REPORTS OF AUXILIARY SOCIETIES. 255 



LAWTON POMOLOGIOAL SOCIETY. 



PKEPARED BY GEO. W. LAWTON", SECRETARY PRO TEM. 



The society has voted to organize as a branch of the State society, and will 

 comply with its rules. During the year past the members have generally de- 

 voted the meetings of the society to the advancement of the growth and 

 culture of the peach as a market fruit. Very little "sentiment" or aesthetical 

 ebullition have had place in their discussions. This may not be for the best in 

 the long run, but the eye of our fruit growers rests first on the bread and 

 butter side of the business. Hereafter, when it becomes to them less exacting 

 of the "sweat of thy face," they will give room for lighter emotions. No 

 lady as yet has participated in our meetings, though we want not monitions 

 that she is about to appear. 



The amount of fruit marketed from this point during the past year has been 

 large, and I may add, by far the largest in our history. The price received for 

 it has been uniformly remunerative. In saying this, it must not be forgotten 

 that prices at times during the season ruled low, but, however low it fell, no 

 member reports actual loss; on the contrary, each returns some profit. There 

 has been loss out and out by the breaking up or into of packages, and stealing 

 the fruit, on the part of the employes of the express company. This depreda- 

 tion has occurred in small amounts at a time, and the aggregate, though 

 considerable, is not included in the above statement. 



We may remark here, as well as elsewhere, that it is practicable to handle 

 fruit without such inexcusable loss. The first step to be taken to prevent it 

 is for the express company to refuse employment to any man lacking in care 

 and integrity ; and the second step is for the consignee of the fruit to persist- 

 ently refuse to accept or receipt for shipments that have been broken into, or 

 are short in number of packages. A favorite way adopted to avoid the 

 responsibility of this loss is to get the carter or drayman, probably a hard- 

 working man, illiterate, and dependent upon his labor for his own and his 

 family's support, to sign a printed form, receipting thereby for the goods in 

 " good order," clearing, it is thought, by this device, the express company, 

 and driving the consignee or consignor to look to this irresponsible laborer for 

 the damage, if any, on account of the breakage or loss by theft. This evil 

 can only be checked by the united efforts of the fruit-growers. Let every one 

 insist that his consignee shall refuse damaged lots and those short as to number 

 unless the carrier will settle on the spot for the damage or shortage, as a 

 condition of his custom, and the commission men and the carrier will soon 

 come to terms, and little or no stealings and only purely accidental breakages 

 will afflict us. 



Each variety of peach ripened this year unprecedeutedly early. Good 

 specimens of the Alexander or Amsden ripened on the tree, free from worms, 

 and were exhibited to the society on July 3d ; and shipments were made the 

 week following, notably, on the 9th, and by the 20th inst. shipments were 

 large, and continued heavy through the season, i.e., until " snow peaches " 

 came, as the wearied express messengers expressed it. Mr. Joseph Allard 



