STATE PO.MOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 5 



coiiimoii iiik'lligL'iiee of the people, to banish igiioriiiice. egotism and 

 empiricism, to make ourselves self-reliant and self-supporting in 

 respect to everything in tree or fruit which needs to be purchased, 

 and to oi)en the markets of the world tt) our productions (which 

 shall be inferior to none), are among the objects of this Society. 



Ten anmial exhibitions and eight winter meetings have been held 

 by the Society, and the interest has been fully niaintaiued to the 

 present time. 



The Si: a son of 1882 



was exceptional in its climatic conditions. The spring was cold 

 and backw'ard, and retarded the blossoming of fruit trees, so that 

 no material damage was done b}- the spring frosts. A drouth of 

 nnusual severity prevailed over nearly the whole State during the 

 months of July and August. A violent gale on the 14th of Septem- 

 ber, followed by another on the 19th, w^ith high winds from various 

 quarters during the intervening time, blew ott" fulW one-half of 

 the fruit then upon the trees ; but the quantity which remained, 

 particularly of apples, was sufficient, with the late growth which 

 resulted from this violent "thinning," and under the influence of 

 favorable autumn weather, to develop an abundant crop, of average 

 quality. The drouth of the summer, wdiile it diminished the size, 

 hastened the development of all the fruits. It gave us the largest 

 and best ripened vintage of out-door grapes ever known in the State ; 

 but, with other causes, gave a light crop of pears, which were below 

 the average in quality. Plums were abundant and of good quality, 

 but the heavy and continuous rains from the 21st to 24th of Septem- 

 ber, destroyed that part of the crop which had not been harvested, 

 and also injured, to a considerable extent, those pears and apples 

 which were about ripening at that time. 



The Tenth Annual Exhuution 



was held at Lewiston, on the 26th to the 2!)th days of September, 

 inclusive, and in connection witli the annual Fair of the State Agri- 

 cultural Society. The terms of the arrangement between the two 

 Societies were mutually advantageous, and were carried out in a 

 manner satisfactoiT to both — the great object being to mak(; the 

 most complete exhibition possible, with the least unnecessary ex- 

 pense. 



