ee eS eee es Ya td, pea \ SRN ee Ee: ot PRT a Pa: Pde. A <8 LIBRARY By g Ike V YORK BOTANICAL GARDE = Lan > Sos mah Sey Se A Row Gibson: livia wh A Sis : ; Ac 5 AAG ee mt Nib ot Aa hh MN al) MS ie Y if bu) el oa iY} ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOGKTY For the Year 1884, EMBRACING THE ~ Transactions cf the Society from March 7, 1883, to March 1, 1884. PROCEEDINGS, ESSAYS, DISCUSSIONS AND REPORTS. Compiled and Edited by the Secretary, Oliver Gibbs Jr., Lake City;Minn, AS , " its a ~ Te . ; A . " ™~ WmewW YORK BOTANICAL . CARDEN: MINNEAPOLIS : JOHNSON, SMITH & HARRISON. 1884, rorg m2 *. . i s; - Pee ity LIBRARY NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL TO THE GOVERNOR. SECRETARY'S OFFICE, t Lake Ciry, Jan. 31st, 1884. Hon. L. F. Hubbard, Governor of Minnesota : Sir: As required by the Act of the Legislature, session of 1883, I transmit to you herewith the annual report of this Society for the year 1884. Trusting that our work as here indicated may meet with your ap- proval and be commended to the Legislature as deserving of the confidence and support of the State government, I am, Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Oxniver Gipss, Jr., Secretary. 7} vy} ye Sibo om ae PE es ——" | bette Ty! vee a it csc. abs 2,01 oe een ones caer Sumter Sipe MOORE fics snare cee aie aise te aee ote Hammond, Wabasha, Co IN. O. CRITTENDEN. 3: 0.50 geese ok ak se ee ea ew cee pe Dover BE. H. CUZNER..!...: Jel ay cis Copa eee ete tk Oe eae Minneapolis 1 CON Gi GE bl oa pee ee Se Ma tee ces (oer . Sumter SECU IER 5... sceriolc 2 chee ee ee oles ee ae Excelsior GHORGE WoCLARK. oc. seat see oe oo seen ene eee Winona Tie ak AOL SSSI jou’. «5 «SS e Seeettere he ols oe ee Bismarck, D. T. JOEIN Ia GASSUD Yoo os cc combate ete siers othelans 2 wise teeter oe ee Chatfield Gee Wee POUL Ry os. ac ie wactgn vie aos aie le wre oy nie fale e gene clay tesa Litchfield & STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 9 mye Se LH. FOLSOM. 2... 2.0. ces ee ee cae cnet ree Minneapolis CET) WW LsEEGs os. cw ic ww ee cee eele eee eneaee eves ete nee Lake City PRM TMC TES IES EY. oc core cc 2.5 win) e ole eevee sarace is 'ale wie lo,/\"ota tole sys obs Cleveland, Ohio Mrs GOULD..... 0.0.0... ccc eee Kaaba deste aed otis Lake City MUIMMEIDIGIN 5 22 ee eee ee teens Ie OS Soren come i Plainview MET NTOEGE, 5.0. cc ccce ces cc eee eee sehen tees saat ne Richfield ISAAC FE APBINR PNG ER TOURS ores ocr onrnre nrc aia vnrederebei or or oxen ethene ioteneerare Minneapolis SUNT), wc te eee eee chee as eres een yeae Excelsior RinemGe GOULD...........5... OS oO Lee engine oe Excelsior SPITE (GIBBS... oc occ cece nee nee seen en ender deve ss St. Paul MISTI GIBBS... ccc eee eee cece serene e cee tae at Lake City ITS acs ccc wc vs ee ee ree ee eerie eee eminene Minneapolis MMMM LISS, DB... coc cece ce ect ne ee sone sene inmees Lake City SOTTO DDRICKSON.. ........5 cae ce ce ne cam ees eae ed St. Paul POSE AM MOND. . 0.00 5:.. 000 cee reece ees Hammond, Wabasha, Co Mite) TIOPKINS......0. 2... eee eee eee weet: Morristown 7 TELATC.| DS gee eg eo t Minneapolis TMA NONMLO MO Vise EAD Lic occ so ecacccwis aye oie eo then oldie a) cra aisieletere syeienl Minneapolis SFU ENDO TOPNEIUNUEQEQILS Sct erc cre ere sp orelcysrarereicrsi sisters arebelishd ei tyeteg we are La Crescent AIRED PP NOE RLS 6 cece cic gcc duore die wince ornyiesiele wueiet. > verwiole’ ay slo sera eels La Crescent IPTG EG. gna aco ore ee hie Soe twee im aor sraiets me eae eam e La Crosse TPENVVOENO D. . cho fs wa dio es we ocd cs ee prelemels sloebe es fe bie Sparta, Wis Dee MMISOIOTE AV OIUNIG: POUN 6.c06 cise: cco cre ere ereie we ee eye eleatele crelee wee oe Minneapolis STSITET [Eros TECIOIN (ONG Dh ee IOC aca Morristown TT), IR WAVIY U4 eC La Crescent OS) ALD 02 900 00 Oe eerie Carver BUMNMEEEMITAU GUE D. . cis cence nee we cease weer eteele cam ae Lake City Oy. WY. TANTS OY irc cane Excelsior TT TLS TION Ss GSS ee eee ere Pe ioe iced Minneapolis NEE PUMIEISPIDUOLC S S rapare dict sc olel hs ca ors: 6) alle wi wins che a) wer atlateorel ol sist sratecsinenels Hastings DERPPREIIGRION ARID 0.55.6. .c ccc ce ccm etens og seos Minneapolis MUP RITO ETS) tesco sckenctcn nt es: hgh aes ine tara Heareta: ofotaranstoreke er enototete Minnesota City NMED OVE Yoo. aioe viucle 2.4 Gye wiwiensiale wal wie w BIRR eum ia ere\ eye B18 F Minneapolis RMEIESPTN OTT. cece sce be cect acon enaecmtiasn ces cane Lake City iL. 1D, WOES see cece iene Gis seine eae Sorseenig wary ae Garden City MMMENUIPETSEUNGEUN. oars orclsrs oie soers sus dials ie aaa ieGinie a8 60 Sin aes St. Charles MEO ITEINOED, 6605 cece cc ee ci ce ee ers emcc nt ete eeee ec aee sais Etna SNMMREMUTTES ED o's oi onions oo 00s wield amb eels Mente ore ce weal Langdon NH NUD EOIN EL ATG DG re cc. a ec cca elie cee en scee cess Minneapolis DPIMMOIVIOR NIG ETCHING « . cc cic cs co ce las oes cleconslantewve cee cacece Forestville Th. MAGGIB ope eerie) 6 DiECEmiseinn Dice Minneapolis SPMMMNIRIBTSGD SCONCE ORL. os co coc: ccay cco, 6 a So were ate cnepeiehele ¢ aodta alle eas nie) ete ine St. Charles PURSUE SL so Seca scce case caso ute vse ne somes ccesuiagicnss Red Wing ET PO TIN. woe cece c cae ste eeee ue va ven cate news Huron; DE. Sem PRTERSON.. 20... .ccde coe e none era ss cence cee a ele Waconia MSW POOL... ga. cs dc ce ye ohana tele Ba ee cle weds Farmington 10 ANNUAL REPORT. eben SEAS RIB 6.85555 oo hit oi cince) ogc ee dia to sana eco ee irae Farmington Mer BYAIRICB 8 2.20.2 iis.csa helen eel hel Gee Dae eee eee Minneapolis OW, ee OMIT om oie dw ares a 2,08 we oes whl aebereee Carimonia PROP ED. PORTER. 2: . 2.02.20 642 ne ecihoeee ee Minneapolis HFA TRK OB) Oi] a 1d Ihe La Pena en REE RE as Habe att ee pans Bancroft, lowa VAC 5016-4 Od 0) 0 a PRI Emery Glencoe TOD RENO ERK N BCH oo so ncs 208s sw 220,00) 0s 6 oe ee Chatfield PUBIMER IOAN 28s ck esse tus nest Canton, D. T Wee oe i Neoavs o thate sha shite Sokeee dela ah a ala cra ee Minneapolis BARNEY /STEV END « 5.2 casi. c0bs sc new os «alee «26 2a Farmington MRS. oh: P. SPRAGUE: | ss 2h 5 0 se kobe ane 5 he ee Minneapolis SL IAEA RAPS 3 arin 'o Mbahc brads Goe ale te aunt's ‘ole slaty eoeva le eet Rochester PP CaSEN ARN Bi) ace stato x s,2 40 are aedsyaran els bs oe Minneapolis CAGE B SMITHS bcos ce yak ee ask ota 6 sale alate ae nn Farmington Wie Wis SUARRIG BE AUN Dal Bh ies cic iscus-le eddies 2 Gee eek ee eee Minneapolis MRS: HB. SARGHANT . 2 o.oo. sodas ve ele eae pe tinker dn Se Lake City JOEINNEBACH OUD oy 25 5 cih swe duslelest eee ees/en ee Farmington STOLEN G TURN PW Dig ois si alas 2d aisle areal beeceys oie ee La Crescent THOMAS. EC. TRUSSELGD c2:53.3.00.0040 so 3.0501 0e 0 8 Champlin re LUA SY eG OD EU i. dca eh aile o's lo Bi ateeie's le eve eae oko ohevs bale Late eer Forestville Fe ANE ER W OOWD oi in alas rosn\int 0,0! ee boinie ie las8 (obs ohn ofehg eee Lake City MRS..J; Me UNDERWOOD), « . scien -scsiein «score oss sel eye Lake City GCLABENCE, WEDGE, © sae. ...0siee ete eit ee oles Re Albert Lea BEE VV GUL PUB icicle dhe! dak cepa Wie) Winona ovee toa Northome WEEE Dia ls 82 ah oo ocd vale aia ceieeiale « oe alee hee Sumpter HIRAM WEBSTER. « «<<. 30:ci.0%.5. 00.000 seen 4 oe Lake City BK WATSON 423.6. cca.s ch adlish ob shhh thes oe eh Minneapolis GS WOOLSEY wo c55 oss saw ook wate | aaah Minneapolis IMEC AWE BY, 5 os, 5.45 Os suseoca ee athe one ee Se eee Minneapolis ASPEN Gl Do Dl Schein ore nos ea a aS Gama Y ne eee Minneapolis WANBSRWRIGH DD .\. .o.4sdateta es «0s oles Se eee Minnesota City PHILO WOODBRUFE . ons saccieen shi ce ke eee Faribault *For names of members, 18¢3, who joined after Report of that year went to press, see appendix, STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 11 HONORARY MEMBERS FOR FIVE YEARS. Miss HORTENSE SHARE, from 1880.................... Rosemount Rew e. SERAGUE, from 1880 ..:...22 v6. els. Minneapolis eee nc AT WATER, from 1880 ...........00000 00 Minneapolis ee: MURRAY; from 1881...........00..cc cee eave Lake City Pere ere Pu LOGG, from 1882.0... 6. eens cee ee ee Janesville, Wis. Meee) MAM, from 1882 2... eee. ee ee ee ot Ash Ridge, Wis. HONORARY LIFE MEMBERS. DR JOHN A. WARDER (deceased).............., North Bend, Ohio nee er WIL, (MOCeASEd).. 0. oo ee ceca ne ee mee de Lake City HO NAIT Bb. HODGES (deceased)....... 0.00600 c+ esee semen St. Paul 5 2 0 Ames, Iowa ~ Seer ALL P. WILDER......:..0. 020.5 00000ees Boston, Mass. ‘SD Oe) 0) 0 a EAA TORE enna ETE Pewaukee, Wis. EOIN UL CODD eC A Ree oon ei ec a PR La Crosse, Wis. ee ene ar eer Sere nee Milton, Wis. EMMMME 5 3.5 x 0'Cbe- opie Gkahie ¥ ie eal oten Bis wrevevornore Green Bay, Wis. EM AON LAH Bi. ic aos ole oo aa s colo Qee melee a oes Minneapolis evel INTEND ERP AU INS are kee a2 ewe accling CidaMePAwieitolsts ot uu eaetons Hersey LO ba RS AE: c Minneapolis SEIN ETAT i. yuk ese ee sacle Fade de eee Minneapolis SST 6 rr mE St. Paul GaN RE en PS Ay St. Paul oon Seo osha glore so oc ced owed a Casoh pees Minneapolis MEME OP TY BUNS. = os sce dacs sn o's wmeldies sae wee ae walem Minneapolis LST CCTEN CE mar aR Pe ce Minneapolis DS ee hore rh te Minneapolis PAPO V ISAO. os 6 iverou aves s oar euventgnaras Fort Benton, M. T. I NN er. coc acacia sie» b's sx’> ose, meegeaeeias, Mees Delavan, Wis. ET LOD EIOVIN 5 556.5 oro ale ays os ov bes w cle Bapeeeets eb ee ed © behets Excelsior emer eye ry (GLDEON. 5 occas ss od cde adie se oddel dans Excelsior PRE AO VIET SEDO) VV CHING choc cie ce fs ao ce tutte na ope tialeteiaile s alanels, © Minneapolis Pee NORMAN J. COLEMAN. 22... 0500.d5 000 ence ok St. Louis, Mo. etm mmUOLDIMLM TTAB UANE < c8e oo 1 aves e es eos d pldrdtn cutie na-clele's) bagie syelsre Dover Center en es hie oar 6 nic dave. 6 + «issn ua soe ae a pie inca mic orp mun. ove Be Rochester Pees HH. TILSON...........555 erect hance Cs West Salem, Wis. eee SA TUG IGAN T.. .. 0. cu cca sess voce th sate scudae Lake City meen MAN IN DING o)0< scccaie'e cadiblei'es aos tdei ys Se heed Mame Lake City chs 0, TEL ONG 2) 8 (GS Gee SOEs We tien ac ak RAE a NTR tee eS 9 a Fariabault 12 ANNUAL REPORT. HONORARY MEMBERS FOR 1884. WILLIAM ‘A. SPRINGER. .. + thi. ..ae8 seatacbe eee Fremont, Wis. Mise AsO BOe 2 ccs Sip dts ces soa» Gib cea eee Markesan, Wis. DIR. Ls ERO SIGNS 5 831.7 oo oa 5 aun: areas eee Newport, Vermont EOIN, ER SG Oa Ys. 5 5s a's Gapan ete o me siete aaneeale xe (Juebec, Canada TEES Gee OU GE S225 Sig's eo oie ot 2 ie See See Lowville, N. Y J. He WARD: St. Paul Globe...5). 4.0.00 . Sade e nee Minneapolis C. A. COOK; St. Paul. Pioneer Press: .. 3/5... see Minneapolis MISS C.J: BARTLET, «Daily Dribune <2... yeasee pie eee Minneapolis ee iG, Daily Tribune: a) yc.ceccsemeteie ee oe eee Minneapolis W. VAN NORMAN, Evening Journal...........,........ Minneapolis STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 13 MINNESOTA STATE HORTIGULTURAL SOCIETY SUMMER MEETING, 1884. PEOGa Aww FIRST DAY, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27. ENTRIES FROM 9. A. M. TO 2 P. M. 2 p.m —Opening exercises, Addresses, Volunteer papers, Question Box and Discussicns. Appointment of judges on premiums. SECOND DAY, THURSDAY, JUNE 28. The exhibition will open at 9 a. m., and judges will please hand their awards to the Secretary at 12 m. The meeting will be informal and social, and at 12 m. the exhibitors, members and invited guests will confiscate the entire display of fruits for the purposes of a basket picnic dinner. 2 p. m.—Announcement and payment of premiums. Addresses, Question Box, Vo unteer papers and discussions, gen»ral business and final adjournment The Annual Report for 1884 will be ready for distribution at the meeting. J. 8. HARRIS, OLIVER GIBBS, Jr., Piesident. Secretary. 14 ANNUAL REPORT. PREMIUM LIST. Pror. Epwarp D. Porter, Superintendent of Exhibits. STRAWBERRIES. Best display, not less than six varieties. Ist premium, $5; 2d, $4; 3d, $3 Ath, $2. Best variety for general market, $3. Best variety for home use, perfect in flower, $3. Best three plants in bearing, grown in pots, $3; 2d, $2. Ist Prem. 2d Prem. Bestquart Wilson's AlDANY. 6 <.5.0<:0.086 suslees e= 5) ape $1.00 50 _ Best quart Charles Downing ....2..0.0050e0+-sceeelaee 1.00 -50 Rest quart Downer 's Prolific. jc. .< ix, si-ss\<0ciglo ce => mien 1.00 | 50 Beet daart Green's Prolifics..s ies, rs s0) «00 4, ! deerme 1.00 50 Best quart Crescent Seedling... .0.% 6.5 | Seeaessseuunae 1..09 50 Best ‘quart Captain Jack. .....0.0.s000 tue ero tees vee 1.00 -50 Best quart Camberland Triumph. 22 ccc cies. Se cue we cass 1.006 -50 Best quart Miner’s Great; Prolific ..... 0.5525, e0s- nore 1.00 -50 est quart: Red Jacket. oo... 42.2 c< sence sees cemneeee 1.00 -50 Beaiquart!Piomeer ie wits ios Paso) oils aha Kite he Se ieee 1.00 -50 Best quart, Glendale... is... eee ieee alanis wea 1.00 -50 Best quart Hndicott No, 2: asec cee. siee see nines cmeminn 1.00 -50 Best quart Downer. .....%..ee+e escssecss vanap a aaa Repo 1.00 -50 Fest Quart GHarpleas. .0-\s 5 6s: are sivieus ain\o ai =isit/e'eabeinta’s EEE 1.00 .50 Besbaquart, Manchester .. <5 2.0415 +> alee als nse oe iniole Mates 1.00 .50 Best quit: Bidwell... =... /cwisitiese oe Ietae eee fee ieee 1.00 -50 Best quart \linnetonka Chief....... oyniss Gada ks a ie crane 1.00 50 Best quart Iowa Prolific..........- « afoade shake teste em 1.00 50 Best quart Hart’s Minnesota Seedling ...........-.-+.... 1.00 -50 Best quart, Kentucky. c0.0s 0.0.0 sieie meee a veers 1.00 -50 Best quart Windsor Chief.....2-.ccsccece-eserses sence 1.00 -50 Best quarh: Boydenns ae qeves er. «send. ese emegia eee 1.00 50 Best quart variety not herein named......-.....+++-.0 1.00 -50 SPECIAL PREMIUM. Offered by Wyman Elliot, Minneapolis. Best Seedling Strawberry, not before exhibited, $6; 2d, $4. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 15 CHERRIES. Bectquart Barly Richmond .. .........cccccescenceues $2.00 $1.00 mreetamern any Other Variety. 22... 000 seccsac cece sccce 2.00 1.00 Strawberries and Cherries will be displayed on tea plates to be furnished by the Society. PLANTS AND FLOWERS. Ist Prem. 2d Prem. Be.t display of greenhouse plants..............s0e-seeee $10.00 $5.00 Best display of roses in pots........... recedauecara mls iM ehetac 2.00 1.00 Best display of fuchsias................ Halereferenochelere Seiko ere OU) 1.90 PSCHEMISTNLVEOH 2 CLANIUIIMNS S650 + 2s are vicis lei areie obi. 0g 60 vie 2.00 1.00 Best floral design in cut flowers.............20ceeeccceee 2.00 1.00 RMRIREMOMGHDTIOWONS. co.cc 6 ce ccs sc ceeee sven ccca 2.00 1.00 eos Band pouguet cut flowers... .4..cs0sceckesas coos 2.00 1.00 URMMMMEPITG TIE, TORCH» u's 2 ss oe Sis aces cle ec ney eda neues es 2.00 1.00 VEGETABLES. 50055 stipreh eet ehcas inree wie eyae haere Siete $5.00 $3.00 Seee PEEK PTECU PEAS. . 26. o. 06-5 - ecu eacaewcresnnbes 1.00 -50 Precimigln eek SING DEANS... .. 0. 2seessseaseecees Le Nats 1.00 .00 Best six bunches of onions.............--- Pace Byte ea Ra 1.00 -50 Besiembotinches of beets... is. co. Vccadéecee sdeeess 1.c0 50 Best sixibunches of radishes: 005 .00...0.00ceclecveees Secs 1.00 50 PFEStISINGEINEHES): CATTOUS sire cs o00s00 se ons 6 ose seen 172.29 Totals cdereeiecackicchedceomp aca ae $ 216.07 To this will be added the membership fees collected and paid over at this meeting, estimated at $100, and there is still due the Society from the State, on the appropriation for 1883, the further sum of $400. The cash on hand and the accrued interest, $216.07, as above stated, with membership fees to be received, will be suffi- cient to pay the balance due on current accounts, so far as they are known to the Secretary, and the premiums and expenses of this meeting, leaving the $400 due from the State as a surplus with which to begin the year 1884; add to this our State appropriation for 1884, $1,000 and the interest on our permanent fund, and deduct $200 which is to be added yearly to that fund, and we shall have about $1,200 available for current expenses of 1884. SECRETARY’S ACCOUNT, POSTAGE, OFFICE, INCIDENTAL AND TRAVELING RXPENSES. State Horticultural Society. Dr. Postage, including distribution of reports... ... seee-seereee eee $ 116 75 Express charges on reports and exchanges ....s..+eecsseececerece 13.00 Traveling expenses, of secretary... .. 0» pemeeee, peeae oe one aie 24.05 Traveling expenses of delegate to Wisconsin society.......++.++- 24.86 Letter Heads and printing..... Bat sce yong) Sader gcc - - 7.00 Mascellaneous, stationery, &¢.... 0.15 csschernts aes 25.00 19, Premiums paid at ae meeting on fruits... .........- 63.00 19, ut i fe ON HOWEESw stele «civyaere 9.00 19, 3 os ‘i ‘* on vegetables...-..... 36.25 Poyemdt. ©. Dart, delegate to, Iowa. «0-..csccrsstecaanecss: 17.95 5, Expenses of executive committee to St. Patll.............. 19.85 24, Secretary’s first quarter salary 1883... ........0seseeeees 50.00 3, Wyman Elliott, cash reimbursed...........-.sseseecrees 100.00 eee. iiarris, expenses to St.Paul... cess sc edeceacome & 12.85 3, Oliver Gibbs, Jr. expenses to Minneapolis in connection Pathe ERS AM MNAL) TOPOL. °<:s't sicin's'o'b wg oreic's oha\3 biphere me oak 11.20 &, Geo, P. Peffer, prize essay on seedling fruits............++. 25.00 mapecroiary ’s second quarter salary.<.. 2. .22c00.ecec acme = 50.00 28, Premiums paid at summer meeting on fruits..........++- 23.00 28, ey x BS on flowers......... 10.00 28, “f as eS os on vegetables... .. 5.50 25, H..B. McKenney, printing: .....2ssseccsesdeecnee secies 13.50 28, Johnson, Smith & Harrison, printing... ....+--seeeeeeee 2.00 28, Mrs. James Bowen, husband’s salary, librarian ........... 10.00 Bowemice expenses of Secretary... ..2+.eees0ce ssecececcccnn 25.00 28, Oliver Gibbs, Jr,. postage on reports...-.--seeseeeeeeres 75.00 28, J. S. Harris, expenses to summer meeting..........++...- 7.00 eporetctary 8 third quarter salary.)...0 <2 00ssccece scenes 50.00 &, Expenses of executive committee to St. Paul... .......... 21.95 Expense of making exhibit and sending delegate to the meet- ing of the American Pomological Society at Philadel- pa sepiember 12th, 1883.4 ss)s.0.000508 255 onan salelane 7, A. W. Latham, 51 lbs grapes and material for packing, 10.00 8, J. T. Grimes, collecting fruits, material for packing, ERISEESE CHALOES, / CO's,» siale-o <7 aie sie!“ s' wshate eel nelaee 21.20 8, Oliver Gibbs, Jr., expenses to Philadelphia includ- ing the Eeilecing, forwarding, &c.. Veester ooltod 362.54 Sicieeeetnmecretary’s fourth quarter salary: :..:2225<.sessecassess 50.00 Boy. 12, Kh. P. Spear, essay on orcharding. ....005..00 cece e cease 25.00 1884, Jan. 15. Treasurer’s incidental expenses 1883............-e0.0000. 10.36 fo, Lreasurer’s salaty for current year... 20.20.00. ss.cessees 25.C0 PAL CISWUFSEIMONIES scs:0.¢, sw .ciactto a ewlaiepe's ge a. sities wialeia aan $1,291.28 MEAT ENTOMOL ONG HANG: « « cceces ss « s c-c0.e on se eileen ee ea sie $600.00 ESSE MBOP eC NS TS ac: ci foci Biss cn''sses 6; 5-6. ote. osi/ajavsifl elles yale tele: Syeerave' a) 5.6 43.78 MESURE TEST Ys vis dit nic oasis soos 8 ove) waile'g mina eidines o'vinter ed 172.29 816.07 $2,107.35 oa DE ec 2 74 ANNUAL REPORT. President J. S. Harris presented the following statement of ser- vices for the past year, with accompanying bill for time and expenses: PRESIDENTS STATEMENT. As President of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society, I have endeavored to improve every opportunity to advance its in- terests, increase its membership, and awaken a general interest in the cultivation of truits, flowers and shrubbery throughout the state, and have held myself in readiness to impart instruction whenever called upon, and during the year have addressed the farmers of McLeod county three times and the Olmsted County Horticultural Society once, and extended my travels over the Southern Minnesota road a distance of over 200 miles. Five hundred and eighty-one miles of my travel has been done on thousand mile tickets and the balance on a pass kindly sent to me by the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul company. I have been obliged to decline two invitations to address popular meetings, but have promised to do so at some future time. My expenses have been:— Moriralroad tickets. «6s «« «sic:0:e;ei8 10 01010 0.05. #\ejeleie.0 00.0) e\ ocelot er $15.48 Looking for seedlings. :. 2... 2.5 62500 s.54 «,0i0\e 40.0000. 3 enn « Gap Looking up fruit for Pomological meeting..........eee.0+ seeeree evs OO Expenses of Rochester and Glencoe... 2... 2.0 0-0 =r cinloleiialet ieee 3.50 $29.98 And in addition have given of my time as follows: Two trips through portions of Houston county .....-.-.++eseeeee eee 4 days. TnsPillmore county ....... <0. «2 o.2,se/sssiels wos hes nities esis Re yn Olmsted: county... - 2... os. eresleidinm wi Blois’ ovnieinisclnseye «in © clas) 6/eha tee 4. = PV ioMA COMUNE... 6 se 0 yc eamees pais alate Pel asi “en's oi wns) nie ee Vas Meranhini county... % ai2:0:.'s «'s s«+e 0's ecu cleielmmteleieiarolelaneyeretetel ttaen st tenn oe Looking up fruit for Pomological meeting...........+ssecccscscceses 8 *# 28 ee Also expenses at St. Paul in working before the Legislature .. ......-... $12.75 Expenses of June meeting......0+...s000esses-cceses suis = eal ee enn 7.00 29.98 $49.73 IRA VINONtS LECALTOM eicieloicie © oveislely wvo'e v ovarererereveisieistete oleic etnyatele te nameanna 4 - 19.75 Beal ance sje... s/c .elb.n'e 0 0-0 0.0 verse no ecelalesaiteetotclele sheje, oousteve tat cte]sial amie $29.98 Por 28 Gaya’ timeec. cscs cie0oesc esas on muieia gle seis oles o's be yee 20.02 io STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 75 On motion the bill was referred to the Finance Committee, who reported, recommending that an order be drawn for fifty dollars to pay the account, and the report was on motion adopted. J. C. Plumb, F. G. Gould and Prof. E. D. Porter, were appointed a committee of award on the premium list. 76 ANNUAL REPORT. EVENING SESSION. Tuesday, January 15. The society met at the room of the Delta Sigma Society in the University building, and the regular program was proceeded with by the reading of the following paper : TORNADOES. By A. W. SIAS, OF ROCHESTER. - Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen : In the winter of 1879, at the suggestion of Secretary C. Y. Lacy, I prepared a paper on the subject of Irish potatoes. Meeting a member soon after who is an expert in potatoe culture, he re- marked, ‘‘ I heard your article on potatoes, and it seems to me it contained more apples than potatoes.” And now, if any close observer should notice more trees than tornadoes in this crude production, I hope it will be attributed more to the heart than to the head. I have no sympathy for those sentimental people who charge up all the ills that flesh is heir to to a special act of Divine Providence. I do not believe that the Almighty has any particular grudge against Rochester or O]msted county, but at the same time I do believe that that part of our State where the greatest neglect of Nature’s laws is to be found will prove to be the most unsafe place to live. My orchards, buildings, &., were damaged to the extent of over $1,000. But if a row of cottonwoods had been set fifteen years ago, four feet apart, directly west of the orchard, it is doubtful whether my loss would be worthy of mention. Speaking of the damage to the city proper, we are located in the southwestern limits, facing on Cutler street, the most westerly STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. , TE street in the city. Owing to the peculiar location of this street, and the supposed bearing that a judicious use of forest trees has had on the life and property of the settlers directly east of it, I think it well to go a little into the particulars in regard to the planting on this western border of our city. Beginning as far south as Cutler street is worked, or traveled, we find on the east side E. Whitcomb, and on the west our nearest neighbor, M. J. Hoag, both of these gentlemen have, from their earliest settlement on the hill, invested liberally in both fruit and ornamental trees, and escaped almost unharmed. The next place running north is my own, to which I have already alluded, consisting of two blocks, one on each side of the street. Next is the elegant residence of C, C. Willson, Esq., who owns two blocks on either side. His resi- dence is upon the east side, and is completely surrounded with the most lavish supply of deciduous and evergreen trees to be found on any place in the city, if not in the whole county. Three of the best built barns in the county, costing about $3,000, on the west side of the street, and directly west of his residence, just be- yond his tree protection, were a total wreck. He said to me that he believed his trees saved his house. The next two blocks on either side are owned by non-residents. The one on the east has but a single tree on it, a small oak. Here the tornado closed in close to the ground and gathered strength to take up many large oaks on the next block east, together with the chimneys. Here it was carried high up by the tall oaks completely over the west block and dashed down on to a brick barn below, doing consider- able damage. The next blocks on both side are covered with native trees, and there was little or no damage done in the vicinity. The next two blocks have each a house in the native groves and are all right. Next on the west we come to what was the brick residence of James Bucklin. Here there were no trees for many miles west up the Cascade valley, and his house was atotal wreck. Adjoining is the residence of W. E. Kennedy, which is well supplied with trees, his house sustained but little or no damage. Then we cross the Cascade Creek and soon strike the land of Hon. O. P. Whit- comb, who was never known to turn the cold shoulder on an hon- est tree grower. He owns most of the land up to the railroad, and has it well lined with that noble tree known as Ash Leaved Maple. Am sorry to say that many of these valuable trees went down owing to the fact that there was no protection on the west of them. With the exception of Rev. Geo. Ainsle’s residence,which was nicely embowered in trees, and sustained but slight injuries, the balance of 78 : ANNUAL REPORT. the land north to the city limits is owned by non-residents who ex- cuse themselves from planting trees on the ground that tenants will not properly care for them. We would say in justice to these land owners that had they realized the necessity of planting trees as a means of protection to life and property, we believe it would have been promptly and cheerfully done. Non-residents owning large tracts of land destitute of trees, exert an influence on these tornadoes not fully appreciated. Were a man to give me my choice, either to have a 1000 acre tract of land destitute of trees, located southwest of my house and close to it, or allow him to set up a powder magazine near it, I think I should choose the latter. From the aforesaid tract to the worst part of the devastated dis- trict, trees were few and far between. Let the History of Winona and Olmstead County give the natural result of such neglect : “On the afternoon of August 21, 1883, the citizens of Rochester and vicinity, observed a peculiar condition of the atmosphere. The air was murky and oppressive. The heavens were overcast by clouds of a dull leaden hue, and apparently there were three strata, but moving in different directions. About three or four o'clock the clouds began to concentrate immediately west of the city, a slight shower of rain passed over, and for a few moments succeeding, the air was stil! asatomb. Soon light, fleecy clouds were seen scudding athwart the sky at lightning speed, the great dark mass in the west assumed a greenish cast, the heavens blazed with pale yellow lightning, and soon a roar was heard that caused stern faces to blanch and brave hearts to throb with terror. In a mo- ment the storm was upon us. With a roar like ten thousand demons, it swept down upon the beautiful city. Like a great coiling serpent, darting out a thousand tongues of lightning, with a hiss like the seething roaring Niagara, it wrapped the city in its hideous coils. The crashing Of buildings and the despairing shrieks of men, women and children were drowned in its terrible roar. An hour later, the pale moonbeams fell upon two hundred ruined homes, two score of dead, ghastly faces, and the stillness of night was broken by the moans of the wounded and dying. What tongue or pen can half describe this terrible scene of desolation and deaths.” F Nature’s laws are inexorable, unyielding, and to defy them, or | run counter to such laws, shows a weakness, an obstinacy that is open to the highest censure, The inhabitants of Pompeii who were flourishing in all their glory at the commencement of the Christian era, with a city of 35,000 inhabitants at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, with villas al! - STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 79 the way to the top of the volcano, bade defiance to Nature’s laws in the choice of location for their beautiful city. And in consequence on the 24th day of August, A.D., 79, they were buried from twenty to seventy feet deep. And in like manner the people of the beautiful city of Rochester, Minnesota, bade defiance to all blizzards and tornadoes, and, at the same time to Nature’s laws, when they located near the head of a large, level, open valley that ex- tends many miles west and southwest up the cascade, with scarcely a tree or shrub to break the wind. Chompallion, the great African traveler, asks: “Is there any crime against Nature which draws down on man a more terrible curse than that of stripping Mother Earth of her sylvan covering? The hand of men has produced this desert and, I verily believe, every other desert upon the surface of this earth. Earth was Eden once; and our misery is the punishment of our sins against the world of plants. The burning sun of the desert is the angel with the flaming sword who stands between us and Paradise.” Seneca says, ‘‘ It is good for a man to fortify himself on his weak side.” And we say that it is wise and expedient for every house- holder, as well as for every city in the whole land, to fortify itself on its weak side, especially on the west and southwest, from whence came our prevailing winds during the time of these terrible tornadoes. The late lamented Leonard B. Hodges, the “ John A. Warder of this part of the Union,” as he has been aptly termed, and Mr. Pearce, another well-known horticulturist, whom we all know how to appreciate, resided for many years near our devastated city. They were both here when I came to the state in 59; and Mr. Hodges was then in the nursery business. Now, let us imagine what might have been the result providing our city fathers, as long ago as 59 had employed one of these noble champions of the ‘‘Mon- arch of the Prairies,” the cottonwood, to plant a dozen rows along the western limits of the city, four feet apart each way. Let those who were well-protected by trees at the time of the tornado answer. Right here let me quote from the words of Mr, Hodges, who spoke to us from this very platform less than a year ago, and let us cherish these, the last words to this society, from our acknowledged leader in forestry: ‘‘ The pioneer farmer out on our oceanic prairies, who surrounds his quarter section, with a broad belt of forest trees, protects not only his own fields and crops from the damaging effects of storms, but to a great extent protects his adjoining neighbor, who, in common with him, enjoys the 80 ANNUAL REPORT. wealth he has developed, and he can no more prevent them from the enjoyment thereof than from the benefit of sunlight or rain- fall, which are the common wealth of all God’s creatures. Hence I take the ground that it is not only eminently proper, but that it is the duty of the state, in every suitable way to aid by appropri- ate legislation in the development or erection of this sort of com- mon wealth. * * * Andif I succeed in stirring up the whole legislative menagerie to a realizing sense of their duty in this behalf, T shall feel that I have not lived in vain.” He also said at a horticultural meeting at Rochester, in 1878: “The highly refined, fastidious and aristocratic element of our large towns and cities, unite in /despising their noble tree, the cottonwood. But who cares? It has its own merits, merits that will cause it to be propagated, cherished, nourished and protected by willing hands and loving hearts, until the great interior treeless region of the North American continent shall have been reclaimed and become one of the traditions of the past. When the marble monuments vainly erected to perpetuate the memory of the names of its tra- ducers shall have crumbled into dust ; when even the State Horti- cultural Society has ceased to exist, even then will this monumental tree shed its blessings and its cotton alike upon the just and the unjust. I propose to stand by the cottonwood. Whether planted on a sandbank or a river bottom, in the door yard or in a desert, on the prairie or in the timber, the result is a great, sturdy, healthy forest tree. It is a success, and that’s why people plant it. It don’t fool away years of precious time getting ready to do something, but is up and coming from the word go. It is emphatically a pioneer tree. This and the white willow will do more to prepare the way for the cultivation of fruit trees than any other agencies I can think of.” We measured a cottonwood last month, planted by R. L. Cot- terell, of our county, some twenty years ago, that measured nine feet and two inches in circumference. And a tree standing near the Zumbro Falls mill, in the wrecked district, measured fifteen feet and fourinches round. Since the tornado passed over this place we have appreciated this and the white willow as never before. We look upon the seeds of the cottonwood as so many harbingers of mercy wafted on pure snowy wings to a needy people. In speaking of blizzards, simoons, and like winds, Mr. Hodges says: ‘These elemental forces are undoubtedly «ll right and play an important part in the economy of nature. We have only to guard against them when on the rampage, and in doing this, for- estry is the prime factor, the central figure in the whole business.” STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 81 We agree with Mr. Hodges and are of the opinion that gales, blizzards, hurricanes, tornadoes and even cyclones are, or should be, important educators, and are also an actual necessity in the economy of nature. We quote the following from the address made by President Harris at our county horticultural meeting at Rochester last month: “If twenty years since, or even ten, there had been planted and eared for twenty acres of fast growing timber, such as cotton- wood and willows, upon every quarter section of land up the Cas- cade valley, and in addition, trees had been planted about the farm buildings and along the roadsides, that terrible storm would have passed almost harmlessly over the city.” Now let us compare the tornado at Rochester with some others that have occurred in the United States within the present cent- ury. In 1860 there was a tornado made up on the Ohio river ; it passed up the stream till it had nearly passed New Albany, Indiana, and then struck into the heavy timber north and north- east, and while it made terrible havoc with the timber, but few houses were blown down and few, if any, lives lost. The extent of the wrecked district was about the same as at Rochester. I was in the wake of it within a few days after it occurred. The great September gale of 1815, is still without a parallel in its extraordi- nary characteristics of violence and destructiveness. The follow. ing graphic description is quoted from The Great Events of the Greatest Century: ‘The most calamitous destruction befell the ‘trees, orchards and forests exhibiting a scene of desolation, the like of which has never before been witnessed in America.” * * * “Far into the interior the tempest swept and raged with unparalleled fury.” * * * ‘The wind suddenly shifting to the southeast, blew a hurricane, the terrible devastation of which covered a column or area of sixty miles in width.” * * * *“Fresh water along the seaboard was for a long time, a rarety of price, the wells having generally overflowed and left full of sea water.” * * * “When the vast and tremendous tide was sweeping over the land, the spray arising from it was very great over a wide surface of country, extending to the farthermost of the northern states. It is spoken of as having resembled a driving snow storm.” Perhaps if we could form any just conception of the myriads of insects injurious to vegetation, that this baptism of salt water de- stroyed, we should get a glimpse at one of the benefits of this unparalleled gale. 6 82 ANNUAL REPORT. A NEW VERSION. Many Bible students have searched the Scriptures in vain for these words: ‘‘ He tempers the winds to the shorn lamb.” Now, my wish is this, thatin some distant day, and the day may not be very distant either, when all prejudice shall have been laid aside in regard to our having written from a nurseryman's standpoint or from purely selfish motives, that some faithless shepherd, who per- chance has lost dear lambs for want of judicious tree protection, and may be searching the Bible or elsewhere for the comforting words above quoted, may find the only true version ever published to the world in the Transactions of the Minnesuta State Horticultu- ral Society for 1884, viz., ““He tempers the winds to the shorn lambs, only when modified or filtered through the beautiful foli- age or spray of gur many noble forest trees.” When nature’s laws are so far changed that the mariner can safely navigate the broad, trackless ocean without compass, life- boat or anchor, then, and not till then, will man be safe outside of tree protection. In conclusion I will say, that in my humble opinion, the cotton- wood, Populus Mamlifera, is the tree of all trees to use for immedi- ate effect against tornadoes, and also the cheapest tree to procure, as the seed and cuttings can be found on most any of our streams or farms, without money and without price. In looking over the devastated district at Rochester I observed this difference between the cottonwood and all other trees, viz: in the case of fruit trees, evergreens etc., the tornado invariably took the largest specimens, while near the Zumbro Falls Mill, where it struck fearfully hard, the large cottonwood alluded to above as measuring over fifteen feet, had no damage done to it except a few limbs broken from the top, and another in the north line of the tornado measured nineteen and one-half feet in circumference. While many cottonwoods of me- dium size and the largest specimens of other varieties were laid low by this terrible gale, these ‘‘ Monarchs of the Forest” stood appar- ently as firm as the everlasting hills, while many of the fine marble tombstones, just beyond in Oakwood Cemetery, were leveled to the dust. When I shall have planted my last tree, and have resigned my spade, as I hope, to more faithful hands, who will be able to do more to save our people from tornadoes, I will crave no prouder monument to mark my last resting place than one of these despised ‘Monarchs of the Forest.” STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 83 Discussion on the paper of Mr. Sias was postponed till to-morrow morning, in order to introduce the next paper on THE WILD FLOWERS OF LAKE PEPIN VALLEY. By Miss Sara Mannine, or Lake Crry, Minnzesora. INTRODUCTION BY THE SECRETARY. [Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: Before the reading of this paper is proceeded with, I desire to say that it has been written for the State Horticul- tural Society by particular request, and the object in view in asking Miss Manning to furnish it at this time was to make a commencement of a record of the wild flowers and ferns of Minnesota, in our annual report for the year 1884, in the hope that other botanists, after reading this paper, may supply any omissions in it, of varieties they muy find anywhere in this State, so that in time we may have in the reports of this society a complete botanical survey of Min- nesota in thisdepartment. Its interest and value to botanists and horticulturists will be apparent without any remark of mine. I also wish to say that, while Miss Manning, in order to bring her paper within the usual limits, has very properly omitted the botanical names of most of the varieties, she has kindly offered to furnish a catalogue, and it will be printed in connection with the paper, for reference. ] Miss Manning then read her paper as follows : During the walks and drives of two pleasant seasons, I have studied the wild flowers of our beautiful valley. With- out attempting a scientific arrangement, some idea of them may be given, though not nearly all can receive even a passing notice. No doubt it would be more proper to consider them by families, but I have chosen to divide the valley, which lies partly in Wisconsin and partly in Minnesota, into several regions and mention the flowers of each without regard to their relationships. It is a consoling thought to those interested in botany that many of our precipitous bluff-sides and deep ravines can never be cultivated. Here many flowers and ferns will be allowed to grow unmolested by the ‘‘westward march of civilization,” before which many prairie species disappear. The more delicate species grow on these bluff-sides, which have a northern exposure. Just at their base in early spring the Purple Anemone blossoms, a daring little pioneer that comes even while here and there the snow still lingers. It is shielded 84 ANNUAL REPORT. by a furry involucre and blossoms close to the ground, but afterwards grows taller and is surrounded by the leaves which did not at first appear. Soon after, up _ the sides, we find the Blood-root wrapped in its sheltering leaf, the Hepatica, forcing its delicate tinted blossoms through last year’s fallen leaves; Wind-flower, Rue-Anemone, Baneberry, with graceful Columbine and Feathery Meadow-Rue growing about rocks and roots of trees. Quite a rare species of Virgin’s- Bower (Clematis verticillaris) climbs over shrubs and small trees, hanging purple bells from their branches. Beautiful pink-tipped Dicentra, white Wake-Robin,which soon changes to rose-color, and Canada Violet are among early flowers. Later, Two-leaved Solomon’s Seal and Mitrewort send up little white blossoms from their bed of moss. Beneath two soft velvety leaves, the queer red-brown flower of Wild Ginger hangs its head. In moist places are Blue Cohosh, Mandrake, and Wild Sarsaparilla, and here Jack-in-the-Pulpit preaches a silent sermon. Farther up are fern-like sprays of False Solomon’s Seal and Bellwort, its droop- ing flower of pale yellow, half hidden by the leaves. In some lit- tle nooks the ground is carpeted with the shining leaves of Wintergreen, one species (Pyrola secunda) with its one-sided racemes, reminding us of the Lily of the Valley. Very common is the Large Yellow Lady’s Slipper and Calopogon, sometimes called Grass Pink because of its grass-like leaves. In a few places is the Showy Lady’s Slipper, most beautiful of the genus, having two, sometimes three, flowers on a stem. Last of all are Five-flowered and Fringed Gentians which open their blue blossoms late in October; with them is that strange species which always remains closed. To ferns and mosses more than to flowers the bluff-sides owe their beauty. ‘Trailing over fallen tree trunks and draping rough rocks with green luxuriance as though nature were trying to cover all unsightly objects with lovely living forms. The little rock-lov- ing brake (Pellzea atropurpurea) with dark green fronds in contrast with the brown stems completely covers the shaded side of rocks. More delicate (Pelleea gracilis) with fronds of lighter green grows on mossy ledges, in the crevices of which Walking Leaf is occasion- ally found. On the ground the long slender fronds of Cystopteris tangle themselves with everything near, and the beautiful Maiden- hair grows in all possible places. Then there are the Shield Ferns and tall Spleenworts, with here and there a Moonwort Fern. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 85 At the summit of the bluffs the little evergreen Polypodys stand erect among the moss. With the mixed undergrowth at the top of the bluffs are Ostrich Ferns Common Brake and Flowering Ferns. Contrasting with their dark green fronds are the bright flowers of Wild Phlox, Greek Valerian, Red Lily and Painted Cup, with brilliant bracts, which make it the most showy of our wild flowers, All down the sunny southern slopes are mats of Rock Cress, Long-flowered Puccoon, Spiderwort, in many shades of purple and blue, Zygedene, with wax-like flowers, and sprays of dainty little Harebell. Many of the prairie flowers grow also on these southern slopes. Down in some cool, shaded ravines between the bluffs, wild vines grow unchecked. Bittersweet, Woodbine and glossy-leaved Green- brier climb the trees and hang festoons from their branches, Poi- son Ivy clings by its rootlets to the rocks, Pipe Vine covers shrubs with its broad leaves and bright flowers, and slender Wild Yam twines about the bushes. Here, also, are Cornell, Arrow-wood, Mountain Maple, Strawberry Bush, Honeysuckle and many other beautiful shrubs. Out in the oak barrens the Rose Family is well represented by its Strawberries, Cinquefoils, Spireas, Avens, Brambles and Wild Roses. With them are four species of blue Violets, Wild Geranium, Wood Sorrel, Cleavers, Polygalas, Starry Campion, etc. A common shrub is Jersey Tea, with clusters of small white flowers, the petals of which are shaped like tiny soup-ladles. The Mustard, Parsley Figwort and Mint Families add many species to the flowers of the oak wood. Where they border the shores of the lake, the trees are in many places covered with the thick foliage of Wild Grape and Moonseed. On the banks are Milk Vetch, Wild Licorice, False Indigo and other species common to river banks. The Pulse and Composite Families are especially characteristic of the prairie. To the former belong Wild Beans, Lupines, Vetches, Clouvers, etc. Two especially pretty plants of this family are (Amorpha canescens) which has rich dark purple petals and golden excerted stamens, and (Petalostemon villosus) with rose-colored flowers. Of the Composite Family the numberis legion. Through the late summer and autumn, our prairies are brilliant with a be- wildering array of Sunflowers, Cone-flowers, Blazing-Stars, Flea- banes, Golden-rods, Asters, etc. To this family belongs the odd Compass Plant, which might be very convenient as its leaves point north and south. Tall Azure Larkspur, Puccoon, Butterfly Weed, 86 ANNUAL REPORT. Flowering Spurge, and Oxybaphus, which like its relative the garden Four-o’clock closes in the sunshine, are common prairie species. On the sandy soil of the Wisconsin side, Dwarf Wild Rose covers whole hill-sides, making a beautiful sight in the time of flowers and filling the air with fragrance. An especially con- spicuous plant of that side is Peutstemon grandiflorus with its | light green leaves and long racemes of bright pink flowers. Though each side of Lake Pepin has many species not found on the other, in using only common names it is difficult to make distinctions, Wayside weeds we have without number, which though scorn- fully called homely weeds, are often very interesting to study. As we follow the windings of a little creek, where in the spring- time Yellow Violets and pale pink Waterleaf grew, and the banks were golden with Buttercups and Cowslips, we find it fringed with a tangled growth. Virgin’s-Bower trims trees and shrubs with its white blossoms, Bineweed and Wild Cucumber tangle their long vines with tall Touch-me-not, Indian Hemp and Swamp Milkweed. In grassy places Solomon’s Seal swings its row of tiny bells over the water. Green striped Grass of Parnassus and Purple Polygala grow near. Ellisea trails its minute flowers and pretty leaves on the ground. On the wet banks are blue spikes of Tall Bellflower and Great Lobelia. Floating upon the water where it flows softly are green leaves and yellow blossoms of Monkey-flower (Mimulus J amesii). Where the creek flows into a pond are crimson and rose-colored spikes of Water Smartweed, White Water Lilies with floating leaves, and Yellow with leaves erect. {n bordering marshes is a a miscellaneous mixture of Blue Flags, Cat-tails, Arrow-heads, Water-Plantain, etc. The most showy marsh plants are Pickerel- weed, which has spikes of violet flowers, and Cardinal Lobelia. The little white and yellow Lady’s Slippers are sometimes found in bogs, though both are rare. Though this essay seems a general tangle of flowers and vines, there are many species, some of them little favorites, and even whole families, for which there is noroom. The catalogue to be printed with it contains about five hundred Phenogamous plants and ferns found in the Valley of Lake Pepin. Some one learned in wild- flower lore might give a more complete list. The knowledge of these and an herbarium containing half the number are results of last summer’s study. ee STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 87 It is sometimes a surprise that Botany is not more studied, not only because of its intimate relation to Horticulture, but also for the pleasure it affords. No other science can be so easily studied, and none with more pleasing results. It is interesting in all sea- sons—from early spring, when in our first walks we find the tiny ferns unrolling and tender leaves just breaking through the sod ; through the summer, with its wealth of bright blossoms ; to the autumn, when there is much to learn of fruit and seeds. Even in the snow-bound days of winter we may study the arrangement of branches on different shrubs and trees. Then more than ever each tree seems to have an individual character, as we see it outlined against the sky, stripped of its summer foliage, Leave dry text-books and go out and see ‘“‘How Plants Behave.” Almost unconsciously too, we find ourselves studying Entomology and wondering why particular species are always visited by certain insects. By careful watching we may learn their secrets. It is a restful, helpful study, making every-day life brighter. One need never be lonely out among the flowers where the bright- winged insects come and go, where on all sides— ‘‘ Whether we look or whether we listen, We hear life murmur or see it glisten.”’ 88 ANNUAL REPORT. CATALOGUE. RANUNCULACE. (CROWFOOT FAMILY.) Clematis 1. verticillaris, DC.; Virgin’s Bower. 2, Virginiana, L.; Common Virgin’s Bower. Anemone 8. patens, L.; Pasque-flower. 4. cylindrica, Gray; Long-fruited Anemone. 5. Virginiana, L.; Virginian Anemone. 6. Pennsylvanica, L.; Pennsylvanica Anemone. 7. nemorosa, L.; Wind-jlower. Hepatica 8. triloba, Chaix.; Round-lobed Hepatica. 9. acutiloba, DC.; Acute-lobed Hepatica. Thalictrum 10. anemonoides, Michx.; Rue Anemone. 11. dioicum, L., Early Meadow Rue. 12. purpurascens, L.; Purplish Meadow Rue. 13. Cornuti, L.; Zall Meadow Rue. Ranuneulus 14. rhomboideus, Goldie; Early Crowfoot. 15. abortivus, L.; Small-flowered Crowfoot. 16. sceleratus. L.; Cursed Crowfoot. 17. recurvatus, Poir.; Hooked Crowfoot: 18. Pennsylvanicus, L.; Bristly Crowfoot. 19. acris, L.; Buttercups. Caltha 20. palustris, L.; Marsh Marigold, Cowslip. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Aquilegia 21. Canadensis, L.; Wild Columbine. Delphinium 22. azureum, Michx.; Azure Larkspur. Actza 23. spicata, L., var. rubra, Mx.; Red Baneberry. 24. alba, Bigel.; White Baneberry. MENISPERMACEA. (MOONSEED FAMILY.) Menispermum 25. Canadense, L., Moonseed. BERBERIDACEA. (BARBERRY FAMILY.) Caulophyllum 26. thalictroides, Michx.; Blue Cohosh. Podophyllum 27. peltatum, L.; Mandrake, May Apple. NYMPH HACE. (WATER-LILY FAMILY.) Nymphea 28. tuberosa, Paine; White Water-Lily. Nuphar 29. advena, Aiton; Yellow Pond-Lily. PAPAVERACE. (Poppy FAMILY.) Sanguinaria 380. Canadensis, L.; Blood-root. FUMARIACE. , (FUMATORY FAMILY.) Dicentra 31. Cucullaria, DC.; Dutchman’s Breeches. 89 90 ANNUAL REPORT. Corydalis 32. aurea, Willd.; Golden Corydalis. CRUCIFER. (MUSTARD FAMILY.) - Nasturtium 33. officinale, R. Br.; True Water Cress. 34. sinuatum, Nutt.; Water Cress. Cardamine 35. hirsuta, L.; Small Bitter Cress. Arabis 36. lyrata, L.; Rock Cress. 37. levigata, DC.; Smooth Rock Cress. 38. Canadensis, L.; Sickle-pod. 39. perfoliata, Lam.; Tower Mustard. Erysimum 40. cheiranthoides, L.; Worm-seed Mustard. Sisymbrium 41. officinale, Scop.; Hedge Mustard. Brassica 42. alba, Gray; White Mustard. 43. nigra, Gray; Black Mustard. Draba 44. Caroliniana, Walt.; Whitlow Grass. Alyssum 45. calycinum, L.; Alyssum. Capsella 46. Bursa-pastoris, Mench.; Shepherd’s Purse. Lepidium 47. Virginicum, L.; Wild Peppergrass. CAPPARIDACE. (CAPER FAMILY.) Polanisia 48. graveolens, Raf.; Polanisia. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 91 VIOLACEAE. (VIOLET FAMILY.) Viola 49. cucullata, Aiton; Common Blue Violet. 50. cucullata, Ait., var. palmata, Gr.; Hand-leaf Violet. 51. sagittata, Aiton; Arrow-leaved Violet. 52. delphinifolia, Nutt; Larkspur Violet. 53. pedata, L.; Bird-foot Violet. 54. canina, L., var. sylvestris, Reg.; Dog Violet. 55. Canadensis, L.; Canada Violet. 56. pubescens, Ait.; Downy Yellow Violet. CISTACEA. (ROCK-ROSE FAMILY.) Helianthemum 57. Canadense, Michx.; Frost-weed. Hudsonia 58. ericoides, L.; Hudsonia. HYPERICACEA. (St. JOHN’s-WORT FAMILY.) Hypericum 59. corymbosum, Muhl.; St. John’s-wort. 60. mutilum, L.; Slender St. John’s-wort. 61. pyramidatum, Ait.: Great St. John’s-wort. CARYOPHYLLACEA. (PINK FAMILY.) Saponaria 62. officinalis, L.; Common Soapwort. 63. vulgaris, Host.; Cow Herb. Silene 64. stellata, Ait.; Starry Campoon. 65. antirrhina, L.; Sleepy Catchfly. 66. noctiflora, L,; Night-flowering Catchjly. 92 ANNUAL REPORT. Lychins 67. Githago, Lam.; Corn Cockle. Cerastium 68. vulgatum, L,; Mouse-ear Chickweed. Mollugo 69. verticillata, L.; Carpet-weed. MALVACEZ. (MALLOW FAMILY.) Malva 70. rotundifolia, L.; Common Mallow. 71. sylvestris, L.; High Mallow. 72. crispa, Gray; Curled Mallow. Abutilon 73. Avicenne Gertri.; Velvet Leaf. TILIACEA. | (LINDEN FAMILY.) Tilia 74, Americana, L.; Linden, Basswood. LINACEZ. (FLAX FAMILY.) Linum 75. suleatum, Riddell; Wild Flax. GERANIACEA. (GERANIUM FAMILY.) Geranium 76. maculatum, L.; Wild Cranesbill. Impatiens 77. pallida, Nutt; Pale Touch-me-not. 78. fulva, Nutt; Spotted Touch-me-not. Oxalis 79. violacea, L.; Violet Wood-Sorrel. 80. stricta, L.; Yellow Wood-Sorvel. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. RUTACE. (RUE FAMILY.) Zanthoxylum 81. Americanum, Mill.; Prickly Ash. ANACARDIACEZ. (CASHEW FAMILY.) Rhus 82. glabra, L.; Smooth Sumach. 88. copallina, L.; Dwarf Sumach. 84. Toxicodendron, L.; Poison Ivy. VITACE. (VINE FAMILY.) Vitis 85. Labrusca, L.; Northern Fou-Grape. 86. cordifolia, Michx.; Frost Grape. Ampelopsis 87. quinquefolia, Michx.; Virginian Creeper. RHAMNACEA. (BUCKTHORN FAMILY.) Ceanothus 88. Americanus, L.; New Jersey Tea. CELASTRACE. ® (STAFF-TREE FAMILY.) Celastrus 89. scandens, L.; Climbing Bitter-sweet. Euonymus 90. Americanus, Tine Strawberry Bush. SAPINDACE. (SOAPBERRY FAMILY.) Staphylea 91. trifolia, L.; American Bladder-nut. 93 94 Acre 92. 93. 94. 95. ANNUAL REPORT. Pennsylvanicum, L.; Striped Maple. spicatum, Lam.; Mountain Maple. saccharinum, Wang.; Sugar or Rock Maple. dasycarpum, Ehrhart; Silver Maple. Negundo 96. ‘aceroides, Mcench.; Ash-leaved Maple. POLYGALACE/. (MILKWORT FAMILY.) Polygala 97. 98. 99. polygama, Walt.; Polygala. sanguinea, L.; Purple Pclygala. Senega, L.; Seneca Snakeroot. LEGUMINOS &. (PULSE FAMILY.) Lupinus 100. perennis, L.; Wild Lupine. Trifolium 101. pratense, L.; Red Clover. 102. repense, L.; White Clover. 103. procumbens L.; Low Hop-Clover. Melilotus — 104. alba, Lam.; Sweet Clover. Petalostemon 105. violaceus, Michx.; Prairie Clover. 106. candidus, Michx.; Prairie Clover. 107. villosus, Nutt.; Prairie Clover. Amorpha 108. fruticosa, L.; False Indigo. 109: canescens, Nutt.: Lead-Plant. Astragalus 110. Canadensis, L.; Milk- Vetch. 111. Cooperi, Gray; Milk- Vetch. Glycyrrhiza 112. lepidota, Nutt.; Wild Licorice. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Desmodium 113. acuminatum, DC.; Tick-Trefoil. 114. Canadense, DC.; Tick-Trefoil. 115. canescens, DC.; Tick-Trefoil. Lespedeza 116. hirta, Ell.; Bush Clover. Vicia 117. sativa, L.; Common Vetch. 118. Caroliniana, Walt.; Pale Vetch, 119. Americana, Muhl.; Purple Vetch. Lathyrus 120. venosus, Muhl.; Vetchling. 121. ochroleucus, Hook.; Indian Pea. Phaseolus 122. pauciflorus, Benth.; Kidney Bean. Baptisia 123. villosus, Ell.; Wild Indigo. 124, leucantha, Torr. & Gr.; Wild Indigo. 125. ieucophea, Nutt.; Wild Indigo. Cassia 126. Chamecrista, L.; Partridge Pea. ROSACEA. (Rost Famitny.) Prunus 127. Americana, Marshall; Wild Plum. _ 128. pumila, L.; Dwarf Cherry. 129. Virginiana, L.; Choke-Cherry. 130. serotina, Ehrh.; Wild Black Cherry. Spirea 131. opulifolia, L.; Nine Bark. 132. salicfolia, L.; Common Meadow Sweet. Agrimonia 133. Eupatoria, L.; Common Agrimony. Geum 134. album, Gmelin; White Geum. 135. strictum, Aiton; Avens. 136. rivale, L.; Purple Avens. 95 96 ANNUAL REPORT. Potentilla 137. Norvegica, L.; Cinquefoil. 138. paradoxa, Nutt.; Cinquefoil, 139. .Canadensis, L.; Common Cinquefoil. 140. Canadensis, L., var. simplex, T, & Gr.; Cinquefoil. 141. arguta, Pursh.; Stout Cinquefoil. Fragaria 142 Virginiana, Ehrh.; Wild Strawberry. 143. Vesca, L.; Wild Strawberry. Rubus 144. triflorus, Richardson; Dwarf Raspberry. 145. strigosus, Michx.; Wild Red Raspberry. 146. occidentalis, L.; Black Raspberry. 147. villosus, Aiton; High Blackberry. 148. Canadensis, L.; Low Blackberry. Rosa 149.lucida, Ehrh.; Dwarf Wild-Rose. Crategus 150. tomentosa, L.; Black or Pear Thorn. 151. Crus-galli, L.; Cockspur Thorn. Pyrus 152. coronaria, L.; American Crab Apple. 158. arbutifolia, L.; Choke-berry. Amelanchier 154. Canadensis, T. & Gr., var. Botryapium, Gr.; June-berry. SAXIFRAGACEA. (SAXIFRAGE FAmtty.) Ribes 155. Cynosbati, L.; Wild Gooseberry. 156. floridum, L.; Wild Black Currant. Parnassia 157. Caroliniana, Michx.; Grass of Parnassus. . Saxifraga 158, Pennsylvanica, L.; Swamp Saxifrage. Heuchera 159. Americana, L., Common Alum-root. Mitella 160. diphylla, L.; Mitrewort. a = a 4S eee STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. CRASSULACE. (OrPINE Famtty.) Penthorum 161. sedoides, L., Ditch Stone-crop. ONAGRACEZ. (EVENING PRIMROSE FAMILY.) Circeeea 16Z Lutetiana, L.; Hnehanter’s Nightshade. Gaura 163. biennis, L.; Gaura. Epilobium 164 coloratum, Muhl.; Wiallow-herb. (nothera 165. biennis, L.; Common Evening Primrose. 166. rhombipetala, Nutt.; Evening Primrose. Ludwigia 167. polycarpa, short & Peter; False Loosestrife. LYTHRACEA. (LoosEsTRIFE F AMILy.) Lythrum 168. alatum, Pursh.; Loosestrife. CUCURBITACE. (GourD FamIty.) Sicyos 169. angulatus, L.; One-seeded Star Cucumber. UMBELLIFER. (PaRsLEY FAaMILy.) Sanicula 170. Marilandica, L., Sanicle. Eryngium 171. yuccefolium, Michx.; Rattlesnake Muster. ti 97 98 ANNUAL REPORT. Daucus 172. Carota, L.; Common Carrot. Heracleum 173. lanatum, Michx.; Cow-Parsnip. Pastinaca 174. sativa, L ; Common Parsnip. Archangelica 175. hirsuta, Torr & Gray; Archangelica. 176 atropurpurea, Hoffin.; Great Angelica. ZEthusa 177. Eynapium, L.; Fool’s Parsley. Thaspium 178. aureum, Nutt.; Meadow-Parsnip. 179. trifoliatum, Gray; Meadow Parsnip. Zizia 180. integerrima, DC.; Zizia. Cicuta 181. maculata, L.; Water-Hemlock. Sium 182. lineare, Michx.; Water-Parsnip. Cryptotaenia 183. Canadensis, DC.; Honewort. Osmorrhiza 184. longistylis, DC.; Smoother Sweet-Cicely. 185. brevistylis, DC.; Hairy Sweet-Cicely. ARALIACEAL. (GINSENG FAMILY.) Aralia 186. racemosa, L.; Spikenard. 187. nudicaulis, L.; Wild Sarsaparilla. 188. trifolia, Gray; Dwarf Ginseng. CORNACE. (Dogwoop Famity.) Cornus 189. Canadensis, L.; Dwarf Cornell. a STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 190. sericea, L.; Silky Cornell, Kinnikinnich. 191. stolonifera, Michx.; Red-osier Dogwood. CAPRIFOLIACEA. (Honrysuckie Fatty.) Symphoricarpus 192. racemosus, Michx.; Snowberry. 193. ravemosus, Mx., var. pauciflorus, Robb.; Snowberry. 194, vulgaris, Michx.; Indian Currant. Lonicera 195. grata, Ait.; American Woodbine. 196. parviflora, Lam.; Small Honeysuckle. Diervilla 197. trifida, Meench.; Bush Honeysuckle. Triostemon 198, perfoliatum, L.; Fever-wort. Sambucus 199. Canadensis, L.; Common Elder. Viburnum 200. dentatum, L.; Arrow-wood. 201. Opulus, L.; Cranberry-tree. RUBIACEZ. (MapprER Fatty.) Galium 202. trifidum, L.; Small Bedstraw. 203. triflorum, Michx.; Sieet-scented Bedstraw. 204. boreale, L.; Northern Bedstraw. Houstonia 205. purpurea, L., var. longifolia, Gr.; Houstonia. VALERIANACEA. (VALERIAN Famity.) Valeriana 206. edulis, Nutt.; Valerian. 99 100 ANNUAL REPORT. Fedia 207. Fagopyrum, T. & Gray .; Lamb Lettuce. DIPSACEA. (TEASEL FAMILY.) Dipsacus 208. sylvestris, Mill.; Wild Teasel. COMPOSITZ. (ComposITE FAMILY.) Vernonia 209. fasciculata, Michx.; Iron Weed. Liatris 210, squarrosa, Willd.; Blazing-star. 911. cylindracea, Michx.; Blazing-star. 212. spicata, Willd.; Blazing-star. 213. pycnostachya, Michx.; Blazing-star. Eupatorium 214. ageratoides, L.; White Snake-root. 215. perfoliatum, L.; Thoroughwort. 216. purpureum, L,; Joe-Pye Weed, Tussilago 217. Farfara, L.: Coltsfoot. Aster : 918. cordifolius, L.; Heart-leaved Aster. 229. dumnosus, L.; Aster. 290. ynultiflorus, Ait; Many-fluwered Aster. 991. Nove-Anglia, L.; New England Aster. 222, ptarmicoides, T. & Gr.; Aster. 223. sagittifolius, Willd.; Arrow-leaved Aster. 924. sericeus, Vent.; Silky Aster. 925. simplex, Willd.; Pale Aster. 923. Tradescanti, L.; Aster. Erigeron 227. ellidfolium, Muhl.; Robin’s Plantain. 228. Philadelphicum, L.; Common Fleabane. 229. annuum, Pers.; Daisy F'leabane. Diplopappus 230. umbellatus, Torr. & Gray.; Double-bristled Aster. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Boltonia 231. glastifolia, L’Her.; Boltonia. Solidago 232. cesia, L.; Golden-rod. | 233. lanceolata. L.; Golden-rod, - 934, latifolia, L.; Golden-rod. 235. mnemoralis, Ait.; Golden-rod. 236. speciosa, Nutt.; Golden rod. 237. serotina, Ait.; Golden-rod. 238. stricta, Ait.; Golden-rod Silphium 239. laciniatum, L.; Rosin-weed, Compass Plant. 240. perfoliatum, L.; Cup Plant. Iva 241. xanthiifolia, Nutt.; Marsh Elder. Ambrosia 242. trifida, L.; Great Ragweed. 243. artemisizfolia, L.; Roman Wormwood.. Xanthium 244. strumarium, L.; Common Cocklebur. Rudbeckia 245. hirta, L.; Cone-flower. 246. laciniata,; Cone-flower. Helianthus 247. annuns, L.; Common Sunflower. 248. giganteus, L.; Sunflower. 249. grosse-serratus, Martins.; Sunflower. 250. occidentalis, Riddell.; Sunflower. 251. rigidus, Desf.; Swnflower. 252. strumosus, L.; Sunflower. 253. tracheliifolius, Willd.; Sunflower. Coreopsis 254. palmata, Nutt.; Tickseed. Bidens 255. frondosa, L.; Common Beggar-ticks. 256. cernua, L.; Smaller Bur- Marigold, Helenium 257. autumnale, L ; Sneeze-weed. Maruta 258. Cotula, DC.; May-weed. 101 102 ANNUAL REPORT. Achillea 259. Millefolium, L.; Common Yarrow. Tanacetum 26). vulgare, L.; Tansy. Artemisia 261. caudata, Michx.; Wormwood. 262. Ludoviciana, Nutt.; Western Mugwort. 263. frigida, Willd.; Wormwood. Gaaphalium £64. polycephalum, Michx.; Common Everlasting. Antennaria 265. plantaginfolia, Hook,; Plantain-leaved Everlasting. Erechthites 266. hieracifolia, Raf.; Fireweed. Cacalia 267. reniforms,!Muhl.; Great Indian Plantain. Senecio 268. palustris, Hook.; Groundsell. 269. aureus, L.; Golden Ragwort. Cirsium 270. lanceolatum, Scop.; Common Thistle. 271. altissimum, Spreng.; Tall Thistle. 272. muticum, Michx.; Swamp Thistle Lappa 273. officinalis, Allioni.; Burdock. Cynthia 274. Virginica, Don.; Cynthia. Troximon 275. cuspidatum, Pursh.; Troximon. Hieracium 276. Canadense, Michx.; Canada Hawkweed. Nabalus 277. albus, Hook.; White Lettuce. Taraxacum 278. Dens-leonis, Desf.; Dandelion. Lactuca 279. Canadensis, L.; Wild Lettuce. a STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 103 Sonchus 280. aspen, Vill.; Spiny-leaved Sow-Thistle LOBELIACEA. (LOBELIA FAMILY.) Lobelia 281. cardinalis, L.; Cradinal-flower. *223. syphilitica, L.; Great Lobelia. 283. spicata, Lam.; Lobelia. CAMPANULACE A. (CAMPANULA FAMILY.) Campanula 284, rotundifolia, L.; Harebell. 285. Americana, L.; Tall Bellflower. ERICACEA., (HeatH Famity.) Vaccinium 286. Pennsylvanicum, Lam.; Dwarf Blueberry. Arctostaphylos 287. Uva-ursi, Spreng.; Bearberry. Gaultheria 288. procumbens, L ; Creeping Wintergreen. Pyrola 289. elliptica, Nutt.; Shin-leaf. 290. secunda, L.; Wintergreen, Chimaphila 291. umbellata, Nutt.; Prizce’s Pine AQUIFOLIACEA. (Hoxtiy Famity,) Ilex 292. verticillata, Gray.; Black Alder. Nemopanthes 293. Canadensis, DC.; Mountain Bolly. 104 ANNUAL REPORT. PLANTAGINACE. (PLANTAIN FamIzy.) Plantago 294, major, L.; Common Plantain. PRIMULACEA. (PRIMROSE FAMILY.) Lysimachia 295. stricta, Ait.; Loosestrife. 296. ciliata, L,; Loosestrife. LENTIBULACE. (BLADDERWoRT FAMILY.) Utricularia 297. vulgaris, L.; Common Bladderwort. OROBANCHACE. (BRooM-RAPE FAMILY.) Aphyllon 298. uniflorum, T. & Gr.; One—flowered Cancer-root. SCROPNULARIACE A. (Frawort FaAmMItLy.) Verbascum 299. Thapsus, L.; Common Mullein. 300. Blattaria, L.; Moth Mullein. Linaria 301. vulgaris, Miller; Toad-Flazx. Scrophularia 302. nodosa, L.; Figwort. Pentstemon 303. grandiflorus, Fraser; Beard-tongue. Mimulus 304. ringens, L.; Monkey-flower. 305. Jamesii, Torr.; Monkey-flower. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 105 Gratiola 306, Virginiana, L.; Hedge-Hyssop, Veronica 307. Virginica, L.; Culver’s-root. 308. Americana, Schwein; American Brooklime. Gerardia 309. purpurea, L.; Purple Gerardia. 310. aspera, Dougl.; Gerardia. 311. pedicularia, L.; Gerardia. Castilleia 312. coccinea, Spreng.; Scarlet Painted-Cup. 315. sessiliflora, Pursh.; Painted-Cup. Pedicularis 314. Canadensis, L.; Common Lousewort. VERBENACEA. (VERVAIN FaAMILy.) Verbena 315. angustifolia, Michx.; Vervain. 316. hastata, L.; Blue Vervain. 317. urticifolia, L.; White Vervain. 318. stricta, Vent.; Hoary Vervain. 319. bracteosa, Michx.; Vervain. Phyrma 320. Leptostachya, L ; Lopseed. LABIATA. (Mint Famity.) Teucrium 321. Canadense, L.; Wood Sage. Mentha 322. Canadensis, L.; Wild Mint. Lycopus 323. Virginicus, L.; Bugle-weed. 324. EKuropens, L.; var sinuatus, Gr.; Water Horehound. Pycnanthemum 3825. lanceclatum, Pursh.; Mountain Mint. 106 ANNUAL REPORT. Hedeoma 326. pulegioides, Peus., American Pennyroyal. 327. hispida, Pursh.: Mock Pennyroyal. Monarda 398. fistulosa, L.; Wild Bergamot. 329. punctata, L.; Horse-Mint. Lophanthus 330. scrophularizefolius, Benth.; Giant Hyssop. Nepeta 331. Cataria, L.; Catnip. 332. Glechoma, Benth.; Ground Ivy. Physostegia 333. Virginiana, Benth.; False Dragon-head. Scutellaria 334. parvula Michx.; Scullcap. 335. galericulata, L.; Seudleap. 336. lateriflora, L.; Mad-dog Scullcap. Stachys 337. palustris, L.; Hedge-Nettle. Leonurus 338. Cardiaca, L.; Motherwort. *BORRAGINACEAL. (BoraGE FaMILy.) Lithospermum 339. hirtum, Lehm.; Hairy Puccoon. 340. canescens, Lehm.; Hoary Puccoon. 341. longiflorum, Spreng.; Long-flowered Puccoon. Echinospermum 342. Lappula, Lehm.; Stickseed. 343. Redowskii, Lehm.; Stickseed. Cynoglossum 344. officinale, L ; Hounds- Tongue. HYDROPHYLLACE. (WATERLEAF FAMILY.) Hydrophyllum 345. Virginicum. L ; Waterleaf. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 107 Ellisia 346. Nyctelea, L.; Ellisia. POLEMONIACE. (PoLEMoNIUM Fam y.) Polemonium 347. reptans, L.; Greek Valerian. Phlox 348. divaricata, L.; Phlox. 349. pilosa, L.; Phlox. CONVOLVULACE. (ConvoLvuLus FamMIty.) Calystegia 350. sepium, R. Br.; Hedge Bineweed. 001, spithamea, Pursh.; Bracted Bineweed. Cuscuta .392. Gronovii, Willd.; Dodder. 353. glomerata, Chois.; Dodder. SOLANACEA. (NrigHTSHADE F AMILy.) Solanum 304. nigrum, L,. Common Nightshade. Physalis doo. Philadelphica, Lam.; Ground Cherry. 306. viscosa, L.; Ground Cherry. 397, Pennsylvanica, L., var. lanceolata, Gr.; Ground Cherry. Datura 308. Tatula, L.; Purple Thorn-Apple. GENTIANACE. (GENTIAN FAMILY, ) Gentiana 359. quinqueflora, Lam.; Five-flowered Gentian. 360. crinita, Froel.; Fringed Gentian. 361. detonsa, Fries.; Smaller Fringed Gentian. 108 ANNUAL REPORT. 862. alba, Muhl.; Whitish Gentian. 363. Andrewsiil, Griseb.; Closed Gentian. 364. puberula, Michx.; Blue Gentian. APOCYNACEA. , (DoGBANE FAMILY.) Apocynum 365. cannabinum, L.; Indian Hemp. 5€6. andrcsemifolium, L.; Spreading Dogbane. ASCLEPIADACE. (MILKWEED F Amity.) Asclepias 367. Cornuti, Decaisne; Common Milkweed. 368. ovalifolia, Decaisne; Milkweed. 369. phytolaccoides, Prush.; Poke Milkweed. 370. purpurascens, L.; Purple Milkweed. 571. incarnata, L.; Swamp Milkweed. 372. tuberosa, L.; Butterfly weed. Acerates 373. viridiflora, Ell.; Green Milkweed. OLEACEZ. (OLIVE Fatty.) Fraxinus 374. Americana, L.; White Ash. 375. pubescens, Lam.; Red Ash. 376. sambucifolia, Lam.; Black Ash. ARISTOLOCHIACE. (BrrTHWoORT FaAMILy.) Asarum 377. Canadense, L.; Wild Ginger. Aristolochia e 378. Sipho, L’Her.; Pipe- Vine. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 109 NYCTAGINACEA. (Four-o’cLock FaAmMItLy.) Oxybaphus 379. nyctagineus, Sweet; Oxybaphus.” CHENOPODIACE. (GoosEFooT FamIty.) Chenopodium 380. album, L.; Pigweed. 381, hybridum, L.; Maple-leaved Goosefoot. AMARANTACE. (AMARANTH FamIty.) Amarantus 382. retroflexcus, L.; Amaranth. 383, albus, L.; White Amaranth. POLYGONACEZ. (BucKkWHEaT FAMILy.) Polygonum 384. acre H. B. K.; Water Smartweed. 380. amphibium, L., var. aquaticum, Willd.; Water Persicaria. 386. aviculare, L.; Anotgrass. 387. aviculare, L., var. erectum, Roth.; Knotgrass. 388 dumetorum, L.; Climbing False Buckwheat, 389. Hydropiper, L.; Common Smartweed. 390. orientale, L.; Prince's Feather. 391. lapathifolium, Ait.; Smartweed. 392. incarnatum, Ell.; Knotweed. 393. Persicaria, L.; Lady’s Thumb. 394, tenne, Michx.; Knotweed. Rumex 395. orbiculatus, Gray.; Great Watcr Dock. 396. Britannica, L-; Pale Dock. 397 ~=crispus, L.; Curled Dock. 398. Acetosella, L.; Sheep Sorrel. 110 ANNUAL REPORT. ELAEAGN ACEAi. (OLEASTER FAMILY ) Shepherdia 399. Canadensis, Nuti.; Canadian Sheperdia. SANTALACEA. (SANDALWOOD FAMILY.) Comandra 400. umbellata, Nutt.; Bastard Toad-Flax. EUPHORBIACEX. (SpurGE FAmILy.) Euphorbia 401. polygonifolia, L.; Shore Spurge. 402. corollata, L.; Flowering Spurge. 403. Cyparissias, L.; Garden Spurge 404. heterophylla L.; Spurge. 405. hypericifolia, L.; Spurge. 406. maculata, L.; Spurge. Acalypha 407. Virginiac, I.; Three-seeded Mercury. URTICACE. (NerTLe Fatty.) Ulmus 408. fulva, Mich.; Slippery Elm. 409. Americana, L.; White Elm. 410. racemosa, Thomas; Rock Elm. Celtis 411. occidentalis, L.; Sugarberry. Urtica 412. gracilis. Aiton.; Nettle. 413. dioica, L.; Stinging Nettle. Laportea 414. Canadensis, Gaudich; Wood- Nettle. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Cannabis 415. sativa, L.; Hemp. Humulus 416, Lupulus, L.; Hop. JUGLANDACEA. (WaLNuT FamIty.,) Juglaus 417. nigra, L.; Black Walnut. 418. cinerea, L.; Butzernut. CUPULIFERA. (Oak FAMILy.) Quercus 419, alba, L.; White Oak. 420. coccinea, Wang, var. tinctoria, Gray; Black Oak. 421. macrocarpa, Michx.; Bur Oak. 422. rubra, L.; Red Oak. Corylus 423. Americana, Walt.; Hazle-nut Ostrya 424. Virginica, Willd; Iron Wood. Carpinus 425. Americana, Michx.; Water Beech. BETULACEA. (Brrcu Famity.) Betula 426. papyracea, Ait.; Canoe Birch 427. pumila, L.; Low Bireh. Alnus 428. incana, Willd.; Speckled or Hoary Alder. SALICACH A. (WitLow FAmIty.) Salix 429. cordata, Muhl.; Heart-leaved Willow. 111 112 ANNUAL REPORT. 430. humilis, Marshall.; Prairie Willow. 431. lucida, Muhl.; Shining Willow. Populus 432, tremuloides, Michx.; American Aspen. 433. monilifera, Ait,; Cotton-wood. CONIFER. (Pine FAMILY.) Pinus 434. Strobus, L.; White Pine. j Juniperus 435. Virginiana L,; Red Cedar. ARACAL. (AruM FAMILY.) Ariseema 436. triphyllum, Torr.; Indian Turnip. 437. Dracontium, Schott.; Green Dragon. Calla 438. palustris, L.; .Water Arum. Symplocarpus 439. foetidus, Salisb.; Skunk Cabbage. Acorus 440. Calamus, L.; Sweet-Flag. TYPHACEA. (Car-TaIL FAMILY.) 441 latifolia, L.; Common Cat-tail. Sparganium 442. Simplex, Huds.; Bur-reed. NAIADACE A, (PonDWEED FaMILy.-) Potamogeton 443. amplifolius, Tuck.; Pondweed. STATE FORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Das 444, natans, L.; Pondweed. 445. pauciflorus, Pursh,; Pondweed. ALISMACE. (WatTER-PLANTAIN FAMILY.) Alisma 446. Plantago, L,, var. Americanum, Gr.; Water Plantain. Sagittaria 447, variabilis, Engelm.; Av row-head. ORCHIDACEZ. (OrcHIs FAMILY.) Spiranthes 448 gracilis, Big.; Ladies’ Tresses. Calopogon 449. pulchellus, R. Br.; Grass Pink. Cypripedium 450, candidum, Muhl., Small White Lady’s Slipper. 451. parviflorum, Salisb.; Smaller Yellow Lady’s Slipper. 452. pubescens, Wild.; Larger Yellow Lady’s Slipper. 453. spectabile, Swartz.; Showy Lady’s Slipper. AMARYLLIDACE. (AMARYLLIS FAMILY, ) Hypoxis 454. erecta, L.; Star-Grass. IRIDACE A. (Ints FamIny.) Iris 455. versicolor, L.; Larger Blue Flag. Sisyrinchium 456. Bermudiana, L.; Blue-eyed Grass. 8 114 ANNUAL REPORT. DIOSCOREACEA. (YaM FamIcy.) Dioscorea 457. villosa, L.; Wild Yam-root. SMILACEA. (Sminax FAMILY.) Smilax 458. rotundifolia, L.; Common Greenbriar. LILICE.. (Lity Famity.) Trillium 459, grandiflorum, Salisb.; Wake- Robin. 460, erectum, var. declinatum, Gr.; Birthroot. 461. cernuum, L.; Nodding Trillium. 462. nivale, Riddell; Dwarf White Trillium. Zygadenus 463. gilaucas, Nutt.; Zygadene. Uvularia 464. grandiflora, Smit1; Bellwort. Smilacina 465. racemosa, Desf.; False Spikenard. 466. stellata, Desf.; False Solomon's Seal. 467. bifolia, Ker.; Z'wo-leaved,Solomon’s Seal. Polygonatum 468. biflorum, Ell.; Smaller Solomon’s Seal. 469. giganteum, Dietrich; Great Solomon’s Seal. Asparagus 470, officinalis, L.; Garden Asparagus. Lilium 471. Philadelphicum, L.; Wild Red Lily. 472. superbum, L.; Turk’s-Cap Lily. Allium 473, stellatum, Nutt.; Wild Garlie. 474, Canadense, Kalm.; Wild Garlic. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 115 JUNCACEA. (Rusa Famity ) Lazula 475, pilosa, Willd.; Wood Rush. 476. campestris, DC.; Wood Rush. Juncus 477. filiformis, L.; Bog Rush. 478. effusus, L,; Soft Rush. 479. nodosus, L.; Bog Rush. 480. pelocarpus, E. Meyer; Bog Rush. 481. tenuis, Willd.; Bog Rush. PONTEDERIACE A. (PICKEREL-WEED FAMILY.) Pontederia 482. cordata, L.; Pickerel-weed. COMMELY NACE. (SprIpERWORT FAmIty.) Tradescantia 483. Virginica, L.; Common Spiderwort. EQUISETACHA., (HorsEerAtL Famtny.) 484. arvense, L.; Common Horsetail. 485. sylvaticum, L.; Wood Horsetail. 486. hyemale, L.; Scowring Rush. FILICES (FERNS.) Polypodium 487. vulgare, L.; Polypody. Pellea 488. gracilis, Hook; Cliff Brake. 489. atropurpurea, Link.; Cliff Brake. 116 ANNUAL REPORT. Pteris 490. aquilina, L ; Common Brake Adiantum 491. pedatum, L.; Maiden hair. Camptosorus 492. rhizophyllus, Link.; Walking Leaf. Asplenium 493. thelypteroides, Michx.; Spleenwort. 494. Filix-foemina, Bernh.; Lady-Fern. Aspidium 495. Thelypteris, Swz.; Weod Fern. 496. Noveboracense, Swz.; Shield Fern. Struthiopteris 497. Germanica, Willd.; Ostrich Fern. Cystopteris 498. fragilis, Bernh.; Bladder Fern. 499. bulbifera, Bernh.; Bladder Fern. Woodsia 500. obtusa Torr.; Woodsia. Dicksoina 501. punctilobula, Kunze.; Dicksonia. Osmunda 502. Claytoniana, L.; Flowering Fern. 503. cimnamomea, L.; Cinnamon Fern. Botrychium 504. ternatum, Swz.; Moonwort. This catologue contains the herbs, shrubs and trees of Lake Pepin Valley as far asI know them. The two large families of Grasses and Sedges are omitted, simply because I am not sufficiently familiar with them to make alist. There are doubtless many mistakes and omissions, but I have done the best I can, with my present knowledge, and therefore make no apology. SARA MANNING, Lake City, Minnesota. ——— STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 117 DISCUSSION ON MISS MANNING’S PAPER. At the conclusion of the reading of this paper, Mr. J. C. Plumb, of Wisconsin, arose and said: Mr. President: I have listened with so much interest and admiration to the reading of tke paper we have just heard, that I wish to congratulate your society upon having taken up such a subject and made so good a beginning in the treatment of it. The paper is commendable from several points of view. First, it shows a practical acquaintance with the abundant flora of the region, as well as an intelligent and a novel arrangement in the order of presentation, based upon the habitat of the native plants. Commencing with the lowest valley and ascending to the summit of the bluffs, or passing from prairie to woodland, and from bench to swale, the writer finds and describes to us at each step a new variety or species. Second, it is an illus- tration of the prevalence of natural selection or adaptation in plant life to certain soils and aspects; and a valuable lesson in horticult- ure was that where she found the most delicate plants upon the northern slope of the bluffs. I hope your society will encourage such valuable efforts in this work of exploring the natural treas- ures of horticulture which abound in the northwest. It is a neg- lected field, and yet one in which there should be many such workers, as the writer of this paper ; and not only is the field of botany open, but in entomology and ornithology, in both scientific and economic relations, is there a similar need of careful study in the west, and they, with botany, are especially adapted to the ca- pacity and nature of our yeung women. Mr. McHenry. I wish to inquire of Miss Manning whether she has ever found the trailing arbutus in the Lake Pepin Valley. Miss Manning. I have never met it near Lake City. If found in our part of the state it must be very rare. Mr. Golden. I have seen it near Plainview, in Wabasha county, where I live. Mr. Porter and other members spoke in terms of high apprecia- tion of the paper. 118 ANNUAL REPORT. Mr. Emery. Mr. President: In order to express what this dis- cussion shows to be the general sentiment of the society, I move that a vote of thanks be tendered to Miss Manning for her valu- able paper ; that she be declared an honorary life member, and that we request her to continue her contributions in botany for the benefit of our future meetings and for publication in the annual reports. The motion being seconded, was adopted by a unanimous vote. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 119 MORNING SESSION. Second day, Wednesday, January 16th. The discussion of the paper of Mr. Sias, read last evening, being first in order, Col. Robertson, said : Mr. President: I endorse the remarks of Mr. Sias about the value of the Cotton- wood. It is one of the poplars, which derive their general name from the fact that they are the people’s trees; easily grown, thrifty, adapted to many climates, soils, situations and aspects ; hence popuiar. The only objection to it as a street tree is its cot- ton, which is often complained of as a nuisance in houses and about the walks. To avoid this cotton where it is objectionable, we have only to select cuttings from the male trees, as it is the female trees which bear the cotton. When the trees are in bloom the males ean be distinguished by the absence of the cotton and marked. Mr. Sias. I am glad to be reinforced by Col. Robertson in my estimate of the value of the Cottonwood. I agree to what he says about avoiding the cotton for street trees, by selecting cuttings from the males ; but for general purposes of forests and wind- breaks, the cotton is nature’s provision for distribution of the seeds, They rise upon the winds and are floated and born about for long distances and over vast tracts of country, falling and germinating oftentimes where most needed and where otherwise they would not be found. For this reason I say let the cotton fly till the tornadoes quit. - F Secretary Gibbs. While the cottonwood is undoubtedly adapted to any part of Minnesota, our reports are looked to as authority in tree culture for vast districts to the Northwest of us, and we 120 ANNUAL REPORT. must be careful and not mislead our friends anywhere. It was my good fortune to be one of a number of members of the Ameri- can Forestry Congress who went out on the Northern Pacific Rail- road last August as far west as Mandan, on the Missouri river, opposite Bismarck, and I found that it was the opinion of the scien- tific foresters in that company, frequently expressed from day to day as we journeyed along, that the cottonwood would not endure the dry climate of Western Dakota; that after you pass out of the alluvial soils of the Red River district, closing westerly with the Cheyenne Valley, this tree must necessarily be short-lived except along the low margins of streams. Its natural limit of life being from ten to fifteen years in the dry regions, and apt to be shorter unless sustained by excessive irrigation. On our arrival at Bismarck we found astriking proof of this con- clusion of science. On the farm of Mr. Jackman, at Bismarck, in a basin of one of the Missouri benches (the situation being the most favorable of any outside of the Missouri levels themselves. where water is deposited by the floods,) we found a plant of cotton- woods some twelve years of age, surrounding a three-acre garden, and were informed by the proprietor that they had been kept alive at an expense of eleven hundred dollars for hauling water to them from the Missouri. In the line of these trees as they passed around the garden were. some elevations and de- pressions, and most of the trees on the elevations had begun to die from the tops down, evidently for the want of suf- ‘ ffiicent moisture in the ground and in the air to sustain them at their present age. The total precipitation, rain and snow, in that region is only about twelve inches annually, as against 30 to 40 in Minnesota, and it is perhaps safe to suspect, at least, that, in such aridity, the cottonwood is not the tree that will be profitable. I would prefer not to give any names, but leave the scientists of that party to speak for themselves; but as the railroads have been spending large sums of money in cottonwood planting on these dry western plains, and the people are following their ex- ample, attention should be directed to this question of adaptation in forestry with the view of ascertaining if we kave any really valuable tree that will grow to maturity there, away from the river bottoms. Prof. Budd claims that the Russian form of the white poplar (Populus Alba) or silver-leafed poplar, has this adaptation, and, besides, that the tree is upright in growth like our American white pine, does not sucker like our American white poplar, and that its wood is of such a nature as to make it almost as valuable as the white pine for STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 191 manufacturing and all the purposes of timber. It is said by Prof, Bessey, as I have been informed, that its adaptation to arid regions comes, like that of a large class of other plants and trees of like adaptation, from its peculiar cell structure, which has a cap on its upper surface, closing in dry periods when necessary and resisting loss of moisture by evaporation. The box elder, or ash-leaved maple, is also thought by many to be adapted to regions too dry for the cottonwood. What has misled our people about the adaptation of the cottonwood is that it grows almost anywhere while it is young. NATIVE PLUMS. By O, M. Lorp, or Minnesota Crry, No wild fruit is more widely or abundantly distributed in this country than the plum. Along the margins of all the streams, and in almostevery locality of moist land not subject to annual fires, groves of them abound, which produce in some years large quan- tities of excellent fruit. No wild fruit more readily responds to cultivation, in producing quantity and improvement in quality, and I would invite increased attention to its merits on the part of the State Horticultural Society, and also on the part of those who cannot give the subject of fruit culture much attention. There are hundreds of homes all over the country entirely without fruit, that might be provided with it by a small outlay of time and labor, without money, in the cultivation of native plums. President Harris says, in the last report : ‘We have some choice native varieties well worthy of propaga- tion.” I believe this statement so true, is not appreciated in full, as with one or two exceptions, these choice varieties are compara- tively unknown, or at the most have only a local celebrity, and the object of this paper is to call the attention of the society to them, that their merits may be discussed and compared, and the results disseminated, which is ashorter and better method for the masses to obtain good fruit than individual experimenting. This fruit has received from the Illinois and Iowa Societies, marked notice. 122 ANNUAL REPORT. Prof. Budd, at the Iowa Agricultural College, has a large col- lection of natives for testing, with the kinds commonly cultivated, and the opinion is prevalent among fruit men, that we must look to the natives for any great improvement upon our cultivated va- rieties which are not hardy in this latitude. Some of the blue plums have occasionally succeeded in this vicinity. Mr. Wilcox, of LaCrosse, has fruited Moore’s Arctic with some success, and Mr. B. Taylor, of Fillmore county, has had moderate success with a blue plum, from Jowa. Mr. Bollman, of Winona county, has top- worked some natives with a large blue plum, and produced several good crops. With these exceptions, I have not been able to learn that any one has been successful with the varieties usually found in the eastern and southern nurseries. So far as [am informed, the only efforts to improve the natives in this vicinity have been in selecting from the groves, and simply transplanting, without any particular system of after culture. In this county a good many trees have been transplanted without any proper selection, taking the first at hand. In almust every case this” method has proved unsatisfactory from the poor quality of the fruit. A better plan is to carefully observe the quality of the fruit as it grows naturally, and mark the trees, and afterwards at the proper season, transplant. If the trees are too large or too old, cut the roots, leaving them in the ground to sprout, and transfer the - small trees. By this means you are sure to get fruit of the same kind, while planting the seeds might produce many varieties not equal to the original. Only a few of the natives have as yet been brought into prominent notice, but there are scattered here and there a good many valuable kinds that should be more widely known. Prof. Budd, in the lowa report, mentions some natives, as worthy of cultivation. Mr. B. Taylor, of Fillmore county, has been experimenting for twenty years or more, and has produced some which he considers superior to any wild ones in market. Mr. Cottrell, of Clmstead, has one which has taken the premiums at the fairs, and is pro- nounced excellent by all who have tested it. Thelate P. A. Jewell, several years ago, found on the grounds of Mr. Brainerd, of this F county, what he considered a very superior variety which he propagated and named Brainerd’s Best. Of those which are known to be adapted to general cultivation, the Desoto heads the list. The Forest Garden is quite prominent. The Weaver is successful, and some of the Chickasaw varieties in some locations do very well, but there are many others compara- STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 123 tively unknown, that in quality and desirability compare favorably with any of those mentioned, and if they could be brought into notice by propagation, would be considered valuable additions to our list of fruits. A prominent fruit dealer of Winona informs me that he has frequently received some of our natives, that in quality were su- perior in every respect to many of the old kinds that were offered in the market, not excepting the little damson, nor the far-famed Californias. | By far the larger part of our natives do not differ materially in character; I believe the species in America is limited to three: the sand or beach plum of the Atlantic coast, the chickasaws of the Gulf States and our common wild plum. This latter is too well known to need description here; but there are a few points that need to be borne in mind in making selections for improvement. As arule, this species has a thick acrid skin, which in cooking has a tendency to dry up and toughen; a soft, juicy pulp, which spoils in carrying, and an acrid taste about the seed, that imparts often a disagreeable flavor. Whenever a native can be found with a skin that is thin and tasteless, which disappears in cooking, with a pulp fleshy instead of juicy, and with the seed small and free, we may be sure of something worth propagating. Prof. Budd says the Speer plum possesses the first of these qualities, and is excellent for cook- ing. Mr Taylor has secured among his, one with the second, a fleshy pulp with a rich peachy flavor, of large size, bears carrying well, and valuable for table use. Mr. Cottrell’s plum, and some others growing in this and adjoining counties, possess very nearly all these desirable qualities. They are also from one to three weeks earlier than the Desoto, but do not appeer so fine in the market. They have, however, one quality which makes them for canning superior ; when mature the skin slips off easily, leaving the pulp firm and shapely. As in the cultivation of all fruit there are some difficulties to encounter, it may be well to mention some of the most common to the plum. The curculio is probably the greatest; the black knot is next, and there is a tendency of all wild ones to rot on the tree when brought into cultivation. Probably no good plum will be found to be cureculio proof. Nature beats them with numbers of trees and quantity of fruit. This may be a hint tous ; but the journals have thoroughly dis- cussed this part of the subject, and have attempted to point ou 124 ANNUAL REPORT. remedies. The black knot when it attacks is very destructive. A writer in one of the prominent New England journals claims that it is occasioned by poverty of soil, and poor cultivation. This is a mistake, as natural groves of thrifty wild ones are frequently en- tirely killed by it. The only safety lies in carefully cutting out and burning every appearance of it, by which means it can be prevented from doing any harm. In regard to rotting on the tree, it is found that some varieties are much more liable than others, but close pruning of the tree and thinning of the fruit are the most effectual remedies. As an offset to these difficulties in growing the trees, its advantages are that it is tenacious of life, and adapted to all our soils, whether on the stiff clays of the high lands or on the light sands of the river bottoms; it withstands our hardest winters, being perfectly hardy, and is as prolific as any tree that bears fruit. It is also easily pro- pagated, either by budding, any manner of grafting, growing from pieces of the root, or planting the seed. DISCUSSION OF MR. LORD'S PAPER. Mr. Emery. Does the curculio spoil the plum when it fails to puncture the pit ? Mr. Golden. Yes. I find a small black spot where the insect simply pierces the skin. It there deposits the egg, and if the larve is strong enough, it makes its way in and destroys the plum. Mr. Emery. I think the egg is deposited usually within two weeks after the appearance of the bloom, but if the pit is not punctured, the egg dies, the wound heals up, the plum, though somewhat injured, grows on to maturity. This is my conclusion after considerable observation of the plums we have growing in this state. Mr. R. Porter recommended scraping the rough bark from the trees, thus removing the hiding place of the curculio. Mr. Gideon had tried sprinkling his trees with a weak solution of coal tar and chloride of lime. Went over them three times, always repeating the operation after a rain. He found the remedy suc- cessful. Few plums and nota single peach were injured. Secretary Gibbs. The best remedy I have seen for the curculio, was pointed out to me last September by Dr. EK. Lewis Sturtevant, director of the New York Agricultural Experiment Station, at STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 125 Geneva. He took me into a little plum orchard of about thirty trees, surrounded by a high picket fence. The trees were then loaded with fruit, only about three per cent. of which showed any injury from the “Little Turk” or any other insects. A dozen hens were kept confined there, and their natural desire and necessity for animal food, held them close enough to the insect bill of fare to reduce the loss of fruit to a very moderate limit. Outside this en- closure were a few plum trees belonging to the same orchard, whose fruit was entirely ruined by the curculio. Mr. Gideon. The hens have the range of our plum orchard, and the trees are full of curculios. The Secretary. Are the hens confined there ? Mr. Gideon. No. The Secretary. That tells the story. They are not obliged to eat curculio, for they can find animal food that they like better, You can compel hens to eat potato bugs by confinement, and when the appetite is created, they will eat them voluntarily, as some of our human folks will tobacco. Mr. Emery. Does the benefit from hens go over to next year ? Secretary Gibbs. In a measure doubtless, as the hens take them mostly in the chrysalis state. Mr. Gideon. There is a native blue plum in the Lake Minne- tonka district, similar to the damson, and I have heard of another native at Lake Osakis that is said to be as large as a hen’s egg. Mr. Whipple. I am well acquainted with the wild fruit of Lake Osakis. It is no larger than we have at Lake Minnetonka. I have been experimenting with the hen and insect question for ten years. Confining the hens compels them to destroy the insects. From a clump of plum trees near my house, where the hens have their promenade, we get plenty of fruit, when other trees not so protected, yield none. Secretary Gibbs. We are continually receiving accounts of new and desirable fruit in various parts of the state, but as yet the so- ciety has failed to utilize this information. I am convinced that the only way to do it, is to have some one authorized to search these things out, and if promising, to pack and distribute cions. Mr. Gideon. I think an agent should be sent out for this pur- pose. Truman M. Smith. Mr. Lord sent me a box of his plums, and [ think they were the best native plums I ever saw.