8 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



exposition at Phihulelphia, covering the entire active season, ^vitli the work 

 imposed npon our society by our State Centennial Commission, must tax the 

 •\vhollv vohmtary enerj^ies of our members, it was judged expedient to forego, 

 for the year, the oiTering of premiums for orchards and gardens, and to sub- 

 stitute for the usual orchard committee a corps of fruit collectors, operating 

 under tlie auspices of the State Centennial Commission, in part at least, in the 

 gathcrins:, transmission to Philadelphia and exhibition there, of collections of 

 fruits, such as should adequately indicate to the world the real capacity of our 

 State for the pursuit of this specialty. 



That our society has been able to achieve a reasonable degree of success in 

 this undertaking, is, we trust, very generally admitted; although the true 

 measure of that success can hardly be fully understood, until the publication of 

 the reports proper, of the group of judges specially in charge of the pomological 

 exhibits. We will only state that, in a private letter, written since the close of 

 the exhibition, one of the judges of this group, who has, throughout, ])artici- 

 cipated in the weekly examinations of fruits, and in tiie recommendations of 

 awards, remarks that the display of Michigan fruits, as a whole, was at least 

 equal to that of any other State. 



So far as the May exhibit of fruits, the growth of 1875, is concerned, there 

 seems to have been little attempt to compete with us ; and hence the Michigan 

 collection, by universal assent, stands out prominently as the characteristic fea- 

 ture of the entire display of that season. 



So manv serious obstacles were found to exist, militating against the prospect 

 of success, in any attempt to compete witli localities more immediately adjacent 

 to the exposition, in the display of the earlier and more perishable small fruits, 

 prominent among which were their perishable character, the warmth of the 

 weatliL'r wlicn they wotild be in season, the expense of the packing requisite to 

 provide against inevitable rough handling, as well as the exorbitant charges, 

 and other vexatious exactions of the express companies, to Avhich the packages 

 must be entrusted, that, after careful consideration, it was decided to omit all 

 attempt at a general display of these classes of fruits ; leaving the exhibit to 

 commence with the season of plums and peaches. 



The display of plums coming mainly from the extreme north, under the 

 careful packing and judicious management of Judge Ramsdell, of Traverse 

 City, proved highly creditable and satisfactory. 



That of peaches, in the eflicient hands of II. E. Bidwell, of the ''Peach 

 Belt," especially so far as the earlier varieties are concerned, was compelled to 

 encounter more serious difficulties, growing out of larger size of the fruits, 

 exceeding delicacy of texture, perishable character, and the warmth of the 

 season during whicli they were in condition ; to which must be added the im- 

 possibility of securing at the same time rapid transmission and careful handling. 

 Notwithstanding these serious obstacles most of these collections came through 

 in very tolerable condition; and, as a whole, the display of this fruit was very 

 creditable. 



Grapes came in at a later date; after the greatest; heat of the season was 

 past; which permitted shipping them through as fast freight, thus exempting 

 them from tlie trying ordeal of being hastily tumbled from one express car to 

 another while en route. This exemption, together with careful packing and 

 management, under the practiced hand of Mr. E. Bradlield, of Ada, brought 

 out the display of this fruit in condition to play an important part in lilliug 

 up the measure of our reputation as a fruit growing State. 



