Serious Damage to a yVneyard by Liff^/tnhig. 293 



grapes all ai-e American ; thus, out of 151 varieties, all but 37 are American. In 

 the publication of its catalogue and revision of fruit, the Society has done much 

 more than the public have given it credit. In 1848 there were but 54 varieties of 

 fruit recommended. Now the catalogue contains 577 worthy kinds, and 625 varieties 

 have been rejected, making a total of 1,202 varieties, upon which the society has set 

 its seal of approval or rejection. 



The system of giving premiums was very generally discussed and by unanimous 

 vote, the Society is hereafter /orizWew to appropriate any of its funds to the purpose 

 of cash premiums for the display of fruit. But in lieu thereof, the Society have 

 adopted a medal, known as the Wilder medal, to be given to all objects of merit 

 which include both fruit, new seedlings and best essay. 



The business transacted by the Society was most thorough and complete, settling 

 beyond all questions in satisfactory and harmonious manner, subjects which had long 

 excited comment and considerable difference of opinion. The place of next meeting 

 is definitely fixed at Chicago, in 1875, and likewise there will be an extra session at 

 Philadelphia, at the great Centennial Exposition. 



The exercises terminated with a banquet on Friday evening, in Music Hall — 

 given by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society to the members of the American 

 Pomological Society — nearly 1,000 persons were present and both music and social 

 conversation passed away the time most enjoyably, until late at night. Thus closed 

 this most brilliant session of the Society. Its Silver Wedding was appropriately 

 celebrated, and the close of the first quarter century finds the Society in most suc- 

 cessful and popular standing, the strongest and most influential organization of its 



kind in the world. 



♦♦ 



Serious Damage to a Vineyard by Lightning. 



A NEAR neighbor of mine has a very promising young vineyard, rows ten feet 

 apart and 360 feet long ; about midway of the length of the vineyard stands 

 a small chestnut tree 20 feet from the outside row of grapes. On the 26th of June, 

 we had a small thunder shower, this tree was struck by lightning, which came down 

 on two sides of the tree, causing the death of the tree and at least two-thirds of the 

 vines in three rows of the vineyard ; the vines in these three rows are trained to 

 wire, the balance of the vineyard is trained to wooden slats and escaped injury ; the 

 vines at the extreme ends of these three rows suff"ered as badly as those near the 

 tree ; the row nearest the tree was set this last spring, many of the vines not yet 

 reaching the first wire and are supported by stakes. I notice a number killed in this 

 row, where neither the vine or fruit was touching the wire. The ground where the tree 

 stands is being used for Irish potatoes ; they also suffered, the vines being killed 

 immediately under the tree and three rows on either side to the distance of 75 feet ; 

 from this freak I would judge it is not safe to have any trees standing near a vine- 

 yard where wire is used, though a similar occurrence might not take place in the 

 next century. I am of the opinion if wire had been used for the whole of the 

 vineyard the damage would have been much greater, from the fact that the third 

 row from the tree is 40 feet and suffered about as bad as the nearest one. 



Bowling Gree?i, Ky. A. D. Webb. 



