THE STATE FAIR— 1873. 153 



Another difficiilty, which last year was somewhat the occasion of complaint, 

 Boeras on account of the narrowing down of the peach-growing territory by 

 the low temperature of hist winter to have become still more noticeable at this 

 exhibition. We allude to the unequal nature of the competition in collections 

 of fruits, between lake shore localities, where the tender fruits can be grown, 

 and the more inland regions of the State. So manifest was this inequality that 

 the awarding committee on county collections, through their chairman, Judge 

 Kamsdell, of Traverse City, in making their report, submitted the proposition 

 that separate premiums be hereafter offered for collections of each class of 

 fruits, so as to provide that apples shall only compete with apples, pears with 

 pears, grapes with grapes, etc. 



As might have been anticipated, the lake shore region carried oif the lion's 

 share of the premiums on collections of fruit, — the first premium for a county 

 collection having been awarded to Van Buren county, and the second to G-rand 

 Traverse, while the third went to Wayne county. These premiums are under- 

 stood to have been so awarded for the reason that the two former collections 

 embraced peaches and plum.s, while the last, although doubtless exceeding both 

 the others in number of varieties, was entirely lacking in these, — a fact that 

 will he the better understood from the circumstances that whde the two 

 former were really collections, the last was entirely the product of a single 

 town, and in fact of a single orchard in that county. 



By fur the largest collection of named varieties of apples was exhibited by 

 J. W. Humphrey, of Plymouth, and this exhibition, embracing also pears and 

 grapes, was awarded the lirst premium for correctness of nomenclature. A 

 collection of finely grown varieties was shown from Clinton county, and also 

 one from E iton county. The Van Buren county collection, which carried off 

 the first premium, was less noticeable for its apples than for other classes of 

 fi'uits, while the apples from Grand Traverse, although far from mature, were 

 especially noticeable for their smooth, glossy sk!u, and general freedom from 

 the murks of insects. 



Several very fine collections from towns were on exhibition, among which 

 that from Monroe was noticeable for a fine show of pears, and that from Spring 

 Luke included a very superior display of grapes; and us proof that the past 

 winter has not extinguished them, they show some fine peaches. The town of 

 Walker, Kent county, also shov/ed a very noticeable collection of apples. 



The i)lates of apples competing for the premiums on single varieties were 

 mostly arranged together in the center of the hall, and made a beautiful dis- 

 play. Red Canada carried off the first premium as the best winter apple, and 

 Wagener the second. 



The display of peaches was by no means large, and as has been already 

 remarked, was confined mainly to exhibitions from the east shore of Lake 

 Michigan. Crawford's Early and Barnard were the most prominent, although 

 C^^rawford's Late, Hill's Chili, and others of the later varieties, were shown in 

 an unripe state. Hale's Early was nearly or quite out of season, except at 

 Grand Traverse, from wl)ich place very beautiful specimens were shown. 

 Nothing in the way of peaches, however, seemed to elicit so much attention as 

 did a couple of plates of Cv)olidge's Favorite, grown at Grand Traverse, and 

 which for fine size and beauty of coloring were hard to beat. 



Plums were shown in a majority of the collections, although not in large 

 quantities. The number of varieties exhibited was not large, the more notice- 

 able ones being Lombard, Yellow Egg. Coe's Golden Drop, Buvay's Green 

 Gage, Washington, and some others. A seedling shown by N. P. Husted, of 

 Lowell, seemed to possess some valuable points. 



