 1876: — " There was no entry of roses, and of course no award."
Should it be urged in explanation of this utter failure, that the Exhibi-
tion was held, in 1876, at too late a date for such a perishable flower, the
reply is ready that there was but a single exhibitor in 1877, when the
character of the season was such that the competition, in the class of
Roses, had to be anticipated upon the 21st of June. A solitary stand,
comprising thirt3'-one (31) named varieties represented the only attempt
to fill this abhorrent vacuum in nature. "What has caused such evident
neglect of the Queen of Flowers in recent years, by the florists of this
Society? So late as A. D. 1874, and upon the 2d day of July at that,
there were five separate stands of Roses, by as many different contribu-
tors, not to mention the numerous vases and bouquets of that delicious
flower. It cannot be indifference or lack of appreciation. Is it laziness,
6

38 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1877.

that contents itself with the cheap thrift of Coleus and Gerauiuui and
decUnes an arduous contest with pretty much the entire insect-plague?
But then, why not plant and grow the Rose in the faith of Busticus, as
expressed through his Committee in the General Court; trusting blindly
to the English Sparrow and the Tardus migratorius, and saving the sweat
of the brow for nocturnal wrestling with the arduous " work " of the
Grange! That industry which will not try to rescue the Eose from its
numerous foes, must necessarily fail to maintain an advanced position in
the ceaseless strife which the forces of Nature are over waging to de-
teriorate and impair. The florist who ignobly abandons the culture of
the fittest, need not expect that its survival will be measured unto him
in the vicissitudes of the seasons. And he must be prepared to take an
inferior rank, in his profession, who contents himself with Calaclium or
Lycopod, neglecting or indifferent to that perfection of beauty and fra-
grance which, from the dawn of history, have established the EoSE,
without compeer or rival, as the very Queen of Flowers.

The display of Strawberries, throughout their season, was unsur-
passed in our experience as a Society. Varieties have been shown for as
many successive weeks, it is true ; — notably the Triomphe de Gand, years
since, by Mr. Charles Eichardson. But at no time were we ever privil-
eged to inspect so many different kinds — nearly all good, if of relative
degrees of excellence. JTature had been generally propitious, a deep
mantle of snow protecting the plants, and timel}'^ though light showers
encouraging and forcing production. The Colonel Cheney and Monarch
of the West merited and received the attention claimed for them by their
skillful grower on " Sunnyside ;" and the " sports " from " Pine Grove "
betrayed no evidence of deterioration. Later experience has, however,
shown pretty conclusively that for general cultivation, in this vicinity,
little is to be gained by a search for anything better than the Charles
Downing and Jucunda. Tlie white tip of the former is prejudicial to it,
in the hasty judgment of one who beholds it for the first time, in igno-
rance of its real merits. Nevertheless, considering its quality and the
facility wherewith it adapts itself to all localities, to the Charles Downing
must be accorded precedence among early Strawberries. In addition to
which it continues to bear until a fastidious palate craves a change of va-
riety. And that is supplied, in unrivalled excellence, by the Jucunda.
This superb berry, grown in hills, here and there occasionally in rows,
kept free from runners and with the ordinary abrasion and waste of soil
annually restored, is absolutely peerless. In its possibilities of universal
dissemination, it is perhaps inferior to the Triomphe de Gand ; but its
symmetry of form and less peculiar flavor will always command the palm

• 1877.] REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 39

for the Jucunda. Upon our clayey soils its cultivation, with reasonable
attention and industry, should invariably result in success. What it can
do, in the hands of those who have striven the most to develop it, in
Worcester, was manifested upon the 28th day of June, ult, when Mr. F.
J. Kiuuey exhibited fifty (50) berries vrhose wei.2;ht was three (3) pounds ;
and Mr. Wm. H. Earle displayed a quart box, containing thirty-two (32)
berries that tipped the scale at two (2) pounds and I ounce.

Meanwhile due credit should be allowed to those enterprising growers
who, whether from zeal for the advancement of Pomology, or the love of
shekels, try all things that are introduced — holding fast to that which
seemeth good. And who are possibly a little too tenacious of that which
has hitherto only been proved good upon their own limited grounds.

The Strawberry season, as a whole, may be pronounced a success. It
IS true that excessive heat early in June stimulated the crop, but timely
rains came to its aid, and secured the maturation of the berries. So far
as the market was concerned, the middle-man complained that the Gran-
ger was slack in the supply of his necessities, and that the Sovereign of
Industry failed at his sorest pinch. And this on the 22d day of June,
after our Annual Exhibition had been held. At that date, the Charles
Downing was noted as most abundant ; — the Monarch of the West being
next in force. But all deficiencies, in such respect, were more than made
good by the slaves of toil, whose motto is " live and let live !" and who
look upon an open countenance as the most apt and genial introduction
to an empty bell3^ Strawberry short-cake may pall upon a satiated appe-
tite, but he need never be short himself who can supplement cake enough
with unfailing strawberries. And of such is -the amateur Fragarian, in-
spired by the example and instruction of this Society.

Many years have elapsed since your Secretary began to inculcate,
through the medium of these Reports, a wider cultivation and encourage-
ment of the Raspherry. The bread thus cast upon the waters returned
indeed after many days : but only Black-caps constituted the flotsam
and jetsam. But, during the summer just passed, our tables bore strik-
ing testimony to the value of that final perseverance enjoined upon the
saints. Noble displays of the Clarke, Brinkle's Orange, Northumberland
Fillbasket, Hudson River Antwerp, and the Hornet, were all that could
be required by the most exacting. Such fruit,, if grown for the market,
will create a demand where none existed before. If produced for home
consumption, alone, it will supply an amount of wholesome and dainty
nutriment, during the languor and oppression of dog-days, for which
there can be no substitute. And, as for ruinous competition with the
local supply, the fruit itself is too perishable to bear carriage for consid-
able distances.

40 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTtTRAL SOCIETY. [1877.

The Horticultural Society of Kew Jersey reports that the Herstine and
Clarke, at first supposed to be hardy, are really tender and of little value
for the mai'ket ; which, of course, leaves unaffected their worth for the
table. That Society adopts the Doolittle and Mammoth Cluster for
Black-caps ; and the Brandywine and Philadelphia for Red varieties.
This list curiously illustrates one point upon which your Secretary has
never failed to give warning alike to the sanguine or inexperienced: —
the matter of hardiness. He lays it down as an axiom that no variety of
Ruhus Idaeus will survive the winters of New England and yield profit-
ably, without protection. They richly merit it ; but the cultivator who
cannot or will not bestow it, might as well give up the idea of growing
Raspberries. The canes may endure for one or two seasons, apparently
uninjured ; but their constitution is impaired and the crop surely di-
minishes in proportion to this loss of vitality.

Of the kinds above specified as exhibited upon our tables, all, with the
exception of the Clarke, are of first-rate quality. The Hornet is a new
comer among us, and its adaptation to our soils remains to be tested. In
all other respects, it brings with it a character from the skillful cultivators
of our own and sister States, that leaves nothing to be desired.

The newspapers of the day, in their haste of publication and zeal to
gather the earliest intelligence, are very apt to mislead. Especially is
this the case in Horticulture, — a science, if such it may be called, pecu-
liarly tentative, and whose every hazard ought not to be accepted as an
exact and legitimate result. Thus, one journal,* which has ever shown a
deep interest in the welfare of this Society, gave currency to the curious
statement, during the last 'summer, that it " had specimens of second
" crops of 'Davison's Thornless Black-Cap Raspberry,' and of the 'North-
" umberland Fillbasket Red Raspberry,' grown in the grounds " of an
active and enthusiastic pomologist, who " tells " the editor that " these
" second crops are as regular and certain as the first crops." What mi-
raculous effect might be produced upon a variety, by ils simple translation
from Oak Street to the Holden Line, could not be predicted by your Sec-
retary when giving to his friend those plants of ll^orthumberland Fillbas-
ket. But, as they had never borne a second crop, while under his own
care; nor lived so riotously in their original plantation ; he may be ex-
cusable for not suspecting, much more detecting, such latent, unprece-
dented fecundity. Surely, some check should be imposed upon their
exuberance, lest they yield still a third crop upon February 14th, or even
a fourth upon the First of April I

Currants were shown in fair, although not unusual, quantity. There
is no decent excuse for the common neglect of this hardy and wholesome

* The Massachusets Spv.

1877.] REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 41

fruit. If the average Yankee family would grow more currants it would
not have to buy so much anti-cholera mixture. The bowels of children
who are permitted to pluck the ripe fruit from the bushes will require no
other regulation than that of Kature. The ravages of the currant worm,
(Abrazis grossulariata) ^ easily restricted as they are by the timely use of
"White Hellebore, have ceased to awaken apprehension. "Why then
should not the pomologist throw off this lethargy and, abating neither jot
nor tittle of his interest in Strawberry, or Pear, resume the cultivation of
this preeminently domestic fruit, than which, in its season, no other can
be named so appetizing and welcome !

The series of experimental trials of known varieties of the Currant, and
of those reputed to be varieties, referred to in my last Report as inaugu-
rated by the Royal Horticultural Society of England, in its gardens at
Chiswick, were continued during the past season. The conclusions of
the Fruit Committee are of so much importance, discriminating as they
do carefully between the true and false, and enabling us to guard against
the reception of spurious varieties which the greed of dealers or their
agents is ever seeking to distribute, that their official Report is repro-
duced in its concise and conclusive brevity.

EED CURRANTS.

" These were examined with great care as to their nomenclature, so
" much confusion still existing among them in that respect. Of the most
"approved varieties noted, the earliest and the largest is the Red
" Cherry, which has the following synonyms, viz.: Bertin ITo. 9; Grosse
" Rouge de Boulogne; Fertile d' Angleterre; La Hative; La Fertile; Fer-
"tile de Bertin; Hative de Bertin; Chenonceau; Belle de St. Gilles;
"Fertile; Fertile de Palluau; and La Versaillaise.

" The Red Dutch, which is the variety most generally cultivated in
"gardens, rejoices in the following synonyms: Knight's Large Red;
"Knight's Sweet Red; Goliath Fielder's Red; Palmer's Late Red; Pit-
"maston Red; Pitmaston Prolific; Large Sweet Red; Bertin's No. 1;
"Dancer's Selected; and Jackson's Mammoth.

" The Red Grape, a large bunched sort, of a pale red. Synonyms :
" Rouge Transparent; Queen Victoria; Fertile de Palluau.

"Houghton Castle, the best constitutioned variety. Synonyms:
"Houghton Seedling; Orangefield.

Lost in this Ribearian Babel, well may the perplexed pomologist ex-
claim, in the slang of the showman: "just as you like, you little dears.
" You pays your money and you takes your choice ! "

The American Pomological Society has failed to take decisive
action in this matter, leaving the grower of Currants to call his fruit the

42 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICXTLTtTRAL SOCIETY. [1877.

Cherry, or La Versaillaise, as either name may best suit him, yet neglect-
ing to warn him tliat tliey are but synonyms, after all.

The Plague of Insects was never more grievous than during the year
just expiring. Whether due to the dryness of the earth, which was thereby
kejot from freezing to any considerable depth, and to the dense covering
of snow that prevented the usual alternations of frost and thaw in the
Spring; certain is it that orchard, and forest, and land seemed utterly a
prey to the Canker-Worm, the CurcuUo, the Tent, and Web Caterpillars,
and the Colorado Potato Beetle. And most discouraging of all was the
too evident neglect of obvious precautions against this invasion by our
leading terraeculturists. They would spend hours, or days, periiaps, to
secure a crop of potatoes, by haud-iDicking; nourishing the Yankee con-
ceit which cannot make use of Paris Green because its suggestion and
eifectual test comes from the Western iSTazareth; but their Orchard and
Forest trees were denuded of leaves, before their very doors, and not
a hand was raised to sta}'- the foe. As it was here, so everywhere. A
writer from the Western part of the State, says: " the Web-Worm spe-
" cies of the Caterpillar is very abundant this Summer, more so than for
'' years. Apple-trees, Cherry-trees, Butternuts, Alders, White-Birches,
" and almost every species of tree or shrub show these webs. They are
"not as voracious eaters as the Tent Caterpillars; yet they make bad
" work when so plenty as they are this season."

But, it may be urged, both Agricola and Horticola have been members
of the Great and General Court. They remembered the consistent legis-
lation which has protected Birds ; and doubtless felicitated themselves
upon the acute prescience that provided for the guardianship of flower
and fruit by beak and talon. That your Secretary is a thorough sceptic
in this particular, you have not now for the first time to learn. That
scores of your associate members share in his unbelief will not astonish
you. But you may not know how wide-spread is this distrust of Birds as
an insect-destroying agency, and will not object, therefore, to be better
informed in the premises. Says a farmer in Maryland, after enlarging
upon the pains that he had been at to shelter and save every species of
birds: " I can say with truth that the birds build in every tree on my lawn,
" and there are myriads of birds here, and myriads of Curculios, and
" myriads of cherries ; and nearly every one of the myriad of cherries is
" stung by the Curculio, and all the plums and gages, most of the apples,
" and many peaches and pears. The large fruits do not seem to mind it,
" but the puncture leaves a knot in the fruit which hurts the sale."

If he makes the acquaintance of the Codling-moth, he will find that the
" large fruits " are not so phlegmatic. Another writer, in the Country

.1877.] REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 43

Gentleman, narrates his troubles: — "The Birds are the great destroyers
" of small fruits. They take a part of our best Strawberries, they have
" nearly swept the Gooseberries, and they have not permitted us to pick
" a single ripe Blaekberr}' in three rovrs of bushes. The Grapes are yet
" to take their chance. The Curraut-worm is the only insect worth nam-
" ing that touches our small fruits, and is effectually destroyed with very
" little labor. It is difficult to say what we shall do with the Robins. We
" would rather meet all the insect enemies of fruit, (leaving out the Ap-
" pie and Pear,) than the single species known as Mei'ula Migratoria.
"Destructive Insects and Destructive Birds have both increased together,
" and without great vigilance the fruit has a hard time of it."
But says Tityrus, as he lounges idly

Sub teg mine fagi.
you have the Sparrow and need not care for the lack of relish for Insects
manifested by the migratorii — whether Merula or Turclus. Truly we have
the Sparrow — no thanks to those who introduced him from the " effete
despotisms !" And what his character may be, amoug those who have
had him longer and know him only too well, is thus pithily described in
the Gardener's Chronicle : —

" A few months ago we reproduced some remarks from the Bulletin of
' the French Acclimatization Society respecting the ' Eavages Commit-
' TED BY Spabrows IN ALGERIA,' where, it appears, they are exces-
' sively numerous. ISTevertheless, it is illegal to destroy them, and they
' go on increasing at an alarming rate. In a recent number of the publi-
' cation already named there is another letter on this subject, urging the
' necessity of authorizing and even encouraging the destruction of these
' voracious and prolific birds. Wherever there are woods or plantations
' of trees, there the Sparrows assemble in incredible numbers. One
' writer goes so far as to deplore the introduction of gum trees [Eucalypti
' E. w. L.], because they harbor the Sparrows, and it is difficult to dislodge
' their nests from those slender, lofty trees. Now, it is stated that on one
' estate alone 200 acres of Rye were so completely devoured by the Spar-
' rows before it was ripe that not a single corn was harvested ; and it was
' calculated that in a neighboring wood, some 150 acres in extent, there
' were 284,000 nests. One colonist complained that the Sparrows had
' carried away 2 tons of his hay ; and from the average weight of the
' nests weighed it was estimated that 10 tons of hay were carried away to
' construct these 28I:,000 nests. Further, it is asserted that this same
' wood which consists mainly of the Aleppo Pine, is annually infested
' with Caterpillars to such an extent that it is dangerous to go through it
* in the months of March and April, because the Pine Caterpillar is ven-
' omous."

44 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1877.

The Commonwealth is to be agitated from centre to circumference,
and suffered no rest, because men will take thought of what they shall
drink. But none stop to consider the hopeless waste occasioned by our
Insect Foes ; solacing themselves with the idea that the loss must be
trivial because of the apparent insignificance of its cause. Grave legis-
lators devote weeks to an analysis of the scratches upon the backs of our
scamps at Westborough: but no concern is awakened by the pitiless in-
vasion of crawling and winged creatures, whose countless myriads mar
the face of nature, devastating it to a barren waste. " Am I not my
brother's keeper ? " We make light of the Colorado Beetle and point
to the immense crop of potatoes grown in his despite. But who take
account of the multitudes that have resolved to give up their cultivation,
allowing the last brood of beetles to hybernate without any effort to re-
duce their swarms ! The earth teems with them. Should Nature spare
them and man despise them — what then ? " Let them eat cake ! " said
the French Queen, when told that her subjects starved for lack of bread.
In default of Plums, the Curculio finds occupation with Cherry and
Peach. The Canker Worm is fairly domesticated. Can there be a doubt
that the excessive voracity of the Colorado Beetle will find something
wherewith to gratify itself ; the cultivation of the Potato being omitted
for a season, and all attempts to exterminate him having been neglected?
The old Romans had a proverb that " a word to the wise is sufiicient."
Yet how if they are wise but in their own conceit ?

It has been exceedingly pleasant to note the re-appearance of the
Peach, at our Exhibitions, in goodly numbers and in all its pristine ex-
cellence. Those of us whose memory ran back for a generation could
recall the time when the Peach and Apple orchards of Worcester County
were trusted for a harvest, with an assurance that was never disappoint-
ed. The virgin soil nourished trees stout in girth, and of limb sufficient
to support the boys of the neighborhood, to whom it never occurred that
such temptations were meant to be resisted. The trunks were healthy,
the limbs vigorous — the foliage without blemish or curl. The Cooledge
and Crawford ; the Large Bed Bareripe and the Bed-Cheek Melacoton
were borne in a profusion as grateful as it was generous. That this race
of trees died of exhaustion, — consumption perhaps, by analogy, — cannot
be doubted. Propagated from the bud they could only transfer an impaired
vitality. As their stones were not sure to perpetuate their kind the va-
riety itself might be lost. So that when, in addition to these obvious, if
more or less evitable perils, was superadded the fearful frost of A. D.
1861, it is not much to be wondered at that the home-grown Peach should
have become a theme for tradition. That frost, of — 30 degrees Fahren-

.1877.] REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 45

heit, — decimated the Chevry trees and almost exterminaled the Peach
orchards that still lingered ia existence. The few which escaped entire
destruction, from propitious conditions of shelter or otherwise, were so
far weakened as to fall an easy prey to the Yellows.

But, within a few years, it has become rapidly evident that this exqui-
site fruit is not longer to be neglected by the Pomologists of "Worcester
County. Shrewsbury, which so constantly challenged competition, may
sulk and withdraw from the lists, contenting herself with past honors.
But Millbury and West Boylston step to the front, and — scarcely in their
rear — the Shire presents its Seedlings. Trial has not yet proved if the
Singletary of Mr. ]N'ewell Wood will perpetuate itself, from the stone.
The superior Seedling of Mr. William H. Willard is reputed to endure
that test successfully. The very promising Seedling of Joseph C. Lovell
and Benjamin Walker* merit further and thorough trial. The ground
has long lain fallow and may have regained its original elements. Sci-
ence, too, has advanced; and the wit of man may, quite possibly, replace
and restore what was wasted by shiftlessness and unthrift.

But, if the Peach failed to yield of its increase, and was apparently
threatened with extinction, our Pomologists would not yield to despair.
The Concord Grape had been originated, so timely, as though its produc-
tion were of itself intended to indicate the infinite possibilities which it
provoked. At our late Annual Atjtttmnal Exhibition, there were
One Hundred and Four (104) Plates, comprising Thirty-Eight (38) vari-
eties of Grapes, grown in the open air without other protection than the
chance shelter of cornice or tree. Substantially ripe, their developement
was due to no artificial cause. Just thirty (30) years since, A. D. 1847,
when the lamented A. J. Downing published his invaluable work on " The
Fruit and Fruit Trees of America," the refined gold of which subsequent
editions have but served to gild, he could find only the Catawba and Isa-
bella as objects of decided commendation, although the Diana was " said
to be of superior quality." His estimate of the actual condition of Viti-
culture, at that period, with his bright outlook for the future, is, like all
which proceeded from his pen, well worth your renewed attention:

" The varieties of native grapes at present grown, are chiefly either the
" finer sorts of wild species, or, which is most generallj^ the case, they are ac-
" cidentally improved varieties, that have sprung up in woods and fields
" from wild vines. They are, therefore, but one remove from a v/ild state,
" and, as extensive trials are now being made by various cultivators to pro
" duce new varieties from these, there is little doubt that in a few years we

[*NoTE.— Mr. Walker disclaims all knowledge of the Peach shown in his name, or any connection
with it. It was hrought to the Society from tlie Office of the Eoening Gar.etle, and, by whomsoever origi-
nated, merits, as stated in the text, further and tliorough trial.— E. W. L.]

7

46 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1877.

" shall have many new native sorts, combining the good qualities of the best
'' foreign grapes, with the hardiness of the indigenous ones, and with also
" the necessary adaptation to the various soils and climates of the United
" States."

In the original edition, eleven and one-half (llj) pages were devoted
to the methods of culture and the description of varieties of Native
Grapes. And of such varieties, but thirteen (13) were deemed worthy
of specific designation. In his latest revised edition of what he has
made almost a new work, our learned associate, Charles Downing, de-
votes thirty-four pages to the subject of Grapes (of out-door culture),
and enumerates one hundred and forty-five (145) separate varieties.
At our Annual Autumnal Exhibition, in the current year, Mr. Jo-
seph C. Lovell, of West Boylston, who has done more than our other
members combined to test the comparative value and qualities of N'a-
tive Grapes, and whose only recompense will most likely be the satisfac-
tion of knowing that his work has been done thoroughly and well, placed
upon the tables of the Society specimens of twenty-seven (27) .varieties,
grown by himself. Present difficulties there are in plenty, and others will
doubtless offer to perplex and discourage the future Vine Grower. Nev-
ertheless, the progress hitherto achieved supplies every encouragement,
and lends ample assurance to the hope that the Grape may, ere long,
yield as sure a harvest under the changeful skies of New England, as the
Apple and Pear — those pet products of a century of careful developement.

By way of contrasting a quite general unfortunate experience in our
own vicinity, with that obtained where the open-air cultivation of the
Grape is supposed to be pursued under greater difficulties, a curious state-
ment of the Gardener''s Chronicle (Eng.) may deserve your notice :

" It is a somewhat remarkable fact," says that accurate observer, "that
" the Vine Mildew seldom displays itself on vines grown in the open
" air. Does this arise from the hardier nature of these exposed vines, or
" does it follow because they are grown in a pure, free air ? We have
" lately seen in rural districts, large quantities of Grapes produced on
" cottages ; the culture being of the rudest, and the roots finding food
" amidst those of trees, hedgerows, flowers, and indeed where and how
" they can — yet not a trace of the mildew could be found."

" 0 ! si sic omnia ! " is the despairing wail from the Viticulturists of
Oak and Westminster streets. And yet that we may magnify even this
evil, might be inferred from the language of the (London) Garden, in a
parallel case, when, referring to the French Vineyards, it says :

" The Vine Grov/ers in France are always complaining of Phylloxera,
" or Oidium, or bad crops,— any excuse to keep up the price of wine. But
" they will be much embarassed to find any cause for grumbling this year,

.1877.] REPORT OP THE SECRETARY. 47

" as the yield will, it is said, be the most productive that has been regis-
" tered during the present century."

If the Phylloxera is becoming of little account in Europe, how shall it
be worth our while to borrow trouble, here in America, about lesser af-
flictions ? " Fret not thy gizzard! " once exclaimed the late Prophet of
the Latter-Day Saints, as he was expressing the essence of modern phi-
losophy.

Several of the newer Pears were exhibited by some of our members, at
the Annual Autumnal Exhibition, as grown by themselves for the
first time. The Dr. Beeder, of Mr. Moses Church, were small, sweet, of
a flavor mot unlike that of the Ptostiezer, while less attractive in appear-
ance than even that dull variety. The Chairman of the Pear Committee
failed to identify his specimens as Marie Louise cV Ucdes which they
were generally considered. Having latterly turned his attention to a
study of the theory, in connection with the practice of natural selection,
in its most genial aspects, involving the affinity of species in its closest
relations, it is to be hoped that he will hereafter make more account of a
family record and pedigree.

The variety that your Secretary procured from Messrs. Ellwanger &
Barry, for " Souvenir du Congres Pomologique" and the scions of which
he distributed quite freely, has continued to puzzle the very elect. Be-
yond a pardonable curiosity to know what we have, we need scftrcely to
concern ourselves on account of that which we certainly have not. The
Flore des Serres, vol 20, pp. 66, thus reconciles us : " Souvenir du Con-
" gres Pomologique ; — (Morel). Pear of first quality, ripening during
" August. Tree very productive. Fruit very large, often enormous.
"This Pear is yet a study, and Pomologists are not decided as to its mer-
" its. For ourselves, it is rather of the secondary quality, although good
" enough." But that which is merely " good enough" in Belgium, will
not satisfy us in America, who accept the better in a struggle for the best.

Mr. Velette P. Townsend exhibited EarWs Bergamot, as usual, but in
perhaps superior developement. The Pear Committee restrain them-
selves from expressing the mingled hope and trust that possess them,
after a longer observation of this seedling. Their very confidence makes
them cautious. For this reason they have discouraged its exhibition
elsewhere, believing that it should first be thoroughly tested, in different
localities and soils, in this place of its nativity. It succeeds admirably in
Quinsigamond — yet it might fail upon Olean street, in competition with
the Belle Lucrative, to bear so early or for so many months in succes-
sion*

* Reference is intended to the unique claim advanced by Mr. F. J. Kinney, in behalf of his Belle
Lucrative which commence so early and continue so late in bearing that, were they as good as fruitful,
he would consider "Pear" and "Belle Lucrative" synonymes, each of the other. Oh! the Ugly Duck-
ing!

48 WOECESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1877.

At one of our more recent Weekly Meetings, Vice-President Hadwen
displayed a number of Seedling Pears which he had received from
Messrs. F. & L. Clapp of Dorchester, in this Commonwealth. These
gentlemen have achieved a reputation as Pomologists that they are not
content simply to maintain. The production of Clapp'' s Favorite might,
it would seem, satisfy any reasonable ambition. Not so with them. They
may not devolop another pear to surpass or even rival that superb sum-
mer variety ; but, they can try. And hence the seedlings upon our table
on the 25th of October. Specifically, there were : " Nicholas, a seedling
" from No. 17 ; " " Neiohall, a seedling from No. 12 ; " " Seedling,"
(not named,) " from Winter Nelis ; " Seedling from Urbaniste." The
duty of minutely describing these Seedlings may well be left for the ac-
complished experts of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, whose
observations of them with others from the same orchards, can be contin-
uous and uninterrupted. Abrupt inferences from a single cursory inspec-
tion would hardly be warranted. It is, however, permissible to say that
the Seedling from Urbaniste was of exquisite tlavor, the flesh being of a
beurre and melting texture. The Seedling from the Winter Nelis would
perhaps rank next, if indeed any inferiority was marked.

Depredations upon the gardens and orchards of our members have been
scarcelyas serious as in former years. Your Secretary learns, from the
Commission charged with their care, that the Public Grounds of the
City of Worcester suffer from a wanton or malicious mischief which rev-
els in the destruction of whatever is beyond its capacity for enjoyment.
But the Horticulturist has mainly escaped ravage ; even though, in fre-
quent instances, the flagrant exposure of Quince or Strawberry has seemed
to be a temptation of Providence — let alone the graduates of our Keform
Schools. In fact, our associate, Mr. Charles Goodwin, claims that his
fate has been that of the late Southern Confederacy :— in that his prayer
to be " let alone " was not answered. But possibly neither the Confeder-
acy, nor Mr. Goodwin, sufficiently realized that it is the prayer of the
righteous that availeth much. Your Secretary tried to console Mr. Good -
win by reminding him of the instance, mentioned in the Good Book,
where a pair were grinding and one was taken, — the other being left.
But Mr. Goodwin denied that there was any grinding in his, — grist and
toll alike were taken, and not a pear was left between his upper and
nether stones. Be that as it may !

For our general immunity we have, perhaps, to thank our associate,
Mr. William H. Earle, to whose firmness of purpose is it due that the ad-
ministration of justice, in this City and County, was saved from grave re-
proach. That gentleman would not condone the offence, nor suffer its

1877.] REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 49

memory to be outlawed. Straw-bail has done its appointed work. But
the vigilance which ensured a merited conviction will see to it that, neith-
er by chicanery, nor evasion, shall justice be ultimately defrauded.

The property of the Society is in excellent condition, having been put
and kept in thorough repair. The immediate charge of our several Halls
has been under the supervision of Mr. John C. Kewton, to whose person-
al fidelity and industry the Society owes it that its property is maintained
in such perfect condition and order. The material improvements in the
appearance and convenience of the Stores, upon the main floor, which
were suggested in my last Report as probably indispensable, met with the
approbation of the Trustees and were finally effected. It is pleasant to
reflect that these improvements were made of our own accord, and with-
out a formal application from our tenants. It should be our aim ever to
manage our relations of business so that they shall become, neither a
source of provocation to our tenants, nor of annoyance to ourselves. Hav-
ing accommodated our fixed rents to the pressure of times which were at
least as onerous to us, as to those whose legal obligations were cheerfully
relaxed, we may be pardoned for felicitating ourselves upon the manifest
evidence and conviction that this corporation possesses a soul. Our lib-
erality may, or may not, be appreciated ; most likely not, — since gratitude
is defined as a lively sense of favors expected. That, however, need not
concern us, who have governed our actions by an exact sense of justice.

