130 



Garden and Forest. 



[March 13, 1889.' 



The American Pomological Society. — II. 



The Meeting at Ocala, Florida. 



THE late meeting of the American Pomological Society 

 was held in Ocala in accordance with the invitation 

 of the Florida Horticultural Society, and the northern vis- 

 itors were impressed by the energy and intelligence shown 

 by the members of this organization. It was natural that 

 a large percentage of the papers should have been con- 

 tributed by them and that they should have conducted 

 most of the discussions. But the uniform excellence of the 

 addresses was noteworthy. Nearly two hundred members 

 of the local society were present, and their activit)'' sug- 

 gested the thought that the large percentage of the popula- 

 tion engaged in fruit-culture helped to insure a more gen- 

 eral familiarity with the methods which command suc- 

 cess than can be found in regions where fruit-culture 

 is subordinate to other branches of horticulture and agri- 

 culture. A large proportion of Florida Orange-growers 

 came from a climate where this fruit does not flourish. 

 The industry was new to them. There was no body of 

 doctrine or experience to draw upon. The local society 

 therefore, has been of signal advantage in furnishing a 

 medium for the interchange of instruction and experience 

 and the result is that, while there remains much to learn, 

 the growing of semi-tropical fruits in Florida has already 

 been placed on a foundation as secure as that of other 

 branches of economical horticulture. 



President Berckmans, in his opening address, said that the 

 Pomological Society was founded fifty years ago, not only 

 to unite the fruit-growers of the country in a brotherhood 

 and furnish a means of social intercourse among them, but 

 to be of practical utility in collecting and classifying the 

 knowledge of different fruits gained in widely-separated 

 localities. It had not been conducted in the interest of in- 

 dividuals, but was an impartial tribunal, setting its seal of 

 approval on what had been proved good in practice and 

 condemning what was unworthy ; and since fruit-growing 

 had become so important a factor in the production of na- 

 tional wealth the work of the Society could be truly char- 

 acterized as patriotic. It had long been recognized in 

 Europe as the most efiicient organization of the kind in 

 existence, and it was especially useful in this country where 

 the fruit-grower owns the land he tills and where he can 

 apply the mental force acquired in free schools to the con- 

 duct of a business which is under his own control and in 

 which his planted orchards and other improvements will 

 help to increase the value of property which he possesses 

 in fee simple. 



Mr. Berckmans then called attention to the Paris Expo- 

 sition, and congratulated the Society that our government 

 had established a Division of pomology in the Department 

 of Agriculture, and that this Division was to be repre- 

 sented in the general exhibit made by the government at 

 Paris. He invited attention to the progress made in util- 

 izing surplus fruit, because this furnished a relief to the 

 grower at times when over-production was threatened. He 

 urged the importance of co-operating with the experiment 

 stations with a view to making them more effective in gen- 

 eral, and especially for the purpose of directing their efforts 

 towards the testing of new varieties of fruit and devising 

 means to make successful defence against plant diseases 

 and destructive insects. 



Mr. Berckmans concluded with a brief sketch of four 

 members of the Society who had died during the year. 

 These were Wm. Parry, of New Jersey, well known as an 

 originator of small fruits, and more particularly identified 

 with the introduction of the Kieffer pear ; Richard Peters, 

 of Atlanta, Georgia, a widely-known raiser of fine stock and 

 fine fruit and the disseminator of many good varieties of 

 native apples and peaches ; A. J. Cay wood, of Marl- 

 boro', New York, to whom we are indebted for several 

 choice varieties of grapes and raspberries, and P. W. Rea- 

 soner, of Manatee, Florida, a young horticulturist of 

 remarkable promise. 



The attendance from the North was not so large as had 

 been e.xpected, but twenty-two states and the Dominion of 

 Canada were represented, and among those who came and 

 took an active part in the proceedings were such men as 

 C. L. Watrous and G. B. Brackett, of Iowa; Geo. W. Camp- 

 bell, of Iowa ; Thomas Meehan, Jr., of Pennsylvania; F. 

