REPORTS OF AUXILIARY SOCIETIES. 539 



SAUGATUCK AND GANGES POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



REPORTED BY J. V. TAYLOR, PRESIDENT. 

 OFFICERS FOR 1888. 



President — J. F. Taylor, Douglas. 



Vice Pi'esidents — D. W. Wiley, Douglas; D. Falconer, Sangatuck; D. H. 

 Kitchen, Peach Belt; G. H. Waldo, Douglas; H. Schumacher, Saugatuck ; 

 L. Kingsley, Saugatuck. 



Secretary — J. S. Owen, Douglas. 



Treasurer — IJ. Bird, jr., Douglas. 



The Saugatuck and Ganges Pomological Society has been breathing spas- 

 modically during the past year. Our meetings have not been numerous, but 

 the members are as full of pomological zeal as at any former time in the his- 

 tory of the society. The inspiration of our work is always calling for more 

 labor and demanding greater outlays of time and money in home adornments. 

 We can always see more to be done than we can find time or strength to do. 

 Every man who contemplates gaining a livelihood from the results of fruit 

 growing needs a good sized purse with which to begin operations. Fruit 

 trees do not, like grains, give results the first year after planting. Quick 

 returns are not often realized. Hopes deferred have made many hearts sick 

 in times past, but there is a " bow in the clouds." The past three years have 

 produced marked changes in western Allegan county. In former years the 

 foundations of fruit growing were laid by cutting off the timber and sub- 

 duing the virgin soil. Now improvement is the order of the day. Draining 

 and clearing out swamps and catholes are prominent features of our work. 

 Our members have an eye on these things and forget the monthly meetings. 

 In other words they are great workers and slow talkers. They delight more 

 in demonstrating their ideas of pomology on land than on paper. 



But every tiller of the soil knows that these demonstrations require much 

 time to secure complete results. The past season has been one of unusual 

 anxiety among fruit growers in this region. Every changing moon has been 

 looked for with great solicitude to see if it prognosticated more of drouth or 

 moisture for the future. No one could anticipate the effect of such hot, dry 

 weather on the growing fruit. In many''localities the leaves drooped as if 

 all vitality was departing, and in some places the peaches shriveled on the 

 trees, as if already dead. The basket factories shut down — thinking their 

 wares would not be called for — but a change came. " The latter rains " 

 watered the earth. Small fruits, except strawberries, were really worthless. 

 Apples, peaches and pears nearly recovered from all the effects of drouth. 

 Perhaps some varieties more than made up ia flavor and color what they 

 lacked in size in comparison with former years. The quality of all fruits 

 has been excellent. But the results of this dry summer can not be fully 

 known until another autumn. One year runs into another in very many 

 respects, but in nothing more than in the preparation which one gives for 

 another's fruitfulness. We all look forward to the coming summer with a 