The Income of the Society, during the past official year, as will more
fully appear from the detailed account of the Treasurer, has been some-
what reduced. This diminution, however, was largely due to the disuse
of the Hall of Pomona by the Protestant Episcopal Society of this City,
which withdrew its congregation and worship, as soon as possible, from
the insidious influence of our heathen devices and emblems , Let us
hope that no budding innocent was enticed from grace through the
seductive wiles of Pomona I

Especial care has been used, by your Committee, to make the modes of
egress from our Halls safe beyond a question. To this end the doors
were re-hung, so as to open outwards. The descent to the street is by a
broad and short flight of stairs ; and of course escape from accident or
danger would be easy and swift. These measures of precaution were
adopted of our own volition. After they had been some time completed,
a notification was received from officers of the Commonwealth, that such
provision for the security of the public ought to be made. Should those
vigilant guardians of the popular safety contrive, or even attempt, to
obviate the perils inseparable from the use and occupation of other Halls
with which our own is forced to compete ; whose narrow and successive

50 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1877.

flights of stairs would be so quickly choked by smoke and panic-stricken
fugitives, our Trustees would not be so selfish as to object.

The Annual Eeport of the Fruit Committee of the Massachusetts
HoKTicuLTUEAL SOCIETY, for A. D. 1S7C, (the latest published,) treat-
ing of the display of Apples, contains the following remarks, that should
be of interest here : —

"At the Annual Show, there were no prizes offered for collections, as
" has been the practice in past years, but all prizes were offered for single
" dishes. In making out the Schedule, the Committee selected all the
" varieties that were grown to any extent, and offered prizes for thirty-
" eight different kinds, proportioning the number of prizes to the value of
" the variety for all purposes according to their best judgement, — to the
" best and most valuable, four prizes, and to those of the least value, two
" prizes. The Committee are aware that this was a great change, but be-
" lieve that it was for the best interests of the Society, and also of the
" exhibitor, and think that it has given general satisfaction."

Again, under the head of Pears, the Committee say : —

"Pears. — The season has been very favorable for this fruit, and the
" exhibitions during the season have been superior to the average of the
" last few years. The change in the offers of prizes, from collections to
" single dishes, as spoken of in apples, has been applied to pears ; and we
" think it a great improvement as the dishes of each variety are arranged
" together, and if a person comes to get any information in relation to
" any particular variety, he can see for himself how it succeeds in Cam-
" bridge, Worcester, Concord, Revere, or any other part of the State, and
" judge what variety will do best in his location. Another reason for the
" change is that it gives the Committee a better opportunity to judge cor-
" rectly of the different varieties." ******

" The display of jiears at the Annual Exhibition was not as large as on
"some former occasions, but we think that, considering the quality of all
" the fruit on exhibition, it was one of the best, if not the best ever made
" by this Society. The new rule of offering prizes only for single dishes,
" is probably one reason for there being so little inferior fruit.

As this practice was adopted from our Society, we have reason to con-
gratulate ourselves that the Massachusetts Society approve it in actual
operation. A very few of our own members were, at one time, inclined
to doubt its wisdom, and possibly more than a little inclined to distrust
its application. The attempt to draw out collections of Pears, once more,
by the offer of premiums at individual expense, was not so signally suc-
cessful as to encourage repetition. And the fact that the proponents of
those premiums, being competitors themselves, reserved their best speci-
mens for entry under the distinct division into varieties, as required by
the Society, would appear to indicate that their objections were not very
tenaciously cherished. At any rate, the facts are all with the new sys-
tem, i For Avhereas, in the Centennial year of plenty, thirty-five (35) con-
tributors placed two hundred and fifty (250) plates of Apples upon our
tables, iu this last year of dearth there were thirty (30) contributors, with

1^77.] REPORT OF TSE SECRETARY. 51

one hundred and five (105) plates. The character of the season, or its
being the odd year, might materially reduce the crop ; but, even with
those drawbacks, there were only five (5) less exhibitors without something
to sliow. In Pears there was an absolute increase ; there being three
hundred and ten (310) single plates in 1877, against two hundred and
eighty-four (284) in 1876. Not a striking proof, certainly, of any dissat-
isfaction with the policy of the Society, on the part of that wide member-
ship whose wishes should ever be consulted ; as they must, when decis-
ively manifested, become a rule.

Should it be your desire to encourage the introduction of novelties —
whether of Flower or Fruit, you could happily achieve that aim by the
proposal of Prospective Premiums. Such were offered, for many years
in succession, during which no claimants presented themselves. But the
element of chance enters largely into the production of valuable varieties
from the seed ; perhaps too much so, to warrant a hope of such develop-
ment from our own members, few of whom are so situated as to be able
to devote, to it the requisite attention and time. Yet we might reap where
we have not sown. And a sure retvirn could be anticipated from an offer
of prospective premiums, which, not restricted to the production of seed-
lings, should comprehend the cull and pick of all novelties from bud or
scion. This, indeed, would involve little more than another mode of im-
porting scions at the expense of the Society. And it might be difficult to
give a good reason why the Society should not even do that !

Our Annual Autumnal Exhibition was partially, by no means
suitably, appreciated. This should not be construed into a complaint that
the pecuniary returns from admission fees, etc., were inadequate, since
the Trustees deliberately and wisely established the charge for admis-
sion at a merely nominal sum. But to the fact, each year more painfully
evident, that the Cattle Show, or Pomological Exhibition, pale in attrac-
tion, and that the chief inducement remaining to visit them is simply
weariness of all else. A close student of human nature opines that the
faith of the American people in the permanence or stability of any thing,
was rudely shaken when an armed hand was raised to destroy their polit-
ical fabric. The facile temperament, so lightly amused, has grown exact-
ing and querulous ; and, if dissatisfied for any considerable time, subsides
into chronic discontent and ennui. This may well be a result of lost faith.

In our own case, however, other fault is found, more superficial and of
easier remedy, whereof it would be sheer affectation to pretend ignoi'ance,
it being a theme of quite general comment. It is claimed, with what jus-
tice you must determine, that our wliole system of entry and award is so
defective as to work injustice ; and that the receipt of its due by merit is
as much a chance of good luck as of careful discrimination. In all this

52 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1877.

feuspiciou — prejudice if you prefer — lurks doubtless much injustice. It is
a much mooted question — one that the mere ipse dixit of any one by no
means settles — whether an entry should be indicated by numbers rather
than names. And almost a miracle would be needed to provide you with
Committees, whose tireless service and adequate knowledge should be at
your beck and call, frequently until midnight, without even the poor re-
tainer of rations, or the prospect of most meagre pay. Nevertheless, dis-
satisfaction exists ; nourishes itself upon chaff, if you please, yet starves
not — and becomes alike contagious and infectious. This dissatisfaction,
as your Secretary has been directly informed, withholds many from con-
tributing to our Exhihitions, and threatens to deter more. Shall we dis-
pel such suspicion, — allay this discontent ? And if so, in what most ef-
fectual and thorough manner ?

After mature reflection, your Secretary can think of and suggest no other
sufficient way than to invite a number of gentlemen from without the
County to occupy the position of judges. Doubtless some of the accom-
plished experts of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society
might be induced to assume those functions. Their impartiality could not
be challenged, and their competency would be established by the simple
fact of their appointment. The expense to this Society should not be
considered, in comparison with the general contentment to be produced
by such action on the part of your Trustees. A furlough from onerous
labor might be grateful to those of your number who have not spared
themselves, hitherto, in a thankless service. It might be found, after all,
that the accuracy of human judgement is less contingent upon locality
than some have imagined in their disappointment — and that fallibility
may render imperfect verdicts as well from the banks of the Charles, as
from the headwaters of the Blackstone. The wife of Cffisar must not
even be suspected. Let it be our ambition and fixed purpose, so to order
our policy that each one of our decisions, whether of our Committees or
of the whole body of the Society, shall be accepted as just merely because
we ordered and approved it. I^or would it be matter for regret if thereby
the members of our Committee of Arrangements may he left free to attend
to their especial duties. Simply to locate from five lumdred (500) to a
thousand (1,000) distinct plates, or articles, in their proper positions, is a
sufficient task for all who are likely to apply themselves, in the hurry and
confusion of an Exhibition, to that arduous if indispensable business.

Which is all respectfully submitted, by

EDWAKD WINSLOW LINCOLN",

Secretary.
Worcester, Massachusetts,
Horticultural Hall,
Nov. 7, A. D. 1877.

TRANSACTIONS

WORCESTER COUNTY

Horticultural Society,

FOR THE YEAR 1878;

COMPKISING

A CONSIDEEATION OF
TILLAGE, iNTRonucED by Vice-Pres, Hadwen, Page 5

GARDEN VEGETABLES, " " Sylvanus Sears " 11

ORCHARD FRUITS, Their Cultivation^, Storing and Keeping,

Introduced by Joseph C. Lovei.l, " IG

INSECTS AND OTHER ENEMIES OF FRUITS AND FLOWERS,

Introduced by F. J. Kinney, " 21

THE TWELVE BEST ANNUAL AND PERRENNIAL FLOWER-
ING PLANTS, Introduced by Mrs. Thomas L, Nelson, " 2G

also,

THE ANNUAL REPORTS OF THE SECRETARY AND OF
THE LIBRARIAN.

WORCESTER:

printed by EDWARD R. FISKE.

1879.

NOTE.
Acknowledgements are due to the Sptj^ and the Evening
Gazette, (emphatically the latter), for tlieir lull and precise
Reports of the Weekly Meetings and Discussions, without
whose essential aid the summary herein published would have
been impossible. The Committee especially aimed to cover
topics that were not embraced in loruier " Transactions."

!•:. w. L.

noUTICULTUKAL HaLL,

January 14, A. D, 1879.

TILL AGI^.

Considered by the Society, January llth, A. D. 1878.

The subject was to have been introduced by Calvin S. Hartshorn, Esq.,
but lie was unavoidably absent. Vice-President Hadwen was therefore
called upon to fill the gap, and responded with his usual good will. He
said the foundation of tillage is ploughing, and the question of deep or
shallow ploughing first presents itself, but here fixed principles cannot
be laid down. On strong soils and with abundant manure, deep plough-
ing is desirable. He had ploughed his farm all over, running a second
plough in the furrow of the first, and the results were various. It is well
to plough a sod under deep, but he would plough manure in lightly ; for
roots he would plough manure in deep and then plough again to mingle
the manure with the soil. Thorough ploughing is more important than
deep ploughing. A good seed-bed is the end sought, and after ploughing
there must be other manipulation. For corn he would plough in the fall,
and spread the manure on the top in the winter, harrow it thoroughly in
the spring, and put in the seed. His experience was less favorable with
ploughing manure under and then putting more in the hill.

Mr. Sylvanus Sears differed in regard to the spreading of manure in
the winter. He had spread in the spring and harrowed for corn, but with
poor results. He favored ploughing manure under, rather lightly ; he
cited bad results from ploughing manure in too deeply, and said it was
admissible only when the soil was deep and manure plenty. He praised
the Centennial plough of the Ames Plow Company, and said its leaving
the field flat instead of in lands is a great improvement. Farmers often
are mistaken in regard to their depth of furrow, getting only five inches
when they think they see seven. Various soils require differing ploughs,
— a sandy soil breaking from the mould board almost without effort, while
stiff soil requires a special plough to properly pulverize the land. I'or old
land adapted to horticulture he would plough a narrow furrow and be sure
and not cover anything up. Cross ploughing is here very desirable. He
condemned the old-time harrow, which drags down the soil and makes it
compact ; he contrasted this with the Fish and the Share's harrow, which
lift up the soil and leave it light; for deep work he favored the Fish har-
2

6 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL HOCIETY. [1878.

row. A roller to mash the clods is often desirable after the soil has been
well stirred. He would stir the soil all he could afford, amd quoted an old
writer to the effect that soil might be so thoroughly stirred as to almost
remove the necessity for manures. He would have earth frequently
stirred during the growth of a crop when possible, to prevent packing and
crust by sun and rain.

Mr. James Draper favored deep tillage, and related his experience with
sub-soiling ; he first ploughed seven or eight inches, then cross-ploughed
the same depth, and then followed in the same furrow with a aub-soil
plough, stirring the soil, but not lifting it ; the soil was opened nearly
twenty inches, a heavy soil with hard clay subsoil ; he applied forty-five
cords of manure to the acre, and had wonderful results, with strawberries
for two years, and subsequently with trees. It was eight years ago, but
the result is still manifest.

Mr. F. J. Kinney was called out by a remark that he didn't plough at
all ; he said he did not use a plough because he was on a rock where he
couldn't plough ; he had seen good fields ruined by deep ploughing, —
one a stiff clay soil, twelve inches deep, with four oxen, and since it had
not produced enough to feed those four oxen ; it is cold and sour, and
will neither grow corn nor grass. He thought much is lost by too deep
ploughing ; the work should be on surface in pulverization ; a good seed-
bed is the desideratum. The best carrots he ever saw were grown on a
hard gravel sub-soil ploughed only four inches deep, and the crop had to
be dug with a crow-bar ; he had noticed that the best plants are
often found in a hard path which has been trodden for years ; his straw-
berry crops have stood the drought best when the soil had been stirred
only three or four inches ; the sun and hot air penetrate just as far as
the soil is stirred ; below there is a retention of moisture.

Mr. Wm. H. Earle said it is an important question whether the soil
should be stirred deeply or not ; if the last speaker is correct, almost all
agricultural experimenters are at fault. He favored frequent stirring of
the soil during the growing crop. Another point is that over forty per
cent, of a crop comes from above the ground rather than from the ground,
but some of this finds its way to the plant through the loosened earth and
the roots.

Mr. Ephraim Chamberlain said various soils need differing methods ;
as a rule a man who has a mellow soil will go deep, but with a rocky soil
he will plough shallow ; his best experience was with heavy manuring
and shallow but very thorough pulverizing ; he had harvested fine crops,
just in proportion as he had attended to pulverization.

Mr. Earle said his strawberry fields were ploughed very deeply, and he
got last year $1500 worth of fruit on three acres. He would not spread
manure on soil until after it had been thoroughly ploughed.

1878. J TRANSACTIONS. 7

Mr, Joseph Lovell said Mr. Earle's land has been ploughed very deep
for eighteen years ; he had put eighty cords of manure on three acres,
and then used phosphate in the hill, on this soil, before Mr. Earle had it.

Mr. Chamberlain said with fifteen cords of manure to the acre he
expected to get double crops for three or four years. He related instances
of heavy manuring and deep ploughing, where the deep ploughing had
ruined the field.

Mr. Sears cited instances of deep ploughing, one where four inches of
gravel was brought to the surface, and although there was plenty of
manure the crop didn't come ; the fault was that the soil wasn't fit to
plough deep. In another case, a deep alluvial soil, deep ploughing proved
very satisfactory ; it requires discrimination ; a meadow requires different
treatment from a shallow soil on a side-hill. In one case he had had good
success with ploughing on a stony soil from three to five inches deep, and
the land was in good heart fifteen years afterward.

Mr. F. M. Marble said the question of deep tillage depends on the soil;
with a rich subsoil the plough should go deeper every year, but ^s it is
brought to the surface, it should be thoroughly incorporated with the top
soil, and the whole well manured ; it requires time and manure to utilize
deep tillage; plant roots will go as deep as the soil is fitted for them.

Mr. Hadwen said the question of deep or shallow ploughing cannot be
decided by rule; the nature of the soil must govern that. He then sug-
gested the application of manures as a part of tillage, and recited various
experiments in this department, tending to the idea that the best results
came from incorporating the manure through the four or five inches at
the top of the soil.

Mr. Kinney detailed the growth of strawberry plants on hard walks of
coal ashes.

Mr. Newell Wood of Millbury asked if good results from shallow tillage
on an old pasture were not owing to the fact that it had been fallow a
long time. Mr. Sears, who had cited the instance, said this might be
partially so, but he was sure that the crop was not all owing to that cause.
He favored a rotation of crops, and said perhaps the ash-walk of Mr.
Kinney had been disintegrated by long exposure, and contained nourish-
ment for the plant.

Mr. Thomas Harlow of West Boylston asked for details of Mr. Chamber-
. Iain's cultivation, who replied that after ploughing shallow he manured ;
then he harrowed twice, and then used a white birch bush just as long as
he has time, and then he bushes the field again just before the corn comes
up. After the corn is up he puts the cultivator between the rows, both
ways ; he relied on the bush as the very best pulverizer.

Mr. Sears said he did not believe in the bush ; it does not go deep
enough ; he prefers twice harrowing with a Fish harrow, and then uses a
roller.

8 WOECESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1878.

Mr. Chamberlain said a rolled surface will evaporate moisture more
quickly than a loose, rough one, but a bush compacts the soil about the
seed while it leaves the surface rough.

Mr. Sears said just for that reason he didn't want a bush ; he wanted a
smooth surface over a loose soil, and the roller gives it perfectly.

Mr. Chamberlain related his experience where he had carted a large
quantity of manure over a field of corn after it was planted, and the cart
track grew the best corn.

Mr. Hadwen introduced a description of an implement suggested by
Mr. Ware of Marblehead, — a stone boat with slats on its under surface,
which gather the clods and crushes them much better than either roller
or bush, especially for finishing after seeding ground.

Mr. Sears said the implement will work well where there are no stones,
but it is not adapted to this locality ; it pushes the stones along, leaves
furrows and does not leave smooth work.

Mr. Merrifield, president, said he had used the implement ; it works
well except where there are large stones ; the smaller stones are crushed
into the soil ; he put the slats on at an angle, securing a drawing stroke
on the soil, securing it easier working ; he considered it worth more than
a roller. He also spoke of another implement he had made to crush
manure on grass land ; it is of oak plank, five feet square, and filled with
short pins of one inch iron, projecting about an inch ; it works admirably,
breaking all the lumps and leaving the sod in good condition. He said
every farmer must decide on deep or shallow ploughing only on the merits
of each field by itself ; he spoke of Prof. Mape's ideas of subsoiling, which
he had put in practice, using a share which lifted and broke the earth
below the'first ploughing of eleven inches deep ; ground ploughed thus
twenty-five years ago and not ploughed since produces two and a half
tons of grass to the acre ; he had spaded a small section of the field twelve
years after, and found first about ten inches of light soil, then a shell of
soil which required picking, and under that a foot of light soil ; trees and
o-rass wrew wonderfully well there ; the deep soil absorbs moisture best,
and hard ground freezes most quickly. He did not approve deep soil for
grapes, for the roots need the sun ; if the fertilizers are put near the top
of the soil the roots will stay there. In regard to applying manure, he
believed in ploughing and then applying the manure near the surface ;
he would break up a field in the spring, turn the sod well under, spread
on the manure, and then pulverize it ready for the crop.

Mr. Joseph Lovell advocated ploughing the manure in deep, and then
putting something in the hill to give the plant a start, leaving it to find
the deeper manure when it was needed later in the season. He quoted
the practice on the sea-coast of trenching soil three feet deep and putting
sea weed and manure at the bottom.

1878.] TRANSACTIONS. 9

Mr. Draper said he would advocate deep stirring of the soil, but not
the bringing up to the surface of the lower strata ; he had also trenched
land two feet deep, stirring the soil and taking out the stone, but not
turning it bottom side up.

Mr. Hadwen then suggested the proper time to apply manure ; he
said manure evaporates but little ; the best farmers put out the manure
when most convenient and plough it in when they get ready ; this is
a revolution from the old system ; he said the gases which escape from
manure heaps in the open field are not fertilizers, at least they are
not ammonia ; their value is not worth considering ; this is Dr. Goes-
mann's observation ; Mr. Hadwen said it is doubtful if keeping manure
in a cellar is as valuable as spreading it immediately on the soil; he
was closely questioned by Messrs. Marble and Earle, and expressed the
opinion that there was nothing like fresh manure for the soil ; he related
his own experience in effect that compost, or well rotted manure, is less
valuable than fresh manure upon the soil ; he would at this season draw
the manure and spread it on the surface.

Mr. Sears said he would partly accept Mr. Hadwen's theory ; he had
tried the experiment and in the same field, the same season, with part
ploughed in the fall and part left on the surface until spring, and a third
part spread from the barn cellar in the spring, and the latter gave the
best crop.

Mr. Hadwen replied with his experience ; he ploughed in September
and began putting on manure on the surface, keeping it up until snow
was deep, compelling the delay till spring of finishing the^work ; the
manure was spread evenly, but the best crop was where the manure was
put on the field in the fall and winter.

Mr. Kinney asked if hen manure and hog manure are to be treated as
has been recommended for cow manure ; he thought any manure should
be put where all its good can be saved ; he thought hen manure and hog
manure would waste in exposure in an open field.

Mr. Hadwen said manure will not thaw so soon as thejearth, and when
it does thaw and liberate its elements the earth is ready to receive them ;
this explains why the manure spread in the winter does not waste.

Mr. Chamberlain said a bare piece of ground forbidden to grow a crop,
will be impoverished sooner than by an exhaustive crop ; he wanted to
know where the elements go to ; his theory was to extract ;^the fertility
of the soil the quickest possible way, to arrest and make use of the
escaping elements.

Mr. Earle believed manure lost a dollar a cord if left uncovered. Mr.
Chamberlain thought winter-exposed manure would start a crop better,
but it would waste in summer. Mr. Dawson would use green manure
for strawberries and old manure for corn.

10 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1878.

Mr. A. B. Lovell was not in favor of exposing manure, and referred to
weighing a cord and three inches of solid and liquid manure which weighed
9800 pounds.

This closed the discussion, and it was announced that Mr. Sylvanus
Sears would read a paper on vegetables, as the basis of next week's dis-
cussion.

GARDEN VEGETABLES.

Considered hy the Society, January 24th, A. D. 1878.

The subject was introduced by Mr. Sylvanus Sears, whose essay, with
the following discussion, are thus carefully condensed.

SYLVANUS SEARS.

He alluded to the intelligence, skill and experience requisite to the suc-
cessful culture of Vegetables as important, and their absence he thought
explained many failures. The question of manures and their application,
the selection of seeds, and the process of cultivation, all are essential,
and no rule governing these can be given, for soils vary, different plants
need varying manures and varying cultivation, and what will yield good
results in one place will be a disappointment in another.

He took strong ground in favor of small farms well tilled, urging that
in many cases the effort spent upon ten acres, at a loss, would pay a
profit if expended on five acres.

He advocated high manuring, and urged that thirty-two horse loads to
an acre is not high manuring ; sixty would do better. One Worcester
farmer applied eighty cords to an acre, and found that it paid. Thoroug'^
cultivation was his next topic, and his idea was that careful preparation
of the soil for a seed-bed, frequent stirring of the soil about the plants,
and absolutely clean culture are all included under this head.

A good market is essential. Over production is dangerous, and it often
results not so much from too many growers, but from a favorable season,
giving an unexpectedly full crop of certain vegetables. The remedy
suggested was the planting of a wide variety, thus securing a fair average
result.

The enemies of the vegetable growers were discussed. After alluding
briefly to the cabbage pests, he spoke at length of the Colorado beetle,
the great enemy of the potato, and said he applied a solution of Paris
green, one pound to the acre, and drove off the first crop ; a second ap-
plication three weeks afterwards completed the work, and his harvest of
potatoes was quite up to the average. The solution was applied with a
watering pot. In answer to a question he stated an experiment where
500 pounds of Paris green were applied to the acre, and chemical analysis
failed to show its presence either in the soil, the tubers, or the stalks and
leaves. He did not think there was any danger in its ordinary moderate
use.

12 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, [1878.

In answer to a question, which five vegetables would you recommend
as the best for market cultivation? He said no advice could be given.
Peas, green corn, cabbages and squashes are prominent ; potatoes would
probably rank first in importance.

In answer to other questions he said he would apply Paris green in
water as the easiest method.

Mr. S. A. Kewton said he found it easier to mix the green with cheap
flour, or shorts, and apply it dry with a sieve.

Mr. G. H. Harlow of Shrewsbury questioned whether Paris green is
not poisonous to the plants, and told of a neighbor who lost two cows and
had others sick, from eating potato tops which had been treated with it.
He questioned also whether a farmer living six miles from the city could
make vegetable culture profitable. He said he earned all he got twice —
once in growing the crop, and again in trying to sell the crop. He thought
a man near by who had a milk route could build up a trade, but a com-
mon farmer might as well give his crop away.

Mr. J. B. Sibley said he had half an acre of potatoes; he applied one
pound of Paris green in twenty pounds of plaster, and the second crop
of bugs got three pounds of the green. He applied it with his hands,
and gave an amusing experience of a dog which ran through the field
and got himself covered with the poison, without injury.

George S. Coe of Shrewsbury said the cows which died in that town
drank rain water which had been caught in buckets tainted with Paris
green.

Mr. Harlow contended that the green was poisonous, and thought
farmers should use it, if at all, with extreme caution.

Mr. O. B. Hadwen suggested an inquiry from experienced men on the
matter of growing special crops, and leaving the insects until they are
reached in the list of subjects arranged for discussion.

Mr. Geo. H. Rice spoke of the growing of onions which usually prove
a difficult crop. He found tbera Jo grow best on old ground ; they will
not do well on turned sward ; they follow carrots very well ; an abun-
dance of manure is needed ; this should be spread and ploughed in
lightly in the fall; in the spring the soil is pulverized with a cultivator
or harrow, care being taken not to make it too mellow ; he would roll the
ground if too mellow ; the onion grows best on the top of the ground,
and the seed should be left very near the surface, almost without cover-
ing ; he would sow early in April ; the best results come from rows thir-
teen inches apart and sown so thinly that no young plants need to be
removed ; frequent light moving of the soil between the rows is neces-
sary, and in May, June and July it is important to keep the young weeds
down ; they may be pulled in August, carefully cured and put under
shelter, when they can be kept cool ; there is more danger of heat than

1878.] TRANSACTIONS. 13

of cold ; he keeps his crop in the barn through the winter, and frequently
keeps it until April ; his soil is a heavy clay, and retentive, but is under-
drained ; it is bad to stir in the spring, and therefore he does all he can
to the soil in the fall ; he thought ."00 bushels to the acre an average
crop ; he put fifty to sixty two-horse loads or from eighteen to twenty
cords of manure to the acre ; he uses a general variety of barn manure,
tannery refuse, lime and salt, in a compost ; horse manure he would
compost a year before using ; the lime and salt is intended to fix the
maggots ; he has used them successfully for ten years, but he would not
like to say they were au unfailing remedy ; he applied them by mixing in
the manure and also by sowing over the field ; he did not think freezing
onions would bei-efit them, but they may be once frozen without much
harm ; repeated freezing and thawing is bad ; the point is to keep them
at an even temperature ; if they freeze they should be kept covered to
protect them from thawing. Many of the points were brought out by
questions from various gentlemen present.

Mr. Joseph S. Perry thought the potato crop the most imi)ortant, and
how to get a crop is worthy of study ; experience is most valuable, and
generally the best observer will succeed best ; his own plan is to plough
early in the fall; the next spring he would manure liberally, eight to
twelve cords to the acre, and i)lougli lightly ; he could not cover potatoes
with a horse-hoe with success ; they do not cover evenly ; two or three
inches is the proper depth ; he would run a cultivator through the field
in six or eight days after planting, to keep down the weeds, and this
should be repeated every week ; he hoes three times, but by using the
cultivator hoeing is light work. Last year he raised 1000 bushels of
Early Rose, and eight hundred of Davis Seedlings ; the latter he thought
the best crop ; Yankees prefer Early Rose, but foreigners choose the
others. In regard to the bugs, he found it cheapest to pick the bugs,
especially as he could get boy pickers cheap ; he did not think Paris
green injurious to the crop, but there is a prejudice against it, and a crop
will sell more readily without it ; he would "hill up" the crop lightly ;
he would plant in rows, one way, and one piece of potato to ever}'^
eighteen inches ; could not afford to manure in the hill.

Dea. Edward Kendall spoke of painting window blinds with Paris
green ; its poison is arsenic ; he had ground it and applied it, but he had
experienced no evil effects ; he would not hesitate to eat vegetables
where it had been used; it might work differently with different people,
the same as other paints ; he would work in Paris green rather than in

white lead. *

Mr. Hadwen, in a pleasant speech introduced Mr. J(d»n B. Moore of
Concord, the originator of Moore's Early Corn and Moore's Grape.

Mr. Moore expressed his pleasure at the freedom of the discussion,
and compared it to the reticence of the market gardeners in the State
3

14 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1878.

