AMERICAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



CONVENED IN BIENNIAL SESSION AT CLEVELAND, OHIO, SEPTEMBER 



7, 8, 9, 1886.* 



OFFICERS. 



President — Parker Earl, Cobden, Illinois. 

 Vice President — T. V. Munson, Denison, Texas. 

 Secretary — W. H. Ragan, Greencastle, Indiana. 

 Treasurer — J. C. Evans, Harlem, Missouri. 



The Mississippi Valley Horticultural Society was organized in 1879, and has 

 held annual meetings until the change in its name was made to American 

 Horticultural Society, when it became generally understood that its sessions 

 should alternate with those of the American Pomological Society, meeting in 

 the even years. 



The convention in 1886 met in Cleveland, Ohio, Tuesday p. m., September 

 7. The meeting was called to order by President Earle in the Board of Trade 

 building, kindly donated by the city for the purpose. But this was soon found 

 to be too noisy for comfort, and the remaining sessions convened in the taber- 

 nacle, in which was spread the exhibits of fruits. 



The attendance was not large but representative, and the meeting through- 

 out interesting and instructive. The condensed statements of Secretary Ragan 

 and Treasurer Evans were received, following which the general topic of 



GRAPES 



was taken up and led by an article from Mr. George Hussman, of Napa, Cal- 

 ifornia, on " The Past, Present, and Future of Grape Growing in California." 

 Mr Hussman spoke enthusiastically of fruit culture in California, where all 

 the fruits of the temperate zone nourish, the apple growing in perfection by 

 the side of the orange and lemon, and the grape grows in perfection and pro- 

 fusion. The wine crop of California is estimated at 20,000,000 of gallons this 

 year. It was formerly supposed that the grape could be grown only by irriga- 

 tion, but now our vineyards look down upon us from the highest tops of the 

 mountains, and there produce their choicest fruits without irrigation. He be- 



*This account of the Cleveland meeting I have compiled from reports in the Country Gentleman, 

 American Rural Home, and Ohio Farmer.— Secy. 



