REPORTS OF AUXILIARY SOCIETIES. 279 



Mr. Ensfield of Ganges, Mr. N. W. Lewis of Ganges, Mr. Bandle of Saugatuck, 

 and Mr. Purdy of Mack's Landing. 



The Eeeks peach ripens with the Amsden and Alexander, is about a third 

 larger and quite as beautiful as these beautiful peaches and sells for double the 

 price that can be obtained for these varieties grown on the same soil and sold 

 at the same time in the same market. The Ensfield peach ripens a few days 

 after the Hales, and is a Hales in every other respect, save that it does not 

 rot as that variety usually does, and has been shipped sound without any 

 special attention, year after year, when the ordinary Hales of the neighborhood 

 rotted so badly that they could not be shipped. 



The Lewis peach is a seeding of the Hill's Chili, and ripens between the 

 Early Kivers and the Early Crawford. In size and general outside appearance 

 it resembles the Hales, but the flesh is more solid, and of a creamy white and 

 parts from the pit freely. It is valuable chiefly on account of its time of 

 ripening, early bearing and hardihood. Mr. Walsh, one of Ganges' most suc- 

 cessful growers, who has a few of these trees in bearing, has ordered 1,500 for 

 next spring's setting. 



The Bandle peach is a very large, high-colored, round, yellow peach, that 

 ripens a few days before the Early Crawford, and sold last year for three dol- 

 lars a crate, when other peaches of its season were scarcely paying expenses. 

 The tree is an early and good bearer with him, and bore a crop this year when 

 his other Crawfords (he calls it Crawford) are barren. 



The Purdy peach is a marvel on account of its wonderful size, surpassing 

 beauty and unequaled excellence and ripens a few days before the Late Crawford. 

 It sold last year for three to five dollars per basket, when other good peaches 

 were selling at fifty cents per basket. The tree is a thoroughly good, but not 

 an early bearer. One tree yielded Mr. Purdy twenty-five baskets last year. 



These, whatever they may be, are the kinds I would set, with the addition of 

 Early Kivers, Mixon, Smock, and a few others wanted to fill up the parts of the 

 peach season not occupied by those I have mentioned. The Briggs's Early, 

 May and Waterloo are said to be a week earlier than any of the varieties I have 

 mentioned, but whether they will prove to be so or not I am not prepared to 

 say. 



