PROCEEDINGS OF KINDRED SOCIETIES. 271 



cago and buy our fruit. It is better than to send it to Chicago and let 

 them make the price. This year blackberries were scarce and buyers came 

 in from Chicago and east and south and bid on them and we received a 

 good price. The Chicago buyer is much better posted than the farmer, 

 and knows when there is a scarcity. If we have a crop and there is a fail- 

 ure in other places, buyers will come here, and I would advise that we sell 

 our fruit at home. 



Mr. Lannin asked if the old pear trees at Detroit were seedlings, or what 

 they were. 



T. T." Lyon: I think no one knows what they are. They were first 

 brought from France to the east part of this state. They have escaped 

 the blight while newer trees near them were destroyed. They differ in 

 variety and are from 150 to 200 years old. A very large number near 

 Detroit were destroyed to make room for improvements in the city. As 

 compared with our modern improved varieties they were inferior in size 

 and flavor. 



W. A. Beown: Perhaps some here can inform us of varieties of early 

 apples that are improvements on what we have. Mr. Bogue of Batavia, 

 N. Y., said that the Yellow Transparent is one of the best of the early 

 apples in that region. 



T. T. Lyon: There are several varieties that go by the name of Yellow 

 Transparent. They are, many of them, of high quality, that may be 

 planted for family use; but still they may not be profitable. There are 

 several fall apples that are superior to the Red Astrachan, but have not 

 been used much in this vicinity. We should have better quality of apples. 

 The Ben Davis excludes more and better fruit, as it does not encourage a 

 taste for apple eating. 



Mr. DowD: The Primate I find an excellent apple and it has a long 

 season. 



T. T. Lyon: The Primate ripens so slowly that it is not profitable. It 

 is also somewhat given to water-core. The Strawberry is also defective in 

 this same manner. 



W. A. Brown: The Hubbardston is the least subject, with us, to this 

 defect, and ripens somewhat like the Baldwin. The Shiawassee has all 

 the characteristics of the Snow. It is a beautiful apple and a leading 

 apple with us at a high price. We have two trees in Berrien county called 

 Orange Pippin, much resembling the Maiden Blush, but a finer fruit. 



T. T. Lyon: The Shiawasse was brought from Shiawassee county, from 

 a seedling of the Fameuse, thirty years ago. The fact that so many 

 orchards of the Fameuse were grown in the vicinity where it originated, 

 gives a supposition that it originated from seedlings of that variety. It 

 has not been extensively planted. 



A. Hamilton: I know an apple orchard of 200 trees near Grand Rapids 

 that has been pulled out because the trees blighted. They were on high, 

 good soil, and the fruit was fine. In my neighborhood, the best fall apple 

 is the Buckingham, a large, showy apple; but we do not know if it is 

 correctly named. 



W. H. HuRLBURT said, referring to an apple originating in his town- 

 ship, no one can name it; it is like the Red Astrachan and I would like to 

 have Mr. Ramsdell describe it. 



J. G. Ramsdell: It is one of the fairest and most beautiful apples, 

 very hardy; time, October, 



The society then proceeded to the election of officers with the following 