Board of Agriculture, who, he said, if they know anything they will not
tell it. He questioned the propriety of a general farmer raising a great
variety of vegetables ; he said that would do if he markets his products
to families, but the best crops can be got by special culture, and by de-
votion to special crops ; he is sixteen miles from market, and finds better
profit in raising a few crops largely : he has a strong hold on onions ; in
starting new ground there is no trouble if you are generous with the
manure : potash is essential ^ hence wood ashes are valuable ; he got last
year 800 bushels to the acre ; he put his rows fourteen inches apart ; two-
thirds of the field, through a mistake, got twice as much seed : s he in-
tended ; they grew three and four deep, and too large for ordinary
customers ; the true time to kill the weeds is before they come up ; he
uses the new scuffle hoe, but it requires the ground to be entirely free
from sticks and stones ; he gets over fifteen rods in three minutes ; good
seed is important ; that raised at home is surest ; with his own seed he
had no "stiff necks" or scullions.

He also gave his treatment of asparagus, of which he is a large grower ;
it usually pays from S3C0 to S500 per acre ; he was the first to begin the
crop in 1854, and now over one hundred acres are used in this crop in
Arlington ; it requires a sandy soil and high manure ; the salt theory is
a myth ; it is not a manure, and it is not a necessity to asparagus,
although the books say so. He gave a sketch of the history of the plant,
and of his own experience ; his best success has been without salt ; he
has taken the first prize for seventeen years, at the Massachusetts Horti-
cultural Society, without salt.

He also grows about 10,' 00 caulitlowers each year ; he uses good
ground, with heavy manuring, to which he adds one hundred pounds of
muriate of potash to the acre ; he gets all his seed from Italy, and is sure
there is no good seed here ; his plants head in hot weather without fail ;
a heavy dressing of salt will laten the asparagus crop, and will make it
grow crooked ; he found the Conover a poorer variety than others ; he
puts the crowns of his plants eight inches under ground, and ploughs
over it ; every inch deeper makes the crop a week later ; his rows are
three feet apart and plants fifteen inches apart in the rows ; he raises
seed from only the plants which give large stalks, good color, and good
shape he lets the first shoots run up to seed, so that there is no crossing
with the smaller plants.

Mr. Rice said he had plants from a bed thirty-five years old which are
better than any of the new varieties. In regard to cultivating onions he
said he could not use the new scuffle hoe on his soil ; it is adapted only
to a perfectly pulverized soil.

Mr. James Draper spoke of the difficulty of marketing vegetables ; a
milk man can do well in carrying out his vegetables ; with only beets.

1878.] TRANSACTIONS. !•")

tomatoes and squashes, he could find a market with the dealers ; potatoes
alone are a good crop, and there is always a market ; his advice was to
stick to two or three varieties.

Mr. Rice said his experience is best with large quantities of a few
vegetables.

Mr. Draper spoke of the garden crops brought here from abroad, and
said this is one of the best markets, if the farmers would only improve it
intelligently.

Mr. Merrifield spoke of the importance of good seed, and also of the
need of energy in improving and occupying the market.

Mr. Hadwen spoke of the necessity of good seed, and suggested that
Worcester farmers might find their interest in raising each some one
variety of seed, with a special view to securing pure seed and of the best
quality.

Mr. Sears related his mishaps with so called choice seeds, and expressed
the opinion that local growers should grow their own seed.

Mr. C. L. Hartshorn said he had dipped into almost all vegetables in
connection with his milk business, but was now holding up ; consumers
have been reduced and producers have increased of late, and he finds it
almost as profitable to feed his vegetables to stock. He has grown
tomatoes for years ; Boston Market is his dependence ; Trophy he dis-
cards ; Gen. Grant and Canada Victor do. fairly, but are not reliable ;
with Tilden he has not had as good luck even as with Canada Victor ;
the Hathaway looks well, and if picked before fully ripe is excellent ; for
growing in a family garden it has no superior ; he would trim the vines
at the ends, but would leave vines enough to shade the fruit.

Mr. J. C. Lovell said he always sets his plants the last day of May or
the first day of June ; if set earlier they will fail. Messrs. Draper and
Sears concurred in this view.

Mr. Sears advocated well rotted manure and superphosphate for fer-
tilizers ; the latter gives earlier and better fruit, while the former makes
prodigious vines. His pet variety is the Canada Victor ; it ripens a good
quantity early, while other early varieties ripen only an occasional
specimen.

The value of various vegetables for stock was then briefiy discussed.
Mr. Sears said he considered cabbages worth half a cent a pound for feed
for milk. Mr. Merrifield said he had, after experiment, decided in favor
of mangolds and sugar beets for stock. Mr. Hadwen said be was strongly
in favor of roots as a change of feed. Mr. .Sears concurred, but objected
to their excessive use. Mr. Moore .<aia his neighbors fed only English
turnips, lops ami all, which he thought a safe way of watering milk. Mr.
Merrifield said he preferreil cotton seed meal, Indian corn and .shorts as
more economical than roots. The meeting then dissolved.

OHCHAED FRUITS.

THEIR CULTIVATION, STORING, AND KEEPING.

Considered by the Society, Febnmry llth, A. D. 1878.

Mr. Joseph C. Lovell, of West Boylston, introduced the subject. He
pointed out the different circumstances of the fruit growers, for home
use or for market, the single tree or the large orchard, the early summer
or the long keeping varieties. He said one general rule is that growers
must study. The question of fertilizing is important, for too little and
too much are alike disastrous ; insect ravages need constant watching ;
the soil for one variety may cause others to fall, and various methods of
treatment are only adapted to certain varieties. He fa^vored attempts to
improve the quality of some approved varieties, rather than to produce
new varieties, and he suggested the question whether raising seedlings
from carefully selected healthy trees, may not be a help toward eradicat-
ing blight.

He favored only moderate fertilizing, for too much will enfeeble the
tree. Varieties can only be selected to adapt the crops to the individual
want; no general rule can be given. He gave a caution in regarding
planting, that there should be abundant room for roots, and the tree
should be set as deep as it stood in the nurseries. The best soil for Apples
and Pears is a strong deep loam on a hill side ; the soil should be
frequently stirred about young trees. He would gather winter fruit
only when it is fully ripe, if quality be desired ; for storage he would
select a dry cellar with a uniform temperature of from 34" to 36". Hfe
urged eveiy tree planter to be sure and give clean culture, and a fair
chance to his trees, before condemning the nurserymen or the stock. In
answer to questions he said he could not recommend either apples or
pears for a crop to the exclusion of the other, but would advise a grower
to have good stocks of both.

1878.] TRANSACTIONS. 17

Mr. J. E. Phelps said fruit trees should be headed in and the roots
carefully pruned in transplanting. To reset trees with the roots jammed
oft" with a spade is folly. He would set no trees over two or three years
old ; larger trees will be the smallest in ten years. Peaches should be
set one year from the bud and pruned so that only a "stub" is left. He
would prune the roots, even if the tree is taken up without injuring the
tree ; the cut portion will throw out many new and vigorous roots.

Mr. Sylvanus Sears gave his experience ; in moving young trees he
would cut off the roots not over two and a half feet from the tree ;
he had observed if rough wounds on roots are left there is a decay
and injury ; a smooth cut root will heal quickly and throw out fresh
rootlets. He had transplanted ten year old trees and grafted them im-
mediately, with good results. He favored the growing of both pears and
apples ; by judicious grafting the barrenness of "the odd year" can be
overcome ; early apples, if properly cultivated will bear every year ; one
of his Early Williams trees has borne twenty-one years in succession.
He believed in apples as a crop, even with the "odd year" and the trouble
from insects. It costs less in proportion to harvest a large crop than a
small one.

Mr. Phelps thought it would be better, in transplanting large trees for
grafting, to let them grow a year before grafting. In storing apples he
had the best success in picking them in a warm day in September, and
putting them into tbe cellar while they are warmer than the cellar ; there
is no need of waiting for the fruit to "sweat" before putting in the
cellai".

Mr. J.ovell said his view is that "odd year" fruit is an accident ; there
is no rule by which the habit of trees can be changed. In regard to
putting apples in the cellar as soon as picked, he thought it would only
be safe in a dry cellar.

Mr. Phelps said he would do it with a cellar either damp or dry ; he
had tried both. He also defended the "odd year" idea, that it can be
changed by grafting ; he stored his apples in barrels without heading up,
and left them open for a few weeks.

Mr. Joseph Lovell gave his experience with "odd year" Baldwins ;
he bought six trees in 1845 for "odd year" trees, and only one proved
true to the name.

Mr. Sears said a tree, a part of which was grafted an odd year and part
an even year, has for lifteen years borne in the same manner ; the grafts
set in the odd year fruit in the odd year, and vice versa. His practice is
to pick his apples and put them into barrels and leave them in a store-
house, above ground ; he was sure all apples sweat after picking ; he
had tried to keep apples in large bins, but the result was unsatisfactory.

18 WORCESTEE COUNTY HOETICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1878.

Mr. F. M.' Marble said there is a difference in the keeping qualities of
apples, in different years, irrespective of their storage. He believed
good lillage land cannot be profitably used for apples ; but the trees may
be set on'the north side of fields and against the roads with profit. His
experience is in favor of pruning both top and root at transplanting. He
believed pears are more profitable in this vicinity than apples, and thought
they can be raised as cheaply.

Mr. Phelps opposed pruning in the spring ; the best time is from the
4th to the '24th of July, while the tree is resting between its first and
second growths ; he urged experiments on the same tree.

Mr. Draper said the best rule for nurserymen is to prune when the
knife is sharp ; on young trees he would do all knife pruning early, be-
fore the buds start ; if large cuts are made the wound should be covered
with shellac. In regard to resetting trees he would always set a tree two
or three inches deeper than it stood when taken up. He favored setting
small trees, for they will do much better. He also said too often cus-
tomers insist on having trees taken out of nursery rows, when it is im-
possible to take up one without spoiling three, when, if the trees could
be taken a whole row at a time the removal could ])e much more safely
accomplished.

Mr. J. C. Lovell reiterated his opinion that irees ought to die if they
are set carelessly and the ground about them is allowed either to fill up
with grass or weeds ; the nurserymen are not generally to be blamed.

Mr. P. J. Kinney said apples can be grown at a profit in this vicinity ;
he knew a three acre lot, two sides of which has apple trees, which give
better returns five years in succession than the rest of the field, although
it is in so good condition as to bear ninety-two bushels of wheat. He
opposed spring pruning, especially for large trees ; the only time is when
the tree is at its fullest growth. ?Ie was a full believer in odd year
Baldwins ; he knew of hundreds of trees which are sure for a crop every
odd year ; his own "odd year tree" is certain, and scions taken from it
'••ive odd year trees, whether grafted the odd or the even year.

Mr. Draper made a distinction between heading in and pruning ; the
first should be in the spring ; the latter helvvecu June and September.

Mr. Phelps would head in trees when set, either fall or spring.

Mr. J C. Lovell favored severe heading in in the spring before the
buds start ; he would leave autumn set trees till spring. In answer to a
question, he said barn -yard manures will promote tree growth ; the patent
fertilizers are good also.

Mr. A. B. Lovell said he had a good orchard set in a sand bank ; over
ninety out of one hundred trees lived, and they have made capital growth ;
the land has been generously manured with barn-yard manure and wood
ashes.

1878.] TRANSACTIONS. 19

Mr. Draper would give trees wood ashes and bone : if stable manure is
used it should be applied in the fall.

Mr. A. B. Lovell said he had raised corn on his sand orchard eight
years running, besides gathering the apples.

Mr. Marble reiterated his statement that good land will not give good
returns in apples ; in twenty-five years experience he feels sure it would
have been cheaper to let the land alone and pay the taxes ; he could get
no crops under the trees, and the bother and expense of pruning, bug
killing and harvesting cost more than the income during this period.

Mr. Sears favored setting trees about the margin of fields ; the roots
were under the walls, utilizing all the ground, and the trees thrive better
than in a fully set orchard.

Mr. Newell Wood, of Millbury. said Mr. JSIarble's trouble was that his
soil needed underdraining. He thought it poor economy to set apples
about the walls ; they do better in an orchard where they can be tended.
He considered a sheltered site for an orchard important ; after trees come
into bearing, ploughing In of clover is one of the best fertilizers ; he
spoke heartily in favor of this method of fertilizing for general crojis ; he
had observed that his orchard bore excellent sized fruit, even in the
dryest season, which he thought due to the clover. For pears he applied
manure from the barn cellar, ploughing it in the fall ; he would prune
whenever he saw a place to prune ; the knife should always be within
reach. Peach trees need heavy pruning late in the fall. He would cut
otf large limbs in the fall, as there is less liability to decay.

Mr. Joseph Lovell said if Mr. Wood's practice of pruning was in ues
there would be no occasion to cut off large limbs.

Mr. Sears had had good results from November and December trim-
ming. To trim in the summer would spoil the grass under the trees ; he
had seen no important difference between winter and summer pruning if
large wounds are protected with shellac.

Mr. Wood insisted on mulching young trees after setting, as of the
greatest importance.

Mr. Thomas Harlow, of West Boylslun, said he knew of two or three
orchards where the bearing year has been changed by the canker worm.
He suggested that if trees are taken from a heavily manured nursery, it
will be important to give them rich food afterwards or they will make a
bad showing.

Mr. Kinney spoke of a case when in a six or eight acre orchard, on a
steep side hill, the owner picked every blossom for the first two years,
and the result was full crops in the odd years, nnd the owner had o^ot
rich on one orchard, which an ordinary farmer would lefuse at any price.

Mr. Sears intimated that experience has been that trees so treated after
a few years get back to the general habit of bearing on the even year,

20 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1878.

He had seen similar results where the canker worm did the removal of
the blossoms ; after three years the Baldwins bore half a crop every year.
Mr. Draper said apples demand only half the manure necessary for
pears.

In answer to a question by Mr. S. C. Andrews, Mr. Merritield .said
leather ashes would be of value.

Mr Geo. S. Coe, of Shrewsbury, said apples should be picked when
they show signs of maturity ; this will vary with ditferent seasons : one
season his picking was interrupted by frost and snow ; when the .snow
was gone he finished picking, put the apples in a pile in the cellar three
and a half feet deep, and two months after they were in admirable con-
dition for shipping.

Mr. J. Frank Allen said Northern Spy, Spitzenbeig and Newtown Pip-
pins in his cellar this season, from the West, showed as severe worm
ravages as though grown here ; he thought the worms have "gone "West."
The two first named kept well, and are still in good condition. He thought
native apples have kept poorly.

Mr. Sears thought city cellars too warm for apples ; in his own cellar
Roxbuiy llussets keep till April, and then they are in condition for
market without picking over. His own fruit has kept well this season.

Mr. Draper said in full bearing years apples are so plenty that mnny
growers pick carelessly and the price goes down. If growers will lake
extra pains in such seasops they will get a satisfactory reward.

Mr. Allen expressed a belief that apple culture about Worcester will
pay, and related instances of good success ; if the farmer takes care of
his trees apples are are as good a crop as he can grow.

Mr. Harlow did not believe in setting trees in good tillage land, but
only a fiw faims have such land ; most land is just adajjted to orchard-
ing, but it is not fit for tillage. He thought the expense of an orchard
from tiie start will more than absorb the profits, even after they come
into bearing.

Mr. Piene, of Millbury, said he thought apples a profitable crop ; even
last year, were it not for the hard limes, the crop would have paid. He
thought most apples are picked too green ; early picked apples are inferior
in color, fiavoi-, and in keeping quality ; fruit will keep best on the tree ;
this is true even of pears ; he did not believe in!] "odd "year" trees ; he
had seen sci(U!s from "odd year'' Baldwins which bear the even years,
and even the original trees have reverted to even vear bearing.

Insects and other Enemies of Fruits and Flowers.

Considered by the Society, February 14th, A. D. 1878.

The subject was introduced by Mr. F. J. Kinney, whose remarks, with
the discussion that followed, are thus abridged :

Mr. Kinney considered that the doors to success or failure in growing
fruits or flowers hung on this very text. He first treated of other enemies
than insects, considering man as standing foremost on the list, by hav-
ing for his main objecthow much money he can get out of a tree, forcing it
into a premature existence and into an appearance of age by being over
manured, and in any and all ways to make it tall in the shortest possible
time. The fault he considered was with the purchaser, not the grower,
as the latter produces what the former demands. He expressed the belief
that the treatment a tree receives in the nursery to make it saleable
weakens its vitality and prepares it for an easy prey to its insect enemies.
Considering the insect enemies of apple trees, he first spoke of a species
of si^hinges as perhaps the most dangerous, because they deposit their
eggs near the ground, under a piece of loose bark and out of sight of the
casual observer. The young caterpillars or borers begin operations as
soon as hatched, and, although one in a tree may be discovered before it
has done much damage, by the chips of his trade, if there are several
eggs deposited around the tree and all hatch, the damage may be con-
siderable in a short time. Probably more trees are spoiled by them than
by all other insects combined. They seem to live three years, one in the
bark, one in the wood on their work of destruction, and the last in boring

22 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1878.

a hole from four to six inches long, so that the injury is lasting. Many
trees come- from the nursery containing eggs or small caterpillars,
especially the larger ones. For a remedy, the trees should be carefully
examined before planted, scrape the loose bark carefully from the base,
make a mound of wood ashes or other manure around the base and from
six to eight inches high, a small circle only around the body ; remove
the mound in July, spreading it over the ground, and be sure no eggs
have been left. Make another mound in September, an' I allow it to re-
main till it thaws in spring. If the borers are in the wood dig them out,
being sure to kill every one. A wire with a barbed end run into the holes
will usually do the work, but sometimes it is necessary to use a brace and
bit, chisel and mallet, covering the wound, if it is much of a one, with
grafting wax. The tent caterpillar next received attention, its destruc-
tion by attacking the eggs or by crushing the pests when in the tents
being urged. Another enemy considered was the lappet caterpillar,
which is found on the leaves eating in the night ; hand killing is best for
them. For canker worms tar and lard mixed and spread on a paper band
he considered a good remedy, and bark lice can be taken care of by wash-
ing the limbs occasionally with a strong solution of potash. Plant lice
should be treated to a solution of strong carbonate of ammonia, using
half an ounce to a quart of water, and applying with a syringe, force
pump, wisp of straw, or corn broom. For the coddlinj moth the plan of
A. Greenman of Lockport, N". Y, was recommended. The i)ear i.s sub
ject to the same insects as the apple, and has also plant lice which can be
destroyed by the ammonia solution, a dressing of wood ashes, or air
slaked lime. Blight, the speaker believed, to be caused by an insect thai
bores into the heart of the limb at the base of a bud and eats olf the inner
grains, causing the leaves and limb to die; cutting the limb below the
seat of the disease and burning is the sure remedy. He advocated treat-
ing the exitiosa, an additional enemy of the peach, by ihe use of the
scraper and knife, or fire, if their progenitors can be caught. He spoke
of the quince as not having as many enemies as the aj^ile, but hubject to
the attacks of the borer and leaf slug. The greatest enemy of the grape
he considered to be the thrip, with no remedy that he knew of; but for
the plant louse which works at the roots he would use slaked lime and
salt. Strawberries he spoke of as having no enemies, save the corn grub
and black tiea. which breeds on- old beds from decaying leaves. Their
habits he wante I to study further. For the currant worm and leaf hopper
slaked lime when the dew is on he found effective. He also recom-
mended giving the insects which affect flowei'S their full share of ntteution.
Prof. Stockbridge, of Amherst was called upon, and referred to the im-
portance of dealing with man as the first enemy of the phnits, as he
shortens their lives by forcing and producing early maturity, which
causes early decay. The only way to success in any department, he con-

I8t8.]

TRANSACTIONS. 2^

sidered, was close and persistent work. He had heard it stated that the
losses in this country from the work of insects is over $300,0(0,000 an-
nually, and considered the subject as one justly deserving the most care-
ful attention and most thorough experiments.

Leander WethercU, Esq , also spoke of the importance of the subject,
and of the insect as the greatest pe^l of the farm and garden, saying the
man who learns to protect the crops from it has accomplished a very im-
portant work in the field of industry. He spoke of the canker worm as
the greatest enemy of fruit growers, and wonder* d that no device has
ever been perfecteil which will eftectually keep him from the trees. Mr.
Pierce, of Arlington, one of the greatest fiuit growers in the state, had
succeeded by diligence, tar and printer's ink, and the latter was most
strongly rec mmended. A portion of Mr. Pierce's success was due to his
pruning, his npple trees being cut the first or second week in June. He
believed in taking off the wood when convenient, but in lea\ing a stub
of six or eight inches, which is again cut in June and carefully covered
with grafting wax, always healing and incieasing health and fruitful-
ness He also used a mukh under the trees to catch the early apples,
which would then bring a good [nice in the market. Caterpillars, he said,
should be treated by cutting down the hedges of wild cherry trees, the
harbors of these pests, and attacking the pests when they are in the tents
and crushing them. His remarks referi-ed to the apple, which he con
sidered the most pi'ofitable crop for farmers to grow, and he spoke highly
of the value of odd year Baldwin. He spoke a good woid for the birds
as among the best of the insect destroyers, and would sooner divide the
cherries with them than the trees with the insects. Skunks were also
spoken of as a gieat destroyer of garden insects, and crows weie con-
sidered as the farmer's coworkers and as standing at the head of the insect
destroyers ; although they pull corn he believed it better to protect the
corn for a time and preserve the crows. He also recommended highly
the culture of llowei'S as yielding a most important influence everywhere.

The discussion turned to the work of insects on shade trees, Mr.
WethercU considering the rock maj^le as .freest and Mr. Had wen speaking
of the beech and ash as affected only by caterpillars.

Mr. Hadweu spoke of insects as demanding the attention of man, and
not being left to nature. The ravages of the canker worm were referred
to, and the importance of diligence in lighting him strongly urged,
printer's ink being recommended as one of the most effective agents for
its destruction. The importance of getting ahead of the worm was
strongly presented. The codding moth he believed could be conquered
by industry and study, and thought favorably of a solution of soap, tar
and water, which is also effective in the treatment of the curculio. The
coddling moth miller he had caught by putting a light in a barrel and
covering the inside with a sticky substance, but had not tried the experi-

24 WoitC^ST^It COUNTY HOMICULTURAL SOCIEltt. [IS^B.

ment long enough to pronounce fully upon its value. Speaking of the
currant worm he would deal with him with white hellebore, but the worm
which bores into the wood and down through the pith he thought could
be dealt with only by cutting off the affected part and burning. The
enemy of the quince, which has been called the terminal blight, could be
treated, he thought, only by cutting back and burning the wood. In
speaking of the cultivation of roses, the thrips which are found on the
under side of the leaf should be destroyed by a solution of hellebore and
water, two spoonfuls of the former to a pail of the latter, applied with a
syringe. They appear in the spring and fall. The rose slug can be dis-
posed of in the same way. Birds he was fond .of, but didn't like too
many. He knew robins would destroy fruit and leave the insects un-
molested, especially the caterpillar. In cultivating cherries he set fifty
trees, early and late varieties, and didn't succeed in marketing one, as
the birds got them all. He believed birds could be destroyed legitimately
by the destruction of the eggs, and that a man had as good a right to take
birds' eggs as hens' eggs. He again urged the importance of non-depen-
dence upon birds for the destruction of insects, and believed the snow-
ball insect could be destroyed by a solution of tobacco applied before the
leaf curls.

Mr. William H. Earle spoke a good word for the birds as a friend of
the horticulturists, and had never been seriously damaged by them, while
he had been much benefited. He advised the protection of the birds.
The currant worm, curculio, codling moth, pear blight, white grub and
black flea are the enemies they had to contend with. The codling moth
he thought could be caught with a lantern placed on a block in a pan of
water and left burning. He agreed with other speakers in their methods
of destroying other insects, although the black flea is a subject for fur-
tiier investigation.

Mr. Hadwen gave his experience with birds, stating that they had
proved destructive to his Blackberries and Delaware Grapes.

Mr. Earle again spoke in defense of the birds, and Mr. Kinney spoke
of the ravages of the black wasps among his Grapes, and the protection
he got from the robins.

Mr. E. W. Lincoln spoke of air slaked lime as effective in protecting
the cherries from the green fly and the currant from the currant worm,
advocating its use as a powder. He thought the farmer was cutting his
own throat in destroying the crow, as he is the greatest enemy of the
o-rub, which is most destructive to the grass fields and the corn. Divid-
ing' fruit with birds he considered an impossibility, as a robin will not
touch an insect when he can get strawberries and cherries, as he has bet-
ter taste. Speaking of the value of birds he said, although the birds are
increasing the insects keep up with them, and he believed the introduc-
tion of the English sparrow would be repented in sackcloth and ashes.

1878.]

tRANSACTtONS. . 25

Mr. Marble also spoke of the ravages of birds, and Mr. Harlow spoke of
their value. Mr. Hadwen said he spoke of the birds as a horticulturist,
and not as a farmer, and all he asked was the protection of those who
gave their time and money to the growth of choice fruits. He did not
wish to be understood as advocating an indiscriminate slaughter of the
birds or allowing boys to prey upon them. Mr. Wetherell again spoke a
good word for the birds, and Mr. Hadwen again spoke of his remarks as
applying to robins, and did not wish it understood that he favored their
killing, although he thought the horticulturist entitled to protection. The
discussion was further continued by Messrs. Wetherell, Lincoln, Hadwen
and Kinney, the latter considering that the ravages of the white grub
were largely due to the destruction of the crows and robins. He also
spoke of the common angle worm as an injury to small fruits, instancing
a case where they had proved very destructive to Jucunda strawberries,
and he h'ld used hot slaked lime to destioy them.

Votes of thanks were tendered Prof. Stockbridge and Mr. Wetherell

The Twelve Best Annual and Perennial
Flowering Plants.

A pa2ier read befove the Society, by Mrs. Thomas L. Nelson, March 1th,

A. D. 1878.

I have no intention of taking up your time in reading an elaborate
essay on the subject before us to-da}'. With the limited experience I
have had I do not feel competent to read a paper before this Society, but
I have been invited to do it, and, with the hope of inspiring courage in
the hearts of our ladies, shall proceed to enumerate a few plants which I
have cultivated more or less, and tell what I know (or think 1 Jtnow)
about them. I am well aware of one fact, however, — no two persons in
this hall would, if called upon, name the s'ame flowers as best. Each
person has his or her own idea, and this meeting is, if I understand it
aright, for the purpose of, in a measure, comparing notes.

Foremost among hardy plants I place the Rose ; no garden is complete
without it. The chief difliculty seems to be insects, and with care they
may be kept in subjection.

The finest among June roses are Mad. Hardy, Mad. Plantier, the Dam-
ask, and the mosses. I also take in the old white roSe, which to me is
the sweetest rose grown, but either through neglect or because it is not
as much of a favorite with others as with myself, we rarely find it in
gardens at the present day. Then the hybrid jierpetuals in every shade
from white to darkest crimson, they surely must have a place. What if
they do bloom sparingly after the first general bloom is past V Are not a
few scattering roses more precious because of their scarcity ? Of course
all the climbing roses are desirable, and we have only to choose which
we will have. And branching from my subject, the ro.ses we call tender,
the ever-blooming class, Tea, Bourbon, Noisette, and Bengal, are almost
as hardy as the hybrid perpetuals. I wintered successfully more than a
dozen last winter. I should as soon think of wintering tender roses in
the ground, as hybrid perpetuals If either are not strong, healthy
plants, the prob;ibility is they will die.

Next to the rose is the Lily. In almost every garden we find the white
lily (Funkia Alba,) with beautiful light green leaves, thriving in almost
any location, producing its pure and exquisitely fragrant blossoms da}'

1878.] TRANSACTIONS. 27

after day for weeks, and it is well worth cultivation. Cerulea is quite
similar, except the flowers are smaller, light blue, and the foliage a deep
green. There is a variegated variety (Marginata) with mauve colored
blossoms. All are perfectly hardy, and do not require the slightest pro-
protection. Candidum blooming in June, Longiflorum in July and the
Japanese in August, are the most common with us ; these are all hardy,
with the exception of Auratum and Longiflorum, which should have a
dressing of leaves or coarse manure. There is an almost endless variety
of hardy lilies, which will thrive in the same soil with precisely the same
treatment. I wish some one in this vicinity could produce the wonderful
bloom of the Auratum lily, which was brought from somewhere on Cape
Cod, and exhibited in Boston, at Horticultural Hall, in 1876. It stood
higher than any man in the hall, and had, I can't remember just how
many blossoms, but I think more than one hundred and twenty buds and
blossoms. 1 asked the man who exhibited it how long a time he had
grown it, and he said that was the third time it had blossomed.

The Pink stands high in my estimation. The hardy pinks (those that
we call the old fashioned pinks) we all know are easily grown. The Di-
anthus is one of our most valuable annuals. The old Chinese have
been carefully hybridized with Heddewegiiand other fine varieties, there-
by producing many new and splendid varieties. Seeds planted in the
spring, in good soil, produce plants which bloom during the summer and
autumn even after hard frosts, and if care is taken to give a slight pro-
tection, they make strong plants for the next year, and, indeed, for a
number of years. Dianthus Baibatus (Sweet William) is growing in
favor, and as it is perfectly hardy, blooms freely and in exceedingly
rich and beautiful colors, give it a little space and you will not be sorry.
Carnation pinks "arc almost hardy and need only a few leaves thrown
over them to insure a profuse and beautiful bloom in summer.

The Petunia is almost invaluable in the garden. Blooming when quite
small, and continuing to bloom late iu the autumn, it is no wonder it is a
general favorite. I am speaking more especially of the single varieties,
striped, blotched, mottled, fringed, small and large, light and dark ; often
coming up year after year and bloom"ng profusely in the blazing sun.
One paper of seeds will produce hundreds of plants. The double varieties
come more properly under the head of bedding plants, and are not alto-
gether a success grown as annuals.

