I ontological. 
AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOOIETY, 
Address Dellvnred at llio Tliirtecntli Ses- 
elou of llio Ainerfcnn Pomolnstcal Ho- 
cteiy, in l&iclnnand, Yu,, Sept. 6, 
BY MARSHALL T. WILDER, 1*RJSB’T OP THE SOCIETY. 
[We have received the following in time 
to give it to our readers this week. The 
American Pomological Society is now in 
session. Strong Northern delegations are 
there. An Editor of the Rural New- 
Yorker is at the meeting and will give a 
full report of t he discussions.—E ds. Rural.] 
Gentlemen and Friends of the American 
Pomological Society: —Twenty-three years 
have nearly elapsed since the organization 
of this Society, in the Cilv of New York. 
Held us our meetings have been, in different, 
and widely distant, parts of our country, I 
deem it proper very briefly to allude to its 
history, objects and progress. Especially is 
this desirable as a moans of information to 
such southern portions of our Union as may 
not have been conversant with the proceed¬ 
ings of the Society, Its object is to advance 
that most interesting and delightful pursuit, 
the cultivation of fruits: to promote and 
perpetuate n cordial spirit, of intercourse 
between pomologists; to compare fruits,and 
opinions concerning them; to settle doubt¬ 
ful pomts in pomology, and to establish a 
st uidard fm section of this great 
Western Continem it>-- —.11 tUjk has 
been done, the Society need no bolter t.eali 
rnouinl than *■’ furnished by its published 
.....tiona, the wide-spread influence it 
lias exerted, not onlv in our own. hut, other 
portions of the world, end especially by this 
grand assemblage of American fruits and 
American men. Many of the noble men 
who aided in the establishment of this 
Society have ceased from their labors— 
Downing, Prince, Saul, Hodge, Bergen, 
U 11 lerhill of New York; Brinckle of Penn¬ 
sylvania; Walker, French, Crnpflnml Lovett 
of Massachusetts; Munson of Connecticut; 
Ernst of Ohio; Hancock and Reid of New 
Jersey; Kennieolt of Illinois; Eaton of 
Rhode Tslmid ; White of Georgia; Pierce of 
the District of Columbia These*, and other 
associates of fair fame, have gone to their 
reward, tmt wu rejoice that some still live 
who, from the earlier years of our history, 
have distinguished t hemselves as the untiring 
friends of our institution; who, by their 
clflcicnt services and wise counsels, have 
contributed to its prosperity, some of whom 
are here to-day to rejoice with us in the pro¬ 
gress of our science and the perpetuity of 
our institution, 
Nor would we forget the eminent services 
and devotion of others of later days, to whom 
we are under equal obligations for the ex¬ 
tension and influence of our Society, whose 
efforts have brought together die cultivators 
of fruits from tin* most, distant portions of 
our country, thus making our institution 
what it was designed by its founders to he— 
a truly national association, where the 
knowledge of one becomes the property ef 
all; an association that should constitute ft 
compendium of experience, and where, with¬ 
out regard to religious creed or sectional 
prejudice, a community of interest, enter¬ 
prise and action might be established for 
the promotion of a great source of national 
wealth and human happiness. 
In order to promote the convenience of 
all, to distribute its favors and increase its 
influence, the. Society has wisely held its ses¬ 
sions in dill’ runt and distant Stales of the 
Union. New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, 
Massachusetts and Missouri have extended 
hospitalities to the Society, and some of these 
States have berm repeatedly favored with 
tin* presence of its members,and the privi¬ 
lege of listening to their discussions. And 
now I congratulate you most sincerely upon 
1 he auspicious circmnst iiiccs which enable 
us to meet in this city, among our Southern 
brethren, who have honored us with so eor- 
di d a welcome, and so large a representation 
of her men and her resources, here, in the 
capital of Virginia—a Suite so renow ned as 
the mother of Presidents, ami the home of 
some of ihu most, distinguished patrons of 
American agriculture, among whom maybe 
named Washington, Jefferson and 01 tiers, 
who will ever be remembered as benefactors 
of their race. 
