The Aberdeen examiner. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1866-current, 1884-09-11
MISSISSIPPy.S FRUIT DIS
PEAN.
SOME SUGGESTIONS OF DIR. II. E. MCKAY
TO COLLECTORS AND OTHERS.

our horticultural samples for the
New Orleans Exposition and what
is going on in our department, l de.
sire through the State Ledger, to
state few facts bearing en- these
subjects, which may be of some in.
terest to all, and of especial interest
to those engaged in the work and
those intending to do so. The Mis-
sissippi State Horticultural Society
being an organized body and having
intelligent meml ers in different and
distant parts of the State proposed
to Major S. A. Jonas, our State Com
missioner, through its officers, with
such help as it could bring to bear
both in and out of the society, to fur
niah the samples and do the work
free, if the State would furnish the
necessary monied expenses. This
meeting the hearty approval of Maj
,louas, two chief collectors-Ilou. G..
W. Gallagher, Of Meridian, for the
Eastern anud myself for the Western
part of the State, were appointed,
with authority to appoint twelve as
sistants each, in distant and different
parts Of the State. Under this gen
eral plan aud organization,I am much
gratitied to be able to say that from
the Alabama line to the Mississippi
river, and from the Tennessee line to
our beautiful sea coast, intelligent
men and women are earnestly en-
gagged in the work, and the number
and quality of the samples already
collected, ii brought together would
be creditable to the State, and such
as few, if any of us have seen; and
the work is only fairly begun.
If no serious drawbacks, | conf
IDENTIFY believe we shall be able to
make our Horticultural exhibit cred,
itably in quantity and quality, both
to the State and the occasion. The
collectors for the present, are giving
special attention to preparing full
line of alcoholic samples Of the lead
ing varieties of all our desirable
faults. To carry this work to COM
pletion the State furnished, through
Major Jonas, glass jars for temporary
and permanent use and has and will
furnish alcohol to make the solution
for preserving all the samples design
ed for the State exhibit. We are
using the temporary jars mainly in
collecting and preserving the sam
pies, but the permanent heavy show
jars will be used when the collecting
season is over, for transporting and
showing the fruits. Samples will not
be called for until we are ready to
forward them direct to New Orleans.
While these alcoholic samples will
belong to the State, they will be
shown in the Horticultural Society's
collection
The method for preserving these
samples is as follows: For sound,
hard fruits-Apples, Pears, Plums,
Cherries, etc, take One-third alcohol
anu cwU-rhlrus pure "ater. r-Ul eVru
fruits-Peaches, Strawberries, etc,
take one-half alcohol and one-half
pure water; put in jars we'll filled
with fruit and fluid, ane under close.
cover. 1t is not necessary to have
jars air tight. Set away in a dark,
cool place, examine frequently re-
moving any specimens that have be-
come defective while the fruit select
ed for these samples should be well
matured and Of the largest, smoothest
and best specimeds, it should be firm
and without bruises or defects Of any
kind. Our observation so far, has
taught us that fruit ripened to the
extent of softness will discolor and
speck more than firm hard specimens.
We wish to collect samples of the
largest number OF all valuable varie-
ties, rather than large number Of
samples from a few fine varieties
that is to say, we desire samples of
our small and medium varieties as
we'll as of our finest and largest. The
above remarks and specifications refer
exclusively to alcoholic samples,
which became necessity, in order
that we might exhibit samples of all
our fruits or varieties that will be out
Of season before the opening of the
Exposition. Such samples being ex-
pensiye, could not be preserved with
out the aid of the State.
While the State has extended to
our department Il liberal hand in put
ting up this important and expensive
line Of samples: we ought to furnish
and collect all other horticultural
samples as far as practicable, without
further aid from the State; and we
earnestly request our collectors and
all others who desire to see our State
Horticultural Department complete
in every line, to labor diligently and
lose no valuable representative sam
pies on any line of horticulture.
1t is very desirable that samples of
our good native seedlings should be
preserved, and those having such at II
distance from collectors will oblige us
much by sending samples OF half II
dozen to G. w. Gallagher, Meridian,
or myself at Madison Statiot. They
can be forwarded by express at our
expense, but should be wrapped in
paper and carefully pscked in a well
ventilated box, so as not to get bruised
with name Of the variety or kind,
where, by whom grown or furnished
and the time of maturity. All fruits
maturing late enough in the
season to be preserved by the aid Of