242 
THE 
ATvny^RICAN 
October,. 
ExbiMtions & &Gieti@'8. 
AMERIOAK POMOLOGIOAL SOCIETY. 
Editorial Coj'respondcnce of The America7i. Garden. 
One of the most interesting and valuable 
meetings in tlie histoiy of the Society was 
that heid in Grand Eapids from September 
9th to 11th. Ifo more appropriate place as 
to location could have been selected, and 
certainly none where the residents were 
more in accord with the cause of the Society, 
and more anxious to make the stay of the 
members and delegates as pleasant and agree¬ 
able as lay within their power. Tlie Uni- 
versalist Church, where the meetings were 
held, is a large, commodious building, situ¬ 
ated on a quiet street, and was excellently 
adapted for the purpose; a large floral mon¬ 
ogram of the Society's initial letters, ar¬ 
ranged against the organ in the front center, 
and some large, beautifully arranged varie¬ 
ties of flowers offered a bright greeting of 
welcome. 
The exliibitiou of fruits was in a large, 
tastefully decorated hall, a few blocks dis¬ 
tant. The Michigan exitibit was by far the 
largest, comprising about 1000 plates of 
fruits, and representing every section of the 
State. Ohio and Missouri had the next 
largest. The collection.^ of 140 varieties of 
Pears from EUwanger & Barry, Kochester, 
jS’. Y. ; 100 varieties of Pears from President 
AVilder, Boston ; 61 varieties of Pears from 
B. G. Smith, Cambridge, Mass.: 28 varieties 
Crab Aj)ples from P. 31. Gideon, Excelsior, 
31inu., and the exliibit of Cocoauuts grown 
in Florida by Field & Osborn were especial¬ 
ly meritorious and were awarded Silver 
AVilder Aledals. The number of new and 
promising new fruits was very large. One 
of the most interesting exhibits, collected 
by Prof. L. H. Bailey of the 31ichigan Agri¬ 
cultural College, consisted of some seventj”^- 
five kinds of berries, nuts and other native 
fiaiits, some of which are probablj'adapted to 
improvement, and may in time find their 
places among our cultivated fruits. 
The announcement of Pre.sident A\41der's 
inability to be present was a great disap¬ 
pointment to the members, and 1st Vice- 
President P..J. Berckmans being also obliged 
to be absent on account of illness, Patrick 
Barry of Kochester, Y. Y., was unanimously 
chosen chairman. Addresses of welcome 
were delivered by T. T. Lyon, president of 
the Alichigan Horticultural Society, for his 
society, 3Iayor .J. L. Curtiss for the city of 
Grand Bapids, and President Angcll of the 
University for the State; for all of which 
President Bai-ry, in his usual graceful and 
felicitous mariner, returned the thanks of 
the Society. The appointment of the vari¬ 
ous committees, and other routine work fol¬ 
lowed, after which President AVildei-’s invi¬ 
tation to meet in 1887 Iji Boston was ac¬ 
cepted by a unanimous j-ising vote. The 
following ollicers were then elected: Presi¬ 
dent, Hon. 31arshall P. Wilder; First V^ic(> 
President, Patrick Barry; Treasurer, Benj. 
G. Smith; Secretai-y, Chas. W. Garfield; ami 
a Vice-President for egch State. 
President Wilder’s address was then read 
by Pj of. Beal. It is a beautifully written, 
eleai- account of what the Society has already 
accomplished, and what is its future 
Sion; we only regret that our space 
does not permit our publishing i , 
“When we reflect on the unsettl ^ 
chaotic condition of pomology a The 
try when our Society was •;stabUshed, the 
narrow limits to which fruit cultui • 
confined, and the few engaged m it, and coi 
pare it with the immense teriitoiyuou o 
cupied for this purpose, and its iinpoi aiue 
as a great industiy of our couiiti y, saj s 
President, “I think it may be well to take a 
retrospective view and see what our Soc e y 
has accompiished. 
“Its formation opened a new era of enter¬ 
prise in the annals of American Pomology, 
which has no parallei in those of other lands. 
It was tlie first great national pomological 
societj'^, embracing in its organization the 
largest arena for fruit culture in the world, 
where almost every fruit of ever3^zone may 
be grown in perfeetion. 
“It has brought into close communion of in¬ 
terest, and concert of action, the most 
experienced and skillful pomologists of 
our couiitiy; and by its proceedings 
and publications has furnished i‘xain- 
ples and methods of work which have 
been adopted by other pomological and lior- 
ticultural societies, all working harmonious- 
1}' together, and thus has become the ac¬ 
knowledged authority of our laud. 
“It is truly an American Society, having, 
through all the vicissitudes of the past, held 
in the bonds of friendly intercourse for the 
promotion of our cause, the North, East, 
West and the South, and every region where 
fruits can be grown on this coiitineiit. 