1 have so often addressed yon tin topics 
connected w ith the practical labors of our 
calling, that it can scarcely be anticipated 
that 1 should have any tiling new to offer lor 
j our Consideration, especially in the presence 
of so many whose research and experience 
is fully equal to my own. I know, loo, how 
precious our time is, and I should not at¬ 
tempt it were it not a duty enjoined by the 
constitution of our Society. This duty will 
lie performed in as brief a manner as its im¬ 
portance will permit. 
I would therefore suggest that it is desir¬ 
able for us to gather up for future use the 
lessons which have been acquired by the 
experience of the past. We have been so 
busy in accumulating knowledge in the 
various branches of our culture, that we 
have had no time to look hack and to sys¬ 
tematize the inferences and deductions to he 
draw n fmm our operations. But we believe 
the time has now come when we should 
pause, and sm vey the fiel.l, and make a re¬ 
view of the lessons w liieli science has taught; 
for science is Inn a statement of these lessons 
—experience systematized and trained for 
progress. It it, llie grains of sand that roll 
tip Hie mountain, the drops of water that 
make the ocean, and it is lesson upon lesson, 
fact upon fact, which must build tip the 
science we wish to create. Nothing in the 
present age astonishes us more than ihe 
wonderful power of association—the central¬ 
ization ol 1 bought and action lor the promo¬ 
tion of particular objects, thus collecting the 
experience of individuals, and diffusing this 
knowledge for the benefit of the world. 
How clearly is this seen in the operations of 
our own Society, how great the changes, and 
how rapid the progress since its formation! 
Tlven its list of members was 107; now its 
roll contains the names ol 811 persons. Then 
its sphere of operations was limited by the 
boundariesoftt few States; now its field ex¬ 
tends from ocean to ocean, from the Prov¬ 
inces to the Gulf, and wherever the foot, of 
civilization rests in our broad domain. Nor 
is it. too much to say, that in this space of 
time more progress lias been made in the 
science of pomology than in the whole period 
since the settlement of our country. Never 
before was the interest so engrossing, or so 
Widely extended. By publications, corres¬ 
pondence, and the remarkable facilities for 
interchange and intercourse, the enterprise 
of cultivators is kept constantly on the alert; 
and instead of useless discussions of other 
subjects, the pomologist finds all his time 
occupied in efforts for improvement. 
I low b, uprising the changes which have 
taken place during the existence of this 
Society! Suites and sections of the Union 
which were scarcely known by name, now 
contribute noble fruits to grace our exhibi¬ 
tions, and nobfr men to join us in efforts tor 
the promotion <V the public good; and by 
the wonderful luuievcments of science and 
the goldou chain of commerce, a reciprocal 
exchange is made of our fruits, distances arc 
almost annihilated, «id where fruits were 
only to be seen in our markets at their 
peculiar season, they are now found through¬ 
out the entire circle of the year. And by 
the arts of preservation, the seasons of our 
fruits are further prolonged, until those of 
whiter even linger in the lap of summer. 
Tims our choicest varieties are successively 
matured; thus distant- markets «« 
near together, so that the apple, 'he pear and 
the ftijipt- from the South and West meet in 
the Northern clime of New England ,n mid¬ 
summer; and California, Kansas, -Nebraska 
and Illinois compete at the same time with 
Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia, in our 
Northern markets. 
LetiNoiiN of ExiK'i’iencv- 
THE INFLUENCE OF WARM, DltY SEASONS. 
Among the lessons which we have learned 
we may nientiorns settled and acknowledged 
principles, the."flowing: 
Tim observations of the last few years, 
under the influence of warm, dry seasons, 
would uppea' to have established the prin¬ 
ciple that sieh wuuLhOr, (without excessive 
drought,) especially in the earlier part of the 
summer, is mure favorable to the perfection 
and ripeiuig of fruits, particularly grapes, 
than cold, wet seasons. Tbe fact is proud 
neatly shown iti California, as we have wit¬ 
nessed ly personal observation ; and is espe¬ 
cially to lie seen in the cultivation of the 
grape there, and also in Europe, and in our 
Northern States, where, under the influence 
of such seasons, neither the vine nor Its fruit 
is affected by disease ol’ any kind. These 
conditions we have noticed are also peculiar¬ 
ly advantageous for the formation of fruit- 
buds., and the storing up of the necessary 
perfected food for a future crop, and for the 
ripening of the wood, so necessary that it 
may endure the winter with, safely 
DRAINING OP FRUIT LANDS. 
