SUMMER MEETING, 18S2. 51 



GROWING FRUITS IN A NEW COUNTRY. 



S. A. Bro^vno, Pcntwater: I am satisfied in a new country we do not live 

 up to our }ios3ibilities in horticulture. In working to build up a home, often- 

 times men forget tliat it costs nothing to grow a few trees, bushes, and plants, 

 but wait until a good piece of land is cleared and stumped before any effort is 

 made in tliis direction. Again our people, I sometimes think, arc not alivo 

 to the advantages of our country for the growing of fruit, but I can say to the 

 gentlemen with us to-day that Oceana county has been making rapid strides 

 in horticulture the past decade. It may not appear to you in tliis way who 

 have never seen this county before. We know we have many things to learn, 

 and we are right glad to have you come among us and let us ask you ques- 

 tions. 



C. N. Merriman, Whitehall: I have never seen more satisfactory results of 

 labor in horticulture than I have witnessed the past few years in this northern 

 lake shore country. We have advantages and I Avant to see tliem developed. 

 I not only desire to see specialists in horticulture employ their means and abil- 

 ity in opening up our native resources, but I want every farmer to live up to 

 his possibilities in having about his home such fruits as succeed admirably iu 

 our new country. 



J. H. Sammons, Sammons' Landing: I want to call to mind again that 

 matter of a State entomologist. We want him and we want him without 

 much delay. There was a time when people talked as if in this northern coun- 

 try we should be free from the curculio, codling motli, and a thousand other 

 insects that annoy the growers of fruits. But Providence has not arranged 

 for us to be so isolated, that these insects would lose their way in getting here. 

 Their name is legion now, and in many cases they are too much for us. We 

 don't know enough about them and the best methods of their destruction. 

 When a new enemy comes upon us so small that we do not recognize his 

 existence except by his ravages, it would be a great help if there was some one 

 we could cry to and have him come to us and lend a hand in circumventing 

 the enemy. So I say give us a State entomologist who shall be "our man." 

 We will do him great honor by soon allowing him to feel that he is a public 

 benefactor. I have been troubled with the falling of the peach and plum 

 leaves. It is rather new to me and I would like information. 



Mr. Lyon : I judge the peach tree curl-leaf has done a good deal of dam- 

 age with you, and njay be the cause of leaf -dropping in the peach. This 

 difficulty is of fungoid origin and varies in amount in different years. The 

 premature falling of plum foliage has occurred under so many conditions that 

 we can hardly say as yet that it has a uniform cause. Many upon the south- 

 ern lake shore think that overbearing of fruit decreases the vitality of the 

 tree and causes the defoliation. Others attribute it to peculiarities of the 

 season. My impression is that anything whicii will impair the vitality of the 

 tree will tend at least to aggravate the difficulty. 



Mr. Merriman: I have known peach curl since my boyhood but have seen 

 no very disastrous results. New foliage rapidly takes the place of that injured 

 and it is for only a short time that the trees seem to suffer from this disease, 

 and it rarely affects the fruit. I opine that the prevalence of it this season is 

 due to the peculiar weather in May and early June. 



G. C. McClatchie, Ludington : Peach curl we have had, but no especial 

 damage has been done by it; but not so with plum leaf difficulty. I have 

 known after a muggy time in July plum trees to be entirely defoliated, whicli 



