THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
0 
AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
The biennial convention of the American Pomological 
Society was held in Sacramento, Cal., on January 16-18. 
Delegates from many of the eastern states were present. 
The pomologists were welcomed in an address by Hon. 
George B. Katzenstein on behalf of the citizens of Sacra¬ 
mento, and B. M. Lelong on behalf of the State Board of 
Horticulture, of which he is the secretary. A response 
to the welcoming address was made by J. H. Alexander, 
ex-mayor of Augusta, Georgia, on behalf of the Pomo¬ 
logical Society. Following Mr. Alexander’s address 
President P. J. Berckmans of Georgia presented his ad¬ 
dress to the society, in which he said : 
Our general government has given material aid toward advancing our 
methods of production by diffusing the results of the work of the 
various scientific departments of the United States Department of Agii- 
culture, but greater benefits have been 
derived from our state and local ohrti- 
cultural societies, whose work is of more 
practical value to their immediate sections, 
and such of our states as have appreciated 
the value of their fruit products as a 
source of wealth have wisely given their 
aid to its progress. Many states by legis¬ 
lative appropriations and legal enactment 
have so protected the fruit growing in¬ 
dustry as to have vastly increased their 
revenues, their population and advanced 
their educational and material progress. 
The magnitude of California’s fruit in¬ 
dustry is in a great measure due to the 
liberal course adopted by its state gov¬ 
ernment. The establishing of state ex 
perimental stations sustained by Federal 
appropriation is wise in principle, and 
where such stations are conducted solely 
with a view of advancing all methods of 
culture they have been conducted with 
good results. Unfortunately, partisan 
political influences have in several states 
caused the work of these stations to be of 
little or no benefit to the people, because 
of the inefficiency of some of their officers, 
whose political influence is greater than 
their scientific attainments. It is there¬ 
fore hoped that pomologists will unite 
their efforts in urging their state legis¬ 
latures to select competent men to be 
placed in charge of their experiment sta¬ 
tions. We number now among us as co-workers our own Burbank, 
Kimball, Hilgard, Allen, Hatch and Wickson, whose conscientious 
labors have given California such pre-eminence in fruit products as has 
never before been achieved. We honor them and gratefully acknowl¬ 
edge their efforts in advancing scientific pomology. 
We rejoice at the increased strength of many state horticultural 
societies, and especially at the liberal appropriations which they receive 
from their respective state governments, and as many of these legisla¬ 
tive grants are gradually increased it is evident that this is because of 
a corresponding increase in the state’s reserves. In this way co-opera¬ 
tion of their most active citizens is enlisted and the surest means to im¬ 
prove their productive resources is by a judicious expenditure of public 
funds. Permit me, therefore, to urge upon every fruit grower the 
necessity to use his efforts in bringing before their respective state 
authorities the importance of sustaining their State Horticultural 
Societies by liberal annual appropriations. It is through such societies 
that the work of the American Pomological Society can increase in use¬ 
fulness and this is only possible by mutual co operation. 
On Thursday the pomologists were given a short excur¬ 
sion to Folsom, but the unseasonable weather, California’s 
worst, precluded much enjoyment from the trip, except 
in a general sense. The vineyards and orchards of 
R. D,. Stephens and other well-known fruit “ ranches,” 
including the great Natoma vineyard of 3,000 acres were 
visited and admired. On Friday Governor Budd of Cali¬ 
fornia addressed the meeting. The fruit display at the 
convention was exceptionally fine. 
Among those present were : E. J. Wickson, of Cali¬ 
fornia ; Jacob W. Manning, of Massachusetts; Silas Wil¬ 
son, of Iowa ; L. R. d'aft, of Michigan ; Charles H. Shinn, 
of California ; C. V. Riley, of Washington, D. C.: F. M. 
Hexamer. of New York ; Eben Boalt, of California ; 
William B. Gester, of California ; H. P. Stabler, of Cali¬ 
fornia ; George H. Miller, of Georgia ; Fred C. Miles, of 
California; I)r. J. G. Lewis, of Oregon; Benjamin P. 
Ware, of Massachusetts; George Lombard, of Georgia: J. 
J. Harrison, of Ohio : William 
Parry, of New Jersey ; James O. 
Cook, of Massachusetts. 
R. G. CHASE. 
Roscoe G. Chase was born in 
Buckfield, Oxford County, Me. 
Immediately after the war he en¬ 
gaged with his brothers, George 
H. Chase and Howard A. Chase, 
in the sale of nursery stock 
through agents. They operated 
for several years as dealers. In 
1872 he removed to Geneva, N. 
Y., and since that time has been 
at the head of the Chase Nur¬ 
series of that place. 
Western New York is justly 
proud of its nursery interests, and 
Mr. Chase is acknowledged to be 
one of the most successful grow¬ 
ers as well as one of the best 
cultivators in the business. 
He is now president of The R. 
G. Chase Co., and a director of 
the Geneva National Bank, and 
has held various positions of trust 
in Geneva. No one in the nur¬ 
sery business stands higher as a 
practical nurseryman and an honorable business man 
than Mr. Chase._ 
RUBUS SORBIFOLIUS(?) 
Regarding the frontispiece of this issue, A. Blanc & Co., 
Philadelphia, say: “ Last year we sent a colored sketch 
of this curious raspberry to several authorities on fruits, 
who failed to recognize it. Mr. Jackson Dawson thought 
he had the plant growing from seed brought from China 
by Professor Sargent; but these plants had not yet fruited. 
Professor Meehan believes it may be Rubus sorbifolius. 
At the Kew Gardens Rubus sorbifolius is said to produce 
yellow fruits ; the fruit of our plant is red, shaped exactly 
like a strawberry, and, like that fruit, having innumerable 
drupes. It stands upright singly, and not in^ bunches. 
The strawberry-raspberry seems a good definition. Oui 
plants came from China.” 
R. G. CHASE. 