Iii conformity with the foregoing remarks, 
we see Ihe importance of thorough draining 
of our fruit lands, which produces in soils 
not naturally possessing t hem the conditions 
of warmth and dryness which we have 
named, thus rendering the condition of tlie 
earth, in respect to warmth and dryness, 
analogous to that of the air, of the import¬ 
ance of which wo have before spoken. Be¬ 
sides these advantages is the thorough aera¬ 
tion of the soil, whereby it is enabled to ab¬ 
sorb fertilizing mutter from the atmosphere, 
lain and snow, and the moisture evaporated 
from the springs Inflow. Tims, paradoxical 
as it may seem, the same means which guard 
against excessive wet also serve to supply 
moisture in excessive droughts. How aptly 
does the poet describe this condition 
“ In grounds by art made dry, the ivatery bane 
Whichnmintho wholesome trull Is turned to use, 
And drains, while drawbar noxious vapors off, 
Serve also 10 diffuse a l ull supply.'' 
PREPARATION AND CULTIVATION OF THE 
SOIL. 
It seems scarcely necessary in this pres¬ 
ence to say that thorough preparation and 
enrichment of such soils as are not already 
rich is essential. Ordinary farm culture will 
not produce the highest class of fruits ; they 
must have garden culture, and with this they 
never full. After this thorough preparation 
the cleaner the culture the heller, ill least in 
our older Stales, w here the soils have been 
depleted by cropping. But one of Ihe les¬ 
sons which experience has taught us most 
impressively is that, contrary to our former 
views, this atler-cultivatioii should lie shal¬ 
low so as not to injure the roots, but to pre¬ 
serve them near the surface. 
MANURES AND THEIR APPLICATION. 
The subject of manures is a most import¬ 
ant one, and every year becoming more so. 
The supply of manure in the older part of 
our country is unequal to the demand, and 
every year increases Ihe disparity. What 
would lie our feelings if the supply of wheat, 
on which we depend for our daily bread, 
were inadequate to the demand? Yet men 
are not more dependent for life upon their 
daily bread than are our fruit crops upon the 
food which is supplied to them in the form 
of manure of one kind or another, To sup¬ 
ply this want we shall be compelled to rely, 
in great measure upon artificial fertilizers, 
and chemistry lias not yet taught us. as it 
will doubtless in the future, how to supply 
the wants of our fruit crops with certainty 
and abundance. But we cannot Loo often or 
too forcibly impress upon the minds of all 
cultivators the sacred duly of saving every 
particle ot fertilizing material, and applying 
it in such manner as will produce the utmost 
effect. Ami on this last point the lesson 
which experience has taught us is, that mu- | 
mire applied to fruit trees should lie either | 
in the form of a top-dressing or as near the 
surface ns is consistent with the composition 
of the soil and the preservation of its fertiliz¬ 
ing elements. 
MULCHING. 
While on this subject, we will add as an¬ 
other of the lessons of experience, which 
may lie said to be fixed, the advantage of 
mulching for dry season* and soils, whereby 
the temperature and moisture of the soils are 
kept uniform and the fertilizing elements in 
a soluble state, an essential condition for the 
production of perfect fruit. 
THINNING OF FRUIT. 
This is another lesson which we have 
learned, and the necessity of which we have 
often endeavored to impress upon cultiva¬ 
tors, and which every successive season 
teaches with stronger emphasis. It is abso¬ 
lutely necessary tin all who send fruit to 
market to semi large fruit, and the markets 
are constantly and progressively requiring 
large and fine fruit. Even the Seckel pear, 
WItich once commanded in Boston market, 
the highest price, will uot now, unless of ex¬ 
tra size, sell for any more than, if as much 
as, common varieties of larger size. A 
medium sized fruit, or even one of smaller 
size, niav be more economical for use, but 
until some decided change in the preferences 
of the majority of purchasers shall take 
place, large I’rnjt will sell belter than small. 