* *NOTE BY THE SECRETARY.—Siuce this meeting I have visited Mr. Lord and examined his trees, and would recommend applications to him for cions for grafting on common wild plum trees. This may get me into trouble with Mr. Lord, but I trust he will overcome his modesty and sell the cions. 126 ANNUAL REPORT. Secretary Gibbs. Elisha Hale, of Lansing, Iowa, gives this ac- count of the DeSoto plum. He has handled more of them and seen more of the fruit than any other man—in fact was the first to give it a wide introduction : ‘My experience with it dates back 20 years and over. The tree is perfectly hardy—have never seen a twig killed by frost. The tree is a good grower, a prolific bearer, the fruit large, and of fine quality. Plums 1£ inch in diameter are not uncommon. The only fault I have to find with the tree is an inclination to overbear and break down or else give inferior fruit. The fruit buds and blos- soms are hardy. In 1883 I did not get a crop of plums, but some of my neighbors got a fine crop that year. Trees only 5 or 6 feet in height frequently bear the year they are set out—DeSoto trees bear much earlier than the Miner. As to their bearing eyery year, I can say that the trees frequently bear 3 or 4 years in succession. The trees in my lot in Lansing were planted in the spring of ’64, and have borne about 14 good crops. The DeSoto does not make as large a tree as the Miner, but when full grown covers about 20 feet, or 10 feet each way. A grafted DeSoto bears quicker than one from a sprout or sucker. But from my experience I prefer this tree on its own roots. But it absolutely will not grow from root cuttings like the Miner. The fruit is destroyed more or less by curculio. But it does not rot from the puncture of the insect like some thin-skinned tame plums. Many will mature and make fine plums, even when cut in several places, The fruit ripens about the last week in August, continuing from first to last about 8 days.” C. Barnard, of Waukon, in the same county, writes to F. K. Phenix: “ The DeSoto plum is the best we have tried. We got it in ’66 from the original tree near DeSoto, Wisconsin. We named it, and were the first to graft it. It is fully the size of the Miner or larger, more round in shape; color, yellowish red, good for eat- ing Or cooking. The tree is hardy and productive. Mr. Gould’s paper on blight being called for was read by the author, and was as follows: STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 127 FIRE BLIGHT IN FRUIT TREES. By F. G. Gouyp, or Excetstor, MINN. The disease in fruit trees known as fire blight first developed in this region about twelve years ago. It is a contagious disease; for when it once gets into a orchard itis liable to spread into every tree. Sometimes it drops into a nursery of young trees and destroys every one for rods around. In the eastern and middle states this disease is known by the name of Pear Blight. Its ravages are found at intervals all the way from Maine to Dakota, and from Minneapolis to Texas. When it first came to this region, its course was from east to west; we heard from it in Wisconsin before it reached here ; it then took five or six years for it to travel to Meeker county, fifty miles west of this point. Only for this scourge every family living on a farm in Minnesota could have a supply of apples at least of the rich and fruitful Transcendant crab. It was believed by many at first to be the effect of some peculiar- ity in the weather or the electricity in thunderstorms, and by others it was thought to be the work of insects, but now, I think, we may as well settle down to the conclusion that blight perpetu- ates itself by the transmission of its virus in the atmosphere being blown about by the winds. Unfavorable conditions of the weather or excessive fertilization puts a tree in condition to take the blight on the same principle that yellow fever, small-pox and cholera are most destructive in communities whose vital forces have been weakened by unfa- vorable svrroundings, habit or diet. It is a well-known fact that some varieties or families of trees are much more subject to blight than others; in fact, it usually, if not always, begins in the crab trees or their relatives, and then Spreads to others standing near, which perhaps are less sus- ceptible, and never would have blighted except for the infection or virus from the blighting crabs which overpowered them. From the best information at hand, this disease was imported from Russia, being first brought to Russia from China, or, perbaps, was brought direct from China to this country. Many remedies have been recommended. The best, in my opinion, is lime applied 128 ANNUAL REPORT. to the trunks and branches of trees in the form of whitewash; and, in my observation, where this has been done they rarely, if ever, blight. In conclusion. I wiil say that we may reasonably hope to see the end of this scourge by-and-by, on the general principle that epi- demics and various other evils spend their force in time and depart. However, this may be, we have another faith to hang our hopes. upon—the belief that the steppes of Russia will furnish us a race of trees, both of the apple and the pear, with constitutions robust enough to resist the ravages of blight and the great extremes of our climate. BLIGHT. By M. Prarce, or MinnEapomis, Minn. In all my experience with rust on wheat and blight on fruit trees, unless the straw, new wood or portions of the leaves were ruptured, no serious harm occurs; or in other words, where there is no rupturing, blight will not exist. The question then arises, what causes the rupturing of the bark on the new wood and also portions of the leaves ? On philosophic principles, we must come to the conclusion it is the result of a rapid or spasmodic growth, caused by excessive-heat and moisture at the roots of the trees, which can be overcome by keeping the soil over the roots of the trees covered with loose mulching four or five inches deep, as far out as the roots extend. I use corn stalks, marsh hay, bean straw, potato vines, or anything of the kindI have on hand. This will give a constant, even and healthy growth, and the trees will never blight if the application is made in the fall or early in the spring ; no, not even the Trans- sendents, which of all trees are the most subject to blight. Mulch- ing is recommended by all scientific writers and close-observing fruit growers. I do not wish it understood that rupturing pro- duces blight, far from that, but it paves the way for something that does, of which we will write. Among the lowest limits of the vegetable kingdom exists a very low order of vegetable life known as Bacteria, so extremely small that it requires a microscope that will give from one to two thousand diameters to bring it to view. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 129 It is supposed to contain as many varieties as the visible kingdon that grows from the soil and possesses as many different qualities. It produces spores or seeds so rapidly that no numbers can express them. The air and water contain millions of these spores or germs to the square inch; every plant and tree is covered with them. Thousands are taken in at every breath, and as many more are taken into the stomach and intestines every time we swallow. The mouth of every animal is literally full of them. The scientific world are at present, and have been for years, studying the nature of those germs. Several have been minutely described and named, and also what disease they are supposed to produce. One specie known as micrococci is supposed by some to produce diphtheria. An other specie Bacillus tuberculosis are very numerous in consumption. Microbe of hydrophobia is supposed to produce that disease. The ‘germ Bacterium is supposed to produce the blight on fruit trees, and others the rust on wheat, and so on. Those germs have never been known to attack healthy tissue, but are found in endless numbers on sores, ulcers, putrid flesh in all diseased or dead matter. [fit was the nature of those germs to subsist on healthy plants and vegetables and healthy animal life, no living visible thing could exist. It is only on sick or dead matter that they multiply and subsist. Now when we apply a specie of those germs as the cause of blight, the evidence is very strong that they are the direct cause. The moment the bark bursts and the sap oozes out, it is filled with millions of those spores, and the virus at once poisons the sap, and death ensues as far as the poison sap extends. Cutting off the blighted portions of the tree is of no benefit un- less the wound is at once saturated with carbolic acid, or made air-tight with some kind of wax. Mr. Gideon. Mr. President, while this subject of blight is before the Society I will add one more paper to these already read. The President. Very well, we will also hear Mr. Gideon’s paper before proceeding with the discussion. Mr. Gideon then read his paper: BLIGHT, ITS CAUSE AND CURE. 1 wish you a happy and prosperous meeting, and that great goo may come of it, by your developing facts, that the light will so shine that the world may see and embrace the truth, until igno- 9 130 ANNUAL REPORT. rance and want are seen and felt no more, and to that end I will add a few thoughts on the subject of blight—the cause and the remedy. That blight is a malady that floats in the atmosphere is a well- defined fact in its freaks with us, and runs in atmospheric currents, sometimes only a few feet in width, and at other times in a great wave as it were miles in width, bat like a tornado, the greatest ruin at its center. For years we have noted its freaks, and perhaps no one fruit grower has had more of it on his grounds thau we, more or less, each season for the last 12 years; but the greatest ruin done was in the month of June, 1881, when over a thousand bearing trees were killed dead, and twice as many more badly damaged, their death being only a matter of time, for when the blight strikes on the body of a tree it is death sooner or later. Certain it is a great calamity close akin to the cholera, of which it is a pathfinder now on its third tour around the world, twice followed by the cholera and the cholera again on its track, with a power to expand that no quarantine can long hold in check. Cholera once in motion, like tree blight, is bound to travel wherever it can find congenial food to feed upon, which is debauchery, poverty, and filth; for it was those ingredients that set it in motion, and in quest of that food it travels; but when in motion the more pure and cleanly often fall a prey to it just as they should, as a punishment of the world at large for allowing the oppression that set the calamity in motion. That it was British oppression in India that set cholera in motion, I presume there is no question Then such a high tariff was put on salt that the poor could not buy it, not even allowed to use sea water, and the result a raging dysentery, which at last took the form of cholera, and swept over the world in the trail of the blight. The barometer shows storms to have an atmospheric path-finder, a current that goes before and opens the way, or in other words lays the track for the storm to travel on. And that cholera floats in the atmosphere no one questions; and is in reality an epidemic storm, though not upturning trees and houses like a tornado of wind, yet its destruction of human life is none the less fearful, and came out of Asia preceded by tree blight and the epizootic—the pathfinders—the warnings of worse to follow, and to guard against the one is to guard against the other—remove the cause that set them in motion. No remedy, nor quarantine yet tried can ward off or stay their ownward march nor ever can so long as there is congenial food ahead to tempt onward. To stop the onward march of these maladies, is STATE HORTIOULTURAL SOCIETY. 1St to cut short the monopolies—feed the hungry and clothe the maked — make free air and water, give to each enough land to produce the needed comforts of life and no one allowed to hold more. The God of creation gave the earth a free gift to man, and made a curse to follow him who usurped more than his share, as well as to him who suffered himself to be robbed of his natural ‘dues. And in their wake war, pestilence and death are ever sure to follow, in which all classes suffer. That the mind of man controls the elements, facts are too numer- ous to admit of a question, for when any great excitement sways any considerable portion of earth’s people, the elements take form, as is often noticeable about the time of exciting presidential elections, and when Washington’s army lay at Valley Forge was had the coldest winter known in America up to that date, and not repeated until Charlestown was besieged during the rebellion; and when Charles Twelfth invaded Russia they had the hardest winter up to that date and not repeated until the winter Bona- parte burned Moscow; and again during the great French revolu- tion of 1792-3, they had the hardest winter up to that date, and not repeated until Paris was besieged by the Germans, and so run facts in all ages and nations. And accordingly « greedy, grasping, selfish national mind will cut short the farm crop per acre, and in no great space of time turn the most fertile lands to barren wastes, Examples to the point bedot all times, and were facts well under- stood thousands of years ago, is evident from many ancient writers, who gave as warning to evil doers, if they did not relent, that all goodly things would pass from them, and that on the other hand, that peace and quiet would cause the deserts to become fertile and blossom as the rose. No doubt those ancients founded their conclusions on the data of facts, and since their day, facts to the point loom up in profusion on the four quarters of the globe. Arabia was once renowned for her fertile plains, her balmy breezes, and vast agricultural products, with a population variously esti- mated at from 40 to 100 millions, but now those plains are vast des- ert wastes swept by fearful storms, and only roamed over by bands of marauding thieves, the remnant of the well-tu-do millions, as bar- ren in mind as the sands over which they roam. But while power yet remained, their greed and self aggrandizement induced them to make conquests of other lands, and first to fall a prey to their greed were Palestine and Asia Minor, the then garden spots of the world, but now barren wastes. Yet not content, over into Egypt they went, then a nation of forty millions, now less than four 132 ANNUAL REPORT. millions of half naked brutal Arabs, and the greater part of the once fertile lands are now drifting sands. Thence onward they rode to the ruin of other well-to-do nations that lived on the south coast of the Mediterranean, now nearly the entire stretch a part of the great Sahara desert, dotted here and there by the most poverty stricken of mortal beings; rode down there after self aggrandize- ment, and following little else than war, piracy, theft and murder. The Arab’s greed made ruin at home, and ruin wherever he strode, At his tread fertile fields turned to sands, and to match his breath, balmy breezes mounted up to great desert storms, often burying or suffocating whole caravans of thousands in one drift. And of the plagues of Egypt all are familiar, and so of all other oppressed nations, all beset with plagues, and they on the increase in number and kinds, so that insects, blight, mildew or rot, is on every goodly thing we grow; and from year to year there isa falling off of crops per acre, new lands not yielding what new lands: did twenty-five years ago. In the south, the negro was made a beast of burden—sold, whipped, and driven to unpaid labor—and the result, millions of acres of once fertile lands are now worthless. And in the north the Indian is driven from lands to those of less worth, and year by year on those lands our crops grow less, with insect enemies, blight, mildew and rot on the increase—a warning that worse is ahead, that utter ruin is the reward of persistent evil doing. The history of all ages, of men and nations, proclaims trumpet-tongued, that to be prosperous, is to be at peace; that evil, like good, brings its own reward. Though justice often ap- pears to lag, the history of the past shows it is sure, that like great storms, the slower it comes the greater the shaking up when it does come. Therefore, it behooves every thinking person to ponder well the signs of the times, bearing in mind the fact that Nature and Nature’s God are one, and proclaim, though hand joined in hand, oppressors shall have a fall, and woe be to those who look calmly on oppression when that fall shall come. The nation’s foot has made one slip, and with the accumulated sins, frauds, oppressions and murders, another slip will be a crash as never seen before, and naught but a speedy change to the right. can stay the nation and banish the evils that now beset us—mo- nopolies, saloons (hell dens), wherein whisky, beer and tobacco are dealt out—a thousand fold more ruinous than insects, blight, mildew and rot combined. PETER M. GIDEON. Excelsior, Minn., Dec. 10, 1883. 0 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 133 DISCUSSION ON BLIGHT. Col. Robinson spoke on the subject, but so rapidly that the notes are unreliable. Notes from his own pen have been applied for, and may appear in the Secretary’s portfolio, He was understood tu say that Mr. Gould’s paper was correctly descriptive, and that Mr. Pearce was in the line of science as to the cause of blight. Mr. Emery did not agree with the theory that only diseased matter is attacked. He thought all rank, soft growth should be avoided. A steady, even growth he considered the most favorable. We must keep our trees from growing too fast. C. L. Smith mentioned a case where he saw severe blight on one end of a row of Transcendents that stood in good soil and showed a healthy even growth ; at the other end, with poor soil, but with heavy mulching, there was no blight. Mr. Plumb. Blight is a secondary disease, and follows a disor- ganized condition of tissue. Crab trees blight more readily than apple, on account of their more compact structure, not so readily yielding to excessive sap pressure. They winter kill less for the same reason. Our best remedy against blight is to grow our trees moderately, neither allowing them to be forced or the soil to be- come impoverished. Thin soil, plenty of air, equal temperature near large bodies of water, are favorable conditions. Grow trees in the right way, and there will not be much danger. Grow slow, with moderate culture ; don’t overfeed. Mr. Emery. What tree is least subject to blight ? Mr. Plumb. The Duchess of Oldenberg. Mr. Gideon. Everything takes the blight on my grounds. I think there is no variety of the apple that the blight wiil not touch. Sometimes my Transcendents are the most exempt. Mr. Plumb recommended the keeping of careful records of all facts appertaining to blight, temperature, storms, condition of trees of various kiads in periods of blight. He thought a knowl- edge of its causes would be thus eventually arrived at. Mr. Pearce. I am not afraid of blight. I can stop it as easily as the itch. Mr. Gould. You will get it yet. R. Porter. I thought so once. Sodid Sias. But [ have had it and so has Sias. Had it bad. It will come to Pearce yet. Mr. Sias. Would it not be profitable to make application of chemicals ? He had heard of cases where kerosene cans have been 134 ANNUAL REPORT. hung on the trees, and the blight stopped, and had himself stopped it on a Flemish Beauty pear tree by cutting off the blighted limb and binding upon the wound a cloth saturated with kerosene, C. L. Smith had known of similar results with the kerosene remedy. The remainder of the morning session was occupied by the read-- of the following communications. DOES IT PAY A FARMER TO FOOL WITH APPLE TREES IN MINNESOTA. The above question was asked me, to which I emphatically ans- wered, no; yet I think that with due care and intelligence a farmer can make it both pleasant and profitable to raise apples in Minne- sota. My opinion is based on my own experience, a part of which I will here give. Ihave in my orecnard a plat of land containing twenty-seven square rods on which stand twenty-seven apple trees. Some of them bore the first time this year, and some of them from over- bearing last season had but few scattering apples on them, yet after — supplying the wants of two families on the farm, I gathered and sold one hundred and nine and three-quarter bushels of apples, which, after paying freight, commission, etc., brought me $104.86 this being about six hundred dollars per acre for the use of the land, and one hundred times as much as my grain land netted. I shipped my crab-apples to St. Paul in sugar barrels, and received $4.09 net for them per barrel. SIDNEY CORP, Hammond, Wabasha County, Minn. A NEW AND VALUABLE GRAPE. Rosemount, Mrnn., Dec. 14, 1883. Mr. Oliver Gibbs, Jr. Dear Str: A Wild Grape has recently come under my obser- vation which is surely worthy of your notice and general cultiva- tion. It isin the door-yard of Mr, D. F. Akin, near Farmington, Minnesota. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 135 Mrs. Akin told me last week, they brought it from Duchess county, N. Y., years ago. They call it a Fox Grape; but it is not the color of the fox grapes we knew east of the Mississippi; those were like the Catawba, and large as the Muscadine of the South. This Akin grape is black, each grape large as the Concord; the clusters larger and compact. Of course it is not a table-grape, is sour, and best after frost. For cooking purposes is excellent; makes delicious sauce, jelly, jam, pies and ketchup. Then too, it is an iron-clad; (may be a Russian.) Bore bushels the past summer, even after last winter’s abominable 40 and 45 degrees! They never give it any protection; has long since outgrown its trellis and runs in luxuriant abandon over two or three adjacent trees. Yours, truly, . HORTENSE SHARE. On motion of Truman M. Smith, the reading of the report of the delegate to the American Pomological Society was made a special order for this afternoon. 136 ANNUAL REPORT. AFTERNOON SESSION. Second Day, Wednesday, Jan. 16th. The exercises were opened by music by the University Glee Club. Mr. Mendenhall, Entomologist of the Society, read the following report: ENTOMOLOGICAL NOTES FOR THE SEASON OF 1885. By R. J. MENDENHALL, OF MINNEAPOLIS. Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen : As the years roll on our State is becoming more and more densely populated by a very undesirable class of immigrants; a class which appropriates to its use literally the fruits of others’ labor, without even a civil “by your leave,” and whose operations are conducted in such a stealthy and irregular manner that the farmer and horticulturist have no redress for the disappointments and losses occasioned by it. The only law against these maraud- ers is “ lynch law,” but the rascals are more difficult to catch and more certain to reappear than were even the Younger and James boys in Missouri. It is needless to say that I refer to the annually increasing numbers of destructive insects that appear in our fields and gardens. Minnesota has her share of beetles, bugs and worms that are “ to the manor born,” not to mention the afflicting mosquito, and all its blood-thirsty kindred, but among these were very few that a — laa STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 137 showed a taste for cultivated vegetation, and for many years Min- nesota enjoyed a happy immunity from the worst species of inju- rious insects. Weeven conceived and congratulated ourselves on the idea that our cold winter and late springs would forever exclude some of these from our borders. The fallacy of this Opinion is forced upon us every year as one after another we recognize the grain and garden pests with which our sister states have long been afflicted. The ways of insects are, in this respect almost past findiug out. Entomologists are learning that it is not safe to risk their reputations on the prediction that certain latitudes are too high or too low, or certain situations too wet or too dry, to be in danger from the ravages of this or that par- ticular species. The only reliable conclusion is, that wherever wheat is grown, will be found sooner or later, the various insects that prey upon it; and so with corn, potatoes, cabbages, apples and other fruits. To this rule there are possible exceptions, but none of importance occur to my mind at this moment. Since it cannot then be denied that we are subject to this annu- ally increasing loss of farm and garden products through the depredations of these insignificant but potent foes, it is but proper to give them some attention, and that we devise and discuss plans for their extermination. And here I must repeat what [ have said before, that to fight insects intelligently and to advantage, we must be abie to recognize them in their different stages of develop- ment and be familiar with their habits. If we know the latter, we can often find them “off guard,” and can destroy them by a very small outlay of labor aud money, otherwise, while a destruct- ive species may be headed off, to some extent, “by main strength and awkwardness,” it is usually at a great expense of labor and of druggist’s supplies. I do not claim that the scientific entomologist is alone able to suggest the best measures to be taken against destructive insects, for the practical farmer or gardener, who has an observing eye and a mind capable of logical deductions, will often hit upon a better remedy than the man of cabinets and catalogues; but the methods of prevention are usually devised by the latter, and his aid is invaluable in enabling the unscientific observer to dis- tinguisli between insects whose work on grain or fruit or foliage has the same effect, but whose habits are so entirely different, that a remedy that would be effective against one, would be absolutely worthless against another. 138 ANNUAL REPORT. As an illustration of this point, it was discovered some years ago that the ravages of the canker worm on the elm trees in one of our eastern cities, might be easily prevented by encircling the trunks with shallow tin troughs filled with oil, or by the applica- tion of bandages smeared with tar or refuse molasses or any other sticky substance. The philosophy of this remedy was, that the female canker worm moth, having no wings, and coming out of the ground was obliged to crawl up the trunk of the tree to reach the twigs on which she naturally laid her eggs from which the worms were hatched. As she ascended the tree therefore, she would be obliged to cross the obstructions in her path, and would either be drowned in the oil or stuck fast on the viscid bandages; in either case she would perish without accomplishing the object of her life. This remedy had worked to satisfaction in the city referred to for some years, when the elms in another eastern city began to suffer serious defoliation. The ‘city fathers” of the latter, having no knowledge of any insect on theelm but the canker worm, put their city to considerable expense for oil troughs for the trees, and when, season after season, the ravages of the pest showed no diminution, could not conceive why a remedy that worked so well in one city should be uwbsolutely useless in another. The riddie was finally solved by an entomologist who explained that the damage done in the last mentioned case, was not the work of canker worms, but that of a leaf-feeding beetle Galeruca calmariensis, Fabr., the female of which has ample wings with which she could readily fly from the ground into the branches of the tree and that she was not in the least inconvenienced by the oil troughs that had been placed for her destruction. So again the codling moth, the apple curculio and the apple maggot, are ali destructive to the fruit of the apple, but the best methods for preventing the attacks of the first men- tioned of these insects would be of no avail against the other two. These instances show conclusively the value of a knowledge of the differing forms and habits of differing species whose disastrous work on fruit or foliage may be very similar. Iam sorry to say that the study of entomology is still in its earliest infancy among us. It is indeed surprising that this branch of natural history should have so few votaries in a region so abound- ing with striking and beautiful insect forms. It has not by any means kept pace with its sister sciences of botany and ornithology, each of which have in our city alone, quite a number of excellent workers. t STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 139 I am afraid the “ bug hunter” is yet looked upon by most of our people as a sort of haman curiosity, “ not quite right in the upper story,’ who wastes his time hunting for worms and sticking but- terflies in boxes, and is a fit subject for ridicule. In this respect I am happy to state that our horticultural society is far in advance of local, popular opinion, and has always recog- nized the importance of and encouraged the systematic study of the insects affecting the food products of the State. But though we may be able to do but little to advance this study, it has made wonderful progress in other parts of the country during the last twenty years. Such a thing as economic entomology had then scarcely been heard of, and there were probably not fifty known students of the science in the country a quarter of a century back. Now we have hundreds of enthusiastic amateur and professional entomologists and a vast array of creditable publications. And here I beg leave to mention two works that have appeared within the year that are more than ordinarily instructive. One of these is a little volume on the “Insects Injurious to the Farm and Garden,” compiled mainly from Prof. Riley’s Missouri Reports, by Mrs. Mary Treat, and published by the Orange Judd Co., of New York. It is much condensed, but is a most convenient referenve book on the subject of which it treats. The second work to which I allude is Mr. William Saunders’ “Insects Injurious to Fruits,” published by J. B. Lippencott, Philadelphia. Mr. Saunders is the editor of the Canadian Entomologist and also well known as a horticulturist of London, Ontario. His work should bein the hands of every fruit-grower and nurseryman. It is, as our appreciative secretary phrases it, one of rare excellence, with numerous clear and beau- tiful illustrations and plain and careful descriptions, by whose aid the mere novice can readily recognize the species of insects that are most destructive to his crops. The insects affecting each kind of fruit are conveniently grouped together and with each are given such remedies and preventive measures as have been thoroughly tested and found valuable. With this rather long and rambling introduction I proceed to the consideration of the species of insects that were brought to my notice during the past season, either by observation or correspon- dence. The most important of these were the chinch bug, the boll or corn worm, the cabbage butterfly, the codling moth, the apple curculio, the grapevine flea beetle, the grape berry moth, the strawberry leaf roller and the strawberry sawfly. All of these insects have often been described and are familiar pests in many 140 ANNUAL REPORT. of the States to the south and east of us, although they may some of them, be quite new te us. It will only be necessary therefore for me tu describe them in general terms and mention such dis- coveries in regard to their habits and the methods of treating them as have been recently brought out. THE CHINCH BIG. (Micropus leucopterus, Say). This ill-famed and ill-smelling bug—‘chinck bug,” as our German and Scandinavian friends call it, has already made a settlement among us in spite of our hopes and predictions that our climate would be too severe for his constitution, especially, since, according to Dr. Shimer, he is predisposed to bronchial troubles. We are not sure, indeed, that our climate will not be a help to him in that respect as it has been to so many biped invalids. However this may be, he shows the same voracious appetite for growing wheat and corn that has for years made him the most dreaded foe of the farmers of Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, and many other states. I have not as yet seen any statistics as to the amount of loss caused in this state by the chinch bug during the last season, but presime that in some sec- tions it was considerable. ‘The habits of this insect may be briefly recounted. It hibernates in straw piles, cornstalks, weeds, under boards, chips, and in rubbish of every sort, remaining dormant until the young wheat and oats are well started. It then makes its way to the roots of the grain and deposits a large number of very minute yellow eggs, from which hatch the little bugs that are at first blood red, but change to brown with a pale band across the back. ‘These pierce the wheat stalk with their little beaks and when there are hundreds on a single stalk they soon exhaust the supply of sap and the plant dies. When one plant is exhausted they crawl to another and often migrate from field to field in the same way. Unlike the insects in higher orders there is no change to inactive pupe with this species. The pup are only distin- guished frum the larve by having the rudiments of wings, and are as active and greedy in this stage as in any other. They require from five to six weeks for entire development, and as the fe- males continue to oviposit for some time, their season is extended for more than two months, and the first brood overlaps the second. A singular fact in the habits of this insect is that although the perfect individuals have large and strong wings they never fly, ex- cept at the pairing season. They always crawl from one field to STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 141 another and afford a singular spectacle when migratiag, their armies being composed of little red larvae, large brown larvae, still darker pup with wing pads and mature males and females with black bodies and white wings. The second brood appears in full force in August, and as small grain is then nearly ripe, this brood is most destructive to corn. As to remedies, nothing very new has been discovered. The careful clearing up of rubb ish, burning straw and cornstalks that harbor the insects during winter; rolling the land as late in the spring as is practicable, are among the preventive measures most highly recommended. The migrations of this insect from one field or part of a field to another are often prevented by a strip of tar poured on the ground or on boards set on edge, about one gallon of tar being used to a rod. One or two deep furrows through which a stone or bundle of brush is dragged every day to keep the soil loose will also intercept the march of the chinch bug army, and vast numbers of them will be killed by the stone and the brush. As this bug is very fond of many other grasses besides wheat and oats, many farmers practice sowing Hungarian grass, or millet, with their small grain to divert the bugs somewhat from the latter ; or they surround their fields with a border of these forage crops, on which the bugs which usually begin on one or more edges of the field, will feed until the choicer grain is sufficiently well grown to resist, in a measure, the attacks of the insect. Corn is sometimes saved in the same way by a belt of sorghum. Iam informed by our secretary that many of our farmers sow clover with wheat, as the clover keeps the surface of the soil too cool to suit the habits of the bug. If this really has the effect claimed, the discovery is a valuable one, and the knowledge of it should be widely disseminated. Prof. Forbes, State Entomologist, of Lliinois, read a very inter- esting paper before the Biological section of the American Associa- tion for the Advancement of Science in our city last summer, in which he gave an account of a disease that had swept off a large proportion of the “chinches” that appeared in the spring. This dis- ease was caused by Bacteria, and he was of the opinion that it could be widely spread by means of the germs of this Bacteria which could be multiplied to any extent in beef-tea and other infusions. This is, as yet, a mere theory, but it may lead to the discovery of a remedy. As far as this bug is concerned the farmer’s main reliance will continue to be in the occurrence of heavy rains in the fall and late 142 ANNUAL REPORT. in the spring. [n such a season the bugs are sure to be washed away and drowned in such numbers that their injuries to grain will be light, while during dry and warm springs they may be ex- pected to be more or l2ss troublesome. THE BOLL-WORM OR CORN-WoRM. ( Heliothis armigera, Hubn.) This is another insect whose powers are not ‘‘ contracted ” by any “pent up Utica.” It is in fact known all over the civilized world, and is, as a consequence of its extended range, by no means particular as to the kind of food set before it. Its appetite is not even limited to vegetable products, but it is not averse to an occa- sional meal off the pupz of other catapillars, and it has frequently been caught in the cannibalistic act of devouring the smaller larvae of its own species. In the southern states its voracity is mainly confined to corn and cotton, while in the northern states its ravages are most severe on corn and certain garden vegetables. The moth from whose eggs this omnivorous worm, or more prop- erly caterpillar, hatches, is a medium sized, plain lookiag insect with the fore wings of a pale clay-yellow, sometimes tinged with green, with markings of pale olive and dark gray. The body and underwings are dirty white, the latter with a brownish outer border. This moth appears rather late in the spring and lays its eggs scatteringly on the buds or ears of the plant it prefers. The cat- erpillars are quite variable in shade, ranging from pale green to dark brown, and are marked with a number of fine dark longitudi- nal lines on the back and a pale yellow stripe on each side. They first attack the tassels of corn, boring back and forth through the buds before they have opened, and as soon as the ears have set they feed upon them by preference, eating first the silk, then the ker- nels in the milk and continue their ravages until the corn is ripe and hard. They go from one ear to another spoiling many that they do not actually devour. They also attack beans, cucumbers, pumpkins and various other garden vegetables. I found them this summer boring into my tomatoes, injuring both the green and ripe fruit. In some parts of the country they have proved part cularly de- structive to this vegetable, robbing the market gardeners of from one-third to half the crop. As the presence of this worm is easily detected, the remedy is to go through the field or garden infested STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 1438 and gather and destroy the ears, buds or fruit in which it is work- ing. The moths may also be trapped in the spring and again in July and August by placing shallow vessels filled with vinegar and molasses among the plants to be protected. This plan is quite ex- tensively practiced in the cotton fields of the South. Turkeys will search eagerly for the worms and pick up great numbers that are about to enter the ground. Chickens also will chase and capture the moths. THE EUROPEAN CABBAGE BUTTERFLY. (Pieris rape.) As I predicted two or three years ago, this insect has invaded our gardens and cabbage fields, and during the past summer was the most serious pest with which we had tocontend. The velvety green worms, with faint pink stripes on the sides are probably too familiar to every gardener to need any further description, but it is possible that there are some who do not yet recognise them as the progeny of the clouds of white butterflies that appear two or three times during the summer, and may be seen fluttering about and often alighting on the cabbages, Every one of these which can he caught and killed, if a female, reduces the number of worms from fifty to one hundred. As the flight of these butterflies is low and slow they are very easily caught in a hand net. A great variety of preparations have been recommended for killing the worms, many of which have no value whatever. The great difficulty is to find a substance that will destroy the insects without injury to the plant. In this respect nothing has been found superior to the California Buhach or Pyrethrum powder, manufactured by Milco & Co. The only objection to this is its costliness. It may be diluted. however, with from two to five parts of flour or air slacked lime, and should always be applied in the evening, as the volatile properties of the powder are not so quickly dissipated at night as they are by the light and heat of the sun. A mixture composed of one part cayenne pepper, two parts sulphur, and three parts air-slacked lime, has been found to do good service. Kerosene emulsions are good, but should be used with care, and followed shortly by a thorough drenching with pure water. A number of formulas for the preparation of these emulsions have been given, of which the following is as good as any: Kero- sene, one pint; skimmed milk three pints; water five pints. The kerosene should be first thoroughly mixed with the milk by vigorous shaking or stirring, after which the water may be added. - This is 144 ANNUAL REPORT. one of the most reliable applications ever discovered for all kinds of bark-lice and scale insects. Small cabbage patches may be saved from destruction, by constant care and attention, but in large fields, that are raised for the city markets, it is almost impossible to fight the worms successfully. The consequence is that cabbage is very scarce in these markets and the price per head three or four times as much as it was a few yearsago. ‘There is reason to hope, however, that nature will come to the rescue of the cabbage grower before long, in the shape of parasites or some insect malady. Of the latter, there is indeed already indication. In the January number of the American Naturalist, Prof. Forbes gives an account of a disease which carried off large numbers of the latter broods of worms in Illinois, and Prof. Riley has also observed among them what he calls “black rot.” We can but hope that it will prove epidemic. THE COLORADO POTATO BEETLE. This once destructive pest has scarcely “put in an appearance” throughout the west for the last year. Kntomologists have not decided to what agencies to attribute its remarkable scarcity, but whether due to peculiarities of the season, to the multiplication of natural enemies or to the prevalence of some disease which escaped observation, its absence was a great boon to the potato grower. THE CODLING MOTH. (Carpocapsa pomonella, Linn.) The apple crop was unusually short and of poor quality through- out the northwest during the past summer, and there was great complaint of the “apple worm” by which, in ninety-nine cases out of one hundred, is meant the larva of the above named moth. No apple grower or apple eater needs an introduction to the fat, pink- ish-white larva with black or brown head, which so often takes the fairest fruit upon the tree and gives to cider a more than desir- able richness, unless the apples are assorted with the utmost care, and necessitates so much extra labor on the part of the house- keeper in preparing “apple sauce.” The parent of this worm is so shy that it is seldom recognized even by those who suffer most loss from the gnawings of its progeny. It is a small and beauti- ful species of moth of a gray color, with numerous wavy stripes of bronze crossing the wings, and a large spot of burnished bronze near the tips. It cannot be allured by lights or sweetened fluids, ve STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 145 and is seldom seen by daylight. It lays its minute yellow eggs in the blossom end of the fruit and as soon as the worm hatches, it commences to bore toward the core. The first brood of moths appears just as the apples are setting, and the second when the latter are half or two-thirds grown, and there are premature or belated individuals that keep up a constant succession. The first brood of worms seldom accomplishes more than a beneficial thin- ning out of the fruit, but the second brood is often ruinous to the crop. The remedy is therefore to trap the first brood of larve after they leave the fruit, and prevent in a measure the occurreuce of the second brood. ‘This is done by means of bandages of hay, rags or paper, which should be put around the tree about the last of May and kept on till the last of August. They should be reg- ularly examined every two weeks, and all worms or cocoons found concealed in them crushed or otherwise destroyed. Several promi- nent fruit growers have lately adopted the plan of syringing their apple trees with Paris green or London purple in water by means ofa force pump and hose with aspraying nozzle. If this isdone three or four times during the summer it is claimed that it will prevent the moths from laying their eggs. About a tablespoonful of the poison should be used to a gallon of water. In small orchards the bandage traps are a less expensive and less troublesome preventive> THE APPLE CURCULIO. (Authonomus quadrigibbous, Say.) A few weeks ago our President, Mr. Harris, wrote me concerning a grub in apples, which he took to be the above named curculio. As this insect is sometimes quite injurious to apples, a few words of description may be devoted to it. It differs from the plum curculio in its somewhat smaller size, its longer and more slender beak, or snout, andin its habit of going through all its transformations within the fruit. It is of dull gray and brownish colors, with four rust-red humps or projections on the hinder part of the body. Its punctures in the apple, both for food and for the reception of its eggs, have been compared to those made by a red-hot needle, as they are always rimmed with black. Like the more common apple worm, its larva, which is a humpy and wrinkly little grub, works around the core of the apple, after a timechanging to a translucent white pupa from which, in ashort time, the beetle emerges and cuts its way out of the fruit. As this species breeds but once a year it is never likely to do such extensive damage as some other apple worms. It can be kept in check by jarring the beetle from 10 146 ANNUAL REPORT. the trees in the summer, and by gathering and destroying the in- fested fruit. THE GRAPE VINE FLEA BEETLE. (Graptodera chalybea, Illig.) The foliage of grape vines suffered severely last spring from the gnawings of this handsome but destructive little bettle. It com- mences its work in the spring on the leaf and flower buds, often cutting off a large proportion of the latter. It also lays its orange colored eggs in clusters on the underside of the leaves, and before the beetles have entirely gone the larve begin to hatch. The lat- ter are of a yellowish or brown color, dotted and striped with black and have black shining heads. They are very voracious and riddle the leaves with holes. In about three weeks, having completed their growth, they drop to the ground into which they burrow to the depth of one or two inches and change, in an earthen cell, to golden colored pupx, from which in two or three weeks the beetles appear. The process of reproduction again takes place, the beetles from this second brood of larve being the ones which hibernate. This is a very hardy insect and difficult to destroy except by the severest measures. The most effectual plan for getting rid of it is to jar the first beetles that appear in the spring into cloths spread under the vines and saturated with kerosene. The beetles are most sluggish on cool mornings and will drop readily, and the slightest touch of kerosene kills them. The larve may be killed by a much diluted emulsion of kerosene or by syringing the infested leaves with paris geeen in water, in the proportions of a teaspoonful of the green to a gallon of water. THE GRAPE BERRY MOTH. (Hudemis botrana, Schiff.) A considerable proportion of grape rot in some vineyards is caused by the workings of the small, slender, greenish larva of this moth. The grapes infested may first be distinguished by having a discolored spot on one side around the open center of which there is often a slight deposit of excrement. The worm works in the centre of the grape and often devours some or all of the seeds. If one grape does not suffice, it works its way into a second, often from mere destructiveness as it would appear; webbing together and spoiling four or five. When the larva is full grown it leaves the fruit and proceeds to the leaves. Here it neatly cuts out a portion of the leaf for a flap, which it folds over itself and fastens down STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 147 firmly by the edge. This ingeneously constructed retreat is lined with silk and within it the larva changes to a chrysalis and in this state passes the winter. The moth appears in the spring. It is very small, the expanded wings measuring aboat four-tenths of aninch. The forewings are of a bluish, leaden color ornamented with dark brown spots and bands. The body is olive brown and the hind wing dark gray with paler fringes. Miss M. E. Murtfeldt has discovered that in Missouri the first brood of larvee feed in the tender leaf buds of the Irouweed (Ver- nonia) and are never found on the grape. By the time the moths from this brood emerge, the grape berries are well formed and the moth deserts the Ironweed and selects these as food for her young. The only way in which this insect can be kept in check is to gather and destroy the infested grapes and to burn the leaves in which the pup are concealed late in the fall. It might also be advantageous to exterminate all the Ironweeds growing in the vi- cinity, in the spring. THE STRAWBERRY LEAF-ROLLER. (Phoxopteris fraguriae W. and R.) This is a very wide spread foe of the strawberry plant and often occurs in such numbers as to ruin the beds. The larve are found within the folded leaves about the time that the berries begin to ripen. They are about one-third of an inch long when full grown, of a greenish or yellowish brown color with a horny mahogany brown head and a shield of the same color on top of the first point of the body. The golden brown chrysalis is formed within the folded leaves. The moth is about thesize of the grape berry moth. The forewings are of a reddish brown color handsomely orna- mented with dark brown, black and white. There are two broods each season, the second of which hibernates within the folded leaves in the chrysalis state. It is almost useless to attempt to reach this insect with either powders or liquid applications, so se- curely is it hidden within the webbed and folded leaves. The best preventive of its injuries is to frequently change the location of the strawberry beds. Mr. Gibbs writes me that he obtained the mastery of it by salting and plowing under the worst infested fields. ide has also observed that many of the chrysalids are de- stroyed in the early spring by birds which search for them through the mulching.* *See Secretary’s Portfolio, for a note on this insect. 148 ANNUAL REPORT. THE STRAWBERRY SAWFLY. (Hmphytus maculatus, Norton.) This pest of the strawberry plant has also been brought to my notice by Mr. Gibbs, for whom it did much injury last spring on a new bed of the Wilson variety. The larva of this sawfly is a slender, semi-transparent green slug worm about three-fourths of an inch long which when not feeding rests coiled up on the under side of the leaves. When mature these slugs burrow into the ground to the depth of an inch or so and form a frail cocoon of silk and particles of earth. The flies appear late in July and lay the eggs from which the second brood of slugs hatch in August. This insect is not so common as many other enemies of the strawberry, but is sometimes very destructive. It is however, easily killed with hellebore applied dry or in water, Paris green in liquid suspension may also be freely applied to the second brood in August. In concluding this paper, I wish to say that ill-health and bus?- ness demands make it impossible for me to make extensive investi- gations of the insects occurring in distant parts of the state, but L shall always be glad to have my attention called to them by cor- respondence, and would suggest that where inquiries are made concerning any species, that specimens of the insects be packed in tin or wooden boxes to accompany the latter. DISCUSSION OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL REPORT. Mr. Latham. There isa steel blue beetle that eats into the buds of the grape. I would like to have it reported on at some future time by our entomologist. As to insecticides, white hellebore is effective if pure. Mr. Whipple. Only one kind of cabbage worm is treated of in the report. There is another, a long worm, with bright stripes. Mr. Mendenhall. I think the characteristics of one kind are largely the characteristics of all the rest. Mention was made by some member, whose name the reporter did not hear, of a new potato bug that threatens to be destructive in Dakota. Secretary Gibbs. From the description given I presume it is the same bug that Mrs. Underwood mentioned at our meeting in June, 188%, as appearing on her flowering plants. It is a long, STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 149 slim, blue-black, genteel-looking, piratical fellow, that comes sud- denly, eats voraciously, and disappears quickly. I have seen them attack a patch of mangel wurzel beets and riddle the leaves, by swarms, in one day ; but a weak solution of paris green lays them out expeditously. It has no such adhesiveness and tenacity as the Colorado potato beetle, and does not threaten to be generally pre- valent. I will look it up in the books and identify it in the Secre- tary’s Portfolio, if I can. Mrs. Sargeant being present was then invited to read her paper. A BEGINNING IN SILK-WORM CULTURE IN MINNESOTA. By Mrs. H. B. Sargeant, Lake Cry. Finding myself in possession of some silk-worm eggs in the spring of 1883, I thought the proper thing to do would be to allow them to see the light, and enjoy the term of life allotted them on this mundane sphere. As I had no acquaintance with them, never having seen a silk-worm, I began to look around for some instruction as to the way and manner in which I should receive and entertain my expected guests. I soon found that a book giving instruction on this subject was published by the Woman's Silk Association, at Philadelphia. I procured the book and was enabled to provide for their comfort when they arrived. The food of silk-worm is the mulberry. Of the mulberry there are said to be some seven or eight varieties. As a vegetable pro- duction it is said to be entirely subservient to the wishes of its producer. It will, under favorable circumstances, grow to the height of forty or fifty feet, or, it can be trained as a tall and orna- mental shrub or dwarfed to a thick and impenetrable hedge. It was about the 7th of July last, when the mulberries which had been started the year before promised a supply of food, that I brought the eggs from the cool temperature of 40° and placed them in a room with a temperature between 75° and 80° of summer heat. Just here I would say that the room for these little silk producers must be perfectly neat and clean, free from odors, with 150 ANNUAL REPORT. pure air and plenty of light. The eggs may be placed upon tables or shelves and over them a piece of tarlatan or mosquito netting. As soon as they commence to hatch, which may be within twenty- four hours, have ready some mulberry leaves, young and tender, finely cut with a chopping knife. Spriukle these lightly over the netting. Immediately on coming from the shell the little worms, less than a quarter of an inch in length, look around for food ; finding which, they remain nearly stationery, never moving save in search of it. Once every day, to take away the dried leaves and the litter which accumulates, a fresh piece of netting is spread over the worms and upon it freshly cut leaves. Inan hour or more the worms will have crawled up through the netting, and the remains of yester- day’s food can be removed. The worms hatched each day must be kept by themselves. After the third day, the worms are said to be weak and feeble and not. worth raising. The little worms must be fed as often as once in two or three hours. The amount they eat depends largely upon the temperature of their room. If the temperature goes below 75° they eat but little, and if they do not eat they will not spin silk sufficient to make themselves a decent shroud. As the days are added to their age so their food must be increas- ed. Their whole life is less than forty days; and during the last two weeks they devour an enormous quantity of food, considering their size. As the amount of their life’s work depends upon the quantity of food consumed, together with the temperature in which they are kept, they have been known to have finished this work in twenty-five days. Generally, they live from thirty to thirty-five days. In their living and eating and changing of clothing they do. not differ from other species of the same class which we instinctively shrink from in dismay. But these creatures we treat differently. Plenty of food and the best of care are not grudged them; for it is the last act of their short lives which is the most wonderful of all. The worms, when first hatched, are nearly black. In about five days they shed this. skin and appear ina lighter one.: This change of skin occurs at intervals during their lives. Each time the skin is lighter than the preceding one. After the last change the worm is of a pearly whiteness, and smoother to the touch than the finest satin that. comes from the looms of the silk weavers. It is also nearly trans- parent. The food has been converted into silk fluid and is ready to be spun. The worm at this stage is from three to four inches long. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 151 The time has come when the fresh green leaves have no attraction for them. They move their heads from side to side and appear to be looking for something. That something is a place upon which to build their tomb. Wisps of straw or bunches of twigs are laid upon the tables. The worms soon find them, and crawl up till, finding a suitable place ‘they attach to numerous twigs threads to support the cocoon. Then the worms begin to spin the continuous silken thread which forms their precious little nests. They arrange the thread all around the body, describing ovals with the head. In a few hours they are surrounded with a thin gauze of silk, through which they can be seen working for dear life or death, which? After afew hours more the worms have completely hidden themselves. from view; the threads have been woven thick and close, over and over each other, until the gathered treasures of their short lives have been expended. Tkey fold themselves within their beautiful winding sheets and wait the life beyond. A worm spends three or four days in spinning its cocoon, though all do not commence spinning at the sametime. Some are longer in finding a good place, others, having found a place and made a beginning, fall back on the table, and are obliged to start anew. It is very interesting to watch them at their work. They do not seem to be exempt from the trials and perplexities of more intelli- gent creatures. Four days after the last cocoons have been spun they must be gathered. The firmest and best are placed in a partially dark- ened room; and the others, which are to be reeled for silk manufac- ture, are placed for about 39 minutes in an oven sufficiently warm to stifle the chrisalides, When this has been accomplished, the cocoons are placed upon tables to dry or are immediately reeled into skeins and made ready for the looms or other uses to which the silk is applied. The imperfect cocoons together with the floss silk which surrounds all the cocoons, are carded and spun at factories and mixed with wool fabrics. The worms which produce white - cocoons are the best; the silk is stronger and has more lustre. Now, to return to the worms, which we left in the darkened room. In from 12 to 15 days the chrysalis will put aside the silken fibres of its tomb, and come into the world a full-grown miller. The silk-worm miller is of a creamy whiteness, and measures nearly an inch and a half across the wings from tip to tip. 2] ANNUAL REPORT. Male and female they arrive here as in the days when God created the first pair. Equal in size they seem to be equal in intelligence, with the same duties, privileges and responsibilities. Therefore. it is presumable that they are equal suffragists. When the females are ready to deposit their eggs they are placed upon small pieces of cloth or paper, about five inches square. The number of eggs deposited is from seven to eight hundred. The egys laid the first three days only are good, After that time the millers may be thrown away. The eggs must be kept in a cool, dry place, safe from mice, spiders, and the like, till another summer brings the mulberry leaves. I have thus far related my short acquintance with these little creatures. I hope another year to make a closer study of their manners and customs. Silk culture is a very ancient industry. The Chinese claim the honor of the discovery of the silk worm and of the subsequent utilization of its fibre. I must particularize and add, that the mode of raising and feeding the worms, and the different processes of converting the fibre into cloth, was aspark from a woman’s brain. Also that the princesses of royal blood, and ladies of noble families only, were allowed to raise the worms and weave the queenly fabrics. In eastern countries, where the industry has been carried on for many centuries, the women and children care for the worms, reel the silk, and prepare it for the looms. About fifty years since, silk culture was attempted in this country, but for some reason it proved a failure. Statistics show that $15,000 worth of raw silk is consumed annually by the home market, nearly all of which is of foreign importation. The silk industry does not require an expensive outlay. The mulberries can be grown in hedges and be made to occupy a com- paratively small space. The trees can be furnished by any nursery- man and the silk-worm eggs are easily procured. The Woman’s Silk Culture Association furnish books which give complete instructions for raising the mulberry and for educating the worms; also for reeling the silk and preparing it for market. The reeling of the silk is considered of the utmost importance. In countries where the silk industry is extensive, silk-reeling is sometimes conducted as aseparate business, The Woman’s Silk Association at Philadelphia offer two kinds of reels—one made of ood for $20, another made of metal and complete in all its appoint- ents for $65. The reeled silk brings from $4 to $7 per pound, STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 153 according to its grade. [ am unable to give very exact figures with regard to prices and profits; but the whole year’s labor, leav- ing out the reeling, could be finished within fifty days, so that if the profits were not immense the labor would have been in propor- tion. Now as a woman originated the industry, as women have hither- to, in the old world, carried it on, American women can continue the work. Women of means might establish filatures for reeling and factories for the weaving of silk in towns and cities, and many women and children who can perform only light labor can spend their time pleasantly and profitably in rearing silk-worms. Col Stevens moved that a vote of thanks be tendered to Mrs. Sargeant for her interesting and practical paper, and that, as in the case of Miss Manning, we elect her an honorary life member, and that she be invited to favor the society with reports of her con- tinued experiments in silk worm culture. The motion was unanimously adopted. Samples of cocoons grown by Mrs. Sargeant were distributed among the audience. A member asked, have we the mulberry that Mrs. Sargeant speaks of as the proper food for the silk worm? _ Several answered, yes—the Russian Mulberry. R. Porter. Can the Russian mulberry be fruited in Minne- sota? Col. Stevens. Yes, in three years. It grows readily from cut- tings. Mr. Emery explained the habits of growth of the mulberry by a diagram on the blackboard. It is now being planted in the North- west by the million, and will supply an unlimited amount of food for silk worms, as well as a really desirable fruit for family use. Secretary Gibbs then presented the following: REPORT OF DELEGATE TO THE AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. Mr. President and Fellow Members: At the time of my appointment as delegate, on the 8th of August, the Executive Committee had before them an estimate of four hun- dred dollars as the probable maximum expense of the collection 154 ANNUAL REPORT and exhibition of our fruits ; and with this estimate in view I was authorized by unanimous vote of the committee, to make the dis- play as complete and creditable as the time, the condition of the fruit crop and the funds at disposal would allow. The following is the expense bill : Collecting and forwarding fruits at home..............eeeeeeeceerees $ 83.84 Expenses to Philadelphia and return..............000 ocsaceeeseecee 147.50 Cash paid J. T. Grimes, time and expenses on grapes...........+.-.: 28.45 Time in collecting fruits, August 8th, to September 7th...... ....... 80.00 Wises 6 Berti sata oid stiraint x taps Avg njacetolausiy © fase ais please ae 20.00: LOLA wie.e'siercsets ar audis ws Slat tielaee eee aie etee cee eee $359.79 This bill has been approved by the Executive Committee and paid by the treasurer. As appears elsewhere in the proceedings of the Executive Com- mittee and in the report of the treasurer, two hundred dollars of this outlay was contributed by the Governor from. his contingent fund, leaving the cost of the representation of our society at Philadelphia and the exhibition otf the fruits, $159.79 to the regular funds of the society. A survey of the condition of the fruit crop in the state, made previous to the meeting of the committee, showed that, disasters excepted, a few specially favored localities could be depended on for a good collection ; but at the same time it was further apparent that, notwithstanding the promise of the spring, it was the off year for apples in Minnesota, as it was almost everywhere else, and if the fruit to be taken to Philadelphia was to be anything like a general representation of the large list of varieties grown, it must be collected by a careful and laborious search in several counties. Circulars calling for fruit and for information as to where it could be obtained, were immediately printed and sent to the state press, members of the society, and others, and from the time of my ap- pointment to the 7th of September, when I was obliged to leave with the fruit for the east, my entire time was devoted to the get- ting up of the collection. Some promising localities were left un- visited for want of time, and some of our best and handsomest varieties, especially new seedling apples, were left behind for want of time to goafter them. As it was, I succeeded in getting to- gether about twelve bushels of apples representing about one hundred and forty distinct varieties, without including asingle one that was inferior, and, with the assistance of J. T. Grimes, who at- ended mostly to that matter, about thirty kinds of grapes, and a STATE HORTICULTURAT SOCIETY. 155 few native plums. The plan pursued was to first ascertain where the fruit could be obtained, put the early sorts already mature, into the best condition to resist decay, leave the later sorts ripening to the last moment on the trees or vines, then go and gather them up and hurry them through tothe rendevouz with all possible dis- patch and care. The specimens of apples, numbering from three to four thousand in all, were each wrapped in single papers, and wherever necessary to insure identity, each variety group was re- inclosed in separate paper bags. The grapes and plums were laid in cotton batting, and packed in baskets by themselves. Success in showing fruit in public exhibitions, where you get into the hands of competent judges, depends very largely upon condition,which gov- erns the appearance of each sort and the general expression of the whole. This also depends upon judgment as to the proper time to pick each sort and upon the utmost delicacy in handling, and af- terwards close packing for transportation. ‘There are sofew grow- ers who realize all this fully, that it is useless to touch a collection sent in, asarule, by growers. It must be picked, packed and transported by experts. Much that was sent me was entirely off condition before it reazhed Lake City, and of course had to be re- jected. Some fruitless journeys were made. It was not enough to find the variety one was looking for ; if the one in hand was not probably the best sample of its sort to be found, then the search must be continued. This in the off year was laborious and expen- sive. But there were other journeys made to places where there was little expected, that turned out rich in fruits and in points of valuable information, which the society will get the benefit of in one way and another. I will stop and say right here that we little know what mines of wealth are to be found in the experiments that have been made in fruit growing in various parts of our state by farmers and others who have heretofore had no visible connection with our society, especially in the production of seedlings and in the importation and trial of foreign sorts. Some of these mines have been or will be opened at this meeting. In presenting the following list of contributors and their fruits, it is but an act of simple justice for me to make mention of the two leading growers of the apples and the grower of the Minnetonka grapes. Underwood & Emery, of Lake City, turned me loose in their orchards of perhaps 3,000 bearing trees, and left me to sample up without limit. Charles Ludluff, of Carver, not a nurseryman; but a plain farmer, did substantially the same. This man probably 156 ANNUAL REPORT. grows more varieties of apples than any other person in the state not anurseryman. I think in a favorable season for fruits we could draw on him for over one hundred sorts of apples and almost no end of grapes, cherries and plums. A.W. Latham, of Excelsior, who grew the best grapes of our collection, having a very favorable location, gave his vineyard extra care with special reference to fill- ing out this department of our exhibit. Without these three con- tributors the success our effort achieved would have been impossible. Others did the vest they could, and are entitled to full credit and the thanks of the Association. I ought also to mention the Rochester fruit growers. Their place is blank in the list. Their extensive orchards were not all in the direct line of the tornado of August 21st, but the flanking gales of it so prematurely harvested and bruised all their apples that after careful search there and elsewhere in the vicinity, in com- pany with Charles Gibb, of Canada, who was in quest of the Rus- sian fruits, [ could not find a single specimen of any variety of apples fit to show. So great had been the destruction and injury to fruits in and around Rochester that I was applied to by the Sec- retary of the Southern Minnesota Fair Association of that city to furnish a collection of apples to supply the deficiency in that sec- tion for their fair, the s:eond week in September; and on the eve of my departure for Philadelphia I shipped to him, to be turned over to and exhibited by Mr. Sias, something over a barrel of carefully wrapped specimens embracing over fifty varieties of apples, fresh picked and perfect, including a set of entries of my own growing and duplicates of the Philadelphia collection, and directed Mr. Sias that the premiums awarded, if any, be donated tu the Association. The Rochester fruit growers, in a favorable season, wili come in with a very large list of varieties, many of them novelties not to be found elsewhere. In all Minnesota collections of fruit got up at present, there will be vacant chairs that must be regretfully noticed, when we do not find the names of Sias and Jordan, and looking down thelist also we fail to discover the name of that other veteran of the apple fairs, and winner of premiums on big col- lections, J. S. Harris, of La Crescent. His Bailey Sweets, his Seeknofurthers, his Jonathans, his Northern Spys, you shall not find them in the list, not even their names, though you search for them carefully and with tears. Like Antony, in his oration, IL want to pause and weep to think of the Wilder medal coming to Minnesota without an apple in the lot from him. During his searches of apples for the State Fair, his reports to me were STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 157 so discouraging from the southern and southeastern parts of the State that [ did not deem it worth while to visit these sections. It would be interesting to know how many varieties of apples are fruiting in this State. Our people have come from all quarters of the globe. The most of them have brought their favorite vari- ies with them, and of almost every sort planted there is some survivor. In an apple year I think we could find three hundrd sorts, and possibly twice that number, if we include unnamed seedlings. The following is a list of CONTRIBUTORS AND THEIR FRUIT. APPLES. Underwood & Emery, Lake City. Dutchess. Deom a. Yellow Transparent. McIntosh Red. Tetofski. White Winter. Picketi’s No. 5. Homestead. Conical. Talman Sweet. Roman Stem Quater Beauty. Scott’s Winter. Utter. Beecher Sweet. Russian ‘No. 410. Peach Apple. iu DSBs Orion. sn tes Hyslop. Early Strawberry. Hesper Blush. Whitney No. 20. Drake. Orange. Alexander. Fameuse Crab. Fameuse. Bailey’s C:imson.. Meader’s Winter. Northfield Beauty. Russian No. 161, Boomer Crab. be 565. Sweet Russett. oo 984. Fall Orange. Wealthy. Walbridge. White Astrachan. Gideon No. 7. Moscow. Haas. Plumb’s Cider. A.S. Winter. Odell’s Seedling. Price’s Sweet. Smith’s Favorite. Russian No. 413. Jewell’s Sweet Banana. Russian No.5968. Jewell’s Red Winter. Minx esota. Geo. Bartron, Lake City. Angular. Maicen Blush, 158 ANNUAL REPORT, Charles Gould, Central Point. Duchess. Haas. Orion. Wealthy. Transcendent. Plumb’s Cider. Baker Harrison, Central Point. Hass. Fameuse. Utter. Price’s Sweet. Talman Sweet. Plumb’s Cider. R. L. Cottrell, Dover Center. Duchess. Sops of Wine. Hyslop. Meader’s Winter. Hutchison’s Sweet. Haas. White Pigeon. Transcendent. Maiden Blush. Charlamoff. Sidney Corp, Hammond. Duchess. Elgin Beauty. Anis. Talman Sweet. Orange. Lady. Pear Apple. Fameuse. General Grant. Cherry Crab. Tetofski. Russian Unknown. Red Astrachan. Wealthy. Rollins’ Pippin. Rollins’ Russet. G. A. Cook, Qo0k’s Valley. St. Lawrence. Charles Ludluff, Carver. Peffer’s Sweet. Hyslop. Boyce. Duchess. Akin’s Green Winter Grimes’ Winter. Pewaukee. Yellow Siberian. Briar’s Sweet. Montreal Beauty. Barkeeper. Summer Sweet Crab. Seedling Apple. Russian No. 385. c C565 * Gye = 918 Greenwood. Winsted Pippin. Gen. Grant. Onion. Sylvan Sweet. Allen Crab. Rollins’ Prolific. Ashfieldt. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Robinson’s Seedling. Plumb’s Cider. Russian No. 984. “ “ 563 ee cé 387 Early Strawberry. Orange, Northfield. Minnesota. Mimneapolis. North Star. Rollins’ Pippin. Sweet Russet. Maiden’s Blush. Quaker Beauty. Rembacker. Dahlgren. Minn. Stripe. F, W. Miller, Lake, Duchess, Conical. Fall apple, name unknown, a Rus- sian. Peffer’s No. 1. Malinda. German Rambo. Russian No. 378. tea “769 Cinnamon Crab. Like Winter. Wetsig’s Winter. Transcendent. White Pearmain. Haas. Coral Crab. Horst. Molly. Wealthy. Gibb Crab. Whitney No 20. Wealthy. Minnesota, Plumb’s Cider. Walbridge. John Fletcher, Lake City. American Golden Russet. Talman Sweet. Yellow Muscovite, J.C. Stout, Lake City. Talman Sweet. G. M. Dwelle, Lake City. Red Astrachan. “Pranscendent. Fameuse Crab. Duchess. Virginia. Ben Davis. St. Lawrence. Quaker Beauty. Hyslop, G. W. Fuller, Litehfield. Wealthy. Duchess. Beecher Sweets Transcendent. W./J. Hahn, Lake City. St. Lawrence. Plumb’s Cider. Perry Russet. Golden Russet. Ban Davis, Saxton. 159 ANNUAL REPORT. M. C. Bunnell, Newport. Duchess. Hyslop. Transcendent. Wealthy. Utter. W. E. Brimhall, St. Paul. Duchess. Gideon Crab. Wealthy. Dr. C. W. Crary, Lake City. Perry Russet. Unknown winter apple. Oliver Gibbs, Jr,, Lake City. Duchess. Walbridge. Belvideres Whitney No. 20. Orange. Moscow. Maiden Blush. Wealthy. Minkler. Talman Sweet. A. S. Winter. Transcendent. Early Srawberry, Price’s Sweet. General Grant. Utter. Haas. Conway Sweet. Hyslop. Beecher Sweet. Quaker Beauty. White Astrachan. Mrs. Cutler, Central Point. Fall apple, name unknown. John Benson, Lake City. ° Utter Fall apple, name unknown. Samuel Doughty, Lake City. Seedling Winter apple. American Golden Russet Perry Russet. Gede Patton, Lake City. Two varieties seedling apples. eA. W. Fountain, Frontenac. Two varieties seedling winter apples. Wm. Forster, Chatfield. Forter’s Red Winter. Winter Sweet. : Fall Seedling. Ld STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 161 Andrew Peterson, Waconia, Russian No. 70, Winter Pear. Russian No. 240 Lieby. ss ‘* 262, Charlamoff. Ce visils bleleimab hes be ** 410, Little Seedling. «472, Ostrekoff Glas. GRAPES. R. Knapheide, St. Paul. A number of varieties of grapes—names lost or mislaid. B. Rueideger, Carver. Eumelan. Delaware. Moore’s Early. Morning Pride. Northern Muscadine. Talman. Massasoit. Seneca. One variety not named. A. W. Latham, Excelsior. Concord. Lady. Talman. Worden. Rogers No. 3. Tona. Black Hawk. Delaware. Brighton. Telegraph. Cottage. Rogers No. 15. Eumelan. Moore’s Early. Perkins. Hartford Prolific, Roger’s No. 9. Roger’s No. 39 North Carolina. Janesville. PLUMS. Underwood ¢: Emery, Lake City. De Soto. Forest Garden. Weaver. Charles Ludluff, Carver. Native plums—number of sorts unknown. R. Knapheide, St. Paul. Native plums—number of sorts unknown. : Recapitulation of Varieties of Apples. Alexander. Maiden Blush. Akin’s Striped Winter. Montreal Beauty. 11 Anis. Akin’s Green Winter. Allen Crab. Ashfield. Angular. Beecher’s Sweet. Bailey’s Crimson. Boomer. Boyce. Briar’s Sweet. Barkeeper. Ben Davis. Belvidere. Charlamoff. Conical. Cherry Crab. Coral Crab. Conway Sweet. Duchess. Drake. Deomia. Dahl green. Early Strawberry. Elgin Beauty. Fameuse. Fameuse Crab. Fall Orange. Forster’s Red Winter. rf Sweet. ss Fall Seedling. Gideon No. 7. General Grant. Grimes’ Winter. Greenwood. German Rambo, Gibb Crab. Golden Russet. Gideon Crab. Hyslop. Homestead. Haas. Hutchinson Sweet. Horst. Hesper Blush. Jewell’s Sweet. Jewell’s Red Winter. Lady. Lake Winter. ANNUAL REPORT. Minnesota. Minreapolis. Minnesota Stripe. Malinda. Molly. Minkler. Northfield Beauty. North Star. Orion. Odell. Orange. Pickett’s No. 5. Plumb’s Cider. Price’s Sweet. Peach apple. Pear apple. Peffer’s Winter. Peffer’s Sweet. Pewaukee. Peffer’s No. 1. Perry Russet. Quaker Beauty. Red Astrachan. Roman Stem. Rollins’ Russet. Rollins’ Pippin. Nobinson Seedling. Rembacker. Scott’s Smith’s Favorite. Sweet Russet. Sops of Wine. St. Lawrence. Summer Sweet. Sylvan Sweet. Saxton. Talman Sweet. Transcendent. Utter. Virginia. Wetsig’s Winter. Wealthy. White Winter. Whitney No. 20. Walbridge. White Pigeon. Winstead Pippen. White Pearmain. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 163 Meader’s Winter. Yellow Transparent. Moscow. . “¢ Muscovite. MclIntosh Red. ee Siberian. RUSSIAN APPLES--AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT LIsT, 1870. No. 70. No. 563. No. 161. No. 565. No. 240, Lieby. No. 584. , No, 262, Cahrlamoff. No. 585. No. 385. No. 962. No. 38%, Hibernal. No. 968. No. 410, Little Seedling. No. 978. No. 413. No. 925 No. 472, Ostrekoff Glas. a Unnamed seedlings and unknown varieties, about 20. Fortune favored us in every respect from the time our fruit left Lake City till the exhibition was done. The fruit arrived at Philadelphia promptly and in good condition. I could not help comparing this good luck with the misfortune of some other exhibitors from distant points, who spent a good share of their time running to the express offices and back and telegraphing to hear from their fruit, which arrived only by piecemeal, when it did come, and some packages not at all, and some in broken pack- ages and in bad order. Ample room had been reserved for our dis- play by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society in their spacious hall, by whom also an abundance of plates and dishes, both great and small, was supplied, together with all the help needed to put it up. A bushel each of the Duchess and Wealthy ‘was placed side by side at the centre of the main table assigned us, and the rest of the apples were so arranged so as to give the best effects as to contrast in color, and ranging in size from the larger ones at the center down to the crabs, through all their grada- tions, to the ends of the tables. The grapes and plums occupied a side table near by. Over all were hung printed placards bearing the words : a eee Minnesota ; State + Horticultural + Society, ) 5 Y . } ; 740 Varieties of Apples and 30 of Grapes. ; > SS EEE es oe 164 ANNUAL REPORT. and among the plates were placed the names of all the growers and their post office addresses on smaller cards. *These cards were all picked out and carried away by the visitors. The grapes were not fully ripened, owing to slow growth in the extraordinary cold summer of 1883, and many of the apples came short of their full beauty of color for the same reason, having been picked, some of them two to six weeks before maturity ; but. upon the whole, with the large size, perfect form, bright, healthy look of all the fruit and the perfect finish and color of such sorts as were fully ripe, the collection was very beautiful, and established in the minds of all beholders the unrivalled adaptatiun of our Minneso- ta soil and climate to the production of the northern fruits in their highest excellence. Let me not be misunderstood here. I did not. exhibit these fruits with any claim that the varieties of trees pro- ducing them were all hardy and profitable; I was careful to repre- sent the facts as they are—that we have as yet among all the sorts we are fruiting but few really hardy ones; but I felt proud toshow, and it was a great satisfaction there to pomologists to learn, that we had this much of certainty in our fruit growing, beauty and quality, and that these great requisites to profitable horticulture were to be seen to the best advantage in our very hardiest sorts, such as Duchess and Wealthy. I think the Duchess exhibited in this collection were the finest in color, I ever saw. There was nothing approaching them in beauty in the entire exhibition of apples. And the Wealthies wanted nothing buta little more time in orchard to paint and varnish their faces in the autumn sun to be the superiors in beauty of their earlier ripening neighbors, the Duchess. One thing familiar enough to us, but seemingly new to the vis- itors at this exhibition, was the fact that we had got so much of the quality of the apple into our little crabs, in our experiments in fruit growing out here in the West. Our Whitneys No. 20, our Karly Strawberry, our Beecher’s Sweet, Briar Sweet, Sylvan Sweet, Sweet Russet, Angular, Orange and many others were a surprise to them. Having abundance of samples it was an amuse- ment to note the pucker in the mouths of committees and visitors, which the sight or touch of a crab would give them, from their idea of crab quality, and then take it out and substitute the aston- ished and satisfied expression that followed the tasting of a Whit- ney, a Beecher Sweet, a sweet Russet or an Angular crab. There were many novelties on the table, found in the search for these fruits—varieties heretofore unknown to this society—new seedlings i i STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 165 —Russian Apples, etc., etc. I will not take time to describe them here. They will come in for notice elsewhere in our proceedings. The result of the exhibition was that we were accorded by unan- imous judgment of the committee the honor of having the largest and best collection of apples at the meeting and awarded the Wild- er medal on our general collection of fruit. The Duchess apples of the central stack were selected by a com- mittee of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and entered by them and awarded a first premium on their part in the name of Charles Gould, of Central Point, who grew the best ones; and the same committee also entered our grapes and gave them their second premium offered for best twenty varieties in cut pases in the name of A. W. Latham, of Excelsior, In regard to the proceedings and discussions of the American Pomological Society, the meetings being held in a room separate from the exhibits, I only attended to those portions that I deemed of most interest to the West, but spent the most of my time where I thought I could do the most good, at the tables of our fruit. The hall was constantly thronged with visitors, day and evening for three days—the Minnesota fruit was an object of great interest, and , though as in all such places, there is considerable repetition in the information imparted, as with a lecture on wax works and things, I did not regret the time or the effort. I was a representative of the State for the nonee, and of the Northwest, too, for that mat- ter, and did what I could for it. Opportunity was found in the debates, however, to place our Wealthy and some others of our best varieties of fruits fairly upon the record, and at the banquet which closed the meeting, and which was given to the American Pomological Society by she Pennsy!vania Horticultural Society, your delegate in responding to the toast assigned him “‘ The Pomo- logy of the Northwest,” gave the outlook of the fruit interest of a somewhat larger territory than our State alone, but of a part of which at present, certainly that part of it to the Northwest of us, we are the headquarters and the source of light on the subject. The points of principal interest in the debates will be carefully abstracted and furnished for our annual report, together with va- rious items of information in horticulture obtained in the exten- sion of my trip to Washington, and to the New York experiment station at Geneva, and I will print also the final resolutions of the meeting and the new rules of the American Pomological So- ciety to govern future exhibitions, to which they desire to invite special attention of kindred societies. To the resolution which 166 ANNUAL REPORT. relates to hospitalities, I desire to add on my own account the warmest acknowledgments you can think of, to the members of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and to the citizens of Philadelphia, for the many courtesies receiyed. The half days car- riage ride about the city, the visit to the public buildings, the art. galleries, the Central Park and Girard College, and the banquet at the new Union League Club House, Friday evening, September 14th, are ail very pleasantly remembered. One of the disappointments of the meeting was the absence of the President, Hon. Marshall P. Wilder, and the expected pleasure de- nied some of the delegates and members of making his acquaintance there. This was the greater disappointment to me from my knowl- edge of the fact that had it not been for his efforts to have us rep- resented there, our fruits would probably never have been collected, and possibly no delegate have gone; and I was anxious to have him see our fruits and enjoy them. Early in the winter I sent him a box of our Wealthy apples for inspection, with the compliments of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society, and received the follow— ing letter of acknowledgment: LETTER FROM PRESIDENT WILDER. DorcuHester, Mass., Dec. 4th, 1883. My Dear Sir: Thanks ! thanks ! for the box of apples which have come to hand and mouth in most perfect condition. J am surprised with their beauty and excellence, and shall exhibit a dish of them next Satur- day before the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. Minnesota was much honored by the exhibition of her fruits at the session of the American Pomological Society, in Philadelphia, which I very much regret that I could not have seen. If Minnesota, though far to the north, can produce such fruits, she will at least, in apples, be able to compete favorably with the most fayored states of the Union, and her government could not do a better thing than to fos- ter and encourage the cultivation of fruit wherever it may succeed within its jurisdiction, and I hope that Minnesota will come up with fruits, and what is better still, with her noble men, in full force, at the meeting of the American Pomologial Society in Michi- gan, in 1885, and may I be there to give them a hearty welcome. The Wilder Medal, which your State so richly merited for its exhibition at the laté meeting of our society, will soon be en- graved and forwarded to you. MARSHALL P. WILDER, Pres’t American Pomological Seciety. OLIVER GIBBS, Jr., Esa, Secretary, &c., Kc. a a es STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 167 In conclusion I will say that in paying the membership contri- bution at the meeting, I did so with the understanding that it placed our society officially on the roll, and the society will hold the mem- bership and receive the transactions when published. One word about the next meeting of the American Pomological Society. President Wilder has told you in the above letter where it is to be held. I hope our society will resolve at this time to be represented there, and make timely preparation for it, and if nature favors us with a good crop of fruit in 1885, we may, even if we should not win another medal, at least show that we still have something to justify our holding the one we have got. ; And now, Mr. President, and fellow members of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society, here is your certificate of the award, which I will read : CERTIFICATE OF AWARD. SECRETARY'S Orrice, AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, Lansing, Mich., Sep. 15. 