^ Annual Meeting at St. Joseph. 12? 



South Havex, Mich., Xov. 10, 1884. 



L. A. Goodman, Sec. Mo. Horticultural Society, 



Dear Sir : I have, for a considerable time, been very busy 

 arranging for the collecting of specimens of our fruits, for exhi- 

 tion at New Orleans ; and find your favor of 23rd ult., upon my 

 table, on my return home. A few years since, a friend sent me a 

 few persimmon seed, grown in Southern Indiana. Understanding 

 that this tree is indigenous there, as I understand it to be in your 

 state, and that the thermometer in your latitude occasionally in 

 winter gets down among the twenties below zero, while here it 

 never runs down below sixteen, I planted these seeds, and suc- 

 ceeded in growing quite a number of the trees, hoping to succeed 

 with them, and possibly to mature the fruit. Several of them are 

 now fine trees, six or seven feet in height ; and, while a few of 

 them have stood unprotected through a number of rather severe 

 winters, others have been more or less winter killed ; and four or 

 five, out of about a dozen planted out in the spring of 1883, were 

 killed outright by the past winter. I am curious to learn whether 

 or not they are ever injured with you, and whether our seasons (in 

 latitude forty-three) are likely to be sufficiently long to allow the 

 fruit to mature. Very truly yours, 



T. T. LYON. 



Newburgh, K Y. , Oct. 29, 1884. 

 L. A. Goodman, 



Dear Sir : Your favor of the 24th at hand, and in reply say 

 that I would be pleased to comply with your request if my mental 

 and physical ability wouldjpermit — my back is so painful that I am 

 unable to answer the many letters I receive in answer to inquiries 

 relating to names of fruits, and as to my opinion as to their merits ; 

 also, specimens of fruits come in daily to name, &c., &c., so that 

 I have not time even to answer all to accomplish all. I am still 

 suffering from the injury I received in my back two years since so 

 that I have but little use of it and can only walk a few rods at a 

 tipie, and the spine being injured, there is little if any encour- 

 agement. 



With best wishes for your health and welfare, I remain, 



Very truly yours, 



CHAS. DOWNING. 



