REPORTS OF AUXILIARY SOCIETIES. 30? 



Prof. Alex. Winchell interested the meeting by giving his experience with the 

 troublesome birds. He greatly deplored the loss of his cherries by these depre- 

 dators. The blackbird he censured most, as he had the most reason to com- 

 plain of this bird. He felt rather annoyed that the city authorities forbid a 

 man protecting his property by prohibiting the right of shooting these fero- 

 cious birds. It being intimated that the birds also mitigate the troubles of the 

 fruit man by destroying insects, to which the professor replied that he never 

 observed one of these birds to catch a worm so long as there was fruit to be 

 secured. 



N. B. Covert arose to defend the feathered tribe, as he called them, and said 

 that he would take all birds sent away by others. 



Mr. Scott also had reason to mourn the loss of his cherries by the birds, and 

 mainly charged the theft to those known as the cherry bird. 



Prof. Nichols also attributed the loss of much of his fruit to the birds. 



July Meeting. 



J. D. Baldwin, the acting president, who was one of the delegates to the State 

 Pomological Society recently held at Battle Creek, made a brief verbal report 

 upon the same. 



Secretary Charles W. Garfield of the State Pomological Society, being pres- 

 ent, was introduced and addressed the meeting. Mr. Garfield briefly touched 

 upon the bird question which was up before the meeting, and said that we 

 ought to well consider the matter before taking sides either for or against any 

 bird, and while he desired to give the birds their proper credit in assisting the 

 fruitman to keep down the destructive insects, he also keenly felt the losses of 

 his best fruits by them. But his address was mainly devoted to the working of 

 the State Pomological Society. He said it was a missionary work carried on 

 by lovers of horticulture. He spoke highly of the beneficial influence these 

 pomological societies exert over the refinements of the people, and expressed 

 the desire to see all in the family interest themselves in these meetings. He 

 was pleased and surprised at the large acreage of fruit culture about Ann 

 Arbor, and spoke highly of the many well-kept residences. The locality he 

 thought very picturesque, and certainly one of the most beautiful places to live 

 in in the State. He had recently organized a number of local horticultural soci- 

 eties, auxiliary to the State society, and while so engaged he said he often took 

 occasion to impress upon the farmers and communities the importance of 

 embellishing their homes, — making their homes attractive, and by this means 

 the young people would be more contented to remain at home. 



Prof. Nichols and J. Austin Scott concurred with the important suggestion 

 of Mr. Garfield in regard to the strengthening of family ties through the 

 embellishment of homes. 



After the reports of the committees on the exhibit, Mr. E. E. Baldwin gave 

 a very entertaining address on "Fruits of Mississippi." 



Special July Meeting. 



A special meeting was called July 20th for the discussion of early peaches, 

 and there was a fine exhibit of fruit. 



Dr. Conklin spoke of the Early Curtiss peach. He gave the origin of this 

 new variety and spoke of its merits. He said that he was highly impressed 

 with its value, and therefore set out a large number of trees. The doctor 

 believed this to be a richer and a firmer peach than the other early varieties. 