1883. Mr. Oliver Gibbs, Jr., Secretary Minnesota Horticultural Society. Dear Sir :—This will inform you that at the recent meeting of the American Pomological Society, the committee on the award- ing of prizes, unanimously gave a silver medal to the Minnesota State Horticultural Society, for its collection of apples and grapes. This is the highest award given by the society. Your show of fruit was a surprise to most of the members from the south and east, aud was excellent. Only four Wilder medals in all were awarded at this meeting. AMERICAN PoMOLOGICAL SOCIETY, Truly yours, W. J. BEAL, Secretary. And here is your medal. It was fairly won. It was given us with many compliments from the committee and members and with hearty good will. It was not begrudged to us by anybody. [If it shall encourage our own people to look up and appreciate the ad- vantages we possess in fruit growing as well as the exhibit con- vinced the public at Philadelphia, and if it shall stimulate us to press on and overcome difficulties and obtain other advantages, till we make apples, and pears, and cherries, and plums, and other 168 ANNUAL REPORT. fruits, staple crops for money and comfort in the Northwest, I shall be satisfied with my share in obtaining it. OLIVER GIBBS, Jr., Secretary and Delegate. Lake City, Minn., Jan. 5th, 1884. POSTSCRIPT TO THE FOREGOING REPORT. Appended here is an extract from the Delaware County Record, published at Media, Pennsylvania, which is a fair sample of both public and private comments on our exhibit from eastern stand- points: “The Minnesota State Horticultural Society was notably represented by an ex- hibit of 140 varieties of apples; 30 varieties of hardy grapes and a collection of wild plums. The entire collection of apples showed a perfection of form and smoothness of skin most remarkable, especially when it is remembered how difficult a task it isin Pennsylvania to grow really well-formed, ripe apples. Each variety and indeed each specimen gave demonstrable proof of the adapt- ability of Minnesota soil and climate to the growth and development of all kinds of hardy irvit. One variety, named the ‘‘Wealthy’’ was especially fine, being a prolific bearer, perfectly hardy and an admirabie keeper. Even the dwarfish crab apples grow to a large size and deyelop a rich flavor and saccharine, juicy taste. The ‘Duchess of Oldenburg,’ popular everywhere, was exhibited to great perfection, and in form and color was all that could be desired. The exhibit was the finest of its class made, and reflected great credit on the Horti- cultural Society of Minnesota, no less than on the climatic conditions of a State which could produce such choice fruit. “In this collection A. W. Latham, Excelsior, Minn., exhibited 20 varieties of hardy grapes; an excellent exhibit.”’ The medal was then presented to the President and through him to the Society. It is of silver, enclosed in a velvet and leather case; its diameter is about two and a half inches. Upon one side is a medallion portrait of President Wilder, with the inscription around the portrait: ‘American Pomological society. Founded 1848. Marshall Pinckney Wilder, President.” On the other is the inscription, ‘‘Minnesota Horticultural Society, for collection of apples and grapes, 1883.” Surrounding this is a rich wreath of fruits and flowers, the whole forming a beautiful as well as a dura- ble medal. C. L. Smith then offered the following resolution: Resolved, That the Minnesota State Horticultural Society hereby tenders a vote of thanks to Secretary Oliver Gibbs, Jr., for his care, skill and excellent judgment in collecting, handling and exhibiting the fruits of this State, at the meeting of the American Pomologi- OO STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 169 eal Society, and for his faithful representation of this Society and the State at said meeting. After remarks by several members, the resolution was unanimous- ly adopted. : Col. Stevens. I move also that the thanks of the State Hor- ticultural Society be tendered to the several gentlemen who contributed fruit for exhibition at the recent meeting of the American Pomological Society, by which contributions the So- ciety was awarded the highest premium for fruits bv the said American Pomological Society. This motion was also unanimously adopted. Secretary Gibbs. Now, Mr. President and fellow members, { havea resolution to offer in relation to this medal. It was firstly the gift of President Wilder to the American Pemological Society. He authorized its committee to award sixteen silver medals to be furnished and engraved at his expense. The committee thought best to divide the exhibits of all fruits into four groups, and award only one medal on each. To us came the award on apples primarily, but including our grapes, as ours was the second best, display in this department. How much you and the State are in- debted to this noble pomologist for the medal is not expressed in the facts here given—hardly a hint of it. It was to his encourage- ment given to your Secretary, perhaps to others of our membership by many letters—his letters to the Governor of our State, and I know not to whom else—his determination that Minnesota should be represented at Philadelphia, none the less all other States—his large-heartedness and broad views that unselfishly took in the whole continent, all that was American, under whatever flag; that would have been cosn.opolitan and embraced the fruits of the people of all nations, had the society given this scope—his zeal that would not tire, however those he sought to help might be inclined to falter in their own cause;—it was this that put Minnesota into the meeting with her fruits. I cannot tell you all the steps and details of his influence. I only know that without it we should never have had a bushel of fruit at that exhibition; and Minnesota would have been regarded to-day as she was in pub- lic estimation six months ago, as a country where you can raise wheat. but not apples, and this medal would have been at this time the subject of a pow-wow in a state a good many degrees further south and west—a state which may dispute our claim to a similar award in 1885, but by fair and generous rivalry. I move, therefore, that the thanks of this society be conveyed to 170 ANNUAL REPORT. President Wilder for this medal, and for his fatherly care for the pomologieal interests of the State of Minnesota, which he has done so much to promote in many years gone by, and that we express to him our hope and wish that life and health may be spared to him to meet with us at the next session of the American Pomological Society in 1885. that we may greet him there and show him by our presence and our exhibits of fruit that we are profiting by his teaching and his example. The motion being seconded, was carried by an unanimous and hearty vote. The following resolution was presented by the Secretary : Wuerzeas, This society is doing business with funds donated in part by the State, and whereas, it is desirable that the state officers and members of the Legislature should have a more convenient op- portunity to mingle with us at our meetings, and to examine the horticultural productions that we exhibit, particularly our Minne- sota fruits ; therefore, Resolved, While keeping our home at the Agricultural College in Minneapolis, and continuing to hold our summer meet- ings here, that hereafter our winter meetings, occurring in the years of the sessions of the Legislature, be held at St. Paul in the room tendered us for that purpose by the Governor. The resolution was unanimously adopted. The subject of the World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exhibition, at New Orleans, being presented for consideration, Truman M. Smith moved that members be requested to raise and select the finest fruits possible for the Horticultural Depart- ment of this exhibition, and be ready to contribute them if the State should decide to be represented there. The motion was adopted. M. C. Mesmer then read the following : STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. tye | REPORT OF RUSSIAN APPLES AND OTHER FRUITS TESTED IN CARVER COUNTY. By ANDREW PETERSON, WacontraA, MINN. To the Minnesota State Horticultural Society : I promised your secretary that I would give my experience in fruit raising, but on reading your report of 1883, [ have found the records of so many fruit growers who have done more than I have, that I need say but little. It was in the year 1857 that I began to plant fruit trees in Car- ver county, and [ have plantel more or less, nearly every year since that time, but without much success until I began with the Russian varieties, which seem hardy enough for the Minnesota climate. Of the seventy other varieties I have tried, all blighted or sun-scalded more or less when they commenced to bear. Of the apples, the Duchess stood best against blighting; and of the crabs, the Maiden Blush. When the blighting commenced I had the trees heavily mulched. I did not like the mulching, because it drew the roots up towards the surface of the ground, and even into the mulching. | remember an old farmer in Sweden used to say: “Plant astone with the apple tree and then you will havea healthy tree.” I have also observed several times in the nursery rows, a stone close to the tree. Those trees looked healthier and did not blight. As we know tlat the stone keeps the ground cool, I wonder if the low temperature prevents the sap from rising too early. [ should like to know if anybody has tried this or had any experience in it. I[ will try it myself next spring. THE RUSSIAN APPLE TREES. In the year 1875 I got cions of thirty sorts of the Russian apple trees from Hon. William Saunders of the Department of Agricul- ture at Washington, being a part of the importation made under his supervision in 1870; put them upon apple roots, and set them out in the spring of 1876, so that they, or such as survived, are now eight years from the graft. Some of them were of the German name, and all these failed. 172 ANNUAL REPORT. WINTER VARIETIES. No. 378, Hibernal, neither blighted nor sun-scalded; bore last year lots of large fruit. No. 472, Ostrekoff’s Glas, just as hardy as the Hibernal; good bearer, but fruit a little smaller. No. 410, Little Seedling, bore fruit this year; small apples, but heavy bearer. No. 70, Winter Pear, and No. 580, Winter Lowland, have not fruited yet; blighted some last year, but this year not. LATE FALL OR EARLY WINTER SORTS. No. 240, Lieby, the tree is hardy; fruit large, and of fair quality; bore a good deal last year. ‘This and the Ostrekoff Glas seem to be of the Duchess type, but the trees are hardier. No. 170, the Revel; No. 310, Christmas; No. 335, Green Trans- parent; and No. 874, Sweet Mushroom, have not fruited yet, but seem to be hardy trees. SUMMER APPLE. No. 262, Charlamoff, is a larger and better eating apple than the Duchess, and the tree looks hardier. It bore lots of fruit last year. My apple trees bore very little fruit this year, as the blossoms were spoiled last spring by frost. If this is to be read in the meeting, I hope I will be excused, as I am not posted in the English language, so that I may not have given it its proper form. The programs and. premium lists received, and I will distribute them. If [ am well I will come to the meeting, January 15th, and bring the Russian apples with me. A few days ago I was out in the western part of Carver county, aud found there a number of Russian variéties on the farm of P. H. Terlinden, in the town of Young America, recently bought of Mr. Thomas, who planted the trees. The labels were all off excepbone or two trees, but Mr. Thomas gave me his original plat of the plantings. When I came home I made labels according to the plat, and went out again and labelled all the trees that I thought were of any value, and cut a few cions from the following : STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 173 No. 264, Smelling Apple. No. 986, Green Annisette. No, 287, Riga Transparent Juicy. No. 558, Early Cinnamon. No. 268, Saccharine. No. 413, Cross Apple. No. 128, Sheepnose. No. 475, Holdfast. No. 177, Green Streaked. No. 178, Barloft’s Apple. No. 275, Zolotoreff. . No. 398. Enormous. It was not the proper time to cut cions in the winter, but I thawed them out in moist ground, and think they will be saved. Julius Ackerman, in that part of the county, I was informed, had a vineyard of very nice grapes. Waconia, January 7th, 1884. Mr. Pierce. I have seen the Russian apple trees on Mr. Peter- son’s place. They have been put to a very severe test, and the varieties named in his report as hardy are truly in perfect condi- tion. They have had all the sun, wind, heat and cold possible—no protection whatever—and yet after eight years’ growth are unin- jured ip any respect. Some of Mr. Peterson’s Russian sorts: have failed, as he says; but where they failed the Wealtkies failed—not hardy enough. Mr. Peterson has got something in these staunch survivors that are hardier than Wealthy, hardier than Duchess even, and the quality is good. H2 has done a great work out there all by himself for the horticultural society, in his experiments and successes, and has been liberal with us in supplying cions for our experimental stations. Therefore, Mr. President, as a mark of our appreciation of this farmer’s services to the public in fruit raising, I move that we make him an honorary life member. Secretary Gibbs. I found Mr. Peterson and his Russian apple trees in my searches for fruit for the American Pomological Society. They were a great surprise to me. I recognized them at sight as an acquisition. It was in August. The fruit was not ripe, but it was even then very large and handsome. They were the first root grafted Russians [ had seen—and the first winter keep- ing Russians [ had heard of in the state. Hardly daring to trust my own judgment, I went there again in November, and asked Mr. F. G. Gould, a member of our executive committee, to go with me. We found the apples then matured, and by an exchange with Mr. 174 ANNUAL REPORT. Peterson, obtained a supply of cions for our society, which have been distributed for propagation for our benefit. A list of the cions will be printed in the anual report. Pending the resolution I would like to hear from Mr. Gould. Mr. Gould. Some of these trees are the hardiest I have seen in Minnesota. I have visited them again since I went there with Mr Gibbs in order to see if my first impressions would be confirmed. They are not all absolutely perfect, as Mr. Peterson states himself, but there are sorts among them that are, and I believe we have got something here that cares nothing for our cold winters or our hot summers. From the form of the apples I should judge them to be of the Aport class.* The question being called on the motion to make Mr. Peterson an honorary life member, Mr. Peterson arose and said: Mr. President, Iam old. It is not much more that I can do for horticulture. Mr. President, I guess you better draw that back. But the motion was put and adopted unanimously. Mr. Peterson thanked the society for the honors paid him, but did not think he had done anything to deserve them. Many of his neighbors, like himself from the old country, would be benefited by the society’s publications, and he would like to get them for dis- tribution, and have his people unite with the society in its future work. On motion, so much of the Secretary’s annual report as related to accounts of moneys was referred to the Finance Committee, and the recommendations of the Secretary on other matters were re- ferred to a special committee, consisting of R. J. Mendenhall, Truman M. Smith and Prof. Edward D. Porter. A recess was then taken till 7 p. m. *Note by the Secretary. From descriptions I gave Prof. Budd of tree and fruit, he recognizes them as a form of the Anis, a race having many variations, butall hardy in tree. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. TS HVEHNING SHSSION. Second Day, January 16th. The evening session was held in the room of the Delta Sigma Society, at the University of Minnesota. The first paper read was the following: OUTDOOR RECREATION AND EMPLOYMENT FOR WOMEN. By Mrs. Ipa E. Titson, or West Sauem, Wis. The American people are fast livers. As children they are in a hurry. The popular school teacher is she who promotes most rapidly. Pupils cram with feverish eagerness for examinations, and talk less of a well-rounded education than of passing into higher classes. They enter society young, and grow prematurely old. The climate is peculiarly stimulating. Thousands of fertile acres west are given away for the asking. Excited emigrants thither load trains and fill hotels. Every day there comes the shock and pain of parting with friends. Omnipresent telegraphs and newspapers, every day stir up people about all the murders and accidents in two hemispheres. Advertising devices weary by their number and pertinacity. A late Sunday-School Times truly said, “Our fathers dwelt by a quiet pool, we have ever the roar of an ocean in our ears.” Even fashion has its fierce competitions. It is a saying “as well be out of the world as out of fashion,” certainly as well be out of the United States. Parisians, though they invent the fashions and coax away the dollars, themselves use far plainer furniture, 176 ANNUAL REPORT. food, and clothing. American families of but moderate means, go through one round of twisting, turning, planning and economizing to keep up appearances. Is it strange that iusane asylums are numerous, spacious and well filled, or that new varieties of nervous diseases are constantly being discovered ? A recent English visi- tor, Herbert Spencer, the philosopher, gave his word of warning. Women,with their sensitive and delicate organizations, are perhaps greater sufferers than men, and especially need relief and recreation. The usual agenvy employed to relieve overstrained nerves, is a multiplication of artificial amusements which but continues the fatal excitement. Where accessible, theatres and operas are — crowded. Can glare of lights and gay costumes, constrained sit- ting, late hours and appeals to emotion, prepare one for repose ? Does reading high-pressure novels, or whirling in the dance, or jolting in the cars, give tranquility ? There may be intellectual or artistic merit in these entertainments, but not rest. If recreation is to renew or refresh, it must supply what every- day occupations do not, natural, unstudied pleasures. The average woman is confined within doors much more than the average man, and her work is more monotonous. Her recreation, therefore, ought to be out of the house and away from dull routine. A physician, coming into Wisconsin at an early day was told there would be no business for him. “I will wait,” he replied, ‘‘till folks finish off their houses, furnish and shut them up, then I'll have business.” In well-ventilated rooms there is liable to be some carbonic acid from breaths, or drain and cellar germ-life, or dust of disintegrating walls and furniture, or too much shade. Pure, out door air has never had a reputation for making people sick. Sunshine itself is a highly recommended medicine. Communion with nature constantly brings one into contact with fresh influ- ences. The earth is forever sweeping on to new positions in space. There are never two days, nor two sunsets, nor two trees precisely alike. Floods, drouth, blight, or grubs, upset all calculations, make every season, for some reason or other, very remarkable, and continually test “the memory of the oldest inhabitant.” Lawn mowers, garden rakes, and hoes, are not beyond the strength of a creature that can roll pie-crust and wash clothes. Gathering and planting seeds is light work. Women have just the promptness to insure success in early gardening. It does not require genius to graft and bud trees. Several women have prac- ticed this art successfully, one of whom has lately written, on this subject, an interesting article for the Youth’s Companion. so STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 177 Horticulture furnishes forms of enjoyment not properly utilized by ladies. A well-arranged yard is as convenient as an orderly house. People who raise their own vegetables and fruits, can have them when they are firm but not unripe, and juicy but not de- cayed. They will eat their greeas earlier and oftener than one dares who purchases at market prices. A fine flower-bed permits its owner to enjoy the luxury of giving. Its lovely blossoms will not only decorate home tables and mantels, but also ornament the house of God, cheer the sick-room, and soften death’s hard out- lines. Not all can afford costly gifts, nor does every one care to be under obligations for such. Flowers and fruits make delicate and inexpensive presents, which any one may give or freely accept. A- walk or ride is soon over, pies and cakes disappear with alarm- ing rapidity, dishes have to be rewashed three times a day; but flower-beds are bright for weeks, and tasteful grounds grow in beauty with years. Those excellent outdoor exercises, riding, walking, and croquet, already accepted and appreciated, whose claims, therefore, it is not so necessary to urge, they are very delightful when horticulture has preceded them. Pleasant streets and roads are always resorts. Visitors and friends are taken to see them. And, in proportion as such places grow more handsome, are they more frequented. Croquet and kindred games are hardly practicable without a smooth lawn. Convenient seats often allure one into a game. The posseseor of a garden-plot frequently inspects its flowers and fruits, and whoever has a vine and a fig tree of her own, naturally rests in their shade. Thus horticulture not only brings its rewards, but brings people out to see what those rewards are. If possible, every person ought daily to learn something new and valuable, though not necessarily from books. “ Itis not all of life to live.” Unfortunately, many a woman’s education is finished in her teens, just when she is beginning properly to study and think. Horticulture summons many sciences to its aid, and combines with recreation fine intellectual opportunities. The habits of plants are learned, the nature of soils, the effects of moisture and heat, and the depredations of insects. Without knowing it, one becomes a botanist, a geologist, a meteorologist, and an entomologist. Chemistry teaches how to compound and where to apply fertilizers and explains why some of them are potent at once, and others only in time. Isaac Newton watched a falling apple, and discovered that great law of gravitation which governs myriads of worlds. The wonderful machines for farm and garden use, inventions mainly 178 ANNUAL REPORT. of practical workmen, are often but extended applications of principles in natural philosophy. To discover laws of nature and habits of plants and insects, there must be close and long-contin- ued observation. By time the facts are gathered there will have been much excellent mental exercise and discipline besides. So great is the variety of grasses, plants, trees, flowers, and fruits, that there is as much scope for judgment and taste in arranging yards and gardens, as in designing and painting pictures. Landscape gardening indeed rises to the dignity of a fine art. To besure, one may ignorantly plant and successfully gather, yet such is not likely to be the case, Women are expected to be the teachers of refinement. They ought, therefore, to fit themselves for this work in God’s great Norma! school of beauty. A story is told about a plant, which was given to a poor family, who could not see it through their dirty window, and in consequence, washed the glass. Then the room, by contrast, seemed very grimy, and was cleaned throughout. The flower looked so well, they added other adornments to their home. Neighbors caught their enthusiasm, and, ultimately, the aspect of a whole block was changed by the ministry ofaflower. ‘Picciola” may be familiar, that French classic, with the further merit of being true, which relates how Count de Charney, gay, accomplished, and skeptical, being cast into prison, was cured of his moral and physical disorders by alittle plant, which thus achieved what neither books nor men had been able to do. The prisoner wrote on his cell wall ‘‘ Chance is the sole author of the creation.” A fly- ing dove dropped a solitary seed into his prison yard. The seed was trodden under foot, but a fleshy envelope, affording protection to its first, tender leaves, helped the plumule through the hard crust above it. A frosty night came. The thick bristles upon its stalk were covered with rime, but the plant itself was uninjured. Hail fell, and its leaves closed about the stem, presenting a series of points only. Though nourished by the same soil, peduncle, leaves, and blossom, each, in some way, appropriated its own hue. When high winds blew, the flower prudently bowed. Charney added “perhaps” to what he had written before on chance. Ill, a decoc- tion ot the leaves cured him. Erasing all that was on his cell wall, he then wrote “I belive in Providence.” In one severe storm he stationed himself near his favorite, and, bending over, devoted himself, like a lover, to its protection. The coarse, rough jailor became interested. He even watered the plant, and sanctioned removing one of the flag-stones which hindred its growth. Visitors STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 179 heard the story. The Empress Josephine was petitioned for Charney’s release. Now Josephine was an enthusiastic admirer of flowers. It is said she loved the crimson of her lilies better than the hue of her roval robes, and the fragrance of her magnolias, far more than the breath of courtly flattery. She, therefore, became Charney’s willing advocate, and he was soon liberated, it is needless tu say,achangedman. A faded blossom, ina valuable locket, long told the story to his descendants. Insect life, equally with plant life, shows adaptation and design. Can any one say that natural outdoor beauty is without moral influence? The education of children is too often conducted by prosy and dull methods. The deservedly popular object lessons are hardly frequent enough. How can a mother so effectually tell her little ones to be joyous, like the birds, industrious as the bees, and modest like the violets, as when these living objects are present? A very young child may be taught to pity thirsty plants, and to earry them cold water. What better place than a garden for tel- ling about Gethsemane’s scenes, or about that heavenly home, “the leaves of whose trees are for the healing of the nations!” An acquaintance, a refined woman, who went west at an early day, and amid gre.t privations, said, in answer to wondering inquiries. “ In summer my children had always one place fit to receive their visitors—the garden.” Will not such a painstaking mother keep her loved ones at home and away from temptation ? In practical America, the economic aspects cf a question always command attention. There is never a lack of women and eirls ready, for money, to enjoy sunshine, and to improve health, by tying and picking hops, or picking sage and berries. An ac- quaintance, a farmer’s wife, left a widow with a large family, carried on her farm, kept her children together, and reared them all to fill respectable stations. The Youth’s Companion lately told of two sisters with feeble, aged parents and no resource other than a small, poor farm. They seeded considerable of the land for pas- ture, bought cows and fowls, set out an orchard, learned to do many new things, hired their hardest work done, and gained, beside the respect of all who knew them, a fair competence. Have there not been many similar cases, Notevery one has a taste for farming, nor the strength. Per- haps no inexperienced person ought to try such work. But, ifa woman is already living on a farm, and necessity arises, instead of selling at panic prices, she better, at least, try the experiment of re- maining there and managing the business. Poultry is especially 180 ANNUAL REPORT, profitable near barns and on farms, where there is always more or less grain wasted in feeding stock and in threshing. A large grassy run furnishes the cheapest and healthiest food, lasts a whole season through, and requires no daily preparation. One woman, who is a_ poultry-fancier, advertises in that pro- minent agricultural paper, the Western Rural. Bees are not liable to be taken up for trespass. The apiarist need not own land, but must have her location reasonably near meadow and woodland sweets. A few years since, one of the best and largest apiaries in the country was owned and managed by an Iowa woman. There are many live journals devoted to bees and poultry. Whoever is inexperienced, ought to take and read one of them. Intelligence and skill command as high a premium out- doors as indoors. Silk culture is now attracting much attention among Southern women. This is mainly conducted within the house, but, if the person engaged in it, plants and cultivates her own mulberry trees, and gathers the leaves herself, a pleasant combination of indoor and open-air work can be made. Italian women doso, A friend in California has gathered grapes and suc- cessfully cured them as raisins. More than one orange plantation of Florida owes its thriftiness to woman’s care. ‘The cultivation of orange trees, about which plows are little used, and hoes, rakes and brushes are chief implements, is just the work for her patience. A few years ago one woman in that state was employed by north- ern parties to superintend five different groves. The United States is the greatest strawberry-eating nation of the world. Who ever heard of strawberries being unsalable or thrown away ? A small plot, well tended, vields large returns; so their production is prac- ticable in villages and towns. Women and girls already do the picking. Is the planting and weeding any harder? With an oc- casional lift from masculine arms, and some weeding by little hands, vegetables can be grown. Mrs. Hoyt once said she had known a quarter of an acre, after the women of the household had taken it in hand, to yield vegetables enough for a large family in no small variety either, besides a fair amount of small fruits, If it had before been customary to purchase these supplies, think of the saving. If, however, the fare had included no such dishes, the crisp lettuce, juicy radishes, delicate asparagus, and tart berries of that new administration must have lessened meat and flour bills. People dosomehow satisfy hunger, if not with vegetables, then prob- ably with pastry. In large cities there is some market for fresh flow- ers and tasty bouquets, other than greenhouse products. At Christ- STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 181 mas, Easter and various holidays, there is great demand for ever- greens, mosses, berries, lichens, and all woodland treasures which make beautiful and lasting decorations. It has often paid persons living at quite a distance, to gather these and to send them into cities. A few women in the tropical south, far west, abroad, or in any favorable locality for seeing new and rare things, get employ- ment as collectors of specimens for botanical and other societies. Ladies who thoroughly quality themselves by an actual and ex- tended field practice in analyzing, are quite certain to have oppor- tunities for teaching botany, a work generally reserved for them and always considered peculiarly appropriate. None of the par- suits above suggested will be apt to give an entire support, except general farming or poultry raising, but any of them will nicely supplement small incomes, and, at the same time be pleasing and healthful. Many of them are not inconsistent with other employ- ments, Some outdoor work does not yield immediate pecuniary returns, but is ultimately of importance. People, by living solely for the present, can be “ penny wise and pound foolish.” That they may have a few more acres in wheat, farmers often cut down choice timber, regardless of its worth as a wind-brake and as a retainer of moisture, moderating the air for rods around, and also of its great future vaiue in wood and lumber, prices of which are constantly advancing. Wasteful methods of conducting the lumbering busi- ness are decreasing American forests with frightful rapidity. La- dies can interest themselves in the preservation and care of natural woodlands. They can join in forestry associations. By planting land to valuable timber, like locust and black walnut, a hundred per cent. has been realized in after years. The consumption of the walnut is more rapid than its natural increase, For many uses, neither other woods nor iron can equal it. Western tree-claims are becoming quite fashionable possessions for women, many of whom are themselves assisting in or superintending the planting and cultivation, The money expended for producing natural beau- ties on a place is always got back in selling, generaily with high interest, but very rarely that invested in buildings, never so good as when new. Follow Nature, who hangs ivy ’round ruins and covers fallen trees with moss. The fashion of handsome grounds will prove as taking as any other. Whoever surrounds herself with beauty will lead her neighbors to do likewise, and, in a short time, there will be not only one fine place but a fine street, a fine section of country, perhaps finally a‘“‘banner” county. The wealthy 189 ANNUAL REPORT. and refined will be inclined to remove thither. Their means and society will promote the business and welfare of all. Manyacom- monplace village has been dressed in loveliness by a rural improve- ment association. A writer for the Independent has instanced Mishawaka, Indiana, near South Bend, and Winnetka, a suburb of Chicago, where ladies have been enlisted in this work as theirs by nature and by right. Outdoor employment as a means to these various ends, health, pleasure, culture, and gain, is comparatively inexpensive. Doctors’ fees and medicines make larger requisitions of purse and courage than do rakes and water-pots. The possessor of shade trees and a tasty yard, has, for years perhaps, the pleasing use of the same things. It is not so with fine equipage and clothes, very soon worn out or unfashionable. Theatres, operas, and journeys are costly recreations, Garden work hardly admits of elaborate toilets, much less demands them. Nature’s pages, ever open, can well be sup- plemented with books, but are in themselves a vast, universal library. No book-cases have to be provided, nor worn bindings repaired. A dollar’s worth of seeds will sow a whoie vegetable garden. The capital required for beginning a poultry or bee busi- ness, is ridiculously small. Twenty-five dollars spent for trees and shrubs, may, in afew years, add hundreds of dollars to the value of property. Nor is there any neglect of housework proposed. ‘“ These ought ye to have done, and not to leavethe other undone.” Itis believed proper outdoor recreation will give such increased health and vigor, that the same amount of indoor work can then be done in less time. The experiment is worth trying. Change does much to quicken preceptions and faculties. A man may find it profitable in more ways than one, to provide extra help in the kitchen. If fashion and fame have weight with women, they ought to be reminded that Queen Victoria often attends the meetings of the Royal Horticultural Society. Mrs. Stowe’s snecessful and famous orange grove has done much to interest people in Florida. She took a very active part in arranging and furnishing exhibits for the Horticultural Fair, at Jacksonville, in 1877. Bayard Taylor’s mother last year won the first prize offered by the Woman’s Asso- ciation for the promotion of silk culture. Miss Youmans is author of a standard botanical treatise. Mrs. Treat writes for the first magazine of the land, on those special and rare phases of plant and insect life with which she is so familiar. Miss Murtfeldt is one assist ant of the national commissioner of agriculture, in his entomologic STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 183 al department. Mrs. Comstock prepared several drawings for his last report. This list might be continued almost indefinitely. Nature may be called the great mother. By her grains and fruits, all live. In her genial presence, any one may gain new hope and strength. On her bosom each will finally sleep. “ But O, thou gentle Summer ! If I greet thy flowers once more, Bring me again the bouyancy Wherewith my soul should soar ! Give me to hail thy sunshine With song and spirit free; Or, in a purer air than this, May that next meeting be.” A vote of thanks and an honorary life membership was tendered to Mrs. Tilson, and she was cordially welcomed to membership by the president, who followed in some remarks about the work of women in horticulture, particularly in the raising of small fruits. The next paper read was THE GARDEN IN LITERATURE. By OLIVER GIBBS, JR., OF LAKE CiITy, MINN. Garden—An enclosed place for the cultivation of trees, plants and fiowers. It speaks well for the rank of Horticulture as one of the employ- ments of man that in the records of all civilized and semi-civilized races, his greatest happiness in this world, and, in some of their theologies, in the next, is depicted in connection, one way or another, with the garden. In the story of the creation the writer, wishing to represent the first pair in the most favorable situation for happiness, places them ina garden. This shows that in that far-off, misty part, when this story was written, the garden was then as now one of the bright- est realities of life, as well as the poet’s dream. And when mis- fortune marks them for its own, in what shape does it come? Consider it for a moment as it if were really a poem, a work of a romancer’s imagination, seeking to show the contrasts of joy and sorrow in human life, while accountiug for the origin of a race of 184 ANNUAL REPORT. perfect beings and the introduction of sin and misery in the lives of men. What shall their punishment be? A limit to their lives? Dissolution of the body some nine or ten hundred years afterward ? Physical toil,—the mere cultivation of the soil and the tending of flocks,—a pleasure to well-organized men? For Mother Eve, the duties of the home and the care of her family? This does not satisfy the poet’s conception of trouble. Some crushing woe must be made to fall, and they are banished from their garden. ‘*Banished ! Oh, Friar, the damned in hell do use that word, Howlings attend it.”’ A redeeming thought in relation to this woeful banishment is that we are not told that they had either made the garden by their own toil or bought it with a price, or had a warranty deed or any bond for a deed, or were foreclosed out of it on a mortgage. But though they were tenants at will, we can agree with the writer that no greater punishment could have been devised and made probable to suit the circumstances of the case than to drive them out of the garden, without any equipments to make another. We are not even told that they were allowed to carry away their garden implements or seeds for a new crop, or cions from any of the trees, unless possibly Mother Eve had some from the apple tree concealed about her person. Much of the poetry of the Hebrew nation is concentrated in the Song of Solomun. I shall take the liberty of erasing the head lines of the scribes and consider it for what it appears to be,—a song of love. And now look through it and see how at every turn of the poet’s thought, some picture of the garden flashes into view: ‘““Asthe apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved aw ong the sons.” ‘*T sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.”’ “Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples ; for I am sick of love.” “Lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth, the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle 1s heard in the land.”’ I will take the further liberty of adding a line to this song, and say of this turtle, which is supposed to be our gentle friend, the turtle dove— ‘‘Behold, where she alighteth in the strawberry patch, there is the first ripe berry;”’ And still another line, ‘‘Also, she is welcome to it.’’ ‘The fig-tree putteth forth her green leaves, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell.”’ STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 185 Are the lovers in the song separated, they seek each other.in the garden. **T went into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vines flourished and the pomegranates budded.”’ Do they meet elsewhere, they repair to the garden. “Let us get up early to the vineyard ; let us see if the vine flourish, and the pomegranates bud forth.” The mandrake gives a smell, and at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits.” Twice they say in this song they are sick of luve; but they never seem to tire of their garden. Take any history of oriental nations, where do you find the peo- ple in their happy moods ? Persian or Turk, Hindoo or Chinee, it is in their gardens. At the mention of the city of Babylon, what picture is conjured up most brightly in our minds as we dwell on our readings of her ancient splendor ? We behold in the distance the artificial moun- tain on the plain of the Euphrates, its high rocky precipices overhung with verdant vines and their summits crowned with lofty trees ; and as we come nearer we see that here are the Hanging Gardens of Nebuchadnezzar, whose columned terraces were called by cotemporaneous nations, one of the wonders of the world. The Indian princes built some of the most magnificent temples on earth, which are still the wonders of architecture, to the memory of their dead wives—an example of taste we are not qualified to fully applaud or quite condemn; but our ancient brother who built these hanging gardens, and who was no doubt President of the Horti- cultural Society of Babylon, set us a better example, as they were a memorial, not to the dead, but of his devotion to a wife while living and within the reach of his care and sympathy. History has left us but little that we can know of Babylon, but the Hanging Gardens must have been the scene of many a happy festival—perhaps a Mecea for horticulturists of all nations to visit— certainly the resort and pride of the Chaldeans ; and when we read that Nebuchadnezzar ate grass and companioned with oxen we almost fancy he is under the slander of some envious heathen who has heard of, but cannot understand the sweet herbs of this garden, or the celery that even then might have been brought up from the sea-coast and domesticated for man’s use. Coming this way a few centuries, look at Mark Antony and the Roman citizens at the burial of Julius Cesar. Brutus has addressed the multitude, and convinced them that Cesar was ambitious, and 186 ANNUAL REPORT. the preservation of Roman liberty required that he should be slain. His assassination was, therefore, an act of patriotism, and Brutus was now their hero for having done it. Antony ascends intothe rostrum, They frown upon Antony. They will listen pat- ronizingly to a temperate eulogy of Cesar ; custom and decency demand this ; but ‘“°T were best he speak no harm of Brutus here !”’ Antony commences his oration. He tells them of Czsar’s services to the Roman state; his benevolence to the poor; his refusal of the crown when offered, thrice, at the Lupercal; their own former love for Cesar; and now behold the spring in their hearts that he touches at last to fire them to rage and mutiny against Brutus and his fel- low conspirators. He tells them of the provisions of Cesar’s will. ‘*Moreover he hath left you all his walks, His private arbors, and new-planted orchards On this side Tiber ; he hath left them you, And to your heirs forever ; common pleasures, To walk abroad and recreate yourselves.’” What! the imperial parks, arbors and orchards left to the common people of Rome—the toiling masses—for their en- joyment, they and their heirs forever. Is it any wonder that all blame for Czesar’s ambition, all complaisance towards Brutus de- fending the assassination, vanishes from their thoughts, and that when Antony after a pause in his oration, exclaims : ‘‘Here was a Cesar! When comes such another ?”’ They answer in their new sense of bereavement,‘ ‘ Never! never!” and kindling into fury at the thought of the conspirators who have striken down this great friend, they shout: “Away! away! We'll burn his body in the market place And with the brands jiré the traitors houses!” I am afraid there were no horticultural societies in those days in Rome, else parks and orchards for the common people could not have been so precious and sorare. In fact it is almost certain there were not, for Pliny tells us they had only twenty-two varieties of the apple in his day, and it was then among their people such a_ sour and astringent fruit that the Romans bestowed on it ‘* many a shrewed and bitter curse;’ and hence we have its generic and inappropriate name to-day, Pyrus Malus, the fruit that is bad. If we ever have a World’s Pomological Convention, the com- mittee on nomenclature should change this, and gild the apple with a new name in Latin, culled from the choicest terms they have. a STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 187 I have often studied the tragedy of Richard the Third and its antecedent the Third part of King Henry the Sixth in Shakspeare, to come if possible into the mind of the great dramatist, and find out the secret of Gloster’s power over his associates of the court, over whose downfall he was ever scheming to make his bloody and usurping way to the English throne, and yet holding them in action subject to his will, until, one after ancther, it came their turn to die. Consider him in the scene at the Tower, where the council has been called to take action about the coronation, but which is to culminate in the sudden denunciation, arrest and exe- cution of the unsuspecting and light-hearted Hastings, whom now, at the opening of the council, and before, ‘‘ My Lord Protector” has, in his own mind, already turned ‘down the road to dusty death,” along with the young prince whom they all but Gloster and his two confederates are soon expecting to bow before as the new-crowned successor of the new-buried king. Enter Gloster to his ghastly business. He arrives late. All has been done except to name the day, and this were done had he tar- ried a moment longer, for Hastings has spoken for him—Hastings is sure of Gloster’s love, and he may take that liberty. Gloster’s secret thought is to break up the council at all hazards and throw the blame on Hastings, who shrinks from following him further in his career of treachery and ambition. How does he disarm sus- picion and screen his own sinister thoughts from penetration of his victims? Was ever such diabolical dissimulation really seen on earth? It seems almost incredible: ‘* My noble lords and cousins, all, good morrow ; J have been a long sleeper; but, I trust, My absence doth neglect no great design, Which by my presence, might have been concluded.” Buckingham replies: v ‘*Had you not come upon your cue, my lord, William Lord Hastings had pronounced your part— I mean your voice for crowning of the King.”’ And Gloster still acquiescent : ‘*Than my lord Hastings no man might be bolder. His lordship knows me well, and loves me well.” Is this irony, or is it sincere? This must be high courtesy. We have mistaken this man. Weare all safe with him. This is no dark and cruel Gloster. Look you! Hear him speak again: **My lord of Ely, when I was last in Holbern, I saw good strawberries in your garden there, I do beseech you send for some of them.”’ 188 ANNUAL REPORT. The Englishman loves beef, and my lord Bishop of Ely doubtless had ‘‘land and beeves” and “kept a farm and carters,” and possibly he owned a trout stream or a salmon river on hisestate. Why did not Gloster make some pleasant allusion to the savory round at the country dinner at Holbern, or recall some sport in angling? It would have been quite as easy. Ah, but he was among the epi- cures of the court that day. The times were grave. The highest stroke alone could kindle their imagination and shift their atten- tion from him a moment while he collected himself for his coming tiger-spring out of the jungle of his difficulties: ‘““T saw good strawberries in your garden there; I do beseech you send for some of them.” This was the master touch of magic. The court, the crown, the recent death of King Edward, the coronation of the prince, were all forgotten. The scene before them had faded, and their minds were fixed upon that rural, peaceful, happy scene where grew “good strawberries; and they were “his pipe to play what stop he pleased.” Even the wily Buckingham is the first to stalk towards the trap that sets for all who are or may be in Gloster’s way, and which is to spring upon him soon, though he run from it, as one of the victims next in the order of death. Who could not be di- verted from the grave affairs of state by the introduction of such a theme? Who would suspect the motive of Gloster behind the devilish ingenuity of such a suggestion at such a time for such a purpose ? ‘Come into the garden, Maud.” English poetry, from Chaucer and Spenser tv Tennyson, blooms in the garden. Shakespeare is full of it, and we turn to him once more. The orchard, the tree garden, the flower garden, is the scene of choicest hospitality, of the finest love passages, the droll- est fun, and, in one case, of the darkest tragedy—a brother's murder. “ Now,” says Justice Shallow, in Henry the Fourth, proud of his own handiwork among the apple trees, ‘‘ Now you shall see mine orchard, where in an arbor we will eat a last year’s pippin of my own graffing with a disk of caraways and so forth.” And in the “‘ Merry Wives of Windsor,” Sir Hugh Evans, the Welsh parson, hastens to reach the last course of the dinner, “ for there’s pippins and cheese to come.” Where in the drama is there a finer scene than the festival of the sheep shearers in the ‘‘Winter’s Tale,’ when Perdita, ‘ the STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 189 prettiest low-born lass that ever ran on the green-sward,’ comes among the guests with gifts of flowers and chatters of ‘“rose- mary and rue, grace and remembrance,” the flowers of Winter? One might fancy that Thomas Andrew Knight, President of the old London Horticultural Society, had lived two hundred years be- fore his time, and stood at Shakspeare’s shoulder when this scene was penned to teach a lesson in cross-breeding of flowers, and in grafting tender cions on hardy stocks, and put it into the dialogue between Perdita and Polixines. She will have none of the carnations and streaked gilliflowers, will this pure maid ; they are not true to the conventionalities. She has heard ‘¢ There is an art which in their piedness shares With great-creating nature;”’ forgetting in her own fidelity and innocence what the wisdom of Polixines reminds her of, that * * Nature is made better by no mean ; But nature makes that mean, so o’er that art Which you say adds to naiure, is an art That nature makes. You see, sweet maid, we marry A gentle cion to the wildest stock, And make conceive by bark of baser kind, A bud of nobler race. This is an art Which does mend Nature. Change it rather; but The art itself is nature.’’ Now, she tells them of “‘Daffodills, That come before the swallow dares and take The winds of March with beauty; violets dim, But sweeter than the lids of Juno’s eyes, Or Cytherea’s breath; pale primeroses That die unmarried ere they can behold Bright Phceebus in his strength, * %* * Bold oxlips And the crown imperial; lilies of all kinds, The flower-de-luce being one.”’ Under the inspiration of these treasures of the garden, linked to love and hospitality and the admiring eyes of Florizel, she wonders at her own mental exaltation, and thinks the unaccustomed dress they have put upon her as mistress of the feast has become a robe of magic: ‘*Sure this robe of mine does change my disposition.”’ 190 ANNUAL REPORT. And Florizel, influenced by the same enchantment, ascribes the charm to her : * * * ‘ What you do, Still betters what is done. When you speak, sweet, I’d have you do it ever. When you sing, I’d have you buy and sell so; so give alms; So pray ; and for the ordering your affairs, To sing them too.”’ And where, in all literature, is there a finer compliment to womanly grace than this, or one-voiced in honester admiration ? ** When you do dance, I wish you a wave of the sea that you might ever do Nothing but that!” There is such a charm to me in Shakspeare’s gardens that I hate to leave them; but with one or two more references, I will pass them by. The crime that drapes the pall of tragedy over all the scenes of Hamlet has a darker hue from having been done by taking advantage of the slumbers of the King of Denmark in his orchard, as witness the revelations of the mailed ghost: ‘*°Tis given out that, sleeping in mine orchard, A serpent stung me ; so the whole ear of Denmark Is by a forged process of my death Rashly abused. But know, thou noble youth, The serpent that did sting thy father’s life Now wears his crown !” And poor Ophelia, in the same tragedy, heart-broken and crazed by the distraction of her royal lover, and the cruel fate that makes him by a sword-thrust intended for the fratricide king the slayer of Polonious, her father ; how many tears have blotted the page where she prattles in her madness, of her flowers, and running over the list in her wrapt, wild fancy, sighs at last— “T would give you some pansies, but they All withered when my father died!”’ I must beg to be excused from quite so much as the popular ad- miration for another garden scene in Shakspeare, where, though “Orchard walls are steep and hard to climb,” young Romeo reaches the garden of the Capulets, and looking up into Juliet’s eyes, declares that— ‘* Two of the fairest stars in all the heavens Having some business, do entreat her eyes To twinkle in their spheres, till their return.”’ This and the dialogue that follows is rather stilted ; the passion too tropical for Shakspeare’s work, and suggests the idea of inter- STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 191 polation or patchwork—part Shakspeare and part Italian ; but as the play proceeds we have Mercutio, Friar Lawrence and the rag- ged apothecary, Juliet’s grief and Romeo’s despair at the separa- tion, their fidelity to each other in life and death, and gem after gem immortal in quotation, which bear the genuine stamp of the great master’s mind. To change the scene, here are Sir Toby Belch and Sir Andrew Aguecheek waiting in Olivia’s garden, in Twelfth Night, to pun- ish the supercilious Malvolio with Maria’s device about the forged letter. There is nothing particularly horticultural about this, only in the location of a very practical joke, which all but the victim in yellow stockings and cross garters can enjoy; but it reveals the garden as a good place for social fun ; and when Malvolio who has been captured by the snare laid for him, loftily reads in the letter : ‘*Some men are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have great- ness thrust upon thém,”’ We realize that the greatness that is thrust upon him is no boon, and we can moralize that if we are born great it is our inheritance, if we achieve it, it is our just due, but if thrust upon us, we had better refuse it as an ill-fitting garment of little com- fort and no honor. In poor old Scotland the garden does not seem to flourish as well in literature. There is more of clanging swords and waving banners, the pibroch scream, and the defiance of clans echoing from glen to cliff. Yet even here the rose in her highland home is Queen of Scots, and she is the mother of our best and hardiest garden pets of the rose family. Here too the yeliow rose was once the highest badge of honor that could be conferred by king or queen. I think there must be Scotch blood in my veins, for noth- ing else in the rose garden pleases me so well, nothing else is so stately in its form of growth, or contrasts so well with surrounding color as the Scotch yellow rose, parent of its close copy the Yellow Harrison, and, too, nothing else is so hardy. Then the wild stock of the garden is all hilarious in Scotish poetry—the birds, the trees and the flowers; and who can think of them without recalling “The fragrant birch and hawthorn hoar”’ that sheltered ‘‘ Highland Mary.” ‘Take out * “a * ‘the mavis singing His love song to the morn;”’ the “ bonnie lark ” ‘‘ When upward springing, blithe, to greet The purpling East ;” 192 ANNUAL REPORT. or the birds of ‘‘ Sweet Afton,” ‘‘Where wild in the woodlands the primroses blow,” and these four lines from one of Burns’ songs: “The lavrock shuns the palace gay, And o’er the cottage sings; For nature smiles as sweet, I ween, To shepherds as to kings;”’ or this also from Burns—now mark it: ‘* The feathered people you might see, Perched all around on every tree, In notes of sweetest melody, They hail the charming Chloe!””— This is poetry; there is not a finer verse in the human language. We sometimes hear one speak of getting down to the level of the beast. One who gets up to Burns’s level when that inspiration flashed upon his mind—‘“‘the feathered people” —has got to climb! “Perched all around on every tree!”’ Behold the blackbirds, the robins, the brown thrushes—our American mavis, for even the thrushes are social if you court them well—all the social birds of spring or summer—-what else are they up there in the trees for but to greet the little maiden in white frock and bright ribbons, and gaily trinked with flowers as she dances about the meadow or the lawn ?— or forget when “ On the briar the budding rose Still richer breathes and fairer blows;”’ or ‘“The woodbine in the dewy weet Where evening shades and silence meet,”’ or the ‘* Wee, modest, crimson-tipped flower,” that in the ** Lines to a Mountain Daisy” inspired our bard of na- ture with a poem whose every line is a gem as clear as— “The dew-drop clinging To the rose just newly born;”— and how much less there would be to make the appreciative gar- dener’s thumb-marks on the well-worn leaves of Scottish poetry. Time will not permit us now to wander longer in the gardens of literature abroad; nor even to stop and trace the influence of the garden upon American life—we can only glance at it. In litera- ture, our poets who have attained the highest rank and the great- est fame, are the most reverent students of nature and the best STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 193 lovers of the garden.. Longfellow and Bryant,—how much and how aptly we could quote from them !—and he whose quaint fan- cies pictured Hulda and “The apples she was peelin’” and to whose mind as he thought of this nice country girl, ““The dogwood blushin’ by the brook Weren’t modester nor sweeter,” has recently had bestowed upon him the highest literary honors yet conferred on any American citizen in a foreign country. Were you to seek our greatest American historian in the sum- mer season, you would find him in one of his rose gardens at New- port or Washington. A new fact in history would be hardly more interesting to him than a new beauty or an improved fragrance in a rose. Finally, what is the sweetest dream of the man of affairs as he looks forward to the close of his struggle for fame or wealth and prepares for the quiet and peace of declining years? Is it not to retire, and amidst rural employments wherein the garden and the companionship of books and chosen friends shall occupy his time, repay himself for the mental starvation of years of enforced and ill-assorted toil. Happy for such a man if he join the Horticul- tural Society and learn how to take care of his garden while there is yet time. Tosuch a man, equipped by the study of nature— and here I quote again from our old friend Solomon— “To know how the world was made and the operation of the elements; The beginning, ending and midst of the times; The alterations of the turnings of men, and the change of seasons; The circuits of years and the positions of stars; The nature of living creatures, and the furies of wild beasts; The violence of winds, and the reasonings of men; The diversities of plants, and the virtues of roots; And all such things as are either secret or manifest; Loving the thing that is good;”’ Becoming by the influence of these employments and these studies, ‘* Kind to man, steadfast, sure, free from care,” Life must proceed to its close as calmly as the current of the gently flowing river; and the final transition to that undiscovered garden where fruits and flowers immortal grow, be but the passing into the peaceful slumber of one who ‘* Wraps the drapery of his couch around him And lies down to pleasant dreams.” 13 194 ANNUAL REPORT. The grandest thing for our contemplation on this earth is that old age that having this wisdom enjoys in retirement the sure reward of aclean unselfish life in harmony with nature, and which approaches the restful dissolution of the body with no anxiety lest some opportunity may pass overlooked of doing good. American Horticulturists will not look far nor think long to find, perhaps more than one figure like this, declining on their horizon. A vote of thanks was tendered for the “Garden in Literature,” after which the society took up the discussion of small fruits, for the remainder of the evening, and in response to a call from R. Porter, Mr. Golden, of Plainview, gave his experience with blackberries. He tried for sixteen years to raise the Lawton, and had a time of it, and got one berry. He then tried the Taylor, and got one crop in five years ; a full crop, that was last year. They are now frozen down to the snow line. He thinks they are dead, but his wife has hopes. President Harris. I am having good success with the Snyder and Stone’s Hardy. The latter is more easy to protect, the bushes are not so stiff and upright in growth as the Snyder. QO. M. Lord, of Minnesota City has quite a plantation of Stone’s Hardy, and pro- tects them by taking a spadeful of earth from one side of the roots, then bending down the canes and covering with earth. They bear well and pay well. Ancient Briton is a large berry, but not so proliffe as some of the others. I think some improvement might be made by selection and cross breeding with the wild blackberries. Truman M. Smith. Several gentlemen of St. Paul are cultivat- ing the native trailing blackberry. CURRANTS. Secretary Gibbs. We have heard for many years, principally by way of nurserymen’s catalogues, of varieties of currants that are larger than our common Red and White Dutch, and said to be pro- ductive and good; but I have watched the markets for them in vain, till last summer I saw for the first time the proofs of their existence. This was at St. Paul. In the city markets there I saw abundant supplies of very large and handsome red currants on sale, day after day, and [ would like to know what they were, who raised them, and all about them. ee a STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 195 Truman M. Smith. The large currants in the St. Paul market which Secretary Gibbs refers to were the Prince Albert. I have grown them at my place on Dayton Bluff, and have received more profit from this variety than from all other kinds together. The only objection is toits color. It is rather pale, but being a large currant, very prolific and ripening late, it always sells for a good price. Stewart’s Seedling is promising well, and I think much of it so far. Ripening before the Prince Albert, the two varieties go well together to prolong the market. C. L. Smith. Do you know anything of Fay’s Prolific cur- rant. Truman M. Smith. Too high priced. In reply to a question : White currants are not in much demand in the market, they are only wanted for table use. Another question: Do you have the currant worm? Answer. Ordinarily, yes; but it will not do much damage if you keep the/ ground clean Recurring to the Prince Albert currant: It ripens just in time to come in right after strawberries. The Secretary. Have you the plants to sell? Mr. Smith. That is out of my line, as I am a fruit grower, not a nurseryman, but I might spare a few. Mr. Smith spoke as follows of other fruits, in repiy to questions as to his knowledge and experience: Cuthbert raspberries have sold at twenty-five and thirty cents per quart in St. Paul, when Philadelphias would only bring twelve and one-half to fifteen cents. Turner’s sell better than Philadel- phias. I consider the Delaware the best grape out of forty or fifty varie- ties I have tested. Concord comes next, for profit, and, in small quantities for home use, the Northern Muscadine is good. It is excellent for jelly, before fully ripe, but when ripe, will drop from the stem. 196 ANNUAL REPORT. MORNING SESSION. Third Day, Thursday, January 17th. The session opened with music by the University Glee Club. The following paper was then read by W. 8. Mesmer: THE WAUPACA COUNTY SEEDLING APPLES. By Wruutam A. SPRINGER, OF FREMONT, WISCONSIN. I have been asked to give an account of the seedling apples pro- duced in Waupaca county, Wisconsin, which have been noticed more or less in western horticultural reports of the last few years. The Wolf River takes the lead. It is the oldest of the lot, and has had the most general trial. The old original tree, from seed I planted thirty-two years ago, is still perfectly healthy, although it stands in the most trying place, where its roots touch the waters of the Wolf River. It has not missed a crop since 1862. The young trees are all doing well so faras I know. I have no trees that gave me so many apples this year as my twelve-year-old Wolf Rivers. THE WRIGHTMAN ORCHARD. This seedling orchard isat Weyauwega. The trees are all healthy and nearly all are good bearers. Ten of the varieties were exhibited this winter at the Wisconsin meeting. One of them, called the STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 197 Weyauwega, has borne from a fair to a heavy crop of fruit every year for the past fifteen years. The apple is a good keeper. The Wrightman’s Blush is an excellent keeper and a good bearer. The Flora the same. The Marthais a fair bearer but a slow grower. The Waupaca, although a large, beautiful apple, and a great grower, is not a great bearer. The other varieties not named are all excellent trees and good bearers. THE BENNETT ORCHARD. This is at Royalton. Many of the varieties are very choice. Ten of these, also, are exhibited this winter. Every tree is perfect and all good bearers. Mr. Bennett has one of the best orchards in the county. It stands ona south-easterly slope. His seedlings are mostly numbered. So I will say;aothing now of any except the Bennett, which is a beauty, of excellent flavor, an abundant bearer and one of the best market apples he has. THE WHINNEY ORCHARD. M. A. Whinney, at Lind, has about ten varieties of seedlings. All the trees are healthy and are fine bearers. The Helen is a keeper, and a free bearer. His orchard is on high ground, but level. THE GIBSON ORCHARD. This is also at Lind. Mr. Gibson has many very nice apples and good trees. His Sprawler, as friend Plumb called it, is a keeper, a good apple and a perfect tree. THE STREET ORCHARD. This is a seedling orchard set out thirty-three years ago, number- ing one thousand trees. Many of them are choice apples and good trees. THE BALCH ORCHARD. This is at Weyauwega and numbers over three hundred trees, many of which are great bearers, and splendid trees, and the apples good keepers. Ten varieties were shown at the Wisconsin meeting at Green Bay, and Mr. Balch has to-day in his cellar more apples than any other man in the county. Though they lack color, and in size are not up to others of which I have spoken, his trees on the whole are a success. 198 ANNUAL REPORT. THE HICKMAN ORCHARD. This isin Fremont. It is thirty-five years old, and the trees perfectly hardy. From one of the trees Mrs. Hickman tells me they picked five barrels of apples this fall, and then shook off more than another barrel. Two of the barrels were kerosene and the others salt barrels. It bore a fair crop the year before. Although it lacks color, it is a very good tree to have this year when apples are such a general failure. This orchard stands in low, level ground. GENERAL REMARKS. I have never seen so many good seedling apple trees in any other quarter as these and several other orchards | might mention in Waupaca county. Our location is pretty far north, above 44°; far enough in the interior to be beyond the ameliorating influence of any large body of water; some of the orchards are on high lands with full exposures, and some on lowlands; and if cold weather is any test, we got 42° below zero last winter. Then why is it that these seedling orchards are living and thriving when so many of our stundards have failed? The old Wolf River tree is alone, where three hundred other trees have died, and it is the only good tree left in the orchard where it is standing. In every instance the seeds from which these trees were grown, were taken from fruits grown far to the north, from Maine, Northern New York and Can- ada east, or from trees grown here. I think the source to look for hardy apple trees is the planting of seeds from selected northern fruits; and such seeds for root grafting are better than inferior sorts from the cider mills or any seeds from the south. In our experiments in Waupaca county we have had many seed- lings that showed tenderness and have died from time totime. By a process of selection, and propagating by root grafting, and then setting out, we have preserved the best, and obtained good orchards. When I first came to this county, thirty-four years ago, I brought trees with me. I set the first apple tree, and raised the first apples in the county. Many of these trees are alive and healthy, and bore well this year. DISCUSSION. The Secretary. This paper shows the value of intelligent effort to grow seedling apples, that is by selection of seeds of the best STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 199 hardy sorts grown in the extreme north. The Wolf River Apple has been fruited several years in Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Here are samples of it, contributed by Mr. Springer, and by 8S. Barter of Markesan, Wisconsin. There is nothing larger in aver- age size in our entire pomology, and its form and color are very handsome. Its red color and glossy finish are almost equal to our Wealthy, perhaps when grown here we shall find it quite as hand- some. This tree is evidently of Russian blood. For years its fruit was declared by experts, whenever it made its appearance, to be the Alexander, an apple of admitted Russian origin in all the Kuropean and American catalogues. It is now admitted by all to be a distinct variety. Its distinguishing marks from the Alexan- der are thicker leaves and red buds. So says Mr. G. P. Peffer. It seems to have the general adaptation of the Duchess, and is said to be one of the few sorts that do well/in low, sandy soils. Its quality is sub-acid and texture a little coarse, but it is a good cooking ap- ple and fair for dessert; and if all that is said of the merits of the tree is true, it must prove a profitable market apple for Minnesota. I will add that it is also said to be at home as a top graft on Whit- ney No. 20. THE NORTHWESTERN GREENING. While speaking of the Wisconsin seedlings I wish to call atten- tion to another one, the Northwestern Greening, samples of which I have here from the Green Bay exhibition. This is a medium to large oblong green apple. It isalong keeper and of excellent qual- ity every way asa sub-acid cooking and dessert fruit. It is backed up by good testimonials as one of the sorts that is worthy of general trial, It was found in the north part of Waupaca county in 1872 by E. W. Daniels, of Auroraville, who bought the right to cut cions. The old tree is said to be dead; but many of its progeny are scattered about the State. It is said to be a thrifty and symmetrical upright grower, and to have the familiar ear marks of extreme hardiness. A great deal seems to be expected of it in Wisconsin. Here are specimens of its growth and union as a top graft on Trans- cendant, put in last spring. Mr. Plumb knows the variety well. 1 have given this much of a notice of it here on condition that Mr. Daniels will furnish a few trees in the spring for Mr. Gideon’s ex- perimental station, and to Professor Porter for the new University farm for trial; and while on this topic will also say that Mr. Springer will also furnish freely for the same pur- 200 ANNUAL REPORT. pose cions of any of the seedlings reported on by him. him. My own opinion is that just as fast as we find adaptation to our climate in any of the new seedlings, the next thing we dis- cover will be that they are of Russian blood, just as surely as we have come to know that a negro or a mulatto is an African where- ever he was born; but they may have improved quality from crosses they have got, and perhaps a little improved adaptation from being seedlings; and this propagation and trial should be en- couraged hand in hand with direct importations for adaptability. Before closing this topic. here is a letter from Mr. Springer, which I will read : LETTER FROM MR. SPRINGER. Fremont, Wisconsin, January 4, 1884. Mr. Gibbs: There is one thing I would like to add, there cannot be too much care in selecting seed. Some say it makes no difference, but | am certain it does. Mr. A. V. Balch soon after he came to this coun- try, (I think 33 years ago) got a barrel of apples from the old home in Northern New York. He saved and planted all the seed; they were seedlings, a large green apple. Now all his apples that he has are light colored except one, which is very dark red. He has more than one hundred bushels at this date, most of them excellent winter apples. Now another instance: Mr. Cary Date settled here in 1851; whenever he got a high colored, hardy kind of apple he would save the seed, and he always had a few rows of seedlings from which he would select the most promising young trees and set in orchard. In this way he had a model orchard. de has the greatest per cent. of dark red, large winter apples, I ever saw in one orchard. His orchard-is on land rather low, and friend Plumb’s rule will not ap- ply to this orchard at all,any more than it will to the McWhinney orchard, which is on level ground. Mr. McWhinney’s orchard was planted from one kind of seed by John Baxter. The apples of this orchard are mostly large, well colored apples. This orchard is not as old as the others, and was selected from seed that grew here. I believe in selecting seed for planting orchards as much care should be take as in selecting seed corn or seed wheat—get the best. Weather cold to-day; 28 below zero this morning. I wish I could attend your meeting; will try to another year with our apples. Yours respectfully, WM. A. SPRINGER. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 9201 President Harris. It is usually claimed that the color of fruit is imparted by the male parent. The Secretary. The rule does not seem to be well defined, either in plant or animal life, at least the facts are not well enough understood to warrant any one in laying down a law in regard to it; but those which Mr. Springer mentions indicate prepotency on the mother side to stamp the color; the seeds of the green ap- ples showing lack of color in the offspring; those of the high colored ones transmitting plenty of color. The Pewaukee apple has strong markings in color of its mother, the Duchess, and also some, apparently, from its father, the Northern Spy; its form takes after neither, but seems torevert far back, while its quality is not defined by either, though superior to the Duchess; its season is the same as the father; and the tree is the mother again in its thick, woolly leaf and freedom from rust and blight, though less winter hardy. The Gibb crab is all mother in color—not a trace of the Fall Greening, its father, in this respect. It is a bright, glossy, lasting yellow. It was from seed of the oblate yellow Siberian, fertilized by Fall Greening. Mr. Peffer is a man who is pretty sure of his facts, and I find that our best horticultural authorities in all parts of the country have confidence in what he states, and have high respect for his conclusions. He has orig- inated not only the Pewaukee apple and the Gibb crab, but several others by hand work in propagating seedling fruits, It seems pretty sure that the constitution or hardiness comes mainly from the mother, in tree life, and the keeping quality of fruit from the father. Aside from this, it is safe to select for seed planting the sorts that are best in all other respects. Mr. Plumb had known the Waupaca seedlings for many years. He thought their success was due largely to aspects, elevations and soils, where they grow. Only one of them showed after years of trial any general adaptation in Wisconsin. This was the Wolf River. He admitted that the owners of these seedling orchards had plenty of excellent. handsome apples. The Secretary. The value of this report of Mr. Springer’s, lies mainly in its showiag of the fact that by selecting seed of good, handsome apples, these farmers out there on latitude nearly 45° had succeeded in supplying themselves with fruit. It is an en- couragement to others to plant selected apple seed. Mr. Pearce. I have the Wolf River growing on my grounds at Lake Minnetonka. The quality of the apple is not as good as the 202 ANNUAL REPORT, Wealthy, but it is large, showy and productive ; the tree is hardy and has not bhghted. Mr. Plumb. The Northwestern Greening of which Secretary Gibbs has spoken is one of the new sorts of which we have high hopes in Wisconsin. Mr. Plumb having been announced on the program for a paper on ‘Adaptations in Fruit Growing,” then addressed the society very ably and acceptably on that subject. At the time of going to press a copy of his address had not been furnished. If received in time, it will appear in the appendix. Colonel Stevens. In reference to one remark of Mr. Plumb in his address, I will say that late frosts in the spring and early frosts in the fall, are not common in Minnesota, and such a thing as June frost is unkuown. FLORAL OFFERING. At this point in the proceedings a beautiful basket of cut flowers was received from R. J. Mendenhall, of Minneapolis, and pre- sented to the society, and a vote of thanks was returned therefor. INTRODUCTION OF CHARLES LUDLUFF. Secretary Gibbs. Mr. President : We had before the society yesterday for the first time one of the noted fruit growers of Carver county, and gave him a cordial greeting. I see in the audience over there in the corner another one of them. I found him as I did Mr. Peterson in my searches for apples to take to Philadelphia. Mr. Charles Ludluff, will you please rise and let me introduce you? Mr. President and fellow members, this man is a farmer who lives near the village of Carver. He raises more fruit than any other man in Minnesota not a professional nurseryman, and has been at it for over twenty years, in apples, grapes, and everything. He gave us about fifty varieties of apples for the Philadelphia collection, and in a favorable apple year we we could draw on him for one hundred varieties, I presume. | Mr. Sias. I know, Mr. Ludluff’s work in fruit-raising, and am glad to see him here, Our Secretary has not overstated the value of his services, STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 2038 Mr. Emery. The work of these farmers in experimenting with fruits so largely and liberally as Mr. Ludluff has done is of great value, and they deserve to be classed and remembered as_benefac- tors. Especially should we as a society welcome them among us, and I, therefore, move that, in consideration of long and distin- guished service in horticulture, we tender Mr. Ludluff, as we did yesterday Mr. Peterson, an honorary life membership in this society. The motion was adopted by unanimous vote. Mr. Ludluff. Mr. President: ,It isa great honor that is here done me, and J thank the society for it. I feel an interest in your society. You are doing good work in pomology. The greatest disadvantage I see at present is the want of young men to take up the experiment in fruit raising. We must arouse them in some way, and teach them to love it and profit by it. This can be done if we try to organize societies and have meetings at home. I will do what I can for this in Carver county, and encourage our people hereafter to come to the State Horticultural meetings and read your reports. Mr. Ludluff’s paper was then read by the Secretary as follows: REPORT ON PLUMS, CHERRIES AND APPLES TESTED IN CARVER COUNTY. By Caries LupLusF, oF Carver, Minn. To the State Horticultural Society of Minnesota: Your Secretary asks me for an account of the cherry tree found. by him and F. G. Gould in the garden of Andrew Krause, near Waconia, and for some facts about plums and apples I have tested in this county, and which were in the Philadelphia ex- hibit. THE OSTHEIM CHERRY. That cherry is the Ostheim Weischel. The original stock was sent me by a pomological friend in Germany about twenty years ago in the shape of root sprouts, and since that time I have propa- gated them in the same way, and had them tested in various parts 904 ANNUAL REPORT. of Carver county. It is a good cherry for our climate, as the tree is hardy, a great bearer, and the fruit in favorable seasons is large and of excellent quality. Its color is dark red —very dark when ripe; form oblate; stem long; flesh, tender, sweet, sub-acid, refreshing ; nearly a free stone. The tree grows better dwarf than high standard;* best soil for itis a clay with mixture of sand. If grafted, it must be on sweet cherry stocks ; is a failure on the sour, A GOOD NATIVE PLUM. The plum I sent is a native, large, dark in color, and when fully ripe, juicy and very sweet: skin thin; worthy of cultivation by every one who has a little garden. The time we sent our fruits to Philadelphia for the American - Pomological Society, was eight or ten days too early, on account of the lateness of the season, to show many of them to advantage in size, color and flavor. RUSSIAN APPLES. I have planted out from time to time in the last ten years the following varieties of the Washington Catalogue: + Nos. 183, 190, 202, 204, 214, 220, 236, 260, 262, 265, 295, 304, 330, 337, 343, 354, 367, 369, 370, 372, 382, 385, 887, 407, 430, 439, 447, 451, 458, 475, 544, 551, 569, 585, 595, 96%, 965, 971, 979, 984, 985, I have root grafted trees of these, some of the older ones have borne fruit; both tree and fruit very good, but mostly summer apples. What the most of them will be I cannot tell, as they are now too young. I grafted many at first in the tops of old crab trees, and they have generally proved failures, as there is no con- geniality between the cells of these different races of trees, and the sap is obstructed in its passage. I have done with top gralt- ing. In all I think not much of these Russian kinds. The most bear summer and early fall apples. Some are very small and sour, and of such poor ones we have more than enough already. Besides many of them are poor growers. The best use we can make of *NoTE By SECRETARY, The dwarf must be a marvel of beauty then; for the standard one at Mr. Krause’s place is the handsomest cherry tree I have seen in Minnesota. {NOTE BY SECRETARY. Names omitted here and numbers only given, in order to economise space, as the full catalogue is to be printed to make a record of numbers and name, in the Secretary's Portfolio. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. . 205 these Russian apples is to plant their seeds and raise a new stock. There may be some improvement in quality in this process, and the seedlings so produced are liable to be hardy stocks to use in propagating the best of the Russian varieties. OTHER NEW APPLES. Now I will give you a short description of some other apples which have not heretofore been brought to public notice. First the German Rambo and the Rembacker In 1854 I made a visit to the old country and brought home with me cions of two hundred varieties of apples. I root grafted them that winter and in the spring of 1855 planted them out in nursery rows. They grew well through the summer, but in the spring after, half of them were dead. The second spring they were all dead except the German Rambo and the Rembacker. They were sound and good for transplanting, and so they stand with me to- day. ‘lhe German Rambo ripens after the Duchess of Oldenburg, but keeps longer. Its form is like the Duchess and it is just as large. The color is astraw yellow, with bright carmine on the sunny side. The stem is short, and at its base in some of them is a protuberance like that of the apple called the Roman Stem; flesh white; favor spicy. The tree is spreading in form, not a good grower for the nurseryman, and bears some fruit from the terminal buds, leaf large, strong-ribbed, woolly underneath and hardy. The Rembacker, a brother of the German Rambo, has gone through all the winters since 1855 uninjured. The tree is slender in form like the Willow Twig, and a slow grower; bark yellow. Bears in alternate years. The apple is of medium size, green with red stripe on sunny side. Flesh white like Fameuse; flavor vinous; keeps till spring. The Robinson is a seedling apple, raised by James Robinson of the town of Dahlgren, in this county. The tree is twenty-five years old, anda slender grower; young wood, brown; buds large; leaf large and coarse; fruit large, oblate; stem short; hangs fast on the tree; color light red with dark red stripe, and white spots over the surface; flavor vinous, growing sweeter in the spring; tree is hardy. The Gibb apple is a hybrid. I got this from our friend, the veteran pomologist, G. P. Peffer, of Pewaukee, Wis., several years ago. The tree is a slow grower but very good bearer. Cions are woolly towards bud at the tips; buds and leaf large; fruit medium to 206 ANNUAL REPORT large for a crab; color yellow;'some specimens have a red cheek on the sunny side; flesh yellow; flavor vinous, refreshing. Good for cider and wine; season late fall; tree very hardy.