144 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
Papers on the following subjects were read: “Parks and 
Their Uses,” by M. P. Hurlburt, of Detroit; “What Are 
Fruits?” by Professor F. G. Newcombe, of the university; 
“What Legislation Should We Have This Winter?” by Hon. 
C. J. Monroe, of South Haven. A bill for the protection of 
fruit-growers, to be presented at next legislature, was read. It 
calls for prohibition of sale and shipment of diseased fruit, 
frequent destruction of fallen fruit, disinfection of all packages 
after use, shipper’s address on package, penalties for violation 
of these provisions. 
The resolutions adopted at the close of the session urged 
among other things that the Michigan congressional delegation 
at congress be instructed to do all in their power to secure an 
appropriation for the study of plant pathology, particularly the 
disease called “Little Peaches.” An invitation was extended 
to the Ontario associations to meet with the Michigan society 
in Detroit next year and make that meeting an international 
affair. 
Officers were elected as follows : President, C. J. Monroe, 
South Haven ; secretary, E. C. Reid, Allegan ; treasurer, Asa 
Slayton, Grand Rapids ; directors, R. M. Kellogg, Three 
Rivers ; R. J. Coryell, Detroit ; Prof. Thomas Dunston of the 
agricultural college. 
INDIANA. 
The thirty-eighth annual meeting of the Indiana State Hor¬ 
ticultural Society was held at Indianapolis, December 6-8. 
President C. M. Hobbs, of the nursery firm of Albertson & 
Hobbs, Bridgeport, in his address said : 
There has been a great deal of theorizing as to the cause of so wide' 
spread and complete a failure of the apple crop. The probabilities are 
that it was due to a combination of causes, the two most impor¬ 
tant of which were the prolonged, hot, dry weather of the previous 
summer, and the cool, damp, unfavorable weather during the bloom¬ 
ing period, which prevented perfect pollination. The conditions 
seemed to be unusually favorable for a good peach crop, so that the 
fortunate possessors of peach trees enjoyed the luxury of eating this 
luscious fruit fresh from the trees, and this is the only way we can get 
this line of fruit at its best. In some localities the “ curl leaf ” dam. 
aged the crop to quite an extent. Thorough early spraying with the 
Bordeaux mixture has been found to control this disease. The peach 
and plum rot has been very prevalent the last season; early peaches 
seemed to be more susceptible than later varieties. Thinning the fruit, 
destroying all mummified fruits that may carry over the germs of 
fungus, and early and persistent spraying with the Bordeaux mixture 
have proved helpful in controlling this disease. 
Our experiment station at Lafayette is unfortunately very unfavor¬ 
ably located for horticultural experiments, especially with the tree 
fruits. The soil is the loose, black, sandy loam situated on the edge of 
the bleak prairie and quite unlike soil and situations in the greater part 
of the state. In traveling over the state we are impressed with the 
lack of attention given by most farmers to the orchards, fruit gardens 
and house adornment. These are very important adjuncts to good 
farming, enjoyable and healthful living, and somehow country people 
need to be made more conscious of these facts. With depleted 
soils, a climate of greater extremes and hordes of insects and 
fungus diseases that were unknown to our fathers, the old methods of 
planting and letting nature do the rest will no longer avail to secure 
fruits for our families. 
Sylvester Johnson’s report as secretary and treasurer showed 
total receipts, including last year’s balance, to be $2,661.78. 
The expenditures were $1,097.24, leaving a balance of 
$ T ) 5 ^ 4-54 on hand. Reports from George F. Newton and Jo¬ 
seph A. Burton, vice-presidents, in charge of the northern and 
southern sections of the state, showed substantially the same 
condition of crops as the president indicated. 
J. P. Brown, of Connersville, read a paper on “ An Enlarged 
Forest Area a Necessity to the State.” He maintained that a 
farmer could gather heavier crops from ninety acres when one- 
tenth of it was covered with forest trees than another farmer 
could from one hundred acres planted wholly in crops. He 
held that the gradual thinning out of forest trees has multi¬ 
plied the multitudes of insects that feed on trees and make 
orchards their abiding place for want of forests. 
Professor B. E. Fernow of Cornell University said forestry 
is being taught in eighteen colleges. He does not think it ad¬ 
visable to teach it in more colleges at present. 
These officers were elected: President, C. M. Hobbs, Bridge¬ 
port; secretary, J. Troop, Lafayette; treasurer, Sylvester Johns¬ 
ton, Livingston; executive committee, W. H. Ragan, Putnam 
county; Jesse Stevens, Wayne, and Snead Thomas, Grant. 
OHIO- 
The thirty-second annual meeting of the Ohio State Horti¬ 
cultural Society was held at Euclid December 7-9. Twenty- 
seven varieties of grapes, thirty of peaches and fifty of apples 
were shown. The general tone of fruit reports was pessimistic, 
prices having been low. Many grapes were sold at a loss, the 
average for the season being 6 and cents. Strawberries were 
generally sold at $1.25 per bushel, with a reported yield of 60 
to loo bushels per acre. Pears brought 30c. to 50c., while 
apples were a total failure. The San Jose scale was touched 
upon very lightly, there being a feeling that the importance of 
the danger has been greatly magnified by parties interested 
in getting legislative appropriation to support a corps of 
bug-catchers. All legislation failed because of an attempt to 
attach a $25,000 rider. Nurserymen are having private ex¬ 
aminations made at a cost of $10 each, but the professional 
entomologists are hedging and say it is impossible so to in¬ 
spect as perfectly to guarantee entire exemption. 
These officers were elected: President, E. H. Cushman, 
Euclid; vice-president, W. N. Scarff, New Carlisle; secretary, 
W. W. Farnsworth, Waterville; treasurer, N. Ohmer, Dayton; 
committeemen, ad interim, W. G. Farnsworth, Waterville ; N. 
H. Albaugh, Phoneton; C. L. Whitney, Warren; J. Shirer, 
Dayton; W. H. Owen, Catawba Island; F. E. Carr, Lakewood; 
W. R. Lazenby, Columbus; S. R. Moore, Zanesville; E. G. 
Cox, Ensee. 
MINNESOTA. 
For many years, said the Minneapolis Tribune, it has been 
the generally accepted idea of the world at large that the only 
fruits indigenous to Minnesota soil were the gopher and the 
Leech Lake Indian, with perhaps an occasional crop of wheat 
in the more favored seasons. This notion will, however, be 
speedily dispelled by a visit to the fruit and flower exhibit at 
the court house and city hall, in connection with the 32d 
meeting of the State Horticultural Society. The meetings 
were held Dec. 6—9 at Minneapolis. Three hundred varieties 
of apples were exhibited and varieties of other fruits in large 
numbers, all grown in Minnesota. Two hundred memb rs 
attended. President J. M. Underwood, of the Jewell Nursery 
Co., Lake City, presided. The society has over 800 members. 
Professor S. B. Green of the State Agricultural College, read 
a paper entitled “ The Apple Seedling in the Development of 
a Local Pomology.” He reviewed the history of the apple in 
the United States and led up to the general conclusion that 
each section must originate its own list of apples as well as 
other fruits. J. S. Harris gave it as his opinion that among 
