172 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTUEAL SOCIETY. 



ductive it may prove' to be desirable. The Committee have 

 thought it proper to award to Mr. Smith the Societj-'s Silver 

 Medal for its introduction. 



Apples. — This year being the even year we expected a large 

 crop of apples, and we were not disappointed. It has become a 

 settled fact that we do have large crops of apples every even year. 

 Now, if anj^ persons can change the bearing year of their orchards 

 from the even to the odd year, they will be sure to realize much 

 larger prices for their fruit ; but the bearing of only a few trees in 

 an orchard which has produced a large crop the previous 3'ear does 

 not amount to much, for the apple maggot, and the larvae of the 

 codling moth and curculio, have escaped in such large numbers the 

 previous year, as to be able to puncture and spoil nearly all the 

 fruit from a few trees. There appear to be three causes atfecting 

 the conditions of our apple trees, which fully account for the large 

 crop of fine apples. First, the verj^ small crop of 1877 ena'bling 

 the trees to perfect their fruit buds for the crop of 1878. Second, 

 the much smaller number of insects to prey upon the .young fruit, 

 from the fact that they were starved out the previous year. Third, 

 the favorable season, in which the abundance of rain gave 

 moisture enough to cause the fruit to grow of large size. The 

 apples shown during the whole season have been ver}' large, fair, 

 handsome, and of fine quality — perhaps never better. At the 

 Annual Exhibition, there were four hundred and eight plates of 

 apples on the tables, all of them of fine quality. 



Pears. — The crop of pears has been much smaller this year 

 than usual ; there were apprehensions at one time that we should 

 have only meagre shows of this fruit, but there has been a good 

 exhibition the whole season, and in size and quality the specimens 

 have been fully up to the average. We have found sulficient com- 

 petition on prize da3s to cause nearly all the prizes to be awarded, 

 and have had to pass by many fine dishes of this fruit. 



At the Annual Exhibition there were shown on the tables three 

 hundred and seventy -four dishes of pears ; very large, smooth, 

 handsome specimens. 



Of the new seedlings, Clapp's No. 64 was shown in April ; this 

 is a sweet pear of only second rate quality, but its keeping so late 

 in the season maj' make it a very desirable pear. Messrs. Clapp's 

 Seedling No. 22, or Frederick Clapp, still maintains its character, 

 and is a first rate pear. There have been a few other seedlings 