The Aquilegia is in high favor at the present time, and one reason is,
it has, in a measure, been allowed to die out, but it has been found that
no flower can take its place, and I find that this is a growing feeling
among the people ; old plants have been thrown away to make way for
new ones, and finding them almost worthless they go back to the old tried
friends of their early days. I say no flower can take its place, for this
reason : all of the Aquilegias, as far as I know, are natives of cold cli-

28 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1878.

mates, many from Siberia, and one of the newest, Cerulea, comes from
the Eocky Mountains, and all of the rest are found in high latitudes.
There are a great number of beautiful varieties, but I think the most beau-
tiful of all are Cerulea, blue and white, and Chrysantha, the "golden
spurred columbine.'' Coming, as they do, from cold regions wp can at
once see how very valuable they are, or may be, to New Englanders.
Our wild varieties are easily transplanted and readily adapt themselves
to their new location.

The Clematis needs not to have its praises sounded. It shows for it-
self in many gardens in this city. Blooming freely where many plants
fail, and in so many different shades, from the large white varieties, and
small jessamine like flower and foliage of flammula, exquisitely fragrant,
through the different shades of mauve and purple, to Jackmani, who
wears the purple of the king right royally. Of the Phlox family enough
cannot be said. In the hardy varieties, instead of the three or four
varieties of years ago, we have an almost endless number of varieties?
and as they are constantly being added to, we have a great many to choose
from. Some kinds blooming earlier than others, if we are careful in
making our selection we can have a succession of bloom. The hardy
procumbent phlox (moss pink) every one is familiar with, and it is useful
for edging. Phlox Drummondi is valuable both for massing and cut
flowers. It really requires very little care after the plants are fairly
started, and it is to the annuals what the geranium and verbena are to
the tender green house bedding plants. In fact it is a most formidable
rival to the distinct and brilliant flowering plants. And here let me
mention a class of annuals and perennials which I consider of great
value : The Gypsophila muralis, a low growing, small pink annual, so light
and dehcate it seems almost as if to take it up would crush it, still it
keeps some time in water, and I think it is very lovely. Paniculata,
-hardy while perennial, flowering in panicles on thread-like stems, very
useful with olher flowers, giving a lightness unsurpassed to a bouquet or
dish of flowers. It is also useful for winter bouquets, drying like immor-
telles.

Sweet Peas should be in every garden. Plant them as you would gar-
den peas, in wide, deep drills, and do not make the soil too rich, or you
will have more vines than blossoms. Some of the perennial varieties are
beautiful, but they lack the fragrance of the annual.

The Pansy is a general favorite, and many cultivators are very success-
ful in raising plants from seed. Nothing is easier. Plant in boxes in the
spring for fall bloom, and in the ground in August or September for
spring bloom. Get the plants well started, if in the ground, and cover
lightly. If in the house or frame, set them in the ground as soon as it is
free from frosts.

1878.] TRANSACTIONS. 29

The Tropseolum, or, as we call the species which is grown in the open
ground, Nasturtion, is a rapid grower and free bloomer, blooming all the
season through, and after hard frost still gives its bright blossoms. Ca-
nary-bird flower is another species, and its lovely bird-like blossoms, a
bright yellow, I should be sorry to miss from my garden.

The Morning Glory is perhaps as well known as any climber. Convo-
lus Major, its true name, is sometimes classed with Iporaoea, of which
there are many beautiful varieties. The Cypress Vine belongs also to
the Ipomoea family. Among the first flowers that I cultivated (and I
commenced quite early,) was the Morniug-Glory, and well I remember
my circle of Morning Glories in the centre of my flower bed. If we have
a tree or stump to cover we can readily cover it, with only the trouble of
planting a few seeds. Often they come up themselves in the same place,
after being once sown.

The Aster is very easily grown. I have never found a place in mj'
garden where it would not grow. I think almost any kind of soil suits it,
and it really requires little care after setting the plants. I wonder very
much when I see people buying Aster plants, wh}' they do not buy seed
and raise plants for themselves. They i:)ay willingl}'^ twenty-five cents
per dozen for plants, when in a small box they can easily raise, with an
outlay of ten cents for one paper of seed, at least four dozen of plants.

The Balsam is not so easy of cultivation as some of the annuals. That
is, it requires more care than annuals that can be sown, and left by sim-
ply thinning, like Mignonnette, Sweet Alyssum and Candituft. The
plants must be transplanted, or you are very sure to have single blossoms.
I saw very fine plants last season in this city, both in the ground and in
pots. Great care must be taken in selecting seed. I think I have had
more poor Balsam seed than of any kind.

Snapdragon is very beautiful and is very easily grown. I grew some
last year, and could see no difference between those plants grown in sun
or in partial shade.

And now I have named a few of my favorites I take the liberty to
speak on a subject, which is of great importance to people having but a
small piece of land to cultivate, namely, what are called bedding plants.
Of course they are green-house plants. As this essay is merely to provoke
discussion, I expect to get more ideas than I can give. I sincerely hope
you will set me right where I am wrong. There are a great many people
in a city like this who are changing their location from time to time, and
of what use to them is the plant that gives little bloom the year it is set
out ? Annuals, except a few that almost grow themselves, they think
are difficult to start, and the main resource is bedding plants. The Ger-
anium is perhaps the most popular, because it is very easily grown, both
in the house and in the garden ; and nothing can be more effective than
6

80 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1878.

a well-grown Geranium, finely bloomed. The Pink is also a great favor-
ite with this class. Feverfew is invaluable, and well repays the small
cultivator. Verbenas are not to be surpassed for a small mound or bed.
We make a great mistake, however, in waiting to set out our verbenas
and pinks till it is warm enough for very tender green-house plants.
The frost that will kill Salvia and Heliotrope these plants do not mind.
Even if the leaves do turn a little from cold, after they are sdt, it will
not injure them. No garden, however small, can do without Heliotrope.
It must, however, be in a warm, sunny place, or it will be all leaves.
Salvia Splendens, our scarlet variety, which everybody grows, needs
nothing more than a good, sunny place, and a good bunch of Mignonnette
is desirable. Fuchsias, strictly speaking, are not bedding plants. They
are too easily broken by the^w'ind, but I have seen beautiful specimens
in the ground. Care must be taken to have the place a little shaded from
the noonday sun and in as sheltered place as possible. The better way,
perhaps, where you cannot choose the location, is to keep them in good
sized pots, and in heavy winds and storms take them indoors. The Co-
leus and Amaranthus are excellent bedders, and Centaurea contrasts
finely with them. Some Begonias have proved good for bedding pur- •
poses, especially Weltoniensis and some of the tuberous rooted varieties.
All or part of these combined with a few annuals that require no special
care, except to sow and thin out, like Sweet Alyssum and Candytuft, will
make home a much more attractive place with but little labor. Nor
should the laboring man think it beneath him to work a little each day
in cultivating such a plot of ground. It is a rest, coming from the dusty
shop, to work awhile among the flowers.

And now a word on a subject near my heart. Do not forget to give
the children a place to work. A very small place will do. Remember
you are giving an education that will be life long, and when one of the
children asks you a question about a plant or flower, ansvver it in as sim-
ple a manner as possible and let the child understand what you are
telling it. Let us take as much pains to teach about the flowers as we do
about cabbages and beets, their habits and the best soil and location to
grow them in, and 3'ou will have more flowers in this hall in the summer
time than we are wont to see here now. It is not enough for the farmer
to say to his boys, " sow these seeds," but he tells them minutely where,
and how, to do it. Now we all know boys in the city do not have as
much to do out of school as boj'S in the country. Consequently, as there
is nothing for them to do, they lounge on the streets, thrown in contact
with idle and dissolute men, and learn in due time how to fill prisons and
jails acceptably. I do not say all will do this, but enough to make it
worth the while to do the best we can to keep them agreeably employed.
Boys do not care to go into the woods (except for nuts) simply because

lg7S.] TRANSACTIONS. 31

they have never been taught anything about the beauties of the flower
kingdom. The love of flowers is imbued in some children, especially if
their parents cultivate flowers as though they loved them. God intended
flowers to be a blessing to us, and if children, boys and girls, were taught
to love and care for them, who can tell what the result would be ? If the
seed is planted and fostered, sure is the harvest.

Capt. John B. Moore, of Concord, was called out by Vice-President
Hadwen, and, after complimenting the essayist, he gave some hints in
regard to growing Roses. He said it is unnecessary to use very high
culture ; soil two spades deep, well manured and worked over, will grow
them satisfactorily. He never loses hybrid perpetuals, but earths up the
plants, and if the top dies he don't care, for he would cut to eight inches
if they didn't die ; with him they are really " perpetual," for he cuts
them daily through the season. He said the rose wants a rich soil,
deeply tilled ; give them all they want ; he would use liquid manure just
at blooming time if there is a deficiency ; he fills a leach-barrel with ma-
nure, puts sulphate of ammonia on top, and pour.s water through it ; he
sometimes uses sulphate of potash with the manure ; he syringes the
roses with salt petre water, to improve the foliage. In forcing perpetual
roses, he plunges the pots in coal ashes in May, "and freely waters, be-
sides drenching the foliage ', all buds are removed, and thus they ripen
their wood early and get rested, ready for winter blooming. Then they
are trimmed and carried into the potting room, and encouraged to start
root-growth before the tops btart. Then they are put in a cool green-
house to bloom, draughts being avoided to prevent mildew.

Perrenniai Phloxes, he said were condemned, but within a few years
there have been many additions to the list which cannot be spared ; they
are very desirable, especially some of the dwarf kinds. The improve-
ment in phloxes is greater than in any other flowers in the last five or
ten years. They should be well thinned every season ; two or three
stalks together are enough. They require rich food ; a well ripened
compost is best, but special manures are desirable, either potash or phos-
phoric acid.

He said the perennial Larkspurs, with their variety of colors, are de-
sirable ; they too cannot be dispensed with. Hollyhocks, too, had a good
word : he said some of the new ones are as handsome as roses. The
Columbines he prized as highly as did the essayist. Lilies he said are eas-
ily cultivated, but must be separated every two or three years. Balsams are
desirable, but the trouble is to get good seed ; he did not think treatment
would change double to single. He starts them in a cold frame and
transplants them once there, and then sets them out eighteen inches
apart, where they cover the ground. He praised Mignonnette, and Por-
tulacca, and defended the Zinnia Elegaas ; in a lawn or border, it is

32 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1878.

quite handsome, but is not desirable for parlor bouquets. He would keep
them in a cold frame until they show single or double ; throw the single
ones away and bed out the double ones. Pansies cannot be dispensed
with, but in hot weather good blooms can only be got in shaded places.
He said he had only just found out how to grow Sweet Peas. An excess
of water is what they generally need. Plenty of water does wonders for
flowers in a garden.

In answer to a question he said he smoked green houses twice a week,
lightly, whether there were green-flies there or not ; this was a pi'event-
ive. Heavy smoking he thought injurious to plants. Two light smokes
on succeeding days are better than one heavy one.

Mr. Hadwen followed, saying that Capt. Moore is a farmer as well as
a horticulturist ; his roses here today are the best ever shown in the hall,
and his example, as to what a farmer can do, is valuable to Worcester
farmers.

He gave a good word to perennial Phlox as a plant of easy growth, and
growing in popularity. Many of the new specimens are well worthy the
attention and pride of the best horticulturists. He also praised the Pan-
sy, and said it can be especially well grown in this vicinity.

Of flowering shrubs he mentioned the spirea tlmnberyii and the deutzia
gracilis as particularly good ; also, deutzia creiiata and creaata flare alba
pleno. He commended the Weigela, and said that Japan is sending us
many desirable acquisitions.

Mr. 1'. J. Kinney said two flowers had been neglected today : the lobelia
cardinalis attracts more attention than any other in the United States ;
it can be easily grown in a common garden and will 1 ist for years. The
other is the Pursythia which he praised almost as highly as the lobelia
cardinalis as it blooms early, with the Japan Quince, and is a mass of
bloom.

Secretary Lincoln doubted the hardiness of Forsythia viridissima which,
in his experience, winter-killed badly.

A laro-e poilion of the audience having come in since the opening paper
was read, Mrs. Nelson was requested to repeat it, to which she cheerfully
consented. Hon. Stephen Salisbury moved that the thanks of the Socie-
ty be extended for the essay, and that a copy be requested for publica-
tion. The motion was adopted unanimously.

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SECRETARY

To the Alembers of the Worcester County Horticultural Society :

The year that has just closed was, to the local Fruit-grower, one of
chequered fortune. While seed time and harvest did not fail, doubt
arose at times which would not be dispelled, whether the just and un-
just were actually served with rigid impartiality. Of what avail to
" pool our issues !" when no angel descends to trouble the pool I

To him who toils beneath a burning sun, when clouds and rain are
required ; who beholds the fruit of his labors taken trom him by the
plague of insects, or the greater plague of birds ; and to whom blight
and frost are certain, as merciless visitants : moments of discourage-
ment are inevitable. Nevertheless the reward is sure, if slow, to the
true Terrae-culturist ; — the man or woman who tills the soil for the
very occupation and its ample returns. They may not make two blades
of grass grow where was but one before : yet robust health, a contented
spirit, and the pride of personal independence, constitute of themselves
solely a sutiicient remuneration. They may not share in the occasional
gain- of trade ; but they are exempt from its frequent losses, its inex-
plicable vicissitudes and its harassing anxieties. The old fable of An-
taeus, whose strength was renewed by contact with his Mother-Earth
— is easily comprehended in the light of these latter days.

As a Society, — we have every reason to take renewed courage. The
labor of Exhibitions is monotonous, it must be confessed: yet is not
the tree known by its fruit ? What then if the lesson is not lost ? In
our own case, e.y., we lind what we cast upon the waters returning
after many weary days. The seed sown at our first weekly meetings
fell upon receptive soil. Varieties of Fruit, then recommended by our
aged and most experienced Members, but which had almost disappeared
from cultivation, are re-appearing, in force and perfection, at our Exhi-
bitions. A better taste resumes sway, — and garden and lawn are again
brilliant with those old-time shrubs and plants that should never have
been displaced. If our task now and then grows tiresome, bear in
mind its privileges, and press forward ! For it is a privilege, to any

January

10.

li

17.

((

24.

<<

31.

February 7.

u

14.

((

21.

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28.

March

7.

<(

14.

34 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1878-

but the merest dullard, to be invested with the apostleship of taste and
beauty ; to teach how the earth may be made to renew its youth ; —
how the waste places shall be trained to assume and develop new forms
of loveliness.

The practice of holding meetings, at which essays should be read, to
be followed and improved by discussion of their several themes ; a prac-
tice happily inaugurated in A. D. 1877 ; was continued during the
earlier months of the current year. The subjects selected for considera-
tion were as follows : —

Manures.
Tillage.

Garden Vegetables.

Hardy Ornamental Trees, Shrubs and Plants.
Orchard Fruits, their Cultivation, Storing, and Keeping.
Insect and other Enemies of Fruits and Flowers.
Diseases of Fruit-bea'ing Trees and Vines.
Small Fruits — Modes of Cultivation.
The best dozen Annual and Perennial Flowering Plants.
IIow can we Utilize the Waste or Unimproved Land of New
England ?

Members of our own Society, of coquate tastes and pursuits, gladly
yielded the ripe results of their observation and reflection. For that
object teaching has apt, if enforced, scholars, among our active associ-
ates, has been apparent for a long time to your Secretary. The Fru-
givorous and Granivorous bird, and insect, at last exact that attention
so long demanded for them in these Reports ; and even Olean Street
and Sunnyside concede that, as concerns the Turdus migratorius, there
is slight odds between grist and toll. Florists and Pomologists, from
distant parts of the Commonwealth, paid ready heed to our request, and
not only instructed us, orally, but delighted our eyes with a modern
and Yankee Feast of Roses. The audiences, it is a pleasure to state,
were appreciative and large : in some instances, so large as to test the
capacity of the Hall of Flora. This was notably the case whenever
matters of Floriculture were to be treated. For the ability to master,
and expound, that branch of Horticultural learning, was amply vindi-
cated by one to whom our Society has been indebted for continuous en-
couragement; while the rapt attention of the throng in attendance
plainly manifested the powerful attraction of the subject for her sex.

Nevertheless it is obvious, if these meetings are to be kept up in
future, and to be fraught with that positive instruction without which

1878.] REPORT OP THE SECRETARY. 35

they are but a mere waste of time, that there must be a decided change
in their character. There can bo no such thing as fiat Terrae-culture.
It required the sweat of the brow, and plenty of it, at that, to grow
Strawberries upon Sunnyside, throughout the heat of last June. Not
even " Sovereigns of Industry " can proclaim — Let there be berries /
with absolute assurance of a crop. An order to cease their ravages
will scarcely be heeded by the insects on Olean Street, upon whose
myriads incessant war has made but slight impression. The future
apostle must sit at the feet of Gamaliel, that he may be qualified to
teach. A Society like this should be able to place in requisition the
most ample learning : should not be satisfied with inferior service.
Its Members will do all that is within their power : but they
can admit, without affectation of humility, that there are acclivities
and summits of knowledge which they have had neither leisure nor
opportunit}'^ to surmount. Why then, longer, impose a tax upon good
nature, which has already >ufficiently responded ; or, without necessity,
subject ourselves to wearisomeness under vain repetitions. If we will
thresh the same old bundle of straw, we must content ourselves with
chaff. Yet why not meet the conceded demand with a suitable supply?
Are we so anxious to talk, ourselves, — that we cannot, or will not
listen ? Amherst rejoices in Goessman and Stockbridge : Cambridge'
felicitates herself upon the world-wide renown of Goodale, Sargent, and
Gray. Would not a course of lectures from any one of those eminent
savans, — Scientice doctores, — be of vastly more worth, than the spas-
modic utterances that must otherwise constitute our sole poor reliance
for the future ? A partial test of the attractiveness of Botanical in-
struction has been had during the past summer, in this c\ty. Might
not the measure of success be greater, were the experiment tried upon
a more generous scale, and with larger appliances ? It is doubtless a
good thing to exhibit flowers. Would it not be better to show the
inexperienced in what simplest manner they may be grown ? This
Society was incorporated by the General Court, some thirty-six j^ears
since, for the purpose, as explicitly stated in the Charter, of " advancing
" the science and encouraging and improving the practice of Horticul-
" ture." Somewhat of its actual achievements may be estimated, by
those who behold the abundance with which fruit and vegetables are
supplied to our markets ; or that rarer charm and fragrance, wherewith
garden and lawn are made to attract -and delight the senses. And yet,
within how limited a sphere is its usefulness confined ? To how few

36 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1878-

of our young men and women are Floriculture, or Pomology, aught but
a sealed book. But why expect better things from them, so long as
our own Society is needless or negligent of its Trust : supinely con-
tent with the bestowal of petty awards upon this plate of apples, or
that stand of flowers !

The Vernal Exhibition, holden, according to assignment, upon the
21st of March last, was quite successful. A cold wave prevailed ; the
mercury, at 7 A. M., indicating 21° Fahrenheit. The attendance was
unusually large ; and, what was more unusual, continuous throughout
the afternoon. The Hyacinths were the first that have been shown
upon our tables, and were in good form for so late in the season.
When Exhibitions are held, without intermission, it may be possible to
have a creditable display of these bulbs. As it is, private cultivation
seems to have got ahead of the action of the Society.

The Azalea Indica was exhibited in unwonted number. But some
of the best bloomers were drawn, from unilateral exposure to the sun ;
an influence that is too often overlooked in the development of all
plants : and others were distorted, in shape, to meet the unnatural
requirements of their growers. That, however, is a fault of method
which can be corrected by a severer taste. That the Azalea, itself, is
getting into more general cultivation, is a matter for congratulation.
It is easily and simply grown, has few wants, and does not exact the
incessant care that is so often gladly bestowed upon plants that are
apparently coddled the more, the less they have to recommend them.

The AnMual Exhibition of Roses and Strawberries was held
upon the 20th of June, as it was found necessary to anticipate the date
appointed in the Schedule. The intense heat had developed both
flowers and fruit so rapidly that the risk of delay was too great to be
taken. The result of the whole season has shown that the decision
was wise ; although, at the time, it appeared to threaten practical in-
justice to some of our prominent exhibitors. Some of the newer
varieties of Strawberries were shown, for the first time ; a pleasing in-
dication that our members are not unwilling to prove all things, while
holding fast to that which is good. Prominent among those novelties
was the Crescent Seedling, of whose fecundity nothing had been lost
in the published advertisements. Said one of these modest lures for
the innocent : —

"I measured in my field thirteen rods of ground, which was set in the
spring of 1876 with 200 plants in rows four feet apart, which produced,
in the year 1877, 1,175 quarts of berries, bringing at wholesale eighteen

1878.] REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 37

cents per quart tliroughout the season, making at the rate of 14,461
quarts per acre. This is in common field culture. Habit of plant is
very strong; never has blighted or rusted, and needs no cultivation;
will overrun all foul material ; even witch-grass and sorrel gives way
to it."

After that, — may we not sing with the humorist, —

"Draw me a pot of beer, mother !
And— mother ! draw it mild."

The advertisement says that the habit of the plant is very strong.
Which is precisely what your Committee on Small Fruits thought of
the scent of the berries. If, however, this new variety will overrun all
foul material, even witch-grass and sorrel, your Secretary is assured,
upon good authority, that the Commission of Public Grounds, of
the City of Worcester, will take all the plants of it that can be obtained.
A contest for the supremacy in Kim Park, between this pugnacious
Strawberry and the Azalia hispida, would be a botanical tournament
worth travelling some distance to see.

The season, as a whole, was favorable to the Strawberry crop, when
well cared for ; and not subject to local or particular disadvantages.
Eain fell copiously and at just the right times, while the berries were
swelling; although a period of intense heat and comparative drought
sensibly affected the later maturation. But it was amply proved, were
demonstration needed, that the Strawberry-crop need not fail, where
skill and diligence are applied to its cultivation : and that a market
can be found for fruit of the highest excellence, when cleanly gathered
and tastefully packed. It may shed some light upon future discussions
of the question of tariff or free trade, to observe that, on Sunnyside at
least, they expect no other protection than the surpassing excellence
of their product.

A better exhibition of Currants was never witnessed, in our Hall,
than that held during the last Summer. Yet the yield of this whole-
some and but half-appreciated fruit was materially lessened by the
cold, keen winds, followed by a period of very low temperature which,
supervening to a remarkably mild winter' and spring, blasted flower
and young germ with fatal impartiality. There would have been some
compensation for other injury, had that cold wave tended to reduce the
j'ield from the Apple Orchards, whose bloom was then excessive. No de-
gree of frost appears to impair the vitality of the Currant-Worm (Abraxis
grossulariatd) or diminish his numbers : and there can be little doubt
7

88 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1878,

that be must be counted among permanent foes wherewitb we sball
have to strive in future. Would that all the Insect-Foes of the Terrae-
culturist were as easily met and vanqished !

At their last Annual Meeting, the Trustees voted to hold an
Autumnal Exhibition, as had been customary since the organization of
the Society. Subsequently, in the early Spring of A. D. 1878, upon
representations from a Committee of the Worcester Agricultural
Society, that an Exhibition, to include the products of Horticulture,
was contemplated by the N'e^v England Agricultural Society, within
the City of Worcester, the Trustees, reconsidered their action and
relinquished the proposed Exhibition. They also, with entire unanimity,
voted : —

"That the members of this Society be requested to help towards the success
" of the proposed Exhibition of the New England Agricultural Society, in what-
" ever way they can. And that the officers of the Society be authorized to
" furnish such aid as is in their power, without subjecting the Worcester
" County Horticultural Society to any pecuniary or other responsibility."

In obedience to this decision, the Tables and other furniture of our
Society were transferred to Mechanics' Hall, at the proper time : the
Secretary himself attending, to render service, and to put in use the
various appliances that long years of experiment and test have shown
to be essential to the successful conduct of a large Exhibition. Valuable
aid was rendered, as required, upon the Committees, by veterans whose
approved knowledge has so often guided our awards. In short, it may
be asserted, with full confidence, that nothing was omitted that would,
in any way whatever, help towards the success of the proposed Exhi-
bition. And, in some respects, it was a success. It yielded a reasonable
return in money, which was proclaimed to be the chief end in view.
It attracted a large crowd of visitors : of whom many that came
simply to be amused might have gone away instructed, if benefit is
to be derived from object teaching. Moreover the various articles, in
their respective classes, were subjected to the judgment of thoroughly
competent Committees ; so that not even Florists should have pretext
.or excuse for captiousness or cavil. Of the actual advantage of the
Exhibition to the best interests of Horticulture, there may be some
question. No one can determine how much of what success there was
should be attributed to extrinsic causes. Their own likenesses, in the
photographic collections, seemed to be a load-stone to numbers. The
works of high and low " Art," in unequal measure, proved a fascina-

1878.] Report of the secretary. 39

tion to more. But the display of Fruit and Vegetables was scarcely-
worthy of the occasion ; and certainly could not be claimed as likely
or fit to magnify the reputation of iNew England. Our own Society,
within its limited province, in years not so long ago, has held Exhi-*
bitions of Flowers, Fruit, Plants, and Vegetables, that were superior
in every department. Those local Exhibitions were held in Septem-
ber, also : and but two weeks later in date.

A close analysis discloses a lack of that general and wide-spread
competition which a Society, embracing within its scope all the New
England States, should be able to evoke. With an exception of a few
large entries from Connecticut ; and a stray lot or two from New Hamp-
shire ; what was there to distinguish it from a Massachusetts, — per-
haps even a Worcester County Exhibition ? Of the display of Vege-
tables— whence-soever they came, as it is not necessary, so it is not
advisable to speak. Suffice it to say that a Hall was hired for them
and that they did not crowd out tl>eir Committee.

It is the deliberate opinion of your Secretary that this Society should
consider the matter well before deciding to participate, by active or
passive co-operation, in another similar Exhibition held at nearly the
same date. If the New England Agricultural Society should deter-
mine to repeat its visit to Worcester, as is more than probable ; there
can be no doubt that it will be neither courteous nor polite for us to
propose an Exhibition in antagonism. Yet the best interests of Horti-
culture, in this region, are measurably committed to us ; and we have
no right to be recreant to the trust. Wherein, save in the domain of
Flora, is not and would not a Horticultural Exhibition, during the first
week of September, be premature '■! The late John Milton Earle told
me that Apples and Pears developed more, in the last three or four
weeks just prior to maturity, than during their entire previous exis-
tence. Whose personal observation does not confirm that experience
of an honored and valuable life ! Can, — nay ought we to encourage
the display of fruits — as specimens, that are but half or two-thirds
formed ?

Might it not be well — should these views meet with your approval,
— to suggest to the New England Agricultural Society the propriety
of selecting the first week in October for the date of their return to
Worcester. Animals exhibited might then be local prize-.takers instead
of maidens. A more propitious season could be expected ; — one that
would scarcely kill a bull in his tracks. And while no injury could

40 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1878.

enure to any class, a positive benefit might be derived by those great
Pomological interests, which would l>e better appreciated by our
Farmers were it as difficult to grow Apples as to grade calves. To in-
'duce people to engage in the cultivation of Fruit, a display of specimens
should be limited to such as are perfect — which it is desirable to pro-
duce and multiply. Knurly and w^orni eaten samples are but evidences
of accident and mishap, to which all of us are liable, but from which
diligence and precaution will yield a measurable exemption. Our
ambition should be nerved to achieve the utmost possible; nor should
content itself supinely to accept what has been of common attainment,
time out of mind.

It may be objected that an Exhibition, in Octob r, would be too late
for Flowers : and usually, such would be the case. But Societies, like
the New England Agricultural, are formed to foster the material
interests of their especial locality : and of these no one can over esti-
mate the importance of the crop of Apples — whether it concerns health
or food. Flowers — however beautiful — are a luxury, and in no wise in-
dispensable. They minister to no imperative necessity, although de-
prived of them, their absence would be sadly felt. We cannot eat
them: we cannot even smell them — when they are scentless or — we
have a cold in the head. Rut of the two institutions — the Apple or
the New England Agricultural Society, — the Apple goes to the head.
And therefore, — that its almost countless varieties may be displayed,
in their complete excellence, the season of its average maturity should
be kept first and ever in view ; so that Massachusetts and New Hamp-
shire need not hold back, while Connecticut presses continually for-
ward. The same arguments hold good, in similar if not equal measure,
when we consider the Pear or the more important species of Vegetables.
A genuine Marvest-Home cannot be forced into September.

Nor need Flora be slighted or, what would be inexcusable in a
Society like our own, wholly ignored. Your Secretary has repeatedly
urged, in these Reports, a final abandonment of the Atmual Auhimnal
Exhibitions. They do not repay their actual pecuniary cost, being
rather a source of expense. They are scarcely valuable as a method
of instruction ; the attendance upon them being usually sparse and
listless. They consume much precious time of a great many Members;
provoke some jealousy and more discontent ; and are productive of but
little apparent benefit. Doubtless they have their uses ; but what is
contended for here is, that those uses by no means compensate for their

1878.] REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 41

i

palpable deficiencies and drawbacks. Now, let ns suppose that the
energy and resources, in great measure wasted upon these unwieldy
displays, were lavished in due proportion upon our Weekly. Exhibitions!
Imagine a collection of Ferneries, under our auspices, and in our
Hall : a collection such as, under other and perhaps not more con-
genial management, heretofore proved an irresistible attraction. En-
courage the growth of indoor Bulbs, and anticipate our tardy date for
their display. Magnify the customary Vernal Exhibition ; and excite
a weekly interest by challenging and eliciting a weekly attraction !
First, — spread j'our board ! and then, send out into the highways and
compel them to come in.

