THE ANNUAL MEETING. 197 



The unfortimute character of this arrangement, with the remoteness of the 

 exhibit from the place of meeting, seems to have created a tendency in the 

 Society, or at least with some of its members, to abandon the effort to collect 

 large displays of fruits at the gatherings of the Society, and instead, to con- 

 fine tliem mainly to new sorts, — these to be exhibited at or near the place of 

 meeting, with the purpose to detract as little as possible from the interest in, 

 and attendance upon the discussions. To do so, however, would be to sacri- 

 fice the (to the pomologist, wdiether learner or teacher) most important and 

 valuable possible opportunity to compare and study the influences of diverse 

 or remote soils and climates upon varieties of fruits; and also the opportunity 

 to compare the popular local sorts of different and remote localities, with a 

 view to more definitely determine their actual or relative values. These ob- 

 jects seem to us so highly important, not to say essential, that we apprehend 

 the Society will not hastily take action in the direction suggested. 



Very soon after my appointment as chairman of the delegation, measures 

 were taken to secure a large and creditable collection of fruits to represent our 

 State at the Kochester meeting, and assurances were received from Grand 

 Traverse, Grand Kapids, Saugatuck, South Haven, Kalamazoo county, St. 

 Joseph, Battle Creek and Adrian. Of these a fine, carefully selected and cor- 

 rectly named collection was sent from the Grand River Valley Horticultural So- 

 ciety, in personal charge of Mr. Edward Bradfield, who also made up a large 

 exhibit of grapes from his own vineyards, and instead of the expected collection 

 from Saugatuck, there came a small but very fine collection of peaches from 

 Allegan, by J. B. Dumont, of that place, made up, as we understand, mainly if 

 not entirely, from his own orchards, he going personally in charge of them. 

 These were all the collections proper that appeared from Michigan. 



Besides these, however, Mr. Fulkerson, of Ovid, Clinton county, sent a col- 

 lection of eighteen or twenty varieties of seedling grapes, all originating from 

 seeds of a single bunch of the Wilder (Rogers No. 4), which were not placed 

 on exhibition, but were instead, brought before the native fruit committee at 

 their rooms for examination and a report as to their merits. At almost any 

 other time, we fancy, they would have attracted much attention, but coming 

 as they did, in competition with the Rickett's seedlings, the Lady Washington, 

 the Dutchess, Niagara, Prentiss and Pocklington, and also with a number of 

 fine seedlings from Missouri, they were quite overshadowed. We omit all ex- 

 tended notice of these as they are expected to appear in the report of your 

 standing committee on new fruits. 



A very large and fine collection of alleged Hybrid peaches was also sent by 

 J. D. Husted, of Lowell, Kent county, a few of which had been previously 

 sent us for examination. Those sent to Rochester were mainly one each from 

 seedlings of HilFs Chili, some of which were apparently improvements, in 

 appearance at least, upon the original; but the committee had their ideal so 

 much above the actual Hill's Chili that they failed to discover in these any- 

 thing calling for more than a cursory examination. There was, in fact, 

 throughout the collection a very wonderful similarity to each other. These 

 also may be expected to receive attention from our standing fruit committee. 



Aside from the above-named collections, all of the pledges seem to have 

 come to naught; very probably for the reason that the parties found their en- 

 ergies fully taxed with the effort to secure the requisite collections for the 

 State fair, to occur at the same time. 



Before the adjournment of the Rochester meeting, the location of the meet- 

 ins two years hence beins' under consideration, the delegation from the State 



