182 STATE rOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



even fourth premiums, thus leading exhibitors to liope that if committees 

 refuse a first premium, tliey may give the consolation of a lower one? In sev- 

 eral cases where we judged the displays unworthy, we have refused even the low- 

 est premium, and in otliers have given a second or third premium where we 

 thousfht a hi2:her one not merited. 



Thus of the 815-i for which there were competing exhibits properly entered 

 and i^laced, we refused to award $26.25, or a little more than $1 in six, on 

 account of lack of merit. 



As an indication of the relative success and popularity of some of the lead- 

 ing varieties of pears and plums it may be of interest to give the number of 

 single plates of each. 



There were of pears, 20 plates of Bartletts, 17 plates of Flemish Beauty, 

 12 plates of Louise Bonne de Jersey, 11 plates each of Sheldon and Duchess 

 d'Angoulcme, 8 plates each of Seckel and Beurre d'Anjou, G plates each of 

 Onondaga and White .Doyenne, 5 plates each of Winter Nelis and Beurre 

 Clairgeau, 4 plates each of Beurre Diel and Fondanted'Automne, better known 

 perhaps as the Belle Lucrative. 



Of plums there were 10 plates of Lombard, 5 plates each of Washington, 

 Yellow Egg, Imperial Gage and McLaughlin, 4 plates each of Damson, Cole's 

 Golden Drop, Smith's Orleans, Jefferson, Sheldon and Prince's Yellow Egg, 

 3 plates each of German Prune, Duane's Purple, Bradshaw and Bed Mag- 

 num Bonum. 



In our last premium list are some rules which need modification, viz., rule 

 6 on p. 90, and the note on p. 02, which instruct committees to exclude allwn- 

 named or incorrectly named specimens. This should be made to read unlabeled 

 or incorrectly labeled specimens, and should be so expanded as to require with 

 all collections a correct written list of the varieties included, and these sliould 

 be given in the order of their ripening in all cases where succession is one of 

 the points to be considered. The lists should be copied into the committee 

 books and subsequently published with the awards. Without such lists much 

 more than half of the value of the society's labor is lost, for rule 2d, p. 92 of 

 the premium list truly says: ''That the true or legitimate purpose of the 

 premiums offered (for collections) is to draw out the views of both exhibitors 

 and committees as to the relative values for the purposes specified of the varie- 

 ties included in these exhibits;" and accordingly, in the note heading that 

 page, committees are instructed, after excluding wrongly named or unnamed 

 fruit, to consider first or all tlie value of the varieties for the required purpose. 

 Of what use is this unless the lists are to be published? Do you say tiiat this 

 is the proper Avork of the judging committee? Possibly they are the ones who 

 can do it most conveniently, but if this work is to be included in their duties 

 it will be needful to facilitate their work for them more than has yet been done. 

 I sliould have been glad to have presented to you complete lists of the vari- 

 ous collections, and to have discussed the various merits or demerits of each, 

 but as you will see by looking- near the bottom of p. 89 of our last premium 

 list, Awarding Committees have just one day's time in which to do their work. 

 Possibly this would have sufficed had the decision of the Executive Committee 

 in 1878 been carried out, which decision was to have an assistant superintend- 

 ent for each division of the premium list, who should have special charge of it 

 during fair week, and be cliairman of the Awarding Committee for that divi- 

 sion. Instead of this we were, without previous notification, pressed into ser- 

 vice at the last moment and given four divisions upon which to pass, and 



