Again will Michigan apples command the high prices of last year, and probably even greater; for our state has the best crop of winter fruit there is anywhere in the Union, albeit the same is not more than half the yield of average years. But western New York has a very short crop of inferior fruit and elsewhere there is little or none, except that in Maine, which has of recent years progressed rapidly as an apple-growing region, the fruit is reported to be in fair supply.

Our latest crop report says that there will be forty-eight per cent, of an average crop in the southern counties, sixty-four in the central and fifty-eight in the northern. This is a loss in condition within a month of forty-four per cent, in southern counties, thirty-eight in the central and twenty-four in the northern. Many correspondents report that the apples have nearly all fallen from the trees, and that in their localities the crop will be a total failure.

So far as we are informed, the most fruit will be found in a belt beginning with eastern Allegan county and extending eastward across the state, including a tract twenty-five to forty miles in width. - Allegan (Mich.) Gazette.

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Preliminary measures have been taken towards organizing a general horticultural society in Chicago. It is desired to establish it upon a basis similar to that of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, which is the best horticultural society in the New World. The following persons are the original movers in the undertaking, and they issued the call for the first meeting, which was held August 21 : John L. Beveridge, F. P. Crandon, C. E. Zimmermann, H. P. Daly, R. Clark, Herman Claire ; Alex. M. Thompson, John N. Young, Alfred Johnson, John P. Reynolds, Henry Lnmbard, Geo. Gerts, E. S. Taylor, Geo. Lill, Andrew McNally, C. R. Williams, Andrew Dunning, G. A. Kennicott; John C. Ure, Jonathan Periam; Edgar Sanders, A. Harms, L. A. Budlong, Hugh A. White, Hugh Ritchie, A. H. Blackall, A. C. Cameron, D. R. Cameron, P. J. Pro-beck, Philip Holman, O. F. Dubois, Cuthbert Mc-Arthur, J. A. Pettigrew, David Wylie, Alexander Reid, J. C. Craig, E. M. Page.

Temporary officers have been chosen as follows: Jonathan Periam, Chairman; C. W. Crossman, Secretary ; William H. Chadwick, Treasurer. A committee on permanent organization has been appointed. This committee is instructed as follows : First, to incorporate under the laws of the state of Illinois. Second, to prepare an address setting forth the aims of the proposed organization, which address shall be mailed to such citizens as the committee may deem eligible, from their known interest in horticultural pursuits and other reasons, to be a father to the new enterprise; together with an invitation to attend a meeting at such time and place as the committee may fix, and to become charter members of this society.

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The Columbian Horticultural Association was organized at Chicago, August 27. The object of this organization is to promote the horticultural interests of the World's Fair, and it is to remain in active operation " until the close of the Worlds Columbian Exposition," and "all elected officers shall be permanent until the close of the exposition".

The convention which resolved itself into this association was composed of over 50 delegates from various leading horticultural societies in the United States and Canada, who assembled in response to a call issued by the Illinois Horticultural Society. Societies which did not wake up in time to send delegates to this first meeting can secure membership at any future meeting of the association. A resolution was adopted requesting each society represented to contribute $25 towards a "contingent fund to defray expenses of permanent organization." A memorial was adopted for presentation to the National Commission, which sets forth the importance of holding a distinct horticultural exhibition, coordinate with other leading divisions of the exposition. It also urges the Commission to appoint the following officers to superintend the horticultural interests : Parker Earle, Mississippi, Commissioner of Horticulture ; G. B. Brackett, Iowa, Superintendent of Pomology ; J. D. Raynolds, Illinois, Superintendent of Floriculture and Landscape Gardening ; George B. Thomas, Pennsylvania, Superintendent of Nursery and Forestry Products; J. C. Vaughan, Illinois, Superintendent of Seed and Vegetable Department.

The permanent officers of the association are as follows : President, S. M. Emery, Lake City, Minn. ;

Vice President, C. L. Watrous, Des Moines, Iowa;

Secretary, H. B. Beatty, Oil City, Pa. ; Assistant Secretary, G. L. Grant, Chicago, 111. ; Treasurer, M. A. Thayer, Sparta, Wis.

The Society of American Florists convened in its sixth annual meeting in Horticultural Hall, Boston, on the morning of August 19. The number in attendance was large, probably 700 members being present; but after the first session no meeting had over half the number present. The addresses of welcome were made by the Lieutenant-Governor of Massachusetts and Mayor of Boston, and were responded to by Robert Craig, of Philadelphia. President Jordan's address urged the importance of education to the florist, advised that park and boulevard systems be extended far into suburbs, or even into the country, as a means of educating the masses, suggested that wealthy men emulate the example of the late Henry Shaw in establishing permanent and public horticultural institutions, and spoke of the importance of "some.measure of qualification for young men entering into the employment of florists to learn the business".

The secretary made his report, and indicated the membership of the Society as 775, which number paid dues for 1889, and the treasurer's report showed a balance in the treasury of $554 on the first of last July. J. D. Raynolds, of the Nomenclature Committee, stated that instances of dishonest mis-naming of plants are few. Much of the improper nomenclature comes from the mixing of labels and the disregard of botanical nomenclature. "Of the cases of the supposed misnaming submitted, by far the larger number - fully 75 per cent. - are simply cases of mistaken identity." He thought that the experiment stations should not be called upon to aid in determining synonyms, as their officers are not competent to undertake the work. Prefer said that there would be little trouble from incompact of station officers in such matters as this, but that most of the stations are not yet equipped for undertaking work in floriculture. W. H. Manning, Massachusetts, sent in a sensible paper contending for the adoption of botanical nomenclature, and recommending the formulation of rules to govern the naming of florists' varieties. D. B. Long, Buffalo, read an invaluable paper upon methods of keeping accounts and facilitating business, and the necessity of more systematic business methods among florists.