5 ‘-'......... . .....I...... 
1 
... 
JAN. 19. 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER: AN AGRICULTURAL AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
trees, this is not one tree annually to each in¬ 
habitant, and a very small provision when we 
take all the casualties into view to which they 
and their crops are liable, the amount needed 
for foreign markets, whether in a green state, or 
dried in the best manner, and the immense 
quantities that might be profitably consumed in 
feeding various domestic animals, for which they 
are not only cheaper than roots, but better, 
cleaner, and more easily gathered for winter 
storage. 
I have taken a little pains to estimate the 
time required for all our present nurseries in the 
whole Union, to furnish a ten acre orchard to 
every farm of a hundred acres, in all the States 
east of and contiguous to the Mississippi river. 
On the supposition that all the ground occupied 
by nurseries in densely planted fruit trees, 
amounts to ten thousand acres, their entire and 
continued products would be required for three 
hundred years to fill out all these ten acre or¬ 
chards. But many estimate that only one-fiftli 
of all trees set out ever reach a successful bear¬ 
ing condition—in which case Jiftcen hundred 
years would be needed by our present nurseries 
to plant one-tenth of our entire territory with 
orchards. Our large nurserymen here, at Syra¬ 
cuse, and at other places, whose nurseries range 
variously from one to three hundred acres, must 
bestir themselves, extend their grounds, and 
plant more trees, or it will be a long time yet 
before our country becomes the orchard of the 
world. 
Will diseases, enemies, and adverse seasons, 
so increase that good crops will become difficult 
and rare, as some are led to fear ? I do not en¬ 
tertain any apprehension of the kind. These 
disasters often prevail at certain periods, and 
with particular kinds at a time ; but they near¬ 
ly always become greatly shorn of their magni¬ 
tude under good management, and most of them, 
after running their course, disappear from our 
orchards and gardens. I have no question that 
the benignant promise, that while the world re¬ 
mains, seed time and harvest shall not cease, 
applies as well to our fruit crops as to the other 
productions of the earth ; and that the enemies 
and difficulties we encounter, are not intended 
to check our endeavors, but to incite us to in¬ 
creased diligence, and like the other difficulties 
and calamities of life, to develop our energies in 
manner that would never be accomplished in a 
life of indolence or of sailing only down the 
current of a smooth stream. 
The future destiny, therefore, of fruit culture is 
that of improvement and increase. The improve¬ 
ment will consist in the origin, introduction and 
dissemination of better varieties and their bet¬ 
ter cultivation ; the increase, in the propagation 
in our nurseries, and the planting out in or¬ 
chards of those sorts most largely "that are cal¬ 
culated to fill the present deficiency which ex¬ 
ists during a large portion of the year, and sup¬ 
plying fine fruit at a moderate rate to the great 
mass of our country and city population, who 
now obtain at best only occasional supplies. 
But a most important improvement consists 
in the moral influence which must be exerted 
by an increase in the attractions of home, which 
will always result where family comforts are 
connected with rural culture, and where taste¬ 
ful planting of every kind is made to add to the 
interest of a country or suburban residence.— 
How many young men would be rescued from 
the gambling house and grog shop, if every 
owner of a dwelling endeavored to increase 
these "home attractions in tho place of what is 
now too often dull or repulsive ! How greatly 
augmented would be the happiness of a com¬ 
munity where,-in connection with these excel¬ 
lent influences, a disposition were cherished to 
discard cold and selfish feelings, and to encour¬ 
age the prevalence of human sympathy. How 
often may the possessor of a fine fruit garden 
find means to contribute to the happiness of 
those whom sickness has stripped of physical 
comforts ! How frequently will the acts of such 
an individual drop the balm of kindness into 
the corroding irritation of bad nature, and like 
the atmosphere of spring breathe cheerfulness 
and sweetness around all within their influence. 
May not we hope that our labors, if properly 
directed, will thus contribute in some degree to 
the advancement of the substantial happiness of 
the human race, and that one of the most valu¬ 
able results of the future progress of this art 
will be its favorable influence in the cultivation 
of the sympathies and amenities of life. 
At the close of the Address, the meeting 
appointed a Committee to report the names of 
Exhibitors, and the respective varieties of Fruit 
shown ; after which the first question was taken 
up for discussion. We can only give a very 
condensed statement of the remarks of the 
different speakers. 
