1865.] secretary's report. 103 



tables. It can scarcely be esteemed a full compensation, that the Vicar of Wink- 

 field never bore more freely, nor was its quality, such as it is, of higher grade. 

 Is it necessary to add to all this — what must be unpleasantly known to your 

 individual experience — that the Pears which were grown ripened prematurely, 

 aud this so universally that it would be difRcult to name a member of the 

 Society, accustomed to take an interest in its transactions, who could now 

 exhibit a plate of perfect specimens ? The smaller Fruits were almost as 

 seriously affected by the adverse character of the season. Cherries, at their 

 period of bloom, were almost wholly blasted by the severe storm of cold wind 

 and rain then raging. Only in a few localities in this city, in Pleasant, Port- 

 land and Trumbull streets, where it appears ahnost impossible to entirely des- 

 troy the vitality of the Cherry buds, was there even a partial crop. And it 

 was a matter of personal observation, on the part of your Secretary, that 

 almost every tree, upon those streets, tha^ yielded at all, produced the light- 

 colored varieties. Would this fact indicate that superior hardiness may be pre- 

 dicated from the color of the Fruit, when once known ? It is certainly not 

 destitute of some kind of significance. Raspberries, including our Native and 

 Improved, Black Cap, were literally burned up by the drought. In one very 

 small plantation familiar to your Secretary, consisting of Franconia and Ameri- 

 can Purple Cane, a fair crop was obtained from canes shortened in to two and 

 a half feet in order to defer their time of production, which was thereby pro- 

 tracted until the fall rains. The Raspberry can scarcely have a location too 

 shaded, or where the soil is too deeply trenched, too thoroughly mulched, too 

 moist or too rich. Although the Strawberry is excessively fond of moisture, it 

 yet suffered less than other Fruits of a similar nature from the unprecedented 

 dryness of the summer, owing to the greater pains taken with it by cultivators. 

 When not thickly mulched, the stools are generally watered. A true lover of 

 this most delicious of all Fruits will never weary of the labor requisite to 

 procure a crop. As an illustration of what may be accomplished by assiduity 

 and judgment, your Secretary would cite the case of Mr. Charles Richard- 

 son, of this city, who exhibited, for four weeks in succession, dishes of the 

 Triomphe de Gand that could hardly be surpassed in appearance or quality. 

 And for the present, at least, it would seem that the palm of supremacy, within 

 the jurisdiction of this Society, must fiiirly rest with that most prolific, hardy 

 and high-flavored variety. At our second Summer Exhibition, in 1804, our 

 esteemed Vice President, Hon. Paul Whitin, first astonished our contributors, 

 while vainly challenging their competition, by the richness of color, uniform 

 size and remarkable flavor of his specimens of the Triomphe. It evidently 

 loves generous culture and clean tillage. Nor is there much dispute that it 

 should be grown in hills — if two (2) feet apart when planted, so much the 

 better, — be well moistened from the inception of blooming until at least the 

 coloring of the Fruit, and kept free from runners, save where new plants 

 are desired above aught else. There are other varieties which do well in par- 

 ticular locations. There are still others, — novelties, — of which remarkable 

 promise is held out. But the object of this report is simply to record conclu- 