* The Barkeeper apple is a variety [ got from my old friend, that other veteran pomologist, Peter M. Gideon, of Excelsior, several years ago. I| have it asa top-graft only. Cannot tell what it will be when root grafted. Looks like a fast grower. The fruit is large; color, grass green all over, with white spots; stem short; hangs fast on the tree. Flesh, coarse; flavor vinous; tree very hardy. In reply to a question, Mr. Ludluff said his orchards were on deep black soil with clay subsoil. No shelter except gray willow on the north. Mr. Plumb was iu favor of windbreaks, but not of close shelters for orchards. FINANCIAL MATTERS. A report was presented by the finance committee embracing the following points, given from memory by the Secretary, as the papers could not be found after the adjournment of the meeting. 1st. Finding the accounts of the Secretary and Treasurer agreeing and correct as presented. 2d., Reciting a by-law inthe Annual Report of 1878, limiting the executive committee to $50 per year in the current expenses of the society, and alleging that this by-law had been violated in the expenditures for the collection and exhibition of fruits at the meeting of the American Pomological Society, in September last. 3d. Intimating a tendency to extravagance, the spending of money because we had it—a tendency that the committee thought needed checking. . The report was signed by G. W. Fuller, A. W.. Sias and M. Pearce. * NOTE BY SECRETARY. This apple was originated by Mr. Peffer from the oblate yellow crab, fertilized by Fall Greening apple. Its merits were first recognized by Charles Gibb, of Abbottsford, Canada, who selected it as the most promising at the time of arow of seedlings shown him by Mr. Peffer. Hence itsname. The tree has never been known to blight so far as records have been obtained, and the apple has, besides the good qualities named by Mr. Ludluff, the faculty of staying firm outside and in, and holding its bright, yellow color all through the fall and early winter. It must be a valuable crab for market, and like the Whitney No. 20, a profitable one to raise for selling to the dryers. It was one of the three most attractive crabs in appear- ance on our tables at Philadelphia. STATE HORTICULTURAT SOCIETY. 207 Mr. Pearce arose and stated that he dissented entirely from all of the report except that part agreeing to the correctness of the accounts of the Secretary and Treasurer. He was a member of the executive committee; was not present at their meeting in August, but approved their acts. He did not see how any committee could have acted differently. Mr. Underwood. As chairman of the executive committee, I will say that the finance committee appears to have overlooked the fact that the action of the executive committee was fully author- ized by resolution of the society last winter, which will be found on page 137 of the report of 1883, and also that the understanding was the same at the meeting in June last, without a dissenting vote at either meeting. If anybody has violated this old forgotten by-law, adopted when we had no funds but membership fees and not much of that, it is the society itself, not the committee; and it has been doing this outrage on itself every year for three or four years past, ever since we got our State appropriation. What does the finance committee think we could have done in this Philadelphia business, anyway, with fifty dollars ? Or how could we have got out our premium lists and paid our awards? Jf this report is made in earnest, and anybody is really dissatisfied, the members of the executive committee are ready to foot the whole bill and take it all in stock in the medal. C. L. Smith. It appears that the cost of the collection and exhibit, delegate’s expenses, etc., is less than $400, and of this $200 was paid by the Governor. Instead of any idea of extrava- gance, I have often heard expressions of surprise that so much could have been done with so little money. Col. Stevens. The general opinion is that the whole matter was well devised by the executive committee, and well and economi- cally managed by Mr. Gibbs. The State is proud of it, and de- lighted with the honors paid us in the award of the medal. It is worth to the State of Minnesota all that this society has cost in seventeen years. Truman M. Smith. If there is any fault it is with the society. Mr. Gould read the resolution of last winter referred to by Mr. Underwood. C. L. Smith. I move that so much of the report as approves the accounts of the Secretary and Treasurer be adopted, and the rest of it be stricken out. Mr. Fuller. I will say for the committee that we have acted conscientiously in this matter. We found the by-law, and we also 208 ANNUAL REPORT. had before us an expenditure greater than $50 per year, and felt it to be our duty to call attention to it. The motion of Mr. Smith was then unanimously adopted, and it was further voted that the by-law referred to be amended by insert- ing $500 in place of $50, and that the executive committee be au- thorized to expend that amount annually, at their discretion, for the current expenses of the society. Mr. Mendenhall. In order to*make the record complete, and promote good feeling in this matter, I offer the following resolu- tion. Wuereas, This Society has made an exhibition of the fruits of Minnesota at the recent meeting of the American Pomological Society, and whereas the Wilder Silver Medal was awarded the Society thereon ; therefore, Resolved, That the action of the executive committee in author- izing the expenditures that were made, and of our Secretary in his capacity as delegate, be indorsec and approved. The resolution was unanimously adopted. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 209 AFTERNOON SESSION. Third day, Thursday, January 17th. Musie by the University Glee Club. Prof. Hall’s address having been made the special order for this afternoon, was then delivered as follows : [See appendix for this address. | Prof. Folsom. Can you give us something authentic on the necessity of tree planting on the prairies to induce greater moisture ? Prof. Hall. It is the universal observation that in regions of forests the rainfall is greater in the annual average, more evenly distributed, and the climate more equable. The planting of trees is certainly recommended to bring about these desirable results. Nothing conserves moisture so much as vegetation. Nothing col- lects and holds it better than a forest. very leaf is a thirsty throat, asking water. Blue-stem among the grasses indicates an increase of moisture. Secretary Gibbs. It is the opinion of scientists who make a study of forestry in connection with meteorology, that thirty per cent. of our western regions must be kept in forests in order to induce and equalize moisture sufficient for agriculture and to main- tain our streams of water for navigable and manufacturing purposes and also to offset the waste of moisture consequent upon the destruction of the grasses by cultivation of grains and by the drain- age of marshes. It is also believed that the yearly increase of de- vastating floods in our great river valleys and along the smaller streams—even in the dry runs of our bluff Jands—is due to man’s disturbance of the balance of nature by clearing the slopes at their sources and along their inlets, and some go so far as to assert that 14 210 ANNUAL REPORT. the unequal rain and snowfall, the cloudbursts and deluges that we hear so much about on the one hand, and the no less destructive, but less terrible drouths on the other hand, are due to this clearing of woodlands, destruction of grasses, and draining of marshes; in- creasing aridity of air being followed by lower temperatures, and this by sudden and enormous condensations of masses of moisture brought in by ocean currents, producing deluges of precipitation. These prophets of Nature have predicted for many years past (and appealed in vain to the government to prevent) such floods as that of last year and the year before on the Missouri and the Ohio, and worse to come. Already many of our small valleys in Minnesota and Wisconsin along the Mississippi river, which in the days of early settlement were the most sought after of all our lands, are now held by their owners with constant dread and peril of their lives or prop- erty; some homes oncé thought secure, already abandoned; while far- mers who live above them on the slopes that feed these valleys are complacently allowed to go on clearing and smoothing the slopes and completing the ruin of their neighbors below, and hastening the time when they must leave their own lands for want of water, whose sources they have destroyed. Already it is said that the timber ot the eastern slopes of the Rocky mountains has been nearly destroyed by the necessities of mining industries and the fires that are allowed to follow the axe of the woudman; and the terror of in- ceasing floods grows upon the people living in the Missouri and. the Mississippi valleys in consequence, while year by year vast dis- tricts in these valleys are to become uninhabitable that nature de- signed for the richest and most productive abiding places of man. It does seem as if our people might soon begin to realize these things and demand of the general government an arrest of this mad work. A vote of thanks was tendered to Professor Hall for his able ad- dress, and he was requested to prepare a paper for our next annual meeting on the subject of climatic influences of forests. Prof. Porter called attention to the meeting of the State Amber Cane Association, to be held next week at the State University, especially to the expected lectures of Prot. Wiley, of the U. S. De- partment of Agriculture, upon new and improved methods in the manufacture of sorghum syrups and sugars, to be delivered before the Association. A cordial invitation was extended to all to attend the meetings, eS a STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 211 The election of officers for the year 1884, was then proceeded with by ballot and resulted as follows, all the elections being de- clared unanimous : President—Truman M. Smita, St. Paul. Vice-Presidents—A. W. Stas, Rochester; E. H. 8S. Darrr, Owa- tonna; F. G. Gouxp, Excelsior ; G. W. Funumr, Litchfield ; A. H. Reep, Glencoe. Secretary—Ouiver Gipss Jr., Lake City. Treasurer—J.T. Grimes, Minneapolis. Executive Committee—President, Secretary and Treasurer, and J.S. Harris, La Crescent, R. J. Menpenuyatt, Minneapolis, C. L. SamitH, Minneapolis, J. M. UNpErwoop, Lake City, W. E. Braim- HALL. St. Paul. A draft for new constitution and by-laws was presented by the Secretary, and on motion referred to R. J. Mendenhall, Wyman Elliott, G. W. Fuller, J. M. Underwood and A. W., Sias, as a com- mittee to report at next meeting. The following telegram having been brought in: Des Mornes, Lowa, January 17, 1884. To the Minnesota State Horticultural Society, in session at Minne- apolis: The Horticultural Society of Jowa sends greeting. We join hands with you in common endeavors to raise the standard of horti- culture in our respective States. J.J. Wrage, K. R. SHANKLAND, Committee. Was received with applause, and the secretary being instructed to return our greetings in the same spirit, answered as follows: CoLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, Minneapolis, Jan. 17, 1884. To the Iowa State Horticultural Society, in session at Des Moines: Telegram of this date received, and sentiments cordially recipro- cated by the Minnesota Horticultural Society. We are Bupp- ing some of your ideas on hardy stocks. OLIVER GIBBS, Jr., Secretary. Delegates were elected to other horticultural societies as follows: M. Pearce, Oliver Gibbs, Jr., and KE. H. 8. Dartt, to the Missis- sippi Valley Horticultural Society, next week. G.W. Fuller to the lowa State Horticultural Society, next year. 212 ANNUAL REPORT. A. W.Sias to the Wisconsin State Horticultural Society, in February of this year. The Secretary stated that he should attend the Kansas City meeting as U. S. Commissioner for the New Orleans World’s Exposition, and.should not need to present any bill of expenses to. this society. The committee on the Secretary’s report, submitted the follow- ing: Mr. President and Members of the State Horticultural Society: Your committee to whom was referred the recommendations of the Secretary have had time only to consider a fewo the points presented, but so far as we have taken them up, agree as follows: Ist. That the sum of $100 should be appropriated annually for expenses of sending out our annual reperts, until such times as we may have local auxillary societies to attend to their dis tribu- tion, 2d. That some plan should be devised by the society or by the executive committee for increasing our membership, and also for the procuring and proper distribution of seeds and cions. 3d. That the Secretary’s suggestions for extending our exchanges. of horticultural reports, so that all our members can be supplied with reports of other societies, is approved. R. J. MENDENHALL, Truman M. Smirn, ; Committe Epwarp D. Porter. On motion the report was adopted. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 213 HVEHNING SESSION. Third Day, January 17th. E. H. Cuzner was appointed librarian for 1884; $10 voted him for services since the death of Mr. Bowen to date, and $15 for book ease and repairs in the library room. Mr. Messmer then read the following paper on roses, the author not being present. ROSES IN THE NORTHWEST. By SAMUEL BARTER, OF MARKESAN, WISCONSIN. | This paper was read at the Green Bay meeting of the Wisconsin Horticul- tural Society, in December, and is reproduced here by courtesy of the Secretary, Prof. William Trelease, and by permission of the author. ] That roses can be successfully grown in every part of the North- western States is fully demonstrated by the experience of all who have been earnestly engaged in their cultivation. Much has been written on the subject of roses, but most of the articles that I have seen published apply to their cultivation in the Eastern States, mainly to the state of New York. I wish to discuss the subject from a northwestern standpoint, and what information. [ may be able to impart is given as the re- sult of my own individual experience and observation. Now that the summer and winter protection of the rose bush is no longer an experiment in this region, the wonder is, that so few of our homes are decorated and enlivened by the presence of this beautiful flower in their surroundings. Said a lady, when speak- 914 ANNUAL REPORT. ing of beautiful surroundings: ‘“ Whenever I pass by a home with beautiful flowers, I always think they are nice people who live there.” This sentiment is doubtless recognized by us all, though perhaps not always so candidly expressed. The multiplicity of names given to the different classes of roses such as Tea Roses, Hybrid Perpetual, Bengal, Bourbon, Noisette, &c., while they may be understood by the professional florist, are peetainly very confusing to the amateur. For the information of the general public, [ prefer to class them as hardy and tender roses and subdivide them into three kinds, viz: the annual or June roses; the occasional bloomers (known as Hybrid Perpetuals) and the ever-bloouing roses, the latter kind being nearly all too tender to survive our northwestern winters, when left in the ground. The June roses and Hybrid Perpetuals are all hardy and can be easily protected in the winter—the same bushes continuing for a number of years to produce a rich abundance of beauty and fra- grance, I will name a few of the June roses that bloom only once in each summer. This includes all the moss roses, the yellow and white Scotch roses, Madame Plantier (the best of white roses) Seven Sis- ters, Cinnam on rose, Hundred leaf rose, &c. The best of the occasional bloomers or Hybrid Perpetuals that have been grown under my observation are Louis Odier, Joseph, Paxton, General Washington, General Jacqueminot, La France, and Madame Charles Wood. These are the most profitable kinds of this class of roses to cultivate, as some of them will be likely to produce buds and blossoms continuously from June to October. Of the tender roses known as “‘Ever Bloomers,” there are many beautiful specimens, Perfect roses are often grown on young and very small bushes; they produce some exquisite gems of beauty during the summer, but the plants must be dug up and set in boxes of earth to be housed during the winter. The following are the names of a few of the best kinds: Pearl- Des-Jardins, Madame Lambard, Etoile de Lyons, Malmaison, Safrano, the Palymantha or Miniature roses, Madame Wetcke, Marshall Neil and Dutchess-de-Brabants. I have been very successful in the cultivation and protection of the above-named rose bushes. I have not the least fear of any of the hardy kinds being winter killed. My mode of protection is very simple, and attended with but little trouble. Simply bend the ~~ nT ee STATE HORTICULTURAL. SOCIETY. 215 bushes to the ground, secure them there with some stakes and cord, or lay some sticks of wood on them and cover over with straw. They should not be covered too early inthe fall. From the Ist to the 10th of November is the best time. One or two hard freezes . will nct injure them. My experience teaches me that they will safely endvre a zero test in the Fall. The bushes should be uncovered and straightened up in the spring, from the 1st to the 10th of April, each bush being tied to a stake or other support driven in the ground. Rose bushes have been subjected to a test of temperature as low as 22° above zero, after being raised in the spring without injury. The mode of protection for the tender or ever-blooming roses attended with the least trouble is to keep them in flower pots or wooden boxes in the cellar in the winter, putting them in about the 15th of October and taking them out some time in April or the beginning of May. Set the boxes in the ground without removing the plants from them. The rosebush having few or no fibrous roots almost invariably loses its leaves by transplanting, and sometimes its life. The summer care and protection of rose- bushes of all kinds is attended with but little trouble if prompt attention is given them at the proper time. ‘They thrive best in rows or beds. It is a good plan to spade up the ground in the spring between the rows and hoe a few times during the summer to keep out the weeds. About the first of Junea small insect appears on the leaves of the rose bush so minute at first that it can hardly be seen without the aid of a magnifying glass; but it grows rapidly and multiplies fast. It honeycombs the leaf, and, if appearing in sufficient numbers and left undisturbed, it will soon sap the life of the bush. This insect is known as the rose slug, and is the unly real formidable summer enemy of the rose bush. It isa small worm, its natural growth being about one half an inchin length. This insect can be very easily destroyed, and as there is only one crop of them it does not require constant watchfullness. Many things are recommended for their destruction. It is said fine road dust will destroy them. White Helebore will kill them, but a little Paris Green mixed with water, in the proportion of a tea-spoonful to. a ten quart pail of water and applied to the bushes with a whisk or sprinkler will act on the slugs like magic, generally destroying them all with a single application. All kinds of roses can be propagated by layermg. This is prob- ably the easiest and best method for amateurs who wish to increase 216 ANNUAL REPORT. the number of their bushes for themselves or for the purpose of donating to friends. The process is easy and simple. Choose one of the new shoots of the bush starting out near the ground, dig a small trench in the ground and bend the shoot down into it, being careful not to separate it from the parent bush, cut into the shoot from the under side about three-fourths of an inch below each joint up to the center of the joint, being careful not to cut it en- tirely off. Fasten the shoot firmly into the trench with hooked sticks and cover with earth. This can be done at any time in the spring, summer or early fall. When well rooted, a separate rose bush can be cut off and dug up from each joint of the shoot. Rose bushes should be moved or transplanted early in the spring before a new growth is started ; in this way they will some- times bloom well the same year. The ancient poets say that the first rose was brought into the world by the “god of love,” and the occasion was a desire to bribe Harpocrates, the god of silence, to an engagement that he would discover none of the secrets of Venus. Hence it became a custom to place a rose in rooms devoted to mirth and entertainment as a symbol in the presence of which all restraint might be laid aside; accordingly the proverb under the rose denote secrecy and inviolable silence. The rose is also from the same cause the direct emblem of silence. Besides the use of the rose at the feasts convivial meetings of the ancients, it was also frequently laid upon the tombs of the dead either to signify the silence of death, the nightingale in another to be chosen with, or as an offering grateful to the deceased. I quote from ‘‘Poetry of Life,” published more than thirty years ago by Miss Sarah Stickney, the beau- tiful language that a lady only can use. “From the majestic sunflower towering above her sisters of the garden, and faithfully turning to welcome the god of day to the litfle humble aud well-known weed, that is said to close its crim- son eye before impending showers, there is scarcely one flower which may not from its loveliness, its perfume, its natural situa- tion ,or its classical association, be considered highly poetical. The ‘lady rose,’ as poets have designated this queen of beauty, claims the greatest consideration in speaking of the poetry of flowers. In the poetic world the first honors have been awarded to the rose, for what reason it is not easy to define, unless from its exquisite combination of perfume form, and color, which has entitled this sovereign of flowers in one country to be mated with the nightingale, in another to be chosen with the distinetion STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. O17 of red and white as the badge of two honorable and _ royal houses. The common wild rose is produced without the aid or interferance of man. Blooming in the sterile waste, this lovely flower is seen unfolding its fair leaves where there is no beauty to reflect its own, and thus calling back the heart of the weary traveller to thoughts of peace and joy, reminding him that the wilderness of human life, though rugged and barren to the discon- tented beholder, has also its sweet flowers not the less welcome for being unlooked for, nor the less lovely for being cherished by a hand unseen.” Friends, the rose still maintains her supremacy in every part of the world, She has long been recognized as queen of all the floral kingdom, and, while we concede toall the flower producing plants the full measure of praise for their numberless beauties, peculiari- ties and attractions, we should accord to the rose the tribute of our highest admiration and cheerfully welcome her to our homes and surroundings. Give her the care and protection which is so essential for her success in this, our Northern clime, and she will bountifully repay us with a brilliant display of her unrivaled glories in the coming joyous summer days. ‘From the weather-worn house on the brow of the hill, We are dwelling afar, in our manhood to-day; But we see the old roses and holl yhocks still, As they looked when we left them to wander away. Farewell to the friends of our bright boyhood days, To the beautiful vales where the roses did bloom; To the fathers, the mothers, now gone from our gaze, From the weather worn house to their Heavenly home, Where they wait, where they watch, and will welcome us still As they waited and watched in the house on the hill.”’ Following Mr. Barter’s paper, the following was read: NOTES ON ROSES, BY THE SECRETARY. A choice list of roses was given in Dr. Mead’s paper, page 310 in our report for 1883. In my visit to Washington, in September last, I saw the Bancroft Rose Garden, and spent some hours in it with Dr. Mead, under the guidance of Peter Carroll, the gardener, and John Brady, the rosarian mentioned by Dr. Mead. Some ex- tracts from my note-book may be of interest in this connection: The La France, at Mr. Bancroft’s garden, develops a climbing habit when grown under glass, where it does better than out of doors. 918 ANNUAL REPORT The best tea rose is the Catharine Mermet, a creamy, pinkish white. This is the great historian’s favorite. A lovely purplish rose with a fruity fragrance is the Aline Sisley. The Adam is a delicate double flower, but a profuse bloomer; color a light pink. The Countess de la Barthe, a creamy pink; very fine. Madam Lambard, a deep pink. Captain Christy resembles the Victor Verdier in growth of bush. It is a large rose, of a delicate white pink color, very rare and choice. It has a marked expression of its own among a collection of plants, from its peculiarity of blooming from the terminal bud. The best white hybrid perpetual is the Mabel Morrison. Mr. Brady showed me at his own place what seemed to me to be a remarkable growth from budding of the rose. This was a Devoniensis worked on a branch of the Solfaterre about four feet from the ground. The bud was inserted about the middle of August. On the 18th of September, when I saw it, the branch grown from this bud had twenty-one well developed flower buds on it.and one open bloom. Ordinarily the Devoniensis is a weak grower, but on this stock it is rank and vigorous. The flower is creamy white and very large, sometimes four inches across its face, and the petals are of great substance. It is known as the Magno-. lia rose, from its large size and sweet heavy fragrance. Mr. Brady has grown the Solfaterre one hundred feet long. In the course of some manual lessons he gave me in budding the rose, I asked him what we could use to advantage for stocks in Minnesota to increase our list of garden roses by budding. ‘You have the Sweet Briar in your country? ” bb Yes.” ‘Tt is a free seed-bearer with you?” AV est, ‘“ Grow seedlings from it. Put away the seeds in damp sand in the fall. Plant them out in the spring. When they are sufficiently grown, bud into them near the ground, as iow down as you can work them. ‘These stocks are hardy and vigorous and will not sucker from the roots.” In a note received from Mrs. [saac Atwater, who furnished the excellent paper on roses at our winter meeting in January, 1881, her note being written in reply to an invitation to write us another paper, this lady says: ‘If you have a discussion on rose culture do please insist on the absolute necessity of the close pruning of remontant roses. 7 ee ee ee ee ee ee STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 219 Many people in Minneapolis have more or less varieties of these roses, but one scarcely ever sees a bloom on them except in the spring, making them of no more value than a June, while my remon- tants were always in bloom from June till October, more especially the General Jacquiminots, the result of constant and severe prun- ing. I was experimenting with some new remontants the season before we sold our place. and found one—Madame Marie Tuiger— a very choice acquisition, an improved (if possible) La France, and another, I am not quite sure of the name, but think it was Adele Carriere, was a lovely rose and a constant bloomer.” Retering again to Dr. Mead’s contribution last year, on rose cul- ture, I give here another letter from him on the same subject: LETTER FROM DR. MEAD. Wasurneton, D. C., Jan. 3, 1884. Secretary Gibbs: In reply to yours requesting some further notes on rose culture I have only to say that the last year was not a good rose year for this part of the country, and we were obliged to put up with many disappointments. I have no reason to lower my praise of any that I mentioned betore: but believe that if we would grow eur teas under glass we would get much more satisfactory results than growing them in the open border,—still as but few of the real lovers of the rose are able to grow them in this way, the greatest benefit will be done by a systematic study for the purpose of ascertaining which roses will prove the best for out-door culture in different sections of the country. Here we get very good results with the Marshal Niel grown out of doors with protection in the winter. As the thermometer seldom gets below zero here, very little protection is required, the main point being to keep it from treez- ing and thawing, as it is this process that kills plant and tree life more than the simple freezing. Solfaterre, another choice Noi- sette, does well in the open border with slight protection. Of course neither of these would live through your hard winters thus treated, and occasionally they are greatly injured here. Of the teas very few need any protection. Last winter I covered my Perle des Jardins and Jean Pernet with a few others, but do not think they were very much benefitted thereby. For this winter I simply bent the tall growers to the ground and shall let them so remain till spring, except with Marshal Niel. As the teas are such lovely roses, so sweet, beautiful and prolific, I think you could well affurd to cultivate them even though you should have to raise them in the fall and place them in your cellars during the winters. By this process you would lose some, but after a few years thus treat- ing them, you would learn their habits and requirements so that the loss would be reduced to a minimum. ‘The secret would be to let the wood get well ripened before lifting, and then placing them in a light room (cellar) with sufficient moisture to keep the roots from becoming dry. They should not be planted out before all 220 ANNUAL REPORT. danger of severe frost is over and then pretty well cut back. I be- lieve that in this way you could raise teas in your gardens and have as good specimens as wecan here. As vour season for bloom- ing isshorter than ours, very likely you would average better blooms than we get. The hardy hybrids might be bent close to the ground, well hilled up about the roots and then ail covered by straw in such a way that the water would run off, or away from the bush ; and I think you would have little loss by this means. The great- est danger in this would be from too early uncovering. This should not be done until the weather has become warm and all the frost is out of the ground. Neither should they be raised from the ground as soon as uncovered. These are the opinions that I have arrived at in my experience; however, you may find them impracticable in your state. I have received your circular containing programme, &c., of your next meeting. I would like very much to be with you, for I have come to the conclusion from reading the volume containing the minutes, &e., of your last meeting, that yours is a live society, and that you are after facts first and theory afterward. Still a man without a theory ‘will not make much of an investigator. I see that Ellwanger & Barry, of Rochester, have succeeded in raising two new roses, one a hybrid, raised from the seed of General Jacquéminot and named Marshall P. Wilder. It is described as an improved Alfred Colomb, and they (E. & B.) believe it to be the best American Rose yet raised. I have great confidence in the opin- ions of these gentlemen, and do not believe they would wittingly misrepresent any rose, or in fact anything. And as they have had it on trial for several years, I have no doubt this will prove all they say about it. The other is a miniature rose of slender growth and raised from the seed of the Marie Van Houtte, and called Rosalie, or Fairy Queen. I have seen neither of these and therefore say nothing of them from my own personal experience, but as they are recommended by EK. & B. I have no doubt of their excellence. I see by your programme that you will have two papers on sub- jects especially interesting to me, and shall wait perhaps impatient- lv for your report to read them. I refer to the one on “Wild Flowers of Lake Pepin Valley” and the one on “ Roses for the Northwest.” I hope neither will prove only for the ear, and then to be forgotten. THEO. MEAD. MINNESOTA SEEDLING APPLES. A letter was read from J. M. Thresher, of Fillmore county, ° answering inquiries of the Secretary in regard to the Rollins apples. He says the Rollins Russet and Rollins Prolific seem to stand well, but himself and neighbors have not had good success with the Rollins Pippin. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 221 TIDINGS FROM CALIFORNIA. An interesting letter was read from Wyman Elliott written at Santa Monica, California, in which he described the horticulture of California as he found it. THE FORESTRY ASSOCIATION. The Secretary stated that from present appearances there was not likely to be much of an attendance from the Forestry Association at the proposed joint meeting to-morrow, and recom- mended that we proceed with our regular program, and take up Forestry when we reach it in the course of business. This was agreed to. THE GOVERNOR’S VISIT. The Secretary also stated that it had been the desire and expec- tation of Governor Hubbard to be present at une session of our Society this week, aad at the joint meeting on forestry, but the fire at Stillwater had thrown a mass of business suddenly upon the Governor, and he was much pressed for time ; was even now necessarily away on a trip to Chicago, and it was not likely he would return soon enough to make us his contemplated visit. AWARD OF PREMIUMS. The award of premiums was then read, as follows : APPLES. Premium. Am’t. Display Wealthy, Charles Gould.........-+sseeeescneseseeereeerees Ist. $4 00 Display Wealthy, Andrew Peterson......++.sse-++-seeeeeeeweeereee 2d 300 Display Wealthy, P. M. Gideon.........eee sees cee coerce nee ...3d 200 Plate Wealthy, Underwood & Emery.......-ssseseeereeseeeeeeeees Ist 200 Plate Wealthy, Charles Gould...........-sseeesseeceseceecseccsens 2d 100 Pilate Wallbridce, EH. Wilcox... ioc. .c0 +l aalewule Ua elsla ies ola (sli Sm alesis bie lst 200 Mere Wa libridee, O.. Gibbs... .. o> Melildite « bloweh aaa seinlelen v aseyes 2d 100 229 ANNUAL REPORT. Pilate Utter) (0. Gibhis, «5:3: ais. owis eevee 6 tepteuieye wieris cicada ee Ist $2 00 Plate Talman Sweet, George J, Kellogg... 0.0.00: sesdaclavelicncns Ist 200 Plate Mallimansoweet, Js, LATS; sisi stselatele sates clcins cease) siele areca 2d 100 Plate Wolf River; :S., Barter. +: oi 5's stvbues wiveie > 96 ainyo,s ae ime OR Ist 200 Plate Northwestern Greening, E. W. Daniels..............++-++-+> Ist 200 Plate Pewaukee,“George Pi ‘Pefferys. 2.2/1.2. 04. oho. Dy. ae Ist 200 Plate Krause Seedling, Andrew Krause...........0.000cseeesecsee. Ist 200 Plate Orange, Underwood & Emery......... Sahte tele ee 0440S Ist 200 Plate Minnesota, Underwood & Emery... ......0.s.cescesscee sees Ist 200 Plate Minneséta; LOR: Day: ... .-)s.0 eels, cal 2 osiis winerccel ogee 2d 100 Plate Scott’s Winter, Underwood & Emery .. ...-..eeseeeceeeees .. Ist 200 Plate Red Anis, Underwood & Emery. 2.2... .50:50. cee ee mmemnee Ist 200 Plate Crab Seedling; 'S. Bates: . <5. 20% eos sae cletinw optic eee Ist 200 Plate Roman Stem, 8: SAGES: Js .cveneseesdseteessgiee one Ist 200 Plate New Codling,’S) Bates. i... es ci ene tobe Ist 200 Plate Forster’s Sweet, William Forster.........ceeseeesseuceeees Ist °2:00 Plate 'Seeknofurther,’St) Bates: iil... gies s.is.. eee, e e Ist 200 Plate 240, Lieby, | Plate 378, Hibernal, ; : Plate 410, Little Seediltig, oh Peterson s:5 ...'s s+ saya , special 800 Plate 272, Ostrekoff Gloss, ) Plate Asfeld Seedling, Charles Lundloff..... .........---ssesnrenenie Ist 200 Plate Robinson Seedling, Charles Ludluff...........-.sceseecosscres 1st 200 Plate Seedling (4 entries), J. C. Kramer..:....:....:.cecesescsuue .-Ist 8 00 Plate Seedling, Phil’ Bivethardir. ave. cccus dees snns ina ee! Ist 200 Plate Seedling, Joseph Wright........ ( ARS. See eee ~ [ee Ist 200 Plate Seedling: Joseph Wrights <6. ../). 0). js. acldse 2. onienitee eam Ist 200 Plate Waupaca Seedling, W. A. Springer.......-..eesee cree e eee Special 200 Plate: Fameuses Lin Be Daye esis teins ges suis» «iia ne ails nn a Ist 200 Plate Pameuse, H Waileom 60s. aoe) an eben spi ‘Jive oa, 40 geicn 2d 1 00 Plate La Crescent, Bl.. Wilco. ss0<02-0 0 esas 130 e594 5 ee 2d 100 Plate A. S: Winter, L: Bi Dayi...cl0e. tie) 0.2 dt le Ist 200 VEGETABLES. Winter squash, J. T. Grimes....... Ene vo ace of hs Jete-o le eee Ist 75 Winter squash, J. T, Grimess. o. 2a... cecess Senses snes eee 2d 50 Half peck early potatoes, K. H. Whipple........-.--.... .-+.-eeeee Ist 200 Half peck winter and spring potatoes, O. Gibbs ...... .......+.+.- slst- 200 Half peck winter and spring potatoes, J. I’. Grimes.......... -- «towel Oe Half peck table carrots, K. Whipple.... ..-.---.-+-- sees eeeeee coos Ist. iia PANTRY STORES. Display canned fruits, W. Golden..........sssee ceeeereeee cones Ist Display canned fruits, J. F, Hosmer..........-+ s2--eeseeeceeeeee add Sample of home-made vinegar W. Golden......-.s.eseeeeve ees eeveee Ist Sample home-made vinegar, K. H. Whipple... ............+..00-- Bw | Sample strained honey, L. HE. Day........-.eeeeeerse cece cceeceer ees Ist Sample strained honey, Charles Ludlutf............-005 seeeeeeeees 2d Sample preserved rhubarb, E. H. Cuzner..........+sseeseeeeee evict STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 993 WORKS OF ART. Collection of paintings of Minnesota fruits and flowers, Mrs. West....1st $5 00 Smale iroit pamting, Mrs. H. B, Sargeant..........ccccccseesceuens Ist 300 Single fruit painting, Mrs. W. W. _Folwell..................00-000 2d 200 SEEDS. Collection of Minnesota-grown garden seeds, E. Webster............. Ist 600 Following the awards of premiums, the committee submitted the following special report: REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON EXHIBITS. Your committee on exhibits and awards at this meeting would submit the following: ; Ist. We find about fifty varieties of home grown apples and Siberians on exhibition, which in point of all the essential qualities of size, beauty and flavor, are of superior excellence, and would do honor to the winter exhibit of any Western States, and are very encouraging to the Pomologists of this State. 2d. We find worthy of special mention, the exhibits of new varieties, seedlings of this and other states, with some of the new Russians, of great beauty and excellence, among which we notice the collections of Andrew Peterson, of Wauconia, and Charles Ludluff, of Carver, which are a lesson worthy of careful study by our members. We also would mention the show of Wolf River and Northwestern Greening, from Wisconsin, which promise especial merit to this State. Also the spicy seedling of William Forster, of Chatfield. 3d. We also would give special mention of the wondrous imita- tions of nature in the fruit and flower pieces on exhibition from our home artists, Mrs. West, Mrs. Sargent and Mrs. Folwell, which are “ true to life,” and worthy of a place in every collection of home decorations, and especially worthy for the educational effect upon the people. J. C. PLUMB, F. G. GOULD, E. D. PORTER, Committee. Messrs. Plumb and Gould of the above committee, also reported complimenting the handsome exhibit of forty varieties of potatoes grown atthe State University farm, under the charge of Prof. Porter. 294 ANNUAL REPORT. MORNING SESSION. Fourth Day, Friday, January 18th, 1884. THE SUMMER MEETING. At the opening of the session to-day, Truman M. Smith, of St. Paul, the newly elected President, took the chair. Prof. Porter introduced the subject of the Summer Meeting, and hoped we would have a program of more general interest than we had last year. He thought we might vary the usual exercises by visit- ing the market gardens and fruit farms of both Hennepin and Ram- sey counties. ‘For myself,” said he, ‘I would rather spend one hour on the grounds of a practical horticulturist than to hear him talk ten days.” THE NEW UNIVERSITY FARM, ‘‘And while I have the floor,” Prof. Porter continued, “I will invite your attention for a few moments to the New University farm. The objects of the farm are three-fold: 1st. To illustrate the class work of the lecture rooms; 2d. to make experiments in the practice of agriculture in all its depart- ments; 3d. to carry on original investigations and establish correct principles. We have the best location in the State of Minnesota for such a farm and experiment station. It is midway between the two great cities of the State; it has every variety of soil and exposure; is abundantly equipped in every way, and has the full and cordial support of the Board of Regents. The farm is OE EE a, STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 225 new, as you are aware, having been purchased but a year ago, when the old farm was sold. The past year we have been occu- pied in the erection of buildings, and getting the farm in order. We hope to have things in shape by the time of your summer meeting, to show at least a commencement of our work. I hope you will not forget that by the acceptance of the invitation given you last summer, the members of the Horticultural Society are to be our guests at the farm at the time of your next Strawberry meeting. We shall then, as now, and at all times be glad to re- ceive any advice or suggestions you or any one may have to offer for the management of the farm, or in reference to any experi- ments you desire to have made in agriculture or horticulture, and especially we solicit seeds, cuttings, plants, trees, etc., for trial. We will propagate every thing in this line found worthy, and dis- tribute for the best interests of the people of this State.” Prof. Porter offered samples of the new varieties of potatoes on exhibition to any who might want them for trial. Mr. Harris. I commend most heartily this farm and the sug- gestions of Prof. Porter to the members of this Society. As horticulturists we can help the State University and Prof. Porter in carrying out their plans in regard to it, and on the other hand we can look to it for systematic work and careful records in all the experiments in which we are interested. The farm consists of 260 acres. It has cost from $200 to $300 per acre, but by the rise in the value of lands is now worth $500 per acre exclusive of im- provements. The farm in many respects is one of the best any- where; and when its buildings and equipments are completed, it will be the best of its class in the country. Secretary Gibbs. I have always thought well of these experi- menial farms, but have never so fully realized their importance and usefulness to the public as I have since visiting the New York ex- periment station at Geneva on my return from Philadelphia last fall. Dr. E. Lewis Sturtevant, the director, gave me half a day of his time in showing me around the farm and explaining the experiments that were being carried on; and I came away fully convinced that if our farmers would visit these experimental farms and agricultural colleges, and get really acquainted with their purposes and their practical workings, it would not be long before their boys would be flocking there for a better educa- tion in farming, as they do now to the classical colleges to learn to be doctors and lawyers. 15 226 ANNUAL REPORT. The State Horticultural Society will expect great things from this University farm in its departments of pomology and gardening, and it is safe to say that our members will always be found its cor- dial co-workers and supporters in every step to advance the stand- ard in these departments. I only hope the other branches of agri- culture will organize as efficiently and co-operate with the management of the the farm as thoroughly as we will. HALL FOR FUTURE MEETINGS. Prof. Porter. I wish to say a word further in regard to the home of this society here at the Agricultural College. The Board of Regents takes note of your largely increasing numbers, and of the necessity for providing a hall large enough to accom- modate not only this society, but all other assemblies or societies that come here in the interest of agriculture; and it is hoped that before your annual meeting occurs here again they may be able to offer you a hall that will accommodate any audience you can bring, The appropriations have been made for all necessary buildings in addition to what we have, but we have been and still are de- layed in getting the money by the burning of the State buildings, and the extraordinary drafts for funds to rebuild them. A. W. Sias here presented to Prof. Porter the relics of the Rochester tornado, and Mr. Harris the specimens of Minnesota woods on exhibition, for the benefit of the Agricultural College Museum. The Secretary reported progress for himself and Prof. Porter asa committe to select a device for aseal. Nothing had been evolved that was quite good enough to express our high aims, ambitions and hopes; the best they had to offer was the figure of a young girl on tiptoe under an apple tree, one hand bending down a branch, and the other grasping an apple. If this were engraved with a motto, “Reaching for Fruit,’ in good Latin, it would at at least be expressive. The picture was handed around for in- spection, and taken under advisement for another year. Mean- time sealed proposals for furnishing a better device are solicited. = Tre? Se STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 297 THE RUSSIAN MULBERRY AGAIN. A resolution having been offered by R. Porter declaring the cul- tivation of the Russian mulberry to be a humbug, Col. Stevens said there was no doubt about its hardiness. To be sure it would kill down some when young, but would grow up again and soon get over that. He put out one hundred of them five years ago, and they were all living. The Mennonites who brought them to Minnesota grow them largely at Mountain Lake. He had been there to see the trees and found the tallest one thirty feet high. They make good hedges, and the fruit is desirable. Would not reccommend it for a shade or ornamental tree. Mr. Emery drew a diagram on the blackboard and explained the manner of growth of the mulberry. It is close-jointed, hardy, an excellent wind-break and the natural food of the silk worm. It can be grown from cuttings, but not successfully except with the best of facilities and expert care. Weadvise the ordinary planter to get roots every time. The silk work industry promises a new and paying employment, especially for women, and we want the mul- berry. Keep it, encourge its planting, and it will bring us good returns for our care and money. Mr. Whipple thought it could be successfully grown from cut- tings. From one hunared cuttings he had raised twenty-s2ven healthy trees. Mr. Sias concurred in this opinion. Mr. Fuller had made a failure of it with both roots and cuttings. The trees had killed to the ground in winter. Prof. Porter thought the Russian mulberry contained germs of inestimable value here. Besides its use as the food of the silkworm, it wasexcellent for an ornamental hedge. Of 1,000 miserably cared-for cuttings he raised on the old experimental farm 200 trees. The trees winter killed about half way down, and grew up again the next year. On the State fruit farm he had seen © as fine a hedge of mulberries as he ever noticed in Southern Ohio from the Osage Orange. He thought we must begin with seed- lings, as in other fruits; it would take time, but the promised re- sults would justify the experiments. He urged the importance of its culture as the beginning of a new industry—silk culture; as a means of raising a valuable fruit; as a windbreak or hedge, and, finally, because it could be readily grown. 928 ANNUAL REPORT. Mr. Emery supported the suggestion of Prof. Porter that we grow the mulberry from seed. This was the line of work for im- provements in all our trees and fruits. Mr. Bussee had grown them for two years. They started late in the spring, but had only winter killed down four or five inches. Mr. Gideon. We have at our place at Excelsior two rows of the | mulberry that make as solid and compact a hedge as the Osage Orange. It will feed two crops of silk worms. The fruit will be worth something by and by. We must improve it by seedling production. Our only hope is in seedlings—seedling mulberries as well as seedling apples. Must reject the poor, select the best ; let the fittest survive. It can be developed, and is worthy of contin- ued trial. Mr. Emery. From seed it can be grown eighteen inches the first year. } Col. Stevens. Yes, six feet. RASPBERRIES. What is the best raspberry for general cultivation? Mr. Golden. Fora late variety, the Superb; for medium, the Philadelphia. Turner is good. R. Porter. The Philadelphia for money. Mr. Whipple. Have had eight crops of Philadelphia and no failures. The first year I hoe the ground clean; the second year mulch heavily with bagasse, and no cultivation is needed. Mr. Sias preferred the Turner. I[t propagates rapidly and is hardy. Mr. Harris. The old purple cane is a good berry for farmers. It is hardy and productive; but too small and soft for market. Would recommend the Cuthbert for its excellent quality. Mr. Gould. Ilike the Philadelphia best for market and the Turner for my own use. My Philadelphias gave three quarts to the hill. The Turner covers up its fruit with the foliage. Mr. Emery. The Cuthbert is the best late variety. The Phil- adelphia is the fruit for farmers. C. L. Smith. But not so good for the gardener, as it does not carry well. Cuthbert will still look best after keeping two or three days, and asa shipping berry it is superior. The Turner was a STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 229 long continuous bearer. They will sometimes last for six weeks. Yet there was more money to the acre in the Philadelphia for home market than in any other. He would recommend to plant all three of these sorts for home market. He argued the impor- tance of better culture of the raspberry, and heavy mulching with straw or bagasse if you have it. Mr: Pearce. I looked over all the varieties three years ago, and Prof. Porter told me to see to the Cuthbert. I did so, and have not regretted it. Have seen berries on it in September. | BLACKBERRIES. In a discussion on blackberries, Mr. Bussee related his experi- ence and failure with Ancient Briton, which Mr. Pearce pro- nounced worthless for general cultivation. Mr. Emery. Stone’s Hardy has a low growing habit and is easily covered up. It needs no protection except in the severest winters. GHNERAL BUSINESS. C. L. Smith was by resolution invited to prepare a paper for the next annual meeting on small fruit culture and roses. Mr. Emery tendered his services to any local horticultural so- ciety, free of expense, to attend its meetings and impart instruction on any branch of fruit culture. The sum of sixty dollars was voted to the Secretary for assist- ance in preparing the Annual Report for press, and in proof reading, to include the reporter’s services at this meeting. D. W. Humphrey, of Faribault, and M. Pearce, of Minneapolis, were made honorary life members, and Mrs, West, of Minneapolis, an honorary member for the year 1884. BRUIT LESTS. J. M. Underwood, A. W. Sias, and Wyman Elliot were appointed a committee to revise the fruit report for next annual meeting. 230 ANNUAL REPORT. FINAL RESOLUTIONS. The committee on Final Resolutions made the following report: Mr. President and Fellow Members: Your committee on Final Resolutions recommend the following: Resvulved, That the thanks of the Minnesota Horticultural Society are due to the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul, the Chicago and Northwestern, the Minneapolis and St. Louis, and the St. Paul and Duluth Railroads, for rebates from regular passenger fare ; to the daily newspapers for full and copious reports; to the students of the University for the sweet music rendered at our sessions ; to the State University so ably represented in our meetings by the presence of Professors Folwell, Porter, Hall, and Winchell, for the accommodation of an audience room, and to the citizens of Minne- apolis, who have so nobly responded to the call of our able com- mittee on entertainment, in affording the members of the conven- tion homes during their stay in the city; and in leaving Minne- apolis, we carry with us to our homes lively recollections of generous treatment at their hands, and our best wishes for their continued health and prosperity. S. M. EMERY, JOHN. 8. HARRIS, G. W. FULLER, Committee. The report was unanimously adopted by « rising vote, and the Minneapolis and St. Paul papers requested to publish the resolu- tions. Secretary Gibbs. Referring to that part of the Secretary’s re- port, relative to courtesies extended by this society to the American Forestry Congress, I offer the following resolution : Resolved, That the thanks of this society be tendered to the ladies of the Jewell Nursery for the magnificent collection of fow- ers presented by them tothe American Forestry congress, in August last, with the compliments of the Minnesota Horticultural Society . Resolution adopted unanimously. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 231 AFTERNOON SHSSION. FORESTRY DAY. Fourth Day, Friday, January 18th, The subject of Forestry being first in order, the following resolu- tions were presented by the Secretary, and unanimously adopted without discussion. THE TIMBER OULTURE ACT, Resolved, by the Minnesota State Horticultural Society that the senators and representatives in congress from this State be requested to use their influence to prevent the repeal of the timber culture act, and to secure the passage of such amendments as will prevent abuses and promote its efficiency. Resolved, That the thanks of the society be tendered to Hon. H. B. Strait, for his prompt action in this direction. The following papers on forestry were accepted without reading, (the authors not being present), and were ordered printed. THE TIMBER CULTURE ACT; SHOULD IT BE REPEALED? By FRANKLIN B, Houenu, Lowviuie, N. Y. In considering this gestion, it will be proper to take notice of the origin and intentions of the law, the manner in which it has been executed or evaded, and the points of excellence or of fault 932 ANNUAL REPORT. that it involves. From these data we may reasonably arrive at some conclusions as to its continuance, with or without amend- ments, or its entire repeal. It is a matter of record, that the act under notice was introduced in Congress by the Hon. Mark H. A coun of Minnesota, to whom also we are indebted for the laws under which investigations in forestry were first commenced in 1876. It was the beginning of the conservative measures for the main- tenance of our forests, the need of which must have convinced every thoughtful person who has noticed the rapid exhaustion of these resources, and the entire neglect of measures for their re- newal. This waste and neglect, tend inevitably to want, and as this want approaches, the gradual advance in prices, gives unmistakable notice of its coming. In its original form, as enacted March 3, 1873, this act offered 160 acres of land to any person who should plant 40 acres, and keep the plantation in healthy condition for ten years, the trees being not more than 12 feet apart each way. If the person failed to keep his plantation in good condition, or if he failed to cultivate and protect it, the land reverted to the government, subject to a new entry, and the investment was lost. There was a provision in favor of the homestead settler, and the entry was not to be liable for the previous debts of the planter. There was no requirement as to residence, nor was there any means provided for ascertaining a failure, during the ten years of probation, unless upon complaint of some contesting applicant. In every untried experiment, difficulties are liable to arise which could not be foreseen, and a short experience brought to notice cer- tain defects, which led to an amended act one year afterwards, the points of amendment being as follows: The person making the entry, must be at least tweuty one years of age, and a citizen of the United States, or if not, one who has declared his intention of becoming one. The time of proving up was reduced from ten to eight years. An amount less than a quarter section, if eighty or forty acres, might be entered, the re- quirement for planting being a fourth part of the jand entered. No person could make more than one entry, unless fractional sub- divisions were entered amounting in all to a quarter section. It was now required that the land should be broken before p!ant- ing, one-quarter of the land intended for woodland being broken the first year, another quarter the second year, and the remaining half the third year. One year after breaking the land was to be STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 233 planted as before, and after that nothing more was specified as a requirement, beyond protection, until the time of proving, eight years after entry. In case of death, an heir might succeed to the benefits of the whole, or a part, accordingly as they were found entitled. The principal fault in both of these acts, was in allowing the trees to be set too widely apart. The rule might work in a climate like that of New England, where almost any kind of a tree set in such soil as we find on the prairies, would grow to meet its neigh- bor half way, if the distance was twelve feet or even more; but upon the western plains and prairies, although the soil may be fertile, the air is dry. The climate is subject to greater vicissi- tudes, and with the drying winds and the droughts that are very liable to occur, the young tree, if set with roots, and with the very best of care and cultivation, has little chance of growing to much height, if at liberty to spread low, and with some species it would be doubtful if it grew at all. . This defect in the law was remedied by a third law, passed June 14, 1878, which is with slight amendment still in force. It re- duced the interval between the trees to four feet,and the area to be planted from one-fourth to one-sixteenth of the whole amount entered. If the entry be a full quarter-section, five acres must be plowed the first year, and five acres the second. Iu the second year the first five acres must be cultivated with a crop or otherwise. In the third year, the first five acres must be planted with trees, tree-seeds or cuttings, and the second five acres must be cultivated. In the fourth year, the land last broken must be planted, and after this the whole must be protected until the time of proving for title, eight years after entry. Such is in substance the law in its present form, the merits or defects of which we are now to consider. It may be said in general, that if faithfully and conscientiously done, according to the require- ments of the law, and with the careful cultivation after planting which every owner should give his land, to secure the very best re- sult, we might reasonably expect to see a thrifty young grove at the end of the eight years, whenever trees can be cultivated without irrigation in any part of the country. But it is a well known fact, that this careful attention cannot always be given. In many cases the planter has not the experi- ence needed for successful management; or he is liable to commit errors, by depending upon an experience gained under widely different conditions and which must fail him altogether in his new 234 ANNUAL REPORT. enterprise. Between this neglect of some, the mistakes of others, we would naturally expect to find many tree-claims below the standard of excellence due to good management, at the time of claiming title, and some that should be rejected as failures. I consider the present law chiefly defective in its failing to require, that land once entered for tree-culture should thereayter be subject to no other form of entry. It has been a practice very prev- alent in some land districts, for persons to enter timber-culture claims who did not intend to plant a tree. If located in a region that was filling up with settlers, they might reasonably expect, before the time for planting, to find some person who would be willing to pay them one, two or three hundred dollars to abandon the claim, when the purchaser would stand ready to enter it asa homestead, or to purchase it at the government price. This custom has been practiced upon thousands of occasions, and the country has lost the benefits that should have resulted from the plantations. In other instances entries have been made, to acquire temporary possession for pasturage, or in anticipation. of the location of a line of railroad, or of atown site. ‘The adven- turer in these cases, only risked his chances for a year or two by the payment of the office fees, and might strike a success. If he failed to sell, only these fees would be lost, and he might go else- where and do likewise. Of course, no law could be framed, that would compel a man to do what he was not able to accomplish, nor would it be just to deny him the privilege of selling his improvement, and his oppor- tunity to enter another, or to deny the purchaser the benefits of his purchase. But it is certainly quite within the power of congress, and [ regard it as their duty, to enact, that land once entered for timber culture, shall be held thereafter by no other title;—and furthermore to enact, that this proportion of woodland shall be maintained upon the land there ever after, as a condition of the title. It need not be the identical area first planted, but I would have at least one sixteenth part of the quarter-section always after in woodland, under penalty of forfeiture of the title. Should such requirement ever be enacted, it should of course provide for unavoidable losses, as in case of fires, where a reasonable time should be allowed for re-planting, and for exceptional cases, where it might be inexpedient or improper to insist upon the maintenance, as where a village or a town might spring up upon the land. I regard the present law as also defective, in its not providing any certain means for ascertaining at the several land offices, and ee ee STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 935 through these at the general land office, the facts as they are, con- cerning the execution of the law, from year to year. It would be no hardship for the holders of these claims to be required to report annually to the register of his land district, the amount of land broken and cultivated, and planted with trees, at the end of each year. The blanks for this purpose might be issued with the- certificate of first entry, or might be sent through the mails as they were needed for use. They should be properly certified, and false reports might be punished by forfeiture of title. With such reports properly consolidated, we would be able to know defi- nitely, what we can now only guess at, as to whether the timber culture act is destined to be as successful as its friends desire, or _ whether in certain regions, it has afforded only an opportunity for speculation and fraud. Firmly believing as I do, that the agricultural welfare of the whole country would be increased and sustained, if a portion of the area was somewhat evenly interspersed with groves and belts. of trees, and kept in due proportion to the cultivated surface, I would deem it proper to enact a law in the future conveyance of new lands by the government under any form of title, to insert a. clause requiring that within a certain reasonable period, a given amount of land, if prairie, should be planted, or that if now wood- land, that a certain portion should be reserved, and continued thereafter in some form of tree growth. Exceptions should of course be made to this rule in regions where it would be imprac- ticable, and some might regard such a law as arbitrary and oppressive. It may not be possible to secure such an enactment, but it is- within the power of every owner of land to prove upon his own premises, the benefits of such plantations, and it is to be earnestly hoped that examples will multiply until these benefits are widely enjoyed. 236 ANNUAL REPORT. THE STUDY OF FORESTRY AS AN IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTOR TO PRACTICAL EDUCATION. [Read at the St. Paul meeting of the American Forestry Congress, August &, 1883, and copy kindly furnished by the author. | By Hon. H. G. Jony, or QuEBEc, CANADA. There is a danger, in treating this subject, that of exaggeration which will damage the best cause. The fact that we have met here from such widely distant sections of North America, that many of us, leaving our homes and occupa- tions, have traveled hundreds and hundreds of miles, to attend this Forestry Congress, is a strong guarantee that every effort made to raise in public estimation, the study and practice of Forestry, will meet with your hearty support; but I wish to appeal to your reason, rather than to your sympathy, and to satisfy the judgment of the thoughtful men who are ready and willing to join every earnest effort if they can once see that its results will be beneficial to mankind. What is meant by practical education? Training the child, his body, his mind and his heart for the work of life. It is a general preparation forit. When you begin the education of the child, you do not know what his future occupation in life will be. A good edu- cation is like a solid foundation, built on the rock, ready to receive and support, with safety, any kind of superstructure that may be erected upon it. Education is Training. There is mental gymnastic to train the mind, as well as corporal gymnastic to train the body. A man is not often called upon in after life, to repeat the performances learnt, as a boy, at the gymnasium; he may even forget them, for want of practice, but he will preserve through life some of the strength and activity thereby acquired. The aim of practical education or training ought to be as mach as possible, to choose for the training of children such exercises as will be directly applicable and useful in after life, and I think the study of forestry fulfills these conditions, to a great degree. - Timber is in request more or less, all over the world. The Esquimaux is about the only man who dispenses with it, not from STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 23T choice, but because he cannot get it; his winter residence is built with blocks of ice, and he braves the angry waves of the North > Seas in a leather canoe ribbed with the bones of whales. Every- where else you will find wood, sometimes only the palm tree, or even the bamboo, but everywhere, in the wildest as in the most civilized countries, you will find wood in daily use. Where the natural growth of timber is abundant, the people will waste it if they are not brought up with a due consideration of its value. As a Canadian I can speak with some experience on that point. In such countries, people ought to be taught the value of timber, which trees to cut, which to preserve, how to thin their forests with judgment, so as to increase their value, while deriving a good revenue from them. On the other side where the timber is scarce or where there is. none, like in the western pariries, people must be taught how to grow it. They must learn what kinds of trees are best adapted to their soil, their climate and their wants, and how to grow them. It is wonderful how little the country people in. general, know about forest trees. Let them begin to learn when they are young, the best mode of instructing the children; this is the surest way of reaching the people at large. You will say: ‘‘ You are speaking of a general system of edu- “ cation; remember that what you propose will only apply to the “country, and not to the cities.” By far the great majority of the human race live in the country, and those who are condemned to. live in the cities, generaily look forward, as a happy deliverance and reward for their labors, to the time when they will leave town and live in the country. Take the most devoted townsman and ask him if the forest trees are not the finest ornament of his streets. But let that distinction stand as between country people and city people, if you like, [ will now attempt to show that the proposi- tion enunciated in the title of this paper applies to both cases, and that the study of the elements of forestry can be made an import- ant contributor to practical education. How can you teach a child a better lesson of foresight, observa- tion, patience, care for the smallest details and perseverance, than in teaching him to plant a tree. He will soon learn that he can only transplant his tree, with hope of suecess, in certain seasons ; that if he does not take it up with care, carry it with care, replant it with care, it will not grow. He will soon find out that, by weed- ing and cultivating the ground carefully, staking his tree, pruning it judiciously, it will prosper. 238 ANNUAL REPORT. Speak of the training of young trees ? Has not that very ex- ample of the careful training of a young and tender tree, been taken, in all ages, in all countries, as the best example for the edu- cation of childhood ? There are not many schools, even in the cities, where children could not be taught to plant, every year, and attend to at least one tree, each. Ifthere is no room ou the school grounds, there is room along the streets, the roads, the squares, the uncultivated hills, stony patches, waste grounds in the neighborhood of cities, where trees would always be welcomed. The fact is, that in sev- -eral schools the practice has been already introduced, in observation of Arbor Day. It is good woyk for the body and the mind, and I do not fear to say for the heart too. What a lesson you could teach a child, when he asks: “ How “long will it take before that tree I am now planting is big enough “to cut down?” If you answer, “It may take twenty, thirty, ‘forty years, or more; that is a terrible long time to wait is it not? ‘*“You may die before your tree is big, or go so far away that you ‘“ will never see it again; but your work will not be lost, my child; “if you do not profit by it others will, and you will have ‘done more “than many a grown up man has done—you will have left some- “thing useful behind you.” ADAPTATIONS AND METHODS OF CULTURE IN. FORESTRY. By Hon. Geo. H. Wrieut, oF Sroux Crry, Iowa. When we attempt to discuss the question of forest tree planting, whether it be on our prairies for shelter belts, for groves to shelter our homes and stock from winter storms or summer heat, or whether it be as a financial investment or to fulfill the Govern- ment timber culture law, the main question that presents itself to our mind is adaptability. We should consider the locality where the trees are to be grown latitude and longitude, altitude and rainfall; the particular time of year when we get the greatest amount of rain, is it distributed STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 239 through the year or is spring the season of the greatest amount of precipitation ?—the soil and the general depth below the surface where water is found. All the above points have more or less bearing on the successful growing of forest trees. The state of Minnesota is eminently a timber growing state. The soil is dry, yet water is found near the surface. These are two important factors in tree growing. The snows of winter act as mulch to the roots, and afford moisture for spring growth. The varieties and species of trees that may be successfully grown in Minnesota, are almost limitless. The valuable conifers are found here in native forest; also the oak, maples, walnuts, elms, lindens, birch, cottonwood, and many varieties of the poplars, with other species more or less valuable. With these evidences before us showing what nature has done, we have the ground work and information for the acts of man. ; Right here comes in the question for the settler, farmer, specu- lator and financier, can these or any of them grow trees without previous training in the school of forestry and horticulture ? Answer, yes. Any man who can prepare the ground for the growing of a good crop of corn, can with equal care and labor grow trees. Prepare the ground by thorough cultivation, for at least two years from breaking, before planting trees. First break the prai- rie in June, turn all the sod under; ‘“‘do not cut and cover,” but do the work well. In October, backset or cross the breaking three inches deeper than the original breaking. Crop with wheat, oats or flax the following year. After the crop has been removed, plow the ground at least seven inches deep, harrow thoroughly and if white or black walnuts are to be planted, mark the ground as for corn, four feet each way, and plant them in the fall, plant- ing the nut with the shuck on, in the corners where the lines cross. Step on the nut after it is dropped in place. After all the planting has been done, harrow and roll the entire field. If young conifers, larch or deciduous trees are to be planted, defer your marking until the following spring, when the ground should be marked as above described, and if to be planted in coni- fers, secure nursery grown, once transplanted, three year old trees, but if deciduous trees are to be planted, get strickly first-class one year old trees, and plant where the lines cross. I have found after twenty years’ experience that the best and cheapest way to plant is with a nursery spade. Place the spade point in the corner where the lines cross, hold the handle perpen- 240 ANNUAL REPORT. dicular, place the foot on the spade, pressing it into the ground the full length, then shove the top of the handle from you and at the same time turning the spade so as to open the hole as much as possible; here have the second man with the trees ready to place one tree in the hole the proper depth: hold onto it and press the earth firmly against and around the tree. At this particular place allow me to call the attention of the planter to the importance of pressing the soil solid around the trees, so that it will exclude all openings about the roots. Two good laborers can easily plant from two to three acres per day. Inthe handling of the trees from the time they are taken from the nursery where the seeds were grown to the place where permanently planted, great care should be exercised in prevent- ing the roots of the trees from exposure to sun and wind. Remem- ber that the roots grow in the ground and not in the air; this cau- tion has so often been repeated, that it is an old story to the practical horticulturist, but we must remember that our vast prairies are being settled by a class of young eastern men, who have not had this matter impressed on their minds. The question of what shall we plant must be determined by the planter himself--what are your circumstances financial and other- wise, are you a new farmer opening up a farm on the open prairie, and want shelter-belts, fuel and shade; then plant cotton-wood, white poplar, and box elder. These trees will make wood rapidly and will grow readily in comparatively new soil. If in an older country, on farms in Minnesota, pines will be valuable. For black-walnut, a deep rich alluvial soil will pay thirty per cent. on the investment in ten to twenty years. Plant our western white ash on any dry, rich prairie soil in Minnesota and east half of Dakota. Europeon larch if properly handled will give rich re- turns for the investment if planted in Minnesota or the Red River Valley of the north, in Dakota. The box elder (ash leaf maple) will flourish in a drier climate that any other American tree. The white or English gray willow when grown as a tree is valua- ble as a timber tree for building purposes, and when seasoned, will stand for years as a fence post. Few persons are aware of the value of box elder for fence posts. Cut in winter, pile up clear of ground and season for eighteen months, and then set in the ground. As a fence post they will last equal to western oak. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 241 L advise planting all forest trees on the prairie about four feet apart each way. This to many may seem too close, but my experience justifies the statement. Close planting will make long bodied trees. Grow this way from seven to ten years; at the expiration of this time the planter can commence to cut out fence posts, poles, Xe. The cost of growing ten acres of forest trees on the prairie, by a farmer residing on his land, will vary from ten to fifteen dollars per acre, for a period of five years. After that date there is no ex- pense except keeping out fires. And the value of 2000 to 2500 trees per acre. ten years of age, in a prairie country, depending on the varieties and species grown, will be from twenty-five to seventy- five dollars per acre, and an additional value of comfort and ap- pearance that cannot be computed. Stoux Crry, Iowa, Jan 7th, 1884. TREES FOR THE HIGHWAY. LeTreR FRoM Dr. Houeu. Lowvitts, N. Y., January 5th, 1884. Oliver Gibbs, Jr., Dear SiR :— * * ¥ * * * * * There is one thing that I will venture to urge upon the atten- tion of the meeting, and through the combined influence of the Horticultural and Forestry Associations, there would be reason to hope that proper legislation might be secured. Although a year must elapse before another session, there is all the more time allowed for ample preparation. I refer to a law requiring the local authorities having charge of the public highways, to cause plantations to be made along their borders. It might not at first be expedient to enforce such a law, excepting in the prairie regions of the state, but there it should not be left optional, unless a dissent were expressed by a large majority in the local elections. Upon the continent in Europe, and especi- ally in Germany and France, where the roads are as a general rule without fences, they are seldom without their avenues of trees. The sameness in kind, and uniformity in spacing, indicates that they 16 249 ANNUAL REPORT. owe their existence to no caprice of their owners, but to the super- vision of some authority of law, that directed their planting, and that protects them from narm. In Germany, these trees are often apple trees, and their fruit which is sold annually at auction upon the trees, goes toward paying for the expenses of these highways. In northern Italy such plantations are often of the mulberry, and the foliage is fed to silk worms. In some districts the tops on the side branches are allowed to be taken off for fuel, and in all of them the old and decaying trees are taken out before they have ceased to be of value for the wood, and their places are supplied by other trees. I need not urge the importance of plantations of this kind in a treeless region like the western part of your state. Aside from the protection which they would afford as wind-breaks, they would serve to mark the route of the road, when the country is covered with deep snows in winter, or to those obliged to travel by night at any season of the year. They would encourage the increase of insectivorous birds, by affording them shelter, and above all they would impart an amenity and beauty to the country that could not fail to render it more agreeable for residence. To those who can hear no other word, it may be said, that it would make their farms worth more money. In suggesting this legislation, it need not be assumed that it will prove burdensome. The planting might be limited to a certain number every year, so that the work would extend, say through ten or a dozen years. It would be just to charge the expenses upon the property of the towns, in the same manner as highway taxes, and those owning land along a highway should be allowed to do their own planting, subject to such general rules as might be prescribed by law, and to the acceptance of the authorities having the high- ways in charge. If these owners failed to plant, the work should be done at their expense. There will always be some, who having no land along a highway, would be required to pay their tree-tax in money, and thus the means would be at hand for paying the expenses, and the money raised would all be expended near home. Such plantations would be failures, without adequate means for their protection from the injury that might happen from cattle, or from fires and casualties, and proper penalties should be enacted against wilful injury, or improper neglect. In cities and villages, it is now an accepted rule, that all the trees upon any street should be of the same kind. There may bea diversity upon different streets, and a certain degree of grouping STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 243 and combination upon public parks, cemeteries, and the like, but the effect is always heightened when the trees upon a street or avenue, are all of a kind, and as nearly as may be, all of a size. This rule would equally apply to country roads ; but from a diver- sity of soil and conditions, it might not always be best, and we are left to the guidance of the rule that applies everywhere, viz :—to plant the kinds that thrive best. Very truly yours, FRANKLIN B. HOUGH. RESOLUTION ON PREMIUMS. G. W. Fuller offered the following resolution : Resolved, That in offering premiums for fruits no premiums be. offered for any named varieties not recommended by this Society for cultivation in this state. The Secretary. “hat resolution, if adopted in its present form, would destroy our exhibitions. We are raising a great many va- rieties of fruit in this state; many of them are promising, but are kept on the experimental list, and we are recommending only such as have been generally tried for a long term of years. Our prem- ium lists, as at present made up, encourage growers to exhibit these experimental sorts, by giving premiums to such as are attractive and promising. We are not paying any more premiums than are necessary to bring out a fair display of what our people are doing in fruit raising. I know that sometimes we have paid premiums on varieties not generally thought hardy in all parts of the state, but not on any but what are profitably grown in some parts of it, unless in cases where there were some special good reasons for it, or by inadver- tence. There are a good many things to be considered in getting Out a premium list and an exhibit of fruits, which are overlooked in such a resolution as this. [ will mention afew. Last year we had no winter fruit in the state to show, that amounted to any- thing. Just across the state line, fairly in our fruit belt, in the orchard of A. J. Phillips of West Salem, Wisconsin, I ascertained that there was a lot of very handsome winter apples, of varieties 244 ANNUAL REPORT. quite interesting to this society, and just being introduced, but not fruiting as yetin Minnesota. They were on avery elevated site, and were a fine study in color and quality as illustrating the value of high lands for raising apples. [ wanted an essay from Mr. Phillips. I wanted to get out his fruit for our members to look at and study. I wanted Mr. Phillips to attend the meeting; and so I sent him an invitation to write the essay, and we got up a prem- ium list that invited his apples by their names. He came. He dis- played his fruit. It was about all we had on our tables. It was a lovely exhibition, as you well remember. He gave us his experi- ence in fruit raising in an interesting paper, and did us lots of good in the part he took in our discussions. He contributed one of the seven prize essays on orcharding; one of the best if not the best. He did not get the prize on the essay, but he carried off our premiums on apples, and he felt good. He had earned them. ‘This is one in- stance. This resolution would have cut that scheme all up. Now another: Everybody who is looking for new and nice varieties wants to see the Wolf River apple, the Northwestern Greening, the McMa- hon White, the Russian Anis, the Antonovka, the Hibernal, the Lit- tle Seedling, the Bogdanoff, the Longfield, the Yellow Transparent, the Forster Sweet, the Forster Red Winter, the Giant Swaar, etc., etc. None of them are recommended by the Society at present. This resolution would not permit a premium to be offered for some- body to bring them out. In my searches for facts of interest, I am continually finding fruits that [ want the grower to contribute for exhibition; when I can say to the grower, our commmittee may think it worthy of a premium, and if any is awarded you shall have it, I feel at liberty to ask for the fruit,and I always get it. Four-tifths of the apples on the tables here this winter I have gathered up and*brought here in this way. Now here is another case. Over there on the table is a plate of grey gilliflower apples, - which I have entered in the name of Geo. P. Peffer; another of Pewaukee, by the same. Both of them are there to illustrate a law of reproduction and variation from seed, the law laid down in Mr. Peffer’s essays before this society, which I have explained to many, using these plates of fruit as an object lesson. I picked the fruit off the Green Bay tables, and asked Mr. Peffer to let me bring it here. You that know that the grey gilliflowers on that plate are from the very tree that Mr. Peffer raised from the seed of the iso- lated grey gilliflower tree described by him on page one hundred and twenty-five of our report of 1883, and you that never have seen the Pewaukee before but have heard of it, know its parentage and STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 945 wish to study the lesson it imparts, surely will not begrudge Mr. Peffer his premium. In this experimental stage of our fruit raising, when we have so much to learn, it will not do to have cast-iron rules about premiums. You must leave some discretion to the secretary and executive committee in lists and programs; then, if you appoint a competent set of judges on your exhibits, such as we always have had, there will not be much to complain of. Mr. Pearce opposed the resolution. He thought if a man pro- duced fine fruit he should be rewarded for it. Wedo not all agree as to what should be recommended. The majority vote is what recommends. It may not be right at all times. I can grow varieties that I cannot get recommended by. the majority. If we say we will pay no premiums on a variety till the majority recom- mend it, the minority have no fair show. I say at present it is desirable to invite for exhibition all good fruit grown in the State. Mr. Plumb. As a general rule, it is safe to leave it to your judges to decide whether a variety offered is worthy of a premium. Col. Stevens, President Smith, Mr. Gideon and others opposed the resolution, and it was rejected. THE McMAHON WHITE APPLE. Mr. Plumb. I have found on your table here a fine plate of the McMahon White apple. It is a very interesting variety. Can any one present tell us how it is doing in Minnesota? Mr, Taylor. Itis a hardy, medium variety, bearing fairly and keeping all winter. We consider it peculiarly well adapted to top grafting on the Duchess. [See close of this day’s proceedings for letter from Mr. Taylor. | DISCUSSION ON GRAPES. Col. Stevens. Some of our members have expressed a wish that we have a discussion on grapes. I would like to hear from Mr, Norquist of Red Wing, on this subject, as he is a large grower and one of the most skillful and successful in the State. Mr. Norquist. I have been cultivating grapes for fifteen years. Have Concord, Delaware, Worden, Janesville, and about sixteen 246 ANNUAL REPORT. other varieties. Janesville is the earliest. Moore’s Karly and Agawam are good. President Smith. Moore’s Ear:y is a delicious grape, yields almost as well as Concord, but lacks vigor. Janesville will always ripen before the frost, but it does not sell well in market. I have raised 9000 pounds on two acres. My main reliance is on Concord and Delaware, but find the Agawam and Worden good varieties. My rows are eight by eight feet and vines trained on trellises. Grapes will not bear and ripen unless the weeds are kept down. Perfectly clean culture is what pays in grapes. I have lost only three crops in twenty-five years—once from hail and twice from frost--not total, but partial losses. The last year was the worst. Sold $418 worth then, and lost probably $500 worth. I usually dress my grape ground twice a year with wood ashes and land plaster ; once in the spring, and again just before the fruit ripens. Only the best varieties pay, and the fruit of these must be well selected and prepared for market. I sell only the best bunches; can get more for these than for the good and poor mixed. The old Oporto is the only variety that it is safe to leave on the trellises over. winter. The Lady he believed would be one of the best of the white grapes. Conditions varied so much it was hard to generalize, but taking all situations and the years as they run, Concord pays as well at 10 cents a pound as Delaware at 20 cents. Have been often deceived and put to loss and trouble by having grape vines sent me that were not true to name. Latterly I am careful to buy only of parties who know what they are selling. Mr. Gideon. On my ground the EKumelan yields twice as much as the Concord, and is the best in quality. Complaint had been made that it was subject to mildew, but have not seen much of it. Tona also does well at Minnetonka, has nice bunches, and we can ripen it. Brighton has the finest bunches, and has good bearing qualities. It is rather earlier than Eumelan. Worden yields well and is early. Mr. Sias. In our part of the State the Eumelan fails from mil- dew. Mr. Harris. It is worthless with us for the same reason. My grape crop this year sold for $300; would have been $600 but for the September frost, and $1000 but for destructiye rains. Moore's Early was the first to ripen. Janesville is inferior in quality to Concord, but is two weeks earlier, and has more money in it. For profit he would name—lst. Janesville; 2d. Moore’s Early; 3d. Worden; 4th. Concord. i I a i STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Q4T BLACKBERRIES AGAIN. Col. Stevens. There was once an abundance of wild blackber- ries in Carver county. What is the cause of their disappearance? Will Mr. Ludluff or Mr. Peterson answer? Mr. Ludluff. We have them yet in the fence corners, inside of the fields. They are destroyed by stock on the ranges elsewhere. Mr. Peterson. Another cause of their disappearance is the want of shelter, since the underbrush has been removed. GRAPES RESUMED. Mr. Bussee. I[ think we ought to take more time to discuss grapes and strawberries. Mr. Plumb. Before we can decide intelligently as to what varieties of grapes to plant we must study their special adaptations. Varieties subject to mildew will only grow adjacent to bodies of water. We ought to have committees of observation on thesé points of adaptation. Away from bodies of water, plant Concord first, because least subject to mildew; then Worden, and next, Delaware. The cause of mildew was the shock to atender leaf system by a warm day followed by a cold night. The Concord has a thick, leathery leaf that resists the influence of these sudden changes of temperature. Mr. Plumb was not in favor of mulching grapes. The ground must be kept hot for the best growth and ripening of the grape. Mr. Pearce. As to the ripening, it makes a great difference how the rows are arranged. Ifthe rows ran east and west the grape will ripen two weeks earlier than when they run north and south. He plants his vines on the south side, one foot from the trellis. This he considers best, after twenty years’ experience. President Smith got his best and earliest grapes from east and west rows. Mr. Pearce. Charles Gibson, at Lake Minnetonka, has the finest grapes [ ever saw. His vineyard is in a narrow clearing in the Minnetonka woods, on a hillside facing west. At first the ground was not rich enough. I advised him to save his forest leaves, make a compost of them and dress his vineyard. That doubled the size of his grapes, and they all ripened. He had Dela- 948 ANNUAL REPORT. wares, Concords, Ionas and Janesvilles. They were the finest I - ever saw anywhere. Gen. W.G. Le Duc. On which side of the lake is this vineyard ? Mr. Pearce. The east side sloping to the west, and the rows all east and west. Gen. Le Duc. How wide is the lake opposite the vineyard ? Mr. Pearce. About four miles; timber land east and back of the vineyard. Gen. Le Duc. You can feel the descent of moisture inland, four to fifteen miles, sometimes fifty. Col. Stevens thought the influence of moisture was overrated. Where is the water in Scott county? What water is near Mr. Grimes? Mr. Pearce. The best grapes in the state are always to be found near bodies of water, either on our lakes or rivers. You will find this true every time. Mr. Plumb. Water does it. For every mile of difference in distance from water, you may reckon ten degrees in temperature. This has been tested and proved. Ten degrees higher in day time, ten lower at night. This makes all the difference between success and failure in many seasons. The equalization in temperature is what is needed. Deep cultivation might remedy the defect of location in part, but not fully. Gen. Le Duc. Would any of you advise the planting of a vine- yard on a steep northeast slope near a stream of water, limestone soil, previously timbered ? Mr. Golden instanced a vineyard so situated that was successful. Mr. Gideon. The most unnatural exposure for grapes. Mr. Harris has seen many wild grape vines on northeast slopes, but does not know that they bear. Prof. Porter. Experience is against a northeast exposure, but if I had no other, I would plant there. The Secretary. In connection with this discussion, I will print here the report of Mr. Ludluff. s STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 249 REPORT ON GRAPES TESTED IN CARVER COUNTY. By CHArLEs LupuuFF, oF Carver, MINN. We read in the Bible that Noah, after the flood, began to be a husbandman, and he planted a vineyard. This is supposed to have been at the foot of Mount Ararat, which travelers tell us is sit- uated at about 40° north latitude and 62° east longitude. This ancient time, 4,000 years ago, and this locality, we take to be the origin of grape culture, and from then and there it has spread over the whole earth. We, in Minnesota, are from three to seven degrees farther north, where not every kind of grapes will grow; but as wherever the wild American apple, Pyrus Malus Sylvestris, is found, a better apple can be made to thrive, so in all regions where the Fox grape, Vitus Lubrusca, is at home, there a better product of grapes can be cultivated with success. Every climate has its kind that can be grown there, but we can only find it out by trial and observation; and as for several years { have carried on experiments to advance the culture of the grape in Minnesota, I present the State Horticultural Society my notes on different varieties, for such use as they may please to make with them, all based upon plantings and fruitings of my own: Allen Hybrid—Has not done well here ; discarded. Atvey—Poor for us ; discarded. Agawam—Rogers’ Hybrid No. 15; takes after Concord ; discarded. Aminia—Sweet ; fine flavor for table and market. Autochan—Arnold’s No. 5, poor grower ; discarded. Black Hawk—Ripens with Concord ; discarded. Beauty of Minnesota—Good flavor ; the best grape for Minnesota. Blood’s Black—Foxy ; discarded. Barry—Roger’s Hybrid No. 43 ; productive, early ; sweet. Brighton—Ripens early ; flesh tender, sweet, juicy, slightly aromatic, pleasant flavor. Belvidere—Like Hartford ; discarded. Brand—Arnold’s No. 8; poor grower ; discarded. Concord Chasselas—Poor grower ; discarded. Canada—Arnold’s No. 16; poor here; discarded. Catawba—Ripens too late; discarded. Cassidy—Too late; discarded. 