PROCEEDINGS OF THE WINTER MEETING. 21 



Mr. Lyon: Thumb-pruning is the best kind, but only a few growers 

 will practice it. 



Replying to a question, Mr. Lyon said, put the Wagener graft so far 

 down that it will root. The tendency of the Wagener to sprout up from 

 the root may be obviated by top-grafting. 



Mr. GuLLEY: The Baldwin may possibly be made more hardy by top- 

 grafting, but I never saw it accomplished. For such purpose the Spy, 

 Golden Russet, or some of the hardy western sorts would do well. 



Mr. Marsh: Can the recent importations of Russian varieties of apple 

 be recommended for this region? 



Mr. Lyon: They are yet too recent. I am trying some of them but 

 have no results upon which to base judgment. They are all hardy 

 enough, but so far all are summer or early fall varieties, and it is doubtful 

 if a list of keepers can be made from them. They sufiPer from blight in 

 the west but are likely not to do so here. There are some promising 

 native seedlings in the west. But it is needless to seek either these or 

 Russian varieties for planting in a climate where peaches may be grown. 

 There are varieties that may be grown here and which are better than any 

 Russian sort. 



Asked if the Baldwin apple would do well on clay, Mr. Lyon said, there 

 probably is no apple that will do better than the Baldwin on light soil, but 

 it will do well also upon heavy soils well drained. 



Mr. MoEEiLL and Mr. Peaesall called attention to the fact that all 

 such information about varieties may be obtained from the fruit catalogue 

 of this society, printed biennially in its reports. 



Mr. Gaefield enlarged upon the merits of the Shiawassee ajDple. It 

 is so delicate and refined in quality, and so high and beautiful in color 

 that some one has aptly called it " the strawberry of winter." The tree is 

 a fine one, and for all its merits it should be generally j)lanted. 



Mr. J. N. Steaens of Kalamazoo, who has an extensive plantation of 

 the several kinds of fruit trees, etc., at South Haven, read the subjoined 

 paper upon 



PEACH GROWING. 



The first essential is the selection of a proper locality for planting; and 

 this is of great importance, for if all other important essentials are 

 carefully looked after and you have not suitable locality it will j)rove a 

 failure. 



My experience is, that peach-growing can not be made a success on 

 ground that is naturally cold and wet, no matter how thoroughly drained. 

 I made a mistake in this direction for several years. 



The best location for peach-growing is good soil (it may be either sandy 

 loam or clay loam) lying sufficiently high to have good natural drainage. 

 If along the fruit-belt of lake Michigan, it will be found better if sloping 

 toward the lake. If in the interior of the state, only the highest points 

 of land should be selected, prepared the same as the best prei^aration for a 

 crop of corn. 



The soil should have been cultivated to some hoed crop the previous 

 season. If clayey soil is selected, subsoiling will be found of great 

 benefit. 



The next in importance is the selecting of good, healthy trees that have 

 been properly handled; and let me here put in a word of caution. The 



