PROCEEDINGS OF THE ANNUAL MEETING. 23» 



Mr. Stearns: So far as that matter is concerned, if plenty' of aslies 

 is used, tliat will be all right. I can add color to nearly any peach 

 by use of plenty of ashes. 



The President: I can color a peach by opening out the tree so that 

 it gets sufficient sunlight and then giving it potash. Have you noticed 

 a tendency in p]lberta, in the south, to drop very quickly after ripening? 



Mr. Hale:#I have noticed it with my neighbors; I have never had 

 any trouble with it myself. It is a peach that comes to maturity very 

 quickl}', and it must be picked sharply on time; but that is our duty; 

 that is no objection; I think it is a good thing, it spurs a man on to 

 attend to his business right on time; that is no objection, it is one 

 of the advantages. 



Mr. Eork: Is not its season of ripening a little against us here? 

 It ripens when there are so many good kinds going to market. Now, 

 so far as we have observed, the good later classes of peach are bring- 

 ing us better prices than the early ones, and especially those peaches 

 that come right in when there are a good many good varieties in 

 market. I have Elberta, and, so far as I have seen, it ripens when 

 there are plenty of other good peaches in the market. There is a 

 peach that I have not heard mentioned at all, the Garfield. It ripens 

 almost with Early Crawford, but perhaps we will say just after; it 

 is as large, it has better color, it has better quality, and my trees 

 are nine years old; and since they have been able to bear have never 

 failed to bear a good crop, and generally have to be thinned. Elberta 

 comes soon after it, very soon, and I am a little doubtful about its 

 desirability^ in my case. Then you speak of Chair. With us it is about 

 the best peach of the season. The only thing we are not settled about 

 is whether it is hardy enough, but it is hardier than Crawford. It 

 is a good bearer, bears heavily, is a good tree, and ripens at just 

 about the right time. 



The President: Answering Mr. Eork, I should say that the time of 

 ripening of Elberta is against the other kind, because when Elberta 

 comes it takes the market here. 



Mr. Richardson: I would like to enquire if Wheatland is consid- 

 ered a strictly freestone peach? 



The President: Not in 189G. It was before that. 



Mr. Richardson: Well, it is generally admitted to be, is it not, in 

 a general way? 



The President: I presume that nearly every peach-grower here under- 

 stands that we had peculiar conditions in ISOG. Many of our free- 

 storic varieties, known freestones, or former freestones, that you could 

 throw a pit right out of, were everywhere clings. Wh(»atland clung 

 very badly, and many other kinds were semi-cling that 1 had never 

 seen cling before. They were fully develo])ed, yet very many of our 

 genuine freestones were semi-clings. 



Mr. Richardson: I noticed on our market Wheatlands looked very 

 beautiful, were of fine -color; and I spoke to one of our buyers, say- 

 ing, "There are some very fine peaches for you this morning." He 

 said, "I don't want them — they are clingstones." I said, ''I was not 

 awar( that AVheatlnnd was considered a clingstone." but he was preju- 