The expense to the Society of all its Weekly Exhibitions in A. D.
1878, was trifling in comparison with their obvious benefits. Their
entire cost in premiums and gratuities was less than Two Hundred
Dollars. And, of this sum, by far the most considerable amount was
awarded at a single display, — that of Roses and Strawberries. By dis-
continuing the Annual Autumal Exhibition we should be enabled to
make a saving, whereby it would become easy for us to bestow
worthier prizes at our more frequent competitions. And if, in addition
to the fixed premiums for specific articles and methods, the Committees
should be authorized to dispose, at their discretion, of a reasonable sum
each week, it is believed that a new and decided interest would be
awakened. At present, but few can anticipate any remuneration for
their loss of time. Two or three ladies, usually tlie same throughout
the season, and of whom it may here be said that their assiduity and
taste merit far higher recompense, monopolise ourpre miums for flowers,
— arranged. There may be other contributors deserving recognition :
but the schedule was established, months previous, and permits neither
excess nor evasion. We ought not to intermit our practice of reserv-
ing a portion of our annual income for the reduction of our Debt. But,
with the discontinuance of our Autumnal Exhibition, it would seem
practicable to appropriate Five Hundred Dollars for the purpose now
suggested. Perhaps it may not be possible, in our more contracted
sphere, with so few gentlemen and ladies of means and leisure taking
that interest in Horticulture which might well beseem them, to main-
tain, like the Massachusetts Society, an uninterrupted series of meet-
ings throughout the year. If however, it should be deemed worth
attempting, the knowledge that our Committees had been author-
ized to confer gratuities upon meritorious objects might well promote

42 WOBCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, [18?8.

the success of the experiment. Nor would this allowance of a some-
what wide discretion, preclude the continuance of an arbitrary schedule
for specified articles, as now. But it is gratifying, if one can exhibit
perfect specimens of an old favorite, like the River apple for instance,
for four weeks in succession, to receive something more substantial than
an '' honorable mention " in a newspaper report. In what equal, if not
greater degree, is not this to be assumed, when a lady takes pains to
place upon our tables some pet plant, whose cumbrousness might well
discourage, even if its health and beauty suggest the display ! Such
things are precisely what we want and invite : should we not make
some practical acknowledgement of their appearance ?

Our Weeldy Exhibitions have been the life of the Society. But the
faintest breath quivered in its nostrils when they were instituted.
They awakened interest, commanded attention, and invited member-
ship. Attracting the first flowers of Spring, they could be made, by
proper direction, to fill each successive week throughout the year, with
ample suggestiveness to the eye or palate, until their close with the
last fruits of winter. Every Exhibition would then have a freshness
that can be attained in no other way. And novelty has a charm in
itself. Your earnest attention is solicited for the policy, simply out-
lined as it is, of relinquishing the op:>ressive and unwieldy Annual
Autumnal Exhibitions and applying the energy and means absolutely
wasted upon them to magnify the Weeklj' display's. The importance
of these, conducted as now, when commenced each year, is found to
increase by their own momentum. They grow large enough for con-
venient control, by August; yet not too large to be comprehended in
detail. What they might beconie, if kept up through the whole year,
can only be told after actual experiment. And that experiment, be it
explicitly understood, managed liberally and not under the pinch of the
gripes.

Since mine Uncle Toby shared his world with the fly, a multitude
without number have imitated him, perforce, without pretending to
the Christian grace that inspired his example. The plague of devas-
tating insects grows worse with each recurring year. Who can tell
when the Tent Caterpillar abode not with us? The very oldest of
our Members can just recall the time when the ravages of the Canker
Worm and Curculio became sadly evident. The Currant Worm
(Abraxis yrossulariata) is already a veteran. The Colorado Potato
Beetle {Doryphora decemlineata) has settled down by the shore of the

1878.] REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 43

Atlantic and in the terse phrase of Senator Hill, he has come to stay.
And now there appears in our corn-fields the Indian Cetonia {Cetonia
Inda) "long known as very injurious, at times to corn ; and as fre-
"quently extending its ravages to fruit, — particularly to pears and
"peaches," into wh^ch it burrows, to their effectual destruction. This
insect is described by Professor Lintner as "a beetle about six-tenths
"of an inch in length, with a hard body very obtuse behind, and a
" triangular thorax dark brown ; head and thorax dark brown, covered
" with greenish yellow hairs; wing covers light yellowish brown, v^ith
" changeable metallic tints, sprinkled with numerous irregular black
" dots ; underside black, hairy, andthe legs dull red. Whenever abun-
"dantin its fall brood (there is also an early spring brood), it proves an
" exceedingly pernicious insect, and unfortunately we know of no way
" of checking its ravages but by means of hand picking and destruction
"of the insects collected."

Years since, when the smoke of 3'our sacrifice ascended continually,
and your prayer at the State House was incessant that a great plague
might at least be alleviated, you were told by the Com/mittee on Agri-
culture that all eflbrt was futile. Its Chairman assured you that he
and his colleagues agreed with your views, but that the General Court
would never accept a report in your favor. Rather would it " laugh at
your calamity, and mock when joux fear cometh." It is to be hoped,
in this present hour of trial, that ^^ Moore^s Concord''^ may be found
proof against the depredations of the Cetonia ; or, should that trust
fail, that the Turdus niigratorins may be equal to his emergency.

But, among all the Insects injurious to man, that which is commonly
known as the May Beetle, or Cockchafer, (and by its scientific name,
as MeloJontha Vulgaris, or Lachnosterna fusca), maintains an easy
pre-eminence. Suffering from their ravages as we, in this country, do,
we but imperfectly realize what a pest they can become. In Europe,
when present in large numbers, they have done "almost incredible mis-
" chief to such Trees as the Beech, Elm, Sycamore, Willow, Oak,
"Cherry, Apple and Pear; as also to Nut trees and Vines. The grubs
" will eat the roots of nearly all trees and plants, particularly those of
" Cherry, Plum, Pear and Apricot trees; and Rhododendrons, Azaleas,
" Roses, Strawberries, Lettuce. Some who have suffered much from
" their Strawberry plants being killed, have found flowers of Sulphur,
" strewed on the ground and then dug in, a very effectual method of
" keeping them away. One-tenth (xs) of Gas-Liquor to nine-tenths

44 WORCESTER COUNTY FIORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.

" (t(t) Water, or strong salt and water, is very useful for watei g Grass
" in the Autumn when attacked by these grubs.''* The late descrip-
tion ot this insect, and of its habits, that has fallen under the observa-
tion ot your Secretary, is so much plainer and more concise than any
in the accepted works upon Entomology that it is here quoted verba-
tim : —

" The females laj^ their eggs in April and May, at the bottom of a
" hole some 4 in. or 5 in. deep, wliich they make in the ground. The
" eggs are about the size of a Hemp seed, and of a yellowish color.
" They seem to vary much in number, but probably less than fifty will
" seldom be found. The grubs are known by the narae of White-
" Worms in England, and of Connaught Worms in Ireland. They are
"hatched in June or July; they have fourteen joints including the
" head ; their bodies are much wrinkled and of a dirty white color, with
" a bluish tinge in the terminal segments. They have three pairs of
" legs, one on each of the first three joints. The head and legs are of
"a yellowish red. The insect in this state has no eyes. During the
" first summer and autumn the newly hatched grubs keep together,
" and the damage they then do is inconsiderable. Before the frosts and
" rains of Winter set in they burrow deeper in the ground and, having
"changed their skins, remain in a torpid state during the Winter.
" They come nearer the surface in the Spring, and then feed singly on
" the roots of nearly all herbaceous plants. When one year old they
" are about ^ in. long. At the approach of Winter they again descend
" deeper into the earth, change their skins, and remain torpid ; and on
" the approach of Spring commence their depredations with renewed
"vigor, attacking the roots of Fruit and Forest trees, as well as those
"of Herbaceous Plants. During the Summer they attain the length
" of 1 (one) inch. At the end of Autumn the}^ again bury themselves
" out of harm's way from frost and rain, as in previous winters, chang-
"ing their skins and remaining torpid until the return of Spring, when
" they are nearly full-grown, and about li in. long and nearly ^ in. in
"diameter. In July they descend to a depth of 5 ft. or 6 ft., and hav-
" ing made oval cells in the earth, by the movements of the bodies,
" lined with a glutinous secretion from their mouths, they assume the
"chrysalis state. Whilst in this condition the antennae, legs, and
" wing-cases of the insect are easily seen through the thin, pale reddish

* Of this reeommendation it may be remarked that it would be almost Im-
possible to saturate the groiuid when parched, as now, by one of our American
droughts. E. w. L.

1878.] REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 45

" skin of the chrysalis. They remain in this state until the next Jan-
" uary or February, when they emerge as whitish, soft beetles, but in
" a few days become hard and of their mature color. They still, how-
" ever, remain underground until the middle of April or May, when
" they dig their way to the surface with the aid of their strong fore-legs.
'• The perfect insects do not live more than ten or twelve days ; their
" flight is usually slow and awkward, and they seem to be unable to
" prevent themselves flying against anything in their way. They sel-
'' dom fly about till evening, resting on the branches and under the
"leaves of trees during the daytime."

A pleasant companion, truly, for all of us who have ought to do with
the cultivation of the earth. Now pursuing his invisible work of de-
struction beneath the surface of the smoothly-shaven lawn ; and again
burying himself so deep as to be beyond the reach of a subsoil plough.
Yet need we not mourn as those without hope. The peril is imminent:
far worse than is realized by the careless or unthinking multitude.
Many a waste spot in those neatly kept plats of grass, rendered possible
in this country by the recent invention of the Lawn Mower ; many u
drooping half-dead shrub in garden or park, owe their barrenness or
loss of vitality to the unsuspected ravage of this Insect. The marks of
their presence are sadly evident around Webster Square, in this City ;
and Elm Park offers palpable traces of their visitation. They are om-
nipresent : — are they immortal? Mention has been made, already, of
the useful application of water in a given proportion of the Ammonia-
cal liquor that is a cheap residuum from the manufacture of Gas. But
it has been reserved for American Science to discover a simple and
effective method of arresting the career of the voracious Melolontha.
And, as it is a method requiring no technical skill for its employment.
I recite it here for your instruction and benefit, — premising, as an act
of justice to the Avierican Agriculturist, that it was originally recom-
mended by one of its correspondents. At first, then, you are to hang
up in a tree, one or more wide-mouthed bottles. Quite a number of
the beetles will be captured in a single night. From those captives, to
use the precise language of the writier, you will proceed to " excision
" of the prothorax and removal of the elytra." I am not prepared to
affirm that the next and final step in the operation will not demand a
careful manipulation whereof 3'ou may not all be capable. Yet my'
faith in the ability of the Members of this Society is extrfeme. Nor
will I trifle with your curiosity which, is now so highly aroused. You are

7 A

46 WORCESTEU COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1878.

then to take up the beetle, thus deprived of its prothorax and elytra
and place it tenderly in the open bill of a sprightly specimen of the
TuRDUS migratorius !

Should any one object to the delay and trouble of the preliminary
dissection, let him profit from the experience of the discoverer : "When
'' I put a live beetle down his throat " (the throat of the Turdus) "he
" would swallow it, but would exhibit such evident signs of distress that
*' I decided that this process was cruel and unnecessary."

The matter is so serious, that a further quotation may be excused : —
" After I had given him three or four he would mount his perch and
*' wait until I could prepare another, all the while watching the opera-
" tion with evident interest. He would throw back his head and open
" his mandibles to their fullest extent to receive the proffered beetle
"from my fingers. His appetite knew no bounds. I was astonished
" at his voracity. Every day he consumed from forty to fifty June
" bugs. One morning at 7 o'clock I gave him fifteen ; I returned from
" the office at 12 o'clock, and from that time until sunset tliat evening
•'' I fed him all he could eat. During this time he disposed of seventy-
•' two of the large beetles ! I have no doubt if I had fed him during
'• the morning he would have eaten a hundred !" What a precious
experience have we, in this guileless narrative ! How fraught with
instruction to our friends and associates upon Sunnyside and by the
Holden Line; along May Street and at the Elmwood Nurseries! Let
them catch and domesticate their successive broods of Turdi ! Arise
with the lark and, coUectingtheir wide-mouthed bottles, remove enough
Elytra and Prothoraces 'to permit of an ample breakfast. During the
forenoon they can pick their usual supply of lusciou? berries, being
sure to market them before dinner. The whole afternoon will then be
at their disposal, which time they will be only too happy to spend in
the elimination of more, and yet more Prothorax. Blissful millennium !
Charming Arcadia! Though I may never behold another Centennial,
nor indulge an errant fancy in that dream of Fair Women which be-
witched England's Laureate; yet, let my eyes but feast upon this vis-
ion of Perfect Horticulture, realized, and life will not have been in vain.
In comparison, how insipid appear the Apician banquets of the Grange !
or even those seductive Huskings whereto the ■' Work" of the Sov-
ereigns is so often but an insidious lure !

Of other Insect-Foes what shall be said ! What language shall do
justice to the Caterpillar of Protiean form and countless myriads ; with-

1378,] flEPOR't OP THE SECRETARY. 47

out Elytra to be removed, but lof which the lurdua alas ! betrays no
hankering. How describe the multitudinous swarms of Rose-Chafers
that infested our Vineyards and which Mr. Kinney could only meas-
ure, but no man could number ! Bureaus of statistics are established
to investigate the causes that injuriously affect the laborer. But the
General Court has no ear for the husbandman, who complains that the
very elements of subsistence are threatened, and that the question of
producing food at all should have precedence of the minor inquiry : —
How much shall be paid for its production ?

The Harvest year which is just expiring has not been without one
striking compensation for the Pomologist. He has enjoyed an almost
complete exemption from that mysterious Blight, whose ravages have
been so wide-spread and unsparing for many years past. To what
natural cause shall we attribute this happy immunity ? There has been
the usual discharge of electricity ; there have been heavy showers, and
about the ordinary alternations of cloud and sunshine ; although the pe-
riod of what are termed Dog-Days was less oppressive and sultry than is
customary. Yet, for the first year since he has been Secretary of this
Society the writer has not lost even a twig. \Vhat stern experience he
has had, you need not now to be informed. He learns, from a very
general interrogation, that others, fellow-sufferers heretofore, were
equally fortunate. Still no ray of light penetrates our ignorance. If
of fungoid origin — as would appear to be the better opinion,— what
produces it, or excites its virulence ? The law provides for Inquests
in the event of crime or death, whereby the dignity and peace of the
Commonwealth are assailed. A deadly peril to one of its material
interests attracts no attention ; — cannot even aspire to a place among
the Orders of the Day. The Grange agitates for more careful consid-
eration of the interests of Husbandry. But its Representatives, after
tliey have climbed Beacon Hill and got wonted to its Castle of Indo-
lence, devote their time and study to the menu at Parker's. The wri-
ter can recollect no Report from the Committee on Agriculture, for the
last Decade, suggesting aught but " leave to withdraw." No proposi-
tion emanating from an individual Member of the Legislature, bucolic
or otherwise, has looked to the protection of the community, engaged
in and dependent upon the cultivation of the soil, from damage by
ravening birds, insects, or blighting disease. We tax ourselves to
maintain a Police and Militia, to guard against a possible breach of the
peace. Probably Massachusetts cannot afford the cost of an Entomol-

48. Worcester county soRTlctJLTtjRAL society. [18?8.

gist ; electing in preference a system of largess to her unsalaried Com-
missions. It cannot be that a competent man is wanting ; — since the
Federal Government found one, at the instant, to investigate and re-
port upon the Entomology of the Western Plains. Verily, " a prophet
"is not without honor, save in his own country:" else, numbering
Morse and Packard among her sons, our conceited and often pragmatic
Commonwealth could easily find a suitable place wherein to put the
right man.

" There is no royal road to learning," and there would appear to be
no immunity from the primeval curse. Even the Horticulturists of
California are beginning to realize that the earth will not forever yield
spontaneously ; and that the foes to be encountered in its cultivation,
will not always confine themselves to the shores of the Atlantic. Says
a writer, by the far Pacific : — " It cannot be denied that this is an off
"year in fruit in California. We have been so long and so constantly
" in the enjoyment of good, almost perfect fruit in this state, that we
" are loth to admit that there can possibly be a change — even a tem-
" poiary one. Our apples have been growing wormy for a number of
" years, and so have our pears ; but this year the pest has gained
" a stronger hold on those fruits than ever before. It has come upon
" us out of all proportion ; and, instead of taking a few of our apples
"and pears, the worms have taken the many this year and left the few
" to come to perfection. We trust and hope that it may be owing to
" the season, and that such wide-spread destruction will prove only
"temporary."' The apostle tells us that "faith is the substance of
" things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Call it faith or
fiat, whichsoever you prefer, but, all the same, in California or Massa-
chusetts, man finds himself powerless to contend, unaided, with the
myriads of his Insect-Foes,

Does anything remain unsaid of the losses to the Pomologist from
the depredations of Birds ? Who among you is not personally cog-
nizant of them.^ Whether it be the early Peas of Paul Whitin ; the
Strawberries and Grapes of Henry Phelps and Frank Kinney; or the
Raspberries and Pears of your Secretary and others, the beak of the
TuRuus migratorius is ever open, omnipresent, — omnivorous. Nor is
this a local, individual prejudice. Professor Beal, of the Michigan
Agricultural College, states that "One Sunday, at Adrian, Michigan,
" in about eight hours, the robins took five hundred pounds of grapes."
He says that " H. D. Adams, of Kalamazoo County, raises about one

1878.J REPOnT OP THE SECnETABY. 49

"hundred and fifty bushels of Cherries, annually. One -year the
" birds came in such flocks that between fifty and a hundred bushels of
" cherries were taken almost at once." He says " the idea of raising
" enough for the birds is 'jDlayed out.' The most destructive of these
" birds are the robin, (pseudonym for the Turdus,) cat-bird, oriole,
" and cedar-bird, the latter by far the most so. Judge Ramsdoll, of
" Traverse County, loses nearly all his cherries in this way, and he is
" going to let his trees go dowck" And so — with even more emphasis, —
from a cloud of witnesses throughout the Republic. But Legislative,
stolidity neither heeds nor cares, maintaining the safeguard of an unin-
terrupted close season, and rendering useless, through partial domesti-
cation, many species of birds that would be of admi ted service if rele-
gated to their fe7"a natura. Revive the timorousness, that should never
have been allayed, by a generous use of the shot-gun during the sum-
mer months, and thus compel them to substitute the Melolontha for
the berry and stone-fruit. With fewer of his exquisite strawberries in
their beaks, our friend upon Sunnyside may reasonably expect a surfeit
of that strident noise which he fondly mistakes for melody. Frightened
from the Farmstead and Garden, there may be some hope of a return
to be derived by those who have had wit and will to plant the Peach.
It is not extermination of Frugivorous Birds that has been or is now
advocated in these Reports. Rather the adoption or license of that
old-time policy which, by thinning out their numbers for a season, kept
alive their innate timidity and forced them to get their living according
to the dictates of Nature. If the sentimentalist desires to convert his
grounds into an aviary, no one will object. But let him keep his pets
confined, or restrain them from injuring his neighbors. With a close
quarantine, even the Turdus may be spared.

The employment of Gum Shellac as a styptic in cases of the excision
of limbs from trees, has long been approved. Many years ago when
its price had become excessive, under the combined oppression of a
prohibitor}' tariii' and a depreciated currency — inevitable fruits of u
Civil War — your Secretary advised the use of Gas Tar as a substitute.
Quite lately, in reply to a query from a correspondent, the London
(Eng.) Garden remarks that "Gas Tar put on the stems of trees would,
" we fear, prove injurious to them." So our learned associate, the
Editor of the Gardener'' s Monthly, referring to " most absurd notions."
cites the following from the pen of Marshall P. WiLDER,,in the
Massachusetts Ploughman : " In the Ploughman of May 4th, a writer

50 WoaCESTER COUNTt HORTICULTURAL SOCIETT. [1878.

"signing himself J. L. B., states that he used coal tar ou fruit trees to
" protect them from the ravages of mice, by the recommendation of
" Marshall P. Wilder, and thereby destroyed or injured his fruit trees.
" I never gave such advice, nor should I have used tar of any kind
" without first wrapping the tree in cloth or other material so that the
" tar might not come in contact with the bark of the tree." A most
eminent authority, indeed. Nevertheless your Secretary cannot doubt
the results of twenty years' personal experiment, nor challenge the
actual facts within his daily notice. He has applied Gas Tar, hot or
cold, as came most handy, upon Cherry and Pear trees in his own gar-
den, in every instance of pruning that seemed to require exclusion from
atmospheric influence. No deleterious effect has ever followed. If
fault could he found with his trees, it would be that their growth has
been too thrifty. Their fruit has been exhibited occasionally, and
reflected no discredit upon their mode of cultivation. The tar was in-
variably applied to the freshly-pared surface of both bark and wood.
A callus would form in due time, such as never developed under dif-
ferent treatment. Occular demonstration of this truth may be had by
any one who will trouble himself to inspect the Shade-Trees of the
City of Worcester — notably on Elm Street, just above the house of Dr.
Francis, which has strikingly recovered from the effects of a bad fracture.
More attention has been bestowed upon this matter than its importance
would seem to justify. But it is ever timely to vindicate the truth ;
and nothing but truth should appear in a Report that is issued under
the sanction of this Society. Especially in times like these, when
" every little makes a mickle," may time and space be spared for the
advocacy of a cheap and sure agent, in lieu of one that is more costly
and less efficient.

Oar exemption from killing frosts, until so recent a date, deserves to
be put on record. Until the night of the 29th ult., plants as tender as
the Geranium remained unaffected by cold in one of the most exposed
places in Worcester. The Tomato, and other sensitive vegetables
matured their fruit without check or loss. Grapes have fully ripened,
although that might have been said with truth three weeks since, of
even the lona, in an unusually sheltered and sunny position. The
experience of this Autumn only confirms the opinion, formed after long
observation, that by the use of some of that forethought and discretion
which provides hay-caps in anticipation of summer showers, many
plants and vegetables might have their existence prolonged for weeks

1878.] REPORT OP THE SECRETARY. 51

There are usually one or two nights of sharp frosts to warn us that the
summer is at an end. Thereafter, were sli^^ht precautions taken, gar-
den and grounds might be gay with the unimpaired radiance of Aster,
Geranium and Salvia. And the fall of the leaf is sufficiently depress-
ing, to demand for its counteraction every influence of nature or art
that may cheer and enliven. The protection or shelter required has on-
ly to be timely ; it need be but slight. The warmth of a fir-tree often
matures the clusters upon a vine, which would have perished half-grown
or unripe, upon the bleaker support of a trellis.

The terrific Frost, SO" Fahrenheit, of A. D. 1860-61, that preceded
the War — fit usher of that and similar calamities — froze the very life
out of Quince. Cherry and Peach trees. Their subsequent existence
was rather a struggle for resurrection than recovery. Some were de-
stroyed outright. Of others, the vitality was so far impaired that they
had not sufficient stamina to rally, and therefore yielded readily to the
first attacks of disease. Latterly the faith of persistent cultivators has
been rewarded. The Cooledge, Old Mixon and Crawford appeared at
the New England Fair, as for some years past upon our own tables,
without taint of the Yellows. In too many specimens, however, that
insidious disease betrayed unmistakable marks of its lurking corrup-
tion. But all experience goes to show that when sound, healthy trees
are planted, there need be little fear of adverse climatic influences.
Only once in a generation, possibly not so often, do the princes of the
powers of the air combine to wage exterminating war upon Pomona.

The terms of eulogy were exhausted by reporters for the newspaper
press, in their descriptipns of the quality and profusion of the Peaches
at the late New England Fair Yet there were but forty-four (44)plates
in all; and among them, a :«ingle variety — the Crawford — was largely
predominant. But twenty-two (22) years previous, one hundred and
thirteen plates^ of Peaches had bteen shown at a single, local Exhibition
of the Worcester County Horticultural Society. And at
that Exhibition two contributors displayed eleven (11) distinct varie-
ties, while one exulted in the remarkable number of thirty (30). Truly
our progress, since A. D. 1856, has not been in the line of either fecun-
dity or novelty.

Apprehensions of a short crop of Pears were early expressed and
have been, in great measure, justified. Of some varieties, it is true,
there was a profusion, notably that half-appreciated kind, the Louise
Bonne de Jersey. Your Secretary is generally accredited with the

52 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOaBTY. [1878.

Washington on the brain. He never fails to have an ample yield of it
upon his trees. Yet of many species there has been hard'.y a speci-
men ; a default that was painfully apparent at the New England Fair,
even if it'was held too early. Whether we exact too much from our
Pear trees, a deficient yield in one year off-setting the excess in that
which preceded ; or fail to replace with the right nutriment that pri-
mordial fertility which constant cultivation must needs exhaust;
or exceed their limit of old age, to which trees are as subject as all
other forms of animal or vegetable matter : in any event, and however
viewed, we are furnished with food enough for reflection. It answers
nothing to tell us of the exceeding long life of the Stuyvesant Pear-tree,
or of those patriarchs which perhaps even now survive, in the Kaskas-
kia Bottom — a memorial of the French settlers. How much better
were they than choke-pears, of no value to enjoy or perpetuate ! What
we have to determine for the future prospects of our Fruit Orchards is,
whether with the extreme and forced developement of quality, as in all
other high civilization, sin and death do not inevitably enter. Ordina-
rily, we exact or suffer enormous crops, year after year, for a life-time,
possibly compensating this vital drain with a little stable manure, and
then wonder that the same trees do not yield in continued and unim-
paired abundance. We sometimes allow our fields to lie fallow : " root
hog, or die!" coarsely paraphrases the injunction that we place upon
our orchards. Upon the trees that did bear, in A. D. 1878, there were
produced some noteworthy specimens. A Committee of this Society,
eighteen years ago, constituted of sxich experts in Pyriculture as
George Jaques, John Milton Earle, D. Waldo Lincoln, John C. Eipley
and Jonathan Grout were moved to comment upon a *' very remark-
'' able increase in weight — an average of two ounces apiece in twenty-
"four specimens of as manj'^ varieties — chiefly to be attributed, no
" doubt, to a very favorable season ; still much also must be claimed
"for a gradual improvement in the modes of cultivation, oi which we
" every year have new evidence.^'

That Committee noticed a specimen Duchesse that weighed thirteen
and one-half ounces. What would they have said could they have
seen the one grown this year, by our efficient Treasurer, which turn-ed
the scales at twenty-two and one-half (22^) ounces ? or his ten that
balanced twelve and one-half (12|) pounds! The same gentleman
(Mr. Newton) has also exhibited twelve pears of the variety Winter
iVeZis that weighed five pounds, nine and three-fourths ounces; thus

1878.] REPORT OP THE RECRETARY. 63

surpassing by two pounds, the heaviest heretofore shown upon our
tables. I am aware that these weights — >of the Diichesse at least — are
not to be compared with those of the ponderous specimens developed
by the disciples of an Eclectic Pomology, in the vicinity of the State
House, who with the fear of Marshall P. Wilder before their e5'e8,
sit up o' nights, culling, trimming, and stimulating. But what would
you have ? As the rustic belle replied to her city-bred lover, who
thought to depreciate the Harvest Moon, — "Yes, I know, but won't it
do for the country?"

At the Annual Meeting of the Trustees, November 7th, A. D. 1877,
it was voted that *•' The Secretary be authorized to procure a Portrait
" of the late Frederic William Paine, to be painted by INIr. J. S. Lin-
*' coin, of Providence, R, I., and to cause the same to be suspended in
" the Library." That vote has been executed and the Portrait of Mr.
Paine now hangs, in plain sight, from these walls. With what success
the labors and singular faculty of the artist have been crowned, you can
better judge, when you learn that a duplicate was ordered by the fami-
ly after they had seen the painting achieved for us. You have been
fortunate in the attempt to perpetuate his expressive features. You
are more fortunate in the possession of this Estate — Real and Personal
— a Trust for the common weal as it is, which his zeal and untiring
devotion did so much to establish and conserve. That the place of our
first Treasurer is so well filled now, may be accounted a piece of ex-
ceeding good luck. But no present happy chance can depreciate the
value of Mr. Paine's services heretofore, or lessen the estimation in
which his exemplary devotion to its best interests should ever be cher-
ished by the Worcester County Horticultural Society. Should
it be your will, atsuch inconsiderable expense, to continue the policy of
perpetuating upon canvas the familiar lineaments of our worthies, to
whom the established prosperity of this Society is mainly due, you can-
not go amiss or need to go far. There is one benefactor, whose munifi-
cence equals, if it has not exceeded that of Mr. Waldo, and whose cor-
dial CO operation was never, under any circumstances, withheld. Years
since, when our debt had become oppressive, his generosity instigated
and achieved measures that resulted in our substantial relief from the
more onerous weight of the burden. His contributions to our Exhi-
bitions are never lacking; constituting, both in amount and quality, a
leading attraction, without which they would be sadly deficient. What
need to mention the name of Stephen Salisbury, to enable you to
8

54 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICCLTURAL SOCIETY. [1878.

comprehend whose portrait, in sequence, your Secretary advises you to
procure. And to procure now, — in his lifetime — that he may know
that we were not churlishly ungrateful for a liberality, the greatness of
whose sum might cnly be measured by the graceful and unobtrusive
manner of its manifestation.

