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transferee! to western soil, we are ii:)formed, that like man}' emigrants, 

 the gain in energy is lost in virtue or flavor. 



Me. Peesidknt : — While among your friends, have yon not held in 

 yonr hand a perfect specimen of nu ajiple called "victuals and 

 drink," beautiful, transparent, delicious, the juice of which rivals the 

 nectar of the gods ? Were they alive at the present time doubtless 

 they would slake their thirst with the delicious beverage. 



Our experience with niauy varieties of apples is so unlike that of 

 others with whom we have conversed, that we fear to express an 

 opinion, yet our business is to unfold history, not to manufacture it. 

 Tlie Greening with us is a shy bearer, the fruit is of little value, 

 being inferior in size and general appearance, while in some soils 

 and localities it is splendid. The Pound Royal is a lirst-rate fruit, 

 yet very penni"ious in it.s production. The Red Astrachan is all 

 that it claims to be in production and qnality. The Roxbury Rus- 

 sett is not worth cultivating. The Lyscom requires no reccom- 

 mendation, it does its own biisiness in that line, wish we had tea 

 times as many. The Graven stein is beautiful, palatable, profitable, 

 but not a prolific bearer. 



We realize the embarrasf-ing position we occupy in the awards of 

 premiums. As we cannot know the qualifying influences tl at act 

 upon the same varieties in different orchards, — manure, soil and situ- 

 ation. Such influences should be known to judge correctly in de- 

 termining the value of fruit. We can appreciate the embarrass- 

 ment of that intellectual youth, who being requested to say which of 

 two girls was the handsomest, replied that he did not like to tell for 

 he should make Sal mad. As we do not consider ourselves infallible 

 we must ask the forbearance of our fiiends upon this point. 



The presentation of fruit this season deserves the sincere thanks 

 of the socir^ty. A year of dearth in this branch of husbandry un- 

 j^aralleled in our memory in New England — a season of drouth so 

 intense that nature seemed in agony lest the promise of the early 

 and the latter rain should be unfulfilled. It made it a beautiful 

 sight to behold those tables covered with so large a variety of 

 fruit, grown entirely wit])in the bounds of the society, almost within 

 niglit of their hall. No pledge has been given to speculators of 

 compensation for fruits raised and exhibited at other places. It was 

 im illustration of our own people's forecast and energy as seen by 

 the 176 varieties of fruit, raised and exhibited by Mr. W. A. King, 