P. Barky, of Rochester.—The question, “ Can 
the cultivation of Fruits for market on an exten¬ 
sive scale, be recommended to the farmers 
and land owners of Western New York,” we 
would answer iff the affirmative, without the 
slightest hesitation. The circumstances of West¬ 
ern New York are now very different from those 
a few years ago. Railroads now place us 
within a few hours of New York city. They 
also put the Western States in easy communi¬ 
cation with Eastern markets. Hence wheat 
growers are turning their attention to the cheap 
lands of the West, justly considering it poor 
policy to compete in “grain growing on land 
worth $100 per acre, with as good soil, costing 
but $2 or $3. The farmer should try some 
other crop—one which his advantages of locali¬ 
ty, soil and climate, will render remunerative. 
'i bis Association would recommend the cultiva¬ 
tion of Fruits, and why ? Because the position, 
soil and climate of Western New York is all 
right. There is no better place in the world.— 
The soil is proverbially fine, and especially 
suitable for the raising of fruits. It is no longer 
a question as to its adaptedness, as fruit growing 
has been carried on for years on an extensive 
scale, and with the most profitable results. All 
the fruits succeed here remarkably well. Only 
one such cold season as last year has occurred 
in fifteen years, and its like may never be 
known again. 
Look at the geographical features of our 
country. West of us lies Lake Erie, stretching 
260 miles farther west, and north is Ontario, 
with an area of over six thousand miles. These 
great bodies of water, not being so quickly pen¬ 
etrated by the cold as the earth, gives us a more 
even temperature, and a more gradual change 
from warm to cold, and from colei to warm. And 
then look at our central lakes, right in our midst, 
which never freeze over. Think of what an in¬ 
fluence these bodies of water exercise on the 
climate of our country. Can we be better situ¬ 
ated than we are in regard to a market ? Here 
we have the New York Central and New York 
and Erie roads running through our midst, and 
no matter where a man is located, he can reach 
Ncav York with its more than half a million 
consumers, Philadelphia, Boston, and other large 
cities in a day. From all these reasons, I repeat, 
I have no hesitation whatever in saying that the 
farmers of Western New York ought to turn 
their attention to fruit growing on an extensive 
scale. We Avould say to her farmers, curtail the 
amount of your lands under cultivation, and pay 
more attention to your fruit trees, for you will 
find it more profitable to work less ground and 
make the best use of it, than to monopolize a 
great extent of farm land Avith a less paying crop. 
H. C. Smith, of Rochester.—Our friend has 
advocated the culture of fruits on a large scale. 
I suppose that ten acres of orchard Avould not be 
anything more than is contemplated in the 
question. I would uoav ask him or others, 
whether the farmer Avould reap more reward 
from ten acres of good orchard, than by apply¬ 
ing this land to the raising of a good corn or 
Avheat crop, under the best cultivation. The 
farmers of Western New York have got onlv 
about five or six shillings a barrel for their fruit ! 
this year. Now why would not the same ground 
produce more profitabiy by planting potatoes 
upon it ? 
P. Barry.— I hope some other speaker will 
reply to this question. With regard'to the mar¬ 
keting of fruits, three-fourths of our farmers 
take no pains to sell their fruit. They let them 
hang on their trees until a purchaser comes, and 
then take his offer without inquiry. They 
make no arrangements to sell their peaches un¬ 
til they are fully ripe and glut the market or 
leave it unsupplied. If they would make ar¬ 
rangements beforehand for their sale, and then 
pick them in proper season, they would have 
no difficulty in obtaining a remunerative price 
for them. Until people understand the necessi¬ 
ty of proper ai rangements for selling their fruits, 
they might as well keep out of the business.— 
There is a great deal to be learned on this point. 
