PROCEEDINGS OF THE ANNUAL MEETING 235 



A Member: I would like to hear the opiuion of the president on 

 Elberta, Kalamazoo, and Chair peaches. 



The President: My opinion of Elberta is that we are not quite pre- 

 paied to judge fully of it, but at present I am impressed with the idea 

 that it is one of the very best things in sight. The past season it has 

 shown up better than anything- else through the whole lake shore 

 region, I think. It has fruited with me three years, and I am very 

 favorably impressed with it. I have only one thousand trees of Elberta, 

 but wish I had ten thousand; I would take my chances on them. The 

 buds are peculiar in one respect, in their hardiness; but there is a 

 ^^ifi'erenee in buds, in hardiness, under different conditions, I have dis- 

 covered. In a normal condition we can depend upon certain varie- 

 ties to be hardier than under certain other conditions. In the spring, 

 conditions change entirely, and Elberta appears to be, as a partially 

 developed bud, much hardier than anything else of which I know, 

 and that is a point worth considering in any location where we are 

 likely to have them started by warm weather in the winter. As to 

 its hardiness otherwise, as compared with our Michigan varieties, it 

 is not up with Lewis, Gold Drop, nor Kalamazoo, but it is pretty 

 close to it, and it is much better than Crawford or anything of that 

 class. Kalamazoo is said to be identical with Brunson. If this is 

 true, you may discuss them both together, but I do not know that it 

 i§. I know that those who have both say it is. 



Mr. Lyon: It can riot be, as I have it. • 



The President: It can not be, as a matter of fact, I think, except 

 that it might be practically identical, because Brunson originated in 

 Benton Harbor, while Kalamazoo originated with Mr. Stearns, in Kala- 

 mazoo; consequently they are not identical (there is no question about 

 the origin of the two trees). Kalamazoo is a handsome, medium-size 

 yellow peach with a slight red cheek, a little oblong, of clearest skin, 

 free from blemishes, apparently very hardy, and commences to bear 

 right away; my trees bear right away and show fruit buds in the 

 nurserv; mv trees that are eight vears old have alwavs borne and 

 had to be thinned. 



Mr. Hale: What is its season of ripening? 



The President: Its season is about ten days after Early Crawford. 



Q. How about Chair? The President: I do not know the peacli at 

 all, though I have seen it. It is a remarkabl}' fine peach, but as to 

 its qualities I do not know. 



Q. How about Fitzgerald? The President: Fitzgerald is a new thing 

 and a man ouglit not to say too much about it now, but I am prob;ib]y 

 more favorably impressed with that than anything in sight. It is of 

 Canadian origin. It should be a good thing, as the report on it is that 

 it has proved hardy there. I hope Professor Craig can tell us some- 

 tliing of that before we get done with it. With me it has been fruiting 

 two years, commencing on one-year-old trees. They showed up finely 

 lasl vear. At two vears old thev bore from a few samples to half a 

 bushel to the tree. I have a hundred of those out, I thiuk. They are 

 of size equal to Crawford and ihey are much moi-e brilliant in color 

 than Crawford. I was talking with 3Ir. Hale about it todav. He seems 