To produce this, the fruit must not only 
have good cultivation but must, he, thinned, 
and we agree with Mr. Meehan that “ one- 
half the trees which hear fruit every year 
would be benefited by having one-half the 
fruit taken off as soon as it is well set, and 
that the overbearing of a tree will in a few 
years destroy it.” We may lay it down as a 
certain rule that excessive production is 
always at the expense of both quantity and 
quality, if not in the same season then in 
KuceeedingOn<s«,far Whew hrancll iseoMlend- 
ing with branch, leaf with leaf and fruit 
w ith fruit lor its supply of light and food, it 
W'*oId he indeed an anomaly in nature if 
this should not result in permanent. Injury to 
the trees as well as to the numiul crop. 
INSECTS AND DISEASES. 
The subject of insects and diseases is daily 
attracting more attention, fin* their depreda¬ 
tions are daily becoming a greater evil, and 
the importance of entomological investiga¬ 
tions is every day more plainly seen. It is 
less than fitly years since Dr. Harris first 
published his work on " Insects Injurious to 
Vegetation," and great is the debt of grati¬ 
tude which we owe to him and to the suc¬ 
ceeding investigators who have given their 
lives to studying the 1 mbits of these little 
“Creeping things which he upon the. earth,” 
that they may teach us how to destroy those 
Which prey upon our trees and to dist inguish 
our friends from our foes. Every plant im¬ 
ported from abroad brings with it a new in¬ 
sect or disease, and t he dissemination of new 
plants and varieties, without, which there 
can lie no progress in horticulture, inevitably 
disseminates their insect enemies. On this 
subject the words of Edmund Burke are ap¬ 
propriate:— “The most vigilant superin¬ 
tendence, the most prompt activity, which 
has no such day as to-morrow in its calen¬ 
dar, are necessary To the farmerand we 
may aihi still more w> die fruit grower, and 
tenfold more necessary in combating our 
insect enemies The neglect of hauling with 
these vile creatures is the great bane to suc¬ 
cessful cultivation; but as long as moral 
evil exist* in the world, so long may we ex¬ 
pect there will he evil in the natural world, 
and he who is not willing to contend against 
both is not .coi lby of the name either of 
cultivator or of Christian. 
We belong to that class who have laitli in 
the ultimate triumph of good over evil in 
the moral world, and our faith is not less 
strong that the insect plagues shall, il not 
exterminated, at least he subdued, so that 
the labor of keeping Uteui so far in check 
that no material harm shall he caused by 
them will he comparatively easy. Wo have 
discovered means for preventing the ravuges 
of the currant worm.cim iilio, canker worm, 
caterpillar, melon hug and aphis, and the 
mildew* atul other diseases of our vines. If 
we, can do this, is it not reasonable to sup¬ 
pose that we can discover remedies for, or 
tilt neniis of preventing, all the diseases and 
depredations that vegetation is liable to? Is 
il consistent with that Divine economy, so 
benevolent in all its ways and Works, to be¬ 
lieve Unit this fair creation lias been spread 
out. only to be destroyed ; that seed-time 
should be promised and the harvest with¬ 
held , and from jear to year our hopes de¬ 
ferred and our hearts made sick ? Is il in 
harmony with that Divine Providence which 
created all things and pronounced them 
very good ? 
If any one say it is ot no use to contend 
with these hordes of vile creatures, or the 
disappointments upon which all cut Litre is 
incident, let him remember that it is the 
mission of life to struggle against and over¬ 
come them. Instead of fretting and groan¬ 
ing over these evils, lei us battle with them 
and conquer I hem. Thus shall we gather 
the rich fruits of our industry, and, 
“ Where some would find thorns but to torture 
r lie tii-sli, 
We’ll i>!uek the ripe clusters our souls to re¬ 
fresh." 
But some one replies, let nature do this, 
let nature perform her perfect work ; true, 
but nature brings us weeds, thistles and 
thorns, injurious insects to vegetation as well 
as those that are useful; and we w ere placed 
in this world, not merely to assist nature, 
hut to meet with and overcome the obstacles 
which she sometimes places in our path—to 
elevate her to the highest and noblest pur¬ 
poses of her creation. 
