THE GENESEE FAE^iIER. 



313 



AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



The Ijiennial m,eetingof tliis Society was held ih 

 the city of Philadelphia, on the 11th, 12th and 13th 

 of September. 



The Convention was largely attended, and the 

 discussions were of great in,terest. There were 

 some tine collections of fruit, but on the whole the 

 display was irot as large as might have been ex- 

 pected. 



The President, Marshal P. Wilder, delivered 

 an appropriate, able, and eloquent address at the 

 opening of the Convention. He congratulated the 

 Society on the general interest now awakened in 

 fruit-culture, and on the multiplication of local as- 

 sociations and publications laboring for the promo- 

 tion of pomology. Instead of attempting to revise 

 the list of fruits recommended for general cultiva- 

 tion, at this session, he advised the appointment of 

 a Special Committee for this purpose, who shall 

 make it their business to receive reports from the 

 various local societies throughout the country, and 

 prepare revised lists and present to the Society at 

 its next meeting. 



He alluded to thorough" drainage as indispensable 

 to the fruit-grower ; thought we should give more 

 attention to location, but especially to the aspect 

 of trees. A common error is to disregard the time 

 of ripening. We plant our early fruits in the warm- 

 est and most genial locations. These should be as- 

 signed to our latest varieties. For instance, we, at 

 the North, have too often placed our late fall and 

 winter pears, like Uaster Beurre, or Beurre d^Ar- 

 emberg^ in northern aspects and exposed positions, 

 where they are liable to injury by the gales and 

 frosts of autumn, whereas we should have given 

 them a southei'n aspect, and our most fertile soils, 

 to bring them to perfection. The most favorable 

 locations are not so indispensable to our summer 

 fruits, which mature early under the more direct 

 rays of the sun, and in a much higher temperature. 



He spoke against the practice of growing crops 

 among fruit trees, or of relying upon small circles 

 dug around trees in grass ground, instead of culti- 

 vating the Avhole surface. Deep digging or plowing 

 among the growing trees was also injurious, cutting 

 oS the roots and destroying the fibrous feeders. 

 The surface should be worked by a hoe or scarifier, 

 for the purpose of stirring the soil and keeping out 

 the weeds. He recommended applying manure on 

 the surface, in the autumn, instead of burying it 

 deep in the soil. 



From many invitations, the one from Boston was 

 accepted for holding the Convention in 1862. 



The lists of Fruits that promise' well were dis- 

 cussed and extended, and now stand as follows : 



List of Apples which Promise WELL.-^Broad- 

 well Apple, JJuckingliam, Coggswell, Fornwalder, 

 Genesee Chief, Jetfries, King of Tompkins County, 

 Mother Apple, Smoke House, Wliite Winter Pear- 

 main, Winter Sweet Paradise, Winthrop Greening, 

 Summer Sweet Paradise, Canon Peannaiu, Fall 

 Wine, Early Joe, Willow Twig, Limber Twig, Bo- 

 num, Stausill, White Pippin, Pryor's Red, Keswick 

 Codlin, Rawle's Jeanette, Maiden's Blush, Pomme 

 Royal, Summer Queen. [The last fifteen varieties 

 were added at this meeting. 



Currants. — The previous list of this fruit com- 

 prises only three varieties which promise well — 

 Versaillaise, Cherry, and Fertile de Pallua. Of 

 these the Cherry currant became the subject of an 

 interesting debate. 



Messrs. Wilder, Lyon, Lawton, Hovet, and 

 Downing, agreed in pronouncing it inferior in qual- 

 ity, extremely acid, and destitute of flavor. Messrs. 

 Hooker, Warder, Barry and others, spoke in its 

 praise, and the motion to strike it from the list was 

 lost. 



Of other varieties, the Fertile d'Angers, Striped 

 currant. La Hative and Prince Albert were spoken of 

 with favor, but not put upon the list; while two 

 varieties, the White Gondoin and Imperial Yellow, 

 the latter a new French vaiiety, were highly rec- 

 ommend, and by vote added to the list. 



Strawberries. — The present list of varieties 

 which promise well being Genesee, Le Baron, Mc- 

 Avoy's Superior, Scarlet Magnate, TroUope's A"ic- 

 toria. Walker's Seedling, and Triomphe de Gand. 

 Only one addition was made — the Jenny Liud. (It 

 must be remembered that the first recommendations 

 of the Society, the lists fov general cultivation, were 

 not under discussion at tliis session.) The present 

 discussion was remarkable for the fact tiiat the two 

 strawberries most praised were the foreign varieties 

 of Vicomtesse de Ilericart and Triomphe de Gand. 

 American cultivators have of late years abandoned 

 all hopes of procuring any strawberries of value 

 in this country from tiie foreign varieties. It was, 

 however, remarked by Mr. Hovey and others that 

 a distinction should be made between the English 

 and Continental varieties. That in Belgium their 

 cultivators had been propagating for some years 

 from our best American sorts, and a higher result 

 might be expected than any we have yet reached. 



Raspberries. — The present list of those that 

 promise well, comprises only four varieties: the 

 Cope, Catawissa, Thunderer, Walker. The addi- 

 tions are the Hornet and Belle de Fontenay. The 

 Allen raspberry was, after mucli discussion, and 

 a strong minority vote in the negative, placed on 

 the list of Rejected Fruits. 



Blackberries. — Mr. Harrison spoke of the 

 Grape blackberry as very prolific, strong grower, 

 and fine for wine. The Thornless blackberry was 

 referred to as having very few thorns, and fewer 

 berries. 



Mr. Lawton introduced an old variety called the 

 Parsley-leaved, or Cut-l«aved, blackberry — a trail- 

 ing sort, suitable for rimning upon stone walls, very 

 ornamental, and forming a good barrier as well as 

 having a very fine fruit, somewhat smaller than the 

 Lawton. 



