THE GENESEE FARMER. 



OL 



WESTERN N. Y. FKTTIT GEOWERS' ASSOCIATION. 



This Society held its Annual Winter Meeting in 

 this city January 6th and 7th. The following offi- 

 cers were elected for the ensuing year : 



President — B.. P. XORTOX, Brockport. 



Vke Fre-^iJirUs — J. J. Thomas, Union Springs; Wm. 

 Beowx Smith, Syracuse; Lewis F. Allzk, Black Rock. 



Secretaries — C. P. Bissell, Rochester; John B. Eatox, 

 Buffalo. 



Treasurer — W. P. Towxsekd, Lockport. 



Executive Committee — P. Barry, Rochester; Johx J. 

 Thomas, Union Springs ; (J. L. Hoag, Lockport ; William 

 Browx Smith, Syracuse ; Joseph Frost, Rochester. 



CommitUe on Kative Fruits — Johx J. Thomas, Union 

 Springs; P. Barbt, Rochester; Thomas Smith, Grenera ; 

 E. C. Frost, Catharine. 



Committ'tc on Foreign Fruits — Geo. Ellwaxger, Roches- 

 ter ; T. C. Maxwell, Geneva ; J. C. Haxchett, Syracuse ; 

 C. M. Hooker, E. A. Frost, Rochester. 



Committee on Nomenclature — P. Barry, W. P. Towx- 

 SEXD ; J. B. Eatox ; Joseph Frost ; J. J. Thomas. 



Committee on Finance — Geo. Ellwaxger, James Vick, 

 Rochester ; T. C. J^Iaxwell, Geneva ; Wm. Brown Smith, 

 Syracuse; W. P. Towxsexd, Lockport. 



The General Chairman of last year, P. Babry, was re- 

 elected, and empowered to appoint the County Committees. 



The Treasurer made his report, showing a balance 

 of $32.71 in favor of the Society. 



The following question was proposed for discus- 

 sion : — 



What soil is best adapted to produce the Apple in the 

 greatest perfection, loth tree and fruit ; also, the leit soil 

 for the Pear, Peach, and Cherry? 



BEST SOIL FOE APPLE OP.CHAKDS. 



Lewis F. Allex, of Black Rock, remarked that 

 there are several kinds of soU adapted to the growth 

 of the Apple — it does well in the Xorthem States, 

 the Canadas, and also in the South and "West. The 

 Apple is not very difficult to please ; but, taking all 

 things into consideration, he thought Western Xew 

 York, from Syracuse to the Niagara river, is as well 

 adapted for this purpose as any section of the Union. 

 From personal observation, he could also speak 

 favorably of Canada West, Northern Ohio, and the 

 eastern part of Michigan. The flavor, however, of 

 the fruit raised in tlfose localities, he did not con- 

 sider equal to that of the fruit of Western New York. 

 The difference in soil and temperature, and other 

 special causes, of various locahties, greatly affects 

 the character of fi-uits; so that varieties good in 

 one section are poor or worthless in others, and 

 Tic^ versa^ making it impossible to compare fruits 



grown in sections widely distant. He had seen 

 good apples raised on soils that were almost blow- 

 ing sands, and in New England they flourish on 

 granite soils. Some apples do best on particular 

 soils ; and he believed the Newtown Pippin to be 

 one of these. The Rhode Island Greening, also, is 

 not the same here that it is in its native home. He 

 considered it much affected by the soil in which it 

 grows. 



Mr. Spe>-ce, of Starkey, thought that climate 

 affects fruits as much as soU, and agreed with Mr. 

 ALI.EX, that the Apple would adapt itself easily to 

 different soils. 



H. E. HooKEP., of Rochester, said that the ques- 

 tion refers to various soUs in the same locahty, and 

 not to different sections of the country. The char- 

 acter of the surfaee-soU he thought not so impor- 

 tant as the formation of the sub-soil. A gentleman, 

 yesterday, manuring his orchard, which was unpro- 

 ductive, asked him if he thought it would praeiote 

 its fertility. His answer was, that as it was wet 

 and undrained, the manuring would probably be of 

 little benefit. He had always found the best or- 

 chards on land well drained, either naturally or 

 artificially. 



P. Barbt — We know that good trees and apples 

 are grown on light soUs, but they require much 

 more manuring. The same is the case with granite 

 soils in New England — they must be heavily ma- 

 nured. Dryness of bottom, as referred to by Mr. 

 Hooker, is very important; but a strong yellow 

 clay, or heavy land, requiring drainage, is better 

 than a sandy soil, even for a Peach orchard. As 

 Mr. Allex has remarked, the Apple is found in 

 perfection in all parts of the country; and from 

 recent observations through the Western States and 

 other portions of the Union, the ideas that he had 

 formerly held of the changeableness of the charac- 

 ters of fruits by soil and climate, had been greatly 

 modified. Even the Fajneuse, which he, with 

 others, had always considered to be one of those 

 most affected at the West, he had found in Central 

 and Southern Illinois to be good, large, and hard. 

 The Xeictown Pippin., also, was there a general 

 favorite. The Spitzenherg was fine, firm, and solid, 

 and good as any grown on the Hudson. I believe 

 we are quite in the dark in reference to this matter. 



J. J. Thomas had seen the Newtown Pippin at 

 Cincinnati as fine as any grown on the Hudson; 

 and the Spitzeiiberg at the far West he had found 

 excellent. On the subject of soils, his experience 

 was, that wherever good crops of corn can be raised 

 apples may be best grown. 



Lewis F. Allen could not speak so well of these 

 fruits at the West as the gentleman who had just 

 preceded him. He had, however, seen the Yellow 

 Belleflower at the West very fine ; but, as a general 

 rule, some local apple is the one best adapted. He 

 agreed with Mr. Barry, that a dry sub-soil is essen- 

 tial ; but a naturally dry sub-soil is what is needed, 

 and not one formed artificially. Land artificially 

 drained he had never found to answer so good a 

 purpose for an orchard as that which is naturally 

 dry. If he intended to plant trees, and had a fann 

 on which there was not land naturally dry, he knew 

 of no remedy which would be so effectual as to trad© 

 it oft' for such as is suitable for the purpose. 



H. E. Hooker thought underdraining due of the 

 greatest considerations for an orchard, but his own 