Dr. E. Ware Sylvester, of Lyons, Wayne 
Co.—The question which was asked : How 
much it cost to have such an orchard cultivated 
is one that struck at the root of the matter. If 
people do not cultivate and take care of their 
orchards, they cannot expect good fruit from 
them, or fruit that Avill bring a good price. I 
picked from one of my Spitzenburg trees, this 
year, five barrels. We have forty trees to the 
acre, giving two hundred barrels of apples, 
which can be sold at one dollar a barrel, and 
barrels found. My man picked from eight to 
ten barrels per day, and put them up, and I cal¬ 
culate the profits of one acre at $175. This is 
above the true estimate as a general thing, but 
orchards may be brought to this point by good 
cultivation. I know orchards, the owners of 
Avhich, year before last, received eight and nine 
shillings per barrel, and made $100 to the acre, 
Avithout any extra cultivation. The owner of 
a farm of 183 acres, on which there was an or¬ 
chard of about five acres, said year before last, 
he had received $510 for his apples. The last 
year he got about 400 barrels, but had not yet 
sold them. Here is an orchard of five acres 
averaging $100 to the acre, and I doubt wheth¬ 
er he received more than $1,000 from the bal¬ 
ance of his farm. 
i S. H. Ainsworth, of West Bloomfield, Ontario 
Co.—One of my neighbors has three acres of 
orchard that he has taken some little pains Avith 
in the last few years, from Avhich last year he 
sold the fruit for $525. He thinks that another 
year he will receive from $700 to $1,000 from 
that orchard, Avhich consisted mainly of North- 
ern Spys and Roxbury Russets. Last year 
Avas the seA’enth since they were grafted. An¬ 
other of my neighbors sold his apples year be¬ 
fore last for $125 from one acre of ground. The 
year before he received $112, and the last year 
$75. The apples were sold in home markets. 
All the orchards in that section can be made to 
yield in like manner, as the ground on which 
these stand is no better than the average. 
L. Burtis.— I differ Avith those gentlemen 
Avho consider twenty-five feet too nigh for ap¬ 
ple trees. I have traveled through every coun¬ 
ty in the State, and through a large portion of 
seAeral other Iruit-growing States, and where I 
have seen trees growing close together, I have 
always found them loaded with fruit, Avhile I 
have also found many orchards Avith trees 30 or 
50 feet apart, with little or no fruit. I conclude 
therefore, that by setting trees close they pro¬ 
tect each other from the wind and storms, and 
are consequently in a better condition for bear¬ 
ing and sustaining a heavy crop. I would plant 
trees 20 feet apart. They would then fully pro¬ 
tect each other, and can be cultivated as well as 
if farther apart. 
Some remarks were made by different gen¬ 
tlemen at this point of the discussion, advoca¬ 
ting the growing of fine fruit as the great busi¬ 
ness of Western NeAv York, because the West 
could furnish us wheat and corn much cheaper 
than we can groAV it ourselves. We could ex¬ 
port fruit, not only all over our oavu country, but 
to Europe, where there was no limit to the de¬ 
mand for it. 
advantage of us in competition, but in this re¬ 
spect they have no chance whatever. 
L. C. Smith, of Livonia, Livingston Co.—If 
there are two sides to this question, avc have 
heard but one as yet. Is it a fact that we of 
the portion of the country that raises the fa¬ 
mous Genesee wheat have come to a point that 
we must give up that business and turn our .at¬ 
tention to the raising of fruit ? If so, I want to 
knoAV it, and to hear it fully established. It 
appears to me that we must look pretty much 
for our fruit market to our home consumption. 
Noav, is it so Avith our grain ? How with the 
Avar in the east ? Does that enhance the 
value of our fruits ? It does our grain, and we 
have supplied nearly all Europe with grain for 
several years. If winter fruits will bear trans¬ 
portation almost as Avell as grain, will not our 
western friends raise fruit at a less cost than Ave 
on their cheap lands, Avhich can be obtained for 
a couple of dollars per acre, Avliile avc have here 
to pay $100 or $200 per acre for best lands ?— 
Our home consumption of fruits may compete 
Avith the home consumption of grain, but can 
avc make that great staple of transportation and 
commerce of them Avhich Ave do of wheat ? A 
barrel of flour is worth ten or twelve dollars, 
and can be sent to Europe by the thousand 
Avithout injury. I should be happy to know 
Avhether those Avihter pears can be sent to Eu¬ 
rope. If so I can go in for that, because the 
more costly the package in a certain bulk, the 
more profitable in proportion is it for transpor¬ 
tation. 
Adjourned to meet at 7 J A P. M. 
EVENING SESSION. 
