THE POMOLOGIST. 



Jan. 



WESTERN POMOLOGIST. 



To the Public. 

 Ill embarkiug iu the new enterprise before 

 us custom requires that we should introduce 

 ourselves to the reader, and to speak of our 

 purposes. As set forth in our Prospectus, this 

 " JoDRNAL," will be devoted to the Porno 

 logical interests of the West, .and for the pro- 

 motion of which, no ettbrts on our part will 

 be withheld. We trust, therefore, that it 

 will meet with a cordial reception at the 

 hands of the fruitgrowers of the West, and 

 that, through their liberal patronage and 

 generous aid, its grand aim and object will 

 be fully attained. It will be our aim to lay 

 before our readers such information and dis- 

 seminate such intelligence, as will be useful 

 and of general interest to the horticultur- 

 ists of the West. 



Western Pomology differs widely from 

 the Pomology of any other great fruit-grow- 

 ing district of the Union. We have a 

 different soil, and a climate widdy different 

 — a climate subject to great and sudden 

 extremes of temperature, with little or no 

 snow for winter protection. Long, patient 

 years of well-tried experience has fairly 

 taught the old pioneer fruit-grower of the 

 West, that the adaptation of varieties to our 

 soil, and the vicissitudes peculiar to our 

 climate, mint be carefully and patiently 

 studied to insure success. Sad experience 

 has taught him that many of his old Eastern 

 favorites are comparatively worthless here. 

 Hence it is, that the teachings of Eastern or 

 Southern Horticultural journals, though in- 

 valuable truths at home, are not in all cases 

 applicable to the Pomology of the West. — 

 Therefore, instead of deriving all our stock 

 of knowledge of varieties and their manage- 

 ment, or of giving ready credauce to the 

 opinions of book- writing men a thousand 

 miles away, we should study and experiment 

 ibj ourselves, and listen to the teachings of 

 those who have made their observations in 

 our midst, 



Ou;' western horticultural nomenclature 

 is very mjich .out of gear, and needs regula- 

 ting. Jt is nothing unusual to find a single 

 apple, pear or plum .grcjwing under two or 

 three different names iu a.s many localities, 

 and in some Kises, " nary name " correct. 

 This is confusing to tho.se who grow them, 

 and should be corrected. 



ppn<>.'jgh has already been done in this 

 great poaiological field, to legitimately es- 

 tablish the conclusion, that the West is des- 

 tined to surpass the older and justly rc- 

 jiovjned fruit-.growing di.stricts qf the East. 

 Oae of the oldest and most honored State 

 lloj'ticultuj-al Societies {Pennsylvania) vol- 

 untarily and honestly yields the palm to the 

 West in tjje award of a gold medal to the 

 Kansas S,tate Horticultm-al Society, for the 

 beauty and excellenc(^ of her disjjlay of fruit 

 at the late meeting of the American Po.mo- 

 logical Society, 



Much, however, remains to be done to in- 

 crease and extend our knowledge of those 

 varieties of fruits which we can most suc- 

 cessfulty and profitably grow. We must 

 study the best methods of jirotection to our 

 trees from injuries arising from meteorolog- 

 ical influences, the ravages of insects, and 

 the devastation of blight. This great 

 amount of work, so important to be done 

 effectually, can be accomplished only by the 

 combined efforts of all interested ; and to aid 

 in its accomplishment we should have a 

 channel of communication, through which 

 the results of our individual and collective 

 investigations may freely flow. To supply 

 this want of communication, iu a field hitherto 

 unoccupied, is the mission upon which the 

 "Western Pomologist" enters. 



During a residence of more than twenty 

 years in the West, we have been a careful 

 observer of the progress of her Pomology. 

 We have seen the growth of its products 

 from comparatively nothing, to the value of 

 millions of dollars per annum, and now feel 

 an honest pride in having been an active 

 worker in the promotion of this great and 

 important interest. And now, with an ar- 

 dent love for horticultural pursuits, and 

 many years experience — combining theory 

 with practice, we hope to make the West- 

 ern Pomologist a journal whose monthly 

 arrival may everywhere be hailed with plea- 

 sure and profit. No efforts will be spared 

 to make it emphatically what its name indi- 

 cates. Among the many sources from which 

 to draw valuable information for its columns 

 we shall make it a point to be present, or to 

 have our journal represented at all impor- 

 tant gatherings of fruit growers throughout 

 the West, and to have it well posted in the 

 advance of Eastern and Southern Horticul- 

 ture. 



