KEPORTS OF AUXILIARY SOCIETIES. 243 



IONIA COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



REPORTED BY JAS. U. KIDD, SECRETA.RT. 

 OFFICERS : 



President — A. J. Webber. 



Vice-President — E. Le Valley. 



Secretary — James II. Kidd. 



Treasurer — Job Pierson. 



The first year of our society has been, we think, very successful. The total 

 membership is now eighty-seven. All joined since the date of organization, 

 March 25, 1883. 



Two meetings were held during the year, one June 27th ; a rose and straw- 

 berry meeting, and was largely attended; the interest was very gratifying, and 

 the exhibition of fruits and flowers very good, we thought. Several papers were 

 read by members of the society, and the discussions were full of interest. 



The September meeting was held in Armory hall and lasted two days. 

 There was a large attendance and the show of fruits was very good, especially 

 in grapes and pears. The exhibition of flowers attracted much attention and 

 admiring comment. Very few varieties of grapes were fully ripened, the Con- 

 cord as usual proving itself the best outdoor grape, although Mr. LeValley 

 thinks highly of the Wilder. Mr. Hosford exhibited a white seedling grape 

 which, if really a seedling, ought to be ranked as an acquisition. He also has 

 a variety of the Concord which he named *•' Hosford's improved Concord," 

 that is also an acquisition. J. H. Kidd exhibited 16 varieties of late summer 

 and autumn pears. He fruited over 20 varieties this year, and regards only 

 two as first rate, viz. : ''Bartlett and Beurre D'Aniou." The latter is in his 

 judgment the best of all, and adapted to this locality. It is excellent either 

 on pear or quince stock, hardy, bears young and freely, does not crack or rot 

 at the core, is of good size, fair, handsome, and in flavor good enough. He 

 recommends that the Anjou be planted in preference to any other pear, not to 

 say any other fruit. Bartlett comes next. Clapp's Favorite rots badly ; so does 

 Onondaga. Flemish Beauty is so liable to crack as to be nearly worthless. 

 Howell is inferior in quality. For an orchard for profit he says plant three 

 Anjous and one Bartlett. 



The blight he has been successful in heading off by using the knife with a 

 bold hand. Amputate if it takes the entire tree and burn it. He has a Law- 

 rence, cut down in summer of 1879 for blight, to within a foot and a half of 

 the ground, the stump being left. It grew, made a new tree, which this year 

 bore a fair croj). This past summer he cut a Belle Lucrative down in the same 

 way. It is growing, and may do as well as the Lawrence. Tne whole top of 

 the tree blighted and it hung full of fine pears. It went into the fire pears 

 and all. The blight had communicated to two adjoining trees — u Clapp and 

 Doyenne D'Ete, which were cured by cutting off" a few limbs. Blight this year 

 in his orchard attacked Belle Lucrative, Howell, Duchesse, Doyenne D'Ete, 

 and Clapp ; but Anjou, never, though he has more of that sort than any other. 

 Sheldon is excellent, but even that is not as good as Anjou. Pears, Mr. K. 

 says, are more reliable than apples — bear more quickly — .ind he does not lose 