Col. E. C. Frost, one of the Vice Presidents, 
was called to the Chair, and the afternoon’s dis¬ 
cussion was resumed. 
^ Mr. Arch. Stone, of Hinmanville, Oswego 
Co.—In our section of the country Ave have had 
no market for fruits, and no apples worth market- 
ing until within a few years. Noav we have a bet¬ 
ter market, and that encourages the growing of 
better fruits. The Roxbury Russet is our best 
an inter apple, but a bushel will bring more in 
the spring than a barrel in the fall. The Bald¬ 
en I should think best adapted to our soil and 
climate. I know one tree that tAvo years a"o 
produced tAA'enty-eiglit bushels, which sold for 
about $40. Last year there was in the neigh- 
boihood oi $150,000 brought into the county ior 
fruitsent out. Our Affricnltm-al OommitraTo 
truit sent out. Our Agricultural Committees es¬ 
timated one acre in orchard as equal in value to 
twelve in other crops, but thought the fio-ures 
1 arge enough at five to one. ° 
Dr. Long.*— Compare our apples with those 
grown in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or Mas¬ 
sachusetts, and we excel them in fine ap¬ 
pearance, excellence ol flesh and glossy surface. 
Our colors are bright and beautiful, a result - of 
good soil and fine locality. Our fruits will sur¬ 
pass those grown in any other locality I have 
ever seen. 
The President here remarked that he had no 
Avisli to disturb the discussion—the most inter¬ 
esting he had ever heard in any convention; 
but, it was growing late, and they had some 
very fine fruits on exhibition, that should be 
examined during the present sitting. 
I. Barry . In opening the discussion, I over¬ 
looked a matter ot considerable importance.— 
I hat is, Ave are here in the northern limits of 
the fine fruit growing region, and the conse¬ 
quence is, that our Avinter fruits are preserved 
better than m any other section. In New Jer¬ 
sey, 1 ennsylvania, and Ohio, their winter fruits 
become fall fruits, and will not keep in winter 
equal to those grown™n colder sections. Noav 
Ave have here on the table winter pears, that you 
cannot find anywhere else in near so great per¬ 
fection. This is one thing which should be 
borne in mind by our fruit growers. Some sav 
that these warm climates will always have the 
Mr. L. B. Lakgavortiiy, of Greece.—The the¬ 
ory is true, I believe, that the roots spread as 
far as the branches do, and therefore my opinion 
is that Ave plant our trees too nigh together.— 
Thirty-three feet is the general rule, but I have 
always held that forty feet is better than a less 
distance ; then you can have crops of some kind 
without injuring the trees. Apples are like all 
other crops; if they are croAvded too much, they 
must be reduced, either in size or quantity. As 
to the profit of apples they Avill pay at five shil¬ 
lings per barrel in a decently cultivated orchard, 
but much larger profits can be made. A gentle¬ 
man of my acquaintance has sent some twenty 
thousand bushels of apples to England in a 
year, and at a very great profit. I have sent 
the Newtown Pippin to the West Indies and 
made well of it, and therefore I think Ave may 
decide that apples can be transported. I have 
knoAvn the Virgalieu pear to sell in New York 
at $18 per barrel. If properly cultivated, there 
is no fruit as fair and as sound as that of West¬ 
ern New York, and it will ever command a 
ready sale, and take the preference in any mar¬ 
ket in the world. 
Mr. H. E. Hooker, of Brighton.—It has been 
asked, in one of the questions, whether it is ad¬ 
visable to plant pears on quince stocks. Noav 
I suppose there are none of us Avho have had 
sufficient experience on this point to be able to 
judge, still I think Ave may arrive at something 
like a conclusion when we throw all the little 
experience Ave have had together and compare 
results and consider causes. I am in favor of 
plenty of room and light among trees. By 
planting 680 pear trees on an acre the hardy- 
sorts Avill produce in the neighborhood of 
a bushel, more or less. These 680 bushels, at 
the price fine pears command in the Autumn, 
$4 a bushel, gh-es us $2,720 from one acre of 
ground ! Half that number of trees, and at tAvo 
dollars a bushel, give us $680. Dwarf pears, 
such as White Doyenne, Louise Bonne of Jer¬ 
sey-, Duchesse d’Angouleme, Bartlett, and a feAv 
otlier select A’arieties, may be made to produce 
this when five years old. In reference to the 
prices here mentioned as not likely to be real¬ 
ized for winter pears : 340 bushels Easter Beurre 
at 150 pears to the bushel—which is feAv 
enough, and they haA'c to be large ones Avith 
which 150 Avill fill abushcl—makes 51,000 pears 
to the acre. These sold at ten cents each—and 
in New York they sell for a shilling and eigh¬ 
teen pence—gives us $5,100 for a single acre ! 
