256 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Mr. Gregory, of Kendall, Van Buren county, said a more recent examination 

 had shown that the hope of peaches previously entertained must be given up. 

 The wood is generally uninjured, except in some yearling trees. He expected a 

 good crop of apples and of pears. Had not given much attention to the smaller 

 fruits. Could not tell what effect the last freeze had had, since the thermome- 

 ter has within two weeks past been down to twelve degrees below zero, — nearly 

 as cold as it was in December. 



President Dyckman, of South Haven, said that in an examination made of 

 his own orchard just before the last hard freeze he found from thirty to thirty- 

 five per cent of peach buds alive, except those of the Crawford. 



Mr. H. P. Hanford, of Bristol, Indiana, whose orchard is on high ground, 

 near the St. Joseph river, said the lowest indication of the thermometer in 

 December was twenty degrees, and in January twenty-six degrees, since which 

 dates he had made a superficial examination of the trees, and had found that 

 there was no hope of many peaches this season. Whether the trees are killed, 

 or very seriously injured, he could not tell. In the great " freeze " of the win- 

 ter of 1855-56 his orchard of thrifty trees was killed down to the snow, but by 

 cutting off all the top and leaving the stump a foot or two in height he saved 

 them by the life and vigor of the roots. There will be no cherries this year, 

 though the trees are not permanently injured in his vicinity. Most of the 

 small fruits not covered by the snow are gone, though a thorough pruning back 

 may secure a fair crop of some kinds. He was in favor of doing away with the 

 Crawford peach. It was a good peach, but not hardy enough and did not pay. 



Mr. Schuyler, of Chicago, in a recent visit to Southern Illinois and Indiana, 

 had found the prospect of a peach crop in both sections very poor. There 

 would be none of any consequence. 



Mr. Hanford reports the wood of the Delaware grape all right. He never 

 lays his down; and added that when it becomes necessary to lay down the 

 Delaware grape vine to keep it from freezing we might as well stop raising fruit ; 

 as he considered it the hardiest of all fruit wood. 



The President announced the following committees: 



O71 Apples. — D. T. Fox, Kalamazoo, chairman ; W. H. Grregory, Kendall, 

 Van Buren county; E. N. Fairchiid, Battle Creek ; J. A. Davis, Marshall; C. 

 A. Cooley, Battle Creek. 



On Flowers. — Prof. J. C. Holmes, Detroit, chairman; Mrs. Jeremiah Brown, 

 Battle Creek; Mrs. Tomhnson, Battle Creek; Mr. Chas. Miller, Marengo; 

 Mr. J. A. Davis, Marshall. Meeting adjourned to 7 o'clock. 



EVENING SESSION. 



The Society was called to order according to adjournment, and after an 

 announcement by the President that a choir of singers of Battle Creek had 

 promised to intersperse the proceedings with musical entertainment. Prof. J. 

 C. Holmes, of Detroit, was introduced, and read a very interesting paper on 

 "The Early History of Horticulture in Michigan," introducing the subject 

 with a reference to the old apple orchards and French pear trees along the 

 Detroit river. 



It appeared that the plum formed a great part of the fruit-growers' products 



