Washtenaw Horticulturalists

The Washtemaw Horticultural Society held its aamual meeting last Saturday j. m., Itec. 2d, In Hu room im tihe cooirt house. The oificers nuade tlheir annual reports, election of offlcers took place and the business of ümportaaiee was transacteö. Presidiant W. F. BLrd reconnmciided that hiereaíter the supervisor 's room be ueed if practicable, In wihJclï tO' hold tlue meetings oí the society. He al80' suggested tihat oin suitable occasicns mieietings be hield at the resilences of variio'us fruit growers in the coainty, belicTütg tJuat such meetings womM ptosseas .social advaiatagee and yield miic'Ji practical imíoírmation not obtained froin meetiaigs held in the city. Tlie treasurer reported all bilis paid and -a small balance on hand. The secretary reriewed tlie meetings of the year, dwelling particularly upooi the part taken by the society in securbig au araiendment to the yellows law and ta reivüsion of the fruit catalogue. .Tttie effort to secure a reductioin in the rate of transportatiO'n on peaeüies in wJiich the society was asked to assüst, had proved unsuccessful. ThO oorrespondiiig secretary then pi-eseoited the iolloiwlmg outline of tbe work of the society, duriing the fifteem yeanB of its existemce : Froan tihO iirst the society has taken an. aictlvie interest in all tilia't rela.tes totiie ad'vainceincnt of horticulture iin VbAs looality. Those wlio were imstirumential in its organizatioo were knovn to us not only as successful fruit Ki'owers tiienisel"ves, but as public fc-pirited citizens anxious to sec otliiers share a like prosperitj. We cainnot know liow miucih peach growers of tthiis vtcinity are indebted to Mr. Baldwin for his early experïrnemts with tuis fruit and íor nis persistent effOTts year aiter year to impress upoin otiiers liis íaith ia the success otf tJie peaoh upon the hi'lls sumxraeding our city. To Benjamin Day and. his early suceess witih the Guthbeirt raspbarry is umdoubtdly due m-ucDi of the promiaence -viliich the email fruit interests have simee attained. Ta J. Austiin Scott, for many years the Ivomored president of our society, is due in nO' smiall degsree tilic interest which has kept Washteinaw county eo laag a tálmO in tOie front rank iunomj? ibe apple pvotlucing coimties oí thie state. The Satelügence ;md ze:il -vith which otliei1 of oive society wïio ave still amoing lis, liave cultivnted certain ofiher iruit and made knovrn their morits, is familia.r to us all. Early ün tai.e history of the society, ils tniembere begiau bp eoopera.'te in ■parióos ■wiays to tlneir commercial advantage. One oí ifcs first acts was .a comibilaation for tflie poiircha.se of peacih 'baskets, by whicli a considerable eariiií? was effeeted. The matter of transpoirtatLOn receivod carly ■ittemtiloti and baa been tJie subject of long continued labor and discus.si'oai. At first all fruit had to 1e ehipped by express, aimd the exeessive cüiairges, together with the careless marnier in which tlie fruit was handled made ït imperative tlliat some reform in ttoat directiom be gecured. ït was not h'owever, until special arra,ngennient were made with. the railroa.d comp'ainy wiliich secoired quick traimspoTtation by freigiit that any adequaite impro'veni-eint was obtalnod in tlïe express service ia regard either to the ra tes oír the caire in handUng. In 1SS5 tíne society published a list of suggesttais io.r ttoa us-e of snippers amd dealers in fruit, also' a set of rules tor tlhe gultöatace of berry pieker. In. 1887. throug-h the efforts of t'hiis society, a fruit preserving iactory was establtshed in Ann Ai-bor, -svluicli luis beeia of considerable service in timos of low ptrices. In Oii-de to sccaire tlie erection of this facou-y tlue society proeured for the firm wliicli maintains it, a bonus or substdy oí onO thiousand dolla-rs. At tdie meetings of the society, ivuinerous new varieties have lo(n exhibited ïrom time to time and their eliaracter üescribed. in its publlshed proceedMigs. New implemeats, fruit packag'e, etc, have also beem brought befofe tlue public on tbeae occasions. 