P. Barry. —-Just before adjourning, a gentle¬ 
man from Livonia, and a very intelligent gen¬ 
tleman, expressed some doubts as to the pro¬ 
priety of growing less wheat and more fruits, 
lie argued that because this has ahvays been a 
fine wheat groAving country, we should there¬ 
fore always continue to grow wheat. Noav avc 
find that the land in the neighborhood of all 
large cities becomes a market garden. Our ob¬ 
ject should be, seeing that our lands are increas¬ 
ing in richness, to increase the value of our 
productions, and I think AA-e can do so twenty 
fold. An acre of pears must be worth a great 
many acres of wheat. Winter pears have not 
attracted much attention yet throughout the 
country, Avhile Ave have an immense population, 
every year increasing, and requiring more in 
the AA-ay of luxuries and delicacies. Now near¬ 
ly all the pears they get in Ncav Yfork city are 
sent from Boston. Our oavh farmers will soon 
find the information they need, and will ascer¬ 
tain the best method of storing and ripening 
their pears. Standard pears must have ten 
years’ groAvth before they are capable of raisino- 
Iruit in perfection. The cultivator wants some¬ 
thing to fill this time and the vacant space on 
Ins ground. He can plant dwarf trees betAveen 
the rows, and by a little extra attention obtain 
almost immediate returns. A proper selection 
of varieties is requisite; hitherto too little atten¬ 
tion has been given to this point. With our 
present knoAA-ledge, and means of supplying 
them, we may proceed with greater certainty. 
Mr. S. II. Ainsworth.— So far as regards the 
relative profits betAveen raising Avheat and ap¬ 
ples, we can easily arrive at. The profit of. 
aa heat in this section is about ten dollars per 
acre. Those Avho haA-e been raising fruit in good 
orchards will average at least fifty dollars a 
year above all expenses. This, of course, gives 
the fruit-grower five times the profit Avhich the 
wheat-grower obtains. So much for apples.— 
Of pear orchards Ave have but very few in our 
country. One is that of Mr. Thaddeus Chapin, 
of Canandaigua, Avhich has uoav been set nine 
years. Six years after being set out, he sent 
some fruit to NeAv York, and obtained $8 a bar¬ 
rel tor it. The next year he had thirty barrels 
of fine pears from his three acres. For those he 
obtained $15 a barrel, making $450. This Avas 
his own price, and after paying him for them, 
the market woman remarked that if he had 
asked $18 she should haA-e paid it quite as wil- 
lingly. The year before last he had fifty bar¬ 
rels, Avhich he sold in NeAv York for from $18 
to $20 a barrel—making nearly a thousand dol¬ 
lars. This last year his crop was partly a fail¬ 
ure, Avhich he thinks Avas owing to planting 
corn in his orchard, and close up to the trees! 
When his pears were nearly grown they drop! 
ped off without ripening, and he lost nearly all. 
It Avas a pretty good crop of corn, but Avorth 
little in comparison to the pears he Avould have 
had. 
A Virgalieu tree from 60 to 70 years of age 
stands on the old Judge Howell farm, near On¬ 
ondaga. That tree for 40 years in succession 
has borne every year, and for the last 20 years 
has averaged not less than three bushels a sea¬ 
son, which sold for $3 a bushel. A gentlemen 
of Onondaga Co. sold from three trees $137 
Avorth of pears. Another gentleman in Onon¬ 
daga has three Virgalieu trees. He has sold 
their product for $60 a year for several years 
back, and has been offered $50 for the fruit on 
the trees before picking. The soil is loose, with 
a heavy clay subsoil. Mr. Chapin’s orchard is 
nine years old. The seA r enth year he received 
$ 450, and the eighth year $1,000. They are all 
pear stocks ; Avith him pears on quince stocks 
do not succeed, nor do they with me. In culti¬ 
vating pears on quince, Mr. Barry and I would 
not prooably differ when we plant them in a 
sandy, open and porous soil, because the quince 
roots will not extend so far as the roots of the 
pear, and therefore need a more loose and open 
earth. Those trees Avhich I referred you to, 
have had no extra attention. Those trees of 
Judge HoavcII’s have had scarcely any atten¬ 
tion for a number of years. If these estimates 
hold good in other cases—and I knoAv no reason 
Avhy they should not in any good soil—then the 
cultivation of pears Avill pay the farmers of 
Western New York, thirty times as much as the 
raising of wheat. 
