REPORT 



OF THE 



COMMITTEE OJST FEUITS. 



The exhibition of fruits was much larger thau usual and showed 

 a great deal of effort on the part of the exhibitors as this is not the 

 bearing year for our fruits. Of apple3 thare were ten entries some 

 of which contained very fine specimens ; yet most of them were not 

 as fair as usual a large proportion showing the attacks of the codling 

 moth : but this should have been expected as the large crop of apples 

 last year must have bred an immense number of tliese moths. If 

 farmers would take the ti'ouble to gather up all fruit that drops pre- 

 mnturcly and feed it to the hogs at once, our apples woidd be much 

 fairer the odd year than they are now. Some very peculiar looking 

 apples were exhibited by Mr. Charles Eastman of South Iladlcy. 

 They were said to be obtained by grafting a Baldwin on a Rox- 

 bnry Russet. This fruit had the appearance of both a Baldwin and a 

 Russet, and was said to keep much better than the Baldwin and not 

 to wither like the Russet. If this fruit proves to be all that is claimed 

 for it. it will be a valuable addition to our collection of apples. Of 

 crab apples there were three entries and six varieties. Some remarka- 

 bly fine specimens of the Hyslop were shown. This is a fine large 

 crab of good color and makes a very showy jell. The show of pears 

 was the best for several years. There were ten entries, and although 

 all were good, the collection most worthy of notice was that of Edwin 

 H. Judd, of South Hadley, which contained fine specimens of Sou- 

 venier du Congress, Duchess d'Angouleme, Beurre Clairgeau, and 

 Bartletts. The Bartlett for general planting stands first, although 

 there are several varieties of better flavor, but none have proved as 

 profitable for a market fruit. Pear trees in this vicinity were the 

 past season troubled by what is called leaf blight ; this caused tha 

 leaves to fall before the fruit matured, and consequently much of it 



