PROCEEDINGS OP THE SUMMER MEETING. 89 



Thursday Morning Session. 



The final session, that of Thursday morning, was called to order by Vice- 

 President Morrill, and the first business was the reading of a brief paper 

 upon the advantages of Oceana county as a fruitgrowing district, by Mr. 

 C. A. Hawley. 



Following this, Mr. Morrill said he and others had visited the orchards 

 of Messrs. Hale and Adams, and found them to be two very fine ones, 

 slightly weakened by overbearing, perhaps, but with no other ground for 

 criticism. He advised better heading in and filling in of top, as a rule, in 

 Oceana county orchards, and more attention to borers. These may be suc- 

 cessfully combatted by piling earth about the trunks in May and removing 

 it in October. This protects the tender bark at the crown of the tree, 

 where the eggs are laid, and if any are deposited above the earth they are 

 readily discovered and removed. There is noticeable here considerable 

 damage by borers. The plums are exceedingly fine, the strawberries excel- 

 lent and healthy; grapes, blackberries, and raspberries, the finest he had 

 ever seen. The pears are good, too, especially the dwarfs. It is indeed a 

 grand region, full of the highest possibilities of horticulture; but more 

 attention must be given the peach trees, for, although no evidence of yellows 

 is noticeable, there is not so thorough cultivation as should prevail. 



Reports of committees were made and adopted, as given below, the sec- 

 retary moving a special vote of thanks to Prof. Bailey for his valuable aid 

 to the meeting, others joining in expression of appreciation of the same: 



REPORT ON EXHIBITS. 



The committee reports that it finds an unusually beautiful display of flowers and 

 some interesting plants, comprising the following list : W. B. Andrus, plates of apples, 

 comprising Ben Davis, Paw Paw, Jonathan, Stark, Baldwin, Golden Russet, and one 

 unknown variety; S. J. Bates, Shelby, three branches of apricots ; also, similar speci- 

 mens of growing fruits, by E. J. Shirts and C. A. Hawley ; Mrs. Steven Inman, 

 Shelby, two vases of peonies, snowballs, and other plants; Mrs. A. Adams, Shelby, one 

 vase of Tartarian honeysuckles ; Michigan Agricultural College, by Prof. Taft, two 

 plates cut flowers, comprising tuberous begonias, carnations, ferns, rhododendrons, 

 clerodendrons, and others, also two pitchers of irises, peonies, aquilegias, orchids, and 

 other plants, and a spray of aristolochia elegans ; Mrs. F. O. Rouse, Shelby, a beautiful 

 pyramid of pansies ; Mate Cushing, Shelby, a jar of pansies ; and other flowers by 

 various women. g, D_ Willard, 



L. H. Bailey, 

 A. S. Packard, 

 Mrs. C. a. Sessions. 

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