FRUIT committee's REPORT. 73 



REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON FRUITS, 



For the Year 1859. 

 BY HON. J. S. CABOT, CHAIRMAN. 



The following is submitted to the Society, by its Standing Committee on 

 Fruits, as their Report for 1859. 



Before making an announcement of the award of the premiums, placed 

 by the Society at its disposition, the Committee presume, that a compliance 

 with a practice that has been adhered to for so long a time as to justify its 

 being considered an established custom, will be expected of them, so far, 

 at least, as to give the result of their experience and observation for the 

 past year, with notices of any new fruits that may have been exhibited, 

 together with such remarks, in reference to fruit and its cultivation, as may 

 seem to them to be called for. 



The fulfilment of this duty, in a manner at all satisfactory, is a task of no 

 easy performance. In Reports of this character, always relating to the 

 same subject and constantly repeated from year to year, there must neces- 

 sarily be much of sameness, even if direct repetition is avoided. The 

 subject admits of no attempts at display, or the announcement of anything" 

 strictly new to create or maintain an interest ; for where, as is the case, the 

 principles of cultivation are generally understood — and the proper applica- 

 tion of these principles to practice, in particular cases, must, in a great 

 measure be the result of experience — all increase of knowledge must be 

 gradual, and no great or brilliant discoveries can be anticipated. 



This is not an occasion to attempt anything like a treatise on Cultivation, 

 but as it may happen that some particular course of treatment, either in 

 respect to soil, manures, exposure or training, in the case of particular 

 varieties, may have been noticed in the practice of the more successful 

 cultivators, hints or suggestions in relation to such particulars may be 

 considered not out of place. 



This is believed to be a matter of some consequence, for there seems 

 sufficient evidence that with some varieties some special treatment is requi- 

 site to obtain the greatest development and highest perfection of which it 

 is susceptible ; and it is on this account that the attention of cultivators is 

 called to this subject. Take, as an instance, the Dorchester blackberries, 

 as exhibited by Messrs. Nugent, Merriam, Foster, and other skilful cul- 

 tivators, and compare them, for size and beauty, with those of the same 

 variety grown under ordinary circumstances, and observe how inferior, in 

 such particulars, these last appear, although these but a short time ago 

 would have been thought the very acme of perfection. 



There seems to be one class of Fruits, and they, too, not without a mer- 

 chantable value, whose improvement appears to have been unattempted. 

 Some of the indigenous berries of the country, as the whortleberry, blue- 

 berry, and thirableberry or blackcap. These seem not unworthy of 



