THE JUNE MEETING. 285- 



May Dnke, Yellow Spanish, Elton, Black and White Hearts, Black Eagle, and 

 Black Tartarian. 



AVe would take occasion to add our tribute to the good things said of the 

 cherry, but Mr. Clubb has spoken so earnestly and well our convictions, that 

 we will only add to our report, by way of remark, that we feel gratified with 

 the exhibition before us, and congratulate the exhibitors upon their success in 

 obtaining and preserving such commendable varieties of our well lauded 

 fruit — the cherry. Although not precisely within the domain of the committee, 

 we would still call special attention of all in attendance to the fine frame of 

 fruit so perfectly preserved by the Williams process, and we trust, Mr. Presi- 

 dent, the originator of the system, who is with us, will be called upon to 

 explain his system. Respectfully submitted. 



S. 0. KNAPP, Jackson, 

 P. C. DAVIS, Kalamazoo, 

 C. W. GARFIELD, Grand Rapids, 

 Report accepted and adopted. 



HOW PEACH TREES ARE KILLED. 



Mr. Linderman of South Haven. — I am the worst sufferer from the late 

 severe winter of any fruit-grower in South Haven. I plant early in the spring, 

 as deeply as I can plow. I then cultivate during the summer. I use a hoe 

 where the cultivator cannot reach. I cultivate thoroughly. In the spring I 

 made a favorable report. On the 20th of May I found I had lost three-fourths 

 of the crop. I clear away the dirt from the roots to destroy the grubs. Last 

 September I did this as usual, leaving the collar of the roots bare. The snow 

 came before I expected, and I had no chance to return the earth. The wind 

 blew the snow off some of the trees, when my trees began to fail, and I exam- 

 ined the cause. Out of 1,046 trees I expect to save 200. I have lost the 80 per 

 cent and shall save 20 per cent. Some of my neighbors say I killed my trees 

 by kindness, but I say no ; the buds were good, the blossoms and leaves came 

 out, but the collar of the root being girdled by the freezing and thawing where 

 I exposed them, when the sap in the tree was exhausted the trees failed and 

 died. Mr. Griffin was caught in the same way, and lost as badly as I did. 

 Next time I will have the earth back before winter. I have a good crop on the 

 trees not so exposed, and I am engaged in thinning out the fruit on those 

 trees. 



Mr. Hanford was called on to give the names of his cherries. He spoke of 

 the Early Richmond as the most profitable variety for market purposes; 

 another name is the Early May, but we call it the Early Richmond. The Mar- 

 zell is a good cherry with us; has a leaf 10| inches long. The sweet cherries 

 are almost a perfect feilure. A cold storm causes the bark to open and the 

 tree dies. The bark forms a ligature. I cut just through the outside 

 strong bark ; the gash opened very rapidly. After that I never lost a tree till 

 this winter. The dwarf cherry makes a very pretty ornamental bush. I put 

 them sixteen feet apart, and now the limbs touch, in six or seven years from 

 planting. When my trees are far enough apart I plant rows of raspberries, 

 which pay for cultivating the land. On those trees that were dead I held a 

 post mortem examination, and the verdict was, died from worms. I never 

 knew before that the peacli worm would ever trouble cherries; but I can find 

 no difference, his work being almost identical. 



