MICHIGAN STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 87 



or cuttings are reserved subject to the order of the douator of 

 the plant. The end of this must be, if followed up, that any 

 one oflFering, in future years, any new variety of fruit, without 

 the favorable report of this test eonnected therewith, will give 

 reasonable cause, especially to the members of this body, to 

 beware; for it will be reasonable to suppose that, knowing the 

 faihngs of their new sort, they refused to submit it to our 

 test, or, having subjected it to the test, it was found wanting. 

 But, aside from the uses before alluded to, there should be a 

 department devoted to growing seedlings, fruiting only those 

 which, as seedlings, possess marked characteristics. Another 

 department should be devoted to hybridization. All this can 

 be carried on at the same time, and with but little extra 

 expense, and, beyond doubt, will result in producing new 

 varieties of which the Society, and the State at large, may 

 well feel proud. 



So much for a rough outline of the general benefits to be 

 derived from such an institution. On the other hand, it might 

 be said that a test in one portion of the State would not be 

 reliable for another portion. This might have some bearing 

 in testing new kinds, for, owing to climatic differences, a 

 variety which would prove hardy at one point miglit not 

 be sufficiently so in some other section. In consequence, it 

 has been deemed necessary to establish four points, in as many 

 different sections, at which to couduct the tests already begun, 

 but it does not become essentially necessary that any other 

 part of the benefits arising from a Test Garden would be 

 deprived of their usefulness on account of the locality at 

 which it was placed, provided that location was central. 



The last and great difficulty to be overcome, is to secure the 

 means sufficient to carry the work to a successful issue, a 

 portion of which must be furnished by the members of the 

 Society. For, although there are several towns which will 

 undoubtedly bid liberally to secure the location of this garden, 

 v/ith its monthly gatherings and its annual crowds, yet there 



