Annual Report of the Ohio State Board of Agriculture

perpetuate the plant, which has thus had its existence threatened by this interruption of its reflex circulation. Hence we always find a tendency to early fruitage or premature productiveness in grafts that have been inserted upon uncongenial stocks. We also find an influence is exerted by this uncongeniality upon the character of the fruit itself, which is often larger and more luscious under such circumstances than where the scion and the stock are more nearly alike, as in the majority of cases of grafting upon what are called free stocks. One of the chief advantages of cultivating dwarf pears is claimed to be that the fruit is larger and more luscious. Instead of the pear being more austere and astringent, and inedible, it has its good qualities increased and not diminished nor rendered unpalatable, as should have been the case had the quince stock infused into the scion any of its peculiar qualities to affect the fruit. We are forced to adopt the views of modern physiologists-such as those of Schleiden and Harvey and others-and conclude that the transformations of the sap into the several tissues must transpire in each several part of the plant separately, and not, as formerly believed, in the leaves alone, to be transmitted from them to the other

organs. The views of Harvey as to the wood growth constituting, as it were, by its continuous or connected lignin cells the roots of the buds, and connecting them with the soil, as the radicle does the germinating seed, are of the greatest importance to treegrowers, who will thus learn to value buds and appreciate the importance of their appendages-the leaves. An enlightened cultivator will never remove all the side branches from a young nursery tree, much less will he rub off the leaves from the annual shoot at midsummer in hopes of making it grow higher to produce more new foliage. On the contrary, he will encourage every leaf and every lateral branch, only subordinating the latter to the leader, when he knows that each of the buds is a separate existence, having its own connexion with the soil, and when he observes that by such a mode of treatment of his young trees he will have a satisfactory result—a stout stocky tree, the stem of which is a rapidly increasing cone, when traced downward. from the tip, though perhaps somewhat knotty, if trimmed up to suit the eye of the customer, instead of a slender wand, without spot or knot or wrinkle, but tall, smooth and pliable, but also nearly worthless, as they are when crowded and trimmed up and forced to a single shoot, and grown as tall as possible, for they are then unable to support their own weight, and bending over, or ready to bend over, when they are deprived of the support of their fellows, and set out in the orchard. Such a nurseryman will, by observation of the effects of the laws of nature, soon learn that it is better to pinch the tips of the laterals, so as to keep them in subjection while doing their important work of building up the tree; and further, that there is a certain period in the life of the nursery tree, when the lower branches may be gradually removed, so as not to be so much missed, and so that the descending fibers from above will cover the wounds and produce the true desideratum for the tree-planter-a stocky stem, with branches placed at a sufficient hight from the ground, and below them also, a smooth stout stem, without those freshly made knife-scars that so often disfigure the young trees that are given to us for planting in our orchards, and which often produce ugly blemishes, and may seriously affect the vitality of the tree, which, for some time after transplanting,

is not in a condition to recuperate itself and to heal these wounds. Lest some of you may not have paid sufficient attention to this point of practice, I will refer you to some very interesting experiments that have been conducted by a committee of the Missouri Horticultural Society, to ascertain the period when the cambium layer was in most active formation. Dr. Claggett, of St. Louis, peeled off the bark from young trees once a week during the summer, and noted the results; he found that those peeled before the 9th of June did not have it reproduced-they all died; those peeled from the 16th to the 23d of June had the most perfect restoration, and those which were stripped after this period, when the bark would not readily leave the wood, made little or no effort to reproduce the parts. Now these dates apply only to that locality and to that particular season, and to the condition as to growth of those particular trees upon which the experiments were tried; but if the observations had been extended so as to note the status of the annual growth by extension of the subjects operated on, it would doubtless be found that the early failures at reproducing the bark were upon trees that had just made their first shoots in the early summer, and before these had begun their reflex growth of a layer of cambium, that constitutes the wood and bark of the annual layers, that those in which the experiment was successful were treated after the terminal bud had been formed, indicating that the growth by extension had nearly or quite ceased for the season, and that those which had failed at a later period were done after the descending growth had been made for the year. So it is more important to note the condition of the tree, than the advance of the season as indicated by the almanac, and so in practice in the nursery, where our trees may be kept in a growing state, by proper cultivation, for a longer period than in the orchard, the time is extended when the removal of laterals may be safely practiced with the desirable results of healing the wounds as rapidly as possible, and closing them the same season.

The effect of removing these lateral growths is well known in vine culture. By concentrating the growth in one main shoot, a larger and more productive cane is produced for the next years' fruitage than when several are allowed to grow, all of which may be more or less feeble. A vigorous cane, in the season of most energetic growth, will throw out laterals from almost every bud and will sometimes even bifurcate at the extremity. The careful vine-dresser will practice summer pruning and check these laterals so as to strengthen the cane that he is growing for the next season's fruitage. This he will do to the extent that he desires to cut the cane for bearing wood. Generally these laterals are broken out close to the axil of the leaves from which they sprang, but we are recommended to pinch them at their first leaf so as to leave one bud on each, so that, in case of any accidental breaking of the cane above them, this bud on the lateral may start instead of that which is lying dormant in the axil of the leaf, and which is destined to furnish the fruit the next year. Mr. Husman, of Missouri, has very judiciously recommended a similar treatment of the laterals on the bearing branches of the vine, and he practices a most admirable plan of shooting-in his fruit bearing shoots in such a way and at such a period as to force out laterals from them for the sake of making them supply new foliage during the summer, to

sustain and nourish the fruit. This he does by pinching the fruit-bearing shoots very early in the season, so soon as the bunches of blossom buds appear. By this means he forces out laterals from the buds opposite to each bunch, and, later in the season, these also are pinched at their first leaf. Mr. Husman claims that by this method he produces larger and better foliage, and that he can keep up a succession of healthy leaves during the season; and, further, that these evaporating surfaces for elaborating the sap are in juxtaposition to the fruit, just where they should be, for we know the value of the leaves to healthy growth, and can guess their importance also in developing the buds at their bases.