Such, kind reader, is our pride and pur- 

 pose, and to aid us in its accomplishment, 

 we earnestly and cordially invite our pomo- 

 logical brethren everywhere, to contribute 

 to its columns from their store-house of 

 knowledge. By an exchange of ideas all 

 become posted and way-wise. Therefore, 

 friends, let us labor and co-work together, 

 that thus through our united labors, the pro- 

 fession of Horticulture may be elevated "to 

 that rank which Heaven intended it 

 should occupy when He, who created man 

 and placed him in the garden of Eden, se- 

 lected the cultivation of the soil as the em- 

 ployment, best adapted to his physical and 

 moral nature." 



We will not tire the patience of the reader 

 yith an elaborate essay on o\ir ability as a 

 Horticultural .Journalist; or, the great 

 anjount of good the Western Pomologist 

 is expected to accomplish — leaving the paper 

 to speak for itself, and, to the criticism of its 

 patrons. We trust, however, a brief allusion 

 to the past, in .this connection, will not 

 appear out of place. It is generally known, 

 that for the last twenty yqars, except with 



two or three short intervals, we have been 

 connected with the Agricultural and Horti- 

 cultural press of the West. We commenced 

 the Wisconsin Farmer in 1849, and conducted 

 it until 1855, when we sold the paper to 

 Messrs. Skinner & Powers, of Madison. We 

 assisted in organizing the Wisconsin State 

 Horticultural Society in 1863, also', the first 

 Co Agricultural Society in that State. 



In 1856 we became a citizen of Iowa, and 

 from that date to 1863, published the monthly 

 NoTtlnmstem Varmer, at Dubuque. In Jan- 

 uary, 1862, we came to Des Moines, and 

 changed from a monthly to a weekly — the 

 Iowa Homestead. In May, 1864, we sold the 

 Homestead to H. W. Pettit. On the occur- 

 rence of Mr. Pettit's death, in May, 1866, we 

 again took charge of the paper and managed 

 it until September, 1868, when it passed into 

 the hands of Geo. Sprague. 



This number of the Pomologist should 

 not be taken as a fair specimen of future 

 numbers. It has been gotten up in much 

 haste. Less than four weeks have clasped 

 since we fully determined to engage 

 in the enterprise. In the mean time the 

 material (the type aist) upon which it is 

 printed has been ordered and received from 

 the foundry, the illustrations all made, &c. 

 We have also been without a single ex- 

 change. Of course we could not expect 

 much in so short a time from correspond- 

 ents. 



♦-^-♦^ 



NoRTnEEN Illinois Horticultdral So- 

 ciety. — The Northern 111., Horticultural 

 Society will hold its third auuual meeting 

 at Dixon on the 25th, 26th and 27th, inst. 

 Those interested in horticultural pursuits are 

 invited to be present from aU quarters. New 

 members for 1870 will not only recieve the 

 the trausactions of the society for the cur- 

 rent year but also for the years 1867 and 

 1868. We do not learn from the circular 

 before us what the membership fee is, but 

 think it is |2.00, which, we reckon a first 

 rate investment, for we know the society is 

 a live institution. Tliose who cannot be 

 present at tlie meeting may become mem- 

 bers by addressing E. H. Skinner, Treasurer, 

 Marengo, Illinois. 



Heating of Horticultural Societies." 



Wisconsin — At Madison, on the first 

 Tuesday iu February. 



Central Illinois — At 'Mattoon, on the 

 finst Tuesday in Fel)ruary. 



♦-»-♦ 



Improved Persimmons. — Dr. Kirtland has 

 been experimenting with these. He .says he 

 finds them vary considerable from seed, and 

 capable of great improvement. 



" The persimmon is perfectly hardy here, 

 (Cleveland, Ohio,) but whether it would bear 

 your climate is ([uestioiiable. It is found 

 uative at Beavertown, thirtj' miles from 

 Pittsbur.g. My trees were raised from seeds 



