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PENHA. FEUIT GEOWERS' SOCIETY. 



The Fall Meeting will be held at York, Pa., on 

 Wednesday, the 2d day of October, 1867. 



It is desired that members should attend and ex- 

 hibit such fruits as they may have. 



Hiram Engle, Secretary. 



[We are sorry that our friends do not advise us of 

 their Meetings earlier. We seldom receive notices 

 in time to render societies the service we are always 

 ready to do.] 



THE AMERICAH POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



The meeting was a very great success, both in the 

 attendance, the quantity and quality of the fruits 

 exhibited, and the general results. The first day's 

 proceedings were chiefly the President's address, 

 which we give in full, as one of the best histories of 

 the society we know of, and which we wish to place 

 on our record. Then an address by Thomas Mee- 

 han, on the diseases of the Pear, followed by a dis- 

 cussion. Mr. Meehan considered the Fire Blight 

 and the cracking of the .Butter Pear to be the result 

 of different fungoid attacks, and nothing but cutting 

 away and burning the affected parts before the 

 spores matured, could successfully resist its spread. 

 Nothing was brought out on the discussion opposed 

 to this theory, while it received the sanction in a 

 greater or less degree of Dr. Warder, Dr. Hull, Mr. 

 Barry, Mr, Saunders and others. 



Next followed an address by Mr. Saunders on the 

 mildew on the Grape,— for this essay we shall find 

 room for in a future number entire. Its reading 

 was received with marked attention. 



Hon. M. L. Dunlap made some highly interesting 

 remarks on the marketing of truit. One of the most 

 instructive we ever listened to. The following is 

 an abstract of an hour's address. He said : — 



" We have now a new condition of things. Rail- 

 roads have opened up through the country, and the 

 more delicate luxuries of the fruit and vegetable 

 garden can be sent hundreds of miles. The time 

 when the surrounding farms could supply the vil- 

 lages and cities with those luxuries is past. The 

 great plains to the v*rest, the more rigorous climate 

 of the North, must be supplied with those luxuries. 

 Nor is this all. The season of the several fruits 

 must be extended. Taking the State of Illinois as 

 an example : her fruit region proper, runs through 

 three hundred and fifty miles of latitude. Over this 

 the season marches at the rate of about twelve miles 

 a day. 



The strawberry begins to ripen at the south end 

 of the State May 5th. At that time the plants are 

 not in bloom in Chicago, the great distributing point 

 of the lake region, and are sent north to where the 

 land yet lies locked in frost. While the season of 



the strawberry is only some two weeks, but when it 

 fofows the march of the season it is in the markets 

 from May 5th to July 20th, two and a half months; 

 other fruits have a similar history. To ship the 

 strawberry eight hundred miles over railroads we 

 extend the season more than two months. 



The peach begins to ripen at the south part of 

 the State July 1st, and by the march of the season 

 continues until the October frosts close the orchards 

 on the hither side of Lake Michigan. 



Southern Illinois peaches are sent to market two- 

 thirds to three-fourths grown, and after sweltering 

 in the cars, reach the market in a soft condition. 

 On the other hand, the Michigan peaches are picked 

 nearly ripe and fully matured, and they are offered 

 in the Chicago market in a ripe condition, and com- 

 mand a high price, and please the taste of the people, 

 who from such evidence suppose that late peaches 

 arc much the most valuable. 



Now, what we want is to send these fruits in a 

 ripened condition to the consumer, and to do this 

 we must ask the railroads to aid us. The Michigan 

 peaches cannot be sent out from Chicago, for, be- 

 ing ripe, they deteriorate by every mile of railway 

 transit. 



We must have refrigerating cars, mounted on light 

 steel springs, carrying not more than six tors, and 

 running at nearly passenger speed, at reasonable 

 charges for transportation. 



For packages we must discard the boxes and use 

 baskets. (Here the speaker described a new basket 

 that was cheaply made, strong and durable. Boxes 

 are of no value to the consumer for other use than 

 firewood, while the basket has a value in every 

 household, and they can be returned again to the 

 orchards at little cost. 



The necessity of packing fruits so that they may 

 not be injured by friction of the moving train, and 

 he suggested that peaches and grapes should be 

 packed something Hke apples by the use of a small 

 screw. This can be done by using a cover to the 

 basket. How much the pressure should be can only 

 be settled by experience in the several varieties. " 



Other points of value were discussed, but the 

 above will show the animus of the remarks. 



Then came the discussion on fruits. Everbearing 

 Raspberries were discussed, and some members 

 wanted a resolution passed discountenancing their 

 entire culture — but on opposition, it was withdrawn. 

 Lum's Autumn Black on exhibition was shown, 

 and pleased the delegates generally. The Clarke 

 was spoken well of for hardiness by all who had 

 tried it. Nothing was said of its bearing properties. 

 The Philadelphia was found by all, hardy and pro- 



