HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 261 



stand as it is; but if you are going to change it I would make 

 this suggestion, that we need not do away with the $1,000 en- 

 tirely, but let us as a Society have it to put into institute instruc- 

 tion. Transfer it in that direction so that we will get the benefit 

 of it. I just merely throw this out as a suggestion. 



Mr. Sias. I feel exactly as our chairman does in regard to 

 this. I helped, with others, to obtain this appropriation, and as 

 Mr. Gideon seems to be about ready to resign anyway, and about 

 old enough to die, it seeme to me to be better to wait a short 

 time to see what may happen. (Laughter.) 



Col. Stevens said the Society should not lose sight of the fact 

 that Mr. Gideon had originated many valuable seedling apples. 

 He had one superior to Wealthy, the Martha, the Excelsior, or 

 the Gideon. While he is doing this good work he should be en- 

 couraged in it. We are getting the benefit of all these hardy 

 apples for our orchards; why not encourage him to keep on? 



Mr. Pearse. I think that Mr. Gideon's apples have been over- 

 rated and misrepresented altogether. I live three miles from 

 that orchard; I am there frequently. I have examined every 

 variety. Gentlemen, I pretend to be a horticulturist and a fruit 

 grower; Peter M. Gideon hasn't got an apple, except the 

 Wealthy, that I would take under any circumstances, whatever. 



Col, Stevens. Are they not just as good as yours? 



Mr. Pearse. He hasn't a thing that I would take except the 

 Wealthy. That is just the view I take of it; I have had every 

 opportunity to do it and I would not take them. I have never 

 found an apple there but was water-cored, or sour, or of bad 

 quality, small, and all that. His whole secret of success is in 

 '' infusing" the crab in the apple; and you will readily imagine 

 what the result will be. This theory is denounced, I think, by 

 every prominent horticulturist in the land. That is his great 

 claim — infusing the hardiness of the crab into the standard ap- 

 ple. The result is he has got it there and the longer it stays 

 there the worse it becomes; the trees are full of blight and the 

 apples amount to nothing. I think Mr. Gideon has been well paid 

 for the Wealthy apple. He has had his living and his support 

 from that, year after year. He has become independent and he 

 has kicked us out; he has kicked everything out, even his own 

 wife, and he stands aloue and feels above us; a good deal younger 

 than he used to be, is getting yoanger every day; is looking for 

 a new wife, I am told! (Laughter.) 