This Keport would be sadly imperfect were it void of allusion to the
recent death of Benjamin Franklin Thomas, followed so soon by
that of IIknry Chapin. In the catholicity of their tastes there was
room for a rare enjoyment of Horticulture. In the manysidedness of
their characters, whereof, in either, the Poet's phrase is thoroughly
descriptive .•

"totus, teres, atque rotundus."
The love of Nature was a transcendant passion. In early manhood,
when ampler leisure permitted ; as in their maturer years, after the
cares of an engrossing profession left little time for recreation ; they
could always be found ready and willing to prepare a Report or deliver
an address in your service. Nor was their zeal lacking in discretion ;
for few knew better whereof they discoursed. But two or three years
have elapsed since the St. Michel pears of Judge Chapin were denied a
premium, because of their extreme size ; the Committee doubting their
genuineness because they were so large ! And, although the Beurre
Bosc of Judge Thomas were never challenged, it was not because they
lacked magnitude, or any essential to perfection, as his competitors had
occasion to admit. Neither were these tastes out-lived ; refined, if also
in the best sense of the old Saxon idiom, homely. As private citizens,
or Officers of State, they were not disdainful of the Annual Cattle
S/ioiv, or the Horticultural Exhibition that originated later.
The " Report on Fruits," of our own Society, discloses that "a fine
" basket of St. Michel Pears was brought to the Fair by B. F. Thomas,
Esq.," in A. D. 1841, And it is within the knowledge of j^our Secre-
tary that his contributions were continuous and uninterrupted, until
his departure from Worcester. At the very recent Fair of the A^ew
England Agricultural Society a lot of Fruit from Henry Chapin attract-
ed especial notice, not so much from its quality, which was unimpeach-
able, as from the general surprise that one, in his condition of sore
distress, should have even thought or cared to send it in.

Our Society can ill afford their loss. Shall their places remain va-
cant? Who will step forward to fill thorn ?

1878.] BBI^dttT OP THE SECRETARY. 56

"Homo sum; nihil humani
A me alieimm puto."

Muster in your cavalry, if you will, aud enroll your torch-bearers

Nay, barbecue your beef, if you cannot stomach steaks after the Aby-

sinian method ! And yet life must, in the after years, havp some

higher aspiration than for a complete mastery of such politics as grind

their grist for the silver-gambler or stock-jobber, or even dominate the

sand-lot and sewer.

All which is respectfully submitted, by

EDWARD WmSLOVV LINCOLN,

Secretart/.

jfforticultural Hall,
WoKCESTEK, Massachusetts,
Nov. 6, A. D. 1878.

REPORT OF THE LIBRARIAN.

To the Members of the Worcester County Horticultural Society:

In accordance with the custom of the Society, the Librarian herewith
submits his Annual Report. He is happ}-^ to slate that the Library has
been more extensively used tlie past than the i)revious year. At the
commencement of the year now just closed, the Librarian made an effort
to obtain Ilorticullural and Agricultural llcports from the several states.
He succeeded in obtaining Reports from a few, though from some he got
no response, either by letter or books. The Secretaries of the Agricul-
tural Boards or Horticultural Societies from eight Stales responded to his
letters, either by letter or by forwarding the Reports desired, and forty-
five volumes were received from the eight States, as will be seen by the
report of the additions to the Library hereunto annexed.

The Library Committee as usual have purchased several valuable
books which will appear in the list reported.

Through the kindness of our Secretary an excellent likeness of Hon
Marshall P. Wilder, nicely fiamed, has been hung in the Librar)', and
also the Centennial Diploma of the Secretary, handsomely framed. The
Committee have also had the Society's Diplomas framed and hung in the
Library.

The following comprise the books added to the Library the past year,
by gift or pui chase :

Semi-Tropical Magazine for 1877.

Report of Commissioner of Agriculture, 1874-1875 and 1876 ; from E.
W. Lincola.

Kotes on Botrychium, simplex ; Hitchcock ; by George E. Da\enport;
Society.

The art of Grafting and Budding ; by Ohas. Ballet ; Society.

Transactions of Massachusetts Horticultural Society ; from E. W. Bus-
well, Treasurer.

Schedule of Prizes of Massachusetts Horticultural Society ; from E,
W. Buswcll, Treasurer.

Ferns of North America ; by Prof. Daniel C. Eaton of Yale College ;
Parts 1. '2, 3 ; Society.

Proceedings of the oth Annual Meeting of the lUinois State Farmers
Association ; from W. C. Flagg, President. .

5S WonCEStEn county SorfrtoULTURAL SOCTEtt. [1878.

Proceedings of Ihc oth Annual Session of the ]S"ational Agricultural
Congress ; from W. C. Flagg, President,

Transactions of the Nebraska State Horticultural Society for 1S77 ;
from D. II. Wheeler, Secretary.

The Superficial Deposits of Nebraska; by Samuel Aughey, Ph. D.;
from D. II. Wheeler, Secretary.

The State of Nebraska as a Home for Emigrants ; from D. n. Wheeler,
Secretary.

Report of the Fruit Growers Association of the Province of Ontario,
for 1877 ; from D. W. Beadle, Secretary.

Transactions of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society ; from Robert
Manning, Secretary.

Agiiculture of Maine, 1871 ; 1874-5; 1875-G ; 187G-7 ; from C. L Flint;
Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Agriculture.

Agriculture of Maine, 1870-1872-1873-1 87G-1S77-8 ; Samuel L. Board-
man, Secretary Board of Agriculture of Maine.

New Hampshire Agriculture, vol. 5/ l-S7o ; vol. 6, 1870 ; from J as. O.
Adams, Secretary of State Board, New Hampshire.

Ohio Agricultural Report, 1867-1870-1871-1872-1873-1874-1875-1870 ;
from C. L. Flint, Secretary.

Report of Connecticut Board of Agriculture, 18GG-1 807-1872-1874-1875
-1870 ; from C. L. Flint, Secretary.

Report of Connecticut Board of Agriculture, 1808-187 1-1 873-1 877 ;
from T. S Gold, Secretary of Connecticut State Board of Agriculture.

Transactions of Illinois Horticultural Society, vol. 10, 1870, vol. 11^
2 vols, 1877 ; from O. B. Galusha, Secretary State Horticultural Society.

Journal of Horticulture, vol. 33; conducted by G. AV". Johnson, F. R,
n. S., and Robert Hogg, LL. D ; Society.

Special Report Department of Agriculture, No. 0, 1878 ; from Frederic
Watts, Commissioner of Agriculture.

Agriculture of Massachusetts, 1877-8 ; with index from 1853 to 1877 ;
from C. L. Flint, Secretary Slate Board of Agriculture.

Curtis's Botanical Magazine ; by J. D. Hooker ; vol. 33 ; colored
plates ; 8vo ; London. 1877 ; Society.

Florist and Pomologist ; a pictorial monthly magazine of Flowers, Fruit
and Horticulture ; conducted by Thomas Moore, F. II. R. S.; 1878 ; large
8vo ; colored plates ; London (still publishing) ; bound ; Society.
' The Pinctum ; being a synopsis of all the Coniferous Plants at present
known, wilh descriptions, history and synonym?, and a comprehensive,
systematic index ; by George Gordon, A. L. S. ; Society.

Floi'id Magazine ; figures and descriptions of the choicest new Flowers
for the Garden or Conservatory : by Richard Deanc ; new series ; 1878 ;
largo 8vo.; 60 large colored plates ; London ; Society.

1878.] REPORT OP THE LTBRAKIAN. 59

Suburban Home Grounds ; illustrated with upward of 200 plates and
en^raviiisfs : Socicly.

Flore dcs Serrcs et des Jardins del'Europc Annales Gendrales d'Horli-
cuUurc ; L. Van Iloutte, editor and pubHsher ; Tome 21 ; large Svo ;
many cuts and colored plates; Gand ; Bclgique ; 1875 ; (still publishing);
Society.

Synoptical Flora of iTorth American Botany ; by Asa Gray, LL. D ;
Sociefy.

Bibliograpbical Index to North American Botany ; by Sereno Watson;
Society.

Ferns in their Homes and Ours ; by John Kobinson ; Society.

Ferns of Kentucky ; with GO full page etchings and G wood cuts ; by
John "Williamson ; Society.

First Annual Report of the United Slates Entomological Commission
for the year 1877 ; relating to the Rocky Mountain Locust with maps
and illustrations ; from W. AV. Rice, M. C.

Report of the Board of Commissioners on the Irrigation of San Joaquin,
Tulare and Sacremcnto Valleys, of the State of California ; from W. W.
Rice, M. C.

Native Flowers and Ferns of the United States ; from 1 to 12 inclu-
sive ; by Tlios Mehan ; Societ3\

Ferns of Norlh America ; by Prof. Daniel C. Eaton of Yale College ;
large 4to ; parts from 4 to 9 inclusive ; colored plates ; Society.

Notes on Trees and Tree Plautiug ; by C. S. Sargent ; from C S. Sar-
gent.

Country Gentleman, The ; vol. 4.3 ; 1878 ; Society.

Gardener's Chronicle, The : 1878 ; folio ; Society.

American Agriculturist, The ; vol. .37 ; 1878 ; folio ; Society.

Agricultural Gazette, The ; 1878 ; London ; folio.

Gardener's Monthly, The ; vol. 20 ; 1878 ; Svo.

Villa Gaidener, Tlie ; 1878 ; 8vo ; L'^ndon.

Massachusetts Ploughman, The ; from George n. Noyes, proprietor
and pubru'^her ; 1878.

Trnnsaclious Department of Agriculture, Illinois; vol. 8,1809-70;
vol. 10, 1872 ; vol. II, 187.3 ; vol. 12, 1874 ; vol. 1-3, 1875 ; vol. 14, 187G ;
from S. D. Fisher, Secretary Illinois State Board of Agriculture.

All of which is respectfully submitted.

JOHN C. NEWTON,

Librarian.
EUll or Flora,

November 6th, 1S7S.

WORCESTER COUNTY

HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY,

FOR THE YEAR 1879

COMPRISING OUTLINES OF FOUR LECTURES

ON SOME RELATIONS OF BOTSNY TO HORTICULTURE,

BY PROF. GEORGE L. GOO D ALE :

ALSO, THE

ANNUAL REPORTS OF THE LIBRARIAN AND OF THE SECRETARY.

WORCESTER, MASS.
SNOW, WOODMAN AND CO., PRINTERS,

(Successors to Noyes, Snow & Co.)
1880.

INDEX
Outlines of Lectures on Botany, etc. . • -3

(By Professor George L. Goodale.)

Report of the Librarian, . . • -13

Report of the Secretary, . • • • ^7

OUTLINES OF A COURSE OF FOUR LECTURES

ON SOME RELATIONS OF

Botany to Horticulture

Delivered by Prof. George L. Goo dale., of the University at
Cambridge, before the Worcester County Horticul-
tural Society, A. D., 1879.

It is the task of Botany to answer every question which we
can ask respecting plants. Horticulture deals with the very
practical matters of originating, improving, and perpetuating
garden plants. Therefore the questions which belong to gar-
dening belong also to a department of applied Botany, and for
a rational solution of the problems in Horticulture, we must
look to the principles of Scientific Botany. The structure,
food, growth, reproduction and diseases of plants occupy a
wide field of research, from which the horticulturist, if he would
be successful, must select rules for his guidance. For the
purpose of these lectures the field can be merely glanced at,
and not carefully surveyed ; all that can be done is to ascertain
accurately a few of the more important points, and learn their
relations to minor details.

The first groups of topics relate to the seed, its germination,
and the development of the plant up to the period of its flower-
ing. The second will treat of the production of seed, and the

WORCHSTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1879

perpetuation of the species. Lastly, must be considered the
improvement of varieties and the obtaining of new and desirable
sorts. This last can be made plainer by a brief study of the
history of some of the more useful garden plants, and of the
methods by which new varieties have been originated. This
course of lectures will treat only of flowering plants ; that
is, of the plants which produce seeds having germs, and there-
fore the subject of the flowerless plants, like mosses, moulds,
and ferns, will be left untouched.

I. From Seed to Flower.

A seed consists of a germ, or embryo plant, provided with a
sufficient store of food, and having integuments for its protec-
tion. The germ foreshadows the future plant, and usually
possesses, ready formed, a minute stem tipped with a root and
seed leaves, between which is held a bud. All these parts are
rudimentary, often existing as the merest hints of what can
grow from them. Nevertheless, the germ can be subjected to
serious mutilation without utterly destroying it. Extended
experiments have shown that the embryo possesses a remarka-
ble power of repair. (These experiments upon the ability of
seeds of different plants to resist injury were described in
detail, and the following" conditions of germination were dis-
cussed, chiefly with reference to the planting and care of garden
seeds.) The conditions of germination are moisture, warmth,
and oxygen. The conditions which depend upon the seed
itself, and which may rather be called requisites to speedy and
healthful germination, are ist, a proper degree of ripeness ; 2d,
freshness ; 3d, soundness. (The practical bearings of these
questions upon the length of time during which seeds remain
suitable for use, and upon other practical topics, were stated at
considerable length.)* If any of the more common garden
seedlings are compared at different stages of their growth, they
will be found to be made up of roots, stem, leaves, and a few
delicate plant-hairs. " Now these are all the parts that any
flowering plant ever has ; the thorns and tendrils, and showy

* Part of the phraseology of the outlines here given has been taken from Dr.
Goodale's work, "Concerning a Few Common Plants."

1879] TRANSACTIONS. 5

leaves and blossoms, and all the parts of every blossom, are
only modified forms of one or more of the four parts or mem-
bers just spoken of. This is the statement, made abruptly and
in few words, of the accepted theory of plant structure." In a
seedling, how many times are parts which are made up of a
joint of stem and a green leaf, or a pair of them, repeated } In
one seedling, there will be found six or more of these repeated
parts ; in another, only two or three, in another, perhaps only one
besides that previously existing as the germ itself. The
" repeated parts " differ greatly in their shape and size, and also
in their kinds of work.

" Now these ' repeated parts ' are helping parts or helpful
parts. These parts are mutually helpful : they help one another.
The whole plant is made up of just such parts, which have
taken different forms for different kinds of work ; as, for
instance, in the leaves of the pea.

The seedlings of garden plants show these helpful parts,
arranged in regular order. From the lowest of the helpful
parts of the bean, the root started ; but, in the Indian Corn,
roots have started off also higher up. Again, they have plant-
hairs in different places. Upon the youngest rootlets of the
wheat or corn planted on wet paper, the hairs are very
abundant ; and there are some hairs scattered on the leaves
of the bean. These roots and the hairs are to be examined
later.

The succession of the helpful parts will be noticed best in
slips of the common plants, " Wandering Jew," or Tradescantia,
Heliotrope, and Bouvardia. In the case of the Tradescantia,
the growth of a slip or cutting in moist sand, or with the lower
end in water, is very instructive : roots grow from the lowest of
the helpful parts, and furnish the food needed in solution, new
leaves expand above to get food, as we shall see, from the air ;
and thus a separate, self-supporting colony is established. A
flowering plant is a community from which many such colonies
might be removed.

Next, arises the question : Where do these helpful parts
come from } Of course, from buds. A bud is the promise of
a branch. The application of this to the case in hand will force
the conclusion that, since whatever springs from a bud is some
sort of a branch, a developed flower from a flower-bud must be
a branch too. And so it is. The helpful parts are here arranged
in a very regular manner, and many of them are greatly changed
in form and in work. From this subject, to be examined fully

6 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1879

in another place, we pass naturally to the development of buds
underground. A leaf -bud — that is, an incipient stem — develops
by lengthening the distance between the successive leaves.
Under ground, in firm soil, such buds develop at great disad-
vantage ; and the stems soon become more or less distorted ;
the degree of distortion depending somewhat upon the character
of the soil in which growth takes place. The extremes are to
be found in Beach Bind-grass (^Calamagrostis arenaria), which
has long internodes or joints of stem, and such plants as /m,
or Blue Flag, and Solomon's Seal. In not a few cases, the
growth of the underground stem gives rise to very curious
forms, which may be puzzling at first ; for instance, the solid
bulb or corm of crocus, and the thickened tip of the underground
branch of potato, namely, the tuber itself. The " eyes " of the
potato are merely disguised buds which have a good stock of
food behind them. Potato-planting is colonizing, in which the
tubers are the colonies separated from the home community.
A very bad kind of such colonizing takes place when the under-
ground stems of Witch-grass {Triticum repejis) are only broken
off, but not taken out of the soil, in hoeing the ground. The
helpful parts are detached from each other, and each fragment
serves as a starting point for a new plant. In grafting or bud-
ding, one or more groups of helpful parts are removed, not to
soil where they would have at once to shift for themselves, but
to a kindred plant which furnishes nutriment from the very
first.

As we have seen in the examination of seedlings and cuttings,
roots can start from different points of the stem. In some
cases, they can arise from the leaf-stalk or even from the leaf-
blade itself. The root, whatever its origin in any case may be,
grows in length only in one way; namely, at a point just behind
its very tip. This growing point is usually protected by a
peculiar cap, which insinuates its way through the crevices of
the sojl. If roots should grow as stems escaping from the bud-
"state do, — that is, throughout their whole length, — they would
speedily become distorted. But, since they grow at the pro-
tected tips, they can make their way through the interstices of
soil, which from its compactness would otherwise forbid their
progress.

[The relation of roots to soil were spoken of in detail.]

If the roots of the youngest seedlings of wheat or flax are
carefully examined, they will be seen to be covered, except near

1879] TRANSACTIONS. ^

the tip, by a very delicate fuzz made up of extremely fine hairs.
These are the root-hairs, which serve to take up the water-food
for plants. They are so exquisitely delicate that the slightest
touch crushes them ; and, if the plant is lifted from the soil, all
the root-hairs are left behind, or else a few hold fast to finer
particles of soil which are brought away.

Of course, a microscope is very necessary in any careful
examination of root-hairs ; but the hairs can be seen without
one in the cases mentioned, and in some others, where they are
looked for carefully. It is these root-hairs, and not the very
tips of the roots, which absorb water. This can be studied
practically in the way pointed out by Ohlert, a German school-
teacher, who first published, in 1837, an account of root-hairs.
The tips may be carefully removed, and the wounds painted
over, and the roots placed again in water, where the hairs can
have a chance to absorb, if this is their office.

Root-hairs are found only on the newer parts of roots ; and
these are, therefore, the only active absorbents of dilute aqueous
solutions."

By the root-hairs, dilute solutions are carried up from the soil
to green tissue upon the younger stems and in green leaves.
Here the dilute solutions become more concentrated by evap-
oration and transpiration, a process which in the leaf is governed
largely by delicately balanced valves which are chiefly on their
under surface. " Within the tissue of green leaves, there can
be found granules of a leaf-green substance. Under the influ-
ence of sunlight, carbon dioxide, a gas which exists as an
impurity in the atmosphere, and .which is readily taken up by
green leaves, undergoes, together with the water within the leaf,
changes which end in the formation of starch or something
very much like it. While such an operation is going on,
oxygen is given off by the leaves. The relations of oxygen
and carbon dioxide to animal respiration are to be pointed out
to the pupils ; and it is to be made clear that the evolution of
oxygen from green leaves, goes on only in the light. In all its
kinds of activity, except that of leaf-green in sunlight, the
plant takes in oxygen and gives off carbon dioxide. But the
work of leaf-green in sunlight, namely, the conversion of inor-
ganic matter into organic substance, is the chief work of the
common plants about which we have been studying. This work
is assimilation.

The assimilated product made by green leaves in sunlight is
stored up in many forms and in many places, such as roots.

8 WORCESTER COUNTY Hf)RTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1879

stems under and above ground, leaves, and seeds. It is used
for many purposes, chiefly the following : making wood, and the
like, building up new parts, forming flowers, and making seeds.
To sum up the work of green tissues, whether on the stem
or in leaves themselves, it may be said that they lift dilute
solutions from the roots to the light and air, there concentrating
them ; that they are the factories where starch or something
very similar is made."

[The effect of plants on the air of rooms, and the relation of plants to
poisonous gases in the air of cities, were described at considerable length.
Wardian cases and window gardening were also treated of.]

" When the trunk of a tree or the stem of an herbaceous
plant is carefully burned in the open air, there remains behind
a certain amount of rusty-gray ashes. This substance repre-
sents the mineral matters taken in solution by the roots, and now
changed somewhat by combustion. Some plants contain more
of this mineral matter than do others, but all of them have a
trace ; and there is a substantial agreement in the chemical
elements of the ash of different plants. Some of the elements
which have been detected in the ash are Iron, Potassium, Cal-
cium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, and Sulphur. These exist in
composition in the ash, — for instance, the Potassium is there a
carbonate ; but as to the manner in which they existed in the
plant, and how they were there compounded, authors are not
exactly agreed. Nor is it precisely known what part each plays
in the life and health of the plant. There is good reason for
believing that Iron is indispensable to the efificiency of chloro-
phyll, and that the salts of Potassium have much to do with
the production of starch. ' Besides the substances just men-
tioned, some compound of Nitrogen is essential to the growth
of plants ; and this is furnished, likewise, through the roots.
If, therefore, it is desired to have plants grow in a healthy and
vigorous manner, they must not only be placed under the requi-
site physical conditions, but good food in proper amount must
be furnished.

Plants, as we have already seen, obtain their carbonic acid of
the atmosphere. The soil furnishes other kinds of matter used
as plant-food. To show how small a part is taken in certain
cases by the mineral constituents of plant-food, it may be well
to call to mind one of the earliest experiments upon the subject
of vegetable nutrition. Van Helmont placed in a proper recep-
tacle exactly two hundred pounds of carefully dried soil, and

1879] TRANSACTIONS. 9

then planted therein a willow, which weighed just five pounds.
The soil was enclosed by a cover so that no dust from outside
could reach it ; and it was kept moist with enough water, as
occasion required, for five years. At the end of that time, the
willow was removed, and the soil separated carefully from the
roots. The willow weighed, then, one hundred and sixty-four
pounds ; but the soil, again thoroughly dried, as at first, had
lost only two ounces ! Although the experiment was not con-
ducted with the exactness which characterizes modern research,
it was a very excellent one for the time in which it was performed.
It must be added that Van Helmont erroneously concluded
that the plant had taken all its nourishment from the water,
whereas we know to-day that the plant obtains from the atmos-
phere a large part of the material out of which its structure
is made."

[The relations of the soil and other surroundings to the successful treat-
ment of garden plants and orchard trees, occupied much of the lecturer's
attention at this stage of the course.]

II. From Flower to Seed.

This completes the cycle of plant-life.

"A flower is a branch, with leaves for the production of seeds.
It is easy to find fault with every definition of so diversified a
mechanism as a flower, but the definition just given will answer
our present purpose very well.

A flower is a mechanism for the production of seeds. All
parts, therefore, which are directly concerned in the production
of seeds, must be taken into account. Even the floral leaves
or bracts, which are only indirectly tributary to the formation
of seeds, must be regarded. The outer circles, the calyx and
corolla, are generally termed unessential, because they are fre-
quently merely protective, while the stamens and the carpels
are the essential parts. The carpels contain the ovules, which
are to become seeds ; the stamens furnish the pollen, by the
indirect action of which this change is to be brought about.
Therefore, we might regard the ovules and the pollen as the
only essential parts in the production of seeds. Each stamen
consists of an anther, which is often supported upon a filament,
or slender thread. ' The anther is a sac filled with pollen, which
most generally is like fine dust, but which is shown by the
2

10 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1879

microscope to consist of minute grains of characteristic shape,
size, and markings. The pistil is made up of one or more car-
pels, distinct or more or less completely blended together, and
usually comprises three parts : (i) the ovary, holding the
ovules ; (2) the style, surmounting the ovary ; and (3) the
stigma, a point, or knob, or line of sticky surface at the side or
summit of the style. The style may be wholly wanting.
When the pollen acts upon the stigma, each grain may send
down, after a time, a slender tube, which at last reaches an
ovule. Here the contents of the tube act in some way upon
the contents of a cell, or a group of cells, in the ovule, in
which a new development begins, ending in the production of
an embryo plant. The ripened ovule is a seed ; the ripened
ovary, with its contents, and often with some of its contiguous
parts adherent, constitutes the fruit." It would seem, there-
fore, at first sight, as if flowers, in order to perfect seeds most
readily, ought to be so constructed that the pollen can fall upon
or reach the stigma without any difificulty. In some flowers,
like the late and small flowers of our violets, and in a great
many other cases, this is so : the pollen is placed by the anther
directly upon the stigma, or the stamen is so placed that the
pollen can very easily fall upon the stigma. But there are
innumrerable instances of just the opposite ; and in these cases
the tansfer of the pollen must be made by the wind, by
insects, or by some agent. Some plants have the stamens only,
while others of the same species liave only the pistils. Willows
are good examples of this kind of separation. Indian Corn is
an example of a less complete separation. In this, the flowers
with stamens form the plume above, and the pistils make up
the ears with the silk (the styles and stigmas) below. The
transfer of the pollen of Indian Corn is made by the wind,
which can carry such dry dust to long distances. The pollen of
our forest trees and shrubs is transferred by the same means,
and it frequently falls by the way, collecting in large quantities
on the leeward shores of lakes, where it resembles sulphur.
There are many cases of separation of the stamens and pistil,
which are just as complete as Willow and Indian Corn, so far
as the possibility of the pollen reaching the stigma without
help is concerned ; and yet the stamens and pistils are in the
very same flower. For instance, in some orchids the pollen is
packed away in a little pocket, from which it cannot fail to
reach the stigma, but from which it is readily detached by the
insect which comes to the flower in search of nectar. The

1879] TRANSACTIONS. II

insect unconsciously carries the package of pollen off to
another flower, and here it is brought in contact with the
stigma of that flower. These are among the most strik-
ing cases of complicated mechanism by which an end is
reached.

The object at present is merely to call attention to the inter-
esting field opened before every observer of flowers. The
transfer, in many cases, must be made by insect aid ; but how
can insects be made to work for something which does not con-
cern them.-* There are a few insects which are pollen-eaters.
Such, coming to flowers for the pollen they get, might scatter
more or less pollen around, and transfer some of it from one
blossom to another .'' but there are more which are fond of the
nectar of flowers. The nectar is for insects. It occurs in very
diverse places in different blossoms, but it is almost always
extensively and attractively advertised. Bright colors, with
striking contrasts (the "nectar spot"), or with lines of contrast-
ing color converging towards the cup of nectar (the " nectar
guides "), show the insect visitors where their food can be
found. A little attention will make clear the meaning of many
of the colors which otherwise might be passed by without
thought."

Odors in flowers are, in general, indicative of the presence of
nectar. The crossing between varieties of the same species of
plant produces seeds which, in general, yield stronger plants
than those which result from the action of the pollen of a flower
upon the ovules of the same flower, or even upon the ovules of
another flower on the same plant. The crossing between well
marked varieties has given rise to some of the most desirable
garden plants now cultivated, and plants from such crossing
have been incorrectly called Hybrids. This term should be
restricted to the crossing of different species ; by hybridi-
nation in fertile cases, very extraordinary results have been
reached.

(The method of crossing, and the results, were very fully explained, and
rules were laid down for the guidance of intelligent students. Such rules are
based, for the most part, upon the studies of German investigators.)

When a good variety has been obtained by chance, as we call
it, or from successful crossing, it must be perpetuated by some
form of colonization, or bud-separation.

12 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1879

(This, in all its practical forms, was discussed, and certain special cases
were referred to ; for instance, the mutual relation of stock and scion, and
the judicious selection of each.)

Following this came a brief history of the plants of the kitchen-garden,
the flower-garden and orchard, tracing the improvement of varieties from
their origination down to the present time, and rules for their further im-
provement were given. These rules, in every case, must be sought in the
field of Scientific Botany.

1879] REPORT OF THE LIBRARIAN. 1 3

REPORT OF THE LIBRARIAN.

To THE Members of the Worcester County Horticultural
Society :

The Librarian does not desire to occupy much of your time by his
report. He only wishes to give you such information as seems to
him desirable, that you may understand the condition of the Library.

During the past winter quite a number of desirable books were
placed in the Library, by the Library Committee, which seemed o
meet a want that was felt by many of our gardeners, and he believes
that the introduction of those books into the Library, has had much
to do in increasing the number of books taken from the Library, the
number this year being double that of last year.

Without further comment, he will give the additions to the Library
the past year.

Native Flowers and Ferns ; by Thomas Meehan ; parts 13 and 14 ;
Society.

Vegetable Plants; by J- F. Tillinghast; Society.

Native Flowers and Ferns ; by Thomas Meehan ; parts 15 and 16 ;
Society.