Many of the difficulties and privations we 
endure, if met and conquered, will prove 
blessings in disguise. It is labor of mind ns 
well as body, il is work, work, work that 
makes men strong. Work is the great en¬ 
gine that, moulds and moves the intellect, 
enterprise and destiny of the world—work 
is the greatest temporal boon bestowed on 
man—work is the heaven-appointed means 
of advancement to a higher state of perfec¬ 
tion; atld in no profession is this more ap¬ 
parent than in the calling of the pomologist. 
This idea is well expressed in the follow ing 
lines, illustrative of the blessings oi’labor; 
“ The first man and the first of men, 
Were tillers of the soil; 
And that was mercy's mandate then 
Which destined man to toil.” 
If man can seize the lightning in his hand 
and make it work for him in earth, air or 
water; if he can descend into the secret 
laboratory of Nature, aud leuru the constit¬ 
uents of soils and manures, and their adap¬ 
tation to each other; if he can learn how 
she prepares the appropriate food for all 
vegetable life, from the humblest plant cling¬ 
ing close to the bosom of earth,only bloom¬ 
ing to die, to tlie lofty Sequoia rearing it* 
head to heaven and braving the tempests for 
thousands of years; if the physician can 
discover the agents which generate disease 
in the animal kingdom, and prescribe anti¬ 
dotes and remedies tor each, may not the 
cultivator acquire a knowledge of the dis¬ 
eases which affect his* trees and plants, and 
how to cure them ? 
Is there any element in nature which man 
cannot make subservient to his use? Is 
there any disease for Which nature has not 
provided a remedy ? Is there any enemy to 
vegetation I hat cannot be overcome V True, 
there arc many things of which wc know 
but little, and which require long and care¬ 
ful study; but there are others which are 
well established, and which one fact may 
demonstrate as well as a thousand. 
SHELTER, 
The necessity of shelter was not as soon 
perceived asBomeof t he other lessons which 
1 have named; yet, with perhaps the ex¬ 
ception of a few favored spots, its import¬ 
ance is year by year becoming more gener¬ 
ally appreciated,especially on our open prai¬ 
ries and in the northern and northwestern 
portions of our country. The fact is estab¬ 
lished, that the removal of forests diminishes 
the quantity of rain, increases tlic evapora¬ 
tion of moisture, reduces the temperature, 
am! stthjecis our fruits to greater vicissi¬ 
tudes, so that the peach and many of our 
tiuesi pears can be no longer cultivated at. 
Hie North except in gardens nr sheltered 
places. The importance of shelter was well 
understood as long ago as the time of Q.iiin- 
tinye, who, in his work on gardening, gives 
full directions for planting trees for shelter. 
This was in a country long settled and de¬ 
nuded of its forests; and though our ances¬ 
tors, planting fruit trees in a virgin soil, 
thickly covered with wood, failed to per¬ 
ceive its necessity, we, in our older Stales, 
who have come to much the same condi¬ 
tions as existed in the time of Quiuliuye, 
experience Ihe same want. 
There may he exceptions to this rule, ns 
in the South, where the fruit season is 
warm and dry, produc ing similar conditions 
to those afforded by shelter under glass. 
We may find varieties, and probably shall, 
adapted to exposed situations; hut at pres¬ 
ent the larger majority of out* liner fruits 
will be benefited by the shelter of belts of 
forest trees. Wc are glad, therefore, to see 
the recognition of the advantages of forest 
trees on the part of the managers of our 
Pacific railways, not only us affording shel¬ 
ter, but as collecting moisture from the at¬ 
mosphere, and so render mg available vast re¬ 
gions previously uninhabitable from drouth. 
This good work has already been com¬ 
menced on the line of the Kansas Pacific 
Railroad. 
METEOROLOGY. 
