314 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



iF^'MrSTMIgMf- 



AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



The Seventh Biennial Meeting of the American 

 Pomological Society was held in New York, Sept. 

 14 — 17. There was a large attendance from the 

 Eastern States, from Pennsylvania and New York ; 

 but the Western States were poorly represented. 

 The New Yorkers themselves seemed to care little 

 for the Society, and on inquiry ot the Astor House 

 we found no one who could inform us where the 

 meeting was held ! 



The exhibition of fruit was good, but there was 

 but one collection from the West, that of Mr. Lyon, 

 oi Plymouth, Mich. 



The following officers were elected for the ensu- 

 ing two years : 



President— Uoii. M. P. WILDER, Boston, Mass. 



Vice Presidents— One from each State and Territory. 



Secretar:i/—T. W. Field, Brooklyn, N. Y. 



Treasurer— Tbomas P. Jambs, Philadelphia, Pa. 



Papers were read from J. J. Thomas, Louis 

 Beeokmaks, and S. J. Walker, some extracts from 

 which we hope to give in a future number. 



The usual discussions in relation to varieties of 

 fruit occupied most of the time. The following 

 varieties were added to the List for General Culti- 

 vation : 



Apples. — Autumn Bough, Broadwell, Carolina 

 June, Ooggswell, Fallawater or Falwalder, Jona- 

 than, Monmouth Pippin, Smith's Cider, and Wag- 

 ener. 



Pears. — Brandywine, Beurr6 Clairgeau, Beurre 

 Giffard, Beurre Superfin, Cabot, Doyenne d'Alen- 

 ?on, Kingsessing, Onondaga, Osband's Summer, and 

 St. Michael Archange. 



Pears on the Quince Stock. — Belle Epine Du- 

 mas, Buffum, Beurr6 Superfin, and Doyenn^ d' 

 Alenfon. 



Grapes. — Delaware and Concord. 



Raspberries. — Brinckle's Orange. 



Strawberries. — Hooker, Longworth's Prolific, 

 and Wilson's Albany, 



Currants.— Cherry and Versailles. 



The following were added to the " List of New 

 Varieties which promise well:" 



Apples. — Buckingham, Prior's Red, White Win- 

 ter Pearmain, and Willis' Sweetmg. 



Pears. — Bergen, Beurre gris d'Hiver Nouveau, 

 Henkel, Hull, Merriam, Pinneo, and Sterling. 



Peaches. — Carpenter's White and China Cling, 



Grapes. — Hartford Prolific, Herbemont, I^ogan, 

 and Union Village. 



One of the evening sessions was spent in an in- 

 formal discussion of the cultivation of the pear. 

 The question was asked, whether any member 

 present had ever known an instance where dwarf 

 pears, of the right kinds, on proper soil, had proved 

 a failure when properly cultivated. H. E. Hooker 

 asked whether it was intended to include failures 

 from diseases. The President replied, in substance, 

 that such cases were excluded under the head of 

 proper kinds, — in other words, if a tree is attacked 

 by disease, it is not a proper variety for cultivation. 

 No other remarks were made, and it was taken for 

 granted that no pei'son present knew a single casa 

 of failure, and so recorded in the Society's Trans- 

 actions. This seemed to us rather a summary way 

 of disposing of the question. 



In regard to mulching, it was the opinion of sev- 

 eral successful cultivators present, that, except per- 

 lia^)3 the first year after planting, it was not advisa- 

 ble to mulch pear trees, as the mulch harbored 

 mice and other vermin. 



Our space forbids further allusion to this meeting 

 the present month. We have room only for a few 

 extracts from the able and eloquent address of 

 President Wilder. We give those portions which 

 are of immediate interest to cultivators. The main 

 question considered was one which has already elic- 

 ited much discussion — " Can j^ears he grown for 

 the market at a profit?''^ 



After alluding to the discussion in the pulilie 

 journals, he proceeded to say : — 



"It is obvious that a similar question may b« 

 raised in regard to any other branch of terraculture. 

 Where one cultivator succeeds, another fails. Why ? 

 Not because Providence does not fulfill the Divine 

 promise, 'that seed time and harvest shall not fail,* 

 but because in instances of failure the conditions of 

 success are not complied with. Perhaps there was 

 a want of intelligence, or judicious cultivation, or 

 of that vigilance which takes hold of an enterprise 

 with a determination to surmount all obstacles, and 

 to ' hold on.' " 



" The cultivator should not wait idly for natura 

 to work out what God intended him to perform. 

 He should learn to work in harmony with nature. 

 He should plant trees with a proper regard to soil, 

 sorts, and the arts of judicious cultivation, and 

 should never leave them, as is often the case, to a 

 fatal predestination, believing they were foreor- 

 dained to take care of themselves. He should 

 not be discouraged by a smgle failure, but should 

 persevere. 



" We do not deny that vicisitudes attend the culti- 

 vation of fruit trees, as well as forest trees, and other 

 vegetable products. How often a severe winter 

 proves injurious to the peaches of the north, to th« 



