The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1869-10-01
From the Lawrence Republican journal.
OUR STATE AT THE FRUIT CONGRESS-.
Grand Success OF the Exhibition.
Kansas Gets the Gold Medal.

AInSTICdH IOtnOiOSlCdI SOCleIy. Ut InlI-
| adelphia, have performed their mission,
and it is proper that we report the re-
suit. Had we met at Philadelphia only
the members of the American Pomolo-
| gical Society, the effect would have been
comparatively unimportant, as but few
usually attend their meetings, which
are of strictly business character, en-
bodying discussions of the value and
peculiarities of different fruits, and
their adaptation to different localities.
But fortunately for us, the Pennsylvania
State Horticultural Society were hold
ing their annual Fair at the same time
and in the same building, bringing to-
gether large number of persons from
all parts of the State and adjoining
States, and in connection with the
Pathological Society, making the occa-
sion one, probably, that has never been
surpassed in any part of the country,
either in regard to the character of the
exhibition or the number of persons
present. All our delegation, except
myself, were on the ground ON Monday
morning, and put in their time to great
advantage, during Monday and Tues
day, in making the necessary arrange
! ments to display our fruit, having every
desirable facility furnished them by the
managers of the Fair, and by earnest
work, guided by good taste, they were
very successful. l did not measure the
space occupied. but should judge that
the table could not have been less than
twelve to fifteen feet long by six wide,
about half of which was arranged with
pyramidal shelves, and beautiful pyra-
mid of apples in the center; but it is
unnecessary to attempt Il description of
the table, as it has been very successful
ly photographed, and will be engraved,
and probably appear in the next number
of the Kansas Farmer. The effect was
the taste, industry and patience of the
gentlemen who did the work.
From the opening of the Fair on
Wednesday morning, the hall was
greatly crowded with admiring and
deeply interesting visitors, and the Kan
sas tables were the center of attraction,
both on account of the greatly superior
character of the fruits and the artistic
manner in which they were displayed.
ALI the delegation devoted much of
their time at the tables protecting the
fruits from being handled and answer
ing the many inquiries that were made.
The old Quaker gentlemen and ladies
seemed deeply interested in our exhibit
ton. They would ask us, 'Did all
these fruits grow in Kansas ?" and did
thee come from Kansas with them %
'How could thee bring them so far in
such good order?" and "Didst thee
know good old John Brown in Kan
sas ?" &C., &c, Everybody, without any
exception, who made any remarks while
surveying the fruit, pronounced it de-
cidedly the finest on exhibition, as it
most certainly was. The visitors were
mostly from the better classes of socie-
ty, intelligent and wealthy, and large
hou oF
and in commenting upon the display
would remark: "This exhibition OF
such splendid fruits will be great thing
for your young State" lit will be
worth millions of dollars to you;" sit
will bring crowds of people to locate
among you," &c, &c, and in moving
about in the crowds we would hear
persons inquiring Of others,E' Have you
seen the Kansas fruit?" And in the
street cars and at the hotels, no allusion
was made to the fair without referring
to the Kansas exhibition; the sensation
was decided and universal. Soon after
the fruits were upon the tables, the
managers invited and urged US to put
them in competition for the premiums
offered by the State society, which was
a new idea to us, but the suggestion was
acceeded to, and we proposed to COM
pete for the premiums offered for "the
best collection of apples" and ''the best
i dozen" of several different varieties
also the best dozen Bartlett and White
| Doyenne pears, and it soon became ap-
parent that we should take them all.
Such certainly was the universal Judge
ment of the people, very significantly
expressed, and enough had been init
mated by the committee to warrant the
same conclusion, but before the award
announced, some of the individual COM
petitors for the same premiums con-
tested that it was not fair that they
should be put in competition with a
whole State, and their protest, after due
consideration prevailed, which was I'M
doubleday right, and our fruits were
excluded. The managers, however, ex-
pressing much regret, and assuring US
that our claims should in some way be
recognized, and subsequently,, by the
unanimous action of the society's ex-
ecutive board, the Kansas State Horti-
cultural Society was awarded by the
Horticultural Society of the great State
of Pennsylvania, their GOLD MEDAL for
superior collection of fruits, which is
the highest award they could make, and
| was not made to any other collection.
The fruits sent in by the old State OF
New Jersey, where there are thousands
of professional fruit growers, only re-
ceived a SILVER MEDAL; while the
| farmers of Kansas, a State not yet six
teen years old, and nearly 1000 miles
distant, carry off the first prize. The
fruits came to the committee SO imper-
fectly labeled that it was impossible TO
arrange them according to localities,
and give due credit where it belongs
but there were some specimens so very
| superior as to attract special attention
The Bartlett pears, from Mr.. Bracket,
of Lawrence, from a contributor OF
Linn county, and another in Leaven-
| worth county, were greatly admired, it
being in many cases difficult to satisfy
! persons who have raised the same vari-
ETY. this year that ours were really Bart
| lets. The same may be said of the
magnificent White DOyennes from Mr..
Emery, and the Duchess and Louise
Bonnie de Jersey ofJudge Hendry, from
Lawrence. There were no others that
could compete with them. And the
same was true of Concord grapes.
| Persons who had on exhibition the
same variety would ask what kind they
| were, and were very much taken down
when we told them they were Con-
cords. And SO of many varieties oil
apples.
| At the close of our exhibition in
| Philadelphia we sent sixteen baskets OF
our choicest fruits to the editors of the
| sixteen newspapers in Philadelphia,
which will no doubt be heard from. A
gentleman interested in the fair of the
American Institute, in New York, also
took an assortment of our apples to
exhibit there, which he was very anx-
ious to appropriate for that purpose,
because, as he said, they would excel
any and all others there on exhibition.
In short our mission was a GRAND
SUCCESS in all its parts, and will no
doubt prove of immense value to Kan.
| Sas. Now let nnr own nnnnIn miami