12 Transactions of the 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



The correspondence of the society is annually increasing, both with our 

 own citizens and District and County Societies and Fanners' Clubs and 

 with similar societies in other States of the Union and foreign countries. 

 This correspondence embraces every conceivable subject relating to the 

 multitudinous industries of the earth. To answer all inquiries in a reli- 

 able and satisfactory manner the Board regard as one of the important 

 objects of the organization of the society, and have always made it one 

 of the leading duties of their Secretary to cultivate correspondence 

 wherein information can be obtained or imparted. Carrying out this 

 idea, our Corresponding Secretaiy early last Spring opened a corre- 

 spondence with the State Agricultural and Horticultural Societies of 

 nearly all the Atlantic States, with a view to bringing about an exchange 

 of products, particularly fruit, for exhibition at the Fairs of the several 

 societies to be held during the Fall months. Many of the societies 

 addressed responded favorably to the proposition, and the result was 

 that at one Fair we had on exhibition fruit — principally pears and 

 apples — from Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Virginia. Michi- 

 gan, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Kansas, 

 and Nebraska, This exhibition of fruit from so many of the States for- 

 merly the homes of so many of our citizens constituted one of the most 

 interesting and instructive features of our Fair. It afforded our people 

 an opportunity of comparing directly the fruit grown in their old homes 

 with that grown in the homes of their adoption. And although in the 

 recollections of younger years and of childhood to many of our people 

 the Eastern fruit had been painted with brighter colors and relieved 

 with more delicate tints, and although in such recdllections more agree- 

 able flavors and pleasant acids had been attributed to it, yet when these 

 fruits were brought in direct contact with those grown in our own State, 

 when the eye could behold and the taste compare, these impressions ot 

 a former day were quickly dispelled, and the almost universal verdict 

 was in favor of our California grown fruit. Some of the Eastern apples 

 were pronounced better than some of ours; but as to pears, ours were 

 incomparably better than any others exhibited. 



Our fruits — principally apples, pears, and grapes — were also sent East 

 and exhibited at the Fairs of most of the States above named, and at 

 the Fair of the American Pomological Society, held at Kichmond, Vir- 

 ginia, and attracted the universal attention of the people in attendance, 

 and the very general comment of the Eastern press. The verdict by 

 the Eastern people and press was generally more favorable to our fruit 

 than that of our own. Our pears and grapes were natural wonders. It 

 required very positive assurance to convince many intelligent people that 

 our grapes were not grown under glass. At the Fair of the American 

 Pomological Society our State was most highly complimented, and at a 

 banquet given by the City of Kichmond to the delegates in attendance 

 the following sentiment was unanimously approved: " California— the 

 real or modern Hesperides. Her fruit trees and vines, with their roots 

 in a golden soil, bear a golden fruitage." 



We have every reason to believe that by this exchange of fruits with 

 these Eastern societies many advantages will result to our State, by 

 attracting to it the attention of people who will be induced sooner or 

 later to make it their permanent homes. 



