PROCEEDINGS OF THE FARMERS' CLUB. 235 



Dr. Guernsey argued that the milk-weed fibre was better than 

 flux or cotton, because it Avas permanently colored by analine dyes. 



Michigan as a Fruit Region. 



Mr. Phineas Allyn, St. Joseph, Mich., says : " The thern^ome- 

 ter ran from S'^ to 21*^ below zero last winter, being the coldest 

 where least protected. The spring was cold and frosty. Berries 

 produced about half a crop, and apples not more than a fourth 

 one; grapes almost an entire failure. Many vines killed outright, 

 among which lona and Delaware suffered badly. Concord and 

 Hariford stood it better. Peaches scarce one-tenth of a crop, yet 

 crop enough. From cholera fright and other causes, peaches have 

 not brought as much as last year, when we were shipping from 

 St. Joseph 5,000 to 10,000 baskets per day. About the Agricul- 

 turist strawberry I wrote you last year. That letter seemed to 

 be understood tiiat it was not hardy here. 1 did not desiifn to 

 convey that idea. I stated iacts of failures of plants to grow that 

 had been received from C. Judd, J. Knox, &c. I will now state 

 that the survivors and their progeny seem to have stood the last 

 cold winter well, and siiow a vigorous growth of plant ahead of 

 anything else. Mine bear splendid specimens of fruit, and I think 

 if they can bear water-carriage 60 miles to Chicago, they will 

 become one of our market strawberries. The Triomphe de Gand 

 is in dishonor this year, but I think should not be condemned for 

 one failure. It has been a good market berry heretofore. I mar- 

 keted this year, from one-fourth of an acre of Triomphs, in tirst- 

 ratc order, seven bushels. They brought from $8 to .$12 per 

 bushel. The Wilson still holds its pre-eminence as a market 

 berry. I heard a nurserymaJi the other day declare that 'No 

 other but Wilson's Al))any was worthj^ of cultivation.' Yet I did 

 not quite believe it. I picked and mfci'keted this year, from one- 

 tenth of an acre of Wilson's a little over twenty-five bushels, and 

 sold them at $6 to $9.50 per bushel, netting over $150." 



Mr. P. T. Quinn. — One of the very important facts which straw- 

 berry culturists should learn, is that some varieties require much 

 higher cultivation tiian others. That is the case with Triomphe 

 de Gand. It needs doul)le the amount of attention and manure 

 that Wilson does. Adaptability to location is another great thing. 

 There is no more successful variety than Hovey in the vicinitv of 

 Boston. 



