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Wilder Medal, awarded to the Wisconsin State Horticultural Society, " For General Collection of Fruit," exhibited at the American Pomological Exhibition, Chicago, 1875.

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to the Chicago exhibition. For names of exhibitors and award of premiums, see report of committees on premiums.

If it is possible at the next State Fair to arrange the smaller entries side by side, it would be very desirable, and the awarding committees will be able to decide without so great a liability to error, and with half the labor.

Winter apples, having attained neither size or color, owing to the earliness of the fair; did not appear well, nor could they be recognized by good judges. Although the apple-crop throughout the State was small, yet the specimens from the interior were fairer than usual, and a good judge wrote me that nowhere east had he seen apple-trees so well loaded as along the lake-shore counties of Wisconsin.

I hope the condition of the treasury will permit our offering the same amount of premiums as two years ago, and to improve the quality of the exhibition, and give us plenty of room, I would recommend that exhibitors be restricted to thirty varieties of apples.

The only drawback the American Pomological Exhibition seemed to have upon us, was to take away many of our best committee-men, whose places it was hard to fill.

POMOLOGICAL EXHIBITION AT CHICAGO.

J. C. PLUMB, MILTON, CHAIRMAN.

The exhibition of fruit from our State at the biennial meeting of this society, at Chicago, the 8th to 11th of September, exceeded the expectation of those most ardent in its accomplishment. It consisted of over two hundred varieties of named apples, and many varieties unnamed, and seedlings. There were also seventy-seven varieties of Siberians, twenty-six of Pear, only twelve of which were named, and the remainder, native seedlings. There were forty-twovarieties of grapes, embracing nearly every desirable, known variety,. and two fine-looking native seedlings; also, four varieties of choice plums, and two samples of cranberries, from the wild marshes of Wood county. The contributions to this show of fruit of our State came from several localities, and in the order named, as follows:

From Jefferson and Rock counties, the largest named collection -some ninety varieties. By A. G. Tuttle, of Sauk, seventy-five varieties; by H. M. Thompson, of Milwaukee, sixty varieties; B. B. Olds, of Clinton, Rock county, fifty-four varieties; J. S. Stickney, of Wauwatosa, fifty-one varieties; G. P. Peffer, of Waukesha county, fifty varieties; D. H. Manning, of La Fayette county, twenty-five varieties; E. Wilcox, of Trempealeau, thirty-one varieties; with other fine collections from William M. Bartholomew, A. A. Boyce, and F. C. Curtis, of Columbia county, and G. J. Kellogg, of Rock county. Mr. Peffer also exhibited a fine collection of pears, with the native seedlings named above, and a beautiful collection of new Siberians.

Mr. Putnam, of Richland county, contributed a remarkably well grown collection of Siberian crabs, of which some thirty-seven varieties were new seedlings. The display of old and new varieties of the Siberian family exceeded any former one from our State, and among them, there seemed everything we could desire for beauty and flavor, for eating, cooking and keeping qualities in this new staple diet of northwestern fruitists.

Notably well grown and fine were the specimen apples from "Baraboo bluffs," by Mr. Tuttle, and from Trempealeau county, by Mr. Wilcox, the latter also showing exceedingly well-grown specimen apple trees. Mr. Thompson, of St. Francis, also showed wellgrown samples of several varieties of young evergreens.

The show of grapes was not what it should have been, several of our most successful and able grape-growers failing to contribute. Wm. A. Hitchcock, an amateur grower of Beaver Dam, came to the rescue with forty varieties, remarkably well-grown, embracing nearly all our approved list. A few plates of the choicest varieties from Madison, some well ripened Janesvilles, from C. H. Greenman, of Milton, and Wordens from Kellogg, completed the exhibition of Wisconsin grapes. Had our growers responded as they might have done, our show of this fruit would have exceeded that of any other northern State, in extent and general appearance, though it must have been largely immature from the unusual lateness of the sea

son.

Of apples, varieties were largely duplicated in these several collections, but the aggregate of over two hundred named varieties from our State, this exceptional year, is not only remarkable in

itself, but indicative of the enterprise and perseverance of our fruitgrowers. Wisconsin showed by far the largest variety of apples of of the twenty-four States and Provinces represented; receiving the third Wilder medal for "general display of fruits."

any

The exhibition, as a whole, was one of the highest interest to the western pomologist; one full of instruction to the student of adaptation of varieties to the varied soils and aspects, latitudes and longitudes of this vast country; and one of fine opportunity to study the nomenclature of the nation.

The usual offices of honor and service in the national society, were granted our State; the first, in a vice-presidency, to G. P. Peffer, and the second, as member of the" general fruit committee," to J. C. Plumb, Milton.

REPORTS OF YIELD OF STRAWBERRIES, SEASON 1875.*

B. F. ADAMS, MADISON.

In compliance with your request I furnish the following statement relating to my strawberry-crop of last season. The varieties cultivated for market were Wilson, for main crop, Downer's Prolific

* These reports were prepared for publication in the Transactions, at the request of the society, at its last meeting. Lest those who are not acquainted with the business, may be led by these remarkably large yields to think that the road to fortune is through strawberry culture, and be induced to invest money therein, which they might use to better advantage in some other enterprise, it will be well to state that the men who raised these large crops are "old hands at the business," they understand, and can take advantage of all the elements of success, from the location of the site of the strawberry patch, to the sale of the last berry of the season; to use a professional term, they can easily "double discount" a common cultivator, both in the yield obtained, and in the profits realized. And further, the last winter, notwithstanding its severity, was a very favorable one for the plants. Soon after the ground had frozen to a moderate depth, a heavy body of snow fell, which remained an unbroken protection to the plants against freezing and thawing until the final break up in the spring; and the cold and wet weather of the season added greatly to the strength and vigor of the plants. The whole season was favorable, and hence, this very exceptional yield was secured. With close care, and good cultivation, on the right kind of soil and location, and a good market, strawberry-culture will usually afford a fair profit to those who understand the business, but let no one embark in it, thinking that it is an easy and sure road to wealth.

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