WEST MICHIGAN FRUIT GROWERS' SOCIETY. 149 



«iou Houses and usked for an explanation. The commission men made the 

 matter satisfactory to him! 



W. B. Andruss: I have a large number of varieties in my orchard, consist- 

 ing of summer, autumn, and winter apples. They are not equally valuable 

 for productiveness and quality. I have secured scions of the different kinds 

 and grafted them into the tops of some of my trees, and in some instances I 

 have three or more sorts grafted into one tree. I do this for the purpose of 

 testing them. In this manner I have tried nearly one hundred varieties. Of 

 course, many of them are not worthy of cultivation for market, but the 

 quality in some cases is excellent. There is only a comparatively small per- 

 centage of this number really valuable for market. I consider the following 

 list as embracing the really good dessert apples : Primate, Lowell, Pomrae- 

 water, Gravenstein, Hawley, Melon, Belmont, Jonathan, Northern Spy, 

 Grimes' Golden. 



J. L. Hopkins : The Baldwin is a valuable apple and has perhaps paid bet- 

 ter and been sold for more money than any other one sort ; but with all this 

 it has some defects. The tree is not hardy, and the quality cannot be said to 

 be number one. The Stark is hardy, an immense bearer, keeps better than 

 the Baldwin, of better quality, and equal in size and color; it is one of the 

 best market varieties for Michigan. 



GRAPES. 



The president here announced that one hour would be devoted to grapes, 

 and called upon Joseph Lannin to lead in the discussion of that topic. 



Mr. Lannin said elevations having natural air and water drainage, as a 

 rule, are better adapted to fruit than level or lower ground. Good strong 

 soil should be always preferred. This is true with the grape. There are dif- 

 ferent methods practiced in training the vine, and each has its advocates and 

 each has merits in a greater or less degree. More depends upon a good soil 

 and location, with a proper care, than upon the particular method of training. 

 Like nearly all kinds of fruit, there are comparatively few varieties of grape 

 adapted to this section, that can be called profitable. We have black, white, 

 red grapes, and some one of each color may be said to be superior to the 

 others. Soil, location, and methods of cultivation might change the relative 

 value of some of the varieties commonly grown. All things considered, the 

 Worden for black, Brighton for red, and Niagara for white, are best. The 

 Niagara is perhaps the best white grape. The vine is a strong grower, hardy, 

 and productive ; the quality is good. He has now 400 Niagara vines in bearing ; 

 would plant tJie Niagara in preference to all others. The Diamond is highly 

 spoken of. The Woodruff has some advocates and is undoubtedly a good grape, 

 but too late for this part of the state. It is later than the Brighton. 



President Phillips agreed with Mr. Lannin in regard to Worden, Brighton 

 and Niagara. In Ottawa and^ent counties the Niagara is free from rot and 

 decidedly the most productive of any variety grown. No other kind yields 

 so readily to the influence of proper care and training, or pays better in rich 

 returns for fertilizers and culture, than the Niagara. He has forty-one varie- 

 ties, but prefers the Niagara to any and all of them. 



C. Engle, of Paw Paw, has grown seedling grapes for several years and is 

 testing a large number of such at present. He said not more than one in 

 every 100 proved to be better or even as good as the parent variety ; had the 