 L. Hexamer, of New York; E. Williams and J. R. Parry, 

 of New Jersey; B. G. Smith, W. C. Strong and F. L. Temple, 

 of Massachusetts. 



The following are abstracts of some of the more import- 

 ant papers read at the meeting : 



REPORT OF THE SUB-TROPICAL FRUIT COMMITTEE. 



The committee on sub-tropical fruits which was created at 

 the Boston meeting of the Society proved its value by pre- 

 senting a report which gave a better account of the history 

 and importance of this strictly southern industry than can be 

 found elsewhere in the same compass. Unfortunately the 

 report of the California member or the committee did not 

 reach Ocala in time for the meeting, but tiie Gulf region, from 

 Louisiana to Florida, was very thoroughly covered. 



In Louisiana the Parish of Lower Placquemines has the ad- 

 vantage of furnishing the earliest oranges. The entire crop is 

 sold on the trees, and the oranges are often paid for while the 

 trees are yet in bloom. The prospective crop of a hundred- 

 acre Orange-grove was sold last winter for $30,000 before 

 a blossom or bud had appeared on the trees. In south- 

 ern Alabama the hopes of Orange-growers were frozen 

 out with the death of the trees in the cold January of 1886, but 

 the Fig is here grown to perfection and yields enormously. 

 No other strictly sub-tropical fruits are grown here, but, as in 

 the northern region of Florida, fruits of Oriental origin like 

 the Kelsey and Bhotan Blood Plums, the Peen-to and Honey 

 peaches, the Le Conte and Keiffer pears, are receiving inuch 

 attention. There is a reviving interest, too, in some old and al- 

 most extinct varieties of the Peach, while the cultivation of the 

 Scuppernong Grape and of the Pecan is rapidly growing in 

 commercial importance. 



In the Florida Peninsula proper, and down to the 28th de- 

 gree of latitude, the cultivation of the Citrus fruits is the ab- 

 sorbing industry. The trees here grow like weeds, attaining 

 the largest size and most perfect development. Every known 

 variety of Orange seems at home here, and many of the in- 

 troduced kinds attain a sprightliness of flavor, combined with 

 a juiciness and sweetness, which they never acquire in their 

 original habitat. It is but reasonable to expect that in coun- 

 tries where these fruits have been cultivated 'for centuries, 

 varieties of the finest texture and flavor may be looked for ; 

 and enterprising Floridians are collecting and experimenting 

 with the best Oranges wherever they can be found. On the 

 other hand, many persons hold that the best fruits can be had 

 by selecting choice seedlings at home, which unite good qual- 

 ity with great productiveness. Many of the best-known 

 groves in the Indian River region are from Florida seedlings, 

 and even the famous Navel trees, on account of their unfruit- 

 fulness, have in some cases been budded with so-called 

 native varieties. 



The Lemon is more tender than the Orange, but the freez- 

 ing weather, three years ago, did not cause irreparable loss 

 in the southern counties, and largely increased areas are 

 planted with this fruit every year. 



Many persons consider it the most promising for cultivation 

 of all the Orange family. Florida lemons were quite unsaleable 

 a few years ago, but now, since more has been learnt of vari- 

 eties and of proper methods of curing and harvesting, they 

 lead the market in value. 



The Pomelo, or Grape-fruit, has conquered a position for 

 itself in the North, and must soon be as popular in the market 

 as it always has been for home use. Its beauty and size and 

 iiavormust make it saleable, and its productiveness will make 

 it profitable. It varies greatly, and new and improved varieties 

 will certainly be produced. 



The best varieties of the Lime have been so lately intro- 

 duced that little is yet known of their commercial value. Be- 

 sides these many minor fruits of this family have been in- 

 troduced and are sparingly used in a domestic way, like the 

 Citron, the Shaddock and the Kumquat, a diminutive Japan 

 Orange of great value for preserving. 



The Fig has already been mentioned, but it thrives best 

 north of the Orange-belt. The Loquat, or Japan Medlar, is seen 

 growing over all the State, and has proved profitable where 

 planted for market. It is susceptible of great improvement, 

 and the better varieties can be grafted on seedlings or on 

 Quince roots, as is done in California. The Kaki, or Japan 