L. Colby, of Nunda.—As to pears on pear 
stock I believe Mr. Barry to be mistaken in re¬ 
gard to the time necessary to bring them into 
bearing. I have been cultivating pears for 
about thirty years, and have been able to make 
standards bear as soon as those on quince. By 
transplanting them three times, and each time 
clipping the roots aa'c cause the usually feAv 
and long roots to branch out, thus hastening 
their bearing. I have a Seckel tree four or five 
feet high that bore 68 perfected pears the first 
year after setting. It bore some the first year. 
I find that the quince stock injures the flavor, 
and renders the tree more liable to blight. 
J o:in M. Mattison, of Tompkins Co., related 
his success Avith the King apple, of which he 
had sold nearly 100 bushels for $2,50 per bar¬ 
rel. This season he had ten trees from Avhich 
he picked 105 bushels ! Three trees which had 
been seven years grafted produced in that time 
51 bushels. Its great size Avas the only objec¬ 
tion fruit dealers had to this apple. He thought 
pears Avould thrive better on pear than on quince 
stocks. 
H. C. YY hite, of Buffalo, offered some valua¬ 
ble suggestions as to keeping and marketing 
fruit. Farmers could not expect winter apples 
to bring a fair remunerative price if sold in 
September ; but if kept until a proper season 
they would become profitable. He availed 
himself of this negligence by purchasing apples 
and keeping them in his cellar till a good price 
could bo obtained. He thought the cultivation 
of apples should be mainly recommended by 
this Society, as they required less skill and at¬ 
tention than any other fruit. Farmers general¬ 
ly could not cultivate pears with profit with 
their present knowledge and habits. He tho’t 
more attention should be given to the Isabella 
grape, Avhich he AA r as certain could be made re¬ 
munerative—if it would not pay in market it 
AA'ould on the table. He hoped the cultivation 
of fruits would be impressed on the attention of 
the farmers of this section. 
II. E. Hooker Avas sorry to see the compara¬ 
tive merits of the pear and quince stock left in 
just the shape it no\A' stood. He never had 
seen on pear stocks specimens of pears exhibit 
so high a degree ol fineness as those on quince. 
Mr. Smith, of Livingston Co., in the course of 
extended remarks, mentioned that farmers gen¬ 
erally could not sell their pears for tAvo or three 
dollars a dozen, as some here pretend they have 
done. He had seen a farmer in his vicinity 
throwing half a bushel of fine Bartlett pears to 
the hogs. The farmer had tried them baked, 
steAved and raAV, and came to the conclusion 
that they Avould be worth more to the hogs than 
in his family. The tenor of Mr. Smith’s re¬ 
marks were not in favor of forsaking the wheat 
crop by which this portion of the country had 
acquired its wealth. The partial failure of the 
Avheat crop this last season might be a favorable 
opportunity for nurserymen to recommend the 
groAvth of truit to the farmers and make a good 
speculation out of their increased business. 
J. J. 1 homas, of Macedon, was sorry to hear 
these remarks. He never imputed selfish mo¬ 
tives, and it gave him pain to hear such impu¬ 
tations. Nurserymen Av.ere engaged in a lauda¬ 
ble enterprise, that of endeavoring to supply 
the country with improved fruits. Besides they 
did not require to resort to such means to assist 
their business, as their nurseries during the 
past season had been drained of trees, and 
many orders refused Avhich could not be filled. 
Mr. Smith regretted the sensitiveness of the 
gentleman. He thought his remarks would 
have been taken in a general manner as he of¬ 
fered them. 