Ferns of North America ; by Prof. D. C. Eaton ; parts 10 and 11 ;
Society.

Winter Greeneries ; by Edwin A. Johnson, D.D. ; Society.

Play and Profit in Garden ; by Rev. E. P. Roe ; Society.

Talks on Manures ; by Jos. Harris, M. S. ; Society.

Native Flowers and Ferns ; by Thomas Meehan ; parts 17 and 18
Society.

.14 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [l^79

Garden, The ; an Illustrated Weekly Journal of Gardening, founded
and conducted by Wm. Robinson ; vol. 15 ; 4to ; London, 1879 (still
publishing) : Society.

Gardener's Chronicle, The; vol. 12; 1879; a Weekly Illustrated
Journal ; Society.

Agricultural Gazette, The; an Illustrated Journal for Farmers;
1879; Society.

Villa Gardener, The ; 1879 ; 8vo. ; London ; a monthly periodical ;
Society.

American Agriculturist, The ; vol. 38 ; 1879 : folio : Society.

Transactions Massachusetts Horticultural Society; 1878; part 2d ;
by Robert Manning, Secretary.

Gardener's Monthly, The ; vol. 21 ; 1879 ; 8vo. ; edited by Thomas
Meehan ; Society.

Country Gentleman, The ; vol. 44 ; 1879 ; Society.

Massachusetts Ploughman, The; vol. 38; 1879; from George H.
Noyes, publisher.

Native Flowers and Ferns ; by Thomas Meehan ; parts 19 and 20 ;
Society.

F6rns of North America ; by Prof. D. C. Eaton : parts 12 and 13 ;
Society.

Text-Book of Botany ; by Julius Sachs, Prof, of Botany ; Society.

How Crops Feed ; by Samuel W. Johnson, M. A. ; Society.

Pardee's Strawberry Culture ; Society.

Field's Pea Culture ; Society.

High Farming without Manure ; by M. George Ville ; Society.

Tim Bunker's Papers on Yankee Farming ; Society.
, Open Air Grape Culture ; by John Phin ; Society.

Chemistry of the Farm and the Sea ; by James R. Nichols, M. D. ;
Society.

Culture of Small Fruits ; by E. P. Roe ; Society.

Our Farm of Four Acres ; Society.

Farming with Green Manures ; by C. Harlan, M. D ; Society.

Squashes ; How to Grow Them ; by Jas. J. H. Gregory ; Society.

Onion Raising ; The Way to Raise Them ; by Jas. J. H. Gregory ;
Society.

Carrots ; How to Grow, Keep and Feed Them ; by James J. H.
Gregory ; Society.

1879] REPORT OF THE LIBRARIAN. 1 5

How Crops Grow ; by Samuel W. Johnson, M. A. ; Society.

Semi-Tropical Magazine ; 1876 ; edited by Harrison Reed ; Society.

Native Flowers and Ferns ; by Thomas Meehan ; parts 21, 22, 23
and 24 ; Society.

Florist and Pomologist ; 1878; Thomas Moore, F. L. S. editor-
Society.

Curtis' Botanical Magazine ; vol. 34 ; by Joseph Dalton Hooker,
M. D. ; C. B. &c. j Society.

Journal of Horticulture ; vols. 34 and 35 ; conducted by G. W. John-
son, F. R. H. S. ; Society.

Floral Magazine; Figures and descriptions of the choicest new
Flowers for the Garden or Conservatory ; by Richard Deane ; new
series; 1878; large 8vo. ; 47 large colored plates; London; Society.

Ferns of North America; by Prof. D. C. Eaton; parts 14, 15, 16
and 17, 18 and 19, 20 and 21 ; Society.

Annual Report of Board of Agriculture of N. H. ; by James O.
Adams, Secretary ; 1877 and 1878.

Transactions Massachusetts Horticultural Society ; parts 1 and 2 ;
also Schedule of Prizes ; by E. W. Buswell, Treasurer,

All of which is respectfully submitted.

JOHN C. NEWTON,

Ltdrarian.
Hall of Flora,

Nov. 5th, 1879.

ot

To THE Members of the Worcester County Horticul-
tural Society :

On the third day of March, A.D. 1842, the General Court of
Massachusetts passed an "Act to incorporate John Green,
"Anthony Chase, Frederic W. Paine, * * * their
"associates and successors," by the name of the "Worcester
"County Horticultural Society." John Green and Fred-
eric W. Paine, were, long since, gathered to their fathers.
Within the last twelve months Anthony Chase has followed
them, leaving behind him the treasured memories of a long life
spent in usefulness and honor. With his death closes the earli-
est chapter in our history. What Horticulture was, when he
and his associates assumed the serious task of

" Advancing its science and improving its practice,"

there are few present old enough to remember. What it now
is ; and has become, mainly through the precept and example of
those pioneers in the cause ; you, the living members of this
Society, can see for yourselves, in this commodious Hall, the
valuable Library that surrounds us, and, more manifest yet, in
the garden and orchard which everywhere, throughout town and
county, blossom and yield in wanton profuseness. If Mr. Chase
took a less conspicuous part than others, more demonstrative
than himself, his zeal was not inferior nor his co-operation less
efficient. His patience was illustrated in the testing of new
varieties of fruit, for the introduction of which he may have
been indebted to the enterprise of either Earle, or of Colton ;
3

1 8 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1879

but in determining whose real merits no one was more earnest
or apt. He was, perhaps, the last of our original members to
relinquish the cultivation of the Plum ; exhibiting specimens, in
excellence and variety, long after every one else had succumbed
to the black-knot and curculio. Of an equable temperament,
he was well fitted for a pursuit that has no place for passion
and yields no returns to impatience.

'^ Their associates and successors !'' Do you realize that the
entire responsibility has devolved upon yourselves .'' That it is
for you, exclusively, so to direct the operations of this Society
as to justify the prescience of its founders and vindicate your
title to follow

" Si non passibiis aqtds^''

at least haltingly, in their footsteps. And it was a long step in
advance which was taken, under your sanction, during the
early winter.

These Reports have urged, for years, that this Society should
encourage the study of Botany, — not merely for its own sake ;
or that our young women should be taught to distinguish those
herbs whose savory messes are a substitute for love ; but, more
selfishly, as a means to an end. Much of the interest attaching
to, or derived from our exhibitions, must be credited to the Floral
displays that have been maintained with creditable success and
without sensible intermission. As the city increases — for the
guidance of the Society is ever more and more surrendered to the
city — space for the Garden and Orchard must become yet close j.
restricted. Parlor-plants, however, will continue to be grown ;
while conservatories and green-houses are fostered, rather than
diminished, as settlement and population concentrate. Whatso-
ever, then, tends to diffuse a wider knowledge of the manner in
which plants grow, and in what simplest and best way to grow
them, comes within your especial province, as "advancing the
science and improving the practice of Horticulture," Looking
to this object, the Committee on the Library — being authorized
by a vote of the Trustees — engaged Professor George L.

1879] REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 1 9

GooDALE, of the University at Cambridge, to deliver a course of
four lectures upon themes of congenial and cognate interest.
The audiences might have been larger, with benefit to the
community. "But at that marriage-feast of old, they which were
bidden were not worthy. Still, the supper was consumed. In
this case, you will have eaten your cake and — have it. For, at
the request of your Secretary, Prof. Goodale has prepared
outlines of those Lectures, which, when published, — to use his
own phrase, — will constitute a "printed guide to the principles
of modern Horticulture." Could you have made a better invest-
ment, although you had bestowed a few more premiums upon
the Baldwin apple ?

In his latest Annual Report, your Secretary remarked that :
"Our Weekly ExkidiUons hciVQ been th.Q\iiQoi the Society. But
the faintest breath quivered in its nostrils when they were insti-
tuted. They awakened interest, commanded attention, and
invited membership. Attracting the first flowers of spring,
they could be made, by proper direction, to fill each successive
week throughout the year, with ample suggestiveness to the
eye or palate, until their close with the last fruits of winter.
Every Exhibition would then have a freshness that can be
attained in no other way. And novelty has a charm in itself.
Your earnest attention is solicited for the policy, simply out-
lined as it is, of relinquishing the oppressive and unwieldy
Anmtal Auttmiual Exhibitions and applying the energy and
means, absolutely wasted upon them, to magnify the Weekly
displays."

The suggestion found acceptance, and the policy therein out-
lined, favor with your Trustees. Under their instructions a
schedule was framed that, with all its imperfections, has worked
to the realization of our common aim. An Exhibition was held
December 5th, A. D. 1878, whereat a creditable display of Fruit
inaugurated the new system. The meetings have been sus-
tained without intermission ; their success varying as to num-
bers in attendance, or articles displayed ; but at no time without
some indication of public interest. Criticism may perhaps

20 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1879

cavil at the conditions of a schedule which suffers awards —
whether under their own specific names, or as "any other vari-
ety"— for such vain repetitions as the following :

Baldwin — Eight (8) distinct premiums. - - $7 00

Hubb. Nonesuch — Five (5) distinct premiums, - 6 50

R. I. Greening — Six (6) " " - - 650

Rox. Russett — Five (5) " " - - 5 50

" Qui facit per aliuin^ facit per se f^

"Tut! tut! young man!" interrupted Chief justice Mar-
shall; " assume that the Court knows something!" Has not
Horticulture long since determined that certain varieties of
Orchard-Fruits render a sure harvest .^ Why thus continue to
waste money in premiums, or gratuities, for their exhibition or
growth, unless the specimens are of surpassing excellence.'' Is
it not infinitely better to stimulate the introduction or develop-
ment of strange genera or species, which, in their natural evolu-
tion, may disclose ever new and superior forms and qualities .''
Surely at last, if at all, the Baldwin or Rhode Island Greening
may claim precedence upon their conceded merits ; and, " like
good wine, need no bush."

The Floral Exhibitions opened on the 6th of March, a date
somewhat earlier than usual, with a display of Hyacinths and
Chinese Primula. The Azalea Indica and Cyclamen followed
after a fortnight's interval. The specimens, upon either occa-
sion, were from such various sources as to indicate a more gen-
eral culture of those species of house-plants : — none of which
exact unusual care, while atl yield an ample return of rich
bloom in the dead of winter. The plants of Azalea Indica that
were successful in the competition, merit notice here because of
their symmetry — which was simply perfect. Last year : — "some
"of the best bloomers were drawn, from unilateral exposure to
" the sun ; and others were distorted in shape, to meet the unnat-
" ural requirements of their growers." It is to be hoped that
the lesson from Whitinsville may be profitable for instruction.
Similar patience and skill may achieve like results.

1879] REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 21

Those Vernal Exhibitions were happily exempt from the
fierce vicissitudes of temperature that have heretofore bhghted
the articles, alike with the hopes, of contributors. The afternoon
of the next Exhibition, however, April 17th, was signalized by
a cold N. E. wind, with sleet and snow towards the morning of
Friday, thus alternating until Saturday night. The storm was
one of the severest, and the volume of mingled snow, sleet, and
rain as great as in the most violent storms of winter. How
much this change of temperature had to do with the admitted
reduction in the yield of many Small Fniits is a problem for
any one to solve. Possibly, like most others, it will be decided
according to the pre conceived theory or prejudice of individu-
als. " But, sir ! the facts conflict with your theory ! " " So
much the worse for the facts! " is the flippant retort of the man
who is never wise save in his own conceit.

The Annual Exhibition of Roses in 1879, was held, for the
first time in a long while, at a date distinct from that assigned
for Strawberries. The display may be characterized as fairly
good. And yet, years since, a number of close competitors, by
their keen rivalry, argued a more general interest than now,
when all the premiums are awarded, if deservedly, yet by sheer
necessity, to a single individual. Does it not seem as though
florists might be found among the numerous members of this
Society, elsewhere than in Whitinsville, zealous and able to
develop the Rose into something like the perfection that it is
made to attain in other parts of the Commonwealth .'* No one
will contend, for a moment, that floricultural patience and skill are
limited to Concord, Massachusetts. But what kind of ambition
is that which contents itself with the growth of Geranium or
Petunia ; or is satisfied with some faint illusion of new shade
in Aquilegia cerulea hyhrida ! A Society maintaining the rank
that this deservedly does, abroad, should lay no unworthy offer-
ings upon the shrine of Flora. Let its members elect, rather,
by all honorable effort, to magnify their office !

The Annual Exhibition of Strawberries had been appointed
for a week later than usual, or than long experience had sug-

22 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [iS/Q

gested ; but it became necessary to anticipate the schedule
date. Remarkable for the number of new varieties shown for
the first time, whose value for general cultivation is at least
questionable ; and, at any rate, too uncertain to be demon-
strated, or even tested, without much ' pains and toil, by the
average pomologist : it was still more noticeable for the absence
of species, approved by experience, and proved to be adapted to
our varying conditions of temperature and soil, as well as tempt-
ing to the common palate. It would be a grievous error to
drop the Downer, or Jenny Lind, the Triomphe de Gand, or
Wilson, from garden cultivation ; because Presidents, Ameri-
cans, or Monarchs, have swollen like puff-balls. Bulk is not
inconsistent with excellence, as the Doyenne du Comice illus-
trates among Pears : but what concerns you chiefly, as would-be
cultivators, is not how many bites there may be to a cherry, but
whether that especial cherry is good enough to pay you for
disputing its possession with the "worm i' the bud."

A dish of Hovey's Seedling was exhibited by one of your Vice-
Presidents that elicited a note of interrogation from the Com-
mittee, which was strangely mistaken : —

Then necks were craned and heads are louted low
In puzzled inquisition : ears wave pendulous and slow.
Each bundle tempted : Hovey ? or not ! Alas !
Leave it unsettled ; — own yourself an ass !
The plants from Hovey came, and Hovey knows
Whether skunk-cabbage ever smelt like rose.
And yet, committees sometimes justly bray
Since Beurre d'Anjou ripens Suzette de Bavay.

Currants were exhibited, during their season, in about their
average force and variety. With rare exceptions, however, cul-
tivators appeared to have limited their efforts to La Versaillaise
and the Red Dutch. It is to be hoped that the latter will never
be utterly supplanted. Other kinds may yield larger berries ;
although abundant manure will do much to equalize apparent,
rather than real deficiencies : but, for an ample crop of honest,
ripe, sweet fruit, the good old Red or White Dutch can hold

1879] REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 23

their own against all comers. Moreover, — as regards Currants
in general, — did any one ever find himself overstocked with
them ; so that his children would not pick them from the
bushes, or the hucksters take them off their hands .-•

There was a woful falling-off in the display of Raspberries
during the Summer just passed. That there were any, is
almost wholly due to the enterprise of a single cultivator, who
has found that other things may be grown in the Tatnuck
region, equally suited with the Jucunda to " put money in the
purse." Not a specimen of Brinckle's Orange was placed upon
our tables. Had your Secretary finally relinquished its culture,
after his many eulogies of its fecundity and unapproachable
excellence, he would merit your indignant censure. But it is a
severe tax upon any piece of ground to be required to bear
Raspberries for eighteen successive years, and a new planta-
tion demands time to become productive. The Northumberland
Fillbasket well upheld the reputation that it has earned for
itself, in Worcester ; and which but few pomologists elsewhere
seem disposed to accord. In fact, that variety can be but little
known, if your Secretary may judge from his correspondence
with nurserymen and from their published catalogues. An
ignorance of a variety — perhaps unequalled — that is abso-
lutely discreditable to gentlemen who would prepare a complete
Catalogue of the Fruits of America.

Your Secretary will confess himself somewhat puzzled. Are
experts actually ignorant .'' or do not varieties exist whereof
they confess that they know nothing } Years since, in response
to an appeal from California for information, he learned what
follows : —

"KNOX FRUIT FARM AND NURSERIES.

" Pittsburg, Pa., August 3, 1875,
"To Edw. W. Lincoln, Esq.,

'''■Dear Sir:

*********

"We have never grown the Northumberland Fillbasket, and know very
"little about it.

24 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1879

" The Hornet is the grandest Raspberry we have ever grown, and we
" think in California it would surpass all varieties, where it would be entirely
"hardy. We pick these berries, with their stems like Strawberries, and
"they equal Strawberries for size, — that is, medium Strawberries. It is a
" strong grower and great bearer, continuing a long time in bearing. It
"is not hardy here, although, last Winter, strange as it may seem, the canes
" mostly were uninjured, although unprotected. Which we regard as a
"proof of Mr. Meehan's theory that the cause of Raspberry plants being
" winter-killed is owing to imperfectly ripened wood, caused by mildew or

"rust. &c., &c., &c.

(Signed) GRhMES & MEYER."

Eulogistic notices of the Hornet continuing to attract his
attention, in later years, your Secretary, with whom the develop-
ment of the Riibus Idaeus was ever a passion, was led to procure
some of the genuine plants. Upon exhibiting their fruit,
however, for the first time, it was found to differ so decidedly,
in all respects, from that which was entered under the same
name, by Vice-President Hadwen, that a spurious sort was
evidently in the ma'rket. Mr. Hadwen had obtained his from
Mr. C. M. Hovey,* who admitted that he was somewhat skeptical
as to its genuineness. My own came from Mr. Meehan, who
answered an inquiry as to its purity and origin : — that he had
no reason to distrust it ; that he had procured his stock from
two Frenchmen in his neighborhood ; and that he had noticed
its resemblance to the Northumberland Fillbasket. In an issue
of the Gardeners Monthly, (which he has so long conducted
with signal success,) during the last Summer, he thus refers
to a plantation of this variety under his direct observation, in
Germantown :

"The canes, with their foliage, were models of health and
" beauty, and were borne down, or would have been had they
"not been tied, by their weight of fruit, and such fruit ! Though
" Herstine, Philadelphia, and other well-known kinds were
"there and as well cared for, none of them had such large
" berries or would fill the bowl, as well as ' the bill,' as these.
" The berries were at least one-third larger than Herstine, &c.,
" &c." He continues, enlarging upon their long continuance

* A mistake : Mr. Hovey's skepticism is however, authentic. E. w. L.

1879] REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 2$

in bearing, and declares authoritatively that the name is French
and should be pronounced, — Hornay !

Your Secretary has been impressed with its strong resem-
blance to the Northumberland, and would not doubt their
identity, did not the Hornet occasionally offer a larger berry
and appear more tenacious of its foliage.

Should this matter seem to have claimed too much attention, it
must be borne in mind that you were incorporated to " improve
" the science " of Horticulture ; whereof an exact and definite
Nomenclature must ever constitute a significant feature. No
Society can afford to encourage spurious genera or species.
You declined to do so, heretofore, in a flagrant instance. * There
cannot be too much caution, although future precise observation
should determine it to be needless among Raspberries.

The matter of a correct Nomenclature has been referred to
incidentally. But can its actual importance be exaggerated.?
How many of the Members of this Society pause to consider
what a card means, inscribed — " For name .? " — or how much
anxiety and positive labor such requests impose. Whatever
self-interest or prejudice may be disposed to allege against any
of your other Committees ; — none have been moved by " envy,
"hatred or malice," (from which, here as elsewhere, " Good Lord
deUver us!") to challenge the competency of your Committee
on Nomenclature. Your Secretary, at least, from an official
observation of almost twenty years in duration, can attest to
the close devotion ot that Committee, with its membership
changed but by death, to their more than usually thankless
task. You are solicited to plant a Pear-tree named Fondante d'
Automne. Precise nomenclature assures you that such Roses
will smell as sweet if called Belle Lucrative. You are told that
the Brockworth Park is one of the best Pears recently intro-
duced ; and the proof of that pudding makes you acquainted
with the Bonne de Zees, — of approved character and without
cause for change of name. An illustration of the general sub-
ject maybe drawn from the subjoined letter, written by one
who has no superior as a Pomologist, and who will perhaps par-

* In the case of the so-called " Main, Grape."

4

26 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1879

don its publication, because prompted by a desire to advance
interests which he has so much at heart : —

"MOUNT HOPE NURSERIES.

"Rochester, N. Y., Dec. 10. 1878.
"Edward W, Lincoln, Esq.,
"Worcester, Mass.
"Dear Sir:

" Yours of 7th inst., is at hand.

" ' Bonne des Puits d' Ansault ' is an unwieldy name for an English speak-
"ing people. Ansault is sufificient. There is just this objection to it: that
"Ansault being the name of a place, there might be other varieties bearing
" its name, as in the case of Anjou. It has been suggested to call Beurre
" d' Anjou simply AnJou : but we have Bonne Anjou, Rouge d' Anjou,
" &c., &c.

" We ought to make our catalogue conform to the Pomological Society's
"Catalogue: — that it has not been done is an oversight. But ' Swan's
"Orange' is the first name, — has many years of priority to Onondaga.
" Between forty and fifty years ago this Pear was brought, without a name?
"from Hamilton County, N. Y., to Rochester, by the late Gen. Swan; and a
" Horticultural Society, then existing here, called it Swan's Orange. It was
" wrong to change it. It was done at the suggestion of Gen. Leavenworth,
" of Syracuse, who wished to identify the pear with his County — Onondaga
*********

" If practicable, there should be an EngHsh name given to all fruits intro-
" duced from non-Enghsh-speaking countries. It would be a nice little chore
"for the Pomological Society.

" You have a very able, active Society. Why not take this up at your

" leisure .''

"Yours Truly,

"PATRICK BARRY, (E. & B.)"

Admit that Swan's Orange had the priority : somebody must
determine. The American Pomological Society — of which
Mr. Barry is Vice-President — has decided that the pear shall be
called Onondaga. To whom shall an appeal be taken .'

And then, again, why 7iot 'Anjou.?' The fact that there
may be also a Bonne Anjou, or Rouge d' Anjou, need occasion
no conflict.

"Where the O'Donohue sits, there is the head of the table."

1879] REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 2/

" Ansault is sufficient," — as Mr. Barry says. When the place
produces another pear worth naming — name it ! Until then,
sufficient unto the day be the pear, like the evil thereof. The
Josephine de Malines and Winter Nelis originated in the same
city. Nomenclature has few difficulties that we do not create
for ourselves ; and all combined are less troublesome than
would be caused by the disuse of a foreign or dead language.

The plague of Frugivorous Birds has continued with us
throughout the past year. As though it were not enough for
the fruit-grower to have his enemies in-lawed ; he must also see
his prospects of redress grow dim in consequence of deliberate
efforts to spread false information. Let Shakespeare and Mil-
ton hide their diminished heads ! as the Monthly Reader, " cir-
culated among the schools," utters the following "Plea of the
Sparrow : "

'' So don't, good master, grieve us,
But cheer us and relieve us ;
And we will eat, next season,
The canker-worms your trees on."

How can any one expect the young idea to "shoot," when
loaded with a full charge of such bathos !

But hark to a man who knows something ! Who was, in fact,
dismissed from the Department of Agriculture for that singu-
larity ! Professor C. V. Riley, in a letter to the Commissioners
of the District of Columbia, expresses the opinion that "the
" English sparrows have been useful in ridding the shade-trees
" of cities of the canker-worm, but believes that they will become
" great pests in time to the farmer and fruit-grower. He be-
" lieves that the insects most troublesome to the fruit-grower
" are not touched by this sparrow. It does not save the elm
" from being riddled by the Galeruca. He does not believe it
" possible to exterminate the bird /zc'w, but would not protect
"it, — letting it take its chances." And he adds, — what your
Secretary, having implicit faith in the boys of Worcester, takes
pleasure in publishing more widely : — " One thing is certain ;

28 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1879

" that those who do not want the bird on their premises will
" have a good luxury in sparrow pies."

Is it possible that there are neither Apple or Cherry Orchards
in Washington.'' Other cities — of inferior population — per-
haps consequence — are not as destitute. Yet Professor Riley
does not speak of the Apple, and Cherry, or even the Straw-
berry, as exempt from insect-ravage ; for, indeed, how could he,
unless they are far luckier in the Federal District than their
congeners elsewhere.

Dr. Elliott Coues, in the American Naturalist, classes spar-
rows among " the injurious agencies of Nature ; they seeming
" to devour insects only when they cannot get garbage, grain^ or
'^ young herbs to eat. Removed from the natural checks upon
" increase which surround a bird in its native land, and trans-
" planted into a new region where they were in the midst of
" uhnatural conditions, of course all their strong traits became
" stronger."

Dr. Dixwell's dissection of the stomachs of thirty-nine spar-
rows,— male and female ; during the height of the canker-worm
pest in the Jamaica Plains district, in our own Commonwealth ;
by which no trace of insect or worms was disclosed ; furnishes
but a single instance from the many that betray the granivor-
ous nature of the species. Should not such a precise test,
indeed, influence Professor Riley to revise an over-hasty infer-
ence, and to concur in the conclusion of the majority of careful
observers that neither this stranger, nor our native birds, have
diminished to any appreciable extent, the plague of worms upon
fruit-trees in town or country.

One English writer, who carries water upon both shoulders
with a marvellous equipoise, is very mellifluous. He would
seem almost qualified to bear a torch in the, next campaign for
the salvation of a Union that was thought to be cemented in
blood, but which must be saved over again, under stress of par-
tisan mendicancy, at least quadrennially. Just listen : " Pom-
"ologists are somewhat divided as to the benefits or injury
"derived from the s^/-billed birds. The robin ("soft-billed"

[879] REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 29

" Turdus\) especially comes in for a good share of reprobation
" during the season of Small Fruits. Nevertheless, we see no
"reason to doubt the value even of this fruit-loving bird, if
" proper means are taken to protect the fruit during its ripen-
"ing. A little shooting goes a long way." It does that! in
Worcester carrying you to the Police Court.

A naturalist — he defines the distinction between their habits
— seldom observed or stated with such clearness ; and which, if
preserved, would modify objection to their increase or diffusion :
" The Swallow, Swift, and Night-hawk, are the guardians of the
."atmosphere. Woodpeckers, creepers, &c., &c., are the guard-
" ians of the trunks of trees. Warblers and fly-catchers protect
" the foliage. Blackbirds, crows, thrushes, and larks, protect
" the surface of the soil. Snipe and woodcock protect the soil
" under the surface. It is a fact that nearly all birds are more
" or less beneficial in destroying forms of life which, when in
"excess, are wonderfully destructive to crops."

" When in excess ! " Aye: but when the birds themselves
are in excess — what sort of negative can you make of these
two affirmatives .-' " Qtds custodiet custodes ?"

Never were all forms of insect-life more numerous or unmo-
lested, in Massachusetts, whose legislation is annually invoked
in wider protection of all that is winged and worthless.

Among the defects in the lamb-like character of your Secre-
tary, forgetfulness is not conspicuous. Shall an Annual Report
to this Society omit all mention of the Turdus migratorius ?
HarJc ! to a writer, in the American Agriculturist, from Connec-
ticut, whose eyes are partially open : " This is a comely bird —
"a fair singer and early; an industrious hunter of insects.
" After his brood is hatched, he eschews his old provender and
" brings up his whole family upon the costliest products of the
" garden. In June, he sits on the fence and eyes the growth of
" fruit ; then gorges successively strawberries, cherries, cur-
" rants, raspberries, and grapes."

Seeing the evil thus clearly — what remedy does he suggest }
Why, the very simplest : When you are not fishing for men-
haden, protect your garden with the seine !

30 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [iS/Q

Actual experience, during the last year, has taught your Sec-
retary that there is at least one effective safeguard from the
depredations of birds — remedium felhium. A cat — the pet of
a young daughter — has not failed to supply her successive
broods with their daily tiirdiis. It cannot be claimed that she
is of any improved breed, nor that possession of an extra toe
upon either fore-foot has rendered her faculties more acute.
But this at least may be asserted, with positive assurance, that
she has been "bred to a feather."

If you would derive any benefit from birds — designed to be
fer(Z natune — assuming the possibility of benefit under any
circumstances, — stop domesticating and petting them ! Those
that were created insectivorous, will obey their instincts, if not
pampered until their tastes are diverted and turned in an unnat-
ural direction. Withhold the protection of law for a while, that
their numbers may be thinned and that the report of the shot-
gun may inspire a wholesome fear. Thereafter, and only then,
may you engage in the ceaseless struggle with insects, which
yearly grows more onerous, convinced that your chances of suc-
cess are not lessened, if they have not been facilitated, by your
own efforts.

That you will need all possible assistance against the Lach-
nosterna fusca — or Cock-chafer* — your vSe^r^/^rj/ believed when
writing his last Annual Report and is more fully persuaded now.
The wildest imagination is staggered, at the official statements
of the countless hosts in which this insect swarms over the
longest settled countries of Europe. They descended, in myri-
ads, upon Schleswig-Holstein, about the 20th of May. School
children were employed to attack them — shaking them down
from trees, on which they had settled, into sheets — then into
boiling water, or under rollers. On one large farm it is actually
stated that 130 tons were collected and paid for at the rate of
a half-penny per pound. As a practical set-off, — "the corpses
make a rich manure."

" So likewise in Normandy is the Ver Blanc a name of terror
to the gardener." Nothing escapes them. Trees are denuded

*More commonly known as the May-Beetle, e. w. l.

1879] REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 3 1

of their foliage by the perfect insect ; while the roots of all
kinds of vegetables, flowers, plants, and even young trees are
devoured by the larvce. An individual rented several acres for
a market garden and nursery. In less than a month after the
buds of Roses were well set, the grub cleared all before him.
Of 7,000 briars (stocks for the Rose), scarcely as many hundred
were spared.

