THE ANNUAL MEETING. 171 



does not bear well with ns. King of Tompkins County grows watery and does 

 not compare with Canada Red as a keeper. Peck's Pleasant conies the nearest to 

 the stardard of the Rhode Island Greening ; tree agood grower, good bearer, fruit 

 excellent, but does not hold its flavor as late as the Greening, nor is it as uni- 

 form in size. All the different kinds of Russets do well here, but do not sell 

 for as much as others, unless kept till all others are out of the market; then 

 they will only bring about what the others did when in the market; so I can 

 see no reason for growing an inferior fruit for late keeping, unless one should 

 make a business of growing the Pennocks for the southern trade, where they 

 take them for their looks and not for their value as a dessert or for cooking. 



Now a word about early fruit. I have never known early apples to pay in 

 this section for even marketing, say nothing of the expense of growing. Most 

 of the early apples do well hero in central Michigan, and every orchardist, of 

 course, wants a few for his own use, and there is always surplus enough for 

 our own markets. While I have only had two years' experience in buying and 

 marketing fruit in distant markets, I have all my life been interested in grow- 

 ing apples (as well as all other kinds of fruit), and with an orchard of seven hun- 

 dred trees on my land to begin with I found I had only thirty-nine varieties, and 

 have (until within the last few years) been successful in walking off with the 

 first premium on the largest number of varieties exhibited by one man, at our 

 central Michigan fair. I now have the orchard down to about fifteen kinds, 

 and still find, so far as market is concerned, that I have tliirteen varieties 

 too many for convenience or profit. 1 find that almost all of the large 

 orchards about here are a good deal as mine was, and that every owner feels 

 just as I do about it, although they would not all agree with me about what to 

 discard or what to keep. 



Now iu closing I will say that I believe this society could impart no more 

 useful information to the planters of Michigan than to inform them through 

 your reports what few varieties out of so very many would be the most profit- 

 able for the different portions of the State. 



Mr. G. Cowing, of Muncie, was quoted as follows upon 



PROFITABLE BLACKBERRIES. 



I have carefully tested every blackberry of especial promise that has 

 appeared since the introduction of the Lawton and have found but three 

 varieties that have proved profitable in this latitude, — Snyder, Wallace, and 

 Taylor's Prolific. They are more hardy than any other varieties and have 

 passed through severe winters and produced a full crop of fruit when all other 

 kinds were killed to the ground. Last winter, for the first time since their 

 introduction, they were materially injured by intense frosts and droughts, and 

 yielded but little fruit this season ; but such a winter was never before seen by 

 the oldest inhabitant, and its like may not recur during the present generation. 

 These varieties arc all free from rust, a disease so injurious to Kittatinny, and 

 which also affects Western Triumph. Snyder is the first to ripen. Its berries 

 are sweet as soon as they color and are of medium size. It is a strong, upright 

 grower and inclined to overbear, but that inclination may be controlled by 

 pruning. Wallace ripens a week later than Snyder; berries above medium 

 size, of exquisite flavor, and produced in great profusion ; as hardy as Snyder. 

 The broad, round leaves of this variety and Snyder, unlike the foliage of any 

 other kind, indicate a probable relationship between the two. Taylor's prolific 

 ripens last. It is very productive and its berries have the delicious flavor of 