250 ANNUAL REPORT. Challenge—Did poorly on my place; discarded. Cambridge—Ripens a few days before Concord; hardy; better than Concord. Concord, Muscat—Same as C. Chasselas: discarded. Croton—Poor grower; discarded. Canby’s August—Very poor; discarded. Clinton—Voo poor in quality for me; discarded. Concord—If the Concord was eight days earlier, then it would be one of the best for us ; but in some seasons it does not get {fully ripe.* Conquerer—Does poorly here; discarded. Cornucopia—Arnold’s No. 2; worthless here; discarded. Creveling—Ripens before Concord; juicy and sweet; last season it got the leaf blight on my place. Cottage—Early; 1ipens before Concord, and is better. Duchess—New; not tested yet; should be one of the best. Delaware—Bunch medium, compact; pulp sweet, tender and juicy; productive and profitable. Dracut Amber—Too foxy for my taste; discarded. Diana—Ripens too late; discarded. Elvira—Too late; discarded. Hssex—Mildewed; cliscarded. Early Dawn—New; not tested yet. Eva—Similar to Martha. Early Victor—Similar to Martha; not tested yet. Eldorado—Similar to Martha; not tested yet; called a fine ’grape. Eumelan—F or table grape this should be planted in every garden. Guertner—Poor grower; discarded. Green’s No. 2.—Bunch large ; tender, sweet ; fine quality. Green’s No.7 —An extra early vigorous grower ; comes near even with Dela- ware. Humboldt.—Too late for us ; discarded. Hartford Prolific—Very early; otherwise not valuable. Rerbert—Roger’s Hybrid No. 44; worthless; discarded. Isvaella—Did poorly on my place; discarded. Jona—Late in ripening; discarded. Isabella—Too late; discarded. Ive’s Seedlings—Too late; discarded. Janesville—Hardy, healthy, productive; quality like Hartford; valuable for its | earliness. Lindley—F lesh tender, sweet, aromatic; a table grape. Lady—Karly; of the best quality. Logan—Too poor; discarded. Mascatawny—Too late; discarded. Massasoit—Roger’s Hybril No. 3, early; flesh tender, sweet; this is a very profitable grape. Mary Ann—Fexy; discarded. : Martha—A \.ttle foxy; flesh tender and sweet; earlier than Concord. Merrimac—Roger’s Hybrid No. 19; good when it gets ripe; discarded. ' *NOTE BY THE SECRETARY. Mr. Ludluff’s soil and location is not favorable to the early ripening of the grape, though his latitude is below 45° — * STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 25) Miles—Very early; flesh tender and pieasant. Minnesota Mammoth—The name is too good for it; a poor grape; discarded. North Carolina—Poor quality; discarded. New Haven—A seedling from Concord; early ; good quality. . Northern Muscadine—F oxy; berries drop from the bunch when ripe; discarded Othello.—Arnold’s No. 1; all of the Arnold’s Hybrids are poor with me; dis- carded. Pocklington.—New ; should be on: of the best. Roger’s Hybrid No. 5.—One of the finest, but a little too late. Roger’s No. 33.—Berries very long ; good quality. Roger's No. 30.—Same as No. 33. Rebecca.—Poor here; discarded. Rochester.—Early, sweet ; fine flavor. Salem, Roger's No. 53.—Poor on my place, discarded. Senesqua.—Too late; discarded. Talman or Champion.—Good for earliest ; it is earlier than Hartford. Teleyraph.—bunch medium ; very compact ; flesh juicy ; the best of all early kinds. Underhill’s Seedling.—Foxy ; discarded. Venango, or Miner Seedling.—Foxy ; discarded. Vergennes.—New, not tested ; expected to be a first class grape. Wilder, Roger’s Hybrid No. 4.—Hardy, healthy and productive. . W hitehall.—Early ; bunch compact ; berries tender, sweet. Worden.—bunch large ; shouldered ; berries large; flesh sweet ; good quality- Wamington Red.—Milldews ; discarded. Walter.—Not successful here ; discarded. All in this list not marked discarded, I have now growiag, most of them experimentally, and of such there may be some that will develop weak points and have to be discarded at last. I think it will prove true that only those varieties that ripen earlier than the Concord will be found profitable for general cultivation in Minne- sota. DISCUSSION ON STRAWBERRIES. Mr, Cutler, of Sumter. I would like the opinion of members as to several of our newer varieties. How about the Glendale? C. L. Smith, I like this variety for a market berry. It is very large and firm; have known 27 of them to fill a quart box; fruit stems large and very large hull; hence they bear handling and carriage. Will keep in good condition four or five days, after being picked; then you can turn them upside down and they will be as good as new. They sell well. 252 ANNUAL REPORT. President Smith said the Glendales were larger than the Sharp- less on the average, and he also found them excellent for shipping. Mr. Bussee complained that they would not ripen at the tip of the berry. Secretary Gibbs. I like the Glendale, but unless it has deep cultivation or plenty of water, the foliage is liable to sunburn. It evaporates moisture in great quantities, which must be supplied or it will not do well. Its foliage is very rank when well grown, and fruit large accordingly, Mr. Sias. They are too tart. Mr. Pearce. It gives the best satisfaction of any berry with me. It should be well mulched. It is very late—a most desirable quality and excellent for canning. It also has abundent pollen, and is a good fertilizer for the Crescent. Set in alternate rows with Crescent. Secretary Gibbs. As to color of the strawberry, its firmness or softness, its texture, its continuous bearing throughout the season, and even as to its quality, we are forever at sea, and contradicting ourselves and each other, unless we state every time whether a berry is growing alone or in ‘company with some other, and if in company, what its adjacent varieties are. I am satisfied that we not only make the pistillates bear by fertilizing with pollen of the staminates, as everybody knows to be the case, but that there is an immediate influence upon the pulp of the berry, and not only from staminates to pistillates, but from staminates to staminates. I will not take time to state the facts here, but will try to get some of them in shape for our Annual Report; and I ask you all to watch your strawberry plants and see what conclusions you come to. I think you will find in this suggestion a solution of some of our most puzzling things about the strawberry, and discover a remedy for the deficiencies of ‘some of the sorts we so regretfully fail with now. On motion of Secretary Gibbs, a vote of thanks was tendered to J.C. Plumb, of Milton, Wisconsin, for his valuable services at this meeting. Prof. Porter, on behalf of the University of Minnesota, thanked the society for meeting in their rooms, and on his motion, the society then adjourned to meet in June next, at the call of the executive committee. STATE FORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 953 NOTE BY THE SECRETARY. In copying out the notes of the foregoing discussions, which were not taken verbatum by the reporter, but in acondensed form, the Secretary has been obliged in many instances of doubt as to the fact or thought presented, to choose between striking out entirely or taking the chance of a possible misrepresei:tation. He has chosen the former as preferable in almost if not quite every case. If we are ever to have a thoroughly accurate and satisfactory report of our discussions, it now seems clear, after many years’ trial of the abstract system, that we must employ a stenographer of experience, and take down everything verbatim— not to publish all—that would be impossible, but to have what the editor does select from each speaker as nearly correct as possible. Much of our very best matter has been lust every year under the abstract system. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED. By J. T. Grimes: Resolved, That an art gallery be established without expense to this society, to be known as the Art Gallery of the Minnesota Horticultural Society, to include the likenesses of members who have been made life members of this society, and the Secretary be instructed to notify such members of this action, or their repre- sentatives if deceased, and request portraits for the same. By 8. M. Emery : Resolved, That our secretary be instructed to obtain from*Prof. S. H. Folsom a paper on “Tree Culture, its Bearing upon Atmos- pheric Changes, Climate and Rainfall,” for our next annual meeting. PREMIUMS AWARDED AND PAID. MRI SEAT Sok ULE. ae akt LA eRee cde estds. wiht. bis $80 00 MME mrtaT teed eae PANELS ie ane bs whe pe secebinly tte Lei ons ot oub ede sth 7 00 Semmes ctores, ele... cre ese. Sale Toda kb RN 9 00 un G80 Eid KARA Ae ARR PEM ne Aon I ONO es mE pad 6 00 DUMMIES OL ALU See sss ee ee ee inc eee Cee CR An ate a ate Gee he ade white 10 00 NN cpt tale. ce uy eee RN AG ele ale $112 00 254 - ANNUAL REPORT. BILLS ALLOWED AND ORDERS DRAWN. Secretary’s office expenses to Jan. 5, 1884.... cee cece cern cove eees $69 96 President's expense bill, year L883)... + fete smd» yxs mydiee bys.elw = pipes eee 50 00 Librarian, salary. year (883..0 2,25... 0scjecnss tasers ee: pac 10 00 Hengies in Wbraty... scence = eted tc ie koe nee < 200% yoo ee 15 00 Library expenses, xpress Charges... 2.5.20 6.00 neces? +2 ha omen 3 05 J. 'T. Grimes, expense acc’t, former years. .......00s-see0es numse Uame 81 00 Postage‘on reportay TSBs ii. co i eT s cle ole dale Select oldie» able eeaen ane 100 00 Secretary, !st quarter, 1884........ dob Wantldd 1OGSl> stele od it 50 00 Aw. W,, Sias, @3PeNSe AGE bes « sy cmirersguisla avin yt bin « bpd) ee 10 00 H...B.. McKenney, printing 5.4.0 iss oes ote nam ele ds tae 13 50 Lake City Graphic, printing. 0... 0550050 «ose s ons apes 17 25 BH: G. Gould, expense ace’ be acts mens. +65 sect niets « Snes besa 3 00 Reporter, copying and prooffreading. 00). ..0.... e056 0 Se a ee 60 00 Totals. d06vies0 Yoga EES: eee Les DE $482 76 THE McMAHON WHITE APPLE. After adjournment the Secretary wrote Mr. Taylor, asking a fuller account of the McMahon White apple, and received the fol- lowing reply. An apple of such beauty, quality and productive- ness, that will succeed as atop graft on the Duchess, is worthy of trial: ForestviL.e, Minn... February 8, 1884. Oliver Gibbs, Jr., Secretary Minnesota Stute Horticultural Society: Dear Sir: I would say in reply to your letter of inquiry. that the McMahon’s White Apple (the name I understood Mr. Plumb to give it) was obtained by me from Wisconsin in 1872. I grafted a quantity of roots and planted in nursery row the same year. Found it about like Utter’s Red in hardness. [ do not think it is valuable for us, except for top working. Have experimented in that way with it for thirteen years, and have found it to work on the Duchess in the most perfect manner, making a union that none butan expert could detect, inafew years. I have fruited it for eight or nine years, and now have large trees perfectly sound in appearance, with branches four or five inches in diameter and twenty feet or more, high. The fruit is very large, white in color, and of the finest appearance; good sour flavor, and keeps until March if put up with care. I have exhibited specimens of the fruit measuring 174 inches in circumference. This is about all I can say in regard to it, except that I once thought it settled that it was the twenty ounce Pippin, or Ox Apple STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 955 of Downing, which it is not. Many good judges have been mis- taken in thinking they identified it as this or that variety. J.C. Plumb may be mistaken, although I judge and hope he is not, as y are held it on suspicion long enough, and want the name set- tled. Yours very truly, BARNETT TAYLOR. 256 ANNUAL REPORT. MEETING OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, The executive committee met at the office of the Secretary of State, in the capitol building at St. Paul, on Saturday, February 23rd, at three o’clock p. m. There were present President Truman M. Smith, of St. Paul; Treasurer J.T. Grimes, of Minneap- olis; J. M. Underwood of Lake City; J. S. Harris, of La Crescent; and the Secretary. PRIZES FOR.NEW SEEDLING APPLES. The society’s long considered scheme of prizes for the propaga- tion of a long keeping winter apple was taken up, perfected and adopted as follows: 1st. The seed is to be planted and the tree grown in Minnesota. 2d. It must be as hardy as the Duchess of Oldenburg, and as much hardier as we can get it. 3d. It must be as productive as the Wealthy, and the fruit equal to the Wealthy in size and quality. 4th. The apple must keep as well as the Willow Twig. 5th. To encourage fruit growers to make the effort to produce it, a graded system of premiums is offered as follows, payable yearly for ten years to the three sorts that come nearest to the standard, entirely seperate from and in addition to the final award of $1,000. For the first five years, payable annually —1st best, $10.00; 2d best, $6.00; 3rd best, $4.00, and the 5th year, in addition to the foregoing, the following to the variety winning the highest cash aggregate of the premiums of the five years, $25.00; 2nd highest aggregate, $15.00; 3rd highest aggregate $10.00. " STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 257 For the second five years, payable annually, 1st best, $25; 2nd best, $20; 3rd best, $15; and the 5th year, in addition to the foregoing, the following to the variety winning the highest cash aggregate of the premiums of the five years, provided the final standard of excellence is reached, $50C; 2nd best, $300; 3rd best, $200. If either of said varieties fail in the foregoing qualities, and yet remain in the rank of Ist, 2nd or 3rd best of all varieties entered, it will be awarded a reasonable premium according to its merit at the discretion of the society. Entries must be made annually with the Secretary of the society in writing on or before the 1st day of September in each year, and specimens of fruit and wood of the tree, and cions for distribution; be furnished under such regulations as may be hereafter prescribed, and one or more experts to be appointed by the President or by the society will examine all trees so entered and report on them before the award will be made. The Society has already a reserve fund of $600 at interest to meet their premiums when due, $200 more already due from the State to add to it; and in 1885 will reserve the remaining $200 to make up the $1000, The interest at six per cent. pays the annual premiums on the scheme as offered, and leaves a surplus to be be added yearly to the principal. The other business done by the committee at this meeting was as follows ; On motion of J. T. Grimes, seconded} by J. M. Underwood, the salary of the secretary was increased from $200 to $400 per annum, commencing with the first of January, 1884. Arrangement of program for summer meeting referred to Presi- dent and Secretary. Secretary authorized to continue his Portfolio in the Annual Report, and use his discretion as to matters of interest to be printed therein, relating to Agriculture or Horticulture, within the es- tablished limits as to number of pages of the report. The list of experimental stations and their superintendents, and the rules governing them, were revised and adopted as follows: University Farm, College of Agriculture, Minneapolis, Prof. Edward D. Porter. State Experimental Fruit Farm, Excelsior, Peter M. Gideon. Alexandria, Douglas Uo,, Fred Von Baumbach. Lake City, Wabasha Co., Underwood & Emery. Northome, Hennepin Co., M. Pearce. Litchfield, Meeker;Co., G. W. Fuller. ile 258 ANNUAL REPORT. Carver, Carver Co., Charles Ludluff. Waconia, Carver Co., Andrew Peterson. Moorhead, Clay Co., R. M. Probstfield. Moorhead, Clay Co., F. J. Schreiber. Minnesota City, Winona Co., O. M. Lord. Lac qui Parle, J. H. Brown. Farmington, Dakota Co., L. E. Day. Owatonna, Steele Co., EH. H. 8. Dartt. Forestville, Fillmore Co., B. Taylor. » -chester, Olmsted Co., A. W. Sias. uaCrescent, Houston Co., J. S. Harris & Son. The Secretary is to search for new and valuable varieties of fruit, and distribute cions and trees to the stations, but none-are to be sent to any station until it is first ascertained that the superinten- dents named have facilities for grafting and planting, accept the trust, and agree to report to the society annually, or oftener if called upon, and after three years’ growth of any variety, that they will furnish to the society a reasonable number of cions for re-dis- tribution and trial if wanted. The Secretary may with the con- currence of the President, expend not to exceed $50 per year for the purchase of cions or trees for the experiments at the stations. After the stations are supplied, any surplus cions or trees may be sent out to any other members of the society who are known to be suitable persons to grow them, on the same conditions as apply to the regular stations. BILLS ALLOWED AND ORDERERS DRAWN. M. Pearce, delegate to Mississippi Valley Horticultural Society ........ $37.40 E. H. Cuzner, overpayment membership fee, refunded..........++++-+- 1.00 E. H.S. Dartt, delega'e to Iowa Horticultural Society...-........++-- 23-10 A. W. Sias, delegate to Wisconsin Horticultural Society.............-. 4.75 Executive Committee, expenses of this meeting.............+eeseeeeeee 18.80 NOTE BY THE SECRETARY. The winter apple we are seeking in offering the above prizes is believed to be within our reach; and it is also believed, that with- out systematic effort, based on the best knowledge attainable as to nature’s laws of reproduction, variation and improvement in vege- table life, the chances are not better than one in ten thousand to get it; and it is further believed, that by using this knowledge we may not only get it speedily, but obtain it with a host of other good STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 959 hardy sorts that while of lower standard, will yet be of great value to our state. The laws alluded to are not quite as well settled and as free from variation as in animal growth; but the facts so far found, indicate that the process for us in this case is to use the hardy tree of best form and of the common apple race (not the Siberian crab) for the seed-bearing parent, and fertilize the blos- soms of this tree with pollen from the large, good, well-shaped, long-keeping variety, of the best color in fruit we can find, and also, other things being suitable, the hardiest in tree; in other words, that the female parent is most likely to impart constitution and form to the seedling tree, and the male parent the quality and season of the fruit of it. Those who have the facilities can reverse the plan or vary it and note the results. Hand manipulation is the surest and most direct road to success, and the isolation of BOTH PISTILS AND POLLEN must be as perfect as possible. Top-grafting a hardy tree to a long-keeper (of same blossoming time) so as to intermingle naturally, and then planting theseeds of the hardy sort is liable to give a gain ; but the chance’ is more remote, as you have that “lusty stealth of nature,” of which the bees and the winds are the agents, always to contend with and put aside your designs. The new Russians will undoubtedly be the basis of some of the best work in this line, especially for seed-bearing parents. It will pay all our people to study the fruit trees and fruit blossoms, and read the Horticultural Report to assist them in finding “the motive and the cue” of thought in these interesting lines of study. Members can be supplied with back numbers as well as the Re- port of 1884, and any person can become a member by sending one dollar to the Secretary. Mh. PHFFER’S PRIZE ESSAY, The essay of Mr. Peffer having contained a number of confusing typographical errors, as printed last year, is herewith reprinted, and its careful study recommended in connection with the forego- ing scheme for the productiou of a hardy, long-keeping winter apple. 260 ANNUAL REPORT. PROPAGATION OF SEEDLING FRUITS. By GrorcE P, PEFFER. OF PEWAUKEE, WIS. Mr. President and Members of the Minnesota Horticultural Society < Your offer of a prize for an essay on the above subject is pre- sumed to apply only to such fruits as will withstand the severties of the seasons of the Northwest, and, therefore, I will mention as the first condition the selection of seeds that are grown in this climate, and, for tree fruits, they should be from sorts that are of moderately slow growth; at least, short-jointed‘and thick-leaved or woolly. The larger the leaf, and also, the earlier the new wood completes its growth in the fall, the better. To have a hardy va- riety, the leaves must have plenty of time to elaborate the sap, on its downward flow, to harden the new wood and put it in proper condition for the winter. The leaves of late-growing trees drop prematurely, and the sap being in a crude condition, the wood is injured by cold or by sudden changes of heat and cold, in the win- ter, and the trees are more liable to blight in the ensuing summer. Seeds of such varieties are imperfect, corresponding to the imper- fections of the wood. For varieties from*which to select the seeds, take either our natural seedlings or the most desirable of the Russian apples. By reproduction, every generation gets more used to our climate, and can be grown further north and west, with success. If the variety should be an early kind, every time it is reproduced it can be grown a degree further north, and be hardy. A summer variety grown a number of degrees that way will get to be a fall variety, and even a winter variety, if so far north as to have only time enougt to ripen its wood and fruit. As a rule, the fruit will always be fairer. If any should be grown further south, the fruit is smaller and more subject to rust spots, scales, etc., and to cracking of the skin, especially such varieties as are russety, as witness the Russians. You can multiply any sort by grafting, but it does not make it any hardier. The increasing {hardiness mani- fests itself only through the seed, and through seedlings the fruits are extended over larger ranges of latitude, or we would not have so many varieties in the world. In the natural’ process ot repro- STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 261 duction by seedlings, there are rarely any multiplying of the same varieties owing to the mixings in the blossoms of different sorts, yet it is possible to make trees produce by their seedlings exactly their like in fruit. Isolation from other sorts of fertilizing pollen of any similar species, at the time when the flower-buds are ready to break open, is all that there is to be guarded against, and any tree that is blossoming in an orchard or garden, where no oth- ers of same species are near it, or, at least, so far away that no in- sects could carry pollen to it, will produce its like in fruit if the seeds are saved and planted; because the pistils will be fertilized from the pollen in the same flower. As an example showing the truth of this statement, I will give the following : In the early days of Wisconsin settlement I knew of an orchard that was planted with small, one year old apple trees; the land was only cleared that spring ; it was in 1843, and there was not room to put them all in orchard rows; so the most of them were planted in a nursery row, about twelve to eighteen inches apart. The land was white oak openings and was quite stumpy. Many of the little trees were destroyed by the plow, and by rabbits, and browsing from cattle, and but few were saved to be old enough to bear ; but in the year 1849, one of them had a few dozen apples on, which were the Gray Gilliflower. Mr. Hilliard, the owner, gave me a few specimens of the apples to take home for a treat to wife and child- ren. We saved the seeds. Hleven seeds were planted ; eight of them grew ; we set the seedlings out when two years old.. In 1856, two of them bore apples, and they were the same as the fruit of the parent tree. The next year the old tree hung full of apples, and Mr. Hilliard brought us a dozen more. We planted these seeds also, and one of the trees bore fruit the same year as the first lot (1856), but these seeds had got pollenized by some other variety, and the apples varied in character. some in shape, some in size, and some in quality. In other words the apples from trees grown from the seeds of 1849; were a'l alike ; from 1850, all different, There was no other tree in bloom in the vicinity of the Grey Gilliflower, when its crop of 1849 was set ; but the next year, three or four of © the adjacent trees of other sorts had come into blossoming, though they did not bear fruit, and their blossoms had pollenized those of the Grey Gilliflower, and the mixed and changed character of the progeny from seeds of that year was the result of it; not one of that planting is like the mother tree, while all of the first plant- ing are exact reproductions. My 7 ne ee fd ot DMA, ik 4g + / ns q ARs Th at oa ehe eee _ : uU 262 ANNUAL REPORT. This proves that blossoms self-pollenized, or fertilized from pollen of same variety and tree, wil! produce their like, and that © varieties come from cross-breeding. But if other varieties are wanted to improve them or make them longer keepers, or change them in color or size, there must be an understanding about the blossoms, because most of them have stamens and pistils on the same flower, and, has been already stated, will reproduce themselves if alone. Therefore, it is necessary to understand which are the male and also the female organs, and find which predominates, and what influence the male or female | has on the fruit, seed or stock, or constitution and hardiness of tree. If we do understand it, we can almost to a certainty raise or make any,desired improvement, either in fruit or tree, or both. Now, to raise a seed or seeds that will make a hardy tree, and at. the same time improve the variety and be a good bearer, we must select for the female the hardiest and the best form of the tree, and form of fruit, and for the male, the earliness or lateness, quality of flavor and productiveness. For culture in fruit where stamens and pistils are in one blossom, and we have an early variety that is pertectly hardy and we wish to improve it and make it a late keeper, we must select for the female the tree that is the strongest and hardiest of the two varieties we like to improve, and when it is just commencing to blossom, cut off or remove the stamens below the pollen sacks or anthers just before the flower leaves or petals are opening in the morning, upon a spur or an upright limb or branch that is at an angle, so the spur with a bunch of flower buds can be covered with something that will protect it against other pollen falling upon it, or brought by bees or insects of any kind. A small glass bottle or jar, such as a quinine bottle or something of that kind, will do. Now, get a spur or bunch of blossoms that you want to use for the male—if already opened, all the better ; but if the trees are quite a distance apart, best use two bottles; and put the second one on the spur before you re- : move it in order to save all the pollen, then go to the first tree you . had protected, and change the bottles at once ; put this second one (that is, the one from the tree used for the male or fertilizing side of the operation) over the spur where the stamens had been removed, . cover the mouth with something to keep it closed, and as soon as the sun dries up the dew, and warms the air, the pollen will be ready, and then, by jarring or shaking the limb, the pollen will be seen flying all over inside, and the fertilizing is done. NE ee a ee ae ae STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 263 Now, here lies the mystery: Which variety does control or influence the new growing seed? It will be observed that the fine dust of the pollen had settled on the tips of the pistils or stigma, which had a little shiny liquid on the tips, which, adhering to the pollen, dried it up, and the seed now forming, of which each has a stigma or open tube that reaches from the pistil to the form- ing seed in the core, ripens and contains the mixture of both varieties. If all the pistils are equally supplied with pollen, all — the trees raised from these seeds would bear fruit alike, but as that is not often the case, each individual seed will have the predom- inance of either parent in a greater or lesser degree accordingly as they were fertilized. Anapple blossom has generally five pistils. Kach of them has from two to five stigmas, according to the pro- pensity or vigor of the tree. Each stigma is formed from an embryo seed, and if fertilized will produce a live seed or germ. A germ has in itself the power to expand and grow and reproduce again. Each seed is an independent individual, and capable of varying from every other one. Therefore it is necessary to guard against having the blossoms exposed when they are opening if you want to improve the variety by this process. As to varieties to work with, I should use the Duchess or other Russians, or any of our Minnesota seedlings that are hardy for the seed raising, and use Wallbridge, Utter, or any next hardy sort of good quality for the sort to pollenize with; or if hybrids are wanted, take the hardiest of the crabs for the female and any of the other named apples for the male. In this way an abundance of home-grown apples can be raised. All there is required is time and a careful hand to do the fertilizing, QUALITY OF APPLES. If we inquire at any commission house in Chicago or Milwaukee for the best table or dessert apple, they invariably will say we have Spitzenberg or Baldwin, if they get their supply from New York state. Now the Spitzenberg, it is true, has the highest flavor, and the Baldwin a little of the same, but the flesh is hard and tough and indigestible. It is a mistake to call them dessert apples, as they are lacking in juiciness and dissolving properties. In my estima- tion, Jonathan, Wealthy, Northern Spy and Fameuse, are nearly or quite equal to the Spitzenberg in flavor, but how far superior they are as dessert varieties any one familiar with them well 264 ANNUAL REPORT. knows. The reason of their superiority lies in their crisp flesh, which is yet so tender as almost to dissolve in the mouth. The more we get acquainted with the Wealthy the more we value it. I might mention the Pewaukee, but the flesh is coarser and is more for culinary use. For pollenizing in cross breeding these varieties would be preferable as named in their order; also Rawle’s Janet or Westfield Seeknofurther could be used, if none of the others could be had. A few cions of such, grafted on some hardy standard or seedling kinds, would soon give the blossoms to work with. For planting trees for cross breeding by distribution of pollen by wind and insects, little arrangement is necessary, as it is known that pollen will fly, or be carried a long way and pollenize any blossom that is just on the point of opening. If any had already been open on the same tree or others in the same orchard, the pistils are just as likely to be fertilized from a variety forty rods, or even eighty rods off, as one close by or even from the same limb. Most buds throw ou’, from two to five, or more flowers or spikes, but do not all open at the same time and work naturally like sprouts on a potato; however, it would be well to set, perhaps, rows alternately with such trees as are selected for the mother or for the fruit, the seeds to be saved for replanting. If the wind should be from one side of tke orchard for two or three days, when they are in bloom, the pistils on that side of the rows would mostly be fertilized from the neighboring pollen from that direction, except where insects carry the pollen against the wind. The only practical way to make sure of getting anything like the varieties wanted, would be to try hand work, either on a small scale as described, or by having the variety selected for the mother, surrounded by the different varieties to be used as males, and have a canvas tent to cover the first two trees, one year. The next year with the other, etc., so in four years, the same tree can be fertilized four times, and have all the fruit take only after the two varieties inclosed the same year. A tent could be used over the mother tree, and cut branches, full of blossoms, and inclose in the tent. Of course the tents have to remain until the petals and pistils dry or wilt. In this way a good share would be just what we would ex- pect. Always save the seed of the early variety, if that was the one that was hardiest and the best tree, if you want the new fruit to be after the male and a keeper. On the contrary, if you want early, save the seed from the opposite variety. ee en ee ee STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 965 To plant the seeds for new varieties, prepare your soil the same as if you planted trees from a nursery. Stake out the ground and work the spot deep. The larger the hole and deeper the subsoil, from the surface, the harder you have to pack the soil when you fill it up again. Set the stake, or anything else you are using for a mark, then plant two or three seeds on the north side of it. If they are fresh plant them in the fall and cover about one inch with loose earth or mould. If dry, plant early in spring soaking the seeds first, and cover lightly, say half or three-eights of an inch deep. Keep clean the same as your corn, potatoes or any hoed crops. If all the seeds should come up, remove the surplus either the first or second year. To enlarge the orchard, transplant them, or fili out where any are missing; taking good care in digging them up to save all the roots possible. Unless you do so, those not disturbed will get the start of the transplanted ones. Mulch the first winter if on an exposed situation. Do so any way, so as to be sure the frost will not go below the tap roots. The only success we will have in rais- ing good orchards will be by planting seedlings one year, or the farthest, two years old. Transplanting should be done thus early because the main tap root is not disturbed. The further the soil is loosened the faster and farther these roots will go down, and the safer the tree will be. The roots will not be killed because parts of them reach below frost, and if it should freeze up dry in the fall, those roots will sup- ply moisture, when the frost is coming out of the frozen part, even if the earth takes it up. The small trees should be watered in the fall if not mulched, be- cause the tap root may not go far enough to be safe from frost. Drouths are no injury to deep rooted trees. [I am convinced pears of hardy kinds can be grown in the same way, because the farther the tap roots go down the lesser will be the surface roots, and certain changes in the weather will not excite the trees, and stimulate to excessive growth, and thus the sap can be controlled and the trees are saved against fire-blight. If the seedlings should be raised in a small patch by themselves, they should be well taken care of and set out in the orchard the second year, with all the roots that can be saved on taking them up, especially the centre or tap root. It they should be wanted to graft new varieties (say the hardy winter Russian, if we ever get such) there would be a little time gained, either in grafting before planting out, or any time afterwards. a ad 266 ANNUAL REPORT. To take care of such an orchard and have it do well, it should be located on high or naturally drained clay or limestone soils and sloping to the east or northeast. The cultivation should not stimulate overgrowth, and the later- als, or side branches, should be pinched in occasionally to form a good head. When three to four or five years old, if the trees show no blossoms, tie a wire around one of the lower branches, or girdle one, to make it sick. Do this in June or July, and the branch will get filled with blossom buds, and bear the next year. Always leave the lower branches shortened in to protect the trunk of the tree, and only remove them gradually, as the limbs you are training to form the head of the tree expand to shade the body. Some will say this is rather a small business, to start an orchard in this vast northwestern country. We acknowledge it is rather a small beginning, but should the amateur be patient, persevering and industrious, and can estimate the yalue of small things, above all have a love for his business, he will not fail of his due reward. Other crops may be raised between the rows. These may be either of small fruits, such as currants, strawberries, or any other crop that will not interfere with the growth of the trees. Only a short time of patient industry, and the seedling orchard will produce its fruits. - ‘ > i % ers, Reports, Appendix, Notes, Extracts, etc. ‘ ¥ © * “eae tse 7 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 269 ORCHARDING IN NORTHEASTERN VERMONT. By Dr. T. H. Hoskins, or Newrort, VERMONT. Vermont is often spoken of as a cold state, but the Champlain Valley and the lower half of the Connecticut Valley are not too cold to produce the great commercial apples of New England, the Baldwin, the R. I. Greening and the Roxbury Russet. Peaches are grown on the commercial scale near Brattleboro, and for home use on Lake Champlain as far north at least as Shelburn,while plums and pears of many varieties are grown for market about Burlington, and upon the islands of the !ake up to the Canadian line, 45° north latitude. Butin the mountains of northeastern Vermont the case is very different. In all of Essex, Orleans and Caledonia counties it is impossible to bring trees of any of the three above named varieties to bearing age, while no great success has yet been met with in growing plums or pears. Not only are the Baldwins, Russets and Greenings excluded by the climate, but nearly every variety of apple known and valued in southern New England, and classed as hardy there, fails if not to yield fruit, at. least to do so profitably, in this elevated and wind-swept region. From studying the reports of your society I am inclined to be- lieve that in Minnesota exceptionally cold and destructive winters occur somewhat oftener than in northeastern Vermont, and that perhaps spring frosts do more harm to blossoming trees in some portions of Minnesota than with us. Minnesota is a large state, and the distance between its northern and southern boundary cor- responds to a considerable difference in climate, so that I find some apples reported as doing well in Olmstead county, such as Minne- sota Greening and Rollins’ Pippin, not quite iron-clad with me on lake Memphremagog. On the other hand I see that there are portions of Minnesota where the Wealthy, and even the Duchess of Oldenburg, both thoroughly hardy here, are complained of. Therefore my experience, while it may be of use to some, can by no means be taken as a guide in Minnesota without considerable allowance not on!y for latitude but for longitude. It is now seventeen years since, in 1866, I determined thoroughly to test the truth of the popular belief in this section of the state that apples, aside from Siberian crabs, could not be grown here. 270 ANNUAL REPORT. I had one thing to encourage me. In the early settlement of the country, at the beginning of the century, seedling orchards were grown, and up to between 1840 and 1850 native apples of this class, including some kinds of considerable excellence, were pro- duced in great abundance. These old orchards, many of them at least, became feeble with age, and all trees, old as well as young, were badly wrecked by being loaded and broken down in a heavy sleet and wind storm in 1848. After that the attempt was made to start new orchards, but instead of using seedling trees, as the pioneers did, young stock was bought from pedlars of New York trees,all of them varieties totally unfitted to the climate, except an occasional Fameuse, Talman Sweet and Red Astrachan, and these not strictly iron-clad. Repeated failures with these New York trees led many to believe that the climate had changed, owing to the removal of the forests. As a matter of fact this has made the climate warmer rather than colder, taking the yearly average, and there is no ground to believe that the winters are colder. ; It was long before it began to be understood that all kinds of apple trees are not hardy alike, and that we must have hardy kinds. When this did begin to be realized, nobody seemed to know where to look for hardy sorts. When I began I determined to test everything called hardy, and in the first three years J had set out from three to eight trees each of over a hundred kinds, re- ported hardiest in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Canada. Among these I found only three kinds that did not seem to mind anything about the climate. These were the Duchess of Olden- burgh, Tetofsky, and Peach of Montreal. In the meantime I was corresponding with western fruit growers, and searching the rem- nants of the old seedling orchards wherever I could hear of any. Out of a great many sorts from the west, I found only Plumb’s Cider that endured our climate well, until I got the Wealthy, and these two to-day, constitute the only really valuable contributions to my orchard from the west. Many others indeed do tolerably well, but “tolerably hardy” fruit trees in a climate that demands “jronclads,” are not the source of much satisfaction. In 1870, I obtained from Washington cions of about twelve kinds of the Russian apples imported at that time, and in growing these, I soon realized that I had struck upon a strain of apples that cared nothing for cold weather. From these, and from others of the same importation which I got from those who had received them, the question of hardiness beiug eliminated, I haye had only to choose for quality and season. For very early fruit, the only eS ee ey? ee Ld STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Q71 hesitation has been between the nearly similar sorts of the Yellow Transparent family, including the White Transparent, Grand Sultan, Charlottenhaler, Sweet Pear and several others. On the whole, [ now think that I preter the Yellow Transparent, though Charlottenhaler is somewhat larger, and White Transparent of rather better quality. The Yellow Transparent is the most vigor- ous tree, and the fruit, in good land, is large enough to sell well. The season of all of them here, is the last week in August. Picked just before coloring, they ship and keep well for a summer apple. Tetofsky comes in the week after Yellow Transparent, and is ob- jectionable only because it drops badly before ripening, shows bruises, and does not keep so well. Next we have the Duchess of Oldenburgh. I say next, but in fact the Duchess is our first market apple, the windfalls being large enough for pies, by the first of August, and its market season extending from then to the third week in September. The second week in September, Peach of Montreal comes in, a profuse bearer of an elegant looking apple of good size and first-class dessert quality when fully ripe. But alas, when fully ripe will not ship, and it is therefore valuable chiefly for a near market. It is also somewhat subject to spotting, not being nearly so fair as the Russian apples, although Prof. Budd thinks it is a Russian. Is is certainly as hardy and thrifty, and productive as any of them. Among the later fall Kussians, I am strongly attracted to the Switzer, It is as large and handsome (though not so dark a red) as Red Astrachan, and far more hardy, equaling the Wealthy in that respect. The only fault I have yet found in it is, that it is sometimes slightly attacked by twig blight, yet it only loses a few twigs when crabs near it are wholly killed. The fruit ships well, and keeps several weeks after maturity. Succeeding Switzer comes the Canadian apple, St. Lawrence. This, except the Peach apple, is the hardiest Canadian I have ever found. It is late in coming to bearing, and requires a good soil, but is productive when it gets to it, and fills agap between Switzer and Fameuse, keeping well nearly through November. The fruit is as large as Duchess, more flattened, ané heavily striped with a darker red. It cracks and spots, in some seasons badly. The tree is pretty nearly as hardy as Wealthy. Of about the same season as St. Lawrence is a iakeian which came to me from the Depdrtment at Washington as the Gulden White. Excepting perhaps, Plumb’s Cider, this is the most vigor- ous tree in my orchard. The leaves are large and thick, with a 272 ANNUAL REPORT. heavy white down on the under side. The tree has been growing so hard that it is late coming to bearing, but it promises to be pro- ductive. The fruit is round, somewhat irregular, of medium size or larger, distinguished by a very small cavity, often none, with a fieshy stem. ‘The color is a pale green, with some pale red on the sunny side. The flesh is white, soft, of a very mild acid, and though not rich, may -be called very good. It attracted some at- tention at the fair of the Montreal Horticultural Society in Sep- tember, and was thought to be a promising market fruit. I think some have this variety under a different name. If so they will easily recognize it by the above description. Among fall sweet apples, the only one of much value that I have found is a Russian, the Prolific Sweeting. The tree is a good, up- right grower, late in coming to full bearing, but then prolific, a handsome, large round, or slightly flattened yellow apple, of excel- lent quality for eating or baking. I desire nothing better of its season, September. The Fameuse is an apple which we try to grow here because it is so extremely popular. Our trees are never healthy, still they hang to life and continue bearing as long as a limb is left. On the whole they yield some profit, though haif of the fruit is unmarketable from spotting. They bring a good price, and are in eating about a month before the Wealthy. They do not keep, usually, beyond New Year. Here I want to mention a Russian apple of which T have but a single tree, and the name of which [ am not certain of, though I think it may be “ Longfold’s Apple.” It has only borne for three or four years, and did not attract much attention until last year, when it bore a full crop, and proved to be a keeper, It is a little below Fameuse in average size, but shaped like it, of a darker red, and covered with a blue bloom like that of the Hyslop crab. It is perfectly fair, not so soft-flushed as Famuse, but of an excellent sub-acid flavor, with a good deal of richness, certainly, for a Russian. It keeps perfectly until spring. The tree is a moderate grower, ° but handsome and thrifty. This is the first winter Russian that I have fruited, and is an agzeeable surprise. I have two other winter Russians of the 1870 importation, the fruit of which I have seen, although my own trees have not yet borne. These are the Bors- dorf and the Little Seedling. Both are long keepers of medium size, and Borsdorf seems to be a very Sood apple, much preferable to Ben Davis. Little Seedling is a greenish yellow apple that keeps till apples come again, but is only acooking apple. ‘hese however EE a a STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 273 are very interesting, because they prove that there are long keepers among the Russians, which many are slow to believe. And now I come to Minnesota’s one grand contribution to our stock of iron-clad apples, the noble and glorious Wealthy. With me it grows to perfection, both trees and fruit, the latter running fully as large as Baldwins, handsomer, better for dessert, and keep- ing just as well side by side in the same cellar. I have now 400 bearing trees, and J just love to take the croakers who have been telling me so long—‘t You can’t make apples pay in this cold country”—right in amongst thein the last of September, and see ’em “give it up.” There is a seedling of the Fameuse from Canada, the McIntosh Red, which for several years 1 have thought might be a rival to the Wealthy. In quality it leaves nothing to be desired, and it keeps pretty nearly as well, but like its parent it spots and cracks, and as a market apple for profit the Wealthy sails right round it without any trouble at all. On deep rich soils like those of the St. Lawrence river banks, where alone I have seen Famuese and St. Lawrence grow in perfection, the McIntosh, I have no doubt, will be “just splendid.” I have seen specimens of it as big as a pint bowl, that were everything one could ask for. The tree is somewhat hardier than Fameuse. Among the native seedlings of this vicinity I have found two that are valuable. One, the Magog Red Streak, is rather supplanted by the Wealthy, yet not altogether, since it is a choice pie apple as well as a good eating apple. The tree seems perfectly hardy, the shoots never winter- killing, but it is somewhat subject to bark blight at the junction of the limbs, thus making some of the trees unsound. It bears not young but abundantly, the fruit being medium to large, more or less ribbed, yellow, with read streaks on the sunny side. Keeps well, but rather unevenly. My second native, Scott’s Winter, I like better and better as I have longer experience with it. The tree is iron-clad, free from defects, except that it is subject to bark-splitting at the ground while young. Its growth is vigorous, and it begins bearing as early and bears as much as the Wealthy. Im size it is a good medium; the fruit is roundish oblate, dull yeliow, heavily striped and often covered with dark red. It keeps from two to three months longer than the Wealthy, or until the middle of June with me. It does not begin to soften much until April, when it becomes very good, a brisk, spicy acid, mellowing to sub-acid in May. It is preferable to and more salable ¢han the smaller rus- sets, besides being hardier. I have about 300 trees of this variety. 18 274 ANNUAL REPORT. THE FUTURE OF ORCHARDING IN THE PRAIRIE STATES. By Pror. J. L. Bupp, Amgs, IowA. The apple, pear, and most of our cherries and plums, are not na- tives to our continent, and their introduction into the states west of the great American lakes has not been guided by the scientific skill in selection which characterizes such work in the colonies of all the governments of Europe. Without exception, the scientific observers connected with the early surveys of the illimitable prairies of the west, interpreted the absence of the conifers, the rhododendrons, the mosses, and all the characteristic trees and plants of the more equable regions nearer the coasts and lakes, to mean an intercontinental climate of ex- treme changes in temperature and humidity. In those early days of prairie settlement, such men as Judge Knapp, Dr. John A. Kennicott, Robert Russell, and J. G. Cooper, unitedly expressed the opinion that the world had no counterpart of our plains, in soil and climate, except on the great plain which covers, like a blanket, fully three-fourths of Kurope on the north—- east. These men, in connection with Arthur Bryant, Hon. G. P. _ Marsh, and many others, also predicted, in those early days, that unless systematic timber planting was commenced and carried for- ward, to offset the destruction of the dense growth of prairie grass, and the effects of opening the clogged drainage centers of the primitive prairies, consequent upon occupation and cultivation, the already fickle and extreme climate would change for the worse as the years went on. With such clearly expressed views as to the real nature of our climate, it seems passing strange to the people of Kurope so long accustomed to well equipped and endowed experimental stations, that we have never attempted to row our own horticultural boat, but have permitted the nurseries of the eastern states to do our im- porting of trees and shrubs, from the mildest portions of southern Europe, mainly, indeed, from the nurseries of Thomas Rivers, in England, and Andre Leroy, in southern France. Our plan really \ STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 275 has been to try everything which our eastern friends had to offer, and hold fast to that which was good. Unfortunately for our in- terests, south Kurope has very few varieties of the fruits which will long survive in our climate, and the very few we have received are really strays from the east plain of Europe, or their seedlings, grown on our own soil. As instances of real iron clads over broad expanses of our prairies, all will think of the Duchess, Gros Pomier, Fameuse, Drap de Orand Wealthy; all but one strays from the east plain, and that one beyond doubt a seedling of the Duchess or Tetofsky. Of pears we have not one tree iron clad, and the nearest we have —the Besi de la Motte and Flemish Beauty—are from Poland, on the borders of the east plain, but modified by the breath of the gulf stream, With cherries we are quite as unfortunate. The Dukes and Bigar- reaus of the east utterly fail with us, and the early and late Kent- ish and English Morello, in addition to short life of tree and irregu- larity of bearing, are far lower in quality than any one of the Griottes grown by the train loads on the plains north of the Car- pathians. As to plums, without thanks to our eastern friends or to south Kurope, we have been more fortunate, as Nature has provided us with better native varieties than I know to exist elsewhere. Beyond doubt, we have lost millions of dollars, and an untold amount of time and faith in unsystematic trial of fruits adapted to more equable climes. Surely the time has come when we should unitedly give trial to fruits of like climates, so far as they are com- mercially obtainable. Perhaps ultimately our favorite fruits will be seedlings of those we first introduce ; but the only safe line of ex- perimentation is based on the assumption that the future favorites of our orchards of the apple, pear, and cherry, will come from cli- mates fully as severe as ours, or will be the seedlings of such varie- ties grown on our own soil. With the hope of aiding in this systematic experimental work, so much needed, I will offer a few suggestions, based on a careful study of the climate, soil. and fruits, of inter-continental Europe, in the smmer of 1882. These hints are formulated on the well known fact that every part of the Mississippi basin is subject to extreme summer and winter varieties of temperature and humidity of air, consequent upon the varying winds, and that trees for the southern and middle sections of this basin must have all the re- 276 ANNUAL REPORT. quisites of those for the north, except the mere ability to endure a very low temperature. Southern Lllinois, Missouri and Kansas, may safely experiment with the apples, pears, cherries, plums, apricots, nuts, ormamen- tal trees and shrubs, of the plains of northeastern Austria, for the western portion, and of Transylvania for the eastern portion. Here are found late keeping varieties of the apple, comparing favorably in size, beauty, and quality with the best known, growing on trees with foliage as perfectly adapted to a varying air as our Duchess. Here also are found many varieties of the pear with the perfect foliage of the Chinese sand pear, yet producing fruit nearly equal to the best sorts of France and Belgium. We have less reason to believe they will be subject to blight to a serious extent, as for ages they have been subject to inter-continental extremes like those of our valley. In this region will, in ike manner, be found the coming cher- ries for the dry belt where the extreme winter temperature does not reach lower than from fifteen to twenty degrees below zero. The plains of Galicia are checkered with lines of cherry trees along the sides of all highways, and marking the division lines of estates to an extent not found in many parts of Europe. The varieties, too, are all new to an American. A careful study of their leaf structure, fruit, habits of growth, etc., will convince the most skeptical that we have gone sadly astray in selecting fruits for an interior prairie climate. The Griottes, with small pendulous branches, and fruit with colored juice, are generally used for road- side planting, as the trees do little shading on account of their small size, and the fruit can be used for dessert, culinary use, and for the favorite drink of high and low known as “Kirschwasser.” In every respect the fruit is far superior to our Kentish cherry, or any one of the morello type we know. In the fruit orchards, and on the grounds of land proprietors, we find many varieties of a race of sweet cherries not known tous. With the round spreading top of the Morellos, they have the excellent fruit of the tall growing heart varieties, and a leaf that can defy our summer changes. Some of the Amarels of this region seem a cross of this sweet cher- ry with the form of the Morello of which our Lieb is a type. The apricots of Galacia and Transylvania, and their form of English Walnut (juglans regia) are equally worthy of trial in _ the Missouri belt, together with their filbert, currants, gooseber- ries and even grares. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 277 Though we have failed with the French grapes, the north- eastern varieties are well-worthy of trial, as their foliage will stand our air quite as well as our native Labrusca. We saw on the Volga many tons of dried grapes from northern Persia and Bo- kara, which were infinitely superior to any of our home sorts. Where they will endure the winters they are eminently worthy of trial. In this region no hardier peach is found than those we have. The coming peach for the Missouri belt is from northwestern China. While equal in fruit to our best sorts, it is able to endure greater extremes of temperature. The belt across the Mississippi basin corresponding to southern Iowa, muy experiment with the same races of all the fruits, and from a portion of the same great plain, but farther to the east. The provinces of south Russia, east of Poland to Kiew, are well supplied with such choice fruit, and the soil and climate are as nearly identical with ours as they well could be. Many of the varieties of the Galicia belt will not be found, but their places are taken by others but slightly, and if at all, lower in the scale of value. The most positive change is with the pear. Many of the best dessert variéties here become tender, unproduct- tive and short lived, and their places are taken by slightly coarser varieties of the Bergamot and Grucha type. The best of the Gri- otte cherries are still found, and many varieties of the Glaskirke, and a form of the Jeans much like our Dukes, but with different leaf and a lower, more spreading top. The juglans regia is still productive, but is sometimes injured by the test winters. For the belt across the valley corresponding to central and northern Lowa, the fruits of the black soil prairies of the great provinces of Orel, Koursk, Varonesh and Saratov, in central Russia, will best meet the requirements of soil and climate. Apples, pears, cherries and plums are yet found of such size, appearance and quality as would surprise any American horticulturist suddenly set down in the midst of one of their great commercial orchards. The visitor will rarely find a variety of any of these fruits which he found six hundred miles eastward. The very few exceptions, such as Autonovka, and Longfield apples, and Bessemianka and Red Bergamot pears, we are told at once are strays from central Russia, thriving equally well in a less extreme climate, as does our Duchess apple. Excellent forms of the Griotte cherries are still found and many varieties of the low-growing.sweet cherries and Amarels are grown, with greater or less satisfaction, depending oo eels UT eo 278 ANNUAL REPORT. upon soil and mode of growing. The apricot and mulberry are yet grown in considerable quantity, but the varieties are lower in quality for dessert use than farther west. The belt corresponding with Minnesota, up to the 45th parallel, including southern Dakota and northern Wisconsin, will reach the highest attainable success with the fruits of Simbirsk, Penza, Riazan and Tula, on the north line o! the black soil section of Russia. The visitors to these little known provinces, reaching up to the 55th parallel of north latitude, will be surprised to find so many varie- ties of excellent apples for all seasons, and so many variations of the indigenous Bergamot and Grucha pear, most of which are ex- cellent for culinary use, and a few are from fair to good for eating. The only forms of the cherry grown in quantity are of the Griotte race, and the trees are grown in commercial orchards in bush form, with several stems, and pruned on the renewal system of taking out tke old wood. In size, flavor, and amount of grape sugar, they far excel any one of the Kentish type found in south Europe. To those who may conclude that the apples of this high latitude in Kurope will materially change their season of maturity when grown in the Minnesota belt ten degrees farther south, it will be well to suggest that the prevailing summer winds of this part of Russia are from the southeast, coming up from Arabia, Persia, and the heated steppes of southeastern Russia. Hence the average summer temperature is really higher than that of the Minnesota belt across our valley, while the winters are much colder and with less average snowfall. In the extreme upper portion of our valley in northern Minne- sota and Dakota, even in the great valley with the northern trend at Lake Winnipeg, the possibility of successfully growing the apple, pear and cherry exists. The ancient provinces of Kazan, Nishny, Novgorod, and Vladimir, even north and far to the east of Moscow on the fifty-seventh parallel of north latitude, grow apples for all seasons, of excellent quality in a commercial way. In this coldest orchard region of the world, the little trees seem as hardy as the Siberian crabs, yet the fruit sells well in Moscow in competition with that from the south. The far northern pears of this section are quite as hardy in tree, but the fruit is too low in quality for consumption in the large cities; yet it is grown in great quantity for culinary use among the peasants, aad for exporting to Perm on the northeast verge of the plain. As un ornamental tree, this far northern form of the Ber- gamot has much merit, and it gives us a hint of possibilities in le a STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 279 the way of originating, by crossing, pears of excellent quality for the extreme Northwest. The cherries of this region have had a historic record for centu- ries. In Vladimir one hundred and fifty miles east and north of Moscow, they are grown in quantity too surprising for popular _ beliefin our valley. Though somewhat smaller than the best Griottes of the south parts of the plain, some of the Vladimir varie- ties are nearly sweet and of decidedly good quality for any use. That they can be grown as far north as Lake Winnipeg, in Mani- toba, we do not for a moment doubt. Plums approaching our Damson in quality, and much resem- bling it in size, form and color, are grown in quantity in this far northern section of the steppes. That they will prove an acquisi- tion to the extreme Northwest, is beyond doubt, ifthe curculio will respect them to the extent of giving us an occasional crop. These hasty suggestions as to the adaptation of the fruits of special portions of the greatest steppe section of the world to special belts across the prairie states of the West, must of course be of a general character. In practice they would be modified by the varying soil and climate of the east and west portions of each belt, and the belts would overlap with special changes of soil, elevation, exposure, ete. The only purpose is to outline some profitable lines of work for the experimental stations now in process of organiza- tion and development in all the states of our valley. We have learned that the process of acclimation is a tediously slow one with our trees, and I believe our people are avout ready to encourage the policy universally accepted by the European governments in the management of their colonies viz: The introduction of cereals, grasses, fruits, shrubs, ete., from like climates and soils if they can be found on the earth’s surface. With the limited pecuniary means at command we are doing what we can in the line indicated on the grounds of the lowa Ag- recultural College at Ames. We have now growing specimen plants of the apple, pear, cherry, plum, apricot, peach, juneberry, walnut, ornamental trees, shrubs, etc., from every part of the great east plain of Europe | have named. Their summer and winter be- havior for the past two years in our climate has been exactly in accordance with what we might expect from their relative position in their natal home. To briefly illustrate: the leaf of the Rich- mond cherry has been defective with us for the last two years, and last winter the trees were killed to the snow line. On the other hand, the Griottes and the Russian Glaskirke varieties have main- 280 ANNUAL REPORT. tained perfect foliage, and have been unharmed by the test winter. In like manner the Flemish Beauty pear has not had for the past two summers a single leaf free from brown fungus on the under surface, and last winter the trees were either wholly killed or so lowered in vitality as to be really worthless. The Besi de la Motte, from the edge of the great eastern steppe, has maintained healthy foliage, but its wood was slightly colored by the test winter, yet it has made rapid and healthy growth the past summer. The Besse- mianka, Trukavetka, and other pears from central Russia, have maintained perfect foliage—except slight injury by the pear leaf mite—and the terminal points of the shoots were as clear and bright last spring as the wood of the Russian poplars. Our apples of the grade of hardiness of Ben Davis, Jonathan and Dominie, were defective in leaf for the past two years, and last winter were irreparably ruined. On the other hand, our old varieties from the east plain, or their descendants, and over two hundred varieties re- cently imported, started from the terminal points where grown on rich garden soil. Yet our collection zs too varied for any one experimental station of the West, as it embraces varieties which will do best in the Mis- souri belt, and varieties which should do best in the belt of North Dakota and Minnesota. If the experimental work could be dis- tributed, and each of the belts across the valley f have tried to in- dicate could experiment with the products of its corresponding section of the east plain, the work could not fail to result in ad- ~ vancing our horticultural interests. So far, in talking of Russian fruits, we bave not taken into account the enormous extent of the empire. We do not want the fruits of St. Petersburg, or of any part of the coast section within 300 miles of the Baltic. That we do want the fruits of the provinces named in this connection, I am equally certain, if properly distributed over our great valley. We must never forget that we must have in our valley, from the Mis- souri belt nortnward, varieties of all the fruits that will maimtain perfect health of foliage, or we cannot expect paying crops of per- fect fruit. A tree may endure our winters passably well, yet on account of leaf trouble during our dry hot summers, fail to de- velop the cell structure in the wood in the perfect way needed for holding and perfecting the fruit crop. With the advent of varie- ties as perfect in leat as the Duchess apple, the Bessemianka pear, and the Vladimir cherry, we may expect a show of blossoms to be followed by perfect fruit. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 281 The crying want of the Mississippi valley is well endowed ex- periment stations. With their aid we may be able to walk without the leading strings which so far in our history have been furnished us by the nurserymen of the eastern states. [Norr.—Foster, in his work on the Mississippi Basin, compares it to the Russian steppes, and says: ‘Starting from Lublin, in Poland, about latitude 51°, and going eastward to the river Lena, we traverse 130 degrees of longitude, or more than one-third of the earth’s curvature, without meeting an elevation that would precipitate the moisture of the southwest current.’’ Over this an ciently occupied interior plain fruits are grown.—J. L. B ] MARKET GARDENING AT LAKE MINNETONKA. To the Members of the State Horticultural Society : When our Secretary assigned me the task of reporting on mark- et gardening and small fruit at Lake Minnetonka, I think he did not comprehend the extent of the work before me. I will try to give youa few outlines, but not a detailed report. You doubtless have seen the lake or a part of it, but can form but a faint idea of the size and amount of traffic carried on there in the short space of time the summer guests are with us. We have a lake with 150 miles of coast, and according to the Minne- apolis Tribune of Jan. 3d, 1884, we have over $1,600,000 expended for the accommodatiou of tourists; and you are well aware that people come here to eat and regain their health. The season opens about the middle of June, and closes the last of August or the first of September, which makes it bad for garden- ers to supply all of their demands. I can no better tell you the amount of demand, than to give you the figures of two items that I furnished the Hotel St. Louis in one season: Green corn over 1100 dozen, and of peas, 70 bushels. We have to raise a general assortment from green corn and peas, down to gumbo and garlic. We have now six regular gardens around the lake ; one located on the north shore below the Lafayette Hotel, one near Mound City, three near Excelsior, and my own at Northome, near Hotel St. Louis, besides quite a number of others that raise more or less of vegetables to sell. Still a large amount is shipped from St. Paul and Minneapolis. We ship more berries than are consumed here at the lake. r & : ee “ue - uecee 2 Oe 282 ANNUAL REPORT, The past season has be2n a favorable one for both strawberries and raspberries, and at very good figures too. [ cannot tell how many there are engaged in raising berries. I find in looking over my book of sales for the past season, my first sale of strawberries was June 20th, and strawberries continued until raspberries began to ripen. The last saie of raspberries was Aug. 24th, making the season of berries over two months. I cultivate the raspberries the first season after setting, and after that I mulch heavily with bagasse from my cane mill, so that they do not need the hoe. I have a patch of Philadelphia Red that have fruited eight seasons, with a full crop the last season, and shall let them stand until they fail to pay. KNIGHT H. WHIPPLE. Northome, Jan. 15. 1884. APPLES OF WINONA COUNTY. By O. M. Lorp, or MInnneEsorTa City. The Horticultural Report of 1873 gave a flattering statement of fruit prospects for Winona county, which at that time was not considered as exaggerated; but with the experience of the last ten vears with apples, the statements made in that report seem almost incredible. Many of the orchards which had done so well up to that time and which gave such fine promise for the future, do not now exist. According to the statistics made by the assessors for the year 1879, the number of apple trees in the county was 65,000; the number in bearing about 25,000, and the number of bushels pro- duced about 8,000. These statistics are not wholly reliable as they are found not to correspond from year to year. For instance, two years later, or for 1881, the number reported was 44,308; a decrease of 21,000; while the number of bearing trees are 21,481, a decrease of only about 4,000. The number of bushels is not given for that year. For the year 1882 the reports show an increase of 2,000 in number of trees, but a decrease of 1,000 in bearing trees, while the number of bushels is 18,716. Though these discrepances oceur, » U TS : STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 983 the statistics are probably more nearly correct than any person could estimate; and they form something of a basis for approxima- tion. The number of farms in the county is 1913, The highest esti- mate for bearing trees would give each farm 13 trees on an average- These figures are only useful in showing the large number of farms without any trees, and for showing our capabilities, if each farmer would plant 50 good trees. In comparing Winona, with some other counties, which started in fruit raising several years later, it has not kept up with them, and hardly maintains its early reputation. The counties of Carver, Scott, Dakota and Washington, produced in the year 1880 about 5,000 bushels each: Fillmore & Wright upward of 7,000; Henne- pin, 12,560; and Le Sueur, 13,360. Judging from our early success, ‘ this county is naturally as well adapted to fruit raising as any of those named except Le Sueur and Carver. The most marked success has been met in the valleys and upon the ridge land contiguous to the Mississippi river. The opinion is prevalent that the ridge lands are surest and that they are pro- ducing the best fruit. There are, however, some fine appearing orchards upon the prairie lands of the west and southwest parts of the county: notably, that of Mr. €. L. Blair, of Saratoga, prob- ably the oldest and largest in that vicinity, though there are sev- eral younger orchards in that and the adjoining towns that promise well. These prairie orchards contain but few varieties, the Duchess predominating, and for crabs the Transcendent and Hyslop are best known. Mr. Hohman, located in a small valley a few miles above Minnesota, City, planted an orchard of the two last named varieties, intending to manufacture cider and vinegar. His crop this year was about 400 bushels; none of which were man- ufactured as they readily sold in the Winona market at a fair price. Of the old stock of seedlings, spoken of in the report of 1873, in the paper by Mr. Ely, only a very few remain, probably not more than 100 in all. A few of these appear sound and healthy, and have borne goud crops. President Harris has carefully examined some of the trees and tested the fruit, and pronounces them well worthy of cultivation. If we are to look for success in apple raising in the direction of our own seedlings, here is a small field for a starting point. In the orchard of Mr. Whetstone (the old Campbell orchard), where the seedlings have died, their places have been filled with Duchess, Haas, Ben Davis, Utter’s Red, Fameuse and Weaithy, and 284 ANNUAL REPORT. some other varieties, many of which have done well. Last year’s crop was agood one. The crop this year was small and the quality not as good as usual. Mr. Samuel Bates, of this town, was quite successful this year as well as last. He numbers twenty-five varieties, having some prom- ising seedlings of his own. His largest yield this year was of the Duchess. While the old seedling trees were prosperous, Rolling- stone valley could show several fine appearing orchards, but now, taking out those of Mr. Bates, Mr. Bryan, and Mr. Whetstone, there are few left deserving of special mention. In the town of Winona, the old orchards of Mr. George Clark and Mr. Hardwick are still in fair condition, Mr. Clark having secured several premiums at the late State Fair tor character and variety of fruit. Mr. Knopp, of the same town, has the most acres (about twenty), set with apple trees and also the most ground in * small fruit of any one in the county. He is regarded as a very careful and successful cultivator, having grown much the largest amount of fruit of any one in the vicinity. The orchards of Mr. Buck and Mr. Rowell continue to produce fine fruit. All the last named being located in the valley contigu- ous to the river. The town of Homer produces a larger amount of fruit than any other of the county, a large proportion of which is grown upon the ridges or high lands. Their fruit does not come into market so early as that from the valleys, but there is no doubt as to its su-— perior keeping qualities. But with all there is raised here, the market has at no time been overstocked, and probably an equal or greater amount of fruit from other states has been brought in for sale. This fact of itself should be an inducement to plant more trees. I am aware of the discouragement one meéts, when a single winter will destroy the hopes and labor of years, but we have been suc- cessful, and we may be againif we try. If we were to judge of the capacity of this county for producing corn by this year’s experi- ence, we might hesitate to plant. The tendency has been for a few years back to increase the area of small fruits, rather than apples, but there is a growing feeling of greater security, as home nurseries are more generally patron- ized, and more care taken in the selection of hardy kinds. The su- perior advantages of home grown trees have become so well known that it is doubtful if glib tongued Dayton, Ohio, or iron clad northern Canada, can again take eight thousand dollars out of this county for nursery stock of no value. ee re ea 2s red Or STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 28 CONDITIONS OF PROFITABLE FRUIT CULTURE IN MINNESOTA. [Read before the Mississippi Vailey Horticultural Society, Kansas City, Mo. January 23, 1884. ] By Ourver Gipss, Jr., or LAKE CiTy. APPLES. The first condition is that the grower possess a courage that does not quail upon the brink of any earthly woe. The second is that he love his trees. The third, that he study his subject thoroughly to learn all the known laws of adaptation. The fourth, that he select for his main planting only the few hardiest; and The fifth, that he keep out a liberal line of experiments, ac- cording to his means, and be ready to branch out in good time. In regard to the first condition : No other state has been such a slaughter ground of apple trees, as Minnesota. Nearly every farm that was opened from 1850 to 1860, when all the southern and central sections were settled up, has had a succession of orchard funerals, First, eastern and southern grown trees, next western trees, then Canada trees, then home grown seedlings, and lastly the crabs; ail are gone, of these old plantings, but the Duchess of Oldenburg and some of the crabs in general, and, in particular, here and there a survivor from some other sort that is entirely un- able to give any account of itself. Many of these*lost trees lived to bear fruit and give prom- ise of long life and profit. One farmer in my neighborhood, from asmall orchard of two or three hundred trees, had five hundred bushels of choice apples, and was peddling them around town from his wagon, like potatoes. The winter of 1872-3 froze up dry. In the spring following, his Plumb Ciders, his Fameuse, his Sax- tons, his Jonathans, his Golden Russets, his Talman Sweets, and all that ilk, had not a live root remaining, although potatoes left undug in the fall in ground adjoining, lay through under the deep snow-drifts, and came out perfect in the spring. One may think 286 ANNUAL REPORT. he knows the reason of all these failures and how to avoid them in the future; but let him be ever so well posted, when he comes to open his purse for a new purchase, and contemplate the labor, the use of his ground and the possible chances of another failure, here is where he needs the courage, a courage like that of Peter M. Gideon, originator of the Wealthy apple, who, for twenty years, weut ragged in the battle for apples, through “frosts and fasts, hard lodging and thin weeds,” but said all the while, ‘I will grow apples or leave the state: and I won’t leave the state!” Love for trees is perhaps more necessary to success in severe cli- mates thanit is in mild ones. Nothing so well keeps up an interest and a watchful care. Trees need more care in Minnesota than in Missouri, though they get none too much of it anywhere. It must be a love akin to that of parents for their children, of a lover for his mistress, a husband for his wife, of friend for frieud—a loye for their society, for their beauty, their protection from all danger, their help in time of trouble—an enjoyment of their budding and blossoming time, their growth, their fruitage, until and through the autumn when they hang out their crimson, russet and golden banners, vying with all the lovely colors of the wooded hills, and onward to shield them from harm during the white-robed period of their winter’s rest. A man who will bark a tree in cultivating, if he can avoid it, or who having done it, will not hasten to bind up the wound as he would upon the limb or body of a friend, is not fit to grow apples in Minnesota. If he love not his trees, he is liable to put it off, “time is too valuable, something else I can do will pay better.” Pay!a man must feel that nothing else pays so well as to keep himself and his associates out of trouble, and he must have that feeling for his trees. He must feel hurt when they suffer, and guilty when he neglects them. Nothing but love for his trees will give him this feeling. “I would like tolook through your orchard,” I said toa German farmer several years ago, as I was driving by his house. I had just passed his orchard and noted the clean ground, the smooth healthy Jook of the trees, their gen- eral thrifty and well kept expression. ‘Come in,I will show you.” “How nicely your orchard looks,” I said, as he was pointing out the different sorts and telling me their names. ‘Oh, yes,” he replied; “T love my trees!” The words were few, but such as they were, they gave me, with the man’s own expression of countenance and another glance of mine, up and down the rows of his pets, a good long lesson that will never be forgotten. “eo ee ‘ STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. . 