It is to be feared that few realize the wide diffusion of this
insect in New England ; and that still fewer adequately esti-
mate the damage that he does. The foes that assail you are
neither drought nor a variable climate. They must be sought
beneath your feet, in the soil that you cultivate, — alike insatiate
of the roots of grasses or of the strawberry-plant. You will say
— search for and exterminate them ! Try it ! and then admit
that the word impossible should have place, in horticultural if
not in Napoleonic dictionaries. A portion of the Public Grounds
in this city, was ploughed deeply, during the Autumn of A. D.
1877. Exposed in the furrow to the frosts and snow of Winter,
it was ploughed anew in the following Spring, and again in
Fall, lying fallow the while and thereafter. Once more ploughed,
harrowed, and then carefully forked over, you think, do you not,
that all forms of insect-life were effectually destroyed .-' On the
contrary, the soil was literally crawling ; a single spadeful
would bring to light a dozen large larvix. After as thorough
destruction as possible, the land was finally sown. But, that
you may see how ineffectual was even such deliberate work, I
submit, for your inspection, a section from a stake that was
thrust into the earth for the support of a flowering spike of
Gladiolus. It is a sample of fifty (50) gnawed in like manner.
Where shall you search for this Lachnosterna fiisca, if he stays
in the ground for three continuous years } In what manner
shall you contrive to exhume him — if he descends, at some
period of his maturing life, — to a depth of five (5) feet ! Your
Secretary confesses himself puzzled ; and believes that it will
prove a tough stint even for the Turdus !

In his last Annual Report, referring to a then recent Horti

32 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1879

cultural Exhibition in this city ; nominally of the New England
Agricultural Society, but in fact and substantially, furnished by
our own members ; your Secretary expressed his deliberate
opinion that this Society should consider the matter well, before
deciding to participate, by active or passive co-operation, in
another similar Exhibition held at nearly the same date. " If
" the New England Agricultural Society should determine to
" repeat its visit to Worcester, as is more than probable ; there ,
" can be no doubt that it will be neither courteous nor politic
"for us to propose an Exhibition in antagonism. Yet the
" best interests of Horticulture, in this region, are measurably
" committed to us ; and we have no right to be recreant to the
" trust. Wherein, save in the domain of Flora, is not and
" would not a Horticultural Exhibition, during the first week
" of September, be premature .-*"

Your Trustees, accepting this suggestion, voted without
material dissent, to relinquish, at least temporarily, the usual
Annual Autumnal Exhibition of this Society. An Exhibi-
tion was however held, during the first week of September,
nominally under the auspices of the New England Agricultural
Society, which was successful in the collection of gate-money.
A misapprehension evidently prevailed, on the part of the New
England Society, whereof you should be advised, that you may
do no injustice to its officers. It is properly deemed intrusion
for a minister to officiate in a foreign parish without invitation
or consent. Some have inferred that the New England Society
was thus intentionally discourteous. But the Massachusetts
Ploughman, its of^cial organ, in its issue of August 30th, evi-
dently anticipated your co-operation, for it says that "The
" Massachusetts Horticultural, the Worcester Horticultural, as
"well as other Societies and numerous individuals celebrated in
" botanical and horticultural science, have promised most liberal
"contributions to this part of the Exhibition."

Again, on September 6th, when summing up the results of
the Exhibition, just closed, it observes that "the Members of
" the Worcester Horticultural Society, under whose auspices

1879] REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 33

" this portion " (that at the Skating-Rink) " was held, have
" good cause for congratulation in having presented the largest
" and most attractive show of fruits, vegetables, and flowers, that
" has ever been collected under one roof in any of the New
" England States."

Waiving present consideration of the actual fact that former
Exhibitions of the Worcester County Horticultural Society, in
Mechanics Hall, were never even approached since, in bulk or
quality ; it will doubtless cause unfeigned surprise to the
Plotighman to learn that the aid and co-operation of this Society
was not even asked !

" Nothing succeeds like success," was the comment of one of
our modern superficial aphorists upon the casual good luck of a
Massachusetts mercenary politician.

" For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole
" world and lose his own soul } " said He who spake as never
man spake. " C est magnifiqtie ! mai, ce n est pas la guerre ! "
exclaimed the bronzed veteran of France, as the Light Brigade
swept by him to glory and — annihilation. The question recurs
and will down at no bidding ; — the question put at your last
Annual Meeting and ignored at the first suggestion of a greed
that cared for aught but the true interests of Horticulture ; —
"Wherein, save in the domain of Flora, is not and would not a
Horticultural Exhibition, during the first week of September,
be premature ? " Barns and barracks may be stuffed to repletion
with the crude harvest of late Summers. But, in what manner,
and to what extent, do you thereby "encourage and advance
" the Science, and improve the Practice of Horticulture," — for
which, only, did John Green, Frederic William Paine, and
Anthony Chase ask to be incorporated ? Charles T. Foster
shows the Marie Louise at the Town Fair in Holden ; and the
observant reporter notes that it has grown one-fourth in bulk
within the ten days since the New England Agricultural Society
invited specimens for competition. The officers of the latter,
named organization pause, in their grand rounds of festivity, to
establish a class of yearling bulls ! No fault could fairly be
5

34 worcesti':r county horticultural society. [1879

found, did the award for Glout Morceau, or Winter Nelis,
specify the immaturity of those varieties ; or, in even the most
obscure way, inform the ignorant but curious cultivator that
they should be suffered to hang upon the tree two months
longer. But the motive that prompts to an exhibition of the
Baldwin or Roxbury Russett, — scarcely one-fourth grown, —
has nothing in common with a genuine love of Horticulture.
That seeks perfection of development, — nor will be content
with aught else. "Will not their money be good.^" was the
answer of one of our members to a protest, by your Secretary,
against the exhibition of fruit vastly inferior to the specimens
usually shown by the speaker. Of course, — if the purpose is
solely to " spoil the Egyptians," it can matter but little how it
is done. But, — as Horticulturists, — you cannot, if you would,
divest yourselves of your personality. Whether as individuals^
or as members of a committee, you will be holden to a strict
responsibility for the maintenance of that high standard which
you have established for these Halls ; and by upholding which,
for long years, you have achieved a reputation second to none
among the Horticulturists of the Republic. A mess of pottage
makes but poor rations, at best : and " no man can serve two
" masters."

This Society has ever kept itself pure ; remaining true to its
original high aim, and courting favor through no meretricibus
attractions. In its darkest days, when the shadow of debt
loomed over us ; — some of your members put their hands in
their pockets, and, by liberal contributions from their private
substance, relieved its embarrassments and irradiated its future
prospects.

Such of you as chanced to be in the audience might have
heard, recently, that the aim of the New England Agricultural
Society ; and inferentially its wards ; is, not to develop the Bull
and Stallion, as had been supposed ; but rather to perfect the
Christian Home! You may inquire why there are, then, no
specific premiums for such homes .'' Let it suffice for you to
know, that in tracing the process of Evolution, it is wise to

1879] REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 35

revert to the protoplasm. Therefore, and most essentially, is it
that from the trotting sulky and base-ball diamond may be
expected the "just made perfect " saints of New England.

Our own Society can indulge in no such pious dreams.
Greek, or Barbarian ; Gentile, or Jew ; from the Gardens of
Alcinous, or those in which the Fire-Worshippers of Persia cul-
tivate the Rose ; the love of Flower and Fruit is in and of itself
a species of devotion : — limited to no country, — contracted by
no creed. An effort was lately made to steal your household
gods. The Attorney General of the Republic ; laboring under
an optical illusion, easily explicable when it is remembered that
his official gaze has been somewhat intent upon the " moon-
shine " of Carolina ; fancied that he detected a heavenly pres-
ence in the crowd which thronged around him. Your Secretary
would not like to vouch for Ceres, whose good manners may
have been corrupted by evil communications while scouring
Avernus for her daughter. But he can bear cordial witness to
the fact that no errant fancy has ever seduced her long-time
associates. And it would have been a source of deep regret,
indeed, had Flora and Pomona, after keeping their virginity for
so many centuries unharmed by Faun or Satyr, at last prosti-
tuted themselves, gratuitously, upon the first unclean solicita-
tion.

In his late Semi-Centennial address before the Massachusetts
Horticultural Society, Hon. Marshall P. Wilder speaks of Agri-
culture as having "included" Horticulture. How so wise a
man could be betrayed into such a serious error would be unac-
countable did we not recall his association upon the " State
Board." For it was never thus; — whether under the bright
Heathen Mythology, or the more ascetic Mosaic dispensation.

When God had finished the Earth — Terra — the fields and
farms — ager — "behold! it was very good ! " But when He
would improve upon His own work, He "planted a garden " —
Hortiis — "eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom
" He had formed." Not until after Eve, — "anxious and aim-
"less," — had eaten of the tree of the knowledge of evil ; com-

36 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1879

monly accepted as t\\& Doyenne Boussoc ; — was man "sent forth
" from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he
"was taken," under the dire sentence : — "in the sweat of thy
"brow shalt thou eat bread!" Hortus — the garden — was
Paradise, in its sinless innocence. Ager — the field, or farm,
was sentence and punishment. " Cursed is the ground " —
tellus, vel ager, — "for thy sake ; " " in sorrow shalt thou eat of
" it all the days of thy life. Thorns, also, and thistles shall it
" bring forth to thee ; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field."
How different the lot of the Horticulturist ! "And out of the
"ground" — in the garden — "made the Lord God to grow
" every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food."
The envious and outcast may wonder when and in what manner
Paradise was regained. That is the exclusive secret as it is the
sole privilege of Horticulture. Those who deny that ours are
the " trees pleasant to the sight and good for food," may dis-
pute, if it pleases them, that " the fields bring forth thorns also,
"and thistles."

Shall the Worcester County Horticultural Society, under the
spur of resentment, or at any other instigation, reverse its recent
course and resume the Annual Exhibitions that were abandoned
after a full conviction of their utter worthlessness .'' Your Sec-
retary would unhesitatingly deprecate any such policy as a step
backward in the path of progress. True ; — it is not pleasant
to see others " reap where they have not sown and gather where
" they have not strewn." Yet that is the way of the world:
for, since the first furrow was turned, the tramp has ever trodden
upon the heels of the husbandman. Our professed and actual
aim is, — " to advance the Science and improve the practice of
Horticulture." What ought to concern us, chiefly, is; — in
what best and most effectual manner may our object be
attained !

It is not proposed to consume your time, and exhaust your
patience, by repeating the arguments in favor of a final aband-
onment of the Annual Autumnal Exhibitions. Such as they
were, — they have satisfied your Trustees for the two years

1879] REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 37

past, and during at least, that period, concluded your action as a
Society. As Horticulturists, have you any reason for genuine
regret ? Are you not content to persevere in the course delib-
erately entered upon, and, for the first time, consistently followed
throughout the official year that closed with yesterday's sunset ?
In his Report for A. D., 1878, your Secretary referred to our
weekly meetings as having been the life of the Society. How
only the faintest breath quivered in its nostrils when they were
instituted. Relating how they awakened interest, commanded
attention and invited membership ; he proceeded to indulge his
fancy in the portrayal of a possible future: "Attracting the
" first flowers of Spring, they could be made, by proper direction,
" to fill each successive week throughout the year, with ample
" suggestiveness to the eye or palate, until their close with the
"last fruits of winter. Every Exhibition would then have a
" freshness that can be attained in no other way. And novelty
" has a charm in itself. Your earnest attention is solicited for
" the policy, simply outlined as it is, of relinquishing the oppres-
" sive and unwieldy Annual Autumnal Exhibitions, and applying
"the energy and means, absolutely wasted upon them, to magnify
"the Weekly displays. The importance of these, conducted as
" now, when commenced each year, is found to increase by their
" own momentum. They grow large enough for convenient
" control, by August ; yet not too large to be comprehended in
"detail. What they might become, if kept up through the
" whole year, can only be told after actual experiment."

And now that the experiment has been tried, it rests with you
to determine wherein, and to what extent, it was a success — in
what imperfect measure it was a failure .'' Among Plants, and
Flowers, there was evident a continuous development, from the
somewhat tardy Exhibition of Hyacinths until the final termi-
nation of out-door growth by a killing frost. Dates may have
been appointed, untimely. No one can foresee the precise
character of a season ; nor predict that an interval of " ethereal
mildness " will extract unnatural bloom from the gales and
snows of March. Something must be trusted to experiment ;

38 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [iS/Q

as horses have been fortunately swapped in the middle of a
stream. That Society will be lucky, indeed, which can felicitate
itself without reserve, upon the opportune result of a first
attempt. With accumulated experience, it will be a task of
comparative ease to correct mistakes in the schedule, or to
remedy its deficiencies. Some Florists, as well as other some
who do not aspire to that peculiar title, opine that it might be
well to provide for a weekly display of Cut Flowers, — by
Stands, in addition to the Baskets, Designs, or Dishes, that may
be specifically invited. A wide discretion should be allowed
the Committee ; — which ought not to be expected, as no com-
petent Committee would consent, to award Premiums irrespec-
tive of absolute, as well as relative merit. Good nature has its
proper place in the social economy, but it is misplaced when
it attempts to bias the judgment. Our personal friends are, of
right, precious to us : yet the knowledge that a friend is among
the competitors should restrain us, all the more rigidly, from
doing injustice to a stranger. At the same time it is sufficient
to be upright. Some men are so anxious to stand straight that
they lean backwards. The just judge should be wholly without
inclination : an impartiality, if difficult of attainment, all the
more creditable to those who strive for it and achieve success
in its pursuit, in howsoever moderate measure.

Allusions have been made, incidentally, to the growth of fruit
when the specimens were suffered to mature. Some Apples,
and more Pears, were plucked from the tree in early September,
under the strong attraction of offered Premiums, whose crudity
of shape and size could only serve to mislead. How different
has been the appearance of the same varieties as displayed, in
full perfection and even extreme magnitude, at our recent
Weekly Meetings ! Recall the St. Ghislain, and the Washing-
ton ! of a size and beauty never before seen. The Doyenne du
Cornice, from Oak Avenue ; and the Duchesse, (its plate of ten
weighing ten pounds, nine and one-fourth ounces,) from Portland
street ; once again showing how that variety riots in the South-
Eastern portion of our city. Bear in mind the specimens of

1879] REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 39

Dix (weighing six pounds and one-fourth ounce,) and of Onon-
daga (turning the scales at ten pounds iive and one-fourth
ounces), and deny, — if you can and will, — that complete
development should, above all, be required by a Horticultural
Society that would be true to its mission !

All this is possible with Weekly Exhibitions. That it is not
of more than qualified attainment, in any other way, you well
know from unsatisfactory experience in the past. The Annual
Autumnal Exhibitions heaped up a profusion of Flowers,
Fruits, and Vegetables, — just as they c(3uld be had. "Beggars
must not be choosers ! " is an old saw, and modern instance.
You called for them : — and they were brought. It is no wonder,
that, having at heart the best interests of Horticulture, you soon
tired of a method of display which was only not chaos because
not absolutely .formless and void. You are now doing well.
Why not let well enough alone .-' It is the consistent and
matured opinion of your Secretary that you would only go
further to fare worse.

Your older Members, who were privileged in a personal
acquaintance with John Milton Earle, have been gratified to
behold, during the past September, some superb specimens of
his seedling Pear which, during his life-time and with his con-
sent, your Secretary \^diS permitted to name — Earle' s Bergaviot.
The thanks of all lovers of good fruit are due to our associate,
Mr. Velette P. Townsend, whose hearty appreciation led him to
procure scions whereby the new variety was doubtless saved
from extinction. No better nor more appropriate monument
could be erected to the memory of our deceased friend than
this which he thus innocently reared for himself. The speci-
mens shown this year, manifested their descent from the Belle
Lucrative, in form and abundant juiciness ; while their color
was vivid enough for the Beurre Montgeron. The lack of a
decided flavor, which is the chief deficiency of the Belle Lucra-
tive, is supplied in its character of Bergamot. These Reports
have heretofore indulged in high anticipations based upon con-
fidence in Mr. Earle' s rare judgment and bona fides. Those

40 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1879

sanguine hopes are evidently to be amply justified by a felicitous
concurrence of time and experiment: —

" Sic itur ad astra."

This Society was officially invited, in the early Summer, to
send delegates to the Seventeenth Session of the American
PoMOLOGiCAL SOCIETY, — to be held in Rochester, New York.
According to a practice, of original establishment and subse-
quent acquiescence, credentials were issued by the Secretary, to
the following representative Members : —

William T. Merrifield, Stephen Salisbury, Philip L. Moen,
Obediah B. Hadwen, James F. Allen, George E. Francis, Henry
Phelps, William H. Earle, Frank J. Kinney, Henry L. Parker,
George Cruickshanks, William W. Cook, Calvin L. Hartshorn,
F. M. Marble, John C. Newton, Edward W. Lincoln.

Some of those delegates attended, although fewer than could
have been desired. It is to be feared, however, that such will
always be the case so long as the American Pomological Society
persists in holding its meetings at a season when every one is
busy. The date would not be objectionable, perhaps, were it
the simple aim and end of the American Society to hold an
Exhibition of Fruit. But the actual inspection of specimens is
not the purpose of those sessions.

Should the Eighteenth Session of the American Pomological
Society be held in Boston, as, in the Divine Mercy * may be the
case, it is suggested for your seasonable consideration whether
it might not be courteous, and eminently proper, for this Society
to ask that one day be set apart for a visit to Worcester.
Reasons in plenty may be adduced, as occasion serves, why
such an invitation should be tendered and accepted. It is suffi-
cient, now, to direct your thoughts to reflection upon the
subject.

Your Secretary has proposed to himself, in occasional
moments of enthusiasm, to indulge in speculation upon the

* The life of Marshall P. Wilder being prolonged, in response to a common prayer.

1879] REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 4I

merits and possibilities of the Shade and Spading-Fork. He
has sometimes persuaded himself that therein is involved the
true theory and practice of future TVrn^-culture. A similar
idea was recently elaborated, from an English point of view, by
the First Commoner of England,* who, in an address to his
constituents and neighbors at Hawarden, told his belief that
"one of the means by which cultivators of the soil might
" improve their position, was to pay a greater amount of atten-
"tion to what was called garden and spade cultivation."

If no man can consume what that man can grow, what need
of any one lacking food who is willing to work } Nay, — why
limit the capacity of production ? Why not rather stimulate it to
the utmost, — providing simultaneously for the more thorough
distribution of results ! Multitudes in far-off lands are even now
starving for lack of the very crumbs that fall from our plethoric
tables. How many, even' among us, are pining from want of
the fruit that actually poisons the ground in the plentitude of
its decay ! You say that you cannot obtain a living price for
your crops. Are you certain of that ? The writer conversed,
lately, with that rare animal — a contented ^^mg'-culturist — who
feeds out fruit to his stock and expresses himself satisfied with
the price that he is getting for his milk. He said that he
could produce for two cents per quart, and obtain four in return.
Have you ever computed the cost of growing those bushels of
Bartletts and Bonne de Jerseys which you complain are unsale-
able } Have you once tried (persevering continually), to
diminish, and thus perfect, your crops, that their conceded
excellence should compel a demand for them .'' Has it ever
occurred to you that the conditions of a year of scarcity differ
only in degree from those wherein there is a superfluity : and
that, if the superfluous harvest suffered, or exacted from a tree,
were checked, or only not required, there would be no such thing
known as famine or plethora in alternate seasons. When the
first section marched by — indifferent, or scorning the marriage-
feast — a message was sent that constrained the awkward-squad.

* Mr. Gladstone.

6

42 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY [1879

Quite recently a Pear-tree, of the Duchesse d' Angouleme
variety, somewhat famous in our records, was reheved of thir-
teen bushels of fruit. The owner — not an especially avaricious
man — complained that he was offered for them but two and
one-half dollars per bushel. That does seem to be an inade-
quate price. But — supposing, from one cause and another,
that it is all which can be obtained, how much better is it than
nothing "f Nay, — how near would it come to a fair return upon
the original investment, were that price averaged upon an acre !

From a table carefully compiled by the Messrs. Lawson, of
Edinburg, it appears that the number of trees which can be
planted upon an acre of ground, — at a distance apart of Thirty
(30) Feet, — is as follows : Irish acre, 79 ; Scotch acre, 60 ; Im-
perial acre, 48. Assume, then, that your tree is suffered to bear
ten (10) bushels of fruit, which will command but One Dollar
for each and every bushel ! Your trees cost — say $1.50 each,
being more or less manured. You would then get, in return of
the original investment, from an Irish acre, ^790 ; from a Scotch
acre, ^600 ; from an Imperial acre, (Yankee by Common and
Statute Law,) ^480. Does even the Missionary Enterprise, or
the Barre & Gardner Mortgage afford a better harvest.

But, you will say, the market is glutted. The sum mentioned
was offered, however, for those bushels of Duchesse, and doubt-
less the purchaser felt assured of his customers. The distrust
is not without reason, nevertheless, and its removal depends
upon yourselves.

The old Dutch Monopoly used to burn their nutmegs when
afraid that the world might be too highly spiced. It does not
seem to have occurred to them that the burden might be ad-
justed to the back; and that the tree which bore less might be
trained to bear longer. You cannot burn Apples or Pears, but
you can thin out so that one barrel of full-grown and well-
ripened fruit shall answer for and pay better than a hogshead
of smaller, immature, or imperfect specimens. You object that
to thin out your fruit exacts too much labor ! Possibly : — but
evade or escape the primal curse if you can ! You may say

1879] REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 43

that it will not pay to do it. That, also, is possible ; yet the
averment could be made with greater certainty were the exper-
iment once fairly tried. This is known : that the Dutch East
India Company never came to want because nutmegs were un-
salable. The market that was not found — ready to hand —
they created ; that is all.

How many people are there among us who have not tasted
of fruit this whole season ? Do you assert that it is their own
fault if there are any, it costs so little.'' 'But what matters it
how little, if it is too much ? Will you not try, for once, to
grow fewer specimens, and better as they are fewer .-' To ma-
ture them by so mulching the trees as to retard development
vmder our torrid suns .'' To offer them at a price which is sat-
isfactory because it is reasonable, and to rejoice if you sell them
so low that no one shall, perforce, elect liver or tripe.

There are gentlemen in this presence, to whose political
vision all vexed questions of finance are transparent. Who are
convinced that the baser currency inevitably drives out and
supplants the better and more valuable; — more valuable and
better as it is the veritable and almost sole representative of the
famine, and thirst, and life, that it dearly cost. Yet, as Horti-
culturists, they persist in growing the Boussoc, Clairgeau, and
Duchesse, to the exclusion of the Cornice, Beurre d' Anjon, or
Winter Nelis. They are fully aware that but two metals have
ever served for coin. But they prove all things, and — holding
fast to that which is good — do not let go of the poor or worth-
less. With the power to make the market what you would
have it, wherever is the wonder that you have it what you
make it !

It may appear a dream of madness — the substitution of the
Spade, or Spading-Fork, for the Plough ; yet calmly considered,
why should not such a result come about in the not remote
future? And even were tillage upon a large scale, to insist
upon a retention of the more unwieldy implement, with its at-
tendant train of brutes, it might yet be possible to demonstrate
that the harvest from such increased surface would not neces-

44 WORCKSTKR COUNTY HORTICULTURAL Si^ClETY. [tS/Q

sarily surpass the yield from a little land well tilled by the cun-
ning hand and fitting tool. Men are so different — in physical
force and natural aptitude, — that a task which might be little
more than play for one, would almost overwhelm another. Yet
France has shown the possibility of a nation becoming not only
prosperous, but wealthy, from individual labor upon small allot-
ments. Her people are reported to be mostly engaged in use-
ful occupations, although her chief city has its full share of
idlers who toil not, neither do they spin. But, from the English
or American loafer, who will not dig, and is never so proud as
when he begs ; whose fixed creed is that the world owes him a
living, and who takes good care, in collecting the debt, not to
get beaten on the execution ; France is measurably as happily
exempt. Her farming is essentially gardening, as depicted by
Mr. Gladstone ; the earnest, popular, productive employment of
a national life. When the young American can learn that con-
tentment is better than riches ; that enough is as good as a
feast ; he may find, to his surprise, that a subsistence, at least, is
within his reach. In a manlier life than is offered by that in-
cessant treadmill of the city, from boarding-house, over kerb-
stone or behind the counter ; discontented and anxious because
without sufficient occupation ; and only too ready to pull down
others who, howsoever willing, are unable to supply all with
high wages for little work. The Earth, after all, is a bounteous
mother; she welcomes all to her arms, and responds eagerly to
their caresses. Forged notes and fraudulent shares are not of
her increase. But she is ever ready to yield manifold to him
whose steady industry places him above repining ; whose de-
sires, like his needs, are kept under control ; and to whom

" Better is a dinner of herbs, whei-e love is, than a stalled ox and hatred
therewith."

But why waste time and words in a feebler expression of
what was so forcibly and tersely stated in a quaint rhyme of

GARDEN LORE.
" Every child who has gardening tools
" Should learn by heart these gardening rules.

1879] REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 45

"He who owns a gardening spade

" Should be able to dig the depth of its blade.

" He who owns a gardening rake

" Should know what to leave and what to take.

" He who owns a gardening hoe

" Must be sure how he means his strokes to go.

" While to shift a pot, or annex what you can

" A trowel's the tool for child, woman, or man.

" But he who owns a gardening fork

" May make it do all the other tools' work.

" 'Twas the bird that sits in the Medlar tree

'• Who sang these gardening songs to me."

Several Floral Exhibitions have been held, during the past
year, that might well have been nipped in the bud. After the
reporters for the press had prepared an exact and elaborate de-
scription of the crowns, crosses, broken columns, etc., etc., the
remains of the deceased would be viewed, in their turn, and as
a necessary portion of the show, by an indiscriminate throng,
whose morbid curiosity must be appeased like any other insa-
tiate appetite. The dictates of good taste, like the restraints of
a wise frugality, are disregarded in this ostentatious rivalry
upon the verge of an open grave. Of course, little heed is paid
to the fitness of things, and a man who could not tell one flower
from another, while living, is overwhelmed, in his coffin, by a
profusion as heterogeneous as senseless. The laurel-wreath
might well bind the brows of our illustrious Soldier when he,
but yesterday as it were, once more stepped foot upon his na-
tive land.

" Palmam qui meruit fer at.'''

But now, as erst, the value of a tribute lies in the rarity of
its bestowal and the virtues of the recipient. Death works no
miracle; howsoever much it may alleviate judgment:

" Be, to his faults, a little blind !
" Be, to his virtues, very kind."

But forget not, even in the blindness of friendship, as you
render some things unto Caesar, to reserve his own for God !

46 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1879

The watchful care of our janitor has preserved Horticultural
Hall from sensible depreciation. Its advantages as a place
of pleasant resort are more widely appreciated, as its facil-
ities of access and security of egress become familiar to the
community. Yet the floor of the Hall of Pomona is not what
it should be, to merit and command that constant use which is
for your pecuniary interest ; and a wise forethought would seem
to suggest its thorough and perfect renovation. Suffering, in
common with others, from the protracted depression in the
value of Real Estate ; we may well hope to share in the steady,
if slow, improvement which awaits that form of investment.
Nevertheless, there are imposed upon us artificial burdens ; —
heavily handicapping us in what should be an equal race; — the
passive endurance of which, with deference to your better
judgment, would appear to be no longer a virtue.

The General Statutes of the Commonwealth exempt from
Taxation "the personal property of literary, benevolent, chari-
" table, and scientific institutions incorporated within this Com-
"monwealth, and the real estate belonging to such institutions,
"occupied by them or their ofificers for the purposes for which
"they were incorporated."

This Worcester County Horticultural Society was in-
corporated for the purpose, among others, of "advancing the
"science of Horticulture." Yet, ever since the earliest acqui-
sition of any tangible estate, the Assessors have doomed it in a
sum amounting to one-fourth its annual income. The Getteral
Court terms Horticulture "a Science''' : the Assessors deny it!

The Statutes also exempt from taxation " Houses of religious
"worship: * * but portions of such houses appropriated for
"purposes other than religious worship, shall be taxed at the
"value thereof to the owners of the houses."

But this Society, when attempting to lease its Hall, is con-
fronted by those who would otherwise become tenants, with the
notorious fact that they can hire, for a less sum, "portions of
"houses of religious worship."

1879] REPORT OF THE SECRETARY, 47

The Assessors ignore, or violate the law — peremptorily re-
quiring all "portions of such houses appropriated for other than
"religious worship to be taxed at the value thereof."

There have been religions, since the world was inhabited, for
which countless myriads esteemed it a privilege to die in indes-
cribable tortures. A waning faith is satisfied, in these latter
days, with a profession that is popular because vapid, sonorous
because hollow, and precious in proportion as it is cheap.

Your Secretary believes that every dollar in the community
should bear its proportion of indispensable public burdens.
And he would suggest that this Society bestir itself in aid of
the recent movement for equal and just Taxation, to the end
that, without any exception in favor of political or religious
craft, strict equity may direct the levy of all sums necessary to
maintain the peace and dignity of the Commonwealth.

All which is respectfully submitted by

EDWARD WINSLOW LINCOLN,

Secretary.
Horticultural Hall, Worcester, Mass.
November 5, A. D. 1879.

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