“It has raised the standard of excellence by 
which our fruits are judged, discouraged the 
cultivation of inferior sorts, and thus edu¬ 
cated the taste of the public for those of 
better quality, so that kinds once common 
in our markets have become obsolete, and 
are now considered unworthy of prop.aga- 
tion. In doing this portion of its work it 
has discarded by general consent more than 
600 varieties, either worthless or superseded 
by better sorts. 
“It has established a uniform system of 
rules, by which fruits are to be shown and 
judged. But, what is of the highest import¬ 
ance, it has instituted a much-needed reform 
in the nomenclature of fruits, by which all 
long, unpronounceable, indelicate, inappro¬ 
priate, and superfluous words are to be sup¬ 
pressed in the dedication of our fruits. 
“One of the gi’andest achievements of the 
Society is its Catalogue of Fruits, published 
biennially, with isothermal divisions and col 
urnns for fifty States, Territoi-ies, aial dis¬ 
tricts, in which are recorded the fruits which 
may succe.ssfully bcgiwvn in those divisions 
with stars to designate the merits and sea¬ 
sons of each. This is a work of great merit 
and not attempted by any other society ' 
“Few things in the Idstory andj.rog^ss of 
American Pomology have been more elleia- 
Ive in the past and more promising of vain 
able results in the future than our systen'i of 
State Keports. 'I'iiey embrace eor.'ect infor- 
matlmi from trustworthy ]n,,'sons, haviim 
special reference to the varieties most sm^- 
ccssfully grown; new kinds worthy of siai 
clal notice; the chief obstacles to sJecessfui 
fruit culture in each district; and 
formation in regard to thr 
aorreet lii- 
iuia- ressof fruit culture In cadTSr'orS 
country, and are published under the super- 
vision of the chairman of the General Fmit 
Committee of our Society, and contain a 
vast fund of information not elsewhere to 
be found. 
^‘TIiGse reports constitute a mine of poino- 
lo'rical wealth, and contain not only all the 
modifications and changes which may have 
been made in collecting Information concern¬ 
ing the culture of fruits, but also in the nam- 
imj of them, and the synonyraes by which 
they are known; the most desirable varie¬ 
ties being designated in our catalogue by 
stars, according to their several merits. Had 
it done nothing else, this alone would enti¬ 
tle our Society to the universal approval 
which it now receives, and the gratitude of 
the generations which are to succeed us. 
“Before the organization of the Society, 
while we had around us an immense .region 
ready for the cultivation of the finest fruits, 
great profusion prevailed in nomenclature, 
and the dillcrence between good and bad 
sorts was very dimly appreciated. At that 
time, pomologists experienced great diffi¬ 
culty in obtaining varieties true to name; 
and sometimes, after repeatedly procuiing 
fruits, and losing years in waiting for them 
to bear, found themselves where they start¬ 
ed. The American Pomological Society has 
performed an immense labor through its 
meetings and its committees, in correcting 
this confusion, and it is wonderful to con¬ 
trast the early condition of pomology with 
its present mature state. Its future labor 
will be continuous and of vital moment, in 
introducing new and valuable varieties; and 
what will be of the greatest importance, 
maintaining an accurate nomenclature. It 
will inform fruit-growers, in every State and 
Territory, what fruits they are to look to for 
successful culture. But most important of 
all, its business will be to give American 
Pumoloijy a high character as a science; to 
prevent tlie appearance of mere money-mak¬ 
ing and petty attempts to impart undue 
prominence to new favorites by laudatory 
names. The continued aim of the Society 
will be to maintain a position of dignity, in¬ 
tegrity, and impartial usefulness. 
“To r cord all the good the American Pom¬ 
ological Society has accomplished would be 
equivalent to writing the history of Ameri¬ 
can Pomology during the period of the Soci¬ 
ety's existence. Its Proceedings are not 
only a record of the events of the time, but 
they clearly show that the Society has been 
pi ciauineiitly instrumental in shaping and 
directing the pomological destinies of our 
continent. It has organized and systema¬ 
tized everything pertaining to fruit culture, 
and has developed and elevated American 
Pomology. 'I’lm Kndt Catalogue is a grand 
and glorious work, but far greater is the 
educational and rellning Influence which the 
•Society exerts over its members. No one,— 
""less he be irredeemably depraved,—could 
attend its meetings without becoming not 
enly a better iiomologist, but also a better 
""111 and Christian. 
I he work which onr Society assumed was 
INC. It reipilred a great society to 
■i’.V It on. A great amount of time, labor, 
ail" treusure has been expended in bringing 
t to Its pre.sent nourishing condition; but 
however great the labors performed, and the 
Hacrlllces made in behalf of our Sooloty, not 
iiniiKM 
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