A CATALOG OF NEW FRUITS 
ORGANIZATION AND PURPOSE OF THE NEW YORK STATE 
FRUIT TESTING COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION, INC. 
The New York State Fruit Testing Cooperative Association, Inc., was or¬ 
ganized in 1918 for the purpose of introducing and testing new fruits recom¬ 
mended as worthy of trial by the New York State Agricultural Experiment 
Station. No funds have ever been appropriated for the support of this Asso¬ 
ciation and therefore a sufficient charge is made to defray expenses. The 
policy of the Association has been to grow only enough stock to meet the 
demands of its members and non-members. The growth of the Association 
since its inception has been normal and even during “the years of depression” 
its membership steadily increased. At this time the membership is approxi¬ 
mately 2500 and altho New York and its adjoining states have the highest 
proportion, all the states except one and many foreign countries are represented. 
The only requirement for membership is that the tester must be a fruit 
grower. An annual fee of $1.00 is levied, the fiscal year commencing Septem¬ 
ber first. Paid-up members are entitled to a free premium, such as one tree 
or 12 strawberry or raspberry plants. Only those who have a perpetual interest 
in new fruits are solicited. One of the main reasons for becoming a member 
is that each member receives a list of the stock as issued and consequently 
has an opportunity of placing an early order. Again he is notified as to time 
of meetings, contemplated changes in by-laws etc. The annual meeting which 
is always held at Geneva on the third Thursday of September has become an 
important occasion. Many members come from long distances to exchange 
opinions, to examine and test new fruits, and to listen to discourses on the 
behavior of the various fruits as grown under varied conditions. 
The breeding and testing of fruit is an important but a slow and expensive 
work. The Association has already done a great service in determining the 
merit of many new fruits. Unfortunately a few take it for granted that all 
the introductions have commercial possibilities. Such an attitude naturally 
defeats the purpose of this organization. Over and over again we must em¬ 
phasize the fact that these new kinds are simply worthy of trial. A brief 
description is given so as to present the characteristics expressed at Geneva 
but the varieties may perform better or worse when grown under a different 
environment. Progress reports are not required, but they are always appre¬ 
ciated. The Association is always pleased to hear from its members. 
The Fruit Testing Association like all other organizations is dependent 
upon the support of its members. This Association is also dependent upon a 
supply of new and promising new fruits. We wish to call your attention to the 
fact that the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station has thousands of 
seedlings of various fruits either fruiting or coming into bearing. Many of 
1 
