234 ANNUA.L REPORT 



hall was elaborately decorated with evergreens, plants, ferns and 

 flowers. The am^Dle tables, arranged in the form of a hollow 

 square, were well laden with a remarkably fine exhibit of fruits, 

 including numerous varieties of grapes, over forty varieties of 

 pears, many varieties of apples and peaches, thirty varieties of 

 plums of every color, etc. Mr. Cushman of Euclid, exhibited 

 fifty varieties of graj^es, and Mr. Hubbard of Fredonia, N. Y., 

 a new seedling showing twenty-five large bunches of white 

 grapes on three feet of wood. Seventy-five varieties of apples 

 were exhibited by a local society, and one fine exhibit from 

 Mississippi included twenty-nine varieties of apples, besides se- 

 veral varieties of pears. 



There was not a large attendance of delegates owing to the 

 fact that railway managers refused to make any reduction in 

 rates of fare and members of the society being detained at fairs 

 and other gatherings held at about the same time. About half 

 the states were represented, however, quite a number of the 

 leading horticulturists of the country being present; the larger 

 portion of those in attendance represented local horticultural 

 societies, and citizens of Cleveland. Ontario, Canada, had a 

 representative, and one delegate from Japan was present. For 

 want of space we can give only a brief outline of the proceed- 

 ings, as gleaned from notes taken and fron)( newspaper reports 

 of the meetings. 



President Parker Earle presided at all the meetings with his 

 usual ability and grace. Secretary Eagan presented the financial 

 status of the Society, which showed a balance of $173.12 on the 

 right side. He then read a paper on • ' The past, present and 

 future of grape culture in California," by Geo. Husmann, of that 

 state. He thinks California is pre-eminently the horticultural 

 state of the Union, as fruits of the temperate zone flourish side 

 by side with those of the troj)ics. From an exj)erience of five 

 years there he gives a brief outline of grape culture in that state 

 since 1874, when the Mission Grape was the only variety known 

 there. Now he says they have nearly four hundred sorts, and 

 expect to produce 20,000,000 gallons of wine this year, equal in 

 quality to any on the globe. "Our raisins are competing with 

 the finest London 'layers;' our table grapes go to' every city in 

 the Union. We have the best climate under the sun to produce 

 a perfect product; have learned all about location, soil, varieties; 

 can handle the product better, have fewer diseases, and we can 

 furnish the world with better and cheaper wines, raisins, table 