'Ilie society has usually had charge of tlie hon-ticultural oxhlbits at our omvnty fair, and hji-s frequently made collections of fruit for exliibition olsewfllOTC On tlli'ree occasions tlie society has entert a ini'd the aamual meeting of Ui e State Horticnltu.raJ Society. It hias memorialized the state legislatua-e reg-arding tlie preservation of iorests and on otJier paiiblic questions. Tllw) miayor of Ann Arbor first pointOd out a defect im our state yellows Law, and tihis society passed the first resoluttón, so far as known, looking toward lts revisión, wbich has since been accomplisiied. It was at the nequest of our society tbat the township oiflcers of Ann Arbor proceeded to appoint tüie proper coinmissioners tor tiie suppreasion of the yellows, wbien that disease was discovered in tlbis .locality. Tlie society has beea fortúnate in haviing assistance from professors in tibe state University wflio have served as Consulting ouficera In tlheir scientLic capacities and have presented papers from time to time before ttoe society. Tibe gentlemen to whom the society hias been time indebted, are Doctors Vauglhan, Steere and Prescott, the late Dr. Wiincihell, and Professors Spauldilng, Davlfl and Harringtoin. Meetiings ihewe occasionally been held on special topics of interest to otters beskles fruit growers. Among thiese none have been ai greater vaiue tünam the annual road meetings held in March üi recent yeare. Th.e eooiety bas at all times endeavored to keep abreast o all modem improvements in liortloulture. The sprayiing of fruits for the destruction oï injurious insects was adopted as early as 1880 by W. W. "icbols, its íirst seeretary, wibo lias eince been particularly sucoessful in the use of Paris green and London purple agaimst the codllng motil in the apple. Among tibose who have employeid tJie modem remedies for the black rot and otüier dteeases of the grape, none hiave been more enterprlsiing tuad sucoess.'ul tihian the' one whio is nOAV outr president, Mr. W. F. BLrd. Ouir estímate of tíue influenee of the society would be from complete wltihiO'Ut a re:ererace to the publication of its prooeedings, The meetings wihether largely or poorly attended have always broiught sub-facts íact oí real value to its power. The p-resemtatiions of new items of experience,. sncli as notes on varioties and metJiods oi culture has at all times been a leading feature of our meetings and tihese facts have been weleoined by otiher fruit growers wherever paiblislied. Ever si nee the otgainizatiom oí the society a record of its proOeeidiings bas had a place in tJie traneactioms of tlie State Hortioult-ural Soïiety, thamks to the iaithiul ser'ilces oi our recordiag secretary, Mr. Jacob Ganzhora, who has ocenpied tliat ollice siince the second year of its existetnee. To Mr. Emil Baur, for 13 years corresponding secretary, is due tiie popularity which our society has enjoyed with it peers oif oui' city amcl tibe state. He not omly Bucoeeded in making its proceed6ngs soug'liit fOT by all the papers of Aam Arbor, bat bad the satis.actiom oí eeeing theim freqiiently copied into other Mi-ciiig'an papers, and sometimes Jtoto thosO beyond our state. The delegates appointed on numeroiis occasions fi-om our society to atteod meetings of similar soeieties elsewhere have do'ne their share to di senilmuite in.'ormation on horticultural matters and have brought back valuable in.'opmation in return. Tbrotigh an airangement with the State Hortieuitural Society our society is enabled to fumisfli each of it members with. a copy of the annual proceedings of that society, the most valuable hortlaultural publication In the state. It is evident tiint the eoeiety is dotag nn impoirtant part in the building up oí the horticultura! interests oí this locality. Moi-e of our gardeners and fruit growers ouglit to be among its active members. Some are satisfied to i-ead tlie proceedings as published in tJie local papers. This is a mistare. The seeretary, it is true, endeavors to record what he comsiders of special valuie, but he can önly publEsh wlliat is preseuted ; he canivot know the particular needs of eaeh, wlhich cam only appear as questioms are aslced at the nwetings. Let iis t.h,p,if iniro pinflrei-vor to fiil UI) our meetings dua-ing the coming winter niiOïiths aaid by 90 dolng inerease the inilueiice and usefulnees Oí our valued society. The society tJien pi-oceeded to the electiotn. oí ofíicers fot ttoe ensuing year wltli the iollowiiig rèsult Presidettit, W. F. IHrd ; vice presideint.s, O. R. 1. Ci-ozlcd-, EniU Baur, B. J. Oonirad ; recordiiig eecretary, Jacoib Ga.nzüioru ; correspomlmgr secretary, A. A. Crozier ; treasarer, J. H. Alma.nd ; executive committep. B. G. Buell, J. C. She.iick, E. H. Scott, C. J. Oomrat'h. Scientiác oífioere : Botanist. Troif. Y. M. Siiauviluis" ; Oriiitliologist, Dr. J. B. Steere ; Bntomolog-ist, Proif. H. C. JlarkJiain ; Hygiënist, Dir. V. C. Vang-han ; CLmatologist. Prof. J. Munitircmiei-y. The ammoamceinent was made taal tibie State Horitaultural Society woiuld liiOld its animal naeeting at Ijawliui, Van Biireai eounty, during tihe last week in December. Presb dent Bird was appototed delégate froni' ttois society to attond thnt meetini;-. He will present a paper 01 "Grape Growlmg."