454 MISSOURI STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



AMERICAN -POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



T. T. Lyon, of Michigan, made the State speech of welcome at 

 Grand Rapids to the American Pomological Society. P. Barry re- 

 sponded. Mayor Curtis extended a welcome to the city. This was 

 responded to by Mr. Barry. President Angel also made a speech of 

 welcome. 



The following States were represented: New York, New Jersey, 

 Pennsylvania, Michigan, Massachusetts, Ohio, Georgia, Texas, Minne- 

 sota, Nebraska, Virginia and Indiana. Canada was also represented. 



The first real business was the election of officers and the follow- 

 ing was the result: Marshal P. Wilder, president; Patrick Barry, 1st 

 vice-president; Benjamin D. Smith, treasurer; Charles W.Garfield, 

 secretary. Prof. Beal's services as secretary were recognized by a res- 

 olution of thanks. Prof. Beal has been a hard-working, faithful secre- 

 tary. 



Among other things, the president's address contained the follow- 

 ing: 



Ours is truly an American society. It has raised the standard 

 of excellence by which our fruits are judged, discouraged the cultiva- 

 tion of inferior sorts, and thus educated the taste of the public for 

 those of better quality, so that kinds once common in our markets 

 have become obsolete, and are now considered unworthy of propaga- 

 tion. In doing this portion of its work it has discarded by general 

 consent more than 600 varieties, either worthless or superseded by bet- 

 ter sorts. It has established a uniform system of rules, by which 

 fruits are to be known and judged. But, what is of the higest impor- 

 tance, it has instituted a much needed reform in the nomenclature of 

 fruits, by which all long, unpronounceable, indelicate, inappropriate 

 and superllnous words are to be suppressed in the dedication of our 

 fruits. 



One of the grandest achievements of the society is its catalogue of 

 fruits, published biennially, with isothermal divisions and columns for 

 fifty States, Territories and districts, in which are recorded the fruits 

 which may successfully be grown in those divisions, with stars to des- 

 ignate the merits and seasons of each. This is a work of great merit, 

 and not attempted by any other society. Few things in the history 

 and progress of American pomology have been more efi'ective in the 

 past and more promising of valuable results in the future than our 

 system of State reports. They embrace correct information from trust- 

 worthy persons, having special reference to the varieties most success- 

 fully grown ; new kinds worthy of special notice ; the chief obstacles to 



