340 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Oct. 
Inrtiraltnrnl Dqmrimtirt. 
Fomological Meetings at Utica. 
Interesting pomological meetings, consisting of a few 
of the most intelligent cultivators in attendance at the 
New-York State Fair, was held on the evenings of the 
7th and 8th of 9 mo., (Sept.) 
First Evening. 
The Winter Nelis Pear being called up for discussion, 
P. Barry, of Rochester, stated that it was of weak and 
crooked growth, would not grow on the quince; but he 
admitted it was a pear of high flavor. This opinion was 
corroborated by Wm, Reid, of Elizabethtown, N. J.,who 
spoke of the scarcity of this tree in nurseries, as proving 
the difficulty of its culture. C. M. Hovey, of Boston, 
regarded it a vigorous grower, although slender, and said 
J t was one of the twelve regarded as best at Boston. F. 
R. Elliott, of Cleveland, considered it as a handsome, 
fair, and good fruit. W. R. Coppock, of Buffalo, had 
known the fruit as good as the Seckel, and had found the 
growth thrifty, though slender. J. Morse, of Cayuga 
Bridge, stated that after having grown it for many years, 
he found it never blighted, and he regarded it as only 
excelled in value by the White and Gray Doyenne. Wm. 
Reid stated that it dropped its leaves badly, as well as 
Flemish Beauty and others. T. C. Maxwell, of Geneva, 
and J. Morse of Cayuga, both stated that Flemish Beau¬ 
ty held its leaves well, in spite of the drouth. 
Vicar of Winkfield. —C. M. Hovey, while he regard¬ 
ed the Winter Nelis as best to eat, found the Winkfield 
oest to sell —and although not of high quality, was 
very productive and showy—the tree was beautiful and 
ornamental—he had known the Winkfield to sell for 75 
cents per dozen, and the Glout Morceau for three dollars 
per dozen. P. Barry would plant the Winkfield in a se¬ 
lection of a dozen sorts, and valued it highly—the Glout 
Morceau had disappointed some cultivators in Western 
New-York—it was not the best grower, and did not al¬ 
ways mature well. Wm. Reid and others thought it a 
good grower. 
The third best winter pear was asked for, and the Vi¬ 
car of Winkfield was agreed to stand next to Winter 
Nelis and Glout Morceau. 
C. M. Hovey stated that several Flemish pears were 
apt to have small and worthless fruit among them, 
among which he named Spoelberg, Wurtemberg, Marie 
Louise and Passe Colmar—he knew of no American 
pears liable to this defect. P. Barry cited the Stevens’ 
Genesee, and Dearborn’s Seedling, as being similarly de¬ 
fective. 
M. Kelly, of Cincinnati, had not found the American 
pears hardier than the European—in a locality where the 
tree is strongly liable to injury. 
C. M. Hovey found but few American pears tender, 
and but few that did well on quince stocks—indeed, very 
few of any origin did well on quince-—but he did not 
know the same proportion of American as of European 
for this mode of culture. 
C. M. Hovey stated that Dearborn’s Seedling failed on 
the quince after a few years—that he should dig up his 
'.rees, as they had become an eye sore. T. C. Maxwell 
had large trees of the Dearborn’s Seedling, which did 
well on quince. Wm. Reid knew trees of the Andrews 
ten feet high, which grew and did well. These are both 
American seedlings. 
P. Barry thought more experience was needed on this 
subject—the stocks at first used here were not of good 
quality—and he thought if the trees were placed in good 
soil, properly manured, pruned, and not allowed to over¬ 
bear, that many would succeed well, which would other¬ 
wise fail. 
The best early pear being called for, C. M. Hovey and 
P. Barry named the Doyenne d’ete—Wm. Reid recom¬ 
mended the Madeleine as earlier-—but it was not found so 
at Boston and Rochester, where the Madeleine was re¬ 
garded as second best. 
The two best market cherries being asked for, early 
and late, most agreed in recommending the Early Purple 
Guigne and Downer. P. Parry named the Early Purple 
Guigne and Belle Magnifique. Wm. Reid named the 
May duke as early. The Sweet Montmorency was regard¬ 
ed by C. M. Hovey as a good late sweet cherry. P. Bar¬ 
ry thought it would not sell, when C. M. Hovey stated 
that he had known it to sell for fifty cents per quart. 
Second Evening. 
The superior hardiness of seedling peaches over budd¬ 
ed ones, was proposed as a subject for discussion. 
W. Tracy stated that peaches could not be raised at 
Utica except within the city, the warm and moist valley 
of the Mohawk preventing a sufficient ripening of the 
wood; while at Clinton, on higher and more exposed 
ground, crops were frequently obtained. He stated 1 hat 
two trees within the city, fine seedlings, which were well 
shaded at the roots from the influence of the sun, bore 
abundant crops. 
C. M. Hovey considered the protection afforded them, 
as a reason for their successful bearing, without regard¬ 
ing the circumstance of their not being worked. A 
friend in Kentucky had sent him buds of one of hl3 
finest peaches, a fruit which often grew twelve inches in 
circumference—-the buds grew, but the growth was so 
poor, and they gummed so badl} 1- , as to be perfectly 
worthless. He had generally found seedlings more ten¬ 
der than budded varieties, being often killed at the ends 
of the branches, while most budded sorts escape even to 
the very tips. 
Dr. Warder of Cincinnati, in explanation of the reason 
that peach trees were killed the past winter in Kentucky, 
stated that the thermometer the past winter, in the same 
region, had fallen to 22° below zero. F. R. Elliott said 
it had fallen to 19° below at Cleveland, a part of the 
crop escaping. 
J. J. Thomas stated that the thermometer at Macedon, 
in Western New-York, had sunk during the past winter 
to 18° below zero, which had not before occurred for 
many years—that about one-half the peach buds on his 
grounds had been destroyed, which was a smaller pro¬ 
portion than in other winters when the cold was several 
degrees less severe. This result he ascribed to the uni¬ 
formly cold weather, without the influence of warm 
periods in starting the buds, and to the fact that after the 
severest cold, the sun was obscured by a curtain of clouds. 
He had observed that buds were often destroyed on the 
