STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 117 



There have been two meetings of the council during the year, but 

 circumstances prevented my being present at the April meeting. 

 It was my pleasure, however, shortly after to meet Prof. Jordan 

 and to confer with him in regard to fruit matters at the Station. In 

 this connection it is gratifying to note that Prof. Jordan and his 

 associates are earnestly trying to do all that it is possible for the 

 interests of the great objects represented by the Pomological Society. 



As yet in the matter of fruit culture and horticulture, I will say 

 simply this ; that I am not satisfied ; but T will qualify it by saying, 

 that nothing ^could be done within the short time that the Station 

 has been at work that would satisfy me ; because in this practical 

 world of ours, I have always looked at results, immediate and 

 abundant, as connected with enterprises as the great desideratum ; 

 but I will say that there are at work in the institution a corps of 

 interested and devoted men ; men whom I consider well qualified 

 and desirous of doing the work which the agricultural interests of the 

 State need to have done ; but at the same time we shouldn't go to 

 sleep over the matter and think that these gentlemen, however good 

 thej' may be, are going to do what we want them to, unless we show 

 them that we are interested in the object, and sort of look after them 

 and see that they do it. 



There is one matter suggested by the paper of Mr. Nutting and it 

 is this — the consideration of varieties adapted to those sections of 

 the State where fruit growing has not yet become an established 

 industry. It is a work which has been begun and I hope it may be 

 successfully developed. It is one of the problems which we want 

 the Station to aid in solving. 



There is still another although I have spoken of it before, which 

 is this : I do not believe yet that we have got the utmost perfection 

 in our fruit. To be sure the specimens spread out here, are very 

 handsome, but I think there is not a variety on this table that 'has 

 all the excellent qualities combined. We have the Baldwin which is 

 good for the market but not as good as the Northern Spy for ihe 

 dessert. 



Now the work of the Station which we hope ma}' be carried out, 

 will be to take the excellent qualities of the two and other varieties 

 and by crossing them up produce new varieties that shall possess 

 more excellent qualities ; so we may not only grow the handsomest 

 fruit in the country, but also grow the best in every respect. It is 

 one of the problems propounded to Prof. Munson as the representa- 



