328 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



$50 to secure the bargain ; but was horrified to have seventy-five bushels sent 

 him as the picking of one morning, and immediately begged to be released 

 from his contract. Mr. Wilde adopted first, last, and all the time the Wilson, 

 cultivated so closely as not to give room for weeds to grow, did not mulch, but 

 plowed the vines under, and used in the spring the sweepings of the hennery. 

 Professor Whitney never saw finer or better strawberries, and his remark that 

 Wilde was the first and the last man in the market, evoked some applause. 



N"0 VOTE ON THE GRAPE. 



On motion of Professor Whitney, each member of the Society was requested 

 to place upon a ballot the names of the six varieties of grapes which he 

 believed the best. 



Mr. Sterling deprecated the idea of the Society giving expression to its 

 opinion without further discussion. A list had been authoritatively published 

 in regard to a professional, an amateur, a market, a table, and a wine grape. 



Mr. Johnstone also advised against a ballot, on the ground that perfection 

 in the grape had not yet been reached. 



Messrs. Lyon, Stearns, Briggs, Johnstone, Cook, and Whitney further dia- 

 cussed the question, and on motion of Mr. Sterling, it was laid on the table. 



Adjourned. 



WEDNESDAY MORNING. 

 SECRETARY THOMPSON'S REPORT, 



Mr. Thompson showed tliat progress in fruit culture had been fair during 

 the year past, and in particular adverted to the fact that the apple crop of the 

 State had done much to relieve the stringency of the financial panic, bringing 

 Into Michigan large sums of money at the very time it was most needed. la 

 fact, from the appearance of the early strawberry to the shipment of the last 

 apple a succession of fruits had been produced in Michigan, the net proceeds 

 of which were scarcely second to that of any other crop. 



The Secretary acknowledged the courtesy of Mr. Morrison, of the Chicago 

 and Michigan Luke Shore Railroad, Mr. Watson, of the Detroit and Milwaukee, 

 Mr. Sargent, of the Michigan Central, and Mr. Gorham, of the Grand Rapids 

 and Indiana Railroads. They had enabled the Orchard Committee of the 

 Society to visit the various entries, and their several contributions in this way 

 had done very much to sustain the Society. Allusion was made to the 

 fact that the Ls'ke Shore and Michigan Southern and the Flint and 

 Pere Marquette Railways had refused all favors to the Society. Mr. 

 Thompson considered this very illiberal on the part of the railroads, inas- 

 much as the labors of the Society tended directly to advance their interests 

 very materially. The people of Michigan, he thought, loved fair p^ay, and 

 recognized the fact that the railroads had done an immense work in developing 

 the State, but at the same time the policy of those roads which refused to ex- 

 tend aid to the Society to enable it to stimulate orchard culture was characterized 

 as short sighted and illiberal. 



The general success of the Society was referred to. The exhibitions had 

 been worthy of the great State, and the published lists of fruits recommended 

 by the Society and its reports had attracted very much attention at home and 

 Bbroad. 



