The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1891-11-25
III OrtIcultural society, November
Meeting.


The November meeting of the Portage Co. |
Horticultural Society. held at the pleasant home
of Smith Sanford. was a very successful one.
with the exception that the number present was
not large.
After dinner President Haymaker' called Or
der and the minutes of the last meeting were
read by the Secretary.
Frank Ford. standing Committee Fruits
reported on exhibition specimens of winter ap-
pies which he had received from his boyhood
home in Massachusetts. There was also on ex-
hibition curiosity in the shape of potato of
the crop of 1890. within which were several
small potatoes which had grown during the
summer of 1891. These latter were visible
through large cracks in the parent potato, and
in some cases extended p artly outside il. The
| small potatoes grew in cellar.
A. II. Botsford said that the outlook for crop
of small fruits next season was quite fattering.
A strong. healthy growth o. vines had been Sc
cured. and the acrea ge, especially of strawber-
ries and bIackberries had been largely increased
| Mr.. Hinman, on Statistics, said that the crop
report just received reported the present years
| crop as he largest aggreg ate potato crop that
was ever known in the United States. Although
| rot was reported in some sections the damage
from this cause will not ba greater than in av
erage years. He asked. what will be the effect
upon prices? Mr.. Ford said that notwithstand-
ing the crop report. he believed, from what he
had learned through correspondence made nee
| essary in his business. that the crop would not
be more than one half full average Exceed
ingly few fields will yield jO9 bushels to the
acre and there is much rot in some sections
| In answer TO the question. what variety yields
bestP he said that the potato is the most uncer-
tain crop that the farmer plants. few days
difference in time of planting may make a
1 great difference in the result. A variety that
yields best one year may be far behind in yield
| the next,
Mr.. Ford next showed photographs of apples
showing the results of spraying. OF two trees
| in close proximity, one was sprayed and the
other not. In the fall 100 apples were picked
promiscuously from each tree. OF those picked
from the sprayed trees s5 were classed as per-
feet apples. second class and as third class.
OF those from the unsprayed tree there were 4
perfect ones. SO second class and 3s third class
ones, This experiment was conducted at the
Ohio Experiment Station. and appears to be
quite conclusive evidence that spraying apple
trees pays.
Mr.. Hinman asked how to start an asparagus
bed. Shall we take plants from an old bed or
sow the seedP Mr.. Botsford said, Neither,
Buy two year old plants from nurseryman -
Mr. Ford said that roots from old beds are of no
value whatever, at least they are so considered
by gardeners. If you are willing to wait. one
year told plants are better than two year old
ones. Still better. sow the seed where you wish
the plants to remain and thus avoid transplant
ing. The soil must be very rich, N. S. Olin
said that he ha had splendid success by cutting
up the roots from an old bed and planting the
cuttings one foot apart each way, in the spring
A fair crop had been secured the following year
On motion it was decided to secure the Uni
versalist Church for the use of the Ohio State
horticultural Society, which will meet here on
Dec 8, 10 and 11th next.
A. II. Botsford. of Kent essayist of the occa-
sion, read paper entitled. Some of the Profits
besides money, in Fruit Growing. In short
but well worded and very interesting paper he
: showed the satisfaction and pride which the
grower has as he watches the growth and de-
: velopment of the plant or tree. and secures the
, first fruits from it and knows that they are the
rewards of his own labor. Fruits as food also
have sanitary value which can hardly be es
timated. As long as people live there will be
demand for fruit. and as long as there is de
mand, fruit growing will not be overdonc.
Mr. Hinman said he was in entire sympathy
with the thoughts expressed by the essayist
!, To be sure he could not say much for the money
f profit of fruit in the county for the last two
years: There is a satisfaction in planting tn,
tree or shrub. in seeing it grow and develop. il
living in the hope of the fruitage and finally il
realizing that hope. 1t is the same when W,
place the cold and apparently dead seed in tn,
ground, and watching it sprout and send fortl
the green plant, which finally produces th
Il grain. know of nothing in natnre which i
f SO calculated to draw out the mind in granC
and noble thoughts.
The Secretary remarked that perhaps yer,
few of those present had ever realized any mon
ey profit in the growth of flowers, yet he be
1ieved that there is no one who had made tn
growth OF flowers in the house -or in the law
5 or garden, but will say that the profit in tn
: way of pleasure and satisfaction cannot be esti
mated in dollars and cents.
A, j. Jenn ngs referred to the pleasure re
ceived by the hunters and boys in clubbing fror
( the trees the first fruit. W which we have spen
e years of anxious care to secure
r Mr.. Ford, referring to the statement of tn
essayist that fruit growing would probabl
never be overdone, said that the time may com
when there will be too much fruit grown. Bu
the fact that necessarily high railroad rates pre-
!. vent to a considerable extent the carving {
t fruit from place of abundance to a distar
. place of scarcity. and the fact that the trend c
population is more and more to the cities, an
that the orchards of the country must furnis
them their fruit. leads him to believe that
will be long years before we will not be able
: get something for our fruit. And we urely ha
: better have an oversupply than not enough
i The Sec'y read an article showing that tn
home market" can often be worked to advar
tage, After which the meeting adjourned
c