Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-09-23

TIE CATALOGUE TAKEN AND rTs CONTENTS m
fELLIeINTLY DIscussKp-coRRRcrIoNs MADE
WHICH FURTHER xxPERIENcE JUSTIFIED
SEVERAL VERY INTERESTING PAPERS READ.
When the fruit growers who work together
for the common good under the name Of the
American Pathological Society met this morn
ing in the lecture room Of the National Mu-
scum there was very fair attendance Of mem
bers. All were ready for business, and at the
morning session . large amount Of practical
work was accomplished. The members all took
seats up close by the platform and .
sort OF informal discussion was INDUCED in.
The catalogue Of the society, which stands as
the authority upon all questions relating to the
characteristics and Nomenclature Of all Ameri-
can fruits. came up for revision. This cata-
logue, which forms quite bulky volume, is
devoted to all varieties that are formally recog-
nized by the society as distinct, and each is de-
scribed, and by q convenient system Of starring
one can tell Immediately what its merits are %
grower and as q marketable commodity in
every state in the Union. From this it is easy
to see the value and importance Of the cata-
logue.
STARRING THE CATALOGUE.
When the session began this morning Mr.. @.
W. Garfield mounted the platform, and, with .
copy Of the catalogue in his hand, read of
the varieties in alphabetical order. beginning
with Aletson's early apple. Many Of them were
talked over and the value of each was told by
the members who were most familiar with II.
In many cases apples were stricken from the
list as not having proved satisfactory or on &C.
count Of their identity with some variety with an
older or preferable name. Then. too, when
ever some one Of the members had tried some
apple in his state and had found it q success he
would request that it be starred for his state.
For example, the summer pippin had hereto
fore had but one star for New York, showing
that 1t was fair grower there. One Of the
members showed that 1t was more than o fair
success and upon his advice it received two
stars in the catalogue. After this part Of the
work was completed number Of new classes
were added to the list. When apples and crab
apples had been thus treated the president an
nounced that the discussion Of the catalogue
was over with for the morning session, and Mr..
ID. W. Adams of Florida was introduced to read
paper upon Pruning"
A PAPER ON PRUNING.
Mr.. Adams referred to pruning as Q sort Of
hereditary error. Our present system Of
pruning proves that we believe in the total
depravity of all fruit and that the only way it
can be saved is by means ofIwholesale butchery.
he said, was to do it permanent and irrepar-
able injury. Pruning for growth is a myth,
and those who do it are following the ancient
idea that all the nourishment OF a tree comes
through the root ignoring the fact that most
OF the trees nutrition comes from the
leaves. To remove branch is to do the
tree more harm than to cut of root. Prun-
ing causes tree to bear simply because it i'm
perils the vitality of the tree itself. Pruning
lays tree open to all sorts Of diseases and is a
N IN ol fho lnx rs at,1-a .tno
that trees suffer from insects and disease are
more than all else increased by the pruning
knife above and the plowshare below.
At the conclusion of his paper Mr.. Adams
was called upon to answer q number OF ques-
tons that were aroused by his attack upon the
system of pruning. He was asked if he had a
barren orchard that he knew would be i'm
proved by pruning whether or not he would
use the knife. He said he would if he was sure
that pruning would cause fruitfulness, but he
would cut. He did not wish to be understood
as saying that there might not be advantages
resulting from pruning that would overbalance
the disadvantages, and when such was the case
he would recommend pruning, but he simply
wished to lay down the general statement that
cutting tree hurts it, He had never seen .
pruning knife that would make as neat q cut
as nature does, nor a cut that heals as we'll.
Mr.. Adams paper was not allowed to go I'M
challenged by any means and was attacked by Q
number OF the members, who maintained that
1udiciOus pruning was o natural method and
resulted in positive advantage to the tree. In
teresting remarks were made upon this subject
In the form Of q resume Of q paper by Mr..
Stringfellow Of Texas, which was to have been
read tomorrow, but which was so nearly akin
now asked permission to present it ct this
point.
Rev. LYMAN PHELPS PAPER.
Immediate Effects Of Cross Fertilization as
Affecting Quality and Commercial Values of
Citrus Fruits, was the subject of valuable
talk by Rev. Lyman Phelps of Sanford, Fla,
who is known as authority on the topic he dis
cussed. Some twenty years ago MIR. Phelps
went to Florida to live on account Of his
broken health. He become interested in the
growing OF oranges and lemons and one Of the
most interesting and novel collections in the
display Of fruit at the National Museum 10 the
one made by Rev. Mr.. Phelps.
At the conclusion Of the discussion that fol-
lowed Mr.. Phelps paper the society adjourned
until clock.
REST OF THE PROGRAM.
The program for the other sessions today Is
as follows: 1. ''Heredity and Environment in
Originating New Fruits, Thomas Meehan, Ger
mautown. Pa; 2. Fruit Districts Geologically
and Clim .tically Considered" Prof. Z. S. Cot
Experiment Station, Madison, Wis; 3. Recent
Advance in Dealing with Insects Affecting
Fruits" DIR. c. W Riley, U. s. Department Of
Agriculture; 4. docs the Spraying of Orchards
with Insecticides Pay?' Prof. Z. N. Weed Col.
lege Of Agriculture, Hanover, N. H.; 5. ''Some
Local Pathological Problems" Hon. Chas w.
Garfield, Mich; G. "Pomology in the Eleventh
Census" Mortimer Whitehead, U. s. Census
Bureau, Washington, d. G.
Evening session, o'clock-At the Ebbitt
House,. apple Growing Commercially Con-
sidered," Hon. +. Wellhouse, Paramount, Kan. :
2. Commercial Peach Growing" Rev. j. F.
Taylor, Douglas, Mich; 8. Section W.. Whole
Roots in Propagating the Apple" Prof. J. L.
Budd, Ames, Iowa.
Yesterdays AFTERNOON SESSION.
At the afternoon session Of the American Po-
biological Society yesterday the president, P.
J. Berckmans. delivered an interesting address
on the purposes and methods of the society.
He congratulated his fellow members on the
pleasant auspices under which their convention
was being held and spoke highly of the good
work the society il doing in the cause Of educat-
ing the people to the practical details of fruit
growing. Upon the vice presidents he said,
rested much Of the responsibility Of propagat-
ing the ideas to their several state societies and
Of demonstrating the relations between scien-
tidc pomology and practical fruit growing.
He attributed the decline in prices to over
production, irregularity in shipment too large
quantities sent to the same market and the in
ferIor qualities frequently sent He advocated
a revision Of the catalogue, making it simpler
and more intelligent to the layman, az it was
becoming quite bulky with the increase in the
number of fruits treated Of In conclusion