287 Adaptation: This is too great a question to discuss in this paper. There is first, and foremost, climatic adaptation, and this is something that seems to require centuries for its growth. That we must look beyond our own country for present success in selec- tions of races adapted here, is evident from the fact that nowhere else in America, where apples have been grown, is there any such climate in reference to summer and winter temperatures, dryness of air, and the peculiarities of rainfall, all taken together. That we can find this adaptation in some of the older countries abroad and transplant it here, is indicated by the further fact that all the sorts now growing and showing adaptation to Minnesota climate, are traceable to an origin in those countries where there are sim- ilar climatic conditions. We have the history of the Duchess of Oldenburg. This variety was obtained by Thomas Andrew Knight, President of the London Horticultural Society, towards the close of the last century, from Simbirsk, Russia, with forty other sorts, sent him by the British engineers who were employed by the Russian Government in the improvement of navigation on the Volga. It afterwards went to France, there they dropped its Russian name of Borovinka, and called it by its present name, and from thence, it came to Canada and thence down the Atlantic Coast and across the river St. Law- rence, andeverywhere over North America. Itnever attracted any pre-eminent attention over many other sorts until it came into those parts where its Russian adaptation to extreme cold, extreme heat, and extreme aridity of air and dry soil, singled it out as the one only reliable variety. Knight made many crosses with his Russian apple trees. They too have gone over the western world. When we see a negro, we know he is from Africa, wherever he was -born, as we call one of the later processes in individual life; when we see a mulatto, we recognize his African blood, and so it is with Russian trees. The expert student sees their blood in form of tree and branches, in buds, in blossoms, in leaves and fruit, and their crosses can never be hidden till they fade down by division and by prepotencey of mingling sorts beyond the reach of the senses to dis- tinguish them. In fact we have found out almost enough already to declare whenever we hear of a previously unknown sort having done well through a period of seven or eight years, without seeing it, “Tt is a Russian.” Our Minnesota Wealthy, now celebrated as a profitable apple.for the North, passes, by the tests of botanical science, into the Russian category, and acknowledges thence its adaptation. Second, there is adaptation to high lands and adap- 288 ANNUAL REPORT. tation to low lands—to sandy soils and to clay soils. There are trees that have a general adaptation, and others with special adap- tation. While the Dutchess is general and the Wealthy nearly as much so—if a farmer have a valley location, sandy or where the water comes near the surface, let him plant the Wolf Miver, a variety whose parent tree now thirty-two years old in Waupaca county, Wisconsin, stands where its roots touch the waters of the river, whence it takes its name, and whose progeny scattered well throughout the West, show, as I am informed by J, C. Plumb, of Milton, the same adaptation to low, sandy or wet soils. A large State like Minnesota has variable climates and soils. There are adaptations for all, that must be studied. Russia, as said by Prof. Budd, is a great country. It has its counterparts probably for all the climates and soils of our American apple belt. It not enough to say Russian. We must know from what part of Russia. It is not enough to say Minnesota, We must know what part of Min- nesota. Is it where the dry cold arctic winds sweep up the valley of the Red River of the north ? -Is it where the moist winds from the Gulf of Mexico, or the St. Lawrence and the great lakes, the hot air of the southwestern plains, or the mild breezes of the Pacific, fugitives from the Chinook, squeezed of their vapors in passing over the steeps or the forests of the Rocky Mountains, mostly or in part prevail? Is it on the wide prairie sweeps, the bluff lands with their air drainage, above as well as below ground, the timber and prairie openings, or the dense forest regions of the big woods? All these are questions which must be studied in order to make fruit raising profitable in Minnesota. A man must not begrudge a dollar for his state horticultural society, or two dollars for the Mississippi Valley Society, to secure him its reports to read on all the vital points in the business, and. pay twenty dollars for a worthless bill of trees that the books would have warned him of. Selection of a few only of the hardiest for general orchard- ing is important for many reasons, but these reasons are so open and palpable that it almost seems a waste of time to mention them. A man must go for sure things to some or to the main extent to keep his courage up. Everlasting failure or liability to it will beat the toughest orchard crank in time, as it does the Keeley motor or the inventor of perpetual motion. The man in Wisconsin who said several years ago, before the Wealthy was tound, ‘If I were to set out a new orchard of one hundred trees, I would plant ninety-nine Duchess and one Duchess of Oldenburg,” was not far from right. % i . y ° ‘ ” . STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 259 That would be sure to be profitable. The only orchardists in Min- nesota to-day who are making any money on apples are the ones who did about the same thing, or who divided their planting be- tween the Duchess and the Wealthy. There are many other sorts coming into favorable notice, seedlings and imported trees, that promise to show equal, and in some respects superior merit. It even looks as though we are on the eve of a sudden extension of our list into a large variety of apples, and that we shall add to the acknowledged beauty and high quality of the apples we have, the merit of long keeping in the new sorts, and be able to dispute the markets of the world with New England, New York, Michigan and Missouri ; but on the experimental list let them stand, with reasonable hospitality, for further acquaintance, before putting them into orchards on a large scale, by men of moderate means and without expert knowledge in making selections. PEARS. The pear for our adaptation we have yet to find. Our hope is in Charles Gibb and Prof. Budd. THE CHERRY. The cherry went out of general view when the winter of 1872-3 killed our Early Richmonds. The Germans of Carver county, lati- tude about 45°, have had the Ostheim for over twenty years, un- known to the Minnesota Horticultural Society till now. They say it is hardy®enough there, and is adapted to the climate, that it blossoms late in the spring, bears heavy in favorable seasons and is. a large, good, dark-colored cherry. They propagate it only by root sprouts. Mr. Charles Ludluff, of Carver, who obtained the first trees from Germany, says that if grafted it must not be on — sour cherry stocks. Whether it will be hardy west of the big woods or in the northern part of the State we do not know. We want to try for the severest tests the Russian Vladimirs, and shal} do it as soon as we can get them, by importation, or from that “nest of spicery,” the [owa Agricultural College tarm at Ames, PLUM CULTURE, Plum culture we know nothing of in Minnesota except as to the Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin natives, like the Forest Garden, the Weaver, the De Soto, and many nice sorts selected from our 19 290 ANNUAL REPORT. native Minnesota groves. Bunt the growing of these native sorts I have mentioned is successful and profitable. They are of fair qual- ity for eating out of hand and good for cooking. They are large, handsome and sell well in market. The Forest Garden is earliest but will not bear much handling or transportation, unless with ex- treme care, itis so tender in skin and pulp. The Weaver and De Soto are firm. These two resist the Little Turk, and for some rea son he does not seem to get hold of the Forest Garden where I have seen it grown. Perhaps he may under other conditions. These varieties are all perfectly hardy. Opinions differ, but I consider the De Soto the most reliable for a crop and the most profitable. There are others highly recommended, but I am not acquainted with them. SMALL FRUITS. As to small fruits little need be said. From the currant to the grape they are nearly all at home in Minnesota, only that some of them entail more labor on the grower in their needs for winter protection. Aside from this, the manual of gmall fruit culture is the same for Minnesota as elsewhere in the north. We think our climate, or our climate and soil together, produces better outdoor market grapes than can be grown in the East or further down the Mississippi valley. We see of no other growing as handsome Concords or as good Delawares. The river bluff region at St. Paul and below, and the lands around Lake Minnetonka at present produce the finest. Whether our success in grapes is due to soil or air, or to our short, hot summers, or all combined, I cannot say. Our growers have lost but one crop of grapes by frost in twenty years. AWARDS TO MINNESOTA IN £883. On the 13th of September last, at Philadelphia, the American Pomological Society awarded to Minnesota the Wilder silver medal on its collection of apples,and grapes, there being but fbur medals awarded on the entire exhibition of fruits. On the same day the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, having all the exhibits of both societies before them, awarded us the second premium on best twenty varieties of grapes in cut bunches. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 291 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY IN 1885. Members of the Mississippi Valley Horticultural Society from other states: We hope to meet you in Michigan in 1885. We acknowledge your supremacy in oranges, peaches, pears and plums; in some states in the extension of the number of varieties of profit- able apples; in others in the production of winter apples; but when this venerable umpire and patron comes to consider the greatest beauty and quality combined of which the apple is capable, and the character of our outdoor grapes, we may claim the medal again. But the rivalry shall be generous as it is in all strictly horticultural exhibitions ; and whoever wins, the defeated party shall lead the other out for the applause at the footlights before the curtain, and help bestow the wreath of bays, { From the banquet at the Green Bay Meeting of the Wisconsin Horticultural Society, in reply to the Following Toast :] “DOES THE FLOWER GARDEN PAY ?” My wife, who keeps the statistics in our family, notified me last fall that the clock which tells the years for us had struck fifty-one for the ostensible head of the establishment; and now, as I am on the shady side of life, it is realized more clearly than ever before, that there are some employments for us in this world that pay tolerably well, and yet whose remuneration may not be accompanied by the crinkle of greenbacks or the clink of specie: and of all the branches of horticulture that pay us in the pleasures they afford, and in the good they enable us to do, I take the affirmative on the proposi- tion that the flower garden rather has the lead. You who do not grow flowers, think you love and admire them. Probably you do; I guess everybody loves flowers. But you can never begin to imagine how much pleasure they can confer till you come to have a flower garden, and tend it with your own hands. The flower garden pays especially well in its influence upon children in the family. Whatever fixes the attention or engages the affections of the young, either elevates or debases them. When they take to flowers, who ever thought of a bad influence from it? Flowers are as good medicine for the mind as fruits are wholesome for the body. 292 ANNUAL REPORT. My wife and I have brought up a family of girls and a single boy. Ido not speak here to advertise the girls for the matrimoni- al market; for all but one are gone, and we do not want any one to come after her. But I was thinking when the toast was given me, how much good the rose-garden at our house has done the girls and their associates. How convenient it has been when the young gentlemen from other wigwams were hang- ing around, and the old folks in the way, for the girls to help the cads out of their embarassment by saying, “come out and see the roses, Jo,” or words to that effect ; and as my wife and J have sat on the front porch, and watched the evening shadows chase the retreating sunshine up the eastward bluffs, across the lake, we have thought that there were lessons in horticulture being taught the boys out there among the roses what would be of some use to them by and by when their wives want a man to handle the old briars, or dig in the rose-garden, or foot the bills for a reason- able supply of seeds or plants for house or garden. Who could refuse, remembering the flower garden of young love’s dream. We may have thought, too, that the girl who gives a young gentleman such lessons in horticulture, and who pins a flower upon his coat, or places a boquet in his hands, as she bids him good night over the front gate, does her part to make a husband for somebody who will be more of the lover in married life for it, and who will find flowers in his home that will be more attractive for his evening or other leisure hours than society at the clubs or the cross-roads’ groceries, and who will treat his wife maybe as “ the most splendid flower” of all. I remarked that we have but one boy in the family. At present he is not much of a horticulturist. If he follows the plow with any pleasure it is when it is returning from the field, or when some neighbor has borrowed it and is taking it off the premises, or _ when it is badly crippled and going to the blacksmith shop. He does not feel the need of exercise in the garden. He loveth not the hoe, and the dibble is an abomination. Also the spade. And he would actually rather go without his strawberries than to pick them for himself. Yet with all this there is hope foreven him. He may be eminent in horticulture some day; for after his mother has bossed the job, and I have done the work to grow a few choice free blooming roses, we notice now that when he comes home from the shop, and fixes himself up for his evening walk, he too goes round the corner of the house to the flower garden and cuts a bloom of something for his coat collar and liberally helps himself to enough STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 293 of the pink moss roses to stock a graded school graduation; and when his mother watches him crossing the lawn towards the city, she knows those flowers are not going to the beer saloon or the billiard hall, and she knows too that they will carry a silent mes- sage tosome other mother that says, we can trust our children when they wear the badge or carry the tokens, or study together the lessons of the flowers. How often a timely gift of flowers pays us for our labor in growing them! How delicately can we confera favor or repay an obliga- tion in this way, and how many fine lessons can be impressed by flowérs ! One day last summer I saw a railroad conductor, a young man, new on the road, interfere to protect a passenger from the insolence of a baggage-master. The next trip he made through our town, he found awaiting him at the station the best boquet the place afforded, indprsed “ with the compliments of Lake City for politeness to passengers.” When that boquet went home to his mother, sister, wife or sweetheart—which of course it did— while the givers reflected how it paid them to grow flowers, I dare say the conductor was thinking and would never forget that it paid to exercise common sense and politeness in the management of a railroad train. ® The flower garden pays in the aid it gives us in the regulation of our lives. There are no creeds here to fetter the mind—no conventionalities to hinder our study into the laws of life. When we study the organs and the growth of plants and flowers we are led directly and irresistibly to apply the knowledge we gain by analogy to ourselves as only higher forms of lite; and seeing one great law of improvement or degradation governing all, we learn ito reverence the provisions that nature makes for man to work out his own relief, and to understand that there is no escape from the dreadful consequences of inattention to or violation of natural law, either for ourselves or our posterity. ‘ We now understand as pomologists that the fundamental con- dition of success is a knowledge of fruit blossoms, Let us note and give due credit to the fact that all or nearly all our advance- ment here, has had its beginning in the work of florists in the study of the nature and uses of the organs of flowers; and here we find that the flower garden has paid us as the greatest pro- moter of our art. G. 294 ANNUAL REPORT. ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO PROF. BEAL. The Secretary is under obligations to Prof. Wm. J. Beal, Lan- sing, Michigan, Secretary of the American Pomological Society, for advance sheets of his report of proceedings of the meeting of that society held in Philadelphia last September. This makes it possible to publish in our report of 1884, many useful extracts that ordinarily could only appear a year later. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 295 NOTHS AND EXTRACTS FROM THE AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL REPORT 19TH BIENNIAL MEETING, 1888. IMPROVEMENT OF FRUIT BY SEED PLANTING. President Wilder. ‘Thus would I preach while life shall last; Plant the most mature and perfect seeds, of the most hardy, vigor- ous and valuable varieties of fruits, and as a shorter process, insur- ing more certain and happy results, cross and hybridize our finest ~ kinds, for still greater excellence.” QUALITY AND HARDINESS IN SEEDLINGS. Dr. E. Lewis Sturtevant, Geneva, N. Y. To improve the quality of fruit, select seed from fruit containing less seed than the average for its kind. Cross-fertilize small or few-seeding varieties with pollen from varieties of the same or similar habit as to seed, and from the produce select. the few seeded specimens for continuous plantings. Continue this kind of selections through succeeding generations of seedlings. These suggestions of Dr. Sturtevant are based on facts in his experiments at the New York farm at Geneva, indicating that quality in fruit improves by the care of man in fruit trees and plants in proportion to the decrease of seeds. A row of strawberry plants raised from seed that were showed me by Dr. Sturtevant, exhibited facts in this direction. Taking the same variety of berries—if I remember rightly, the Wilson, he set for the first hill a seedling plant raised from a berry containing the largest number of perfect seeds; the next hill, the next largest, the next, the next, and so on till the last hill, which was from the 296 ANNUAL REPORT. fewest seeded berry. On fruiting the row, this last hill gave the best flavored berries of all. This was in 1883. Further results from the same row, as to productiveness and quality, vigor and habits of the plants, comparatively, will be interesting. The reason suggested by Dr. Sturtevant for this apparent rule of reproduction, is that nature, under the care of man, is relieved in part from the necessity of exerting her powers to protect and pre- serve the plant in the natural war of races and individuals, wherein only the fittest survive; and the reproductive instinct lessening or sleeping under this case, the improvement of conditions in culti- vation, goes to the pulp or receptacle of the seeds and enhances the quality. This is not the Doctor’s language, but ‘for short” is be- lieved to be his idea. To improve the hardiness, therefore, the rule of selection of seeds would be the reverse; that is, take the many or plump seeded kinds, and so on from generation to generation. G. ENCOURAGEMENT OF BETTER QUALITY IN FRUITS—POMOLOGY IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. President T. T. Lyon, South Haven, Mich. ‘Trees of varieties of fruit of high quality, being usually poor growers, should be cata- logued by nurserymen at higher prices. And while legislators are moving in the effort to provide for the instruction of children in our common schools respecting the injurious effects of alcoholic beverages upon the human system, may it not be altogether wise and proper that we, sustained as we will be by the deductions of the medical fraternity, present as nature’s favorite preventive, if not her antidote for this sovereign evil, the free and abundant use of ripe fruits, and to urge at the same time as a most effective means of accomplishing this object, the teaching in our common schools, as well as in higher institu- tions of learning, the fundamental principles of pomology, including the origination, care and management of trees and plants. STRAWBERRIES. Under this head are selected only the points in discussion thought to be of most practical value to Minnesota. The facts given in respect to influence of pollen are given in another article. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 297 Black Defiance. James Wood, of New York. It is a superb family berry, but is rather difficult to grow. This does not deter the true amateur, when the highest quality rewards his efforts. E. Moody, Lockport, N. Y. It is good with good care. Cumberland Triumph. HK. H. Bissell, of Virginia. It is steadily and rapidly growing in favor. The plant is vigorous, productive and profitable to the grower. G. W. Campbell, of Ohio, Foliage healthy, bears well, and fruit is of good form and handsome in color and averages large. J. B. Rogers, of New Jersey. With meit is good to fertilize the flowers of the Manchester. T. T. Lyon, of Michigan. It lacks firmness, | plant some firm staminate near it to correct this deficiency] but is superior for amateur purposes. K. Williams, of New Jersey. Itis one of the best for family use, 2 5. Johnson of Indiana. Two stars for Indiana. Great American. Ona motion to strike it off, EK Williams of New Jersey said no berry had borne so wel! as this one in certain locations, C. M. Augur, of Connecticut. I saw in June last at, Hilton, New . Jersey, one acre and eight and a half rods, that yielded a return of $1803, or fourteen cents per quart gross. This I think the largest on record. A berry capable of that ought not to be taken off the list. It needs heavy soil, thorough manuring, and plants set in single rows, with good cultivation. Neglected, on alight soil, it is of little value. J. B. Rogers, of New Jersey. Averages thirty-six to the quart. The ground must be firm, and not disturbed deeply, while the plants should be renewed yearly. Jersey Queen. Contradictory reports of this berry, but the weight of testimony was in its favor for heavy soils and with good fertiliz- ing from staminate sorts. P. M. Augur spoke of samples weighing two and three-fourths ounces each, A. J. Caywood of New York. It has beaten the Manchester, Seneca Queen and some thirty other varieties which we fruited. Although the Seneca and Manchester are heavy bearers, this trio, with Seneca Queen to fertilize the other two, are in my opinion the best of the new ones at present. Miner’s Great Prolific. Strongly recommended by T. T, Lyon, of Michigan, 8. Johnson of Indiana, R. H. Haines of New Jersey, J. H. Bourne of Rhode Island, and J. H. Hale of Connecticut. 298 ANNUAL REPORT. © Seneca Queen. P.M. Augur. Good in Connecticut. T. T. Lyon, of Michigan. One of the most beautiful and pro- ductive of dessert sorts, but lacks firmness for the market. [Give it a firm staminate companion for a fertilizer, | Sharpless. Indorsed very strongly, perhaps more so than any other berry spoken of at this meeting. Testimony unanimous in its favor, generally placing it at the head of the list. Donner’s Prolific. Restored to the list and starred for Minne- sota on statement of its value there for sandy soils. Manchester. J. H. Hale, of Connecticvt. Has now fruited with us three years, and stands without a rival for productiveness, uni- form large size, and perfect form of fruit; pale, scarlet color; mod- erately firm and good quality; ripens medium to late. In planting for profit next season, 90 per cent of our planting will be of the Manchester. For other remarks about the Manchester strayvberry, see article on “ Immediate Influence of Pollen.”’ James Vick. C. A. Green, of New York. This has proved the most prolific of all with us, and appears to be blight proof. Mr. Bassett, of New Jersey. The foliage resembles the Cumber- land Triumph, and it is perfectly healthy. Dr. S. Hape, of Georgia. I have given it asevere test at Atlanta, and it is very promising. W.C. Strong, of Massachusetts. Its growth is all that could be desired. Dr. F. M. Hexamer, of New York. The berries are similar in general appearance to Capt. Jack, but larger, of better quality, handsome and very firm, suitable for shipping great distances. Its yield in number of berries is simply enormous; and if all that set are allowed to remain, many will naturally be small; but if a judicious system of thinning out were practiced, the main crop would be of good marketa! le size. G. W. Campbell, of Ohio. Not fruited with me yet, but the vigor of the plant and the health of foliage is very satisfactory. J. H. Hale, of Connecticut. The foliage is strong and heavy. The berries rather small, but uniform; quality good; ships well. EK. Williams, of New Jersey. I regard it as a healthy, promising sort. J. 5. Collins, of New Jersey. Heavy foliage; productive; berries firm, but not of large size. Oliver Gibbs, Jr., of Minnesota. Not fruited yet in our State, but is promising well. F. G. Gould, of Excelsior, one of our best STATE HORTICULTURAL SOOIETY. 299 judges of plants, predicts that this is one of the new sorts that have come to stay. George Balderston, of Maryland. It is a vigorous and healthy grower, but what surprised me was the great quantity of roots each plant possesses—more than on any other variety I ever handled. I have not tested the fruit. P. M. Augur, of Connecticut. Whoever plants it must undet- stand that good feeding must be given any variety that is as prolific as the James Vick. Atlantic. Dr. F. M. Hexamer, of New York, spoke of extraordi- nary crops of this new variety being grown on the sands of New Jersey. Hart's Minnesota. J.H. Hale said of this that is very fair, of a glossy color, early,—a good amateur berry. Mt. Vernon. HE. Satterthwait, of Pennsylvania. I fruited this year for the first time about two acres of this variety, and it proved to be the most profitable of about a dozen of the best sorts, includ- ing the Sharpless. It is late, good size, the right color for market, sufficiently firm and very productive. Oliver Gibbs, Jr., uf Minnesota. I have kept careful watch of the new sorts fruiting in Minnesota this year, and this is the only one of them I have cared to add to my list. P.M. Augur. It is a good fertilizer for other late sorts. Prof, Beal publishes in the report the following table from the Rural New Yorker, showing the preferences of its readers for twenty varieties of strawberries, according to their answers to an inquiry for a statement of their choice: ChE B30 t45 0 pO eG S DOS Re CEOS Ea eae AS: (Glen dalle .te.-:cteves -ieieiey ss ereusaiere aiaioatete 10: I einnaseatn ssc e se. ce BA aca 0s 371 |- Captain Jackass: Meneess srjen tates « 9 NUMA ME Tes). oss. cas sssce se ed0)| Wimdsor Chief: a. isle ciacijes) sclee 7 PPIICSB Re sie cee oS Siecec els fe 0eei Ot Green, Broliticeme sete site ates 7 AETHER LGUs ciaiels 0. 4 oa < sence ch osacelé 5% 93, DuChessaceies sic coil steer aatletanies oye 5 EMU L eile thee Secs e ae! 23'| Jersey Queers 4 co vee aemnslevis ba ee > Cumberland.. .... SOROS Te OEE Oe 99. Downer si brolitiGasm 2 eriee ta eroste et 4 BVA 45.6 6 AG HRR OS eeeeee 15" | Samaese Vickatorseceevecrtetersrers aise ok-e 4 ju irene s) 120) DOs OR Ae eee 14’ 3Jucunda tance > camer eer erat talerele 3 a 12: |\Cuystal Qitys-aseh sence es epee one 3 CURRANTS. Fay’s Prolific. J.T. Lovett, of Little Silver, New Jersey. This is a signal success in our State, fulfilling well the claims made for it. C. A. Green, of Rochester, N. Y. It is vigorous and productive, and appears to be an improvement over any variety we have. 300 ANNUAL REPORT. J. B. Rogers, of New Jersey. From the limited experience had with this variety, the indications are that it is the most prolific of all the currants. It will be planted extensively the coming season. J.S. Collins, of New Jersey. It is a strong, healthy grower, productive, very large and of good quality. Lee’s Prolific. J. W. Manning, of Reading, Mass. It is a strong grower. The wood as well as the fruit possesses a very high aroma. The berry is large, and the fruit abundant. It isa new black sort, which may excel the Black Naples. GOOSEBERRIES. Houghton and Mountain were recommended by several speakers, S. Johnson, of Irvington, Indiana, speaking of the Mountain as a high bush variety. Orange. This was recommended by H. M. Engle, of Pennsyl- vania, as a good early gooseberry. Smith's Improved. J. W. Manning. We named it Smith’s Seedling when we introduced it in 1864. Dr. Smith, of Windsor, . Vermont, raised it from the seed of the Houghton. H. E. Hooker, of Rochester, New York, we suppose, changed its name to Smith’s Improved. It is one of the best gooseberries in cultivation. No one comes before the Massachusetts Horticultural Society so uniformly fine as this. Foreign Gooseberries. Objection being made to allowing any of these sorts on the list on account of their tendency to mildew — Thomas Meehan, of Philadelphia, said they were valuable with skillful treatment in certain places. J. W. Manning. Foreign gooseberries are not to be discarded. They require special treatment. I have seen fine crops growing on the place of A. Hammond, at Seneca, New York. He attended to his plants every day, cutting out old wood, letting in the sun- light, and mulching with green grass. I once saw a successful plantation in Jersey City. They need much care and the right treatment to prevent attacks of mildew. RASPBERRIES. Clark. A.J. Caywood, of New York. One of the best family berries we have. Cuthbert. Vice-President Berckmans, of Georgia. The intro- duction of the Cuthbert has been a good thing for Georgia. It will keep several days after shipment, and then bring a high price STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 301 in market. Also strongly recommended as the best late raspberry for the market and for the table by E. H. Bissell, J. H. Hale, H. M. Engle, J. S. Collins and W. C. Strong. Herstine. W.C. Strong. Excellent for family use. Gregg. S. Johnson, of Indiana. There is but one voice in Indiana in regard to the Gregg. As a black-cap it is about as near perfection as is likely to be reached. W.C. Strong. The most desirable of the blackcaps, J. H. Hale. The largest black-cap we have, ripening too late to command a high price in market; yet it is very valuable for fam- ily use. J. T. Lovett. Requires a heavy soil and high culture; then large, produetive and very fine. Purple Cane. Thomas Meehan of Philadelphia. An old and strong hardy sort. Should be retained to raise seedlings, if for no other purpose. Reliance. A great improvement over its parent the Philadelphia, which it resembles in color. Next to Cuthbert. The most reli- able sort we have for family use. Souhegan. J. H. Hale, of South Glastonberry, Connecticut. We have tested the Souhegan now for four years, and find it to ripen from four to six days earlier than the Doolittle. The plant is vig- orous and very prolific, fruit jet black, rich and sweet; very profit- able for market, and one of the best for family use. Robert Manning. Two stars for Massachusetts. J. T. Lovett, of Little Silver New Jersey. I consider it of great excellence and value, ripening as it does very early. It is enor- mously productive, free from bloom, and by long odds the best early black raspberry we have. With this and the Gregg for late we have little use for any other black cap, either for table use or for the market. Hansell. J.S. Collins. [t is a very good, new, early berry for shipment. J. H. Hale. It stands the drouth and the heat well; a very promising early sort. C. A. Green. It is a moderate grower, rather firm, of good color and fair size. Howard A, Chase, of Philadelphia. The Hansell is a chance seedling that has been fruited by the originators, in Burlington county, New Jersey, for six or seven years. They have tested it beside the Brandywine, and it has proved to be hardier, more pro- ductive, as good a shipper, of better quality, and from a week to 302 ANNUAL REPORT. ten days earlier than that berry. It is undoubtedly the earliest ripening red raspberry now grown. ‘The originators have increas- ed their plantation as rapidly as they could produce the plants, now having about ten acres in fruiting, and have entirely ceased planting the Brandywine. Marlboro. C. A. Green, of New York. It is large, bright red, firm, of good quality, very early and a vigorous grower, evidently a heavy yielder. J. H. Hale, of Connecticut. It is a strong, vigorous plant, fruit of largest size, bright color and very firm. It ripens extremely early. It is much like Brandywine in flavor, gives promise of being the early market berry of the near future. T. T. Lyon, of Michigan. I saw the plantin New Jersey. It is certainly a very vigorous variety. J. S. Collins, of New Jersey. The canes are growing very healthy and strong in New Jersey. J. H. Hale, of Connecticut. The Marlboro is a large and fine early sort. Reader. T.T. Lyon, of Michigan. It isgood in West Michigan for Chicago market. It is of fine quality and bright color. Shaffer’s Colossal. W.C. Strong. The black caps are little cultivated and not wanted in our markets. This one is remarka- bly vigorous, fruit large, dull red and of inferior quality. It may be valuable for canning—bottling, I should say, for such fruit should always be put in glass jars. T. T. Lyon. It is the strongest tip-rooting variety I know. It ripens its fruit in succession, and often produces a fine crop on the new canes, from tips of the previous spring planting. Fruit not of an acceptable color for market. I should think best to omit the word “Colossal” and call it ‘‘Shaffer.”’ J. Saul, of District of Columbia. It is one of the best of its class; it is not fit for market, however. Dr. S. Hape, of Georgia, finds they sell readily in market and are gonsidered very valuable generally; a little sour, but excellent with plenty of sugar; superior for canning; very productive. J. H. Hale. An improvement on the Catawissa and New Ro- chelle. Fruit of largest size, but of dull red color that will not sell well in market; valuable for canning. Parker Earle, of Illinois. I can say this for the Shaffer, that the fruit is of excellent quality for the table, for all people prefer- ring an acid raspberry. I find that at my own table it is taken in preference to the Turner, which I esteem the richest and best of STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 303 all raspberries. For canning it has very great merit; and while its wretched purple color will forever debar it from all markets where whimsical prejudices about color and total disregard of eating quality seem to determine all values, yet the Shaffer must be re- garded as a very valuable addition to our list of raspberries. G. W. Campbell agrees with Mr. Earle. U. A. Green. It will yield twice as much as any other red rasp- berry that we have seen; fruit of the largest size, color dark purple, the best for canning, and meets with ready sale in ordinary mar- kets; not suitable for fancy markets. The most vigorous of all in growth. J. T. Lovett. The strongest growing and the most prolific of any raspberry that I have yet grown. The fruit is of colossal size, in truth as well as in name, and although rather tart to suit most tastes, yet it is sprightly, and to my liking. Its color is so dull and unattractive that it does not meet with a ready sale in market. I have found it the best of all berries for canning. Prof. Beal also publishes the votes of correspondents of the Rural New Yorker on raspberries, as follows: UAIIIEETE ¢ oc ee OO Dee ee Ses | GMOPI Ota 3 Statens eer ek win ae 32 SINIIRWIGIIMEISR ciate) cicve-s 6.5006 5.0 bees e eace 4 Mone ioth Clusters. 0 csp en cornet 13 eee 5 AE ee are A) || Souhe gan ee ess add eie e os 10 SENET aide ie (chase posse sic) suciobdyeladese Kal CATOLMME™ stcees-tel cose ho vest tune ead Philadeiphia REM vig rela wi spe «nie DEVAS More caain cane IG) IKaraanapalkoe = c. c:kelemionnicie eanienre TRANSLATION. Red Astrachan. White Summer Calville. Von Tcenarius Sweet apple. White Astrachan, Luiken apple. Red Duck apple. Noble Redstrealc. Early Champagne. Summer Pear apple. Winter Pear apple. Russian Gravenstein. Borsdorf Revel apple. Sheepnose apple. Transparent Juicy apple. Juicy White. Lemon apple. Longfield’s apple. Buschbon. Heidorn’s Streaked. Summer O’Porto apple. Yellow Sweet. Green Sweeting. The Revel apple. Glass Winter apple. Earliest Early. Little Pipka. Red-sided apple, STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 369 ee a eee NO. RUSSIAN NAMES. Ser ne Lee Schlenka, Polosstaja Barlowskoe SISeSL Rie Se) AaNe) G6 9 tem 6:00 ss ater eeeesse Arabskoe 0 2 es Steklianka Reyels Kaja Steklianka Selonka Arkad Scholti Polosatoe Sladkoe ere riwospi Polu Sial 6 eo) 06 ieee bi< we Cece eseee seen Pin Sins aie ape es eae aifa ALOU 018 (01.5 sien ne eee CHC DI oe WETS COIN TRCN Po Tere pie Ae SEP elas 8) a Tale in la ie!p.0\ (0) ge 6. 6:1< Bee terra oe Sadowskoe Kustoe piaee MEM Ee SC isievaie wie ne aie, ee. Pcie Oe eats ee 6 one) © 5a, 66.6 Piece PL ORE ALS ei b.rvsie a) ee 6 «ieee Fokinskoe......... Belaja Tebedka Scholkowka... WG) Veo). 6+ 0! mid weg eLSie a 8,0 8 ele lekells. al epee OC OICe ICA CRC EC EOI Ta Ree CROC IP ete OP CECT COVER ONC eR Abe eescccces «= PECL 6) s 18.0! eiin\ 6, 0) be wiscd J PLe 2 aS een. 6 6.80 oie. Peetewielioe:....5+..,.-........ Antonouka Schriokolitschiko Borouinka Popouka Polosataja Beel NTO Se Simnoe Polosatoe Aport Reptschati Charlamoswkaoe................ DONT CR Ca ac eee eee eee Pie) 06) \e.n\ s\ 0) ose .0 6 Bisie,e © 8) 6010 eels «a. /n = pia 08 is\\9\8' 6 ns 6 0100 S)ArSS y S$: 0.6 ae. e 2 66 00 eee ceves ES EeL ses ep as 6. ws 6p ae RTOS SG 6) 6.6) \e.e1.e. ela) ea S00) 2) (Gi @ ia ete! wile 0g @ «sa TRANSLATION, SSE Green Streaked, Barloff’s apple. Negolotf’s apple. Champagne Pipka. Calville Summer-red. Burloff ka apple. Arabian apple. Anisette. Glass Revel apple. Glass Green apple. Yellow Arcadian apple. Tiesenhausen. Streaked Sweet. Curly Spiced apple. Crossed Barbel. Waxen Juicy. Rosy Little Turnip apple. Hare Pipka, Arcade. Cut apple, Karaboff apple. Czar’s Tkorn. Stoupka. Royal. Cut Wine apple. Berkoff’s apple. Stepanoff’s apple. arden apple. Bushy apple. Sugar Sweet. Fokin’s apple. White Swan. Silken apple. Getman’s Bean. White Cut. Vochin’s Crimean apple. Titus apple. Yellow Arcadian, Muscatel.. Anthony’s apple, Lieby apple. Broadleaved. Mushroom, Prolific. Popott’s Streaked. White. O’Porto apple. Winter Streaked, O’Porto Turnip Seedling. Charlamoff. Smelling apple. Butter Pipka, Novgorod Streaked, Pear apple. accharine. O’Porto Rosy. Little Hat apple. 310 ANNUAL REPORT. RUSSIAN NAMES. ROSOWOGs. aismecs corer ieee os tt DOLQEOLEI KA so a ams pists sae a2 PolwiStekiankas. si-ei stents le oe Waretl chstrespiepys anette ele nas Borowinka Krasnaja....... .... Aportowoge Simowoe........... Renetto Woroneschski.......... STS] ME Se Speen An ceteris Ate Steklianka Kremer’s ....... ... Repristoe Walisonoe............ Mayremerskoeznciat cscs arene sien e Rigaer Skwosnoinalin........... Malinowakoeaeeie ce mentee ens Wikrainskoeneaec cmos content ete Tntnerbaeiglsae 2 nieces ee eas NOIRIDD PEEL mach erasne eke ha ene Clinigtapmel tent, sos cancel. Museataptels . ss oriole dove, te tos siete Ferrenmplolis. os srelesaee cine sees Rothememettes. eee sacnccn eee. Golubinoe Beeloen...-.s2 0. e-20. Pike lakes aie we siatecerasn/eeies ne Kovitschmenetem ace cee neeneoe RegOUiar atee es uneipacn ee ore Neemezki Kallville............. Scholtrelukageercrescn ta fe nee Polosatoe Naliwnoe............. Plodowitka Ramaja.............. SkwosnoiKrasntitees seein acne SkwOsnor Schotors a= -see +) alee sie Skwosnoi Selennoe...-........-.. Skwosnoi Beeloe.........-. -.«- Serivikral eaters a as eile onto eae Gruscheff ka Revelskaja......... Remett! Deeluierecee ae soe nem Himbeerapfel Lievlander........ Borsdorter ee ccc ee ica ee Scharlottenthaler Golba......... Weinapfel, Rother. .:6255%....'.: Sultanaptel: 220. ia cctn SRE) Lapouch Plodowitka Cuadkaja... .. .... Swonkoes fos ose nie eerie oe Kriwospizoe Aromatnoe......... Aport Herbst: i osanwineeraneecs Motschetschnoe................. Buntowderec ce conection GSwinZotiice) victculs sree ener ieee BeelhWochins’ ss. osc cneee ae Polosatoes detec oe eee meen Mirone Sacharni........ Se hs Biokcalares se sialse ee ee eee ee weer meee sree ere eer ee enc! TRANSIATION. Autumn Pear apple. osy. Zolotoreff ’s apple. Half Glassy. Wargul. Red Mushroom. Winter O’ Porto. Woronech’s (name of a prov- ince.) Apple Sweet. Kremer’s Glassy. Turnipy Juicy apple. Kremer’s, (seedling.) Riga Transparent Juicy. Raspberry. Ukraine apple. Imperial. Switzer. Christmas apple. Muscat, or Persian apple. Lord’s apple. Red Queen. White Pigeon. Sweet Pipka. Browny apple. Turnip apple. German Calviiie. Yellow Arcadian apple. Juicy Streaked. Early prolific. Red Transparent. Yellow Transparent. Green Transparent. White Transparent. Grayest. Revel Pear apple. White Queen. Lowland Raspberry. Borsdorf. Charlotteuthaler (the name of a place) apple, Red Wine apple. Sultan apple. Burr apple. Prolific Sweeting. Resonant apple. Curly Spiced Aromatic. Autumn Orange. Wetting apple. Literally, apple to be preserved in water, (as done in Russia.‘ Pound apple. Lead apple. White Wochins (a name) apple. Red Streak. Sugar Barbkel. Pipka. —— ed NO. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. SS reensreagee oe la RUSSIAN NAMES. =| OO ‘Skrut, Deutscher...... Petrowskoe...... Wislowchoe............. OO ICT Caachi Peis 2 Re) Ole) 6.6) 61.6 ee eee Krupneena..... Krimskaja Selonka......... 1.177 eee ree Anis Sacharnui... Pipka Sacharnaja............ 07 Tschernoe Drewo, Bid’ eee dsm alarea ola CCE ICT SCHON CON Coir Anis Rospisni.................. BWOHEZ Mics. Anisimowskoe.......... ......) Bosklonowka O58 0l'8 Nase le itp aie Wien eoees Kalville Scholti.. 7.2.52 777" Reinette Liubski EES ea aa Ranette Kiluski..... 200727777 Kardinal...... poclek *)'S) 6) eae. wes ie: 6) aie) 6 Rubez sclonniu.............°_. Pipka Postillnaja........ ......, ES hr Miran’ Ploskuis................. Beel Rospisnaja................ Arkan, Rother: Roschdestwenskoe 371 TRANSLATION. —_— Swan apple. Skrout, German. St. Peter’s. Pendent Ear apple. Browny Pine Apple - Yellow Lemon. Hibernal apple. Moscow Pear Apple. Russian Green apple. Bode’s apple. Good Husbandman apple. Imperial Citron, Enormous. Green Crimean. Borsdorf. Sweet Anisette. Saccharine Pipka. lackwood. General Greig. ochin’s apple. Little Seedling. Cross apple. Bergamotte, Pointed Anisette, Apple *‘ Lead.”’ Anissim’s apple. Bosklonoff ’s apple. Round Waxen Arcade. Orloff. Saxonian. Pointed. White Krim. Ratt ing apple. Yellow Calville. Lubsk (name of a place) Queen. Red-cheeked apple. Queen of Kiew. Cardinal. Handsome White. Warsztappel. Beautiful Arcade. pory poe ineff’s apple. Yellow Thies. Strong-ribbed. Green Cut. Spreading Pipka. Sour Turnip. Flattened Barbel. Pointed White. Grandmother's apple. Burr apple. Prolific Anisette, Ostrekoff ’s Glass. Holdfast. Red Arcade. Christ Birth apple. 372 ANNUAL REPORT. RUSSIAN NAMES. Tonkowetka Polosataja....... .. Mizensk0@utcrcietael coe Oceieeie oe elo Glinzowoencns ch eee enone Russische Rambour Reinette.. .. Lapouchoe Naliw..........-...... Borowinka Lugowaja..........-. INGDUASOWSKOG resi iie sae eels cei Hernag Sl aGmOg ears Ace's cipik w'eis «eee Revelskaja Polosatoe..... .. ... Konitschenewoe Rannoe......... Krimskvo Naliwnoe............. Wergunoks....gessssee+ sereeee Krupnui Skworminaliw.....-.... Melonenaprel gna. slo 2 sista me sei RGSCHAQEL: fiakiniaisbi nds <1 65 ai Alabaster, Weisser.......... ... Boresdorfer Leipziger...........- Tierlandischer Sommer... . Tierlandischer Winter.... Brdbeeraptellsecmtea'-cersc © oisisieve Zusows Winterapfel..... . ..... Englischer Pepping...-..... .-. /Nrdtencl lO yikiripiiig bacco Conmbadcas Mzenskoe Sladkoe...........+... Pesolschnaja Steklianka.......... ROMeNSKOGnG waists cece cones IDOE acti e ea eeeele ess erence Arkad Duimtschataja............ Borowinka Sladkaja..... ...... : Reinette Muscateller............ Muscateller Tievlander........-. Herbst Streifling....... .-ssee. Gruscheff ka Sladkaja........... Tiuchernokrasnoes,. sree sts\= of good size and rather tough flesh, says Mr. Saunders. 965. Gruscheffka Sladkaja; Sweet Pear; Not a sweet but a fine sub-acid apple, of the Yellow Transparent class, says Mr. Webster. I saw it at Mr. Spauld- ing’s, probably the same fruit. 966. Tuchernokrasnoe; Red Black;—Mr. Sias says, one of the most showy and beautiful of my Russian varieties, and one of the largest. Color, nearly black where well exposed to the sun, A little coarse in texture but a geod mar- ket apple. Season probably October or November. 970. Tuhuginka Selomaja;—Green Citron.—Medinm in size, shy bearer, not profitable.—Sias. 971. Wassilli Welikui;—Vassilis Largest.—This belongs to the same family as Green Streaked, Zolotoreff, and Turnipy Juicy. Mr. Tuttle says, it is a little more like Alexander, in color and appearance of thatree, than the others, about the same quality, and like the others an early bearer, of large, showy, fall, mar- apples. 973 Stekliannoe Duschisstoe;—Shining Aromatic.—F ruit of no value here, says. Mr. Webster. Mr. Tuttle says, an acid fruit, rather fine in grain, and with some flavor, not bad, but we have too many such apples. 975.--Tetnekrasnoe.—Red Teat.—This tree, Says Mr. Webster, is a wonderful bearer, and the fruit if judiciosuly thinned, large to very large, but of fair quality and flavor only. September. Jt is like Mr. Webster’s Zolotoreff, but not so good in quality, nor does it seem to keep as long. 978. Beel Solotofskaja.—Golden White;—Dr. Hoskins pronounces this the best late fall apple among the Russians, for market purposes; St. Peter the best early fall. Dr. Hoskins desersbes it as medium in size, round, with no cavity. In color, a dull, pale green, turning to a dull yellow, with a few pale red stripes in the sun. Many specimens have no red at all. The flesh is soft, a lit- tle coarse. Flavor, a very sub-acid. Mr. R. Brodie of Coteau St. Pierre exhib- ited in Montreal last September, a plate which seemed this variety. He has five trees of it, planted about five years, and the trees seem extra hardy, and a good young bearer. The samples shown were a good deal above medium in size, and some samples grown by Mr. Brodie have been very nearly as large as Alexander. 981: Beelowoe Scholtoseroe;— White Russet;—Mr. Tuttle says a large, yellow apple with a red cheek, a little russety around the stem. Quality good. An early and abundant bearer. Season late fall. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 391 983. Astrachanskoe Skwasnoe;—Red Astrachan;—Not Red Astrachan says Mr. Spaulding. It should rather have been translated, Transparent Astrachan. 984. Anis Kurski;—Koursk Anisette ; I saw this at Mr. Underwood’s. A small, green fruit without any basin and very wrinkled at calyx, not of Anis type at all. Dr. Regel received this from Penza, but does not describe it. Mr. Sias says that it resembles Russian Green, of fine quality and keeps pretty well for a fall fruit. Evidently not the same apple as Mr. Underwood’s. 985. Anis Krasnui;—Red Anisette;—A true variety of the Anis. When I saw itin August in Mr. Sias’ orehard, it was not fully colored, and, in fact, it seems to have more color than the Yeilow Anis growing a:ong side of it. Not the Pink Anis we saw on the Volga. 987. Anis Schaltui;—Yellow Anisette;—Tbis also is a true Anis, When I tasted it in Mr. Sias orchard, it was hard in texture and a crude acid. But Mr. Sias says that it does not keep past September. These were top grafted on Crab. Mr. Sias tells me that he has found in his neighborhood trees grafted o apple roots, planted in 1881. The trees seem in perfect health and the fruit about a third larger than that grown on Crab. The fruit, however, ripened in the fall and did not keep. This and the Red Anis above noted, and 382 Green Russian, and 413 Skris chapfel or Cross apple, are true varieties of the Anis may prove of great value in the far north. 988. Ananasnoe;—Pine;—Like Yellow Transparent at Mr. Underwood’s. PHYSIOGRAPHIC CONDITIONS OF MINNESOTA AGRICULTURE. By Pror. C. W. HALL, OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA. Minnesota, the center of the continent; Area—land and water—arable—prairie—forest; Forest Trees—cut of pine; River Basins—extent of each; Altitudes of rivers, towns, lakes; Distribution and kinds of Lakes; Drift—its origin and character; Soils how formed—elements of—effect of rain; Rainfall—in the United States—in Minnesota—its relation to fruit culture; Temperature and Climate—changes of with altitude and dis- tance from the equator; Conditions of successful farming; Forests and Raintall. The State of Minnesota occupies so central a position on the North American continent, that Pigeon Point, its northeastern- most extremity, is but two hundred miles nearer Eastport, Maine, than is St. Vincent, its northwesternmost point, to Astoria, Ore- gon ; while starting from its capital city, one must travel but four hundred miles further in a direct line, to reach Bhering Straits, than to reach the Isthmus of Panama. Its southern boundary line coincides with parallel 48° 30’ and its northern line, except for an area of about one hundred and 392 ‘ ANNUAL REPORT. twenty square miles in the Lake of the Woods, extends but to parallel 49°, the northern limit of the United States; to the east, Pigeon Point extends but a mile or so eastward of meridian 89° 30’, and to the west the 97th meridian line passes through St. Vin- cent township. The area included within the commonwealth is so beautifully di- versified in character, that of the 84,286 square miles of surface within its boundary lines, 78,648 square miles only is land: the other 5,638 square miles being made up of numberless small attrac- tive lakes scattered over its face.* i This estimate of water surface does not include the portion of Lake Supericr lying within the Minnesota borders. The 78,648 square miles of land, equivalent to 53,943.379 acres, furnishes 45,000,000 acres which are thought capable of being brought under the plow. This vast extent of country is further diversified by forest and prairie, giving an aggregate of near 48,000 and 31,00C square miles respectively, and exclusive of the water area. Although the forest regions lie chiefly to the northeast and the prairies stretch away with broader expanse to the south and west, yet the division is by no means sharply defined, large prairie districts being seen within the timbered area—as Long Prairie River valley, in Todd county; and Long Prairie in Morrison county; while the “ Big Woods,” a large forest belt, forty to fifty miles wide, extends from the forest regions of the north as far to the south as Blue Earth county, and belts of timber are not infrequent upon the plains, especially around the lakes and marshes and along the river courses. Watonwan and Minnesota rivers, and Crystal Lake in Waseca county, furnish notable illustrations of this fact. The pursuits of agriculture are gradually effecting a change in both the flora and fauna of Minnesota; the wild grasses and sedges and the brilliant prairie flowers are slowly but surely disappearing toward the west and giving place to the cultivated species already so abundant in the settled portions of the state; while the wild beasts, once valued for their rich fur and sought as food, no longer inspire terror in the hearts of the settlers and are only occasionally seen as they stray from the haunts where they have found retreat. The forests furnish both hard and soft wood; oak, maple, elm and birch, bass-wood, soft maple and cotton-wood are found in greater or less numbers. The evergreens grow abundantly, pine taking the lead; it is to the state of greater economic value than *Hon H.H. Young, Secretary of the State Board of Immigration. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 3893 all other trees. According to Prof. Sargent, Forestry Bulletin No. 5, 10th census of the United States, the total amount of standing ‘vine, May 1880, in Minnesota, was 6,100,000,000 feet, board measure; while the amount cut during that year was 1,550,000,000 feet. The original limits of the pine area upon its southern and wes- tern sides was nearly as follows: Beginning at the eastern boundary of the state a little above Taylors Falls, the line extended westward through Isanti, the northeastern part of Benton, through Morrison, Todd, Otter Tail, Becker, Polk, Marshall and Kittson counties. At the present time, much of the pine bearing land within that area has been cut over, and the above figures of lum- ber yield will give one of a speculative turn of mind an opportunity to calculate for himself how soon the practical exhaustion of our pine will occur,—an event which will tirow upon our state large tracts of land generally considered of but little value to the agri- culturist, but which will nevertheless exert their influence upon the climatic conditions of the state. Three grand drainage systems take their rise in Minnesota; the Hudson Bay, the St. Lawrence and the Mississippi. The areas drained by these basins through their several tributaries are as follows: The Hudson Bay— SOIERPCCLEMIVED 6. ota bs ee we bate bebe earawld onde eey 11,347 sq. miles. Red River... .. es SEEK Sie s SiSEAS) Ud ast oncve eld RIC Ait eae hake case oe 18,106 by The St. Lawrence— Mae St. Vous river and other streams.....-..-..0..secseus 7,689 - The Mississippi— Miumame et aiver (ani Min.) 2). «jj... 05+ 0 lie os cane ne bantnes 15,706 st Tributaries of the Missouri in Southwestern Minnesota.... 6,399 oe TEI ls 0,0 Ae a.c. sor mneese, ons 03 sinlpagenene 1,639 ot TES ee a ake ca” ole s'c'e od “casdegeed aeinetan 1,209 ‘- Peemeturver (in Mainn.)..02'Jsii.'05)e ids oes oot, oie Sha ale 3,669 ni Other tributaries of the Mississippi below St. Paul........ 6,399 A Mississippi river above Ft Snelling.......-.....:502+++ «+ -16,596 Ce MMR DUAG IHL M0. tea IG g4,986" The state is not high above the sea; the four corners give re- spectively the following altitudes: The Mississippi at low water mark is at La Crosse 626 ft. above sea level, Lake Superior 602 ft., *The above areas were computed with much care from the last edition of Warner & Foote’s map of Minnesota, and are believed to be veay nearly correct. 394 ANNUAL REPORT. St. Vincent 758 ft., and Pipe Stone City 1577 ft., while along our water courses we find the following altitudes: WiHHONG? 2 guaran 676 ‘* Minnenpolis adi liek 2d. 46 ish. BES, NA A ToLey Sta Cloud stats bi, . syptcictepicateb e's wf Hewes ie b> vida see 953“ PST AITIONG 9,0 0 ope 06:48 wb bush - aretetrona dd orndors euphau’ deb-& biel die eee 1206“ MEOOLUEDI s ¢icy sieeve is: oles ay eee 910 ” Mille Lacs: ,c.0.<, 15:2 iy aa he ono iorcdoteieieieiciews ae a teudie then tee ee 1346 ” Ttasieds's «.2'se-e ays 5: wa tqo. Foe Bae eae ieee Stes nvenclete cee 1500 ” Red Lake «ic .-a feb Adsormveseere to eherera tere one ete ierevens tebe reve ee ae tee 1140 ” Obter Dad). sssex sc hee aisle buceeeccotetuuaanmie teeters ane takejelo footie ee 1325 2% Diake Uday sé ts sn ab ac, TE Sa RPISs « Ae eibintoss oes oe ote eee 1400 ” Pagle Dake. 0 (hase «abl geese) ice aa alee 664 ” Bip Stone Lake. « ./:.«:.-c.- 0:0 sleeietinee maa elele» <'01e 5150s 2 a 962 ” SE CRO 0. ws ale cicterarhis 9 ateleisinje wibracwlenetn ise nya lainte yateherateanatare (low water)655 ” STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 397 And the rock hound lakes of northeastern Minnesota, show alti- tudes ranging from 1400 to 1900 feet above the sea. The altitude of these lakes outlines pretty clearly the average height above the sea of the surface of the state. As a rule, the river valleys, as the Mississippi and Minnesota, are narrow and then bluffs rise abruptly from them, hence they can form no large ele- ment in striking an average of altitude; so too with the hill regions. Some peaks of the Leaf Hills measure from 1,400 to 1,750 feet. The Sawteeth peaks sometimes reach 2,000 feet or more. The Mesabi probably in no case reaches 2,400 feet. A careful study then of the foregoing altitudes, with an inspection of the charts of altitude* lead to the conclusion that the state will average, not far from 1,200 feet above the sea. Nearly all the prairie region of the southern half of the state lies between 1,000 and 1,400 feet altitude, and itis only in the southern counties where the altitude exceeds the last named figure. These highest portions of the state seem to owe their height to the drift, a deposit which has several times been mentioned in the foregoing pages. The Drift is a material which has been deposited over nearly the entire state through the agency ofice. These masses of ice, whatever may have been the cause which produced them, whether it was the precession of the equinoxes or the earth’s inclination to the ecliptic, or the elevation of the earth’s crust to an extraordinary height, or whether it were neither nor all of these, but rather, a hair or two, so to speak, from the tail of Donnelly’s comet, the results, as we see them today, have a far-reaching effect upon the agriculture of our state. The depth of the deposit is quite variable; it lies much thickerover the western half of the state than over the eastern, where the under- lying rock is frequently seen exposed along the streams and in the hillsides; in the western part the rocks in place are almost never seen except in the river valleys where running water has laid them bare by removing a considerable thickness of overlying drift material. Another means of estimating the thickness of this drift is furnished in digging or boring wells. Frequently 150 feet or even more of sand is passed through in the western part of the state in sinking a well, while in the eastern half, 30 or 40 feet will bring one to the limestone or granitic beds beneath. And there are two portions of the state where no drift appears: these are Pigeon Point, in the northeastern and a section in the southeastern corner of the state, comprising Houston county and part of Winona and Fillmore counties. Various conjectures have been offered for this phenome- *The charts exhibited were prepared from data collated by Mr. Warren Upham, 398 ANNUAL REPORT. nal occurrence of bare patches in the midst of a drift covered region, like islands in the sea. Among the latest theories is that of Professor Chamberlain, of Wisconsin,* who suggests that that part of the broad continental ice sheet. crossing Iowa from the north- west, in passing over the elevated ridge of Keeweenaw Point and the Wisconsin Highlands, was thinned out and held back till its force was expended and the ice mass melted before this driftless area was reached. As the ice sheet on either side of this high land moved on unintercepted, the lobes flowed together and again formed a continuous mass. But Pigeon Point is narrow and the hills around Grand Portage abrupt, hence the drift accumulations left upon the rocks in that corner of the state, have been almost wholly washed into the lake by the snow and rain of a few thousand years.} ; “In listening to your lecture before the Horticultural Society, 1 noticed one assertion made by you, as before by Prof. Winchell in the first volume of the final report of this survey, now in press, which I cannot agree with. This is, that a considerable tract north of lake Superior in the extreme northeastern part of Minne- sota is destitute of glacial drift!!! To be sure, the deposition of drift there is by no means so great as in central and western Min- nesota; indeed the bald rocky hills (like the surface in extensive tracts near Salem and Lynn, Mass.) appear to have been swept by the moving ice-sheet almost as clear of all surface material as possible, leaving the same only in the lee of the jutting ledges and hills of rovk. But in my opinion it is very erroneous and mislead- ing to call that a ‘‘driftless region.” ALL THE MATERIAL THERE IN WHICH T&EES AND VEGETATION TAKE ROOT MUST BE GLACIAL DRIFT, and of course timber and herbage cover all that is not bare rock. We have such tracts among the hills in some parts of New Hamp- shire; and I have no doubt that in some of the sheltered places in the lee of hills of rock and in hollows between ledges, the glacial drift in that northeastern part of Minnesota occurs in depths vary- ing from a few feet to even fifty feet.” The character of this deposit varies considerably. By far the larger part is what is denominated by geologists, “Till.” This isa term used ‘‘to designate a compound mixture of bowlder, clay, gravel and sand, formed by glaciers, constituting their ground moraine.” In Stearns county, bowlders of enormous size are seen, sometimes weighing hundreds of tons. And all over the state wherever this Till occurs, bowlders of various sizes from the masses mentioned down to mere pebbles are abundant. If we *Geol. of Wis., Vol. I, p. 270. . tAfter the MS. of this paper was prepared for the press, the following postscript to a note was received from Mr. Warren Upham, Assistant Geologist on the Geological and Natural History Survey of Minnesota : STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 399 examine the walls of a railroad cut or a water-worn gully by the road side, we shall see a confused mixture of gravel and sand, and quite likely diminutive beds or lumps of clay or perhaps the bowl- ders, gravel and grains of sand are packed into a matrix of clay. Sometimes the material is assorted or stratified, a condition pro- duced by the action of water and evidently during the retreat of the glacier and while the water formed standing pools or lakes. These stratified layers, especially of sand and gravel, are frequently recognized in well digging by the sudden inflow of water. These stratified or bedded layers are of great extent, often overlying the Till, and are of much economic importance to other classes than the agriculturist. The brick and pottery clay as well as the build- ing sand of our state come from this source. In color this drift is blue in the western part of the state and red in the eastern. Not only the red color, but the scratches upon the rocks where these are laid bare and are legibly preserved, as well as the general trend of the hills themselves, point to the red sandstones and conglomerates of the Lake Superior basin as the source of much of the material of those red beds; while the chains of hills in the western part point as clearly to a northern source of the material constituting their mass. Attention is called to this drift, because it, with the decaying vegetable matter upon the ground, is the source of the soils in all the drift covered parts of our state. Since, as a general proposition, it may be stated that the mineral constituents of all soils are derived from disintegrated rocks, it is evident that soils may be found either where the rocks are decom- posed, in situ, or where running water has deposited this material which is the result of disintegration. In either case since there is so little variation in the composition of vegetable mould, the soil preserves the general characteristics of the rocks from which it is derived, its fertility depending upon its depth, fineness, propor- tion of mould, etc. A soil formed from a limestone will grow luxuriant grass and form a paradise for flocks. A granitic country is rather barren through the slow disintegration of the rocks, except. where the valleys hold the accumulations of long periods for the use of the farmer or the gardener. Sandstone tracts possess the natural conditions for fruit culture, and Ramsay* emphasizes the fact that in Great Britain the fruit ‘orchards cele- brated for cider and perry, lie for the most part on the structures of the old and the new red sandstone;” and he adds: “What may be the reason of this relation I do not know; but such is the fact, ~ * Physical Geology and Geography of Great Britain, p. 570. 400 ANNUAL REPORT. that soils composed of the Newand Old Red Marl and Sandstone are generally better adapted for such fruit trees than any other in Britain.’ The clays are the soils in which the hop vine and the cherry flourish. But here with us, through the agency of that original Minnesota plow, the glacier, all these different types of soil are mixed in utter confusion so that granites and schists, sand- stones, clays and limestones have been ground together and mingled until all conspicuous characteristics, all individuality, has been lost; color has been changed — the red of Lake Superior sandstone has become paler while the blue of Cretaceous and Tertiary beds has lost its tone and a dark color is given by the growth and trans- formation of the vegetation of many years. Possibly the blacken- ing of our prairie soils is owing to the frequent fires which sweep over them. The great advantage of this interchange of conditions lies in the wide diversity of crops it allows. Grasses and grains, fruit, flax, and amber cane can be grown side by side, anda full yield of each may be expected and that for many years without renewing the soil. Yet plants will not take these mineral substances in the forms in which we see them.. The wheat plant will not stiffen and support its head with the silica as we see it in the quartz erystal and in the quartz grains of . the granite, nor will the indian corn take the phosphoric acid, the potash and the magnesia so necessary for its perfection, in the form in which those substances usually come to us; but decomposition, solution and recomposition are necessary, oftentimes, to bring them into the proper service of the plant. As water is the universal sol- vent, so powerful in its action that nothing known to man can resist it, as it occurs everywhere in the air and upon the earth, as well as within the firmest known rocks, it is natural to look to it as the most powerful agent in the preparation of the rocks for the growth of plants. The conditions which influence rainfall are numerous ; among them proximity to the sea, altitude above its surface, level or bro- ken condition of the face of the country and direction of the winds furnish some of the principal causes which influence humidity and its precipitation. Situated as Minnesota is, at a long distance from any mountain system, and at an even greater distance from the sea, with a level surface, and lying midway between the equator and the pule, the rainfall cannot be great; nor can it under the same conditions be strikingly small. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 40] We find from an inspection of rainfall statistics of the United States census for 1880 that our annual fall is very near the average of the whole United States. That report gives the average for the United States, exclusive of Alaska, as 29 inches, very nearly, while a record kept by Wm. Cheney, at Minneapolis, for the last eighteen years, gives 28.27 inches as the average. The north and west portions of the state, however, show a fall somewhat less than this, according to the census report above referred to. An inspection of the tables arranged by Mr. Schott and published in the Smithsonian Contributions, vol. 18, discloses some other interesting facts, among them that the least amount of precipitation for any year was in 1864, with but 12.06 inches at Fort Ripley, and 14.86 inches at St. Paul, while the wettest year was in 1849, with 49.64 inches at St. Paul. The next great annual pre- cipitation was in 1881, with 38.76 inches. The extremes are 57.63 inches apart. If we turn to Iowa we find that within the same period the dryest year was 1882, with but 18.58 inches of rainfall at Sioux City, and the wettest 1858 with 65.90 inches at Fairfield, while but 19.81 inches fell at Fort Ripley in that year. Passing toward the gulf we find the average to be, at IME feo rs canis carer ; o> bo pes) —_ au) ie tb ay oo = : = 2 3 ° i ° | ot a ee 4 aE ES SE ee ee Ee CE ee Se ES ee a ee) Hp. "Y9J[OA4-OUlO ‘oPVOG “atH1] ewes ayy 10} ‘UNM dad ‘aser1aae ayy pue ‘savok MaeqY S10 | sy oY} 1oj ‘AoMaYD “UA “APT JO sptodad ayy 04 ‘stjodveuulyy 4B [[eyuler jenuue sy -G ‘pI 28 05 ATO ESS) I DER) DJS PRN) SY A VERS: PO A: T= eer ee & “| , ce) hee 33 rs) ns . EPO t ROUSEL PRG OG STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 405 (page 44.) He further emphasizes the fact that we must increase the absorptive power of the soil to cause an increasing rainfall. On the other hand, in France experiments have been made which seem to prove, for that particular locality, that forests have a direct influence upon the supply of atmospheric moisture and rain- fall. In one instance, the result of six months’ observations showed the difference in rainfall in favor of the forest and against the open country was 8 per cent. and in atmospheric moisture was 1.3 per cent.* It is clearly apparent that forests make the soil light and porous, whereas prairies have a firm and compact soil; forests pro- duce coolness and dampness of the atmosphere and hence rain, _ whenever warm and cool currents come in contact. So far as for- ests maintain coolness in the air they prevent that intense heating which is tlie first condition’of a cyclone, Yet terrible wind storms occur in wooded districts, and to the north of the cyclone belt, as the almest impassable windfalls in northeastern Minnesota show. These two considerations mentioned seem te be uppermost in the minds of farmers in discussing the subject of tree culture; but a third, which seems to me to be of equal importance, has just been stated by Mr. Phipps. of Toronto: “There is nothing now better known to the world of science than the fact that any deforested country will cost the cultivator at least four or five dollars more per acre to obtain the same crops which nature would have assisted him to procure had a proper interspersion of reserve remained to continue the natural moisture and preserve the natural fertility of the soil.”+ Such a statement appealing so strongly to the farmer’s pocket and announcing so heavy a tax upon his capacity for work should be rung in the ears of every tiller of the soil until all responsibility can be left with him. Therefore the briefest answer to the question is, Yes. *Popular Science Monthly, June, 1875, p. 20. +Report on the Necessity of Procuring and Replanting Forests. Compiled at the instance of the Government of Ontario, by R. W. Phipps, Toronto, 1883, A work which should be in the hands of every farmer in Minnesota. 406 ANNUAL REPORT. IMPROVEMENT OF FRUIT TREES BY SEEDLING CULTURE. By D. A. ROBERTSON, OF ST. PAUL. The growing of apple trees of Russian origin in the climate of Minnesota, having been established by successful experiment, gives assurance of future success in producing improved seedling varieties of standard trees of pears, cherries and plums, which may be grown with the same success as apples. f We should follow the example of Russia, where the climate is so- nearly like our own, by producing new varieties of superior quality, from a selection of our own home grown seedlings, and no longer depend upon foreign born trees. In this way only, have all the orchard fruits (and all other edible fruits and plants) been improved from their wild, original ancestors, to their present noble types of civilized excellence. Trees of warm winter climates can never be naturalized to a very cold winter climate, or naturalized at all in distant regions, without losing some of their best qualities. To become perfectly naturalized and thoroughbred in any change of surroundings, trees, like animals, must be born again as seed- lings, and of all plants, thisis most positively observable in fruit culture. Unlike annual and herbacious vegetation, we caunot, without much greater expense than profit, invent means to shelter our standard trees from the severest cold of our winter months, and we must not forget that in our coldest winters, which recur every few years, the temperature as indicated by the Fahrenheit thermometers, occasionally, in some parts of the state, sinks as low as 40 degrees below zero, and in the extreme north of Minnesota to some degrees lower. Temperatures as low as these do not pre- vent the healthy and fruitful growing in Russia of the standard orchard trees just mentioned. These Russian trees are the result of successive improvements in seedling culture. It should be men- tioned, that by judicious forest tree protection, our climate will no doubt become, before very many years, greatly ameliorated, and then our orchards will be much less exposed to the meteorological severities of the different seasons. ~q, ett STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 407 As my present purpose is to show that our surest way to the highest possible excellence in fruit tree culture, is by systematic and successive improvements in the growing, fruiting and selection of seedlings, a brief notice of the progressive history of American fruit tree culture may not be without some entertainment for those who have not considered this subject. The original standard orchard trees of this country, as the apple, pear, cherry, peach and plum, were nearly all imported from Europe during colonial times, and some of them as late as in the beginning of this century. As the expense of importing these European trees, which were mostly of the best grafted kinds, was greater than nearly all the New World farmers of that time could afford to pay, and as these farmers generally desired the luxury of orchards, they were compelled to depend for increase of trees upon the planting of seedlings, which costing little, became very numer- ous and extensive. The seedling fruits were, of course, generally very inferior in quality as compared with those from the original grafted European trees. The foreign importations of fruit trees were chiefly from England, the native country of most of the colo- nial settlers, to which must be added the lesser importations of the German and French old settlers, and the importations of amateur fruit growers, in later years. But the most interesting and important fact in this survey, is, that if nearly all the colonial farmers had not been compelled by their pecuniary necessities to resort to the growing of seedlings in order to become able to plant any kind of orchards, the United States would not have produced the great and most splendid vari- eties of standard fruits, which now distinguish this country, above all others for their superior excellence. From the vast number of seedling orchards thereby introduced, all the best American varie- ties were obtained, and by graftings, scattered broadcast throughout the old states. With these graftings, and the consequent great increase of commercial nurseries, the nursrymen were able to sup- ply every demand, until it was discovered that the approved varie- ties furnished by the old commercial nurseries were not adapted to the climates of our extreme northwestern states. This was a fortunate discovery for Minnesota. These more western states are compelled by climate, as were the colonial farmers by pecuniary necessities, to resort to the growing of seedlings to obtain the va- rieties best adapted to our climates, and for the greatest possible ex- cellence. In this grand work our North Star state is the pioneer, has taken the lead and, I doubt not, will keep it, and achieve the 408 ANNUAL REPORT. greatest honors and most substantial rewards; extending its list of apples from the beautiful and excellent early winter variety, the Wealthy—in whose production our state has been so much hon- ored and benefitted by Peter M. Gideon—to the acquisition of long keeping kinds of the apple of equal beauty and quality, and other species of choice fruits common to northern climates in the older settled parts of the world. Bnt to obtain valuable seedlings, it is necessary to procure good, plump, healthy seeds from good fruit of vigorous and hardy trees of northern growth. These seeds must be carefully selected, from both Russia and the northeastern regions of this country, as the chief sources of our supply; and from our home grown trees, grafted and seedling. The apple seeds sold by the seed merchants should be universally condemned as worthless. These seeds are almost all obtained by washing them out of the pomace of the cider presses of the Atlan- _ tic States, where the diseased and unmarketable apples are refused and cast aside for the manufacture of cider. Such seeds are utterly worthless for seedling culture, and wholly unfit for root grafting. Minnesota should not follow the example of the old commercial nurseries. whese apple roots for grafting are grown from the seed ofthe cider presses, the consequence of which is the cause of general complaint of increasing failures of apple tree growing for profit, in the old apple growing states. A few other suggestions in regard to the improvement of fruit trees by prugresive seedling culture, may be briefly stated to close this subject for the present, although many other kindred topics present themselves. Ist. Fruit tree culture by seedling selections, in even this age of horticultural acquisitions from the remote past, rarely attains, in any region or climate, the highest degree of improvement from the continued grafting upon roots or stocks, from the first genera- tion of seedling scions. Progressive improvements may be con- tinued, as I am convinced by facts fully authenticated, by successive selections for at least two or three generations. 2nd. As a general practical rule, the best variety of fruit of every climate is produced only in the region where its parent stock first originated. 3d. Illustrative. The best apple of America.and of the whole world is the Newtown Pippen, but it is best only in the region of country where it originated from a seedling tree. The Seckle—the 7 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 409 best pear in the whole world—best, although quite small, is best only in the region of country where it originated. 4th. Every kind of standard fruit always changes more or less in characteristics and almost universally deteriorates in quality when far removed from the region where it originated. Selected seedlings from such varieties may and generally do produce excellent kinds of fruit, where the fruit of the ancestral tree was worthless. Illustrative Examples: The best varieties of apples now grown in our southern states originated from the seedlings of grafted trees from more northern states, which were first planted in the south, and produced there very inferior fruit. The best varieties of apples of the eastern states, where the trees or graftings thereof are grown in the northern states, produce in the western states fruit of the same names, but they are greatly deteriorated in quality. The best varieties of standard fruits in Europe become more or less denatu- ralized when removed to any part of America. These brief remarks on the improvement of fruit trees by seedling culture are submitted tothe enlightened judgment of the practical horticulturalists of this society. I will be greatly obliged to any of them for any criticisms or suggestions they may be pleased to communicate on this important subject. | A LADY’S SUGGESTIONS ON HORTICULTURE ON MINNESOTA PRAIRIES. LinpDEN Farm, Lake Crystat, March, 1884. - Oliver Gibbs, Jr. Dear Srr:—Please accept my thanks for a copy of the “State Horticultural Society’s Report.” I find it replete with interest and teeming with animation that speaks well for the society’s future success. It has been considered a doubtful question with the prairie farmers of Minnesota whether fruit growing can be made a success, but I am happy to say it is gradually being overcome. I do not think any prairie farm need be without its supply of fruit if the farmers will but take the pains to put out groves and hedges for protection against cold winds and storms. We have around our garden as well as around many of our fields 410 ANNUAL REPORT. white willow hedges, and I find we are able to gather vegetables from our garden earlier in the spring than almost any one else in the vicinity, besides being protected much later in the fal! from frosts. Last fall my tomato vines were green and loaded with ripening fruit when almost everybody else’s was killed with frost. I am sorry to say, there is too much of a disposition with the farming class to devote their entire time and energy to the care of their fields and stock. The orchard, the garden and the yard are considered weak- minded topics, fit only for the consideration and devotion of women. I know farmers who will not spend a day’s time in helping to arrange the garden, but if the poor, weary housewife, by dint of perseverence on her own part, and perhaps with the help of the children, succeeds ‘in spading up a small piece of ground and raising a few vegetables, and when the hard-earned delicacies that should be relished only by those who have struggled for them, are at last brought upon the table, the “liege lord” will be first to help himself, without even giving a passing thought as to how they came. I have often thought that instead of simply an apple sticking in man’s throat, it is only a mystery how he has escaped the lodgment in the same region of a whole cabinet of specimens of the domestic fruit and vegetable kingdom. Again I have seen men, women and children go three or four miles to gather little stinted wild strawberries. To be sure, their flavor is nice enough, but they are so small, and the same amount of time spent in going for them and cleaning them would set out a bed of beautiful Bidwells, Manchesters or Cap- tain Jacks in one corner of their garden at home, that would only require a small amount of attention and would always be handy to gather at their convenience. Three years ago we set out a bed of strawberries in our garden, simply for family use. We kept them weeded out that summer, and in the fall we put on a light mulch of chaff, and the next spring I was astonished to find with a family of nine or ten using all we could possibly get away with without foundering, that at the end of the season we had sold $25 worth. The following spring proved to be a very unfavorable season; how- ever, aside from all we needed for family use, we again sold fifteen dollars’ worth, making in all forty dollars’ profit from this little bed. The same spring I set out a new bed and last spring we got some very nice berries from it. Last fall I potted some Bidwells and Manchesters and set them out. The weather proved so dry STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 411 and unfavorable that I am waiting anxiously for spring to see the results. No one can realize the loss of these little delicacies until they have once had them in abundance. We have been feasting all winter on our stock of canned plums, raspberries, currants, jams and jellies, and I would say for the benefit of lovers of raspberry short-cake that it is quite as delicious made of canned raspberries in dead of winter as in their prime season. Another point, farmers are too apt to be negligent in the care of the grounds surrounding their buildings. Now, of all places, I think the farmer’s home should be made comfortable and attractive. I do not mean expensive buildings and adornments, but simply comfortably well arranged buildings and neatly kept yards and lawns. It does not take very long to get the yard seeded in blue grass, and set out some evergreens, hard- maples, box elders, rock elms and cottonwoods, promiscuously or in groups that will ren- der your home beautiful and attractive. I have been 30 situated that I have not had much time to meh in out-door flower culture, but I always have quite a collection of greenhouse plants, and as early in spring as the weather will per- mit, I take the storm sash and enclose the porch exposed to the east, which is some 18 or 20 feet long, and arrange my plants there for the summer. [ train my vines over the weather-boarding and hang from the ceiling a variety of baskets here and there. I ar- range my pots on shelves and stands to the best advantage with reference to light. After this is done they require very little attention, further than to give them a refreshing shower bath every morning with the sprinkler, and I must say I have never seen handsomer plants in a greenhouse or elsewhere. Last summer I had one geranium that had thirteen clusters on at one time. I hope I may not be considered presumptuous in offering the above suggestions. I have seen so many country homes so per- fectly barren of trees, fruits and flowers, that the cheerless aspect made my very heart ache. I do not think we have more than half fulfilled our mission here on earth unless we have tried to make our paths those of pleasantness and our homes a haven of rest. MRS. 8. E. CURRYER. 412 ANNUAL REPORT. SMALL FRUITS AT SHAWANO. SHawano, Wis., Aug. 3, 1883. We have good success in small fruits, most of them growing indigenous to the soil, and some, I think, that you do not produce— especially the Blueberry, which is a distinction from the Huckle- berry or Whortleberry and far superior, although nearly resem- bling it in appearance and size. They afford quite a revenue to the Indians on the Menomenee Reservation, who alone engage in gathering them, and one day this week they marketed over 800 bushels. First with us, of wild fruits, comes the Strawberry, the Blueberry, Raspberry, Huckleberry, Blackberry, and Cranberry late in fall. Jam safe in saying that in agood Blackberry season, there are not less than fifteen thousand bushels that are left unpicked up the river from here, within 25 miles, for the lack of market in which they can be profitably handled, as we are isolated from rail- road connections, and they will not so well stand carting over rough wagon roads as some other fruits. When our projected “St. Paul and Eastern Grand Trunk R. R.”’ is completed through this county, we shall be able to give Min- nesota a taste of our surplus good things, fruit-wise. W. S. WOOD. FERTILIZING vs. POLLENIZING. We need a new word in horticulture, or else an agreement as to the use of an old one. Here is one Professor publishing a paper to illustrate the influence of particular manures on certain crops, and he calls it “fertilization.” Then we have the phrase “commercial fertilizers.” All right according to the dictionary. But here comes another Professor to tell us about the sexual characters of plants, cross-breeding, hydridization, etc., and when he comes to speak of the agency of the pollen of flowers, he gives us “fertilize” and “fertilization” to mean something entirely different. Why not sayPollenize, or Pollenization, and have a bye-law to that ef- fet, and leave the other word to apply exclusively to the enrich- ment of the soil? Hither this or anew word. This is referred STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 413 to the American Pomological Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Association of Nurserymen, Seedsmen, and Florists. Let us have a law on the subject—and vote any man a bore who violates it. G THE CAUSE AND PREVENTION OF DEVASTA- TING FLOODS. There can be but little doubt but the yearly increasing floods in the Ohio river are rendered more frequent and severe from the fact thaé all its main branches have been, to a great extent, stripped of the forests through which they formerly flowed. The Alleghany, the Kanawhas, the Big Sandy, all these have had their forests stripped away and the soil can no longer retain the rain and water formed by the dissolving snow, and the immense amount of water falling upon this great area of country slides down the steep hill sides and into the river channels at once. As the tributaries meet and join each other the task to hold and bear them onward is more than the Ohio can bear and its banks are overflowed, and wide spread damage and disaster must follow. It is a well understood fact that forests protect the country adjacent to them from de- structive floods, and also from severe droughs. In Europe this is so well understood that for many years past the governments of Germany, Austria, and Italy have been spending immense sums of money in planting millions of trees on waste lands on the head waters of the rivers, and are restricting by severe means the de- struction of the remaining forests. The time has fully come when something of the kind should be done in the United States.—_Joun N. Murpock, in Wabasha Herald, February 24. FRUIT TREES IN LYON COUNTY. In the last ten years I have set upwards of 300 apple trees in Lyon county, and not one has died from climatic causes. MarsHALL, Sept. 17, 1883. J. W. BLAKE. 414 ANNUAL REPORT. AMENDED CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS OF THE MINNESOTA STATE HORTICUL- TURAL SOCIETY, AS PROPOSED AT THE ANNUAL MEET- ING, JANUARY, 1884. ArtTIcLE 1. This society shall be called the Minnesota State Hor- ticultural Society, and shall have perpetual succession. Art. 2. The object of the society shall be to improve the condi- tion of horticulture and arboriculture by collecting and dissemi- nating correct information concerning the culture of such fruits, flowers and trees, and other productions in horticulture, as are adapted to the soil and climate of Minnesota. Art. 3. The officers of this association shall consist of a presi- dent, one vice-president, a secretary and treasurer, and as many directors as there are congressional districts in the state, who, to- gether, shall form a board for the general management of the af- fairs of the society; provided, however, that the control of all af- fairs of the society shall remain in the hands of the members at any meeting thereof, to be resumed and exercised by the board only ad interim. The officers shall be elected annually by ballot at the annual meeting. Said board or the society at any regular meeting may adopt such by-laws as may be deemed necessary for the society and not inconsistent with the constitution and the laws of the state of Minnesota, and may change the same from time to time at any such meeting. Art. 4. The president, or, in his absence, the vice-president, or, in the absence of the latter, any member of the board who may be selected as acting president, shali preside at all meetings of the board or the society, and the presiding officer shall be for the time being the chief executive officer of the society, and authorized to sign all vouchers relating to the business of such meeting. Art. 5. The secretary shall keep an accurate and full record of the proceedings of the society. He shall carry on correspondence with such fruit growers, florists and horticulturists in general as manifest an interest in the purposes of the society. He shall be ex-officio delegate to the American Pomological Society, to State horticultural societies of states adjoining Minnesota, and to the STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 415 Mississippi Valley Horticultural Society, with such other dele- gates as may be appointed. He shall search with reasonable diligence for new and useful sorts of fruits, plants and trees, obtain them as far as practical for exhibition at meetings of the society, and collect and distribute for trial and propagation cions, seeds and plants, under such regula- tions as the board or the society shall make. He shall incur no expenditure of a large or doubtful character, except with the sanc- tion of the board or the society. He shall compile and edit the annual report of the society, and shall attend to its publication and distribution; and for his services he shall be allowed a reasona- ble compensation. Art. 6. The Treasurer shall have charge of the funds of the Society, and pay them out only upon the order of the Board or the Society upon vouchers signed by the President or acting President and the Secretary. He shall make up a full and true report of all receipts and disbursements of the Society, and present the same to the Secretary on or before the tenth day of January, in each year, or at any other time when called upon to do so by the Board or the Society. His annual report shall begin and close with the calendar year. Heshall give bond in such sum as the Board or the Society may direct, to be approved by the President or Acting President, and the Secretary, and said bond when so approved shall be filed with the State Auditor, and it shall be renewed yearly for each term of office. A copy of the bond shall be filed with the Secretary of the Society. Art. 7. The Members of the Society or of the Board present at any meeting thereof shall be a quorum for the transactidn of busi- ness. Art. 8. Any person may become an annual member of this society, on payment of the sum of one dollar, or a life member, on payment of ten dollars, and all membership fees shall be first paid to the Secretary, and by him be immediately paid into the hands of the treasurer. Art. 9. Honorary members for a time stated or for life, may be elected at any meeting by a two-thirds vote of the Society, and they shall be entitled to all the rights and privileges of membership, ex- cept voting for officers; but this shall not be construed to prevent any person from joining the active list by paying the membership fees. Art. 10. The fiscal year shall commence January Ist, and end December 31st. 416 ANNUAL REPORT. Art. 11. This Constitution may be amended at any annual meeting by a vote of two-thirds of the members present, provided that notice of proposed amendments shall be presented and lay over one day before a vote on the adoption. BY-LAWS AS PROPOSED AT THE ANNUAL MEETING, JANUARY, 1884. ist. The terms of all officers of the society shall be one year and until their successors shall be elected and qualified; except a retir- ing secretary, who shall hold his office till the 1st day of July, after the election of his successor, in order that he may officially pre- pare and superintend the publication of the annual report for that year. 2d. Meetings of the board may be called at any time by the President or Acting President and Secretary, and it shall be their duty to val! such meetings whenever requested to do so by a ma- jority of the board. 