1848. 



GENESEE FARMER. 



255 



last. The gi-fat difficulty was the limited time, 

 only three days, for such a Convention to organ- 

 ize, adopt a system of procedure, and take any- 

 thing like a satisfactory action on the vast num- 

 ber of fruits presented from six or eight States, 

 besides the Canadas ! It would have required 

 two full weeks of continued labor to have pro- 

 duced any results fully reliable for their accura- 

 cy, or really advantageous to the country. Those 

 who may feel disappointed with the proceedings 

 of the Convention must bear this in mind. The 

 want of experience, too, was an embarrassment 

 of considerable magnitude. Few, if any, of the 

 members had ever participated in the doings of 

 such a body before ; and we were at a loss to 

 know the best and most expeditious mode of ob- 

 taining a general, and at the same time, a correct 

 expressson of opinion as to the merits of fruits. 



It was highly desirable that opinions and state- 

 ments should be heard from all parts of the coun- 

 try ; but if this had been fully given, half a day 

 might have been consumed by a single fruit. — 

 This, therefore, was found impracticable ; so it 

 was concluded that a committee should be ap- 

 pointed to bring the specimens before the Con- 

 vention. — That this committee should present 

 the fruits as first, second, or third rate, accord- 

 ing to the estimate of a majority of said commit- 

 tee, and if no one objected, it was to be consid- 

 ered passed as such. Disputed points were 

 usually decided by a vote, and not referred to a 

 committee, as was proposed. The Convention 

 adopted for its guidance the Rules of Pomology 

 adopted by the N. Y. State Agricultural Society. 



We must remark here, in regard to the Con- 

 vention, that whatever of value may or may not 

 be attached to its decisions, certainly it has ac- 

 complished enough otherwise advantageous to 

 Horticulture, and Pomology in particular, to 

 amply compensate for all the cost and trouble it 

 has incurred. The assembling of some 70 or 80 

 intelligent and devoted Horticulturists, including 

 such men as Gen. Dearborn of Massachusetts 

 and David Thomas of New York, representing 

 almost the entire fruit growing region of the 

 United States and Canadas, from Montreal to St. 

 Louis, is certainly a great feature in the pro- 

 gress of American Horticulture, and cannot fail 

 to produce effects the most gratifying, socially 

 and otherwise. 



The officers of the Convention were — 



President — David Thomas, New York. 



Vice Presidents — Wm. R. Coppocli, N. Y. ; Henry H. Coit, 

 Ohio; J. W. Hayes, N. J.; J. D. G. Nelson, Ind.; A. T. 

 Proutv, Mich.; Dr. J. A. Kennieot, 111.; S. P. Beecher, 

 Wis.;"Thos. Allen, Missouri; Dr. C. Beadle, C. W. ; VV. 

 J. Hayes, C. E. 



Secretaries— Bt. Herman Wendell, Albany, and Win. R. 

 Prince, Flushing. 



Fruit Comj}iittce—Beni. Hodge, Buffalo ; F. R. Elliot, 

 Cleveland ; Clias. Downing, Newburgh ; Thos. Hancock, 

 N. J.; P. Barry, Rochester; J. J. Thomas, Macedon ; 

 Chas. Tainter, Buffalo. 



The Plum was first taken up. 



Diamond. A large productive variety, third rate in flavor. 



Lombard. Pronounced second rate as to quality. This 



is a large, handsome, and excellent variety, and sure hearer. 



Long's Yellow, from Ohio. Third rate ; unworthy of 

 cultivation. 



Washivston. Pronounced first rate, taking all its quali- 

 ties, growth, productiveness, size, beauty, &c., into con- 

 sideration. 



Piir])le Favorite, from Orange co. First rate, and worthy 

 of general culture. 



Green Gage. First rate and worthy of general culture ; 

 its only drawback being slow growth of the tree. 



Ped Gage. Passed as first rate. 



