76 Massachusetts Horticultural Society. 



Art. II. Retrospective Criticism, 



Errata. — In page 21, thirteen lines from the top, for " Hannersmith," 

 read "Hammersmith." In page 31, eighteen lines from the top, for 

 " done as soon as ripe," read " sown as soon as ripe. 



Descriptions of Fruits. — Your Magazine I find very valuable, especially 

 those articles describing particular varieties of fruit, though, as my trees 

 are young, I am more particularly interested with the descriptions you some- 

 times give of the habits, manner of growth, &c. of the trees of each variety. 

 But many of those articles I find do not contain these descriptions, and con- 

 sequently are not at present near so valuable to all who have not the fruit 

 itself, though they may have trees under those names. You are aware that 

 the trees of many varieties of fruits, particularly of the pear, have certain 

 marked characteristics, in their manner of growth, their leaves, and the color 

 of their wood, at certain seasons, which are perhaps less liable to vary than 

 the fruit, and hence, when accurately given, would aid very materially in 

 determining whether a variety, under name, were correct or not. Of tlie 

 want of such descriptions in works on fruit, I have often had great reason to 

 complain. For instance, I go to a nursery, and look at the trees of a certain 

 variety of pear, and I see that the growth is very crooked and slender ; I 

 look in my fruit book at the description of that variety, and not a word is 

 said of aught but the fruit : well, the trees may be genuine, but if it stated 

 that the growth was upright and strong, I should know at once they were 

 not. Your description of Dearborn's Seedling, in the July No. of the ninth 

 volume, is precisely like what I should be glad to have in reference to every 

 good variety of fruit, and which would be of inestimable value to me and 

 every one similarly situated. — Also are the trees good? You will, I trust, 

 excuse me for suggesting this, for I am sure it is your desire, more than it 

 can be mine, to render your Magazine as widely useful as possible. It may 

 be that I attach too much importance to this, but I think not. ( Yours Re- 

 spectfully, F. K. Phcenix, Delavan, Walworth Co. MHsconsin Territory, 

 Jan., 1845.) 



[We are always glad to receive suggestions from our correspondents, 

 and are obliged for the above remarks : we shall keep them in mind. — Ed.^ 



Art. III. Massachusetts Horticultural Society. 



Saturday, January 4, 1845. — The Quarterly Stated Meeting of the Soci- 

 ety was held to-day, at the Tremont Temple, Tremont street. — The Presi- 

 dent in the chair. 



The chairman of the Building Committee presented an act in addition to 

 an act, authorizing the society to hold real estate to the amount of fifty 

 thousand dollars. 



