No, 199.] 261 



American varieties, will in this way be collected by the Congress, 



and widely disseminated. 



W. D. BRINCKLE, 



E. W. KEYSER, 

 TIIO. P. JAMES. 

 Phiiadelphia, Sept. 2S, 1849. 



NEW-YORK. 

 REPORT OF B. HODGE, BUFFALO. 



A. J. Downing, Esq. — As a member of the Standing Fruit Com- 

 mittee of the State of New-Yoik, I have the pleasure of laying 

 before you the following report. For reasons which I need not novr 

 mention, I have confined my remaiksto a limited number of varieties. 

 I am quite of the opinion that the time has arrived, in which we 

 must very materially reduce the number of varieties of fruits now in 

 cultivation. Yet at the same time fears may well be entertained that 

 the pruning knife is about to be applied in too indiscriminate a man- 

 ner. With some, there is a disposition to cut off all below " best," 

 or " first quality." Now, in my opinion, the Jine flavor of any par- 

 ticular sort of fruit is not the only ingredient in the catalogue of good 

 qualities, that should be taken into the account. For instance, the 

 Newtown Pippin all will admit to be of superior flavor. Yet in many 

 parts of our country it is so unproductive and liable to bitrer-rot, 

 that it is altogether unprofitable. On the contrary, the Rhode Island 

 Greening, although much inferior in flavor, yet in productiveness 

 and other good qualities, can hardly be surpassed The same remaik 

 will apply to Crawford's early and Crawford's lateMelocoton peaches; 

 neither of them are of superior flavor, yet for size, beauty and unproduc- 

 tiveness, they are perhaps equal to any other varieties ; and in West- 

 ern New-York are more extensively grown for the market, than any 

 other sorts. For the same reason, would I retain in a very small col- 

 lection even (at least one tree) of the Keswick Codlin Apple; in flavor, 

 not above second quality, but exceedingly productive; in use for culi- 

 nary purposes from June to October ; and from its earliness in coming 

 into bearing, indispensable to every new orchard. 



In looking over the catalogue of fruits, but few varieties will be 



