No. 1£9.] 193 



A largo number of others were present who dul not hand in their 

 names. 



The Congress being now ready to proceed, it was voted to appoint 

 a commiUec of three, to receive the lists and mcke a registry of the 

 different collections of fruits presented for consideration. The Ciiaifw 

 appointed Messrs Saul of New-York, Colton, of Massachusetts; 

 and Rf.id, of New-Jersey. 



The Chair stated that a number of communications had been re- 

 ceived, bringing to the notice of the Congress the important subject 

 of the state of the cultivation of several fruits in certain and different 

 localities. He suggested that all these be referred to the chairman 

 of the General Fruit Committee, to be considered and reported upon 

 if necessary, with any suggestions on the subject which might seem 

 desirable. This course was adopted, ancKthe communications referred 

 accordingly. 



The President next called upon the chairman of the General 

 Committee for a report. 



In answer to this call, Mr. A. J. Downing, of New- York, chair- 

 man of the committee, offered the subjoined remarks : 



Mr. President, — I have had placed in my hands a scries of reso- 

 lutions passed at the late meeting of the North American Pomological 

 Convention at Syracuse. They were, I believe, passed unanimously 

 by that body ; and, as they have reference to the action of this meet- 

 ing, I will beg your indulgence for asking attention to them. 



It affords me one of the most striking proofs of general interest ia 

 the public mind, on any topic of importance, when the same movcr- 

 ment takes place in different parts of the comitry at the same time, 

 without any concerted action, and simply from a conviction wliich has 

 arisen, that such a step is demanded by the public good. 



Such a conviction, sir, gave rise to the formation of two Pomolog- 

 ical Conventions in tlie year 1848 ; one held at Buffalo, and the other 

 in this city. The bare fact that two spontaneous movements were 

 made to form national associations of this kind, proves, I repeat,^- 

 that the time had come when cultivators in the country at large fe.it 

 tlie necessity of some National Association, which should be abia to 

 do, for the whole Union, what the Horticultural societies have doncj 

 and arc doing for various states. 



But, sir, tills spontaneous movement towards a good and laudable 

 [Assembly, No. 199.] 13 



