204 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



year. It is a good custom. These houses have a very good variety of nice, 

 healthy stock. The houses are cheap. Mr. Eenwick claims something extra 

 for his curtains on rollers to shade and keep in tlie heat. In iive minutes he 

 can screen the whole or remove it. He also has patented an arrangement to 

 cause a good draught in very long flues. Mr. Suttle does a good business with 

 his vegetable garden, getting two or three crops a year on the same land. 



We have all heard of the great fruit-belt of Michigan, along the western 

 lake, but who ever heard of Monroe as a place to grow fruit ? There we found 

 luscious pears and apples, bright, sound, rich, and beautiful. There were some 

 of the oldest apple-trees and largest we ever saw. We saw now and then some 

 wonderful pear-trees, — seedlings planted many years ago by the early French 

 settlers. One measured over six feet in circumference six feet from the ground. 

 They bear every j'ear a good crop of early fruit. Unlike most pears, they must 

 ripen on the tree to be good. They then perish so soon that they cannot be 

 shipped any distance. The trees are very tall, so to save the fruit as it falls, 

 straw is spread under the trees. A tree generally returns $30 a year in fruit. 



There were over twenty vineyards loaded with the best grapes we saw on our 

 trip. The roots on the vines feed on limestone and marl not far below the sur- 

 face. This is particularly adapted for producing Concords in perfection. Let 

 no one condemn this grape till he has tested those from Monroe. Most of their 

 grapes are made into wine, thus producing a home market. They prefer to 

 sell them for wine because they leave no culls. We were shown two establish- 

 ments for making wine, with all arrangements in perfection. J. M. Sterling, 

 Oeo. W. Bruckner, I, E. Ingenfritz, H. Reynolds, and others were patient and 

 attentive to the wishes of the committee. They met us on leaving the depot, 

 each with a well-loaded basket. 



The islands and points are well adapted to grapes. There is no frost till the 

 end of October or middle of November. We saw a verv few curculio, some 

 thrips, and a little mildew, and a few vines killed by the winter and want of 

 drainage. At the Pointe Aux Peaux vineyards we saw Delawares of a very 

 remarkable growth, with much large fruit of fine flavor. Catawba vines, 

 which were not artificially protected or taken from the trellis during winter, 

 well loaded with fruit which had every prospect of thoroughly ripening. 



Geo. W. Bruckner, it will be noticed, won three diplomas this year on vine- 

 yards. Glory enough for one man in a single season. 



Yusef in Detroit Free Press says: "Arrived at Pointe Aux Peaux the com- 

 mittee were received by Rev. Dr. Mattoon, Joseph R. Bennett, W. A. Noble, 

 Gen. George Spalding, M. D. Hamilton of the Commercial, J. W. Reisig, and 

 J. L. Knapp, and escorted to the Avine-house and cellars attached to the vine- 

 yard. The modus operandi of wine-making was explained, and the scrupu- 

 lous cleanliness of everything in connection with the establishment admiringly 

 noted. In the cellars the great wine pipes and tuns of a capacity of five hun- 

 dred gallons each excited the wonder of the spectators. The qualities of 

 native wines made at the Pointe Aux Peaux vineyards, comprising Catawba, 

 Delaware, Ives' Seedling, and other varieties of still wines, were tested by a 

 portion of the visitors and committeemen and pronounced superb. 



"The vineyard itself was next visited. It comprises twelve acres of land at 

 the very edge of the lake which encircles it on three sides, the projecting 

 Pointe Aux Peaux being in fact a peninsula. This contiguity to the lake 

 exerts a wonderful effect on the temperature, and gives to the vineyard certain 

 immunity from injurious frosts or winter's cold. The water opposite is open 



