• 30 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



We have omitted to speak at length of the California exhibit of fruits, as they 

 were shown as a commercial speculation, by a fruit shipping company, and were 

 sold out in small parcels and removed, before the judges had opportunity to ex- 

 amine and decide upon their meritB ; for which reason they were omitted in 

 their reports. "We will only say of them that the finest and largest apples in 

 the collection were Gloria Mundi's ; and doubtless a trial of their quality would 

 have betrayed the fact that there, as at the east, they are only good to 

 look at. A trial of some fine looking plums and peaches demonstrated that 

 they certainly were amenable to this objection. Indeed, the European grape 

 seems to have been the only fruit in this collection that can be said to have been 

 the equal of the same sorts grown at the east, except in the matter of size and 

 appearance. 



We are informed that, after our departure a very superior exhibit of fruits 

 was shown from Oregon ; but we have too little real knowledge of its peculiar 

 •merits to warrant us in speaking confidently respecting it. 



The State of Iowa had also on exhibition in Agricultural Hall, a very exten- 

 sive and beautiful display of Avax specimens of fruits, carefully colored from 

 nature, and supplying a very convenient means of studying the peculiarities of 

 varieties when not in season. These were very tastefully arranged under glass 



• covers, and elicited much attention. 



The judges were classified by the Centennial Commission, in groups ; and to 

 one of these groups was assigned the Department of Pomology. Prior to the 

 •grand display of northern pomological products in September, this group of 

 judges had been represented solely by those members of the group residing at 

 or near Philadelphia ; who had met weekly to examine and pass upon such ex- 

 hibits as should from time to time make their appearance upon the tables, 

 which, up to the time of this grand display, had remained in one aisle of Agri- 

 cultural Hall. The opening of this northern exhibit at once compelled a resort 

 'to the Annex, in which was provided a capacity for the display of fully 15,000 

 plates, and nearly the whole of which was densely filled during the period of 

 this exhibit. 



To provide for the press of work in this emergency, this group of judges were 

 -during this week, reinforced by members appointed expressly for this occasion; 

 and on the arrival, a meeting was held, and it was resolved to divide the ex- 

 hibits into classes, and to assign each class to a relative subdivision of the group 

 •of judges. Under these arrangements the Avork was subdivided and assigned as 

 follows : 



Apples — T. T. Lyon, Mich.; Suel Foster, Iowa; "W. S. Schaffer, Penn. 



Pears — Parker Earle, 111. ; A. \\ . Harrison, Penn. ; Edwin Shatterthwaite, 

 Penn. 



Stone Fruits — Win. Parry, ~N. J.; M. Martin, : J. Yellowly, Miss. 



Miscellaneous Fruits — Josiah Hoopes, Penn.; J. T. Suit, Del.; Thos. Mee- 

 han, Penn. 



The work under these supervisions, covering as they did such an immense 

 mass of material, was necessarily very laborious and protracted ; especially that 

 upon apples, which comprised a very large proportion of the whole exhibit. 



The judges also found themselves somewhat embarrassed by the somewhat 

 novel and peculiar regulations established by the Centennial Commission for the 

 making of the reports and the rendering of awards. The sole award to be made 

 by these, or in fact any of the judges, was a bronze medal accompanied by a 

 diploma, which were to be bestowed upon each meritorious exhibit, without 

 reference to competition : and the function of the judges consisted in recom- 