Mi\ Barry wished to know why the gentle¬ 
man just sat doAvn did not go on and support 
the wheat-growing side of the question ? It 
needed some support, and if Mr. Smith thought 
what they Avere advocating was wrong he should 
give us facts on the opposite side and have them 
placed on record, as he was a gentleman of con¬ 
siderable experience in wheat raising. The 
discussion should be carried on in a gentleman- 
1a mannei on both sides, and not by insinua¬ 
tions. He then replied to some of the objec¬ 
tions aa hich had been urged against pears on 
the quince stock. 
Mr. Ainsworth knew that the remarks of 
Mr. Smith were not meant as they had been 
taken up. He had entered upon the cultivation 
ot fruits entensivelv, and had land enough to 
grow both Avheat and fruit. 
Mr. Moulson, of Rochester, put some ques¬ 
tions to Mr. Smith on the subject of cultivating 
Avheat on the same soil from year to year, 
Avhich altered the comparative merits of the" 
question at issue. 
After further remarks by Mr. Langwortiiy 
and others, the meeting adjourned til 9 o’clock 
next morning. 
SECOND DAY’S SESSION. 
The meeting came to order at 9 a. m., when 
the folloAving Committee were appointed : 
On Native Fruits— H. E. Hooker, T. C.* Max¬ 
well, L. Fay, A. Loomis, E. C. Frost. 
Foreign Fruits —Geo. Elwanger, John Morse, 
J. C. Hanchett, II. L. Suydam, Charles Powis. 
Nomenclature —B. Hodge, YV. P. Townsend, 
J. B. Eaton, Joseph Frost, J. J. Thomas. 
The President, in view of the meeting of the 
American Pomological Society, to be held in 
Rochester, in September next, said it was nec¬ 
essary that this Society should have an assistant 
Secretary, and on motion, II. E. Hooker, of 
Rochester, was appointed. 
lhe Committee on Fruits then proceeded to 
examine the specimens on exhibition. 
v ^ e _ mee ti"g having again come to order. Col. 
E. C. Frost m the Chair, the discussion of the 
preceding day Avas continued. A member en¬ 
deavored to prove that root crops could be pro¬ 
duced Avith greater profit than fruits, and had 
prepared some calculations made on the same 
principle as those which had been presented to 
toe Society, namely from the produce of indi- 
M l< f Ua li SpC l Clmcn8 ' He WHS prepared to show 
that the turnip rooted beet, Avould yield a 
greater return than any descrip! ion of fruit. He 
had_ weighed a single root, and calculated the 
Iton non per acre at 3 feet a JP a rt; but his product, 
$-3,000 per aore, appeared^ too great, and on ex- 
minatiod it was found that some discrepancy 
dad occurred in the calculation. J 
In reply to a question as to the benefits likely 
to arise from mulching with saw-dust, where it 
c ° ldd if ° btained without cost, Mr. Barry 
stated that he should not think it worth any¬ 
thing, except m cases where it Avas desired to 
retain moisture in the soil, then mulching Avas 
veiy useful He would rccommned nmlch- 
milffV n i hC s P readiQ g long manure 
und the base of fruit trees, Avhich Avas prac¬ 
ticed by him During the winter the rains 
carried down the manure in a liquid state, and 
during the ensuing summer the litter remained 
to serve as a summer mulching. 
Mr. J J. Thomas remarked! that the cultiva¬ 
tion of the surface soil was equal to mulching, 
as R had the very same effect. The mellow 
soil for a feAv inches deep, was as good and more 
easily managed than any foreign substance. 
Mr. Lee could not exactly understand the 
philosophy of this, and wished for further ex¬ 
planation. 
• ^ r - Ainsworth stated his views on the sub¬ 
ject, attributing its efficiency to the condensa¬ 
tion of vapor beteween the upper and lower 
strata of soil. 
In reply to a question, how to make apple 
trees bear every year, 
Mr. Barry said he Avas often amused at the 
ignorance Avhich prevailed on some subjects 
connected Avith fruit culture. One instance he 
should notice : A variety of apple had been 
lemaikcd as bearing all the odd years, until the 
owner having propagated it, advertised it Avith 
the lecommendation that it was the particular 
Aaiiety Avhich bore all the odd years, as an in¬ 
ducement to planters, as if it had really assumed 
tins as a constant characteristic. He kneAV that 
the bearing of trees Avas in proportion to their 
heavy or light cropping, and depended on good 
treatment. 