Imperial Gage. Mr. Hancock, of N. J., said that this 

 and the Green Gage, on light sandy soil at his place, were 

 dry, mealy, and insipid ; wliile at Burlington, two miles 

 from his place, they were excellent. Nearly all the other 

 members were unanimous in recommending this plum as 

 one of the best, and particularly worthy of cultivation. 



Red Diaper or Mimms. Presented in a decayed state. 

 Said to be first rate, but a poor grower. A spurious variety 

 was presented. 



Coe's Goldeii Drop. Considered first rate. Mr. Elliot 

 of Cleveland, said it did not ripen there more than 1 year 

 in 5, but that it was first rate at Cincinnati. Mr. Hancock 

 said it ripened w'ell at Philadelphia and vicinity, about the 

 20th of Sept. 



Jefferson. Recommended as No. 1 in size and quality, 

 and the trees vigorous and productive. Few members of 

 the (Convention seemed to know anything of this fruit by 

 experience. The specimens presented were from A. J. 

 Downing. 



Sleeker' s Gage. Recomended as first rate, in all respects. 



LaRoyai. Few seemed to be acquainted with it. Chas. 

 Downing and J. J. Thomas called it nearly first rate. Mr. 

 Hancock thought it not over second rate. 



White Magnnni bonum or Yellow Egg. The committee 

 recommended it for the kitchen. J. J. Thomas said it was 

 liable to rot and should be rejected as unworthy of cultiva- 

 tion. Messrs. Hodge of BuffUo, Hayes of N. J., Prouty 

 of Michigan, and Nelson of Ind., spoke in fovor of it as a 

 valuable preserving fruit. Mr. Prince said the difference 

 of opinion was caused by there being two or more plums 

 cultivated under this name, one of which was the White 

 Holland ox White Imperial. 



Smith's Orleans was presented, but the correctness of the 

 specimens was doubted. No action. 



Red Egg. Presented ; no action. 



PEACHES. 



Crawford's Early Melocoton. Passed as a large, beauti- 

 ful, and valuable market peach, but second rate in flavor. 

 Lewis F. Allen objected to the term market, and said that 

 if public taste was Wrong it ought to be corrected ; but 

 most of the members thought it best not to reject a peach 

 so large, kandsome, and productive as this, even if it be in- 

 ferior in flavor to some of the smaller sorts. Public taste 

 will correct itself. 



Yellow Alberge. Mr. Prince and others said this vv-as 

 not the true Alberge janne, but a variety of the Yellow 

 Rare Ripe ; and as it is known to many cultivators as the 

 •' Early Barnard." the Convention decided that in future it 

 should be known by that name. 



Coble's Melocoton, from Ohio, was presented, and pro- 

 nounced unworthy of cultivation, being sour and unproduc- 

 tive. 



Yellow Melocoton seedling, presented by Mr. Bissell, of 

 fair quality, but considered unworthy of a name. 



Jacques' Peach. Passed as a large, productive peach, not 

 first quality in flavor. Mr. Prince here remarked that white 

 fleshed peaches were generally mot-e esteemed in peach 

 countries than the yellow ; that the yellow fleshed require 

 a warmer sun to perfect than the white, and that is the rea- 

 son why yellow fleshed succeed better and are more popu- 

 lar in this country than in France, where the climate is 

 more humid and not so warm. He spoke of Bergen's Yel- 

 low, Rose Hill Melocoton and Crawford's Late, as the best 

 yellow freestones. 



Haines' Early Red. Presented as a first rate variety. 

 Mr. Hancock said he had cultivated it for 15 years, and 

 come to the conclusion that it was identical with the Large 

 Early York or Honest John of New Jersey. John J. 

 Thomas and others differed from Mr. H., and so it stands. 



Large Early York. This variety is frequently confound- 

 ed with the Early York of Downing, v.hich is cultivated in 

 some collections around Rochester as the Earlij Purple. 

 Mr. Thomas said the Early York of Downing has large 

 flowers, serrated, glandless leaves, and oval fruit ; the 



