1871 



THE POMOLOGIST AND GARDEJSTEU. 



26? 



(is«IIam0tt0. 



meeting of tbe Anierl<^an Pomologlcal Society. 



The American Pomological Society met at Rich- 

 mond, Va., Sept. 6th, and held its thirteenth bien- 

 nial session of tliree days. Delegates and members 

 were present from all parts of this great Empire of 

 States and Territories. It was the first meeting of 

 the Society held in a Southern State, and most no- 

 bly did the Old Dominion and the whole South 

 respond to the call for this meeting on "Southern 

 soil." Visitors from the North and from the West, 

 were welcomed to Richmond with the utmost cor- 

 dialit)' and attention. It was a meeting where all 

 hearts beat in unison — for the promotion of one 

 great national interest, and it was more than pleas- 

 ant to see men from all sections of the country, 

 who, in the late unfortunate strife, represented the 

 two extremes, meet together in the interest of one 

 common cause, and to extend to one another the 

 right hand of fellowship and good will. One such 

 meeting will do more towards the restoration of 

 good feeling, and to harmonize social relations be- 

 tween the people of the two sections, than all the 

 political reconstruction tinkering Congress has ever 

 done, or ever will do. 



The Richmond Enqvirer, in its words of wel- 

 come, said : 



" The gentlemen who are here from other States, 

 we cordially welcome to Richmond. We trust that 

 such an interchange of courtesies and opinions as 

 must necessarily follow upon such a convention, 

 will contribute something in the way of a better 

 understanding between the sections. We hope 

 that every effort will be made to make their so- 

 journ among us agreeable. They are the flowers 

 (as well as the fruit) of the land. They are the 

 quiet, earnest, intelligent element of the country. 

 If there is any business in the world that is without 

 guile, and that contributes to the comfort of man- 

 kind, it surely must be that of the fruit-grower." 



In the first place, on Tuesday morning carriages 

 were provided, and visitors invited by the Recep- 

 tion Committee to an excursion about the city and 

 its suburbs. Various points of interest were visit- 

 ed during the forenoon, among which were the 

 beautiful cemetery grounds, the public squares, the 

 little ancient church building in which Patrick 

 Henry made his maiden .speeches, and the old buri- 

 al place surrounding it; and at a distance the local- 

 ity was pointed out where it is said Pocahontas 

 saved the life of Captain John Smith — and, by the 

 way, a most fortunate circumstance for the Smith 

 family. 



On Wednesday morning the Society was received 

 in a body by the Mayor of the city, and in a brief 

 address, closing with the following fraternal words, 

 cordially and formally welcomed to Richmond : 



"When the late unhappy strife was ended, the 

 first act of reconstruction was passed by nature. 

 Our brother-blood was still boiling in hostile veins; 

 the clenched hand was still unrelii.xed, and Uie pas- 

 sions of war were still rife, when from a thousand 

 skies and hill-sides, and athwart a thousand plains 

 came the generous sun-light, the gentle rain, and 

 the tempering winds, filling up the gaping rifle-pits, 

 battering down the sharp escarpements ot frowning 

 forts, blotting out with waving grain the fierce scar 

 of shot and shell, crowning battlements with fra- 

 grant flowers, and weaving a beautiful carpet of 

 green over the scenes and sites of war's worst de- 

 vastations. May it be your happy fortune and 

 high privilege, gentlemen, you who Labor with na- 

 ture in so many pleasant and profitable fields, to 

 lend her a helping hand and a willing heart in this, 

 the noblest field oTf all." 



To the address of welcome President Wilder made 

 a most happy response, and among other good 

 words said : 



"We are happy to be here in the capital of the 

 Old Dominion, a State so distinguished for the pro- 

 duction of illustrious men — of Washington, Jef- 

 ferson, Madison, Monroe, Harrison and Tyler — all 

 of whom have filled the highest station in the gift 

 of tlie people ; John Marshall, Patrick Henry, Hen- 

 ry Clay, names that will ever constitute a galaxy of 

 talent to fill the brightest page in the annals of 

 American history. We come from different and 

 widely distant sections of our country. 



I came from the cold and sterile soil of New 

 England, where we have not the luxuriant soil of 

 the West, nor the warm, genial and sunny clime of 

 the South ; but, sir, we have hearts as warm as 

 yours ; and although granite and ice enter largely 

 into our exports, they are no evidence of the hard- 

 ness of our hearts, or the coldness of our affections. 

 I assure you, sir, we are most happy to be here and 

 to meet our Southern brethren on Southern soil." 



AN EXCTJBSION. 



On behalf of the City Council and the Commit- 

 tee of of Reception, the Mayor invited the Society 

 to an excursion by steamer at 3 p. m., down the 

 James River, to take a look at Butler's famous 

 Dutch Gap and other objects of interest. The in- 

 vitation was accepted, and at the appointed hour a 

 large party passed down the river about fifteen 

 miles, went through the gap, and returned around 

 the island made by the cut off. The cut, or canal, 

 is about ten rods in length through a high neck or 

 ridge of land composed of clay and sand, and at 

 the time of snfflcient width and depth of water to 

 admit the passage of light draft steamers. The 

 General Government has now in hand the job that 

 Butler failed on. Two powerful dredging ma- 

 chines are at work, the object being to make a 

 channel through which the largest class vessels 

 navigating the river may pass, thereby saving some 

 ten miles of navigation around this bow of the 

 river. 



THE SHOW OF FEUIT. 



The show of fruit was very fine — unquestionably 

 the finest ever made in any country. Clusters of 