Besides the lessons which experience has 
already taught us, permit me to mention one 
which pomologists ought to learn, and 
which, from present indications, 1 have no 
doubt they will learn. The pomologist 
should have a better knowledge of the science 
of meteorology than we now possess. The 
action of light and heat; the influence of 
the winds, of frost, fog, water, and the elec¬ 
trical condition of Ihe air and earth, have a 
most important hearing, and we believe that 
when our science shall have uLlained to its 
greatest perihelion, there will he a discreet 
classification of our fruits, assigning Lu each 
its proper soil, location and aspect. We 
must not expect to alter the laws of nature, 
but to conform to llieni. We do not expect 
to restore the lost Pleiad, nor do we expect 
to find any supernatural means whereby im¬ 
provement nml progress cun be attained, 
without mental or physical exertion, but, we 
should endeavor to understand some of the 
workings of that mysterious machine which 
generates and perpetuates all vegetable life. 
True, the“ wind hloweth where it listeth,” 
as of old, hut il seems probable, if not cer¬ 
tain, from the investigations made at Waslr- 
i 1 niton, that man cannot only tell from 
whence it will come and where it will blow, 
but where the sun will shed its rays and I lie 
clouds diffuse their showers, and Ihe time 
may come when the laws which govern the 
weather may he settled with nearly as much 
certainty as those which now govern the 
calculations of the astronomer. 
What wonders has science wrought in 
modern times, but these are only the rudi¬ 
ments of that great plan which Providence 
has established for the happiness of man¬ 
kind, “ These are but parts of His ways," 
which we now see, glimmerings of that 
boundless exhibition of power, wisdom and 
goodness which shall culminate in the per¬ 
fection of all created tilings. 
ORIGINATING NEW VARIETIES. 
I commend to yon again, as I have done 
in my former addresses, and shall continue 
to do while I live, the important and benevo¬ 
lent work of originating new varieties of 
fruit, both as a means of improvement, and 
as a substitute for t hose which have expe¬ 
rienced the decline incident to all things of 
human origin. Our comUry.and in fact the 
whole world, lias been so thoroughly ex¬ 
plored, that we can scarcely expect to dis¬ 
cover any very important addition to acci¬ 
dental varieties. Our main source of im¬ 
provement, therefore, is to he found in the 
production of new kinds from seed, and I 
again urge upon you the great importance 
of continuing your efforts in this most inter¬ 
esting and hopeful department of labor, 
The acquisitions already made give promise 
of still richer rewards to him who will work 
with Nature in compelling her to yield to 
his solicitations for still greater improve- 
• ment. Much has already been done hut 
this branch of science is still in its infancy 
and opens to the pomologist a broad field 
for enterprise. It may require time and 
patience and care to produce a superior va¬ 
riety, but we liave the most cheering assur¬ 
ance of the time when every section of our 
country shall possess frails adapted to its 
own locality. There is no better illustration 
of what can be accomplished 1 linn what has 
been done in the production of the various 
and excellent American fruit,?, which have 
been raised since the establishment *»f onr 
Society. If each member should originate 
one good variety, adapted to a wide extent 
of territory, or even to his own sec tion, ] 1U 
would become a pnlilie benefactor. Think 
of the number of persons in the United 
States who are now engaged in the growth 
of fruils. Should each one produce one 
good variety, a not impossible thing, we 
should liave varieties enough to endure for 
centuries, adapted to every soil and location 
in our vast territory 
Let unv one visit the nurseries established 
by Mr. Clapp in Massachusetts, the origi¬ 
nator of the Clapp’s Favorite pear, and see 
the ninny seedling trees now just, coming 
into bearing, and lie cut.not Imt be delighted, 
as we have been, with witnessing these lines 
in tketr youthful vigor, wul e truly Ing the 
various forms into which the Bartlett, the 
Flemish Beauty, the Bcurre d’Anjon, die 
Urbuuisle, the Bcurre Clairgeim, the Bcurre 
Bose, and ot tier standard varieties have been 
changed, and he cannot but. admit that the 
daily oppoi lunity for such study would be 
an ample recompense for all the trouble and 
expense of raising such trees. But besides 
this gratification is the probability of raising 
a new variety which, ill one point or an¬ 
other, shall be superior to any before ac¬ 
quired, and which shall lie a blessing to the 
nation. Docs any one object, that fruils 
adapted to cultivation through the country 
are few and far between? Let him raise a 
variety which shall he better adapted to his 
own locality than any before known. Let 
us have Favorites for Virginia and Georgia, 
and for all and every State In our nation. 
