JUNE MEETING, 1877. 121 



to keep perfect in the dormant season. I find the variegated yuccas and the 

 palms are proving very liardy with us, and can he carried through very nicely in 

 a common greenhouse. I ^vish to see them planted more. 



Mr. IJibson. — I "svish to add a word more of my experience. I have very 

 fine success -with the begonias. One new one unfolds a flower three inches in 

 diameter and the blossoms grow in triplets. I have also a geranium, a cross 

 between a striped variety and one with a large blossom. Tlie new plant grew 

 up first like the striated sort, another j^rancli came out with the leaf and blos- 

 som of tlie other. It is a matter of great interest to me to watch these pro- 

 ductions. 



Mr. Adams, — The reason why more people do not grow flowers is that they do 

 not know what to plant, and are laboring under the error that they are costly 

 luxuries. I will name a few kinds that I have found very well adapted to home 

 gardens. Among annuals : phlox drummondi, asters, balsams, petunias portu- 

 lacca, sweet alyssum. Among perennials : Double hollyhocks, stocks, wall 

 flowers, columbine, pansies, perennial phlox. 



Mr. Gulley. — The amaranths give a glory to flower beds through the whole 

 season, and caladiums and canuas are easily grown, giving a tropical effect to 

 the borders. 



The closing address of the evening was upon the topic, 



THE MANUFACTUKE OF WINE AND CIDER NOT POMOLOGICAL. 



BY HOX. A. S. DYCKMAN, OF SOUTH IIAVEIST. 



Pomology, like all things finite, may be supposed to have a proper limitation 

 and consistency in its make up. If it is something that may be localized, we 

 propose in this present writing, to look a little to its boundary lines. If it is 

 something that has individuality, we propose to trace the conformation of its 

 jDarts, and see to what heights and depths its extremities reach, and this for 

 the specific purpose of showing its relation or non-relation to wine and cider- 

 making. 



Pomology is defined to be the '' art or science of raising fruit," Perhaps it 

 might be more properly called the "art and science of raising fruit," since it 

 is both an art and a science. William Saunders, superintendent of the Gov- 

 ernment Horticultural Grounds at Washington, said to us, " Pomology is not 

 a science," and instanced the fact that pomologists failed to identify varieties 

 of fruit in many cases : showing that there are no certain rules by which pomo- 

 logical cpiestions can be determined. 



But does this not rather show a lack of art in the application of the princi- 

 ples of pomologic science? The nice, cultivated perceptioii of things only 

 attained by long practice, pertains to art and not science. But, without enter- 

 ing further into the discussion of this point, we will proceed upon the broader 

 ground that pomology has become both an art and a science — the art and science 

 of raising fruit. The word fruit is not used in its generic sense, but applies to 

 a certain line of fruits, as, in this latitude, apples, pears, peaches, plums, 

 grapes, the berries, etc. By strict construction pomology has to do with the 

 o^aisincj of these. Planting, cultivation, pruning, thinning, gathering and de- 

 livery complete the process. Tliese fruit productions enter the commercial 

 IG 



