ANNUAL MEETING. 11 



not in a fault-finding mood, but with a desire to accord it with our ideal of what 

 will lead to a satisfactory exhibit. 



First the fruits. We open to collections. They are not only desirable, but a 

 necessity, and give character to the general exhibit. The collections from 

 divers parts of the State gives us pretty correct ideas of the fruits that succeed 

 best in particular localities. The matter of collecting them acquaints people 

 with the varieties they have, and the exhibit, if well put up, is beautiful to any 

 observer, and if well labeled a text-book for the student. It is a fit and unob- 

 jectionable advertisement for localities, and premiums bestowed upon them have 

 a good effect in stimulating exertion. A locality once jilaced in the front never 

 wishes to give up to another, and thus it reacts upon the society that awards 

 the premium by securing in advance the evidence of future successful exhibitions. 



But Avhat constitutes a good collection from a locality ? Shall it be quantity of 

 fruit shown? You all say no, for any county can send in a generous supply of 

 any one sort that shall be valuable until no ordinary building will hold the 

 exhibits. Shall the number of varieties be the criterion upon which judgment 

 is based? I think again you will agree with me that a very inferior collection 

 may be brought together in wonderful variety, and further, that it is no credit 

 to any locality to raise the largest variety of apples, pears, plums, peaches, or 

 grapes. Still shall we throw out the matter of numbers entirely? By no means, 

 for it is a credit to any township or county to raise in variety the valuable 

 fruits. What we desire from any section is the best fruit that grows there, and 

 the typical specimens of each variety. For instance, if one collection contains 

 100 sorts, a majority of which are inferior, and another contains 75, in which 

 every specimen is well formed and colored, the premium should go unquestion- 

 ably to the latter. So in establishing an ideal of a sectional collection. The 

 number of varieties are to be taken into account, but judgment modified largely 

 by the character of the varieties and the appearance of the specimens. And 

 the same thought should apply to individual collections, only emphasized, be- 

 cause our Society would do ill if by its premiums it should induce men to 

 increase their varieties regardless of quality or profit. For this reason, if no 

 other, I should make the announcement at the head of this class, that the col- 

 lection shall not exceed forty or fifty varieties, in the case of apples, at least. 



But you may well ask, if we look at the matter from an educational position, 

 where are we to find the phrcc to study all the new varieties, the unpopular 

 sorts, for it is necessary that, as students of Pomology, we should get at and 

 know these? My answer to this may not please you, but it is simply an opin- 

 ion ; take it for what it is worth. 



I would have a separate class for entries of varieties without number. Of 

 course, this matter applies with greatest force as regards the show of apples, 

 and 1 make my opinion specific. Division E, class 1 of the premium list 

 reads : 



CLASS 1. Best collection of apples grown by exhibitor, nomenclature, cmal- 



ity, and succession to be the main considerations. _ $10 00 



Second premium _. 5 00 



Third premium 3 00 



I would change the reading of this so as to read largest collection of apples 

 collected by one person — nomenclature, beauty of specimens, and number of 

 sorts to be the main considerations. 



It is a stigma upon the good sense of any pomologist who is in the business 

 that he has the largest variety of apples of any man in the State. But as a 



