74 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETT. 



thought, as he stated last year, that the trees have lost something 

 of stamina under the hands of nurser3'men by budding, and that 

 perhaps we should gain by raising the trees from seed. Trees in 

 the northern part of Vermont bent down and covered with ever- 

 green boughs gave a crop every 3'ear. 



Mr, Hale said that on his grandfather's farm stands a peach 

 tree forty years old which bears, on the average, a full crop three 

 3'ears out of five, and has never shown any signs of yellows, though 

 many of the seedlings from it do when a few years old. Similar 

 instances are to be found in almost ever}^ town. There is a tree 

 in Woodbur}-, Conn., which has borne every year but one since 

 1812. He had not a particle of faith in seedling trees as prefera- 

 ble to budded trees. If a tree can be brought up to eight or ten 

 years of age, it will be a proof that it has some bottom. His 

 oldest trees bore best last year. 



F. L. Temple said that a few years ago seeds of peach trees 

 were brought from the northern part of China and planted at the 

 Arnold Arboretum. Some of the trees were sent to Professor 

 Budd, of the Iowa Agricultural College, who reported that the 

 buds were uninjured at a temperature of thirty degrees below zero, 

 but the buds of the trees retained here were winter-killed last year 

 and this. 



A vote of thanks to the essayist for his interesting and instructive 

 paper, containing the results of experience, was passed. A paper 

 on " Late Progress in the Application of Science to Plant Culture," 

 by Professor W. O. Atwater, of Wesleyan University, Middle- 

 town, Conn., was announced for the next Saturday. 



BUSINESS MEETING. 



Saturday, February 11, 1888. 



An adjourned meeting of the Societ}^ was holden at 11 o'clock, 

 the President, Henry P. Walcott, in the chair. 



No business was brought before the meeting, and it 

 Adjourned to Saturday, February 18. 



