186 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



In this matter of judging ])y points, those of us who have 

 had experience are called experts, but a good many of you 

 in your experience iind it very difficult to judge collections 

 because the tests of one individual may differ from another^ 

 and there are never two collections brought in which are of 

 precisely the same conditions ; besides, many times the judg- 

 ment is made as to quantity, and the award is given to the 

 person wdio brings in the largest variety, rather than the 

 best. So I think we want to discourage the idea of collec- 

 tions in all of our exhibitions in Massachusetts, but bring it 

 up and put Baldwins by Baldwins and Gravensteins by 

 Grave nsteins. If there are twenty or thirty or forty ex- 

 hibitors, and the more the better, their fruit side by side, 

 by such tests you can judge them intelligently and equitably, 

 and you are doing a great deal of service, in my judgment, 

 to the horticulture of Massachusetts. There are some vari- 

 eties that are of no use only to count. There are too many 

 varieties, as was said by my friend, upon the market for 

 profit, and I think our horticultural society is doing a good 

 work in coming down to a scale of points, and also encourag- 

 ing; but a few varieties. 



Now, I have talked at random, but I think those are a few 

 points that are worthy of careful consideration and attention. 



Mr. J. C. Newhall (of Conway). Formerly we used ta 

 raise peaches very abundantly all around Massachusetts, but 

 of late years we cannot raise any. When I was in Chicago 

 in the Massachusetts Building one morning with a friend, he 

 said, "Here are some peaches which have come here this 

 morning." I looked at them, — the most magnificent basket 

 of peaches I ever saw. Said I, " AVhere are these from?'' 

 He said, "These came from Massachusetts, and got here 

 this morning, a new variety." They were said to be the 

 Crosby peach, and I want to ask Mr. Wood if he knows 

 anything about them. 



Mr. Wood. Yes, sir. They made their appearance, I 

 think, on our tables three years ago this last season, and it 

 is claimed for this variety that where it has been set in the 

 orchard side by side with the old varieties, in seasons when 

 the fruit buds on the old varieties have been substan- 

 tially all killed it has produced a very satisfactory crop. 



