GENERAL HISTORY. 71 



mined and nearly killed by moles in their search for angle worms, and yet h© 

 has an abundance of cut-worms upon the same field. 



Other testimony was given to the effect that they not only root up but eat 

 tulip and hyacinth bulbs, corn, poach pits and chestnuts. 



The best pears for Western Michigan were named by C. Engle, of Paw 

 Paw, from his personal experience, as follows : Anjou, Bartlett, Bloodgood, 

 New Gray Winter, Lawrence and Angouleme. He also spoke favorably of 

 Dix, Howell and Clapp's Favorite. 



The next subject was: "How Can we Make the Best Use of Evergreens in 

 Protecting our Orchards?". 



The discussion of this question developed wide difference of opinion with 

 preponderance, perhaps, in favor of merely checking the force of the wind, 

 especially in exposed situations along the lake shore. 



*'0f the newer strawberries, which are the most promising?" was the 

 next subject discussed. 



The subject was opened by a paper from T. T. Lyon, giving short descrip- 

 tions, with date of ripening, the present season, of some twenty varieties, 

 new and old, which had fruited on his grounds the present season. 



Professor Beal was highly pleased with Matilda, which, apparently, has 

 been dropped less for lack of merit than from the want of some one to urge 

 its really valuable qualities. 



Mr. Thompson objected to the Wilson as too sour, but was told that it 

 colors early, and goes to the market before its flavor is matured. 



On Wednesday afternoon a paper was read from the pen of S. B. Peck, of 

 Muskegon, entitled " The Age in which we Live," in which the old and the 

 new were racily and pithily contrasted. 



Professor W, J. Beal followed with an a'ldress on the ''Longevity of 

 Varieties and Paces," in which the processes of originating and perpetuating 

 varieties were considered, and the " wearing out" theories of Thomas Andrew 

 Knight and others, as well as the experiments and deductions of Darwin 

 came under consideration. 



The committee on fruits exhibited were to leave on the afternoon train, 

 and now submitted their report, which states that thirty-five varieties of 

 strawberries were exhibited. Among these was one exhibited by H. E. Bid- 

 well, under the name Centennial, the true history of which is as follows: 

 B. Hathaway, of Cass county, who had long been engaged in the origination 

 of seedling strawberries, had a large number of these in fruit on the occasion 

 of a visit to his place by H. E. Bidwell, at the time a resident of South 

 Haven, Michigan. Mr. Bidwell purchased one plant each of ten different 

 seedlings, of which this was one, transferring them to his place at South 

 Haven, where they were allowed to pass as his own originations. At the 

 June meeting of the State Pomological Society held at South Haven, in 1877, 

 Mr. Bidwell exhibited very fine specimens of this berry as Centennial. 



Mr. H. Dale Adams, of Galesburgh, who had received plants of several of 

 Mr. Hathaway's seedlings for trial recognized this as one of them, and so 

 stated to the society. The matter was not investigated at the time, and the 

 variety was, locally, disseminated under this name. 



Mr. Bidwell having removed from the place, and the variety beginning to 

 attract considerable attention, the South Haven Pomological Society, no 

 doubt supposing Mr. B. to have been the originator, and to avoid possible 

 confusion with another Centennial, re-nanied this — Bidwell. 



