88 STATE rOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Mr. Gilbert. I have. 



Mr. Nelson. Don't yon tiud them the best bearing trees? 



Mr. Gilbert. I can't sa\' that I do. 



Mr. Atherton. I want to ask as to the respective value of grass 

 as hay and unilch. Had 1 better mow the grass and let it lie in the 

 orchard as mulch, or cnre and feed it to stock and put manure in its 

 1)1 ace ? 



Mr. Gilbert. That question can only be answered in a general 

 way. Hay is not worth $15.00 to mulch a|)ple trees with. I would 

 not recommend that course. 1 mak^ some allowance for extreme 

 statements. A little fertilizer applied often is the best for an or- 

 chard. The question of where we shall obtain fertilizers for the 

 orchard is one which this Society should discuss at no distant day. 

 I use ground bone and believe it to be good. Ashes are good, but 

 thev are scarce. 



EVENING SESSION. 



BUSINESS MEETING OF THE SOCIETY. 



A business meeting of the Societ}^ was held at 6.30 o'clock, P. 

 M., President Pope in the chair. 



It was voted inexpedient to change the by-laws of the Society in 

 regard to the fees of membership for annual members. The matter 

 of holding the annual exhibition of 1887 was placed in the hands of 

 the Executive Committee, and by them to be decided as they deemed 

 best for the interest of the Society. 



Mr. T. M. Merrill of New Gloucester, from the committee to ex- 

 amine the fruit on exhibition, reported one of the largest displays 

 ever made at a winter meeting of the Society, and presented the fol- 

 lowing list of exhibitors, with the number of varieties shown by 

 each : 



G. K. Staples, Temple, thirty varieties; D. P. True, Leeds Cen- 

 tre, four varieties of pears, six of apples ; Wra. True, Farmington ; 

 G. Hayes, Farmington ; Calvin Chamberlain, T^oxcrofr, one ; B. H. 

 Ridley, Jay, twelve ; E. W. Merritt, Houlton. one ; Lorin Adams, 

 East Wilton, three ; Phineas Whittier, Farmington Falls, twenty- 

 three, and samples of six varieties of evaporated apple ; B. Tit- 

 comb, F'armington, eight; S. M. Keep, Jay, nine; George Good- 



