2i2 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OP THE 



DECEMBER MEETING. 



The December meeting was held at the society's rooms, 

 Fuller's Bank. 



President Thompson in the chair. 



The reading of the minutes of last meeting was postponed. 



There was a very line display of fruit from the Grand 

 Traverse region. Mr. Geo. S. Parmelee of Old Mission, who 

 moved from St. Joseph county to Grand Traverse some twenty 

 years ago, has an orchard of about one hundred acres, on 

 which he grows a large variety of fruits, and the apples 

 and pears he sent were specimens of what well-established 

 trees will do in that region. The sorts shown included the 

 Fall Pippin, Baldwin, Rhode Island Greening, Maiden's Blush, 

 Jonathan, Eoxbury Russet, Golden Russet, Cayuga Redstreak, 

 Ben Davis, and Golden Sweet. There were also some White 

 Doyenne and Vicar of Winkfield pears. The Vicars were in 

 good condition, but the others were much dried up. Nearly 

 all of these were fine specimens of the various sorts, but tho 

 Rhode Island Greenings were remarkable as large, well colored, 

 and handsome. The Cayuga Redstreaks were high colored 

 and showy. The Roxbury Russets were noticed as being a 

 smaller size than usual, but free from all russet on the skin, 

 and some seemed inclined to doubt their genuineness. The 

 Ben Davis was a medium-sized, longish, conical-shai^ed apple, 

 a native of the Southern States, where it is much grown. 

 There was also some discusion as to the apple shown as the 

 Golden Svveet, a medium-sized apple, roundish, of a clear 

 yellowish green, with a bright red blush on one side. Mr. "W. 

 V. Blakely of Grand Rapids pronounced it the Michael Henry 



