300 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



when they come into bearing he finds them to be very different from the kinds 

 he bargained for. 



Instead of winter fruit he has summer or fall fruit, or even worse — only 

 natural fruit — varieties for which he has but little or no use, and for which 

 there is, if any, only quite a limited demand in the market, so that most of it 

 has to go to waste. He has given his ground, his money, his time and labor 

 for many years, for nothing. His hopes so long and fondly cherished have 

 turned to ashes. Do you blame him if he is indignant — if he says hard 

 things of the nurseryman who has so grossly deceived and cheated him? There 

 are many such in every direction from this city. I have seen some of these 

 and heard them talk. It would be difficult to imagine greater indignation 

 than their looks and words expressed. Is it not almost a crime to be careless 

 in such a business? 



L. B. Baker said he agreed with Mr. Jones. He could not see why nursery- 

 men should not be held responsible for the results of carelessness in their 

 business as well as the railroad companies in theirs. 



F. B. Johnson said he had recently been badly sold in the purchase of a lot 

 of plum trees. He had agreed for those grafted on plum stocks, but those 

 received were grafted on peach. He set them in a clay soil, with clay sub- 

 soil, and during the past wet season they all died. He asked Mr. Parks why 

 nurserymen grafted on peach instead of plum? 



Mr. Parks said peach were cheaper and grew faster, but of course were not 

 as hardy. 



Mr. Mann asked Mr. Parks if he ever grafted on wild plum stocks? 



Mr. Parks replied that he had, but nothing was gained by it, and the wild 

 plum stocks were a nuisance because of the many sprouts they sent up. 



Annual Meeting. 



The annual meeting was held in the capitol Dec. 11. 



L. B. Potter of Lansing read a paper on exhibiting fruits, vegetables, and 

 flowers, at fairs and society meetings, in which he advocated the distribution of 

 flower exhibits among fruits, vegetables, and grains. 



Dr. Marshall said it was quite important that all fruits exhibited should be 

 correctly labeled. Many had fruits the names of which they did not know, 

 and went to fairs, hoping to ascertain by the labels on fruits there. 



A paper was read by Wm. Van Buren, on " Horticulture : Its Benefits, and 

 what it Teaches," which is printed in full in another part of this volume. 



A. L. Sturgis of Okemos exhibited a large variety of very fine winter apples, 

 which he classified, named, and described their merits. He named, as the best 

 five varieties for general use, the Red Canada, Baldwin, Northern Spy, Rhode 

 Island Greening, and Wagener, and said he would like to add King of Tomp- 

 kins County and White Bellflower. 



L. B. Potter also showed some fine winter apples; one which he called 

 Tewksbury Winter Blush was especially fine, and specimens were distributed 

 for trial. 



