306 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



SOUTH HAVEN AND CASCO POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



PREPAKED BY SECRETARY KAMSDELL. 



The South Haven Pomological Society was organised September 30, 1873, 

 and has held weekly meetings (with a few exceptions), for discussions of all 

 questions pertaining to the interests of fruit culture and marketing all kinds 

 of fruit grown in this vicinity. As the business increased from time to time it 

 was evident that the larger part of the fruit shipped from South Haven was 

 grown in the town of Casco in Allegan county. It "was therefore deemed best 

 by a large majority of those present when the new society was organized to 

 include Casco, and the name of the "South Haven and Casco Pomological 

 Society" be adopted. It also includes the towns of Covert, Geneva, and 

 Columbia in the county of Van Buren, and Lee and Ganges in Allegan county. 

 Under the new organization there were G4 members for the year 1882, of which 

 twenty were auxiliary members to the State society. The society has never 

 been in a more flourishing condition nor ever has it done more credit to itself 

 in its discussions than in the year 1882. 



There has been a very decided improvement in the cultivation of small 

 fruits and the marketing of all fruits shipped from this port. South Haven 

 fruit has a reputation in the market and is being sought for by those who 

 know good fruit and are willing to pay a liberal price for it. The advantages 

 of our location are apparent to all who hare fruit to market, and are highly 

 appreciated by the fruit-growers in this vicinity. 



That dreaded scourge of the peach-grower, "yellows," has made slow but 

 marked progress during the year in this locality. This question has been 

 pretty thoroughly ventilated before this society at different times the past year 

 with beneficial results. The law has not been observed as closely as it should 

 be in the matter of cutting and burning the trees "at sight," nor yet in the 

 shipping of partially diseased fruit. After all a great majority of the leading 

 fruit-growers fully believe that as a rule those who have cut out their trees at 

 once as soon as discovered, have not only got the most trees left, but have for 

 a term of years lost a much less percentage than those who have allowed their 

 trees to stand through the season in order to pick what fruit they were able to 

 obtain before cutting the tree down. A large majority also believe that the 

 disease can be kept in check if all fruit-growers would dig out and burn all 

 trees as soon as they discover the disease. 



The South Haven and Casco fruit-growers arc prospering as a whole, and 

 "yellows or no yellows" they will continue to raise fruit as successfully as any 

 location in the whole northwest if they do their duty in the cultivation as well 

 as they know. 



The year 1882 was on this shore as a whole one of the poorest ever experi- 

 enced. There were no average crops of any fruit except blackberries and 

 Black Cap raspberries. In some localities peaches were a full crop, and also 

 pears, but as a whole they were short. Apples, red raspberries, and plums were 

 a failure. Grapes were injured by the May frost, and more yet by the rose 

 chaffer, and only a few average crops. The indications for the crop of '83 are 



