200 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



went to the nursery himself and dug np the trees at his own risk, without any 

 assurance from the proprietors that they were worth setting. 



In that part of the country Mr. Gridley says the Ben Davis yields better 

 than the Baldwin. They are even, beautiful, and open well at the end of a 

 long journey. It sells better than the Baldwin. 



But his old orchard was of most interest to the members of the committee. 

 Mr. Gridley was a pioneer in that part of Eaton county. He went into the 

 woods 26 years ago, cleared a farm, and in six years planted 100 or more apple 

 trees of the following varieties, which were then most prominent : Baldwin, 

 Wagener, Northern Spy, Esopus Spitzenberg, Rhode Island Greening, Hub- 

 bardston Nonsuch, Yellow Bellflower, Golden Easset, Eoxbury Eusset, Falla- 

 water, Newtown Pippin, Black Gilliflower, Westfleld Seek-no-further, Hartford 

 Sweet, Early Harvest, Striped Harvest, Eed Astrachan, Early Strawberry, 

 Sweet Bough, Maiden's Blush, Summer Queen, Colvert, Fameuse, Hawley, 

 Eall Pippin, Eibston's Pippin, Rambo, Golden Sweet, Gravenstein, Porter, 

 Peck's Pleasant. Here were thirty-one prominent apples. In early days this 

 orchard was known for miles around. Trees 20 years old, of so many choice 

 varieties, in such a new country, are quite remarkable. The orchard has been 

 of great advantage to its owner and his neighbors as a test orchard, helping 

 them in making good selections for younger orchards. The Eameusedoes well, 

 and he considers it the best apple in existence. Westfleld Seek-uo-further does 

 well; the Spitzenberg does poorly; Greening also ; Bellflower fair ; Baldwin 

 trees all healthy, but the apples abound in bitter spots near the skin. The 

 Newtown Pippin is a failure; he is grafting over the Colvert ; the Fall Pippin 

 is shabby ; Eambo not popular ; Porter a success ; Peck's Pleasant doesn't bear 

 much, — is not a success in that county. The trees were planted 20 feet apart 

 in squares; the trunks look healthy, as do also the upper limbs; the lower 

 limbs have been injured by the crowding of trees. He does not manure or 

 cultivate at all now ; nothing grows under the trees except a little sickly grass 

 and a few weeds. Most cherries have done well this year. He had over a bushel 

 of peaches on six old neglected trees. He has not failed to raise some peaches 

 but twice since being there. 



The most popular varieties of winter apples seem to be Baldwin, Ehode 

 Island Greening, Northern Spy, Golden Russet, Wagener, King, Red Canada, 

 Ben Davis, Jonathan, Peck's Pleasant. Several others are rapidly gaining 

 favor where they have been tried. 



The most popular varieties of pears were Flemish Beauty, Bartlett, Louise 

 Bonne de Jersey, and Beurre d'Anjou. 



The finest pear orchard (though not entered for premium) seen was on the 

 farm of Mr. Parmelee, at Old Mission, Traverse City. 



The four-year-old peach orchard of J. B. Soule, Fruitport, contained -860 

 trees, with but two or three vacancies. They are all Early Crawfords. The 

 trees have a strong solid subsoil. The owner cultivates the soil thoroughly 

 until time to sow buckwheat, then it is sown and the crop plowed under. He 

 was intending to mow a portion this year, and leave it on the ground as a 

 mulch. 



In Class 14 the diploma is awarded to J. Dage, Bangor, Van Bnren 

 county, about twelve miles back from the lake. He has about 400 trees set on 

 three acres of land one rod apart. They have been set nine years, and have 

 borne large crops for the previous five years in succession. The owner said the 



