402 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



inittee request the owner of every vineyard entered for competition to send sam- 

 ples to the State Fair, where tliey may be tested and compared. Tliis should 

 form a very interesting feature of our fair. 



We also collected three or four dozen samples of soil from different portions 

 of the State, which we intend to show in jars at the State Fair, and then pre- 

 serve them in the museum at the Agricultural College. ^lany of tliese soils are 

 from orchards and vineyards whicli luive taken or will take premiums. The 

 samples are from the surface, and at different depths, sometimes four feet down 

 iu the vicinity of some of the best trees in the orchard. 



At South Haven we claimed fifteen entries. 



Mr. L. H Bailey estimates his apples at one-fifth of a crop, and lie has as 

 many apples — yes, more apples than we saw anywhere else. lie soberly re- 

 marked that he had never before lost so much money as he had lately. He 

 had lost >^l,oOU within the last three weeks by not having apples enough to fill 

 his orders. Early apples are generally more jjlenty than fall and winter apples 

 will be. As a rule trees which arc bearing full this year bore a light crop last 

 year. 



They are going in for more fruit of all kinds about South Haven. They believe 

 in fruit for profit. They estimated that last spring 75,000 pcacli trees were set 

 in the vicinity of the village. This fruit is seldom raised there without effort. 

 Some of the owners are said to sleep in their orchards. They are in them 

 nearly all the time, giving the best of culture, killing insects, etc. The yel- 

 lows have troubled peaches for several years, but trees are cut out as soon as 

 discovered. A committee attends to all who are negligent in this respect. 



Some of the largest peach trees were seen in the orchard of A. S. Dyckman. 

 One set seventeen years ago was thirty-nine inches round the trunk, spread fif- 

 teen feet each way, and would yield fifteen baskets of a peck each. It was an 

 Early Crawford. From this tree by actual count had been thinned at one time 

 8,000 peaches, and at another 2,000, making 10,000 in all. One man would 

 spend a day thinning four to six trees. He estinnites that it will cost this year 

 $500 to thin his peach crop. Peaches are plenty this year, and he intends to 

 get extra prices for fine large fruit, such as will have little competition. We 

 passed through Benton Harbor and St. Joseph, stopping over night, although 

 no entries were made there. They are giving up peaches on account of the 

 yellows. We were shown by Mr. Wliittlesey his long-armed grape vines. Con- 

 cord vines set in 18G0 were on a trellis 50 feet long. By their side, of same 

 age and soil, were vines 8x8 feet whicli contained less fruit and smaller bunches 

 than were seen on the long arms. He is testing the matter thoroughly. A 

 fuller report will be made in September. Many men had met with severe losses 

 on account of dying peach orchards, which were their main reliance for a living. 

 We are satisfied that mixed fruit raising is the best and safest for many rea- 

 sons. " Too many eggs in one basket" is a maxim which all wise men will 

 give heed to if they wish to pursue any business with success. 



From this place we went up the St. Joe River on a flat bottomed boat to Ber- 

 rien Springs. This was a novelty for our party, and was enjoyed very much as 

 we viewed the ever shifting scenes of over-hanging trees and vines, of cattle by 

 the shore, of fields, springs, sand bars, snags, turtles, fishes, etc. The trees 

 were not tall, but handsome ; the scenery was not grand, but beautiful. Now we 

 see a cluster of silver maples and some buttonwoods and willows, with here and 

 there a hawthorn. Now wo see })awpaw bushes, occasionally the Kentucky 

 coffee tree, jilenty of basswoods, elms, hacklierries, pcjiperidge, and everywhere 



