520 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



It was moved that the second topic, "The children's garden," be set aside 

 and the time used in looking through the greenhouses. 



The regular monthly meeting of the society for May was held at Grand- 

 ville, in the home of the secretary. President Garfield called the meeting 

 to order. 



After the usual routine business was transacted, reports were taken on 

 the fruit prospects. May had made itself famous for three successive hard 

 frosts which almost totally destroyed the strawberry crop on the low 

 lands and created no small amount of concern for the peach crop. The 

 cherry crop was reported ruined; and it was thought currants had shared 

 the same fate. Apples were reported to be much injured. 



Charles A. French exhibited his milk-tester and explained its use, 

 giving tests with four samples of milk, to ascertain the percentage of 

 butter fat in the milk of different cows. The milk is well shaken, and half 

 a gill placed in a gill pipette; then an equal bulk of sulphuric acid is 

 added, which neutralizes all the milk except the fat. The pipettes have a 

 six-inch stem on which is marked the scale. The four pipettes of glass 

 are placed in a centrifugal machine, bulbs outward, stems leaning to the 

 center, and revolved six minutes, to completely mix the milk and acid. 

 The stems of the pipettes are marked off into one-hundredths of the capac- 

 ity of one half the bulb. Good Jersey milk will give 7^ or 8 per cent. 

 Four and a half per cent, of butter fat should give about four and a half 

 pounds of butter to 100 pounds of milk. The milk being neutralized, hot 

 water is added, to separate the fat from the acid. Turned another minute 

 the pipettes show a black acid in the bulb, an inch or more of the stem 

 showing water, and above all the yellow fat, showing from six and a half 

 per cent, for the grade cow, down to two and eight tenths, and one tenth 

 of one per cent, for the skimmed samples. 



Mr. French read a paper before the society, " How to manage a forty- 

 acre farm and maintain from it a prosperous family." 



The June meeting was held on the regular day, in Herrington, and 

 called to order by President Garfield, who gave a resume of the recent 

 meeting of the fruitgrowers. They had decided to issue a circular giving 

 the amount and quality of fruit in the hands of every grower in the 

 county. It will show that there is some horticulture in the country out- 

 side of California. He hoped there would be a spirit of rivalry engen- 

 dered by the two fairs which would result in the success of both. 



The display of strawberries was one of the finest ever made, Thomas 

 Wilde being the principal exhibitor, and he gave preference to the Cum- 

 berland variety for a near market, and the Crawford for shipping quali- 

 ties. The Bubach, Climax, Parker Earle, and other new varieties were 

 discussed freely and tested numerously. The Talmage band enlivened the 

 day with selections very well rendered. 



E. C. Phllips exhibited cherries, Early Richmond, May Duke, Knight's 

 Early Black, and Governor Wood. He claimed cherries paid better than 

 strawberries. 



Asa W. Slayton read a paper, " Fun on the farm." It was a well 

 written treatise, full of clean-cut humor, and proved an attractive feature 

 of the meeting. 



Resolutions of thanks were extended to the friends in Herrington and 

 to those whose grand display of fruit helped make the day a success. 



The July meeting was largely attended and the display of raspberries 

 was grand. Mr. and Mrs. S. S. Bailey were as entertaining as ever. Mr. 



