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8 STATE rOMOLOGlCAL SOCIETY. 



VAN BUREN" COUNTY. 



Prof. C. D. Lawtoii writes: 



I am enabled to report tliat the Lawton Pomological Society is in a very 

 flourishing condition. Weekly meetings of the society are held, at which 

 questions pertaining to horticulture are discussed. The society possesses many 

 members of intelligence and of much experience in fruit-growing, whose pres- 

 ence at these meetings tends greatly to make them interesting and profitable. 



The appearance of the yellows last year in our midst has checked the setting 

 of peach trees, so that comparatively few were put out last spring; but an 

 unusual amount of grapes, chiefly Concord and Delaware, were set, also a 

 considerable quantity of small fruits — raspberry, strawberry and blackberry. 

 The blackcap varieties still take precedence, though this season considerable 

 alarm is manifest in regard to the rust. 



Commissioners under the new yellows law have been appointed in several of 

 the adjoining townships who are diligently at work removing traces of the 

 disease. It is tlie determination to act effectively in this matter. A good 

 deal of grafting was done this season in bearing orchards, to change the trees 

 into Baldwins. The prospects for the season are good ; strawberries and rasp- 

 berries will be an unusually large crop — seldom if ever better. Peaches 

 never were more promising than now — trees apparently healthy and vigorous 

 and well set with fruit. Grapes have met with no drawbacks ; the vineyards 

 are looking magnificent, and the promise of fruit cannot be excelled. 

 Apples, it is judged, will be a medium crop, not so full as last year, but better 

 generally than it was two years ago. Altogether our fruit growers are thus far 

 very well satisfied and hopeful. They are now busily engaged digging out 

 Ijorers, catching curculio, cultivating their vineyards and orchards, and pick- 

 ing and marketing their strawberries; so closely engaged that I fear none of 

 them, unfortunately, will be able to be present at your meeting, but I am 

 instructed to send greeting and the hope that your session may be an enjoyable 

 and profitable one. 



I forgot to mention that cherries, though considerably damaged when in 

 blossom by frost, still promise a fair croj) and of some kinds and in some situa- 

 tions a very full one. I know of some orchards of early liichmonds that are 

 very full. 



ORAL REPORTS. 



After finishing the letters several gentlemen reported from their various 

 localities as follows : 



AV. A. Brown of Berrien County. — Peaches we are exterminating. We want 

 to enforce the law until we are through with the yellows, and perhaps by-and- 

 bye we can again under proper restrictions and conditions raise this delicious 

 and profitable fruit; about one-third of the strawberries were killed but there 

 were a great plenty left considering the prices. This season is peculiar as to 

 markets, as never before we are brought into competition with the berries from 

 places as far north as Muskegon. The early blossoms having been cut off we 

 are having our main crop, some later than usual, whicli is very damaging to 

 the market. Apples and cherries are light with us and the first setting of 

 grapes were killed but the dormant buds are so developing that we shall have 

 a nice crop with no farther drawbacks, llaspberries hang full, and black- 

 berries will be very light on account of freezing. This is very strange too, 

 for we had a mild winter and apparently favorable to blackberry canes, but 



