112 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



summer; Duchess of Oldenburg and Maiden's Blush for Autumn; Baldwin, 

 Rhode Island Greening and Wagener for winter, are the most profitable 

 varieties in this vicinity. The best system of pruning is that which renders the 

 least pruning necessary. Those who go to the nursery for their trees usually 

 succeed better than those who send for them. Finally, while a knowledge of 

 the best modes of planting, pruning, and cultivating is very desirable, failures 

 on account of a lack of such knowledge are very much less than those resulting 

 from professional neglect and laziness. 



On the best size of trees for an orchard, Mr. House gave his experience in 

 favor of trees about two years old, both for a vigorous growth and early 

 bearing. 



N. W. Lewis gave his experience in setting an orchard with trees two years 

 old, while a neighbor set one with trees six years old. At the expiration of 

 seventeen years the former trees were double the size of the latter. 



Mr. Husted said purchasers are of two kinds, — those who want large trees, 

 thinking to get an early bearing orchard, and those who buy young trees to 

 secure health and vigor. The latter arc greatly on the increase. 



Mr. Husted regarded March as the best time for pruning. If not done now 

 it should be deferred until June. 



Mr. Hamilton advocated early spring trimming, especially to secure a good 

 growth of wood. 



Mr. Smith said his Spy apple trees bore well at ten years from planting. 



Mr. J. Goshorn preferred cultivating trees rather than mulching them, while 



voumr. 



APRIL MEETING. 



The subjects for discussion, — Cultivation of Small Fruits and Irrigation, — 

 were then taken up. It was resolved to limit the time of each subject to one 

 hour. 



Secretary M. B. Williams read the following essay on 



SMALL FRUITS. 



In considering the subject of small fruits, we meet with the same trouble that 

 arises in connection with almost every branch of Pomology, that is, the diffi- 

 culty of arriving at conclusions even though we may perhaps have actual expe- 

 rience upon which to base our calculations, and this, too, is often no fault of 

 the experience, which may be all right so far as it goes, but the trouble is it 

 does not always go far enough. We are many times disposed to jump at a con- 

 elusion after single experiment, when perhaps a dozen in the same direction 

 would only have been sufficient to teach us how little we know about the sub- 

 ject and how much we had yet to learn. There are so many and such varied 

 circumstances such as soil, climate, location, etc., to be taken into account, 

 that we may not unfrequently hear of the result of similar experiments con- 

 ducted amid dissimilar surroundings, being nearly if not epiite contrary to each 

 other, and hence the seemingly almost unaccountable differences of opinions 

 not only among different men but often the same man who at one time is vig- 

 orously and honestly recommending some variety or method of culture or sys- 

 tem of pruning or something else, may, perhaps very soon afterwards, be found 

 quite as enthusiastically condemning the same, so it would seem that whether 

 or not it is well for the world at large to '"make haste slowly*' it many times 

 is necessary for the Pomologist who would be certain of arriving at correct 

 conclusions. 



