THE SEPTEMBER PEACH FESTIVAL. 301 



Mr. A. S. Dyckman, who by a fortunate location and proper industry is king 

 of the peach producers in the West this year, has invented a strong lattice work 

 frame in two parts, upper and lower, between which six baskets of peaches are 

 placed and the whole firmly fastened by two bolts whose nuts may be sealed 

 with wax if desired, to prevent their removal without detection. Thus packed, 

 these crates are handled with facility and may be piled one upon another, and 

 the inconvenience of shipping baskets by rail is to a great extent avoided. 



An improved package is shown, being the addition to one of the old style 

 baskets, of a hexagonal cover, the crown of which is some five inches high,, 

 adding so much to the capacity of the package. Other baskets have a wood 

 protection in the form of a cross, which is wired to the top. These also may 

 be piled upon each other for transportation. 



But little business was transacted in meeting of the Society to-day, most of 

 the members spending a good portion of the time in visiting the fruit orchards 

 in the vicinity, where it was soon found that the peach, however golden, is not 

 the only profitable crop raised here. Pears are in abundance, and trees are 

 loaded literally down with their burdens. Apricots, Nectarines, and other 

 delicate things also flourish. 



It is here, too, that figs, if not of Smyrna, at least of Marseilles, are grown In 

 the open air, and one tree is shown in bearing of the second crop this season. 

 Some of the fruit has been dried by the "Williams process, and is shown with; 

 the thirty odd varieties thus preserved. 



Mr. Lyon occupied the chair at the business session this morning. 



The Secretary announced the following committees of examination of articles 

 on exhibition : 



Apples — Wm. Bort, Niles ; C. A. Merriman, Grand Rapids ; K. C. Glidden, 

 Paw Paw; E. J. Shirts, Shelby. 



Pears — J. N. Stearns, Kalamazoo; Joseph Lauin, South Haven; E. Buel 

 and D. F. Allen, Kalamazoo. 



Peaches — C. Engle, Paw Paw; E. U. Knapp, Grand Eapids; S. G. Antisdale,. 

 Benton Harbor ; H. Dale Adams, Comstock ; H. E. Bidwell, South Haven. 



Plums — T. T. Lyon, Plymouth; A. T. Linderman, Grand Eapids; L. S. 

 Benham, Eaton ; L C. Mott, Battle Creek. 



Grapes — J. G. Ramsdell, Traverse City ; H. P. Hanford, Bristol, Indiana; 

 Frank Morse, Angola, Indiana ; C. Bryant, South Haven ; W. I. Blakely, 

 Grand Rapids. 



Flowers and Pictures — Prof. C. L. Whitney and Mrs. C. L. Whitney, D. S 

 Beach and Mrs. Beach, Marshall ; Mrs. M. C. Lonnisbury, South Haven. 



Canned, Dried, and Preserved Fruits — Mr. Ghilson, Battle Creek; G. W. 

 Toles, Benton Harbor; G. W. Dickinson, Grand Rapids; J. A. Robinson, 

 Battle Creek ; Mrs. D. P. Hanford, Bristol, Ind.; Mrs. Clark Shepherd, South 

 Haven. 



The committees proceeded to their work, but found considerable difficulty in 

 awarding prizes and premiums to the proper parties in all cases, for the reason 

 that many had modestly refrained from putting their names to their collec- 

 tions, or furnishing the necessary information to the examiners. 



Some of these committees made their reports later in the day, 



Mr. Lyon, from the committee on plums, reported that they found consider- 

 able confusion in the nomenclature of the varieties on exhibition, and that 

 they have found it impossible in one or two cases to satisfy themselves of the 

 names of exhibitors. 



