THE JUNE MEETING, 



HELD AT SOUTH HA VEX, VAX BUREN COUXTY, JUNE 19, 20, AXD 21. 



EEPOKT OF DISCUSSIONS, WITH FULL TEXT OF PAPERS AND ADDRESSES. 



The June inccLing of the Society was well attended, and the meeting was 

 characterized by interesting discussions thronghout. The opening session on 

 the evening of June 19th, was occupied first by the reading of letters from 

 interested Pomologists, a few of which are given. 



From J. "Whittlesey, of St. Joseph, June 8th: 



"I regret I cannot be at the meeting at South Haven. I shall be engaged at 

 that time in attending to the picking of my cherries ; it is a matter I cannot trust 

 to others ; also my grapes are driving me ; I have so many that I must give hand- 

 ling of the vines my personal attention. Your meeting will be too late for our 

 big strawberries; they will be nearly all marketed by that time ; 3,000 one-half 

 bushel cases were shipped to Chicago Wednesday night. I think 5,000 cases 

 will go on to-night at least. Apples about here promise a small crop. G-rapes 

 and pears look exceedingly well." 



From Eli Bidleman, a member of the Executive Committee, Coldwatcr, 

 June 19 : 



''I will send you a little account of the fruit prospects of Branch county. 

 All small fruits arc bearing finely, except cherries, which will not be a full crop; 

 they blossomed very full, but from some cause failed to set but comparatively 

 little fruit. Peaches, where there are any trees old enough, are full ; pears, 

 very good prospect ; a[)ples nearly a total failure ; grapes promise a full crop. 

 Other crops are looking very well except wheat, which is, in parts of the county, 

 badly injured by the fly. Corn is doing very finely, and the prospect is that 

 potatoes will retail for less than two dollars per bushel soon. Oats and grass 

 are rather more than the average promise. There is, I am sorry to report, an 

 appearance of tlio canker-worm in this county. In company with Mr. Aldrich, 

 of the Republican, I paid the orchard a visit the other day, and it \riis a dis- 

 couraging siglit. The worms had returned to the ground, and the trees had 

 begun to show signs of returning life. Bat there is no doubt of the fact of tlieir 

 hold on Mrs. Lydia Ensley's orchard in Batavia, Branch county, five miles west 

 of Coldwater. So far we can hear of no other orchards being troubled, and we 

 are doing all we can to rouse the neighborhood to the necessity of an uncompro- 

 mising war on them, and I believe they will see the necessity and will try and 

 prevent tiie further s})read of tlic pest." 



