WEST MICHIGAN FRUIT GROWERS' SOCIETY. 189' 



Mr. prane, replying to a question, said the Miner looks like the Wild Goose, 

 only it is a dark purplish red — and good, too, when fully ripe. 



PREFERRED SORTS OF GRAPE AND PEAR. 



Joseph Lannin, of South Haven, was on the programme for a paper on 

 " Best Varieties of Fruit to Grow," but he chose to talk instead. Excusing 

 himself from saying anything about apples or peaches, on the ground of 

 unfamiliarity with them, he addressed himself first to grapes. 



If any are intending to plant the grape they should beware of putting out 

 two many sorts. One, two, or at most three are suflficient for commercial 

 purposes. It is bad policy to have many kinds, for comparatively few are 

 profitable. The grape needs a certain kind of soil and situation for its best 

 development. It should be placed on high locations and the soil should be 

 clay or loam with gravel subsoil. Of varieties, the Delaware is the standard 

 of red grapes, as to quality, yet it is not profitable except in rare instances. 

 The Brighton pays better. It has a bunch three times as large as the Dela- 

 ware; the quality of the two is nearly equal; it is a strong grower and a 

 magnificent grape in every way. Among black grapes the Concord, when 

 well grown, is hard to beat; but the Worden, all in all, is preferable. The 

 Niagara is the best of all the many white grapes ; yet three others are well 

 known, Pocklington, Empire State, and Moore's Diamond, a new one. 

 None of these compare with Niagara. It requires the best of locations, 

 qecause of its habit of strong growth. While what has been said of com- 

 mercial grape growing is true, an amateur grower will find it well to have a 

 vine or two of each of the better sorts, for purpose of observation, experi- 

 ment, or comparison. The very best soil for grapes is that sort of clay 

 which has lime in it. Preference should be given a northren slope, to a 

 southern one, the latter being most undesirable of all. 



Of pears, 400 or more varieties are known and catalogued, but many are 

 worthless in Michigan. The best of these for market are also the best for 

 dessert, as is the case with peaches also. I have now 400 pear trees. The 

 slugs killed 100 — they will kill a tree in three years. If now about to plant 

 an orchard, I would set, for one sort, Clapp's Favorite. It is a handsome pear, 

 of fair quality, and will not rot at the core unless allowed to ripen on the tree, 

 which should not be permitted. The Bartlett is well known and popular 

 (many Goodales are sold for Bartletts on the Chicago market). Louise Bonne 

 is handsome, scarcely medium in size, an early bearer, and sells well. Shel- 

 don is russet till ripe and then a beautiful golden yellow, very rich, fine, 

 hardy, sells well, and not much attacked by the slug. There are two sorts 

 of pear leaves, hard and soft. The slug prefers the latter, and Bartlett most 

 of all. Finest of all pears, but not much cultivated, is the Bosc. It grows 

 slowly, not bearing till the eighth year, but enormously every year after- 

 ward. It has magnificent leaves which hold on late to the tree and so facil- 

 itate formation of fruit buds. It needs good ground, and when well grown it 

 sells high. I would advise the setting of a few in each orchard. The Fred- 

 erick Clapp and the Anjou are very fine, though in the market the green 

 color of the latter is somewhat against it — still, it sells pretty well. Clair- 

 geau is very coarse and grainy. The Bosc may be top-grafted into any other 

 sort. The Duchess is a very large pear and pretty good if grown as a dwarf and 

 properly trimmed, but worthless as a standard. The dwarf Duchess will 



