KENT COUNTY. 323 



from his own vineyards. The bronze Wilder medal was awarded to the society 

 for the collection. 



At the State fair the society exhibited a fine collection of fruits for desserfc 

 and family use; also a collection for market, together with a general collec- 

 tion of apples, peaches, pears, and grapes ; with several single plates of apples, 

 peaches, and grapes, entered in the name of the grower. These entries were 

 fairly successful in winning premiums. 



A general collection of fruits was also exhibited at the Grand Rapids fair, 

 including a collection each of apples, pears, peaches, and grapes. 



The Agricultural and Mechanical Association of 1871 having been absorbed 

 by the State Agricultural Society, previous to the year 1877, a new organiza- 

 tion of a similar character was effected under the title of the West Michigan 

 Agricultural and Industrial Society, with headquarters at Grand Rapids. 

 This association has held fairs annually in September down to the present 

 time. 



" At the August meeting of the Grand River Valley Horticultural Society 

 in 1880 S. M. Pearsall, Wm. Rowe, W. N. Cook, W. K. Emmons, and P. W. 

 Johnson were appointed a committee to collect and exhibit fruit at the State 

 fair of this State, the West Michigan Agricultural and Industrial fair, and at 

 other fairs, in the discretion of the committee. Soon after this the secretary 

 received the premium list of the Mississippi Valley Horticultural Society, and 

 laid the matter of making an exhibit at St. Louis before the committee and 

 the executive board. It was decided to make an exhibit there, which deter- 

 mination was carried out. The society exhibited one hundred varieties of 

 apples in one collection, forty varieties in another, and ten varieties as a col- 

 lection for the market, north of the forty-first parallel; also several single 

 plates of apples and pears; also a collection of twenty-five varieties of peaches, 

 one of ten varieties, and several^plates. This show of fruit at St. Louis was 

 in charge of President William Rowe and Mr. Cook, and received marked 

 attention from visitors. Dr. Warder, of Ohio, chairman of the awarding 

 committee, said Michigan fruit was the best grown on exhibition, and the 

 most correctly named. 



"At the State fair our society exhibited a general collection of family 

 fruits, consisting of fifty-three sorts of apples, four of peaches, three of grapes, 

 four of pears, and four of crab apples. 



"Owing to the extremely warm weather when the fruit was being collected, 

 and the prevalence of mildew in grapes, the exhibit in peaches and grapes 

 was not up to the usual standard of the shows of our society, and, in conse- 

 quence, the collection was awarded the third premium. 



"In division B, a general collection of market fruits, one hundred plates of 

 apples, five of grapes, six of pears, and four of crab apples received the first 

 premium. 



"In division C, a special exhibit of apples for general purposes, consisting of 

 sixty-seven varieties, received the first premium. We also received the first 

 premium for the most correctly named collection in this division. 



"The society also took premiums on sixteen plates of different varieties of 

 apples. 



"At the West Michigan Agricultural and Industrial fair, the secretary 

 entered a collection of fruit, and received the first premium. He also took 

 the first premium on a collection of apples, together with a dozen single plate 

 premiums." 