If l could feel that 1 had been the means of 
inducing our members, or other cultivators, 
to raise new fruits worthy to hear their 
names, I should (eel that I had lived for a 
useful purpose. 
The importance of producing new varie¬ 
ties from seed is no longer questioned. The 
fact that the seed of good varieties will gen¬ 
erally produce good offspring, is now well 
established. These are, however, the natu¬ 
ral results which have been derived Irom 
fruils already improved ; and we can offer 
no belter prools of the advantages of artifi¬ 
cial impregnation Ilian the multitude of im¬ 
proved varieties which have been produced 
in the vegetable kingdom by this proems. 
We have learned many of the laws which 
govern hybridization, and the more we be¬ 
come acquainted with Ibis most interest ing 
art, the more we work with Nature in these 
efforts for her improvement, the more we 
shall admire this most perfect and beautiful 
illustration of the great fundamental law, 
which has been established from the begin- 
ning of lijno, lor the improvement of men, 
animals tfud plants. Well did Liunseus ex¬ 
claim, when overwhelmed with the discov¬ 
ery of an unknown principle in this most 
interesting Study, “I have seen God passing 
by;” and well may the contemplation of 
this law inspire us with the same reverence 
and delight, and 
"like conductors, raise 
Our spirits upward on their flight sublime 
Up to the dread invisible, to pour 
Our grateful homage out iu silent praise.” 
Let us go nil, then, developing the won¬ 
derful resources of ibis art. Goon, perse¬ 
vere, and you will leave a rich inheritance 
to vour heirs. Go on, and the lime will 
come when every man shall sit under his 
vine and fruit tree, when all our hillsides 
shall rejoice ill the burden of the vintage, 
our valleys teem with the golden Iruits of the 
orchard,nml the passing breeze become vocal 
with songs of gratitude and praise lor these 
benefactions to posterity. 
Tin* increasing interest in the cultivation 
of fruit ui the South induces me to offer 11 
lew suggestions in regard to the best means 
of obtaining varieties -suited lo that region. 
Of apples and peaches a large number of su¬ 
perior varieties have already been produced 
aL the South, perfectly adapted lo that cli¬ 
mate; but the supply of line varieties of the 
pear is yet inadequate, especially of late- 
keeping varieties, as the latest kinds grown 
at the North cannot, when grown ill the Gull 
States, be preserved beyond autumn. To 
supply this deficiency, *re would recommend 
the trial of such varieties as refuse lo ripen 
at the North,—Cliauinontelle, this Cifliiiar 
and its sub-varieties, Bcurre Ranee Berga¬ 
mot Fortunee—which appear lo peed a 
longer season than ours 10 arrive at maturity- 
These and seedlings from these offer, we 
think, the best prospect for a supply of late 
pears iu the warmer parts of our country. 
Wc would also recommend a trial ot the 
sorts used at the North for cooking, as some 
of these have proved fine dessert peats in the 
South. And probably some of I lie fine old 
varieties which have decayed at tin* East, 
and show signs of the same faleat the \t est, 
may, in more genial climates, have their ex¬ 
istence so far prolonged as to be among the 
most desirable. 
The ttootoiy’s Cntnlosruo. 
Allow me again lo commend to your con¬ 
sideration the value and importance ot om 
Catalogue of Fruits. The completion ot this 
work, by embodying the fruits Of the South¬ 
ern and Pacific Stales, is yet I > be accom¬ 
plished. This lias been delayed from un¬ 
avoidable circumstances, but we hope is iu>\\ 
to be done, so that the basis of American 
Pomology cau be established for tlie genera¬ 
tions that are to succeed us. The work is 
indeed great, hut it is a duty that devolves 
on us, as the representatives of Lliat science 
which the Society lias in charge. In pro¬ 
ceeding with it, however, we find ourselves 
met by a difficulty not anticipated at the be¬ 
ginning of our work, arising from the un- 
