Washtenaw Pomological Society

At the pomologioal meeting. July 6, President Baldwin called on the undersigned to report on the spring meeting of the State Horticultural Society held at Lansing. Judge Ramsdell stated at Baid meeting that by extravagant reporta of those who want to sell trees and plants, too many people rushed into fruit. Many fruit packages from his región to Chicago did not pay the freight. Low prices are due partly to a want of proper selection of fruit and to the want of organization among the fruit growers. Each sends his goods independent of the other and frequently one or two commission men get most of the fruit which causes at once a glut in the market. Cheaper transportation could be had by concert action. There are always some who teke advantage of a combined effort in that direction, but never help to bear any burden. The California and Southern fruits were sold now in every village of the North and largely take the place of winter apples and other northern fruit. At the beginning of the season the cry from the commission men is heard : Send us fruit, we expect good prices. As soon as the Bartlett pears and Crawford peaches come in the cry is : Market glutted, prices down, Aa soon as these fruits are gone another cry is heard: Send us Bartletts and Crawfords, prices up. As long as fruit growers are not organized, the commission men will take these advantages of growers. Of course the actual consumer has to pay high enough for his fruit The society spent a very profitable and pleasant day at the Agncultural College. Professors Taft and Cook gave interesting lectures before the studente of the college and the soc.ety The former on the downy mildew and the black or brown rot in grapes, and lts remedy the so-called Bordeaux mixture : the latter on insects and msecticides, especially the curculio, with three remedies against it. 1 Spray withLondonpurple, 1 pound to "200 gallons of rain water, as soon as blossoms fall and continue till the bug has disappeared. 2. The sheet process. s Snrnv with lime water so that the leaves of vour plum trees look white. Stearns has driven the curcuho away hy throwing carbolic acid with piaster, lpinttoöO pounds of piaster, into the trMr.Baldwin says chicken manure well dissolved will drive the little turk ahe professor advised, fruit growers should leave all wild thorns thora apples and wild plums on their place. Plant plum trees along your apple, pear and peach trees. The curcuho prefers the plum ; in its absence it attacks the The addréss of President Willits was very highly appreciated. As first assistant secretary of the department of agriculture this gentleman will continue to promote the interest of fruit growers. Professor Kedzie's experiments on the pine barrena of Michigan with Spurry, Vetch, Alfalfa, Yellow Lupin, June clover and Hungarian grass on exhibition in his office, will be of great value to the people of this state. The students of the college of both sexes made a very good impression. They have the advantages of a very thorough instruction and live apparently in clover on the beautiful grounds of the college. . . , , ,- President Baldwin reported in behalf oftransportation. He had visited the freight officers of the Michigan Central at Detroit and the local agent here also the officers of the Toledo, Ana Arbor & Northern Michigan K. n. He has spent time and money to perfect cheaper transportation and _ detserves the heartiest support of those The committee will have a eession on Monday evening and will report in the papers. The society passed aresolution to support the action of the committee. On enquiry Prof. Nichols reported that some fruit growers, especially one of the largest peach growers, had not paid unto this date a penny apiece per bushei to defray thenecessary expenses in bring about cheaper transportation and fitting up a car especially for the transportation of peaches. Woe unto such if they appear before the gate. bt. Peter will receive them with a gnn and down they go where Tántalos is tor...,.,,o.i witVi on fitprnal thu&t and phos practices in vain the lesson of Transportation, while Mr. Toms the florist who decorated the society's table by a fine display of pansies, roses and other flowers, will at once be ushered intothe garden of Eden, closely followed by Mr. John Allmand, who ïnstructed the society by his fine exhibit of six varieties of strawberries, the Woodruif, No. 1,'which is the brighest, most prolific and best shipper, the Belmont and Sharpless, very large berries, the Daniel Boon, the Champion and the Mount Vernon. Editor Nissley, of Saline, promised to exhibit seventeen varieties, but must have fallen asleep in the easy chair of his office. He had the largest erop of any fruit grower in Washtenaw this year.