1876.J 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



95 



With these facts before us, the Kansas State 

 Horticultural Society has created an experimental 

 commission, the purpose of which is to organize 

 and peach culture, which once was hardly 

 thought of as a Pennsylvania crop of any im- 

 portance, is noAV on the increase in many of the 

 southern counties. The president's annual ad- 

 dress took in for its chief topic the profits of the 

 fruit-growing business, in which he took the 

 ground that it seemed to be somewhat overdone 

 — that much more was being raised than there 

 was a good market for, though he thought the 

 present general depression pervading all classes 

 of the community had much to do with this 

 overstocked market, and brought about more 

 sellers than buyers. There was a discussion as 

 to whether the popular impression that a new 

 fruit appearing in any given locality was better 

 than varieties brought from abroad was correct 

 in principle, and the drift of the discussion 

 seemed to be that there was no such rule ; some- 

 times they were and sometimes not. The popu- 

 lar Bartlett pear is an English variety, while the 

 Jucunda strawberry is French, and Triomphe de 

 Gand French is Belgian. On the other hand the 

 Seckel pear is a Philadelphia seedling. There 

 was no rule as to nativity — only " try all things " 

 would show the local adaptations. 



A discussion on " cheap refrigerators for fruits " 

 elicited nothing practical. 



The raising of new fruits by design as hybrids 

 produced an interesting discussion, the essayist 

 opening it taking the ground that a selection of 

 kinds and raising from these, trusting to natural 

 laws of evolution for improvement, had done 

 more towards producing our best fruits than 

 cross-breeding had done or could do. The dis- 

 sent from this view was emphatic on the part of 

 many of the most intelligent members. 



The cultivation of the apple, and the best va- 

 rieties to plant for the various seasons and for 

 profit, seemed the most popular topic introduced, 

 and took up a good part of the time at the 

 society's disposal. The Codling moth, which 

 produces the " wormy fruit," is the worst foe to 

 the apple-grower. Persistent gathering of fallen 

 fixiit, and collecting the eggs by hay bands round 

 the trunks of the trees, will destroy the whole 

 crop of insects in one year, and all for the next 

 year's operations will be only those that may fly 

 from one's neighbors' grounds. 



In plum culture the interesting fact .was 

 brought out that the wild American plum had 

 been so improved as to approach the old-fashioned 



the chance to taste one. These American pluma 

 seem to make themselves at home in our gar- 

 dens. 



In grape culture it seems that the finer varieties, 

 which grow weak and liable to disease, can be 

 grafted on Concord and Clinton roots, and then 

 grow as well and as strong as these popular va- 

 rieties. The French have found this out, and 

 are importing largely of these American kinds 

 for grafting their own kinds for their vineyards. 



[In addition to what has been furnished above 

 by our correspondent we may add that it is 

 one of the most difficult things in the world to 

 give even a synopsis of what takes place at a three- 

 days' meeting of such societies as this. In en- 

 deavoring to condense, the speaker's real point is 

 often lost, and frequently distorted. But one of 

 the best attempts at this condensation was made 

 by the Buck's Co. Intelligencer, from which most of 

 the notices given in the papers have been made, 

 but without fair credit. Though in its six long 

 columns only the briefest heads of the remarks 

 are given the true point is rarely lost. — Ed. G. M.] 



Germantown Horticultural Society — Bego- 

 nias. — Thomas Meehan Esq., Dear Sir. — In your 

 notice of the fall exhibition of The Germantown 

 Agricultural Society, published in the Gardener*9 

 Monthly, there was an error in the name of the 

 exhibitor of the eight Foliage Begonias which 

 received the first premium. At the time I did 

 not think it worth while to call your attention to 

 what I supposed to be a typographical error, but 

 I find that you are still under the impression 

 that they were exhibited by Miller & Hayes. 

 The plants were of my growing and were 

 not from Miller & Hayes as reported. They were 

 rooted 18 months previously, and were shown in 

 8-inch pots. The best one covered a circle of 

 twelve and a half feet in circumference and the 

 others were nearly as large. Yours Respectfully, 



Robert J. Siddall. 



Kansas Horticultural Society. — E. G. says: 

 " Many questions relating to the culture of for- 

 ests, orchards and gardens in Kansas are yet un- 

 settled. We have learned that forest and fruit 

 trees suited to the southern part of KaAsas, are 

 not always a success in the northern portion of 

 the State. We know that trees which promise 

 well south do not succeed in the vicinity of Man- 

 hattan even. We have to accept the fact that 

 the experience of the eastern counties will not 

 avail for western, or even central, Kansas. 