Some of our vine growers, by judicious pinching, will produce a strong cane and also have it furnished for a considerable portion of its extent, with spurs for fruiting, and all in one season's growth; this is doing two years' work in one, and requires a strong vine, but it may sometimes be desirable to work off the surplus energy of the plant in this way and prepare it for bearing fruit upon these spurs the next season.

It had been my intention to have presented some views upon the subject of producing new varieties of fruits from the seed. This would have involved a discussion of the very interesting questions of trosses and hybrids, but its extensiveness will prevent its introduction upon this occasion, when your patience has already been severely taxed. For the present you must be content with a fraternal caution, not to allow yourselves to be deceived by all the reputed hybrids that may be presented to your notice, and a recommendation to cultivate no varieties in which the plant is not perfectly healthy and vigorous, no matter how attractive the fruit.

I shall therefore now close, after directing your attention to some matters of busi

ness.

Election of Officers.-Our constitution in section 6th prescribes the annual election of the officers of this Society. A change was introduced by A. H. Ernst, who suggested it while presiding at the December meeting 1854, (as appears in page 19 of the sixth Report) altering the regular meetings from annual to biennial, and thus the elections ceased to be held annually, but I find no record of any alteration of the constitution in accordance with this custom of holding over for two years. I therefore suggest, that the Society would act more in conformity with its organic law by holding its elections annually, and I have appointed a committee in accordance with this view of the case, who will, I trust, furnish us with a list of candidates worthy of our ballots.

TREASURER'S REPORT.

You will be gratified to learn that owing to favorable circumstances for the publication of the last Report, the society has been able to husband its slender resources, while at the same time our valuable discussions have been presented to the thousands of readers of the State Agricultural Report. By this presentation of the results of car labors to the reading agriculturists of the State, we fondly hope that our list of members will be largely increased from year to year, to the great advantage of all. Let me urge upon each of you to appeal earnestly to your neighbors and friends on behalf of this society, induce them to unite with us in the good work we have under

taken, and if they can not be persuaded to take a part with us in the labor to be performed, induce them, at least, to become contributing members.

Neither the labor of the performance of such an undertaking, nor the glory that must ensue from its valuable results, should be allowed to continue the exclusive privilege of a few devoted men. Science and Art, as well as their excellent results, are the heritage of every son of our glorious republic, and each one of them should feel in duty bound to lend his hand to forward some good work for the common good.

STRANGERS AND GUESTS.

Rejoice with me, my fellow laborers, in this vineyard; you, now too few, alas! who have continued these many years, sometimes with little help, and almost without hope of success. Rejoice with me at the prospect before us. Here, in a new arena for our society, we find that our friends and co-laborers have stirred up a noble spirit of love and welcome among their neighbors to greet our approach. Such a manifestation is cheering to our hearts, and may be taken as an earnest of the valuable accessions to our ranks which we may expect among them.

over the

With me too, extend the hand of a warm welcome to our friends from " border," who had been induced to come to our annual love-feast, with their offerings to Pomona, who is to them so gracious in her gifts as almost to make us jealous of her favored proteges. Not only has Michigan sent her sons, but here we are rejoiced to see delegates from the rich plateaus of Indiana, and we had hoped also to have seen some from the broad savannahs of the glorious Prairie State, on the one hand, and from the billowy swells that flank the Alleghenies on the other side of us, progressive cultivators to aid us with their accumulated stores of observation in our favorite department. In conclusion, allow me to thank you all for your patience.

In the name of the Ohio Pomological Society, I thank you all for the beautiful welcome you have given us, for the interest you have manifested in our welfare. The chill of your boreal atmosphere, now even hyperborean, yields, as melts the hoar frost 'neath a vernal sun, when it is warmed by such demonstrations of fraternal sympathy as those which greet and cheer us here on every side. Our young sister, the Horticultural Society of Toledo, has become at once matronly and majestic, when she donned the robe and assumed the office of hostess to her senior visitant, the Ohio Pomological Society. May an honorable and loving rivalry in good works long continue to commemorate this event.

NOTE. During the sessions we had visitors from Illinois, from Pennsylvania, and from New York.

OFFICERS AND MEMBERS

OF THE

OHIO POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY, 1864.

President-DR. J. A. WARDER, Cincinnati.
Vice-President-J. AUSTIN SCOTT, Toledo.

Sec'y and Treasurer-M. B. BATEHAM, Painesville.

G. W. CAMPBELL, Delaware,
S. B. MARSHALL, Massillon,
J. R. MILLER, Springfield,
F. R. ELLIOTT, Cleveland,

Jos. Perkins, Cleveland.
Dr. E. Taylor,

S. D. Harris,