parkin;;, iiiarketinGr. and the great arts of keeping, dr}'ing, and preserving. The 

 deuianil t«»r fruits may, if necessar}', be increased almost an liundred-fold, l)y tlie apj>li- 

 cation of science and art in perfecting modes of preparing fruits for tlie use of our 

 lleots of passenger and merchant vessels, for export to distant countries, and for the use 

 of our population, both in city and country, during the long winter months, when, as 

 at present, no fresh fruit is to be had, save an A])ple. We liad a letter from a friend 

 of oure, the other day, on this subject, stating that he had endeavored to enlist our 

 State Agricultural Society in this matter, and induce it to encourage some expenments. 

 The matter is important enough to claim the Society's attention, but we have sufficient 

 faith in the energy and ingenuity of our people, to believe that as soon as fniits beconn; 

 abundant, or rather superabundant, and cease to command such high prices in the 

 fresh state as they now do, that successful modes of preserving, drying, &c., on a largo 

 scale, will not long be wanting. " Necessity is the mother of invention ;" and when 

 the necessity presses, the invention will speedily follow. 



A society has just been organized, under the title of "The Fruit Growers' Society of 

 Western New York," which announces its object to be, "the advancement of the science 

 of pomology and the art of fruit-culture." It embraces the twenty-three western coun- 

 ties* of the State of New York, and in each county there is appointed a committee of 

 three persons, selected from among the most intelligent, experienced, and zealous culti- 

 vators of fruit. These twenty-three county committees unitedly form one general com- 

 mittee, which has a chairman, who will receive all their reports, and prepare them for 

 publication at the end of the year. By way of suggesting a course of inquiry to the 

 local committees, and also for the purpose of facilitating the work of making up reports, 

 the chairman of the general committee has issued a circular in which the moi'e inij)or- 

 tant subjects for inquiry are brought forward in the form of questions, thus : 



STATISTICAL INQUIRIES. 



1. About how much land, in your county, is there occupied with fruit trees? 



2. About how many fruit trees are there under cultivation in yonr county, exclusive of 

 nurseries; and how many of these are Apple, Pear, Peach, Plum, Cherry, &c.? 



3. What would you estimate the annual produce of fruit to be in your county, in bushels 

 or other given quantities; and how does the culture of fruits compare with ordinary field 

 crops, as to profit ? 



4. "Wliat quantity of fruits are sold annually from your count)', and their value per 

 bushel, barrel, &c.? 



5. IIow many nurseries of fruit trees are there in your county ; how many acres of land 

 do they occupy; and about how many trees of the different fruits have they under cultiva- 

 tion ? [It may also be well to add, when convenient, particulars relative to the value of 

 the land, labor employed, &c.] 



INQUIRIES CONCERNING SOIL, CLIMATE, CULTIVATION, 

 VARIETIES OF FRUIT, &c. 



1. Face or the Cotintrt. — Is it low or elevated, level or hilly, wooded or otherwise; 

 and what situation and exposure do you find most favorable for orchards and fruit gardens? 

 Uave you observed any instances where shelter has been of very obvious advantage ? 



* Oswego, Onondaga, Cortland, Broome, Cayuga, Tompkins, Tioga, Chemung, Seneca, WajTie, Ontario, Tales, 

 Steuben, Monroe, Livingston, Allegany, Orleans, Genesee, Wyoming, Niagara, Erie, Cattaraugus, CHautauque. 