3d. The annual membership for the previous year shall cease on the first day of the annual meeting, and before the election of officers. 4th. No person who has not been actively identified with the Society for three years at Some time during the period of its exist- ence shall be eligible to the office of President, Vice-President or Secretary. The foregoing draught for an amended Constitution and By- Laws was referred to the following committee, to report at next meeting: J. M Underwood, R. J. Mendenhall, Wyman Elliot, A. W. Sias and G. W. Fuller. COLONEL ROBERTSON AND DOCTOR WARDER— A COINCIDENCE. . Forty-two years ago, Col. D. A. Robertson was the editor of the Elevator, a weekly journal published at Cincinnati, devoted to agri- culture, science, political and social economy; and in the eighteenth number, issued March 19th, 1842, he introduced Dr. John A. War- STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 417 der to the world as a writer on scientific subjects. The following is the paragraph in which the introduction was given: PROFESSOR WARDER. “We are happy to be able to announce to our readers, that Pro- fessor Warder, of Cincinnati Coilege, has kindly consented to be- come a contributor to the scientific department of the Elevator. Several communications from the Doctor will be found on the first page of the present number. The well known abilities and acquire- ments of Professor Warder amply qualify him for the office of an instructor. ‘Though a professional gentleman, he feels deeply con- cerned in the elevation of the masses. ‘The lee Period of the World’ is an intensely interesting article. The Doctor’s aid will greatly enhance the value of this journal.” In a note to the Secretary, inclosing several copies of the Hleva- tor of 1842, Col. Robertson says: “Dr, Warder was the Professor in the Medical College of Cincin- nati, and became afterwards proficient in horticulture. We traveled over nearly the same track in various studies. A coincidence: That we should, after so many years, gain like honors from the Minne- sota Horticultural Society.” The readers of our report will be glad to observe that the Colonel has lost none of his old time interest in topics of popular education —his mission still being that of an elevator of his racee—and that his pen retains its facility, vigor and grace of expression. We are promised for our next annual meeting a paper or lecture from him, giving the gathered treasures of his scientific studies in horticulture, winnowed by the best judgment of his riper years. 27 418 ANNUAL REPORT. _CIONS DISTRIBUTED TO EXPERIMENTAL & TA- TIONS MARCH 29, 1884. g =| »| S| cl BLE E =|). 8 |= i) ra Slo|4/a S Es B)S\o}) a) | a ae eee 291 Notes and Extracts from the American Pomological Report.......... 295 Immediate Influence of Pollen, by Oliver Gibbs, Jr., J. B Rogers, J. R. Lovett, J. H. Hale, and others. <. .: J+). »=ese eee 330 to 336. The Pomology of the Northwest, by Oliver Gibbs, Jr................ 316. ‘ Who Reads and who Cares? by Oliver Gibbs, Jr........... ove OE 324 - The Law in Cross-breeding, hy Oliver Gibbs, Jr..........-.......0-- 336. Insecticides, by Oliver Gibbs, Jr... .. 05.05 ++ 15 ss ase 338 The I'arnished Plant-bug, by Prof. Forbes...... T 6 2a er 339: Report on State Experimental Fruit Farm, by Peter. M. Gideon...... 345, Report of Delegate to Mississippi Valley Horticultural Society, by M. PCATCE wios waved adiokioGie a wldeeies dosha b eee eae Se 349 Fruit Report from Chatfield, by J. D. Rinderknecht. ..............-351 _ Fruit Report from Winona county, by W. K. Bates................ 303. Fruit Report from Houston county, by J. S, Harris...............-. 304 Fruit Report from Rochester, by A. W. Sias..............-eeeeeues 306 Fruit Report from Owatonna, by E. H. 8S. Dartt................- «. 357 Report of Seedling Fruit Committe, by J. S. Harris................. 358 Report of Seedling Fruit Committee, by A. W. Sias................. 360 Report on SeedlingjApples, by J. M. Thresher..............-....00- 220 The Flora of Western Dakota and Eastern Montana, by John B. Lei- DOT ier vce :0\nioit SIs G mw laltw TEC sce reicua). /phyi: xls i Sele’ lane Catalogue of Russian Apples, U. S. Department of Agriculture...... 368 Report on Russian Apples, by Charles Gibb.............-.200eeeeee 373: Physiographic Conditions of Minnesota Agriculture, by Prof. C. W. Fallen co gss'sse en so mn ciein oie apietatetvehetto es opr (le adele ba 209—391 Improvement of Fruit Trees by Seedling Culture, by Col. D. A. Robertson «2 2s. c.sspeieatetepeyaie & ata «nip wie. Sleuenh cha panne nn 406. Horticulture on the Prairies, by Mrs. 8. E. Curryer.............-.--- 409 Small Fruits at. Shawano, by W.8.! Wood. ......-.25! oss «.) eee 412 Pertilizing vs. Pollenizing, 0:2... 255000 +--+ 202s pee en 412 INDEX. 435 Cause and Prevention of Floods, by John N. Murdock............--- 413 Fruit Trees in Lyon County, by J. W. Blake............2.-+-ee0ee- 413 Proposed Amendments to Constitution and By-Laws..............:-. 414 SmmemnOn And Dr. Warder. «0 seu nevis oss ciemsieaeeh shane athe sss 416 Chestnut growing north of 44, A. S. Bennett....... 2.0... cece ee eee 418 Hennepin County Horticultural Society..........0 62. e eee eee eeeeee 420 Report of delegate to lowa Horticultural Society, by E. H. S. Dartt...420 emma bE AS WW’, SIAR «0/5, «0:02... .010,6 +, Fhe Sietelloat ae aan 194, 299 Taws of Plant Life vscuncncnceecwvee tne’ om nettle 200-201, 259 Hand Fertilization of Blossomsii. (2.1... -./20020 2% se = 6 elena 259, 262 (stem * Cherryisversisis: crore aelet otro! so 6 wt otelete orx'antyslere le ents Ota 202, 289 Resolutions of thanks............-- 162, 169, 170, 202, 208, 230, 231, 252 Forestry and Climatology. ...-...-sssseeecsseerccessecenccncensees 209 Election of Officers and Delegates. ....... 20+ «+» .0s2.s sss) eae 211 Telegrams. «.2 000600 cccsnanessendincseiecetaes as 000) adden 211 Reports of 1883 and 1884............+...seeeeees Ne, a: a.04e sigte eee 538-54 Bancroft’s rose arden. ......000+06+200 ¢onniccee «+= sien liel eaten A gHIVEStby) LP AEM s nln\s ivi olen pAemesne pa 60 'e.0, 5 0 ieee 28, 224, 225 Seal for the State Horticultural Society....... «30.0 oe ena abe eee 226 New Horticultural Halll i... 5. «is 00 «5.00.0. =1s\« =:0,-[s' aaa 296 Russian mulberry .....-- caleba e016, 2 =.» = sm bia cel 152, 153, 227 Raspberries ......00-ccetes ceceensrvcnneecsemnaasienieile 228, 300, 412 MUP LSE nietelecnie ¢ ore eo of shew 65 mies Ol un ake ne ote - cee ee raw cee 229 Resolution on timber culture act =<)... 6000 ses- » alee eileen 231 GGTADER). 0'< 0.0 vej0n asic AEB amin eee ses elolee mic remains 195, 245, 247, 249, 303 Resolution on-art gallery.....2...25+s.0..000++enss >a alee 253 Resolution on paper by Prof. Folsom ..... ...+++--seeeseecccerees 253 Bills allowed and orders drawn........cc.s++scces+= += sss ap seen Premiums awarded and paid ....ccessccssccces oochuonss enn 33, 253 Prizes for new seedling apples .....- .2eee+- sccscerencecnes eee 256 Salary of Secretary...:02 scscesecrecrseccras -- 2086s sen ee 257 Gooseberries. «0 sce eesce cece cece nusciee tee sao 0c cin one eee 300 Pixchanges «or. -.-eccecsceccsecrenscenecvesen «000 = nisl teas a4 Societies of adjoining States ..........--...---.- +20 oom ae 55 Increase of membership .- + «0005.00 cn0s +200 20s 305 oe ee 56 Summer meeting 1884... ...0.0ccccencesseneccce e+e suena 257 Prof, Porter’s invitation to dinner.........----+++ se5 seeeses 28, 220 Appointment of Librarian.......-...-+eeeee2 cee eeeeeeeee a 31 Additional members for 1883....,...--.02¢ 000... s.s1ei)=ee 432 Personal references— Aad. Phillips's’. 5s ates cnc otememedsc, wigie* «5-5: aan 22, 248, 244 Hi. G.. Partridge:......... vaskie ba ge avn nnn od seed 5's 06 en 22 Covel: Ex Euualbbardicacie:. erste tein tae tails ais iors oct Nee eae 36,1ody, 14, 22 Jo Ces Plumb: oie oeieis sscve veses clas oan 0 0: 00's 6,0 0 eles « =) cane eet Prasident: Wider}. :.o5c.0 ecwemetalenis in ae .00, 416 Barf. Gal ifcis.c iio:sis,» uv ’sias/aceuae = eeceaiatieeaaverac4 Ihtors, - = 4 a - . -. - q te on n - , F >» i Lu ¥ wd 2 a fe ee : . a - F . a is ie he \ ahs tm 4 = he < s . %. . - ‘oh LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL TO THE GOVERNOR. OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, MINNEAPOLIS, March 31, 1885. To Hon. L. F. Hubbard, Governor of Minnesota: Str: Ihave the honor to submit herewith, in compliance with legal requisition, the accompanying report for 1885, with supple- mentary papers. Respectfully yours, S. D. HILLMAN, Secretary Minnesota State Horticultural Society. OFFICERS AND MEMBERS FOR 1885. ; PRESIDENT. MRUMAN M. SMITH............0cccceces ceccsceeroeenes Lae amen St. Paul VICE-PRESIDENTS. Sos. cco let sceevede seen cdccscrercsscecestescserorceses Rochester TRUM STTTOT) conc ca sensecsccecsoccccacssecensetansesasesecscrsnsaesers Excelsior PNT Ss sci vewede lcs cceesscenceecenes sueeeeesncenencncsontesaenees Sumter PULLER... 00.0.0 sc cc sence cece ee ecteee cee nes Fore echt ric Litchfield MAM VATED 3. cece ccc cccececcescscsesevetancessersocceccensenns Owatonna SECRETARY. PPMP INIA «001... 0scesenevessscecntnceorvenenscesncsaceeeens Minneapolis TREASURER. RG STI TIGS, un 5500s cce ccm or nt ac esinetaceananecstececsbecepeseeas Minneapolis EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. The President, Secretary and Treasurer ex officio and SUMMETURTISID TS. «ov essccnccc ccs ceccscvcsscvccsceueceusecescdaceadnseus La Crescent SPT TUN DER WOOD.....-...c.cccscecscncesetnscececndusassesedt ces Lake City BURNET FLT LOT........0-.0:000scccccensesecceeseeconosenoansere Minneapolis MIA occ ec cael ic lec ec ese csavecvesecacsceceemerssccesasescenae Farmington MMETSOE .. 2022. .2c2cs cocsveceesscscnsteracactsencsceerecsuscnas Minneapolis ENTOMOLOGIST. Prof. N. H. WINCHELL........:ccceseeeeceeeneenceseeceenenens Minneapolis LIBRARIAN. MPA OUZNER:... 0c eecee cee tenes College of Agriculture, Minneapolis 6 ANNUAL REPORT. COMMITTEE ON SEEDLING FRUITS. PS EVAR BSc rccs cecie cet os coe eect cae ee ee eee La Crescent COMMITTEE ON NOMENCLATURE. TAOIWY GASEASE cdc ncaa cokaleicbicee aa ce atone aes a or ua ooo: ee Rochester EB. He Siparirn Yh esa eh. AL dE Aa eee Owatonna WYQIAN (HILL I@T ooii0 26 diac ec sieedanunceontabardendses tae Minneapolis Bi WME, NER Yi oe cite ti ainaseslasien wan eae d's otal tinct eer Lake City BG. Gomer ec ee a See Excelsior IVES GQUUIGR oicnc oi. boc Comeabechveweackinanes ots ace eee Sumter COMMITTEE ON FRUIT BLOSSOMS. ON TREN no noes ovo ds osc oe Se seetne s wsinoes = 9250 ese Minneapolis EO RGH SP) PP RBEN RR 6 .052o6e.-cves cor csaee is ee operas eee Pewaukee, Wis. IVE ERAGE oo oti acenkes- dena cnesaneua adden taisu ease nn Minneapolis COMMITTEE ON RUSSIAN APPLES. 5 fa Geucd C L ee re AP acs en | ;+-+ Baraboo, Wis. BAIN. 8 STA Gi bs ocisrg 3 2c Sats cating sc Uk Get bans Somes ee Rochester ANDREW (PEPE RSON: ccc scicehes odde ses ae coe h fecisis sence sse eee Waconia COMMITTEE ON VEGETABLE GARDENING. KNIGCH® A. WaIPPIERY Set ee oe eee eee Northome BRED, GUSGH ss. havoc lew aweba to aec, aaeeele ee ee Richfield - W. H. BRIMHAEE: 22. Ree. 2 eee St. Paul COMMITTEE ON SMALL FRUITS. PPO hs, Ti.) ASER Bs... cas sesvesae \gpeeete tween auas ac chntu tk eee Minneapolis ARE, PRIM ss o'e vale seas ea coemeieeenanaiea nc erianeie een Minnesota City NSA AO GULP ATRIOK. 5 sje:sa'iechs-lcne se qanerescln'aeonon eee ee Minneapolis COMMITTEE ON FLORICULTURE. Mis. (CoQ; WAN CLEVE. <.c2sesgencetga-eaceneseoces cere Minneapolis Mrs, Ab. MORSE. ..05:cessoesccscteammtnesnes sets -ensn cheese Minneapolis Mes... Ji. .; RODGERS 09a. 0 <4: peparshbaegads eos veesenasce nen Lake City STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 7 GENERAL FRUIT COMMITTEE. BURTTETY COORD. .2.0.2.0000-.-scccccccccscscccscsvasecsenensancocscsens Hammond TPP WETECHENOR. ........-5200ccccecscnccccccsccscccnanensecweomensooserss Etna CHARLES BRENDERMULE........:.sceeeeeeres sree ee ereneneonees Moorhead CO. Bo. SHANNON .........-cececcccetscececncvscecncenenser senses Granite Falls O. F, NORWOOD.......-.0cecesecseeneeeeteceneneees Balatine, Lyon County MMMUTATINIVELLL......-- ccc ccecccccscscscecscsnsrccsesctenececcnseassss Newport SPPPIPSTUTEES, ...---..2--0cr-socceecncesccececnceseeceerecccnecnecce Long Lake GEORGE S. BARNES.....-ccscececececeeeeeeeceeeeeetenseencetees Fargo, Dak. WILLIAM MCHENRY......:cecccceececeeeeeeneeeeneneeneescr seers St. Charles MIP IGEVIRT)....-..-2-.0.-ceceeccsccececccccrcccnscscereeeercces Minnesota City CLARENCE WEDGE........--cecccceeeeceesreeeccuneeceaseeenenenes Albert Lea UPON HS 6... se cscs cece nceeccsceenencecenoccncscscncnsecesersnneacs St. Peter UMP YTLINE, «oc... ccs cc cccescecccstcscsnnccerseracesesecsererectocntersors Sumter BPW PHTULLER.......-.-c-c-ccecccsccscecscscecscsancscnonsocccseers Litchfield MTP ccc c sc ccc sec ec ete ccnececc en cececonnecerecneecenseceeress Farmington PES LIUDLUFE........0...-2-sseveccccessetenecceesecesensaneeteres Carver PET ESET MELAT.L.......-.---0c0scccecocnensnccnccscncnreencecscrencecns St. Paul SUPERINTENDENTS OF EXPERIMENTAL STATIONS. ProF. EDWARD D. PORTER.......-- University Farm, Minneapolis PRTEB, M. GIDEON ........-..-2c0seceeeceeeeescsessenensenescse sense Excelsior SEMIN... 0.0 rosnececscececeeeseoecssessnsoncusneseeseness aetdne Northome RMSE TIL EGE, ...-020--s0scccccrcsencncerececccsonenercnconen cannes Litehfield SAA cotecs sn. 5cecccecncccnsesesesnscrscsnreescssedencedsetsnae Rochester BR, M. PROBSTFIELD.........0cccccseeeeceeeeceesseareeasereeseneaes Moorhead MU SEDER MIBER, ......2.0cccccscescoceccsscres Doshi sec aee aes Moorhead ANDREW PETERSON. ...-.-0sceccececscecessecesencecseeasescesseaees Waconia eT LAU DLUEF.......-.-...0.00sesnsenececeesecsasccenacessernaanes Carver UNDERWOOD & EMERY......:..ececeeeeeerensereeee sees teenecses Lake City DIP AUEVES « veacscccn= pandas delese dees des eeeeee eae Excelsior MRS; , W BADLTEHY GIDBON - 5.0.00: c¢0sscnenocneeteodsner eee eee Excelsior D) Wi HLUMPUREY 650932 fcevenewsessdac-acmneetsaneennce saa Faribault My PAR Oe ceiadines sewbenncnes cake ttaecenecmatveiscenew angaeeenenee Minneapolis. Wee Ls, COTTE RIBUL sos vulensces teaprGesunetes naenele carina Dover Center GAS, THO DILU BR Bivossess. 90 sesbioccas tes Sentences sncudeasey een Carver MES; JAMES BOW EN |. sonchsneaereesemessonen sees onc sumenueenmne Minneapolis. Mees, “Epa B.. TRUSON=. -.ct ees cetera sya chinte rant nsunee West Salem, Wis. Wierd... BD. SARGWANT. ccc cocesbemcrnas codes ae Lake City Mass SARAH MANNING. 005: sesdenpetses sse+ ss -seesee ann sae Lake City COLD: As ROBERTSON concmodone ewan tooacsoseneee eee eee St. Paul ett ee Se STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 138 OFrERIC EES OF THE MINNESOTA STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. FOR THE YEAR 1885. PRESIDENT. ICES... os.csecsccsecssseceevsssevesoshenseneecenessnnes St. Cloud VICE—PRESIDENTS. RPAMORVENGEDA FH... .....00-ceceneeencecsesnecrsecesecenensaneatanes Ji saeavalle kN nehacncce baccarat Duluth SECRETARY. MER ANG oc. c2 ela csccesesecaneg=rnsscnecsvtersoanentae Farmington TREASURER. | NT os sevsncssnsesccaresescsnnenasnnsestcnateai Northfield RS WCET FINCH .-.......0--02e0eeecoeececrssee sence rns caescnnnnaes Fairmount ROTI RELIG «2... .coscosesecaceeeceenseectageresevasecsenecuts La Crescent MRRP ANE POHLAND......5.. cssceccssressaceserencterccnnseanennanes: St. Paul CLARKE CHAMBERS ...........--c2cecnereesececseneererseeres Owatonna SETI COOPER. ........0.00-sceececeenneceeserneen ct nennsenetnerczcs St. Cloud OPEEN BE. NORRISH.........:--cc1ececesscerrtseoncseesersecsroncrs Hastings The next Annual Fair will be held on the new State Fair Grounds between Minneapolis and St. Paul, Sept. 7 to 12, 1885. No efforts will be spared to make it the greatest and best agri- cultural and horticultural exposition of the year. Liberal premiums offered in every department. I S { i ue | — ‘ a al vi : 7 rai iy ea ee: pete + é "ais, * * 4 rX ¥ e ' ait Os | a) Te Ou Hs ue aa r . RR. tt STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 15: CONSTITUTION OF THE MINNESOTA HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. ARTICLE I. NAME. This society shall be known as the Minnesota State Horticul- tural Society. ARTICLE I. OBJECT OF THE SOCIETY. The object of this society shall be to improve the condition of pomology, horticulture and arboriculture, by collecting and dis- seminating correct information concerning the culture of such fruits, flowers, trees, and other productions in horticulture as. are adapted to the soil and climate of Minnesota. ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP. Any person may become a member by paying to the Secretary or treasurer an annual fee of one dollar, or a life member by the payment of ten dollars. Honorary members, for a time stated or for life, may be elected at any annual meeting by a two-thirds vote of the society, and shall be entitled to all the rights and privileges of membership. 16 ANNUAL REPORT. ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS. Its officers shall consist of a president and one vice president from each congressional district, a secretary, treasurer, and an executive committee of five, and a librarian. ARTICLE’ V. DUTIES OF PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENTS. The President shall preside at and conduct all meetings of the society, and deliver an annual address, and in his absence the Vice Presidents, in their order, shall perform the same duties. They shall also have a general supervision of the horticultural interests in their respective districts, and make a written report to the society as its annual winter meeting; in consideration of which the society shall pay their traveling expenses to the same. ARTICLE VI. THE SECRETARY. The Secretary shall record all the doings of the society, col- late and prepare all communications, etc., for the public press, and pay over all moneys received from members or otherwise to the treasurer on his receipt; receive and answer all communica- tions addressed to the secretary, establish and maintain corre- spondence with all local, county, district and state horticultural societies, and secure by exchange their transactions, as far-as possible; to aid the president as an executive officer in the dis- patch of business relating to meetings of the society, notices of - horticultural and similar meetings of general interest, and report to the annual meeting of the society an abstract of the matter that has come into his possession, which, with its approval, shall become part of its transactions for the current year. ARTICLE VII. THE TREASURER. The Treasurer shall collect and hold all funds of the society, and pay out the same only on the order of the president, coun- tersigned by the secretary. He shall make up a report of all m Mpa Wie A= Vv - \ . ‘ : Cl La ae CR ek Ue Me SN EI ee eee TE Lei Si Plot RIN ee Wrst ONS 6 ae as al ee ROS a hee a ea a PON STH eee ET tie OG Ae : ot X ae “eS i) . RH ‘ STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 17 the receipts and disbursements of the society, and present the same at the annual winter meeting, or at any other time when called upon to do so by the executive committee. He shall give bonds in such sum as the society may direct, to be approved by the president and secretary, and the bond when so approved shall be filed with the state auditor. ARTICLE VIII. ELECTION OF OFFICERS. The officers shall be elected separately and annually by ballot, 5 and hold their office until their successors are elected. ARTICLE IX. MEETINGS OF THE SOCIETY. The society shall hold annual sessions on the third Tuesday of January, and other meetings at such time and place as the soci- ety may direct. ARTICLE X. THE LIBRARIAN. The librarian shall have charge of the library and report its condition at each annual meeting. ARTICLE XI. AMENDMENTS. By-laws and alterations of the constitution, for the purpose of meeting the further wants of the society, may be enacted by a vote of two-thirds of the members present at any regular annual meeting, and on one day’s notice of the same being given. 3 ANNUAL REPORT. BY-LAWS. 1. The president, at each annual meeting of the society, shall — appoint a general fruit committee, consisting of two members from each congressional district in the State, and it shall be the duty of each member to make a written report annually upon the fruit crop, and a limited list of fruits best adapted for gen-— ‘eral cultivation in their respective districts. 2. The president, secretary and treasurer shall be members ex officio of the executive committee, who shall have charge of all matters pertaining to the interests of the society. 3. The executive committee may call a meeting of the society at any time they may deem advisable, giving at least thirty days’ notice through the public press. 4. The executive committee shall appoint a committee on seedlings, on nomenclature, on forestry, on fruit blossoms, on Russian apples, on gardening, on small fruits, and on floricul- ture. 5. The five members of the executive committee, not includ- ing the president, secretary or treasurer, shall be a committee on finance, and it shall be their duty to audit all bills before they shall be ordered paid by the president and secretary. | 6. The executive committeeshall see that a program is issued for each meeting of the society, at least one month before the Oey winter meeting and ten days before the summer meeting. | 7. Every member shall be entitled to one copy of the trans actions as often as published, on which postage shall be paid; but in the distribution of all other copies the party receiving the same shall pay the postage; where several copies are sent to auxiliary societies it shall be discretionary with the secretary to pay the freight. 8. Quorum— A quorum shall consist of nine members of the society, or a majority of the executive committee. oe : Wa ov Baty a on ee hee oe ¥ a / a RAL SOCIETY. i MINNESOTA Be a ses ha Veda a xg pies ’ —_ > ae ne tee B STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. ~ Ag De, a TRANSACTIONS 1884-5. pre , N ¢ ; i THE SUMMER MEETING, 1884. mee ree 2 It should be stated here that no report was received of the i - proceedings of the summer meeting from ex-secretary Gibbs, ist and the following report has been prepared from such data as a could be obtained from the daily papers and other sources of in- | hire formation. Mr. Gibbs, writing from New Orleans under date of me i March 28, 1885, states that the report was handed to his clerk ue on or about February 4th, with directions to be mailed to the ss secretary of the Horticultural Society, and if not received must ve have been misdirected; but that he had not preserved the notes _ from which the report was made up. He says in closing: “I *~ af am sorry that absorbing duties here, together with weakness ‘ _ from recent severe illness, prevent me from contributing more ‘ v»'to your report for 1885, but I presume you have abundant mate- oct rial, and will make the report equal to, and I hope better than, = A cany of its predecessors.’’ 4" The call for the summer meeting announced that the session” ie would be held at Market Hall, Minneapolis, on Tuesday and Re - Wednesday, June 24 and 25, 1884, for the exhibition of small > ag fruits, flowers and early vegetables. The public were cordially es.) invited, free entertainment promised to members in attendance ; ") _by the citizens of Minneapolis, and the usual reduced rates upon s ‘a the railroads to members returning to their homes. ey. 20 ANNUAL REPORT... PROGRAM. FIRST DAY—TUESDAY, JUNE 24. ENTRIES FROM 9 A. M. TO 3 P. M.—NONE LATER. At 2 Pp. M.— Opening exercises, addresses, volunteer papers, question box and discussions. : Appointment of judges on premiums. SECOND DAY,— WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25. The exhibition will open at 94.M. Premiums announced and paid at 10 o’clock. The meeting will be informal and social, and at 12 M. the ex- hibitors, members and invited guests will confiscate the entire display of fruits for the purposes of a basket picnic dinner. At 2 p. M.— Addresses, question box, volunteer papers and discussions, general business. and final adjournment, or such other exercises as may be agreed upon. TRUMAN M. SMITH, OLIVER GIBBS, JR., St. Paul, Lake City, President. Secretary. CRN a i is a an $ a , / oe) \ \ 1 i H oy ’ STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 21 , PREMIUM LIST. WYMAN ELLIo7, Superintendent of Exhibits. STRAW BERRIES. Best display, not less than six varieties. 1st premium, $5; 2d, $4; 3d, $3; 4th, $2. Best variety for general market, $3. Best variety for home use, perfect in flower, $3. i Best three plants in bearing, grown in pots, $3; 2d, $2. ua Ist Prem. 2d Prem. 5 Best quart Wilson’s Albany...............::00- $1 00 50 ets. =~ Best quart Charles Downing..................... 1 00 50 by Best quart Downer’s Prolific..............: Poses 1 00 50 ie) Best quart Green Prolific............... 0.05 1 00 50 Best quart Crescent Seedling.................... 1 00 50 fe Best quart Captain Jack...................cccce 1 00 50 B Best quart Cumberland Triumph............... 1 00 50 ; Best quart Miner’s Great Prolific............... 1 00 50 4 mises Quart Red Jacket............cececscsceceeeees 1 00 50 m: BeeentIAlG F'VONCEL..... 00.00. seeccesecsneseeesnees 1 00 50 ; Meester uarh Glendale............scccccecsccsacdecsees 1 00 50 >. Best quart Endicott No. 2 ....... ...........6.. eaten! oh; |) 50 : Beerbymarh Sharpless...........c.scseebeessecessee 1 00 50 Bane, besb quart Manchester.................c..cccc0, 1 00 50 d erat Bidwell ...::2..cseccasc0s.ciecseete eevee 1 00 50 _ Best quart Minnetonka Chief................... 1 00 50 ____ Best quart Hart’s Minnesota Seedling....... 1 00 50 f Best quart Kentucky.................... Be na fe 1 00 50 _ Best quart Windsor Chief............--..0:+++ 1 00 50 * BPUMIMALE LOVED, «..0-..55.-¢5ecccencceecsceeseees 1 00 50 ; sesh Quart James Vick:............:0csecseseses 1 00 50 meen quart Lowa Prolific.........0..-.c.0cccseeees 1 00 50 Best quart variety not herein named......... 1 00 50 : ANNUAL ‘REPORT. | CHERRIES. Be 1st Prem.” 2aPi Best quart Early Richmond............. Ree: $2 00 | Best quart any other variety...............:.006 2 00 a Strawberries and Cherries will be displayed on tea- plates to | be , furnished by the cele: PLANTS AND FLOWERS. Best display greenhouse plants ue eiviaue wand pada 10 00 ‘Best Gisplay LOSES iN POtS.........ccceeceeeseceneee 2 00 ESOS OLay, AMEDSIOS: jo. tecrnsaaivecsesccvean enter 2 00 Best display geraniums...... ......:0.:s:seeeeee 2 00 . Best floral design in cut flowers................. 2 00 Pemeest Dasket Cub fOWers...-..+.-2.2i0-cee-nee seen 2 00 Best hand bouquet cut flowers.................-. 2 00 Poitess bouquet of roses:)-.0.0!..5...0esctiteateeb en 2 00 Best single plant in bloom....................4.4. 2 00 VEGETABLES. Best PUES Skee Sh fatice «poe rdsa cya cntse oe yal veg bby 5 00 3 Best half peck green peas.............::.seeeeee 1 00 Best half peck string beams...............:...008 1 00 Best sax DuNChes ONIONS: :..5. 2.50... 0:0 ce cecneenes 1 00 eH SLM DUTCH CH DECIR: .2.... 26 ccs~' ssh acmus etree ake 1 00 - Best six bunches radishes..............0.::660008 1 00 Best six bunches carrots.............-- eee teeeeene 1 00 Tesh SEX. DUNCHES TULIPS: +s .ch ce -. soos tas ate cee es 1 00 Best six bunches asparagus ..............+.+ss2++ 1 00 Best three heads cabbage..................esee eee 1 00 Best three heads cauliflowers..............+..:+ OG Best three heads lettuce ................00ceseseee 1 00 Best three bunches kohl rabi.............. spe 1 00 SCH SUK CUCUMMETS. '- ...c0+4 oo sy asies teegenineeace ys 1 00 Best’ six stalks pie plant ................ Ay pene 1 00 The exhibition is open in all departments to growers in 1 Mine a nesota, Wisconsin, Dakota, and Northern Iowa. . ee M. PEARCE, ; J. T. GRIMES, , . WYMAN ELLIOT, f Com. of Arrangements, Minneapolis i ise he ane he sansa aoe ar, Se A". ny g arte PN Phe ue ave BS Ea ae) Ly y » STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 23 " PROCEEDINGS AT THE SUMMER MEETING. TUESDAY, JUNE 24, 1884. é The summer meeting of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society was opened at 3:30 o’clock, P. M., Tuesday, June 24th, and was called to order by President Truman M. Smith of St. Paul, who expressed regret at the apparent lack of interest in the meeting as shown by the number of people in attendance, espec- ially from Minneapolis. He did not see what could be done | under the circumstances except to discuss questions of interest i to horticulturists as best they could; he did not doubt that other exhibitors would be present at the meeting in the morning if Me entries were permitted to be made at that time. He stated that there had been a good deal of interest taken usually at the sum- mer meetings, but if the number present was an indication of the interest manifested in horticulture it was certainly at a low ebb. < Col. J. H. Stevens thought the present time an unfortunate one as there were so many counter attractions to draw people away, and our French citizens, among whom were found some of the best fruit and flower growers, were celebrating the day. Secretary Gibbs said that in previous years the first day’s ses- sion had often been a poor one while on the following day the attendance might be good and exhibits large. He then offered the following resolution 4s a solution of the unexpected diffi- culty: Resolved, That the entries be extended till 9 A. M. to-morrow, but the judges shall make allowance on products exhibited in favor of those who have entered within the rule, other things than condition being equal, and that a list of fruits, flowers and vegetables put on exhibition to-day shall be furnished to the judges for comparison with those made under the extension of time. 24 ANNUAL REPORT. Mr. Peter M. Gideon opposed the resolution and said he thought ed I the fruits on the tables would not bear a favorable comparison with those that might be brought in the morning. and it would be an injustice to those who had been promptly on hand with their exhibits. Mr. Wyman Elliot was opposed to any action being taken which would be unjust towards prompt exhibitors, but thought the matter could be arranged satisfactorily. Mr. J. T. Grimes thought exhibits brought in the morning should be placed on a separate table, and the judges in making inspections should take into consideration the causes of differ- ence, if any, in the condition, and that at future meetings of the society the articles should actually be on exhibition when entries were made. The resolution of Mr. Gibbs was then adopted, as was the fol-— lowing, offered by Mr. Grimes: That all articles entered be allowed premiums in their different classes if ’ considered worthy by the viewing commit'ees, such premiums not to exceed ; those offered in the regular list of premiums. It was moved that the president be authorized to appoint committees to view exhibits made in the three departments of fruits, flowers and vegetables, but after discussion he was granted till 9 o’clock Wednesday morning to make up the list of com- mitteemen, and the motion was then adopted. Mr. M. Pearce of Minneapolis, announced that the Hennepin County Horticultural Society was preparing to make a publie exhibition of grapes and apples this fall, and asked the co-opera- tion and assistance of kindred societies throughout the State. He said the exhibit would be largely made up from farms near Lake Minnetonka, and it was believed that it would be entirely successful. On motion of Mr. Gibbs the chair was empowered to appoint a committee of three from the State society to attend the meet- ing referred to, and Messrs. A. W. Sias, Oliver Gibbs, Jr., and G. H. Howe were appointed as such committee. Secretary Gibbs notified the society that F. G. Gould of Ex- celsior, had been appointed to superintend the horticultural ex- hibits of Minnesota at the world’s fair, to be held in New Orleans next winter, $1,000 having been appropriated by the State Board of Collective Exhibits department to defray the expenses of the Minnesota exhibit at New Orleans. \ ' 4 ‘ STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 25 GROWING SMALL FRUITS. The secretary announced that the exhibit of strawberries will be much larger at the morning session, and suggested that grow- ers make a statement of important discoveries made in straw- berry culture during the past year. Col. D. A. Robertson, of St. Paul, being called on, referred to the growing interest in horticultural pursuits, giving special credit to the services of Nicholas Longworth, of Cincinnati, in producing a spirit of rivalry in horticultural work. The race from which we have a descent began horticultural work in their gardens, and the production of fruit-bearing vines—the grape especially —had been made a success in Ohio and Indiana after ‘repeated failures. The successful introduction of grapes and ‘small fruits from seedlings still remains a theme of the utmost consequence to the entire horticultural interest of Minnesota. ‘This great work, however, must not be done by practical men, but by amateurs who have the time, wealth and disposition to indulge in experiments for the benefit of others. Mr. A. W. Sias, of Rochester, mentioned the sale of one hun- dred dollars worth of seedling apple trees to an Olmsted county man about ten years ago; four years ago these trees bore fruit as large as the Baldwin, and equally bright in color and _ palata- ble in flavor; he has grafted from the new seedling, and on the twigs day before yesterday were found blossoms. Col. Robertson thought the blossoms on these infantile shoots should be taken off, because there was danger of precocity in the limbs of trees, as well as elsewhere; plants must be adapted to climate and other conditions, and our fruit trees can be made successful only by careful selections from the seedlings. Secretary Gibbs announced that the reports of the last meet- ing of the society were now ready for distribution and could be obtained by calling on him in the morning. Among the list of those making entries for premiums, during the day, were the following: Strawberries —T. M. Smith, Oliver Gibbs, Jr., Frank Aber- nathy, P. M. Gideon, M. J. Hoag, A. W. Sias, W. H. Brimhall, J. T. Grimes, Wyman Elliot, Geo. S. Woolsey, F. G. Gould; thirty-seven entries. Plants and Flowers— Mrs. Truman M. Smith, J. T. Grimes, Mendenhall Greenhouse; eleven entries. 4 oa et 8. ee MB atid: Fred. Bosch Elliot; twenty three entries.. - The exhibit was somewhat meagre and imperfect, but — a fine floral display from the State University and about e een specimens of strawberries, principally from eae Me tonka. SECOND DAY. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25, 1884. | additional entries were made. Nine entries were addaw to tl ' ia list under the head of strawberries and about as many more | plants, flowers ‘and vegetables. The list was closed at n _ o'clock. a The meeting was called to order by President Smith short before ten o’clock, who announced the appointment of the fo lowing judges to examine the exhibits made and award pe miums: COMMITTEES ON PREMIUMS. A Fruits— M. Pearce, G. H. Howe, of Minneapolis; and M.¢ Bunnell, of tee e port; Oia peal ed C. mourn of Lake City. : : The judges went to work upon the examination of the various a a exhibits, but it was noon before the official announcement 0 pee awards was made of premiums by the secretary. There were about fifty persons present, including a nite 0 ladies, during the day, and among horticulturists present may if be mentioned Truman M. Smith,'president of the society; $ { retary Oliver Gibbs, Jr., of Lake City, with his wife; J. Grimes, treasurer; P. M. Gideon, superintendent of the Sta j J ) 4 Uae ieee re Saree STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 27 ; _ ‘experimental Fruit Farm; F. G. Gould, Excelsior, horticultural delegate to the New Orleans Exposition; Wyman Elliot, Col. J. H. Stevens, of Minneapolis; W. HE. Brimhall, Col. D. A. Robert- son, St. Paul; J.S. Gray, M. Pearce, W. J. Abernethy, Minne- apolis; M. W. Cook, A. W. Sias, M. J. Hoag, Rochester; Fred. Busch, George Labbett and wife, Wm. Lyons, C. H. Burwell, Charles H. Clarke, H. F. Busse, E. 8. Spaulding, G. T. Gibbs and wife, Lake City; J. W. Manning and wife of Redding, Mas- _ sachusetts; Lewis Chase, of Rochester, New York. One of the most interesting features among the exhibits was sixteen boxes of strawberries of the Wilson variety, displayed by F. G. Gould, of Excelsior, grown near Lake Minnetonka, which were considered equal to any similar exhibit ever made in the State. Secretary Gibbs, of Lake City, also had a very fine display of Wilsons. _ Another interesting feature was a cred- itable display of blooming plants, cut flowers and floral designs ’ from the Mendenhall greenhouse, of Minneapolis. This occu- pied a table forty-five feet long and three feet wide, at one end of the hall, and was the occasion of many complimentary re- marks, both on account of the perfection of the plants and the arrangement-of the display. The two most noticeable floral de- Signs were a lyre of white roses and pansies, from the Menden- hall greenhouse, and a large and most exquisite platter of pansies, arranged in designs by color, displayed by Geo. 8. Woolsey, of Minneapolis. A beautiful display of roses, by Mrs. T. M. Smith, of St. Paul, was also much admired. PREMIUMS AWARDED. The judges having made their awards, the list of premiums was read as follows: STRAWBERRIES. Wilson.— F. G. Gould, Excelsior, best display, first premium; George J. Kellogg, Janesville, Wis., second. General Market Variety, Oliver Gibbs, Jr., Lake City, first premium. F. G. Gould, Excelsior, best quart, first premium; W. H. Brimhall, St. Paul, second. a rey YA be Satay ib As foe een 4 a J he . OL AN ANNUAL REPORT. Downer’s Prolific.—M. J. Hoag, Rochester, best quart, fist Ao premium; William Lyons, Minneapolis, second. Crescent Seedling.—M. J. Hoag, Rochester, best quart, first premium; J. T. Grimes, second. Cumberland Triumph.— A. W. Sias, Rochesien! best quart, first premium; F. W. Abernethy, Minneapolis, second. Glendale.— Oliver Gibbs, Jr., Lake City, best quart, first pre- mium; Wm. Lyons, Minneapolis, second. | Endicott No. 2.—Oliver Gibbs, Jr., Lake City, best quart, first - premium. 4 ; Mount Vernon.—P. M. Gideon, Excelsior, best quart, first pre- ot, mium. Sharpless.— A. W. Sias, Rochester, best quart, first premium. Manchester.— J. A. Ford, Newport, best quart, first premium. Minnetonka Chief.— Wyman Elliot, Minneapolis, best quart, first premium. Windsor.—William Lyons, Minneapolis, best quart, first pre-_ mium. James Vick.—F. G. Gould, Excelsior, best quart, first pre- mium. Jersey Queen.— P. M. Gideon, Excelsior, best quart, first pre- mium. . Towa Prolific.— Truman M. Smith, St. Paul, best quart, first — premium. PLANTS AND FLOWERS. Greenhouse Display.— Mendenhall Greenhouse, first premium. Display Fuchsias.—Mendenhall, first premium. Floral Design.—Mendenhall, first premium. Display Geraniums.—Mendenhall, first premium. Basket Cut Flowers.—Mrs. T. M. Smith, St. Paul, first pre- mium; Mendenhall second. Hand Bouquet.—Mendenhall, first premium. Bouquet Roses.—Mrs. T. M. Smith, St. Paul, first premium; Mendenhall second. : Single Plant in Bloom.—Mendenhall, first premium. Hybrid Perpetual Roses.—F.G. Gould, Excelsior, first premium; J. T. Grimes, Minneapolis, second. A fine collection of roses from Mrs. W. G. Hendrickson, of St. Paul, was received too late for entry. ’ f cs ~ aie ae PT wee Ua ee, - , u a if ches ¢ 7? ene ™Y : Hee " . % ea Pe Ca Par” Pitan pa aS 6 nee ly ep Awrar kn am 2 me iii Wall Be Se POs cy oe OE be OEP ee ge ; git we BN ie, Laan Paty hab hes Oe Me a a jO4 Wed ' o ® PVSe STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 29 VEGETABLES. Best Display.—J.8S. Gray, Minneapolis, first premium; Wyman Elliot, Minneapolis, second. Ok Green Peas.—Wyman Elliot, Minneapolis, first premium. . "a Carrots.— Wyman Elliot, Minneapolis, first premium. Asparagus.—J.T. Grimes, Minneapolis, first premium; Wyman . Elliot, Minneapolis, second. Cabbage.—Wyman Elliot, Minneapolis, first premium. Cauliflower.—Wyman Elliot, Minneapolis, first premium; Fred Busch, Richfield, second. Lettuce.—J. 8. Gray, Minneapolis, first premium; Wyman El- liot, Minneapolis, second. Pie-plant.—State farm, first premium; Wyman Elliot, Minne- ) apolis, second. Early Vanguard Potato.— William Lyons, Minneapolis, first pre- mium. The award of premiums seemed to give general satisfaction and were paid at once by the treasurer. The total amount paid was $77, of which $29.50 was on flowers, $19.50 on vegetables, and $28 on strawberries. After the awards were made Geo. S. Woolsey, of Minneapolis, arrived with some fine specimens of seedling strawberries and a display of pansies. His tardiness being explained that he un- ‘| derstood the meeting was to be held at the agricultural hall of - the State university, the society voted to award him a special _ premium of $10 for his excellent display. After the premiums were paid the meeting was turned into a basket picnic, and the fruits on exhibition confiscated and served - up with cream, ete. ts AFTERNOON SESSION. WEDNESDAY, June 25, 1884. At 2 o’clock, P. M., the meeting was called to order by Presi- dent Smith, and several matters of business announced. A bill for printing programs, and bills for other incidental ex- _penses, amounting to $15, were ordered paid. Secretary Gibbs asked for an apprepriation of $100 for post- By ANNUAL REPORT. age and incidental expenses, in addition to the $100 allowed ata previous meeting, which was allowed by a unanimous vote. EXTENDING THE WORK. Secretary Gibbs raised the question whether some action — should not be taken looking toward a furthering of the interests — and influence of the society, by securing new members, distrib- uting reports, exchanging products, and working up exhibits. He advocated the gathering of scions and specimens by some authorized person or persons, depositing them at some defined place and carrying on experiments. He said that systematic work was necessary to settle many of the disputed questions of — pomology and advance the interests of horticulture in the North- west. Prof. E. D. Porter heartily approved of the suggestion, and urged the importance of taking prompt action in the matter. 2 He said it was with a view to encouraging such enterprises that the State had established the experimental farm. In thistheso- ciety has a place, and the State also offers to supervise experi- — : ments; but it has made no provision for the collection of the mate- — a rial for the experiments. He recommended that a standing com- mittee be appointed to attend to this matter and make thorough 24 work of it. He cited some instances of successful experimental fer institutions, and spoke of the great opportunities offered in this — region, which have been developed to avery limitedextent. He — maintained that the native fruits should form the basis of opera- tions, referring particularly to the native plum, cranberry, ce blueberry, and apple. ce Col. D. A. Robertson, of St. Paul, inquired if he would go — back again to the native sour and bitter crab, or take up the line ‘ where we now have it. ae Prof. Porter in reply, said that the latter plan would of course be the wiser. Notwithstanding the gold medal taken by the Minnesota apples at Philadelphia, he insisted that the ideal apple — adapted to this climate has not yet been found. He hoped the society would take hold of this matter, and was confident that ay. any efforts in this direction would be amply rewarded. are Mr. Gideon, superintendent of the State Experimental Fruit Farm, answered a number of inquiries about his seedlings, and gave a statement of the results arrived at thus far, and deseribed . the manner in which the work had been conducted during the fy ne i eee Sy ee SF, “> te TA ne ee ee Se o ee De pe as CesT Beale al al . # STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. ol past six years. He stated that many of his grafts had died the past year from some cause which he was unable to explain. Mr. Pearce thought the trouble was mainly from weak rootsand not from a lack of hardiness. He thought we should grow our own varieties of apples to be obtained of our local nurserymen, rather than to purchase trees from unknown and irresponsible sources. Secretary Gibbs stated that at the last. meeting he was author- ized to search out new and valuable seedlings, procure scions, . ete., but that no appropriation other than fifty dollars for the pur- chase of scions, had been made. He did not feel called upon at a Salary of four hundred dollars a year to give more of his time _ than his duties as secretary required, and hence should decline to do this extra labor unless an adequate appropriation were to be made. Prof. Porter thought the present finances of the society would not warrant a further appropriation this year. He thought hor- tieulturists would be able to secure much profit incidentally from investigations about to be made in preparing the collective exhibit for New Orleans. He moved that no special appropria- tion be made at present. Treasurer Grimes called attention to the financial condition of the society in absence of $500 to which it is entitled from the State. The receipts of the society had been $1,218.29, and the disbursements $950.39, leaving a balance on hand of $267.90; but after deducting $200 now due, there will be only $67.90 on hand and actually available. On motion, the treasurer was authorized to borrow funds be- longing to the permanent fund, to meet current expenses, and defer adding to that fund until the first of January, 1885. Mr. J. W. Manning, of Redding, Mass., a member of the American Pomological Society, was introduced and he and his wife were made honorary life members of the society. He ex- pressed thanks for the honor, and complimented the society on the excellent exhibit made. A SOUTHERN EXHIBITION. Mr. F. G. Gould, of Excelsior, who has charge of the collection to be made in this State for an exhibit in the New Orleans exhi- bition next winter, stated the plan that was being pursued. He said it was proposed to have specimens of every variety of fruit grown in the State, and requested the co-operation of members 32 ANNUAL REPORT. of the society in the matter. He advocated the pickling or pre- serving of early small fruits and the duplicating of all exhibits. Prof. Porter gave some suggestions for the preparation of spec- imens, advising fruit growers to clean certain limbs of apple trees from insect depredations, and wrap specimens for exhibi- tion with tissue paper. He advised the girdling of grape vines, or branches bearing the fruit to be exhibited, by means of which a larger and much better growth might be secured. For goose- berries and some other small fruits he recommended the English plan of setting a saucer of water underneath. Mr. Elliot gave some suggestions as tothe boxing and shipping of fruits, advising the use of parafine paper for wrapping, and very carful boxing and handling. Secretary Gibbs deprecated the usual carelessness of exper- ienced horticulturists in the shipment of fruit, and said he did not know what might be expected from the average farmer. Mr. Sias, from the committee on the exhibition of fruits, etc., to be made by the Hennepin County Horticultural Society, re- ported favorably uponthe proposition and the report was adopted. _ Secretary Gibbs called attention to the law requiring local hor- — ticultural societies to make annual reports, the same to be incor- porated in the transactions of the society, and stated that he had ~— never received such reports from secretaries of such organizations. Secretary Gibbs moved that a vote of thanks be returned to the people of Minneapolis, to local committees on entertainment, for hospitality, and to the railroads for reduced rates of trans- portation. The motion was adopted. A gentleman asked the question whether the variety of apple trees known in New York as ‘Iron Clads’’ were not grown as well in Minnesota, when transplanted, as the native trees. Mr. Gideon gave it as his opinion that the trees would succeed equally well in Minnesota, with proper attention and in favored — localities. ; Col. D. A. Robertson expressed the opinion that growth de- pended upon climatic influences almost exclusively. It is warmer in Minnesota in summer than in Philadelphia, but the winters are more rigorous here than there, and the only robust trees in- Minnesota are raised from the seed. Those coming from remote districts are invariably subjected to great dangers in change of location from their native soil, and he had no confidence in east- ern trees when transplanted to Minnesota. On motion the meeting then adjourned subject to the eall of — the executive committee. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 33 MEETING OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. A meeting of the executive committee was held at No. 22 Bridge Square, Minneapolis, at 2 o’clock Pp. M., Jan. 18, 1885. The following members were present: President T. M. Smith, J. M. Underwood, J. 8. Harris and Cyrus L. Smith. A letter was read from Secretary Gibbs stating that he would be unable to attend the annual meeting. President Smith appointed J.S. Harris, J. M. Underwood and C. L. Smith a committee to arrange a program for the Annual Winter Meeting. On motion of Mr. Underwood it was voted to employ S. D. Hillman, of Minneapolis, as stenographer to report the discus- sions and proceedings at the annual meeting, at a compensation of five dollars per day and ten cents per folio. The President was authorized to procure plates for the exhi- bition of fruits. The committee on program presented a report which was adopted. C. L. Smith was directed to procure the printing of two hun- dredand fifty copies of program, also one hundred copies of blank railroad certificates. Adjourned till 9 o’clock, A. M., Jan. 20, 1885. 5 34 ANNUAL REPORT. MINNESOTA ° STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING, AT THE State Capitol, St. Paul, Minnesota, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY THURSDAY AND FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 21, 22 AND 23, 1885. PROGRAM. MORNING, AFTERNOON AND EVENING SESSIONS, 9 AOM.; 2 PW AND PSM: The following order will be adhered to as nearly as cireum- stances will permit, but may be varied from time to time as the Society may think best. FIRST DAY—TUESDAY, JANUARY 20th, 10 A. M. Opening exercises. Arrangement of exhibits. 2p. M.— Appointment of special committees. Partial report of standing Fruit Committee. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 35 3 Pp. M.— Paper on Small Fruit, by Cyrus L. Smiru, of Minneapolis. Strawberries on a Prairie Farm, by M. CurLeErR, of Sumter, McLeod County. Notes from the Fruit Garden, by WILLIAM HENRY BRIMHALL, St. Paul. Question Box. EVENING SESSION. 7 Pp. M.—President’s Address, TRUMAN M. SmirH, St. Paul. SECOND DAY— WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21st. 9 A. M.—Paper on Apples, by Mrs. J. M. UNDERWOOD, of Lake City. M. PEARCE, of Minneapolis, and SIDNEY Corp, of Hammond, Wabasha County. Revision of Fruit List. Discussion. AFTERNOON SESSION. 2 Pp. M.— Market Gardening: J. S. HARRIS, of La Crescent. Knicut H. WHIPPLE, of Northome. J. S. GRAY, of Minneapolis, and FRED. Buscu, of Richfield. Discussion. Question Box. EVENING SESSION. 7 Pp. M.— Lecture, Travels in Europe, by PrRoF. TOUSLEY, of Minneapolis. A paper on Seeds, by J. KE. NORTHRUP, of Minneapolis. Paper on Ginseng, by Cou. J. H. STEVENS, of Minneapolis. 36 ANNUAL REPORT. THIRD DAY —THURSDAY, JANUARY 22d. MORNING SESSION. 9 A. M.—Correspondence ; reports of Committee on Russian Apples. Report of Treasurer, J. T. GRIMES; Minneapolis. Report of Secretary, OLIVER GIBBS, JR., Lake City. Question Box. AFTERNOON SESSION. 2 p. M.— Report of Finance Committee. Election of officers. Report of Committee on Legislation. Discussion of plan of work for ensuing year. Question Box. EVENING SESSION. 7 Pp. M.— Window Gardening, by W. C. KILvineton, of Minneapolis. Greenhouse and bedding Plants, R. J. MENDENHALL, of Minneapolis. Roses, by C. L. SmirH, of Minneapolis. This is Floral session, and it is hoped that all lovers of flow- ers will avail themselves of this opportunity of learning how to beautify their homes. FOURTH DAY—FRIDAY, JANUARY 23d. MORNING SESSION. 9 A. M.— Report of Entomologist, k. J. MENDENHALL. 10 A. M.— A paper on Grapes, N. J. STUBBS. Grape report, from J. N. NoRQUIST, of Red Wing. Question Box. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 37 AFTERNOON SESSION. 2p. M.— Birds in Horticulture, by HK. E. HARRIS, of La Crescent. Deferred Business. EVENING SESSION. 7 Pp. M.— Forestry Session. Opening by Pror. 8. H. FoLsom. The Effects of Trees on Climate, and their Relation to Rainfall ; followed by discussion on tree planting on the prairies; vari- ety of timber; necessary legislation, ete. Report of Committee on Final Resolutions. During the session we expect addresses from Gov. L. F. Hub- bard, Gen. Wm. G. Le Due, and others; reports from Iowa and Wisconsin horticultural societies; also from several local socie- ties. We urge all members and friends to contribute to the exhibi- tion, fruits, flowers, vegetables, woods, seeds, works of art, ete. Liberal premiums will be awarded on all articles deemed worthy of merit. The public are cordially invited to attend. For further infor- mation address President Truman M. Smith, St. Paul, or Com- mittee on Arrangements and Program, J. M. UNDERWOOD, Lake City, J.S. Harris, La Crescent, C. L. SMITH, 22 Bridge Square, Minneapolis. 38 ANNUAL REPORT. ANNUAL WINTER MEHTING OF THE MM TON NS Oe STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY AND THE MINNESOTA AMBER CANE ASSOCIATION. HELD AT THE STATE CAPITOL, St. PAUL, MINNESOTA, JAN. 20, 21, 22 AND 23, 1885. The eighteenth annual meeting of the Minnesota State Horti- cultural Society and the eighth annual meeting of the Minne- sota Amber Cane Association met in joint session, at room number sixteen at the capitol, at 11 o’clock A. M., Jan. 20, 1885, and was called to order by Hon. Truman M. Smith, presi- dent of the Horticultural Society. Capt. Russell Blakeley, president of the Minnesota Amber Cane Association, made the address of welcome. He said: Gentlemen of the Horticultural Society and Minnesota Amber Cane Association: It is a matter of much gratification to me to have the oppor- tunity of meeting you upon this occasion. It seems to be very fitting and proper that these two associations should have the STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 39 support and encouragement of the State legislature, and there- fore very proper that those of us who are permitted to attend this gathering should meet at this time at the State capitol. That reason has induced the two associations to co-operate for this purpose. We also do it for another purpose. We hope during the present winter that some action may be taken towards pro- viding a permanent home for the agricultural interests of the State, and hope that if this is accomplished the Horticultural Society and the Amber Cane Association may have a per- manent place for holding their meetings. Some of us have taken no little degree of interest in regard to this matter and want to see the interests of these societies advanced, and we have grounds for hope and confidence of success in what we have attempted to do, and we expect to see established a permanent future home for these industries of the State. As a means to this end we have thought it desirable that these meetings be held here where members would beable to meet the representatives of their several localities, as well as those of other localities, and enable them to understand the true interests of these associations. We hope this meeting will be one of interest and benefit to all, and may be of advantage to you and to those who come after you. I have no doubt, from my knowledge of the associations in the past, that we shall be enabled to accomplish something to aid us in taking and keeping the position we have attained as one of the most successful, notwithstanding our position geographically, for the products we represent, in the United States. I hope, and feel assured, we shall have a report from our exhibit at New Orleans that will be most admirable and that will be a grand compliment to ourselves and these two associations, in common with the milling and grain-growing industries of the State; I trust and believe it will be a credit to us all. And in order that we may continue to advanceand may be enabled to main- tain our reputation as successful associations in the future, I trust we shall receive the assistance of the State which shall guarantee much more of success than anything which has here- tofore been accomplished. Gentlemen of the associations here represented, I have great pleasure in welcoming you to St. Paul. President Smith announced that the secretary, Oliver Gibbs, Jr., was absent at New Orleans, and he would appoint S. D. Hillman, of Minneapolis, to act as secretary pro tem., who had been engaged to report the proceedings of this session. It would be necessary to have an assistant secretary. 40 ANNUAL REPORT. On motion of J. 8. Harris, Cyrus L. Smith, of Minneapolis, was chosen assistant secretary. Mr. J. 8S. Harris was called upon to respond to the address of Capt. Blakeley, and then came forward and said: MR. PRESIDENT: In reply to the remarks of Capt. Blakeley I have only a word to say. When we received an invitation last winter, at our annual session, to hold our next annual meeting in St. Paul, we were rather glad, and to receive a welcome to the city of St. Paul makes us feel still better. We desired to meet you, the people of St. Paul and the people who represent our great State in the legislature at our meetings, in order that they might witness the course of action which we might take, the work which we are doing, in order that if they approved of it, and appreciated what we were doing, they might lend some State aid for the purpose of developing and enlarging our work. The mission of the Horticultural Society, as you all know, is more than to develop fruit growing in the State of Minnesota. We say horticulture; what is horticulture? Horticulture is gar- dening—gardening of every kind; it is the planting of the forests upon our broad prairies; it is the planting of shade trees that adorn the streets of our cities; the planting of trees along the roadside, the planting of orchards and vineyards, the growing and harvesting of fruits, and more than that, it is attending the little and tender flower which shall make fragrant the poor man’s cottage or adorn the costliest and most gorgeous green-house filled with its exotics, making the homes of the people of Min- nesota happy and beautiful. We have, during the eighteen years that the association has been in existence, accomplished something, and we feel encour- aged at the work we have done thus far. We have aimed to lead people to inquire what they needed to do in order that they might raise orchards and gardens, fruits and flowers. Our society was organized in the city of Rochester, on the fourth of October, 1866, and it was a hard task to organize it. We called a meet- ing, at which there were some fifteen or twenty persons present, attending the State fair, and we started an association called the — Minnesota Fruit Growers’ Association. We organized and made efforts to encourage those present, aS well as others, to do some- thing to promote the planting of orchards and the growing of fruit. I remember that at the close of the meeting we prevailed upon twelve men to become members of the association. The next year we had another meeting, and it was by means of the STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Al hardest work that we kept up our organization. We found that one or two had deserted us, but others took their place. From that time down to the present we have made a gradual advance- ment, and we have grown in numbers and influence. In the year 1873 we had become so strong and powerful an organization that at our annual session the members of the legislature came over in a body to see us, desired reports of our transactions, and pro vided for their publicatien and distribution by the State. From that time to the present our growth has been more rapid than ever. We have met with many discouragements. Some of our win- ters have been so severe as to almost devastate our orchards en- tirely of trees, many varieties being killed entirely; and this has. had a tendency to discourage all but the stout-hearted—all but those who were so enthusiastic as to be able to rise above the ruins of former efforts and again push bravely on. At the pres- ent time I think we number about three hundred members. Three or four years since the legislature were satisfied we were doing a grand work, and the citizens of St. Paul and Min- neapolis, welcoming us to their homes during our meetings and lending us every manner of encouragement, the legislature ex- tended us a special favor and gave us an appropriation of $1,000 annually, to help us carry on these meetings and make experi- ments in our work. Gentlemen, we came to St. Paul for the purpose I have named, and again, we came for another purpose. St. Paul is the capital of our State; whatever we can do that will encourage the people of this beautiful and wealthy city, to beautify their homes, to make their surroundings more pleasant, we will do, and try to persuade you to make them so pleasant that those who come from the various parts of the State will see something which will be to them an object lesson, and which will please and accom- plish good. We come to encourage you in doing that, and feel thankful that you have given us a cordial welcome to the city; we understand you welcome us to your homes and that we may behold all that is of interest about this beautiful city. And again I say we thank you, citizens of St. Paul, for the welcome extended to us to-day, and we hope we shall be able to do you, one and all, good, and that our conduct while among you may be such that you will be glad to invite us to come again. Capt. Blakeley. I would say to those interested in the Amber Cane Association that Prof. Porter is expected to be here on the 6 49 ANNUAL REPORT. noon train, and that I am not yet advised of the order of exer- -cises that will be followed during the session, but this afternoon we Shall be able to learn something more definite as to what has been done in this regard. Members of that association have no doubt received his circular. I would state here that Mr. Inger- ‘soll and Mr. Fairchild, from the committee appointed with refer- ence to fair grounds, would be glad to meet any present during the time they remain in the city, or at any other time, and con- ‘Sult with them in regard to that matter. They would be glad to arrange for a time when they could meet with us and explain what they are attempting todo. I hope we may reach a thorough understanding as to what is for the best with regard to our future home for these societies. Mr. D. W. Ingersoll. I am very glad Capt. Blakeley has men- tioned the subject, and we will be very glad to meet with you at any time and explain the matter. President Smith. We are willing to dispense with the order of exercises of the Horticultural Society and allow you any time you may wish to devote to that subject. Mr. Ingersoll. I think we had better not have the time an- nounced at present, but we will arrange in regard to it. The balance of the forenoon was devoted to the arrangement of exhibits and informal work, and a recess was taken till 2 0’ clock P. M. The room fitted up specially for the use of the society is No. 16, located on the third floor of the capitol building. The exhi- bition of fruits, of samples of amber-cane sugar and syrup, though not large, was attractive and contained many excellent speci- mens, especially of Minnesota apples, rendering the exhibit specially attractive and indicating very plainly that fruit grow- ing may be carried on with success and profit in the Northwest. Following is a partial list of the exhibits: J. H. Ackerman, Young America, Eumelan grapes; C. L. Smith, Minneapolis, White Star potatoes; Northrup, Braslau & Co., Minneapolis, large collection of field, garden and tree seeds: J. 8. Harris, La Crescent, winter seedling apples for Lewis Lilley, La Crescent; James Wright, Minnesota City, seedling apples; Truman M. Smith, St. Paul, Isabella, Maxatawney, Catawba, Diana, Oporto and other varieties of the grape; Lewis Seutler, Carver, seedling grapes; A. W. Latham, Excelsior, M. Pierce, Minneapolis, and Peter M. Gideon, Excelsior, Wealthy apples; Knight Whipple, Northome, eight varieties of beans, two varieties of sweet corn, STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 43 three varieties of potatoes; J. J. Cale, three varieties of onions; H. F. Busse, Minneapolis, Beauty of Hebron potatoes, Hubbard Squash, Red Weatherfield onions, White Globe and. Yellow Dan- vers; Andrew Peterson, Waconia, Wealthy and Minnesota crab apples, Winstead Seedling, Seedling No. 4, plates of Russians, Lieby, Ostrakoffs Glass, Hibernal, Switzer, Imperial; Dr. C. W. Crary, Lake City, Perry Russet; J. M. Underwood, Scott’s Win- ter, Wealthy, Malinda, Longfield, ete ; A. W. Sias, Rochester, for F. K. Phoenix, Delavan, Wis., three varieties seedlings, Cen- tennial Russet, Hollister Sweet and Forest No. 1; for J. W. Hart, Hart’s Seedling, with specimens of leaf, scion and wood; also Fameuse, Waldron’s, Waldron’s Sweet, Gen. Grant, Unnamed Seedling, Rollins Russet, Rollins Pippin, Wabasha, Elgin Beauty, Russians, Leipsic Barsdorf, Red Blush and Charlamoff, Hyslop; for A. J. Phillips, sweet seedling, sour seedling, Talman Sweet, Pewaukee, Walbridge, Golden Russet, and Willow Twig. Following is the seed exhibit of Northrup, Braslan & Co., Minneapolis : Beans —Dwarf Blackway, Dwarf Golden, Crystal, Ivory Pod, Improved Red Valentine, Long Yellow Six Weeks, China Red Kye, Dutch Case Knife Pole, Horticultural Pole, Large Lima. Beets —Dark Red Egyptian, Dewing’s Early Blood Turnip. Cabbage — Premium Flat Dutch. Oucumbers — Green Prolific, Lnproved White Spine. Grass Seeds— Red Top, Timothy, Red Clover, Kentucky Blue Grass, Orchard Grass. Lettuce — White Seeded Tennis Ball, Black Seeded Tennis Ball. Water Melon—Mountain Sweet, Mountain Sprout, White Icing. Musk Melon — Nutmeg. Onions — Extra Early Red, White Portugal. Peas — Northrup, Braslan & Co.’s First and Best, Yorkshire Hero, Little Gem, Premium Gem, Carter’s Telephone, Prince of Wales, Black Eye Marrowfat. Parsnip — Hollow Crown. Pumpkin — Connecticut Field. Tree Seed — Box Alder. Turnip —Sweet German. Tomato— Acme. Squash — White Bush Scallop. Wheat—Saskatchewan Fife. 44 ANNUAL REPORT. AFTERNOON SESSION. TUESDAY, Jan. 20, 1885. The meeting was called to order at 2 o’clock P. M., pursuant to adjournment, by Capt. Blakeley, who stated that Prof. Porter had arrived from New Orleans, and it would be well, perhaps, to arrange as to the time to be given to the Amber Cane Association at the present session. There should be an understanding as to the time to be occupied; there was sufficient time for both societies, but there should be regular hours of work assigned to each. He simply desired to bring the matter up to ascertain what time the members of the Amber Cane Asso- ciation desired to occupy. Prof. Porter was present and would make a statement. Prof. E. D. Porter. When Secretary Gibbs approached me at New Orleans with reference to the best method of procedure of these societies, we did not know whether, considering the absence of so many of our members from the State. at the Exposition or elsewhere, that it would be worth while to undertake the holding of anything like a formal meeting on our part. He stated to me that circulars had been sent to all the members of the executive committee, and after waiting two or three weeks answers had been received from a majority of that committee endorsing a joint meeting, and also the idea of mak- ing these meetings informal. Of course the Amber Cane Asso- ciation has made nothing like formal arrangements under the circumstances, and all we propose to do is to unite with the Horticultural Society in the discussion of matters of interest in common to both, asking for only a portion of the time, of course, for the transaction of the official business of the association, such as the reception of reports and election of officers for the ensuing year. I should think, perhaps, the forenoon of a day would be sufficient; but further arrangements might be de- ferred till after the morning session to-morrow, when more of our members will be here. President Smith. I presume members of the Horticultural Society are ready to give way at any time you may desire. I hardly think there was a member who received a circular, in STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 45 regard to the matter, and no program was made out as I am in- formed. Iasked Mr. Gibbs, when he spoke to me about it be- fore he left for New Orleans, if he had consulted the executive committee, and he said he hadn’t time, and if we wanted to consult them, we must do it ourselves, he didn’t think there was any necessity of it. Mr. J. 8S. Harris. I would say that I, for one, was opposed to the Horticultural Society and the Amber Cane Association meet- ing in joint convention without a program of exercises, not knowing what time was to be given to each, and without know- ing anything about what was to be done. I did not believe any- body would want to come. Mr. C. L. Smith. I asked Mr. Gibbs what was the arrange- ment, and he told me it was all arranged, and the program would be printed and sent out in a short time. I told him I thought the executive committee ought to be called together to make some arrangement. He said it would take too long, and he hadn’t time to get the committee together, and if anyone had any suggestions to make in regard to the program, it could be altered, I waited three weeks and wrote him at New Orleans, to which I received no answer. I wrote him that no arrange- ments had been made for the winter meeting, and it was very important that something should be done. Prof. Porter. I recollect a remark being made that Mr. Har- ris was opposed to it, but don’t know that I recollect any other names. The statement was made that a majority, as he had been told, were in favor of a joint meeting. Capt. Blakeley. I would like to inquire about how much time the Horticultural Society will want? President Smith. We were to have a paper from Mrs. Under- wood to-morrow morning, but there is nothing but what we can waive. We want the meeting harmonious, and if members will give us their views, we can, no doubt, arrange as to time desired. Capt. Blakeley. Will we take 2 o’clock? Prof. Porter. I suppose we could take the afternoon for busi- ness or any other matter that might come before the meeting. Capt. Blakeley. Will it be desirable to have an address from the president of the association? Col. J. H. Stevens. It seems tome that this is a matter which is fraught with much moment to the interests and industries of Minnesota. While we want to develope the interests of Horti- 46 ANNUAL REPORT. culture, we want also to develop the interests of the amber cane industry. It has been seen proper to have the two societies meet in joint session; now, while I have not been consulted to any great extent in this matter, I certainly was consulted in the be- ginning, but I gave no opinion in relation to it. We are here and it seems to me-that we can have both meetings held in such a way as to prove of interest to all, and in such a manner as to promote the interests of the State. I am sorry to see so few mem- bers of the Amber Cane Association here; I would like to see them come in and share the meeting with us. Prof. Porter. Mr. Kenney is not here and others are absent at New Orleans. The world is very wide, and I hope we shall act in harmony and unite in our efforts to advance the industries in which we are so much interested. Mr. Smith. We did not intend in getting out this program to consult the Amber Cane Association at all; it was understood when the program was arranged that it was to be varied or altered to suit the convenience of the members present and that we would be ready to divide the time with the Amber Cane As- sociation and give way to them at any time except Thursday afternoon, but that we should hold to that part of the program. I simply mention the fact that there was no program made out, and I insisted on a meeting of the executive committee, and when they met they put out this program; they did so with the under- standing that the Amber Cane Association should share in the exercises in such a way as might be agreed on here, and we are perfectly willing to give way to them and divide the time. President Smith. I was afraid we would be unprepared and find ourselves in the same condition we were last year when there was an effort to divide the exercises with the Forestry As- sociation, and the result was, neither one was prepared and we had to fill out the time as best we could. Capt. Blakeley. I willsay to the convention that I was aware of the condition of things. President Smith called upon me in regard to it and we discussed the matter of joint occupancy of time. It is for want of co-operation on the part of the two exec- utive committees that the order of exercises has not been ar- ranged. I have no doubt to-morrow afternoon will answer our purpose; and, at any rate, it will not take us very long to go through the regular order of our duties, and we shall probably not want to occupy more than the afternoon. If we find we are likely to entrench on our neighbors we may take a part of the STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. AT afternoon of Thursday, but I don’t know as it will be necessary. With the understanding that we will occupy the time to-morrow afternoon we will, as far as the Amber Cane Association is con- cerned, dispense with further ceremony. President Smith. It was the understanding when we made up the program that we were to share the tinre with the Amber Cane Association, and a motion to that effect will not be neces- sary. Capt. Blakeley. I think there is no dissatisfaction anywhere. Mr. Harris. I wish to make my statement a little plainer. I wrote to Mr. Gibbs and stated that I had very serious objections: to having the two societies meet together, and calling the people to meet with us here at St. Paul without knowing what we were expected to do when we got here. President Smith. We shall be glad to receive essays, and to learn all we can from the Amber Cane members, and get all the- information that we can in regard to it. The first businees at 2 o’clock, P. M., is the appointment of committees; there should be: a Committee on Finance and one on exhibits. I will appoint, as a Committee on Finance, Wyman Elliot, Minneapolis; J. M. Underwood, Lake City; E. H. 8S. Dartt, Owa-. tonna. I would like to have parties entirely disinterested to award premiums, and who will take into consideration our means and the value of the exhibits. Our society funds are not very pleth~ oric, but we want all to share alike and in proportion. Mr. Dartt. As it has been suggested by the chair that our funds are light, I would suggest that inasmuch as there have been no premiums promulgated that would be paid, those who have. brought fruit have no doubt done so at their own suggestion, and not on the part of the society, to pay premiums. President Smith. It is announced in our programs that libe- ral premiums will be awarded on all articles deemed worthy of merit. Mr. Dartt, I didn’t get the program, but I got the circular letter from the secretary, and understood that this was to be an informal meeting. President Smith. It is better to economize in some other way, and where people have come from a distance and brought exhib- its, they should receive premiums where they are deserving of it. . Mr. Dartt. I was going to remark that it should not be a As ANNUAL REPORT. great disappointment if the premiums were rather light on com- ing together under such circumstances. The president announced, as a Committee on Exhibitions, Wy- man Elliot, Minneapolis; Isaac Gilpatrick, Minneapolis; E. C. Shannon, Granite Falls. Committee on Final Resolutions: Col. J. H. Stevens, Prof. E. D. Porter, of Minneapolis, and J. 8. Harris, of La Crescent. President Smith. It has been suggested that a committee on legislation should be appointed; it remains with the society to say whether such a committee will be named or not. Mr. Harris. Mr. President, it is my impression that we should always have such a committee; pérhaps it should be a standing committee, with one to be elected annually. I think it should be elected. President Smith. Why do you think we should have the com- mittee elected with our officers? Mr. Harris. We are likely to have something come before each session for such a committee to look after—we are liable to have before this meeting is through. President Smith. This matter can be deferred until Thurs- day, when officers are elected, and if it is deemed best to have such committee, time will be given to select a good and compe- tent one. Capt. Blakeley. Mr. President, I would suggest that there be a by-law made providing for a legislative committee, if in order. President Smith. The next order of business should be a par- tial report of standing fruit committees. Are there any reports to be made? REPORTS OF FRUIT COMMITTEES. J. 8S. Harris, of La Crescent, then made the following report : OBSERVATIONS IN SOUTHERN MINNESOTA FOR 1884. LA CRESCENT, Minn., Jan. 1, 1885. To the President and Members of the State Horticultural Society: Taken as a whole, the fruit crop of 1884 in this section was more satisfactory and better than in the two preceding years. The prospect at the opening of spring did not look as flattering -as the spring of 1883, especially with apples and grapes. That STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 49 year was noted for the most profuse bloom we had ever seen; but between the effects of extreme cold from the previous win- ter, the killing frosts of May and’a cold and backward summer, grapes failed to ripen, and the apples nearly all dropped from the trees before half grown. In 1884 the bloom was much less, but no killing frosts occurred after the fruit had set, and the sea- son was more propitious. STRAW BERRIES. Taking the fruits in their order of ripening, we find that the strawberry crop was generally good, and the size and quality of the fruit the very best. They were about a week later in com- mencing toripen than in some other years, and, as is usually the case under such circumstances, the season did not hold out as long as when they commence ripening earlier. Wherever beds of pure Wilson were found they gave a magnificent crop. Next to the Wilson, the Crescent Seedling is the most popular variety in cul- tivation here. The Charles Downing is not doing as well as when first introduced. It has become less fruitful, and the leaves are subject to a rust or blight. The Sharpless behaved better than usual, but is not hardy enough to become a favorite with the growers. Many other varieties are grown in limited quantities, but have not been under test long enough to make it safe to haz- ard an opinion of them. Observation leads me to remark that most of the strawberry plantations are managed on the run-at- will, go-as-you-please plan, and, as a general rule, are left with- out renewal until they are overrun with grass and weeds. 55 rr a Preeeee eee TTT eee e eee Crier eres Fr Or fF FST ween Zut[paeg 8, MOSsuIqoy Rate smesd)|nUNN niu geleswads.ccadesllaiesceiie|scne ey * * - decevene seoveee i at a 1k all a oqmey UendIe+ : Hoenn eee | meee ew eee eeeeeeneeee eee | eeeeeeeee * - 7 moyl “Sai tansan #8 SPaasacugs Conscnacec sr one 5 Or F FSS weeee TOMOPIT[IT S QUST cA | -[B00[ stqy ul SOLL Seema e ee | wwweeeeeeteee tereseeeeeleveseeees 01, POW § " rai GO CUD IEC prqay OL f FR8T see eeceeeees 4eoMg SQSIIM -I9]9 JBI AS OU DAVY | OM pues +3 {ynypuy ROO ee mene eee nena ee eneeee eee bene eenee Fe FA - nama (i SGC SCO wn PIEM. ZL sa PSST Fenn e eee eee ee ee eee mand poy “sByO SARs ,,‘S¥90}S Anos WO oINyrey W,,\ | seeeee eee |cvceceees| eee prog . - * “fay Pal pue oyng AVN al G peer |v maT Iso —AIIBqO “qa qmay ou ‘ (tax) |enssenns |-cetenencec=aaknn-canesel|sercnsce~ - = - yy | ratensnseteresnaserensaencnese Surppeeg fp z FRBT | "SSBLD 8,4}0401]SQ — ZLF dojsty{ uo plo ‘sak UO} [RUOGTET OAV ET eect eerste ceeees jeneeee eee nee meg “ 7 Pe -uerssny | ¢ Z egy [wes jeuroqty — ee "ayel pe 10 pz ‘[enh “sak 9 qsvd IO} OFZ ogy Sel poets gi gs Sol eae a m a | r 4 ge || exon cc- ctr tea ooz * ¢ he 4c “yay |e yourrprryy) —79z AJINAJ PAV] "FR, JO } | Z urads UT 408 SMOTO| "Te | pediyg [essences *Bu0g “TURO'T seo ado N W3tH cee eececvcereeecccsssssacessucsues priqiyy F Z are, | Cop odecrorosre ac Aqovy —ore% g e| g 2 gs | S = 4 Epo |e eats eel ae B =| F Pe late: baa ‘SHMUVNAA *“LO[OD 5 “THOS “MOT}BIO'T *pesf) 4904S Bo | s+ | “HHaWON YO CNYN aaa | Le} } | = | z. | Mm | : SUoom [eNuUR Yove ye sJuoder oyVUT oO} ov NOL Yor uodn ‘poydope st yuvpq Suraoyppoy oyy ‘AJ -00 94} 0} AOUURUT WAIOJIUN v UT Woy) Juoder puv syUSMITIEdxe MO JYonpUOdD 04 Iep1o U,T—NAWATIINGY Ssuoyny pmaursaday buypaag fo ssabvunyy ayy OF \LOTMLSIG WALSHHOOU WOdH LAOdda STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 17 Mr. Sias made the following written report: REPORT OF SEEDLING FRUIT COMMITTEE. ROCHESTER DISTRICT. T shall speak first of what now appears to be one of the most promising new seedlings in the State, viz., the Brett Seedlings of Dover, Olmsted County. These seedlings were first exhibited at the Southern Minnesota fair in September last, and took two first premiums. Next at the State fair at Owatonna, where they were entered as the best collection of seedlings, and took the first premium of ten dollars. Here they had a large display of fine seedlings to compete with. Mr. J. W. Hart, the present owner of these seedlings, has made arrangements with me to propagate them and to enter them for the prize of $1,000 in his name. Will say that I made a visit to these trees for the first time in Decem+ ber, 1883, and again in August, 1884, at which time three of them were well loaded with fruit. I next visited them in Sep- tember last in company with J. 8. Harris. These trees all appear very hardy and of good quality. I took plates of each and sent them to Minneapolis to be put in cold storage till time to ship to New Orleans; also a plate of each for our exhibit here, but after carrying them twenty miles in a wagon, and then keeping them in a damp, mouldy cellar till this time, I find them now in poor condition to exhibit. But we have a specimen of the wood and leaf here that will doubtless prove satisfactory to all. The origi- nator of these fine seedlings and his noble wife celebrated their golden wedding about a year ago, and will very soon pass over the River. But these hardy fruits will doubtless be con- tinued through their cions for hundreds of years to perpetuate their memory. One is named Hart, in honor of the owner; one May, in honor of Mrs. Mary Brett, who planted the seed; the other Brett. We have still another that we think especially fine and probably the largest, but as this did not bear the past season we concluded to wait for further developments before describing. I have a letter here that I desire to go into this report, by Mr. C. H. Brett himself, describing these fruits, that I will read if you so wish. ‘‘STRONG, MAINE, Feb. 28, 1884. “ Your letter to mein regard to the history of the seedling apple trees on my old farm in Dover was sent to me at this eae? the last of January, too late for your report. 118 ANNUAL REPORT. ‘‘In the winter of 1872, I bought a barrel of apples of Mr. Harroon, south of Dover; you may know where he lived; he had a large orchard of good fruit. The barrel I had was the Talman Sweets and Gray Russets, mixed. My wife saved quite a quan- tity of the seeds, planted them in a box of earth and in the spring of 1873 I transplanted the pips in the best of earth; most of them did not survive the rigors of the cold winters, but four trees came out all right. One bore fine apples the seventh year, none since. The best one had blossoms the eighth year, bore a few apples the ninth; in 1882 bore one and one half bushels of as handsome apples as I ever saw, very large, red, shaped like the Harvey, flat at the poles, not too much so. One other bore the same year one pail full, good sized, longer, color like the Rhode Island Greening. The best tree in full bearing was the admiration of all that saw it, and there were many called to see the sight. The fruit is flavored like the Baldwin; it is not a winter apple but late fall. Everyone that saw it wanted grafts from it. Had I kept the farm should have used the grafts ex- tensively. I do not know what the fruit was last year; Mr. Hart will inform you. ‘*The apple I call ‘Brett’s Seedling’ (mark this, ) never showed the least suffering from any winter since it was a pip; examine the body and you will see the bark is the right color, perfectly clean. Yours truly, C. H. BRETT.”’ The Waldron seedlings originated in the town of Cascade four miles west of Rochester by Robert Waldron, who died the pres- ent month, aged about seventy-five years. I visited him about the first of October; his seedling trees were then well loaded with fruit. He helped me put up a good show for New Orleans and for this meeting. I have never grafted any of these seedlings (from the Fameuse), but believe them worthy of trial. The Forster seedlings that took the first premium at our winter mnceting two years ago should claim a share of our attention. Mr. M. W. Cook showed me the fruit and wood of aseedling that he says originated in the township of Rochester and bore very heavily the past season. I should have been glad to have visited this tree so as to give a more full report, but just the particular loca- _ tion of this wonderful seedling is at present a profound secret. But among the older seedlings of this section of country I find nothing for winter that suits me much better for quality, or much STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 119 more of an Iron Clad than the Rollins Pippin. The Giant Swaar is generally supposed to be a seedling of Olmsted County, but I am sorry to say itis not. It was brought into this county when it was a yearling from Wisconsin, and- first fruited by John R. Williams of Viola township. The last of these hard working pioneer seedling growers will soon disappear, but they will be kindly remembered by succeeding generations, who follow to enjoy their fruits. But I must say in justice to our friend Peter M. Gideon that, after all that has been said, it remains a mooted question whether, all things considered, there is anything to successfully compete with the seedlings of Hennepin County. A. W. SIAS. Mr. Sias stated, in regard to the Brett seedling, that the vari- ety stands upon the recommendation of the originator, Mr. C. H. Brett, of Mankato, who has no personal interest in the mat- ter at all, having sold the place where they were originated some two years ago. Hesaid he did not wish to recommend them himself at present. Mr. Sias. I will say that Mr. Brett is getting to be pretty old and does not write a very plain hand. I would say, also, that I am acquainted with Mr. Harroon, whose farm is south ofthe vil- lage of Dover, and think I sold him the trees that bore the ap- ples that Mr. Brett bought. It is called the Gray Russet, but I think it must have been the Golden Russet. It resembles the Gray Russet very closely. His Russets are mostly the Golden Russet. In regard to the Waldron seedling, I would say that Mr. Waldron, who originated it, died during the present month, aged about seventy-five years. I visited Mr. Waldron about the first of last October, and at that time his seedling trees were still loaded with fruit. He helped me to get a good show of fruit for the exhibit at New Orleans and for this meeting. He stated that he thought the seedlings were from the Fameuse. The Forster seedling should claim ashare of our attention. Mr. A. Peterson, of Waconia. I had not intended to report, but will make a short report as my friend from Carver County has done so. There is a seedling in that county which promises well. I have not seen the tree for two years, but I heard last fall that it was as sound as ever, and the fruit three years ago kept until March; it is not extra quality and is of medium size. There is another seedling and a sample was brought here of the fruit; but I don’t believe the tree is hardy enough for our cli- mate up there. That is all that I could say about seedlings. 