264 



THE POMOLOGIST AND GARDENER. 



1871 



grapes from California that weighed from five to 

 seven pounds ; Duchess pears from the orchards of 

 Old Virginia measuring fifteen and a half inches in 

 circumference; and Vicar of Winkfields six to sev- 

 en inches in length, with peaches from Nebraska 

 ten and a half inches around, were a few of the 

 mammoth fruits on exhibition. Then came the 

 large collections, a few only of which we have 

 space to mention. The honored President of the 

 Society, Marshall P. Wilder, of Massachusetts, had 

 on the tables 232 varieties of the pear ; Ellwanger 

 & Barry of Rochester, N. Y., 157 varieties ; Cali- 

 fornia 41 varieties ; from the Potomac Fruit Grow- 

 ers' Association, District of Columbia, 54 varieties; 

 from the Experimental Gardens, Washington, by 

 the Superintendent, Mr. Saunders, 34 varieties; 

 from Maryland, 36 varieties, with many other col- 

 lections from Kansas, Nebraska and other sections 

 of the country. 



Among the large collections of apples, we have 

 from Kansas 250 varieties, about 60 of which were 

 from the orchard of the Associate Editor of the 

 PoMOLOGiST AND Gardenek, Dr. J. Staymau ; 

 from Southern Illinois 200 varieties; from Central 

 Iowa 118 varieties ; from Nebraska 134 ; from Rich- 

 mond, Va., 193 ; from Rockingham County, Va., 

 110; from California a large collection; from Min- 

 nesota 60 varieties ; from Michigan 101 varieties ; 

 with smaller collections from all quarters. 



Of grapes, the largest collection was 40 varieties 

 of hybrids from South Carolina, by Dr. Wiley, and 

 upon which he presented to the Society an elabo- 

 rate and interesting report, which will appear in 

 the transactions of the Society. Smaller collections 

 were also presented from many other States, 



Michigan made a splendid show of peaches, and 

 of Delaware grapes. Of both these fruits we have 

 never before seen finer specimens. As for 

 quality and beauty, we believe Michigan can beat 

 the world on peaches and Delaware grapes. 



Such is a mere outline of this great national 

 gathering of fruits. 



TIME OP NEXT BIENNIAL MEETING. 



President Wilder extended an invitation to meet 

 him in Boston in 1873, and there celebrate the 

 Quarter Centennial year of the history of the Soci- 

 ety, which invitation was unanimously accepted. 



CLOSED WITH A BANQUET. 



A very pleasant finale to this meeting of the So- 

 ciety, was in U banquet given by the Virginia Po- 

 mological Society. The tables were sumptuously 

 spread, and the occasion enlivened with music and 

 good words. 



President Allen, of the Virginia Pomological 

 Society, presided, and gave as the first sentiment : 



"Tht American Pomological Society— Marshalled 

 by a Wilder, it has grown into a vigorous man- 



hood ; may its future years be as glorious as its 

 past has been auspicious." 



President Wilder, in his usual happy vein of 

 thought, responded briefly to the compliment. He 

 returned thanks for the cordial reception the mem- 

 bers of the American Pomological Society had met 

 with, and rejoiced to be engaged in the same 

 cause which had been so earnestly commended by i , 

 Washington. He claimed sympathy with his ^ 

 Southern friends. He was for the first time on 

 Southern soil, and having experienced the hospi- 

 tality of this people, he could almost wish he had 

 been born on Southern soil. He bore th> names of 

 two illustrious Southerners, Marshall and Pinck- 

 ney, the latter of whom originated the memorable ■ 

 expression, " Millions for defence ; not one cent for ■ 

 tribute." He would always hold in grateful remem- 

 brance this visit to the capital of the Old Do- 

 minion. 



That eccentric, generous, whole-souled Floridian, 

 Col. L. A. Hardee, an ex-offlccr in the Confederate 

 service, but who has " beat the sword into the 

 plowshare, and the spear into the pruning hook," 

 made some pertinent remards, in the course of 

 which he said : 



"I love the sunny South, I love her verdant i 

 plains, I love her silvery lakes, I love her spark- ■ 

 ling streams and her noble rivers. I love the Mis- 

 sissippi, as she courses through the South, but I 

 love her none the less because she heads far away 

 in the Northwest, where the buffalo and the Indian 

 drink of her waters. I love the little grey jacket, 

 and I adore those old horn buttons ; I have no love 

 for the blue jacket, nor for its glittering brass. I 

 have seen the youths of the North and the youths 

 of the South lying side by side in a Southern 

 grave. I have looked again, and the blue and — 

 the grey have blended into dust, so I could no long- ■ 

 er tell which was the blue or wliich was the grey. V 



A WORD ABOUT RICHMOND. 



Richmond is pleasantly situated on elevated 

 ground at the head of navigation on the James riv- 

 er, and is made attractive by the combination of 

 nature and art. In the make up of this city of 

 trees, gardens, fruits and flowers, "the eternal fit- 

 ness of things " has been duly regarded, for nature, 

 wealth and taste seem to have gone hand in hand 

 in all directions. Nor did we pass through any 

 town or city on the trip that showed more life and 

 activity. We predict for Richmond a bright and 

 prosperous future. 



In the Capitol park stands the most imposing and 

 impressive monumental structure in the land. It is 

 built of granite, the base octagon, with a heavy 

 shaft rising high up from the center and surmount- 

 ed with an equestrian statue of Washington. Be- 

 low, upon each angle of the base, stands one of 

 Virginia's distinguished sons — Jefferson, Marshall, 

 Henry, Lewis, and others. All the figures are of 

 bronze, in the costume of their time, and of colos- 

 sal size. 