Dr. E. YV. Sylvester said, as he had been suc¬ 
cessful in making apple trees bear every year, 
he thought it could be done, and proceeded to 
detail his OAvn practice, by uncovering the roots 
and adding a yearly coating of manure. 
After some further remarks by L. Burtis, A. 
Stone, E. N. Thomas, L. C. Carlo av, and others, 
Mr. II. C. YY hite presented a set of resolutions 
based upon the questions which had been so 
fully discussed, and hoped they Avould meet the 
vieAvs of the gentlemen present. The subjects 
discussed should be brought in a prominent 
manner before the farmers, and that Avas the 
object of these resolutions. 
Resolved, That this Convention confidently 
recommend to the farmers of YVestern New 
Y ork, an increased and extensive cultivation of 
fruit tor market, as an easy, sure and safe means 
ot ensuring ample and speedy profits on the 
amount of capital invested and the amount of 
care and labor required. 
Resolved, That the cities on the seaboard, in¬ 
tenor cities and villages, in connection with the 
extensive demand at the west for good fruits 
render it morally certain that the fruit market 
cannot be overstocked to the prejudice of large¬ 
ly remunerating prices for many years to come 
if ever. * 
Resolved, That to apples and peaches as crons 
requiring least care and skill, the general farmer 
may most easily direct his labors; Avhile the 
cultivation of choice varieties of fall and Avinter 
pears, the grape and strawberry, offer promise 
of the most remuneration for Avell-directed la¬ 
bor and skill. 
Resolved, That we deem the cultivation of the 
pear on quince stocks under favorable circum¬ 
stances, worthy of high commendation, but that 
avc cannot confidently recommend its general 
cultiAation among farmers, believing those on 
pear stocks will be more safe, longer" lived, and 
ensuiing for a series of years, as a general crop, 
a better return for the labor and capital invested. 
Resolved, That to ensure the proper return for 
labor in fruit culture, especial attention will be 
lequned to the judicious selection of good varie¬ 
ties, to care arid skill in culture, and as of para¬ 
mount importance to a full knowledge of the 
best means for ripening, preserving and market¬ 
ing fruits of all kinds. , 
lhe lesolutions, after some discussion, were 
adopted. 
A Committee consisting of J. J. Thomas, P. 
Barry, and H. E. Hooker, was appointed to 
piepare a select list of fruits for general cultiva¬ 
tion aa itkin the limits of the Society’s operations. 
A list having been prepared, the merits of the 
several varieties of Pears were fully discussed, 
with their relative adaptation to the pear and 
quince stock. Each variety was presented by 
itself", when the folloAving were adopted : 
Selected Pears.— Bartlett, Louise Bonne of 
Jcisey, Virgalieu, (or White Doyenne,\ Lawrence, 
Vica r of Winkfield, Glout Morccau, Faster Beurre. 
On motion, & hcldou and Flemish licauiy wore 
added. There AA r as some difference of opinion 
as to the Vicar of Winkfield, and its merits and 
demeiits AA'ere fully discussed. The Onondaga 
Avas also proposed, but after a full discussion 
Avas rejected, as the number was too limited to 
admit it. 
Apples.— King —(It was proposed to add of 
Tompkins Co., as several spurious varieties Avere 
in cultivation, some of which were described 
b y members present as much inferior to the 
Tompkins Co. King, a variety stated to have 
come originally from N'ew Jersey, but neA'er 
distributed till grafted, Avhere it now preA’ails.) 
Rhode Island Greening, Northern Spy, Baldwin, 
Gravenstein, and Fall Pippin were adopted. Sops 
of Wine was proposed but withdrawn, as it was 
not sufficiently known to those present. 
Some business matters having been arranged, 
a vote of thanks to the Common Council for the 
use of the Hall, passed unanimously. It was 
announced that a full report of the proceedings, 
together with much additional information ob¬ 
tained by the Executive Committee, through 
the Local Committees, would be published in 
pamphlet form, for the use of the members._ 
Such a document should be placed within the 
i each of all fanners and others interested at a 
small charge to defray expense of printing, Ac. 
YYe must refer to it for further details of the 
discussion and other proceedings. 
A 