120 ANNUAL REPORT. Mr. Harris. Mr. President, these reports have come from members of the seedling committee as well as from our experi- mental stations. We are so young in the business that I fear we cannot give you anything in the line of a written report that will be very valuable. As manager of a station I have done what I could. I have received a very few seedlings and put them in, and am making preparations so that I can make actual tests of any new seedling or variety that shall be sent me. I have set aside a piece of ground and intend to devote it exclusively to experimental work for the benefit of the Horticultural Society. We did not expect when this committee was appointed that we could go out in one year and gather up those seedlings which should be adapted to the wants of the whole country, but we did hope to be able to originate varieties and bring the information we are seeking before the people much quicker than if the matter was left to itself. I believe that committee has made a report each year. My report is as follows: REPORT OF JOHN 8S. HARRIS, MEMBER OF SEEDLING © FRUIT COMMITTEE. LA CRESCENT, Jan. 1, 1885. To the President and Members of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society: I have continued my observations in the line of horticulture and held myself in readiness to respond to every call to visit new seedlings, wherever the attending expense was not greater than the reduced condition of the society would warrant, and have met with encouraging success in finding varieties that promise to be worthy of looking after. At the State fair and at the fair of the Southern Minnesota Fair Association the exhibit of seedlings was much larger and finer than ever before made in the State and fully one hundred varieties were upon the exhibition ta- bles. Many of them were fair in appearance and of excellent qual- ity. The most notable exhibits at the State fair were J. W. Hart’s, of Dover Center, three varieties of Brett’s seedlings that were awarded the first premium as best collection; Jacob Kline, Union, Houston County, eighteen varieties, awarded second pre- mium on collection and one of them the first as best autumn vari- ety for all purposes; J. C. Kramer, La Crescent, five or six varieties; E. B. Jorden, Rochester, ten or a dozen; J. S. Harris & Son about the same, and many others with from one to ten —— STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. B iy’ varieties. The three varieties of Mr. Hart that carried off the first prize impressed me so favorably that I secured the company of A. W. Sias to pay them a special visit and give the trees a personal examination. We judged the trees to be about fourteen years old and they were apparently sound and thrifty. Tree No. 1 is a strong symmetrical grower with round, perfect top. The fruit, of which there was several bushels, was large, showy and good. I judged it to be an autumn variety. Tree No. 2 branches more upright. Fruit large, medium quality, in my estimation better than No. 1; was carrying a good crop. No 3, fruit mostly gone and will not hazard an opinion on its merits. The ground color of all was deep green, striped or splashed with red and they doubtless are from the seed of one variety. I also visited some trees at Minnesota City. Jas. Wright’s seedling, Belle Flower, was carrying a large crop and I believe the tree to be as healthy as any crab of its age (thirty-two years) in the State. The most extensive collection of seedlings I have found anywhere .was on the farm of Mr. Burley, one and one-half miles above Minnesota City. I did not have an opportunity to test any of them or learn their history as Mr. Burley was away at the time of my call. There can hardly help but be something good among so many and I call your attention to them that they may be looked after in the future. Ihave called to examine the tree of Philip Eberhard, of Mound Prairie. It is reported to be twenty-eight years old, a regular annual bearer of a medium sized winter fruit that is a favorite with the family for cooking. Tree sound and thrifty. Also paid a visit to the trees upon the Geo. Hartman farm of Hokah. Found one tree, which I have men- tioned in former reports, carrying a heavy crop of fruit and look- ing well. J have procured and planted the seeds from one-half bushel of the apples for use in my experimental station. I have examined several other trees in various localities and have re- ceived information of others that are spoken well of in their re- spective neighborhoods and shall arrange to see them at an early day. I consider the Seedling Fruit Committee to be a most im- portant one and would recommend that this meeting set apart a certain sum of money to be expended in defraying its expenses or that it fix a limit to the annual expense that each member may incur in the discharge of duty. A1Jl of which is respectfully submitted. 16 122 ANNUAL REPORT. President Smith. That completes the reports of the seedling committee. There is another report to be made here upon Russian varieties. Mr. Underwood. Mr. President, with your permission I will supplement what I said in my report, which was not a written one, with a statement in regard to the seedling I mentioned. Now, I never like to talk very much about what the possibilities of life are; in fact, I don’t have any time to look into the future; I don’t care anything about the past, and I have very hard work to take care of the present. Now, there is a seedling we are growing. Our friends are c¢all- ing on the seedling committee to report, and want something practical, and they want us to tell them all about what to send out. I don’t know of anything more that I can do after we have sent agents around to tell them what to do, and when we pay those agents a good salary to tell the people what to do I don’t know why they should expect so much more of us. After all, I would just like to call attention to this seedling. I don’t know whether it is worth anything, but you can see the fruif. I know this, that in the orchard where it grows it is on a southern ex- posure and a lot of seedling trees have been growing there in the grass for many years without any care at all. I thought that perhaps out of fifteen or twenty different seedlings we might find something of value; but I would say we have no trees or cions to sell. We have distributed the cions over the State wherever we could place them for testing, and I may say that I have noth- ing to make out of it at all. Ihave nothing to sell. I thought a splendid thing for Minnesota would be the variety known as Scott’s Winter. We have been growing it for some time and, as you see, it is a nice looking apple. It does not rival the Wealthy for beauty, but I think it is a little better in quality. Mr. Sias. Has that seedling you speak of been named? Mr. Underwood. That seedling, no, sir. It isa good looking apple, and when we come to give it cultivation I think it will improve it. The tree looks strong and healthy, growing in the sod. I don’t know what it will do under good treatment and good culture. Mr. Sias. How long have you kept it ? Mr. Underwood. Well, last spring we kept some of them along in the middle of March; but I cannot say if a man had a thousand bushels of them growing in an orchard that it would be a good keeper. You can’t tell by the samples you pick off STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 123 a tree and take care of—you cannot tell by that that it will be a good keeper. It isa tart apple and resembles the Scott’s Win- ter. Ihave been struck with the similarity, still they are dis- similar. It grows on a rented place about eighteen miles from Lake City, without any care. I have tried to get some history of these seedlings. The man who originally planted them just planted some seed and set out an orchard. As it is unlike any- thing I know of, I take it for granted it is a seedling. Every- thing indicates it is a seedling orchard. I think, perhaps, it would pay everyone to try the Scott’s Winter. Mr. Sias. I have that and it is doing well. My trees are hardy. Mr. Harris. I have just heard of another seedling of which I _ made a diagram and sent a man to get aspecimen. The tree is said to be twenty-eight years old, and the man who has it raises and sells a good many barrels of fruit from it every year. He says it keeps all winter. I had a couple of the apples but they were not in season at the time I got them; but I should think they would keep pretty well. The man brought in two wagon loads of the apples and sold them in the town of Hokah for win- ter apples. It is an apple which closely resembles the Tallow, or Golden Pippin. I intend to visit the tree and if it has an outward appearance of being hardy at that age, I shall try to procure scions this spring. I will make further report on it next year. Mr. Smith. Mr. President, I found a seedling last fall that I thought was pretty nice and I had the promise of some of the fruit for exhibition, but the gentleman has not got around. I want to tell you a little about the apple to show that we have an abundance to draw from. The party described this tree to me as a seedling growing on the open prairie, that has been fruiting for the last eight years. The tree has never killed a bit, is hardy and smooth, the bark is light colored but very firm,— no crack- ing, shelling or blistering; the limbs start out like those of the Hyslop crab, so there is no danger of splitting down. I might say that Mr. Harris, myself and somebody else were a committee to report on some apples that were on exhibition in which we had some thirty or more seedlings, among them the Brett seed- ling, and some others that we thought were very fine, but as a matter of fact on all points we werecompelled to give the prefer- ence to that apple. It is an apple a little larger than this specimen I have here, yellowish white, conical in shape, flesh 124 ANNUAL REPORT. white,— very much like Mr. Gideon’s Excelsior; but it is of fine flavor. We will endeavor to have this seedling on exhibition another year. We will have a sample of the wood and a his- tory of the tree as near as we can get it. On the twentieth of September the apple was still quite hard; it is evidently a late keeping apple and is of fine quality. I have tasted the Brett seedling and consider it very fine. One thing that struck me very favorably was the fact that it bore in about seven years from the seed, an evidence that it is an early bearer. I think we are on the right track for success in propagating from Minnesota fruit. I think this Brett seedling has something of the charac- teristics, both in the tree and the fruit, of the parent tree, it being supposed to have been from either the Talman Sweet or Golden Russet. Take the longest keeper of the Brett seedlings and you will find the skin very much like the Golden Russet, and I have no doubt it will be very much liked. I believe one of them is marked down the side the same way the Talman Sweet always is. The Brett seedling is valuable stock to propagate from. Mr. Sias. I like Mr. Smith’s remarks on seedlings, but I would like to say just a word about the Brett seedling that we had in competition with some others. Those same samples, after being carried twenty miles on a wagon to the Southern Minne- sota fair and exhibited there for two weeks, were taken to the State fair, and were handled by everybody, and still they took the first premium as the best collection of seedlings. We did not intend to place them in competition with anything after that as they were too nearly used up; but I boxed them up and sent them with some other things to my friend Pearce. Wesent them because we had no other samples, and not to be placed in com- petition with anything else. Wehadn’t time to get new samples. The original tree had about two bushels of fruit. The tree must be some eleven or twelve years old. Mr. Elliot. Mr. President, I have asample of a seedling raised by George Woolsey, of Minneapolis township, raised from seed of the Wealthy. Mr. Woolsey is away this winter and he left these specimens with Mr. Gilpatrick to be brought to this meet- ing. These seedlings bore fruit five years from the planting. The treeitself seems to be as hardy asthe oak. They are situated where they get the heat of summer and the cold blasts of winter. The tendency to bearing early shows the same propensity as the Wealthy. What the quality is I‘cannot say. I merely bring STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 125 this to your attention so as to bring them before the society. I would say in regard to this matter of finding something adapted to our State I think is the point we should seek after. We have got to reach out for hardy varieties of apples for this northern climate and we have got to look to our seedlings; not only to our present seedlings but to those of future generations. Itis by this process of acclimatization that we are going to derive the benefits of northern fruitage; by taking all the desirable seedlings that we can gather up from the different stations I think it is very evident that we will get the benefit. Out of the thousands and hundreds of thousands of seedlings that have been started in this State we have but very few of what we may call ‘‘iron clads,”’ but each year is bringing new favorites to our attention and I think the time is not far distant when we shall receive accessions to the number that will give us something that will be worthy of propagation. Mr. Tuttle. I wish to say a few words on this seedling ques- tion. I wish here to acknowledge, on the part of Wisconsin, that your work in this direction has been far ahead of ours, es- pecially in its results. I look upon the Wealthy apple, origin- ated in your State, as being of more value to Wisconsin, as a market apple, or for general use, than all the American apples put together. I have been growing seedlings from Wealthy and Tetofsky and have several hundreds of them. I don’t know of anything that has been thoroughly tested that is reliable for us to plant for general cultivation. We have the Pewaukee and I have seen the original tree which for the past twenty years has borne good crops. I had great faith in the Pewaukee and planted it in my own orchard until the year before last winter, and I thought it was just the tree for us; the trees were perfectly sound and some of the trees bore very heavy crops. But I find that they are failing where most of our seedlings fail, even after years of trial; when they come to a hard winter, after bearing a heavy crop and exhausting the vitality of the tree, they fail; and I fear we shall find this to be so with many of them. It is well in testing these new seedlings, where they are to be dissem- inated, that they should have a thorough trial and for a long period. I have been looking to the new apples from Russia to supply the necessities for fruit for apples in this Northwestern country, but I think that this work in the seedlings is a thing that should be carried on both by our State and yours; I have no doubt you 126 ANNUAL REPORT. will find some seedlings that perhaps are more hardy than the Wealthy. But it is good enough for us; in fair locations it is all right. The Wealthy for its quality, for its keeping, for its early bearing and hardiness of tree,—I do not know of anything among American apples that will compare with it. Weare grafting the Wealthy pretty extensively this winter. I want to Say a word in regard to a seedling that has been receiving some attention with us, known as the Northwestern Greening, of Wis- consin. At the December meeting at Green Bay, the evidence was that the old tree bore two crops and died, root and branch, and still it is being propagated, and I know by some persons is considered a hardy tree. Now it will be perfectly safe at least to try it still further for awhile. Col. Stevens. Mr. Tuttle, how is the Wolf River? Mr. Tuttle. I see no reason why that is not a hardy apple. We have several varieties. Mr. Pearce. Is the Wolf River seedling considered as good in quality as the Wealthy? Mr. Tuttle. No, sir; it is more like the Alexander. In fact it is so near it that the apples which we exhibited at our winter meeting, where they were placed by the side of the Alexander, were so near alike that it was hard to tell which was which, and persons who did not know couldn’t tell the difference. And Mr. Peffer, a gentleman of the committee, pronounced it the Alex- ander. But the apples I have seen since do not resemble the Alexander as much, but I think quite likely it is a seedling of the Alexander. Mr. Sias. Is the Wolf River as hardy as the Wealthy? Mr. Tuttle. Well, sir, I could not say; but I think it is. Mr. Harris. I have no doubt that the Wolf River, if a seed- ling, is from the Alexander. The habit and growth of the trees on Mr. Phillips’ place are so nearly alike that I couldn’t tell them apart. Mr. Phillips thought he could see a difference; I could not. The tree blights just as bad as the Alexander, and that is the great fault; the Alexander is not as sound in Minne- sota as the Wealthy. Mr. Harris. Mr. President, we have established a precedent in the State Horticultural Society of electing to life membership men who have done life service in the society and accomplished as it were the work of ‘told warhorses,’? who have done work for the Northwest and distinguished services, and I rise at this time for the purpose of moving that we make one who is present a life mem- STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 127 ber of this society; I refer to Mr. A. G. Tuttle, who is one of the old pioneers of the Northwest in fruit culture; he has spent a lifetime in developing and trying to solve this great problem which so interests us here; and we could pay no greater compli- ment to the Wisconsin State Horticultural Society, of which he is an honored member, than to thus recognize his work. I there- fore move you now that we make Mr. Tuttle a life member of this society and confer upon him every privilege which we our- Selves enjoy. The motion was unanimously adopted. Mr. Dartt. Mr. President, in regard to these seedlings, I ~ think there is one point in favor of the bleak, exposed places in Minnesota as places of experiment. Now we have away out on the prairies, we have in Steele County, several seedling apples recommended to have stood for many years and borne choice fruit. Now, if the members of this society can go into such un- favorable localities and get good apples there will be one point that they will have secured and that is hardiness. You may get apples along the Mississippi, you may get them in Wisconsin, find them all right in every respect, but you are not certain about their hardiness; then you have to go to work to test their hardiness and see if they will stand in exposed situations. If you send your committees into unfavorable localities and there find your apples you will have the hardiness secured beforehand. I have one apple that I have tried for several years; it was sup- posed to be a seedling; I refer to what we call Yearl’s Winter. Mr. Year! presented the apple to me when I came to Minnesota about fourteen or fifteen years ago. I got some cions from him and grafted some. Inthe nursery it did not prove to be remarkably hardy, but the trees, since they have got to bearing, with me have been just a little hardier than the Wealthy. It is not hardy enough so I could recommend it. It is a good winter apple and keeps nicely. Have heard of other apples in Steele County that were highly recommended which, if you would hunt them up you would perhaps find had died, like the one the gentleman re- ferred to. It is possible that a good many others, when you look them up, you may find the old tree dead. I understood years ago that the original Wealthy was dead, that it had died down and new sprouts had come up. I suppose that is so. Mr. Gideon. It was blighted. Mr. Dartt. I suppose that is known to be a characteristic of the Wealthy. Some times the main tree will kill down, and if 128 ANNUAL REPORT. you save the sprouts and let them grow they will soon replace the old tree and may prove to be a good bearing tree. Iwas told it would do this by Mr. Gould, of Excelsior. He said to me one time, on seeing one of my trees in that condition: ‘‘There’s a bunch of sprouts that will produce a wonderful sight of apples if you will let them grow and take care of them.’”’ Of course I have seen so many of such sprouts in my experience that would kill down that it is usually my plan to root them out. But I will say, further, that I have been caring for the Wealthy as far as I can and have hopes that it may pay me for my labor some time; it has not done it so far. Mr. Underwood. Do you cultivate your orchard ? Mr. Dartt. Usually I do. Mr. Underwood. Do you protect the body of your trees? Mr. Dartt. I have not; but I tried it in Wisconsin. I have got too many. Mr. Underwood. I consider Mr. Dartt as a sort of a rudder to this fanciful society of ours. We are all the while drumming up something to build up his hopes only to have them dashed to the ground, and I want to ask him now in regard to that seedling I have mentioned, which is growing about eighteen or twenty miles back from Lake Pepin, on prairie ground, as high as there is in that part of the country. It is on an exposure to the south, and is standing in the sod. The German that now lives on the place don’t know very much about it. My attention was called to it, and I have been out there several times to keep watch of it. Now, I want to ask you whether you think it is a very favor- able locality. I will say that the tree looks well. Mr. Dartt. Are there any deep valleys in the vicinity? Mr. Underwood. There are ravines all through. Mr. Dartt. How deep are the ravines? Mr. Underwood. Well, I think nothing but what is tillable. It is a splendid chicken country; there are ravines fifty to a hun- dred feet deep. I don’t remember of anything of note, although we drove all through the locality, hunting chickens. Mr. Dartt. I should not regard that as a remarkably favora- ble locality. I wish to be understood, however, as saying that I believe high land in the vicinity of low land is a favorable lo- cality, decidedly so. It is better than low land itself. But when you get where it is all high land for miles around—in one broad sweep of level country, where it is all high —I think it is a try- ing situation. I think we have a trying situation in Steele a STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 129 County generally. There are no deep ravines and no streams of water, but it is high tableland. I think all of those sections bordering on deep valleys, or on bodies of water, that are not very much elevated, are favorable localities, and that varieties produced in those localities ought to be thoroughly tested as to hardiness before they are to be recommended to those people who live out on the high lands, to plant generally. I don’t know but it is a ‘‘fraud’’ for this society to say to people living in my lo- cality that they can raise all these varieties that you raise, and find them profitable in my locality. I think some of our people so regard it and look at it about in that light. They think if you don’t know that such varieties as you recommend won’t grow, that you ought to know, for you are supposed to know every- thing in regard to fruit. You ought to be well informed, and ought not to send out any unreliable varieties. One man said to me that he believed that the introduction of the Wealthy was a damage to Minnesota. I don’t believe that; I think it is a grand good thing. But don’t try to fool us into the belief that it will grow everywhere, for it won’t. President Smith. We have only about half an hour more this morning. We havea delegate here from Wisconsin who is to make a report on Russian apples and we shall be pleased to hear from him. [ will therefore call on Mr. A. G. Tuttle, of Baraboo, for a report on Russian apples. RUSSIAN APPLES. Mr. Tuttle. Mr. President, I am able to make only a partial report on Russian apples, although I have been at work and in- vestigating the subject for some fifteen years past. We have some Russian varieties that we think are all right. I exhibited at our State fair this last fall sixty varieties of Russian apples and we made a very good show so far as that is concerned; many of them were very large and showy apples. I have the Longfield and I have been of the opinion that the fruits brought from that portion of Russia, off northeast of Moscow, would be perfectly adapted to the prairie regions of the Northwest; and from my experience with these fruits I have not yet lost faith that that will be the case. I have not seen anything, among over a hundred varieties that I have in orchard,—I have not seen anything so far as the wintering is concerned, that is hardier than the Wealthy, so far if 130 ANNUAL REPORT. as the tests Ihave made. And I consider the Wealthy as hardy as anything that has originated in our State. The country from which these Russian varieties come is very similar to this; it is a great prairie country of a thousand miles in extent,—a rich prairie country, many portions of it. There are orchards there situated in what we would consider very un- favorable localities, on deep, black soil; but they are successful, and in those orchards they have been growing fruit for hundreds of years. I thought myself, at the start, that we nevershould be able to find anything among the Russian apples that would keep, from the fact that the trees there were grown so much further north than here, and it isa so much colder country that the apples that were there winter apples would become fall apples here. But we have fruited some that were good keepers, somé that will keep nearly to the time of the season of new apples. So that idea has been dissipated. Weare going to have a fair num- ber of late-keeping Russian apples. For summer we have anearly apple and a better apple than anything else that I have ever grown for an early apple; that is, considering the quality and its appearance, for the market; I do not think we havean apple that is equal to it, as an early apple. It is longer in season than any early apple I have ever known. My apples get ripe about the twenty-fifth of July. I had some at our State fair that had been lying on a Shelf in an upper room until the time of the fair and that were in good condition. This apple, so far as quality is concerned, is about like the Early Harvest; I think they are a better apple. The tree seems to be perfectly hardy and is a very early bearer; have had the tree bear when only three years old from the graft; it is a very desirable tree for an early fruit. Then we have another early apple that is better in quality,— in fact we have nothing better so far as quality is concerned ex- cept the Early June. It would not be a good market apple because it scabs somewhat, but it is of very fine quality; the tree is very hardy. There seems to be a peculiarity that these trees come in sort of classes. There is the Alexander class, there are several apples of that class, all subject to blight, every one; the Tetofsky, and six or seven of that class of apples have the same peculiarity. There are others more showy than the Alexander, some of them that are striped and quite large; these apples are subject quite as much to blight as the Alexander; but as the trees get older they do not show the blight so much. Then we have a class of STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 131 apples of the Anis family, and there are several varieties. How valuable they are going to be I am not prepared to give an opinion. The tree is said to be perfectly hardy, said to be the most hardy of the Russian fruits. There is quite a difference in the varieties belonging to the Anis family, as regards the quality of the fruit. We have one known as the Anisette, which is almost if not quite the Duchess; it is very similar to the Duchess; the tree looks very much like a Duchess. We have also the Red Anis and Yellow Anis; I cannot see any difference between the red and yellow. These are among the five varieties found by Mr. Budd in Russia. We have another apple that we have tested enough so that we are willing to put confidence in it, and that is the Longfield. I don’t know of any of the Russian varieties that is perhaps more valuable to plant. I have fruited it for five years in succession and raised a crop every year. I have the apple here. It is an apple of good quality, and I think fully as good as the Fameuse; and I think itis a better keeper; my apples have not rotted as much as the Fameuse. Dr. Regel says of the tree that in an orchard of over a hundred varieties it is the only apple that would bear every year. With me it has fruited, as I say, every year for five years, each year increasing its crop; and I had trees this year the most heavily laden with fruit that I have ever seen. Here is aspecimen of the Longfield. Here is an apple that is a great keeper. That tree is a great bearer, and I think the fruit will keep till June. This specimen is the Longfield. I have another apple that came to me under the name of Lord apple that is much like this one in appearance andis a little more acid, rather a sharp acid, fine grained, and a very good keeper. I think it is going to be a valuable tree for a late keeping apple. It is a good bearer. I neglected to gather the fruit on that tree until the last of October. I was told by a neighbor that he saw a person carrying fruit from my orchard, and had seen him mak - ing two or three trips. J examined and found no fruit left ex- cept a few specimens I found in the grass; these are the ones. -That is a late keeper, probably as late as any I have. I would say that these apples were on exhibition at the county and State fair. I put them in a box and they were there until two weeks ago when I went and picked them out. That is the Lord apple. I haveno question in my own mind, from what I can see and from my experiments with these Russian fruits, that they are going 132 ' ANNUAL REPORT. to be adapted to this whole prairie region, clear up to Manitoba. Trees have been doing well with me the past five years. Some of my trees set three years ago have been fruiting some, and have come through these hard winters in perfect condition. I can see no reason why these apples, coming from a country much further north than ours, and with conditions very much like _ ours, Should not be adapted to the climate here. There are no orchards on this continent that will compare in extent with the orchards which are to be found in Russia. The whole business of a considerable portion of this country seems to be the growing of fruit in an open prairie country, and it is a business that is successful. The Volga answers to the Mississippi and the Mis- souri here; it drains a great prairie country, a rich prairie country, and these apples grown on the Upper Volga are trans- ported to Palestine and Southern Russia, and there they find their market. The people living in Palestine get their apples from Russia. Mr. Gibb tells me that they told him there that their mildest winters the thermometer ranged lower than it does here this winter. And that without a particle of snow on the ground the trees were preserved. It will take some time yet to try and determine the value of these Russian apples. I have some fifty varieties that I have not fruited yet; I fruited some sixty last season and we expect to find something among them that will be of value; we have wlready found something that I know will be of value to this whole Northwestern country. I have not come here to represent a nursery; I come here asa fruit grower. My business has been fruit-growing for more than thirty years; I try to throw aside my nursery business whenever I go into a convention to talk fruit. My orders for these trees are fifty times what I am able to supply; I don’t take one order in fifty. JI am not here to recommend any fruit for the purpose of sale. I have already had too much notoriety on this Russian apple business through your reports and that of Iowa, and the report of Mr. Gibb, of Canada. Col. Stevens. Have you raised the Russian Transparent ? Mr. Tuttle. Yes, sir; it is the early apple I was speaking of. I think there is some variation in this class of apples. Take the White Transparent and the Yellow Transparent, I can see no difference in the fruit. Whatever else we may find for an early apple among the Russians, I do not expect to find any- thing better than that. It will be the early apple not only in the Arctic regions but here as well. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 133 Mr. Smith. I would like to inquire about No. 190, known as the Tiesenhausen. Mr. Tuttle. It isa late keeper; it is of good quality and in form like the Ben Davis. Prof. Budd, when he returned from Kurope, gave out the idea that the apples that I had were not the true Russian apples, but were German and coast apples. Well, [happened to have pretty much all the kinds he men- tioned and among the varieties I have are the five varieties of the Anis. I have taken pains to get the best, and Mr. Gibb, of Quebec, says, after looking over my orchard and examining my Russian apples in my orchard, that I have nearly every variety of value. At that time he held out the idea that my apples were not adapted to Minnesota; but I guess, perhaps, he has now given that up. I have had a little controversy with him. The fact of the matter is that Dr. Reed, in collecting those fruits for the United States, did very thorough work, and he selected ap- ples which were grown throughout the whole of Russia. Mr. Sias. I would inquire if you have fruited the Red Black? Mr. Tuttle. ~No, sir; I have not. Mr. Sias. I have a specimen here I would like to show you. Mr. Tuttle. I would like to say a word about the Repka, on account of its late keeping, and which Messrs. Elwanger and Barry highly recommend. With me it isa late keeper and seems to be of very great value. My trees stand on June grass sod and have stood there for five or six years, but have borne every year; the past year they bore a very heavy crop. I wish to say here that I would rather be the originator of the Wealthy apple than to hold the highest office in this State. It has done more for the Wisconsin Horticultural Society than any- thing that has ever been done. Mr. Smith. Is it not your opinion that these seedlings show better characteristics as to shipping and keeping qualities than the average of the Russians ? Mr. Tuttle. I do not think that a promiscuous lot of seedlings would show equal keeping qualities. We have very few Rus- sian varieties that are not better keepers than the Duchess. According to one authority the Longfield will keep as well as the Snow apple, and we call the Snow apple pretty good. Now, I am not advertising these apples myself; in fact, many of these new kinds I haven’t got in the nursery at all, that is, I have none for sale. Until Mr. Gibb came to my place there e 134 ANNUAL REPORT. were several kinds I didn’t know anything about. There are men who are traveling through the country selling Russian ap- ples and it is a credit to their business, but there are lots of things that are sold that are not Russian. The Pewaukee is sometimes sold as a Russian apple, and the Waldron. They come here and sell them, but I have not seen any of these men traveling and selling Russian apples that were selling a list of strictly Russian apples. They send out the Lord apple when it is nothing more than the Alexander. Mr. Sias. I have fruited about fifty varieties of these new Russians and I fully agree with Mr. Tuttle on that point raised by Mr. Smith, as to whether they average as well as the seed- lings. I think the Russian varieties average much better; that is, as to quality and hardiness as compared with the seedlings. Now, I am on the seedling committee and don’t wish to say any- thing out of the way in regard to the seedlings, for I believe in the seedlings, but facts are what we are to get at.. The Russians are hardy and they average much better than a lot of seedlings through the country, such as are generally to be found. Mr. Tuttle. Mr. Dodge says he did not find the true Duchess in Russia. The Red Anisette, the Yellow and the Green Rus- sian are all so near alike that one has difficulty to distinguish between them; and yet I can see a little difference. They are Duchess in tree and Duchess in fruit. An adjournment was here taken until afternoon. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 135 HIGHTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE MINNESOTA AMBER CANE ASSOCIATION. AFTERNOON SESSION. SEcoND DAY— WEDNESDAY, Jan. 21, 1885. The afternoon session of Wednesday was set apart by pre- vious arrangement for the transaction of business in connection with the Amber cane industry. | At 2 o’clock P. M. the convention was called to order by Capt. Russell Blakeley, president of the Minnesota Amber Cane Asso- ciation, who stated that many of the members of the association were in New Orleans in attendance upon the World’s Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition, now in session there, which would account for the limited attendance here this afternoon, and welcomed the large audience present to this meeting, and invited them to participate in its deliberations and discussions. Prof. E. D. Porter, secretary of the association, stated that as the proceedings of the last meeting were all published in the daily press, he had not brought with him the records of daily meetings for last year, supposing they were completed with the close of the annual meeting. He would present to the meeting his financial report as secretary and treasurer for the past year : 136 ANNUAL REPORT. Report of the Secretary and Treasurer of the Minnesota Amber Cane Association for the year ending Jan. 21, 1885: Balance in the treasurer’s hands Jan. 22, 1884............... $80 90 Amount received from membership fees, 1884............... 22 00 otal ii. tes ohite nae veccadee.s fctts owas nes sp yee $102 90 Cash paid for printing notices and tickets ............ $7 50 : 3 record hook. iis. .ccks shies 1 90 ia " stationery and postage ...............0006 2 20 11 60 Balanee 2a 0 case ees eee $91 30 It was moved that the report be received and adopted. Car- ried. Capt. Blakeley. I would suggest that the officers for the en- suing year might be elected at the present time. Mr. Ditus Day, of Farmington. There are so very few of the members of the association present, many of them having gone South, among them Mr. Kenney and others, I therefore move that the present officers of the Amber Cane Association, in- cluding the president, vice president, secretary and treasurer, be continued for another year. The motion was amended to include the members of the exec- utive committee and adopted. The officers thus elected are as follows: President —Capt. Russe]1 Blakeley, St. Paul. Vice President —Divus Day, Farmington. Secretary and Treasurer — Prof. Edward D. Porter, Minneapolis. Executive Committee— R. Blakeley, St, Paul; D. Day, Farmington; E. D. Por- ter, Minneapolis; Seth H. Kenney, Morristown; J. F. Porter, Red Wing. Prof. Porter moved that a committee be appointed by the chair on exhibits of sugar and syrup, and Messrs. Ditus Day and Wyman Elliot were appointed as such committee. Mr. Elliot asked to be excused from serving, as his time was occupied oth- erwise, and Mr. R. C. Judson was appointed in place of Mr. Elliot. Capt. Blakeley. It is with pleasure that I am able to announce the presence of the honorable ex-commissioner of agriculture of the United States, who has been identified with the amber cane STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. ies interests of the United States as well as of the State of Minne- sota. I am glad to welcome him to our meeting, and should be glad to have him address the convention. Gen. W. G. Le Due. Mr. President, I am very much obliged to you for the very kind introduction and invitation extended to me, and I am very glad to meet with the friends here to-day. I find here many familiar faces and a great many that are new, at least to me, although perhaps not new to you. It would afford me pleasure to join heartily in your plans and take part in your deliberations. That I could give you any information on amber eane I think is extremely doubtful. Of course I have felt a lively interest in the sugar products of our country, and this is espe- cially true with regard to the product of our own State. I have traveled to some extent in foreign countries and in places where sugar is produced, perhaps, a great deal cheaper than it can be here. It may be interesting to some of you to know how much cheaper sugar can be made in Mexico than it can be here, and that it would be idle for us to undertake to compete with the people of that country in sugar-making under similar circum- stances. I have been in Mexico where the sugar grows from a single planting and yields a crop for eighteen years, and yields a large crop of sugar, which is easily obtained. They boil the juice in open kettles and it makes a strong, well-grained sugar, valuable for refining or for any other purpose. This was in Sierras Cali- entes on the west shore, or on the Gulf of California. It has occurred to me that when we have ratified the treaty that is now before Congress that the people of Mexico might compete with us who raise the amber cane, and the question was suggested as to how far this would interfere or come in competition with our industry, if sugar were to be brought from that country, where it may be raised so cheaply. There are other elements that enter into the production of sugar; there is the element of population, and there, my friends, we have the advant- age; there is the element of mind and body, and there we have the advantage; there is the element of transportation to market, and there of course we have the advantage; because in that country, where I have seen so excellent a growth of cane, the people are very much as they were 1,800 years ago. I cannot better illustrate the condition of that society there to you than to tell you of a conversation I had with an American who had been settled there for twenty-nine years, a gentleman who had 18 138 ANNUAL REPORT. gone into that country to save his life. He was complaining about the ‘‘ Yankee greasers”’ that came and settled in Mexico, because, as he said, they were the worst kind of greasers in the world. I asked him ‘‘Why do you stay here; is it to get rich?’ ““Not exactly that,’’ he says. ‘‘I have had my ups and downs in the world, but’’ he says, ‘‘I have a hope of a hereafter.’’ ““Yes, what is it?’’ ‘‘Well,’’? he says, ‘‘you know my people down here are all good Christians; we believe in the Bible and are of the Catholic kind and of course are earnest, conscientious Catholics and all believe in the second coming of Christ, and when that takes place I hope to have my compensation for living here.’’ I asked, ‘‘Well, how do you expect to obtain that?’’ ‘“Why,”’ he says, ‘‘when Christ comes again on this earth he would very naturally come down first to the country where he lived when he was on earth before, and when he found every- thing there reversed and entirely changed, he would leave the land of Palestine and go to Rome; there he would see the great temples and palaces erected for the worship of God, and he would say, ‘this is not my nation and people’ and he would come over to New York; and when he got there and heard the bustle and rattle and the rush of the cars and saw the hurry of the people, he would naturally get out of that country as fast as possible and would pass over the country until he reached this fair land, where he would see the people carrying water on their heads, or riding on a jackass’s back, or plowing with a stick, and he would raise his hands and say: ‘Lo! and behold my chosen people, just as I left them 1,500 years ago!’ and I hope when that ingathering comes that I may have some chance.’’ (Laughter. ) Now, my friends, there is no better illustration of the class of people with whom we have to compete in this new territory, for we may describe them just as they were hundreds of years ago. Think of our American citizens competing with such people in raising sugar; if they could not compete with them in that or in anything else I would be ashamed of my people. But I will not detain you with any extended remarks; this is a little talk that your president has gotten out of me and that without any reflec- tion. I amvery glad to be among you in Minnesota and have an opportunity to meet with you and to be among those who have in- telligent faces and who live on something besides beans. I tell you if you ever go into that country you had better take your own provisions with you if you don’t want to starve to death. There STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 139 are two schools in the country; one I saw and the other I heard of. Give me a country where the people are compelled to be active both in mind and body. In that country where fruits abound you would not find any fruit upon the table, not even a melon or an orange; they do not know how to live. If the treaty is ratified we shall be compelled to compete with these people of Mexico in the making of sugar. Prof. W. A. Henry, of the Wisconsin State University, Madison, Wis., was then introduced but excused himself for the present from making any remarks. Capt. Blakeley then proceeded to deliver the president’s an- nual address, as follows: CAPT. BLAKELEY’S ANNUAL ADDRESS. Gentlemen of the Convention: The address of your president in years past has contained a general review of our industry within the State during the year, as reported by its members assembled in convention. Owing to the absence of many of the principal cane growers of the State I have not been able to ascertain the amount of sugar and syrup made within the State during the season. I hope this omission may be supplied during the session so that it may appear in the record of our proceedings. Jam, however, able to say that the season has been more than an average good one and that our confidence is as strong as at any time in the past in the immense importance of this industry to the State. As you are aware, the convention and its sugar and syrups are very creditably repre- sented in the great exposition at New Orleans, and our thanks are due to the persons who have contributed to this result. Prof. Porter, our worthy secretary, will address you on the situa- tion and result of our exhibit, and I am sure that you may ex- pect a gratifying report from him on this effort to call the atten- _ tion of the general public to the result of our enterprize in developing this new source of supply of sugar and syrup for our consumption. The present condition of the sugar interest and its future wel- fare I am sure is of sufficient interest to you to justify me in mak- ing rather more than passing reference to it. As you are aware, the increasing demand and supply of sugar throughout the com- mercial world during the last decade is without a parallel in his- tory. The average produce of cane sugar is annually about 140 ANNUAL REPORT. 2,150,000 tons, excluding China and India. The amount of beet sugar made in Europe in 1884 was 2,530,000 tons, which makes a total of 4,680,000 tons. The consumption of Europe for a year ending Sept. 30, 1884, was 2,289,000 tons. Amount consumed in the United States for the year ending June 30, 1884, is esti- mated at 1,251,000 tons of 2,240 lbs., which being deducted from the aggregate amount produced leaves 1,140,000 tons for the con- sumption of all countries beside Europe and the United States. There was on hand in Europe on Oct. 30, 1884, 552,000 tons. I have not been able to lay my hand upon an estimate of the stock on hand in the United States on June 30, 1884, but the in- creased importation for the year is about 250,000 tons, and the consumption per capita of fifty-one pounds, an increase of seven and eighty-six one hundredths pounds during the year. The average duty paid upon dutiable sugar for 1884 was one and ninety-four one-hundredths cents per pound. I believe that the foregoing statistics are reliable. They are taken from French and British authorities in Europe and from what I regard as the best authority in this country. There is by no means an extraordinary difference between the production and consumption; yet sugar, when compared with the prices of other articles of consumption, is lower than ever before in the last one hundred years. In the London market, January Ist, beet, eighty-eight per cent purity, f. 0. b., was quoted at ten shillings per hundred pounds, and Cuba centratugal seven shil- lings and six pence per hundred or long hundred pounds. Fair refining on January 1st was four and five-eighths cents in New York. Another remarkable condition of things has been developed. There have been imported into Great Britain during the year 193, - 270 tons of refined sugar, and while we have imported of beet grown sugar to a very large amount, we have exported to Great Britain 49,643 tons of refined sugar. Such are some of the remarkable results of legislation in this country and Europe in regard to sugar. You ask, what is the reason for this condition of things. If I may be permitted to express an opinion I should say that it was a panic. Sugar cannot be made for these ruinous prices anywhere, and while it is a very serious condition of things at present, it will soon right itself. While syrup is selling for a usual good price our people who have been engaged in making sugar have had a very disastrous season. I think it will be of short duration. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 141 There is one other source of trouble to our industry. I refer to the Spanish-American treaty. What ever induced the presi dent to recommend such a measure is beyond my comprehension. If I had been in favor of making a trade for free sugar, I should have asked Germany, France, Austria, and Belgium for reciproc- ity by exchanging pork, beef, four, whisky, and tobacco for free sugar, to the amount of $100,000,000; but to make the offer to take from Spain $100,000,000 worth of sugar and tobacco grown by slaves and coolies, without a possible equivalent, is certainly a mistake. But you need not be alarmed, such a thing as that cannot pass the senate of the United States; even the free trade clubs of the country cry out against it. The general effort that is being made to improve the processes of manufacture of sugar promises grand results. The zeal, en- terprise and commendable sagacity that is now displayed, both by associations and individuals, in adopting the most scientific and approved methods of work, give us undoubted confidence in the complete success in our calling, against even the combina- tion of capital and slave labor in Cuba, or the scientific energy and government support of beet grown sugar in Europe. I learn that the Rio Grande Company, of New Jersey, have adopted the diffusion of their bagasse after it has passed the mill, and have in other ways changed their policy of former years. The bagasse, after leaving the mill, is carried up to the floor above the diffusion room and runs through a cutting machine and dropped into a bucket or carrier which is run from its place over the diffusors and emptied into the diffusors when it is neces- sary to refill them. The diffusors are ten in number, seven feet high, forty inches in diameter at the top and thirty inches at the bottom. The water that is used in this process is heated to above two hundred and twelve degrees Fahrenheit. One of the diffus- ors can be emptied and filled in about five minutes, and to pass the water through the whole number of diffusors in the battery takes from fifty minutes to an hour. This battery of diffusors works the bagasse cut into chips as it runs from the mill, of about two hundred tons of cane per diem. This cane is brought from the field by a railroad operated by mules, and carries the cane as cut in the field, seed and all, and it is unloaded by portable derricks. When the cane is placed upon the cars there is a string placed around each bunch, which may contain five hundred pounds each, and the hook of the der- rick is placed in this string and the cane delivered at such place 142 ANNUAL REPORT. as it is needed for the mill carrier. The cane when raised by the derrick is swung under a knife, which cuts off the seed head of the bunch, which is deposited in a convenient receptacle, to be loaded on the cars as they return to the field, and is carried to a convenient point to their pig pens, where it is stacked for feed- ing the hogs, of which they keep about five hundred. The bagasse from the diffusors is also carried to the pens and worked into manure of the very best quality for their cane fields during the winter. This manner of disposing of their seeds and bagasse enables the company to make both pork for the market with their seed and an abundance of manure for their fields, which produce the finest quality of cane. Mr. Hughes sent me a polite invitation to visit them during the working season, but I was unfortunately unable to do so. I have not been able to learn the result of their season’s work, but will guarantee that their report will be a gratification to all. I will not allude to what is being done in Louisiana, as I expect to hear from Prof. Porter fully on that locality, and possibly more definitely from Rio Grande from some one in the convention. In conclusion IJ still say that the amber cane sugar and syrup indus- try will overcome all adverse and opposing influences in Minne- sota in spite of Prof. Wiley’s isothermal line and the unfriendly legislation of the government. THE AMBER CANE INDUSTRY AT NEW ORLEANS. BY PROF. E. D. PORTER. Prof. Porter was then called upon to report on the New Orleans exhibit. He said: Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Association: My report will be very brief. I presume you are all interested to know what kind of a show Minnesota is making among the sugar makers of our country. Before making a report upon the exhibit there I want to say a few words, by way of preface or ex- planation, concerning the very disastrous years of 1882 and 1883, which were very discouraging to Minnesota amber cane growers and to the industry generally throughout the Northwest; and that will account, of course, in part for the diminished attendance and membership at the present meeting. Last year, 1883, scarcely a stalk of cane was matured in Minnesota. The very backward STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 145 season in the spring, together with an early fall, shortened the time for maturing the crop. We found we had very little cane that was matured in the State; there was very little good syrup manufactured and no sugar made from it that I am aware of. From these causes there was the past year a diminished area planted, largely attributable to the uncertainty of the crop the previous year. This will account in part for any dimunition which may be apparent in the industry. The past year has been a very good one, not only for this State but for the entire North- west. I have seen specimens of cane that matured in the northern part of Dakota and along the line of the Northern Pacific Railroad. At our University Experimental Farm I had forty-two varie- ties of sorghum, about every variety that I could find growing in this country or in Kurope. And [ want to say this, that there was nothing among the different varieties that would surpass the amber cane; I found nothing that was superior to it for growth and maturity, or that was equal to it in saccharine development. If we had two or three weeks more of growing season there are two or three varieties that would perhaps give a larger quantity to the acre; but out of the forty-two varieties there was not one that would compare with the early amber of our State. I conducted a series of experiments with these different varie- ties for the purpose of determining the earliest period at which the crop could be cut profitably for manufacture. I commenced the examination for sugar with the polirascope, and by the “‘oravity method’’ as soon as the seed head appeared, and con- tinued them from day to day until growth was stopped by frost. The result of these tests only served to corroborate those of pre- vious seasons, both in this State and elsewhere, and proved conclusively that the development of sugar in all varieties of sorghum keeps pace with the development of the seed,—com- mencing when the seed first appears, and reaching its maximum when fully matured,—and that the cane can be profitably cut and worked for syrup as soon as it is in the ‘‘milk,’’ but for sugar should not be cut until the seed has hardened or matured. I intended to have had specimens of these forty-two varie- ties here but my absence at New Orleans has prevented. Now, in regard to what we have done at New Orleans. We have on exhibition there about one ton of sugar and ten barrels of syrup from Minnesota, of which the specimens on the table here are fair samples.. The most of this sugar was manufactured by Mr. J. F. Porter, of Red Wing. You will remember that he 144 ANNUAL REPORT. commenced about five years ago at Red Wing, without any previous experience; he was a tanner by profession, but taking a deep interest in this new industry he went to work, and the result of a single season was about 1,500 pounds of sugar, made with the use of the crudest home implements and machinery. We have here three specimens differing in color, and, as I said, we have about a ton of sugar like these specimens on exhibition, with about ten barrels of syrup. The syrup was manufactured chiefly by Mr. Kenney, of Morristown, and both the sugar and the syrup are attracting an immense amount of attention there. Almost at any time you may find an interested group of sugar planters of Louisiana or Texas, and people from all portions of the South, around that exhibit. I was very much amused at one group shortly after the exhibit was first up. There were in the number some four or five gentlemen and all of them I found afterwards to be sugar planters of Lower Louisiana; they were making remarks. One of them went by our exhibit, which we had just got in place. We had an open pan by a table and syrup for testing, and he touched his finger to it and tasted it; he looked at the sugar and read ‘‘ Minnesota.’’ He took some of it between his fingers and rubbed it between them and tasted it, and looked astonished. He called to a party that was passing by and said, ‘““Come here, judge!’ He asked what was the matter. He came up and the other said: ‘‘T’ll be d—d if these Minnesota fellows haven’t scooped us!’ (Laughter.) One of them came up to the attendant in charge and began to ask questions, such as: ‘““What does it cost to make it?’ etc. The other interrupted and said, ‘‘ That has nothing to do with it; they have got the sugar.’’ They looked at the mottoes and examined the exhibit very care- fully. The barrels are made of black walnut and are finished off in a neat and attractive manner. On one side of the exhibit appears the following: ‘* Minnesota Amber Cane, Matures its Crop in Ninety Days.”’ On the other side, ‘‘Minnesota Makes Her Own Sugars and Syrups.” On another side, ‘‘Minnesota Don’t Fear the Sugar Line.’”? On another face is this: ‘‘We Are With You, Major Burke, on the Sugar Question.’’ Of course the sugar planters coming theres do not leave until they have read the four signs, and ask ques- tions as to where it is raised, what is the cost, and so on. They have been greatly surprised at the idea of sugar being success- fully grown nearly 1,200 miles beyond what has been supposed to be the sugar belt, and sugar of the fine quality which is made STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 145 from the early amber. The planters send for jugs and decan- ters to be filled with specimens of the syrup and there is not a Single person who has seen it but has pronounced our syrup superior for table purposes to any syrup they have in the South. There is no comparison between it and their best specimens as taken from their plantations. We have on exhibition the finest specimens of syrup from any State of the Union, made from Amber Cane. The Sterling Sugar Works have on exhibition some very fine specimens of sugar; they are lighter colored than ° ours because they have been bleached. They are whiter but not as good grainas ours. Their raw sugar is inferior to ours. They have not exhibited their goods in so attractive a manner as Min- nesota has done and it seems to be generally conceded by com- mon consent that she has ‘‘taken the cake.’”’ And this assertion is borne out by the fact that after the most searching analysis, and the strongest competition, Minnesota received the highest awards for the best ‘“‘raw’’ sugar, the best ‘‘full’’ syrup, and the best barrels of any grade. I had photographs taken of our exhibits but could not get the negatives printed in time to bring them with me. We will soon have photographs here of the exhibits in this as well as in all the other departments. While there I received an invitation to visit some of the sugar plantations on the Lower Mississippi River. I accepted the in- vitation and spent two days on a trip which was of much inter- est and I picked up a good many items of value. The best plan- tation was that of Gov. Warmouth, which is located below New Orleans. We went to Gen. Diamond’s; that is the largest one. The whole establishment is old and is in about the condition one might expect it to be after forty years’ wear and tear. At Gov. Warmouth’s plantation the machinery is all new and he has kept fully abreast with the times; he is turning out the very finest quality of goods. I visited five different plantations and examined them very. critically. I have specimens here of the sugar produced on the governor’s plantation. This is a specimen of sugar from one of the refineries they have established in connection with their works. It is a specimen of Louisiana sugar refined. Here is a specimen as it came from the centrifugal; itis raw sugar without refining. I have specimens of second and third quality of sugar. This specimen of sugar I could have bought at four cents and a half a pound on the plantation; this sugar, at two and a half 19 146 ANNUAL REPORT. cents; and that sugar, at two cents a pound; so you may know how much money there is in the manufacture of sugar in Lou- isiana. At Gen. Diamond’s they work up 1,300 acres of cane, and he told me the result of the work for three years, which will afford an idea of the profits of the business. That three years ago they cleared $57,000 from that plantation, over and above all of the expenses. Last year they lost about $7,000, and this year they are going to just about meet the expenses on the plan- tation. Large numbers of the plantations are bankrupt, or largely in debt, many of them having been bankrupt for three years past, and the sugar industry is entirely prostrated in Lou- isiana. Ifthe Spanish treaty is passed by Congress the industry will be totally destroyed. In regard to the amber cane industry and the reason why they feel down there that we have ‘‘scooped”’ them, is this: In the first place we have millions of acres of sugar land in Minnesota. In Louisiana, as you leave New Orleans and go down the river, towards the gulf, you can see from the deck of the steamboat about all the fine sugar land they have. All their famous old sugar plantations are in sight from the deck of the steamer, and the lands generally extend not more than a mile and a half from the edge of the stream, either to the right or to the left. As you are well aware the Mississippi River is elevated from four to seven and in some places ten feet above the general surface of the land. The country recedes on either side, and there are levees, or em- bankments, on both sides of the river, to guard against the dan- ger of the overflowing of the water of the Mississippi. The drainage is all to the rear of the plantations. They have cleared the land just as far as possible; but if you want to drain and tile it, it is the heaviest, muckiest and worst kind of land for a per- son to attempt to cultivate that you ever saw. These are the sugar lands of Louisiana. Then, again, not only is it bad land .to work, but there is a constant dread of an overflow. The over- flow of last season destroyed all the plantations along the west bank of the river, with the exception of Governor Warmouth’s and one or two others, for a distance of over twenty miles south of New Orleans towards the gulf. It was the overflow of last June, which was the tail end of the overflow in the Upper Mis- sissippiin May. A crevasse which occurred at that time over- flowed a large portion of the country and destroyed all the plan- tations, with the exceptions mentioned. With most of them STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 147 this last year’s crop was entirely destroyed; the cane was entirely ruined, and the water has to be drained off and the cane replanted before they are again productive. There is one great advantage that we possess in the amber cane industry; we have got millions of acres of land capable of pro- ducing the very finest crops of amber, cane. I have seen just as many tons produced of amber cane per acre from one planting as I find on the Louisiana plantations with their three varieties of cane. I may describe the three varieties which they have down there. One is called the Louisiana cane, which is a large, heavy and short-jointed variety. Another is the ‘‘creole,’’ long- jointed and white. The other is the red cane. They cultivate all three varieties on most of the plantations. The cane never seeds in that climate, but keeps on growing until checked by the frosts. The cane grows on an average to a height of about eight feet. In cutting it they trim off the tops and reject the worth- less part. Now, on a farm of 1,200 acres they will have only about 400 acres of cane to work up; practically one-fourth of their land is laying out, or one-fourth is old cane and the other is young. They lay out of the use of their capital about three years. They have got to cultivate three years before they get their crop. We get our crop in from ninety days to four months from planting. There the only valuable part of the cane is what they can use to make sugar and syrup. ‘They make no use whatever of the blades. There is no seed, and their bagasse is a waste product on most of the plantations. In Minnesota we can make the blades worth enough to pay for harvesting the cane, and the crop of seed will pay for the entire expense of cultivation, and it leaves us our sugar and syrup as a clear profit. This is an ad- vantage which I think will enable us at any time to compete with the people of Louisiana in the production of sugar and syrup. Capt. Blakeley. Or anybody else. Prof. Porter. Or anybody else. Gen. Le Duc. Are they not introducing sorghum in that country ? Prof. Porter. They say that it costs them too much. If they would go onto the back or high lands and introduce sorghum they could do it, and I understand they are doing that to some extent. The sorghum is coming into use to supply the home demand. 148 ANNUAL REPORT. Now, I wish to say in regard to values, I had offered to me there the very best quality of New Orleans molasses at twenty- five cents; the second quality for eleven cents; the third quality for seven cents a gallon. The price of sugar was quoted to me at two, two and one-half and four cents a pound. Now then, I don’t know as there has been a gallon of syrup produced from the crop of amber cane raised in Minnesota during the past year which has sold for less than fifty cents a gallon. There is enough demand for the entire product here in Minnesota, so that we need not trouble ourselves about an over-production until we have met the demand for syrup. Taking all these things into consideration, I do not think that we have met with sufficient drawbacks as yet to discourage us in the growth of amber cane; but there is everything to encourage us. In Louisiana they calculate that they will get only one paying crop out of three or four. There were two or three processes that I found in use at Goy. Warmouth’s which are not in general use upon other planta- tions. The cane, instead of being put through the crusher in the ordinary way, is torn to pieces by a shreder. The cane is stripped and it is put into this machine and torn to pieces and then passes through the rolls; and they claim that by this pro- cess they make a gain of about twelve per cent in the extraction of the juice. I was talking there with their chemist and he in- formed me that they had raised the product of the juice from sixty-eight to eighty per cent. Gov. Warmouth has introduced the most recent and improved machinery to be had, and one of his improvements is the use of a bagasse burner; by the use of that the cane passes on to a separator which conveys it along until it drops in front of the burner. It is not handled from the time the cane is put in; the men do not touch it from the time it is laid onto the mule cart out in the cane field. He has laid a tramway from the mill out to his cane field, so that one mule can haul seven cars and does the work of twenty-eight mules or horses in the ordinary way; and from the time that the cane is taken up and laid on the car the men do not touch it again until it reaches the mill; it all goes by machinery, and the cane goes off into smoke one way and the juice into syrup and sugar the other, and in that way, by the application of labor-saving ma- chinery and the most improved machinery that he can get, Gov. Warmouth is overcoming the discouragements and drawbacks that other planters have been contending with upon their plan- STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 149 tations. His profits this year upon his plantation he estimates will be about $50,000. Capt. Blakeley. How much do they value their cane per ton? Prof. Porter. I did not ask. Capt. Blakeley. I saw a report somewhere that they were getting about one hundred and eighty odd pounds of sugar from a ton of the cane; that is a good deal more than we could do with the amber cane. Prof. Porter. The quality of the sugar may be seen by ex- amining these samples. On Mr. Diamond’s plantation I found that he was not making this quality of sugar; he was getting a lower grade. Gen. Le Duc. He uses open kettles and open pans? Prof. Porter. Yes, as well as a vacuum pan. Gen. Le Duc. Did they use the corn stalks anywhere where you were? Prof. Porter. No, sir; it was not used, and I did not find a single hill of corn on one of these five plantations that I visited. Every pound of meat, and every loaf of bread, and every parti- ele of grain that they feed their stock was imported, and all they have to support this system of agriculture is their sugar and mo- lasses. Of course, in the nature of things, an industry of that kind cannot stand very long. Capt. Blakeley. Could you give us an estimate of the quan tity of seed that may be produced from an acre of land, from any of your experiments? Prof. Porter. The average product is about twenty-five bush- els to the acre. i Gen. Le Due. How do you feed it? Prof. Porter. I have used it with advantage as feed for hogs, mixed with the hot skimmings,— or ground and fed as cornmeal. In the East I have grown it in large quantities, both for feed and for seed. The plan I have found the most economical and expe- ditious for saving seed is the following: Take into the field three ‘*horses’’ about the size and shape of a common saw-horse, upon which the cut cane is to be placed. Let one man, provided with a straight-bladed corn knife, or a cane machete, pass between the rows, and with a quick downward stroke with the back of the knife strip the blades from the stalks; then let another hand follow and cut the canes from the hills and throw them on the horses, the heads all one way; then let a third man, with one 150 ANNUAL REPORT. stroke of the cane knife, cut the heads at about the first joint, and tie the bundle with two bands. Move the horses as the cut- ting advances. The seed heads will thus be left in small piles, and after the cutting is done gather up the blades which are scattered over the ground, scatter them in convenient patches and spread the tufts of cane seed on them; they will cure in this way without moulding. When dry, run through a threshing machine and clean up like ordinary small grain. Prof. Henry. Have you ever attempted to bulk your seed in a bin? Prof. Porter. I have; I have had no difficulty in keeping it. There is one objection to threshing by machinery, the grain is liable to be cracked and thus injured for seed. The committee appointed by the chair to examine the speci- mens of sugar and syrup on exhibition, here presented the fol- lowing: Your committee appointed to examine the various samples of amber cane sugar and syrup on the tables of the association, respectfully report that we find all the exhibits of a superior quality, and, as compared with those presented a few years ago, mark a most gratifying progress in this industry. In the class of defecated or limed and sulphured syrups, we find that made by Mr. J. F. Porter, of Red Wing, Minn., en- titled to the first place, and that exhibited by Hon. Seth H. Ken- ney, of Morristown, Minn., to the second. In the class of raw, or canine syrups, we find that of K. H. Whipple, of Minnetonka, Minn., first, and that of W. G. Ford, Newport, Minn., second. The samples of sugar exhibited by Mr. J. F. Porter, of Red Wing, Minn., are in every respect equal to those on exhibition from the sugar plantations of Louisiana. [Signed] Ditus DAY, ) k. C. JuDson, » Committee. W. G. Le Duc. J; Capt. Blakeley. We would like to hear from Prof. Henry, and get a history of things at Madison. Prof. Henry. Mr. President, we in Wisconsin, of course, owe our sorghum cane industry, or more fitly termed ‘‘amber cane”’ industry, to the people of this State, and to our former commis- sioner of agriculture. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 151 Now, we have been ever grateful for that, and we have always. looked up in this direction for help and consolation, for we have needed it sometimes. We started some experiments on the ex- perimental farm. We have had a vacuum pan and an expert mental sugar house, and for two seasons we have made syrup and sugar. The second year we attempted to make sugar eco- nomically, in a small way; that is, we wanted to see what we could make sugar for, and we have kept an account of all our expenses. In doing that, we found, not charging anything for our outfit, simply counting the prices we paid for fuel, for grow- ing and getting the sugar ready for market, but not barreled, it cost us four and one-half cents a pound. The sugar would not be worth hardly that to-day, but at that time there would be a fair profit left. At that time I was careful to gather up the statistics of our State in regard to the manufacture of syrup; for while some have talked about sugar, I thought I would rather talk about syrup; we must get our bread and butter to-day from our syrups. I found that we were manufacturing about 600,000 gal- lons of syrup, in that neighborhood. I sent circulars all over the State and gathered up the information. In 1882 there were about 700,000 gallons produced in the State. Last year there was nearly an entire failure. It may be asked what we have done this past year in Wiscon- sin. The failure of the preceding year of course put us back somewhat; yet we started in and have done magnificently both for the amount and the quality of the article manufactured. I was at Mr. Powell’s, at River Falls, last Saturday and he told me that they had manufactured 11,000 gallons. I sampled the syrup at the farmer’s houses and it was simply number one. I cannot imagine how it could be superior unless it was run through bone charcoal to clarify it. The color was not as fine as some of your samples, but the flavor was number one. We have one company manufacturing more than that. Wil- liams & Flynn bought up a lot of landalong the Wisconsin River, a very poor quality of land, which was considered as absolutely worthless and which cost them about twenty-five cents to a dollar and a quarter an acre, and which had reverted for taxes. They put up large cane works and they planted on the fresh sod, but the frost took them the first year. This year they continued their efforts and they have made 17,000 gallons of syrup. Next year Iam confident they will largely increase that amount. Now you can see why we can afford to help them in the begin- 152 ANNUAL REPORT. ning and to fosterthisindustry. The State can well afford to give it encouragement. Williams & Flynn have one of these frame bins that we have heard of, which is a very simple affair, in which they keep the seed. I find now that our Wisconsin farmers and others who are engaged in this industry are giving up the stripping of the cane. Gen. Le Due. Is the reason that it does not pay? Prof. Henry. The point is to work for economy in the culti- vation, in the handling and in the saving of the product. There is where Germany succeeds in thesugar industry. Wecan grow fodder so cheaply that we cannot afford to spend the time to handle the blades or to strip the cane. Messrs. Powell and Williams & Flynn told me that they could not afford to have their cane stripped. The defecation with the lime is a little different. This is a point worth remembering in order to see if there is not a way to economize in this particular. Upon this matter of saving the seed heads I would say, that we found at Madison that our crop of seed was especially good in 1881, and there was one piece that yielded as high as thirty-two bushels of seed to the acre of Minnesota early amber, and the seed weighed fifty pounds to the bushel. Mr. Whipple. How was the cane grown? Prof. Henry. In hills three feet eight inches one way and four feet the other; with about seven stalks in the hill. It was grown for sugar, not for syrup. But let me tell you that there is a great difference in the seed, or the amount of seed in the heads that is grown; cane heads fill with more variation than wheat heads. That year we had avery heavy seed crop and our cane that yielded over thirty-two bushels to the acre yielded a thousand pounds of sugar; that is we extracted that much. One hundred gallons of syrup, nine hundred and ninety-eight pounds of sugar and thirty-three bushels of seed were the products of an acre, in round numbers, and that was replanted cane at that. It was a very successful little crop. Now, I have said that I would not attempt to strip my cane if I could succeed without. The second point is, do not waste the seed. Now, howshall we save it?) Save it just as economically as you can. Feed it to your fattening hogs. A good way is to begin early to feed your cane seed; you will be surprised to see how it will help you out. We can keep hogs alive indefinitely on the seed, and by mixing the ‘“‘skims”’ they will thrive almost STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 153 as well as with the use of Indian corn; but in our experiments in feeding cane seed with Indian corn I have been disappointed in the results. While analysis shows them to be nearly equal in nutritious equivalents, I was able to obtain only about fifty per cent of feeding value from sorghum seed, as compared with In- dian corn, pound for pound. Prof. Porter. Was it bolted or unbolted? Prof. Henry. It was just ground ina common feedmill and fed with the hulls. 5 My work is to mingle with the farmers of Wisconsin and do them what service I can. I have been out this cold weather from farm to farm, meeting with the granges or the farmers’ clubs. I find that we are the most wasteful people on earth. Itisa national disgrace that our farmers will persist in wasting their products the way they do. I find people nearly starving to death in a country where we may get as good prices nearly as you can get anywhere. We should utilize the skimmings; use them as a fertilizer, if for nothing else; I use them to feed to the pigs. Butin using them I would not let them get too sour. I would not feed them exclusively; recollect that. Don’t try to feed the skimmings and nothing else, but mix them with their food. Williams & Flynn had no hogs. One of the firm came up with me on the train; was coming up to sell some carloads of syrup and we were talking about it. I said to him that was per- fectly extravagant; he replied that he knew it and they would never do it again. : I am confident that we are going right ahead with this indus- try in our State. I should say that the amount of syrup pro- duced in Wisconsin the past year has not been less than 750,000 gallons, which is worth fifty cents per gallon. The credit of this belongs to your good people of Minnesota, and we of Wis- consin are willing to give you the honor for it. Gen. Le Duc. IJ would like to inquire about the defecation; how was it changed where the leaves were put through, if you will be kind enough to give us the process ? Prof. Henry. I could not in detail only to give you this: One man used coal-black, which went into the syrup. He was asked what was the difference. He said it took a little more lime. There is nothing else used yet but the lime. Capt. Blakeley. Will the professor tell us about Mr. Powell’s vinegar works? Prof. Henry. Mr. Powell has immense tanks provided where 20 154 ANNUAL REPORT. he keeps the material from which he makes vinegar. Into these tanks he puts the skimmings and lets them stand there. I was in his syrup house and I found his tank and its contents stand- ing without any protection; he says he has let it stand out one or two winters and says he has no trouble in making good vine- gar the next season. I believe he says it freezes very consider- ably; and yet it makes very good vinegar. { Capt. Blakeley. I have a barrel of it myself and prefer it to anything else. Prof. Porter. I have found this utilization of a waste prod- uct, one of the most profitable branches of the amber cane industry, and in the line of the economy, so strongly urged by Prof. Henry, my practice has been to feed the skimmings from the ‘‘raw’’ end of the pan to my hogs, and to save the skim- mings from the ‘‘ finishing’’ pan until enough had accumulated to make a good ‘‘run,’’ when I diluted them with about six parts of water and boiled down a second time. I thus obtained a good but dark colored syrup which would keep for any length of time, and constituted my vinegar ‘‘stock;’’ this, mixed with ten parts of rainwater, and fermented in the usual way, will furnish a vinegar of the greatest strength, purity and flavor. It takes about one year to make a prime article of vinegar by the natural process, but it is easily and cheaply done and gives a product which commands the highest price in the market. I wish to suggest a word of warning in feeding the skimmings to the hogs: they must not be allowed to become too sour. I had a little experience of that kind once which I will relate. I had given instructions to my men to feed skimmings regularly to the hogs and not to let them stand too long; they let them stand forty-eight hours and then fed them. The result was what might have been expected; you never saw a more drunken set of ani- — mals! Three of them were dead drunk, so much so that they never recovered, but the rest of them came to. It was simply because the alchoholic fermentation had set it, and feeding it then had simply made the hogs beastly drunk. | Mr. Ditus Day, of Farmington. I would say that I have had very good success this year in making syrup,— probably the best I have ever made. In regard to feeding the skimmings I have had a little experience; it was two years ago. I trusted a hired man to feed the hogs and when I came home one Sunday, (1 had cautioned him not to feed too much, ) I found two of the hogs—I had six of them—were so drunk that they couldn’t move. One STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 155 of them never recovered, but the rest survived. I find that one needs to be very careful about feeding sorghum that is fermented too much, but when fed properly I find that the hogs fatten well. Mr. Kenney, of our county, made 12,000 gallons or more this year. I met him the fore part of last month and he told me that he was going to Louisiana. There is a specimen of his syrup here. I have not brought a specimen of my syrup; I tried to draw some but couldn’t make it run, and I was in such a hurry I didn’t bring it. Mr. ©. L. Smith. I came up from Faribault with Mr. Kenney a short time since and he told me that his product this year was 12,000 gallons. He stated that he had sold 7,000 gallons at an average price of fifty-five cents per gallon, net. He made another statement that I did not exactly understand at the time, but Prof. Porter’s remarks about sugar-making in Louisiana ex- plain his statements about New Orleans syrups selling for seven, eleven and twenty-five cents per gallon. Mr. Kenney finds a ready sale for his syrup and he asks for it about what the mer- chants can readily get for it. He said that he found that the merchants generally didn’t like to put his syrup on sale, and of this 7,000 gallons over 6,000 gallons was sold at retail. He stated that where persons had used it they were generally ready to buy more. The retailers do not like to pay fifty-five cents for what they would sell for sixty-five cents; they could make a better profit on the seven, eleven and twenty-five; but he says that year by year the retail demand for his syrup has steadily increased; he has sold more five and ten gallon lots than he ever sold before. They would come with a jug to have it filled and say to him, “We bought a little of you last year and we liked it first-rate; this year we tried some made somewhere else and they gave us some that was sour; if you have some lke that last you may send us ten gallons.’’ About the first of January he had sold about 6,000 gallons and he thought it altogether likely by the first of May he would be able to dispose of the balance of his crop. Now, his profits on his crop, not counting the interest on his plant, the machinery on his farm, etec., but the profit over and above the cash expenditures for labor to produce this 12,000 gallons, will be close to $3,500; he finds it very profitable. I knew Mr. Kenney years ago when he was a poor man and before he got to making amber cane syrup. Now he is head and shoul- ders above his neighbors, and has made his money out of amber 156 ANNUAL REPORT. cane. He has made money every year; 1883 was not as profitable as some years, but still he made a profit that year. His crop of last year I presume is the most profitable he has ever grown, and I may say that he is very enthusiastic. Now, it seems to me, here is one great disadvantage that the am- ber cane industry is laboring under. ‘Here is where this asso- ciation needs to put in some work. ‘Too many men are growing amber cane and manufacturing it into a very inferior grade of syrup. People who buy that low grade of syrup become preju- diced, from the fact that they only know of it in this crude, green, raw state. Now, then, if you can educate every man that is making amber cane syrup to make such syrup as Mr. Kenney and these other men here are making, then the increased demand for it will more than equal any quantity that you can produce. That is my judgment and that is Mr. Kenney’s. Prof. Henry. The gentleman’s last thought I would like to enlarge upon for one moment. In our State we published the results of our work in pamphlet form, and published 5,000 copies. The second year we published 6,000. Farmers wrote for those reports; we sent them into your State to a slight ex- tent. I had one letter from the rear admiral of the British navy at the Sandwich Islands, asking for a copy. We printed direc- tions for defecating. We had a great deal of fighting to do. One man says: ‘‘I don’t intend to adulterate my syrup by put- ting lime into it.’’ One may ask what per cent of those mak- ing syrup were defecating. In 1881 not more than one per cent used lime. In 1882 the number increased. I think now that seventy-five per cent of the smaller manufacturers have begun the use of lime. Now, it seems to me that if your society is go- ing to get out a report, that some simple directions that Prof. Porter or Mr. Kenney could give, which could be placed in your report, would be of great value. If you could assist the smaller manufacturers you should do so, and the main point to be secured is to drive out the poorer quality of goods, and if you make a move in that direction your society can do a world of good in the immediate future. Mr. Smith. Have you ever made any experiments by satu- rating your lime with sulphuric acid? Prof. Henry. No, sir; I have not. Mr. Smith. Have you, Prof. Porter? Prof. Porter. I have not. It promises good results. I don’t see anything against it. It bleaches the syrup. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 157 Prof. Henry. Our farmers are inquiring about the use of the bisulphate of lime, and will attempt, I think, the use of it. Mr. Whipple. I would like to ask Prof. Henry one question; how much, in your opinion, does it improve the quality of the syrup for home consumption to use lime for defecation? Prof. Henry. Well, I would say that it is this way: Itisa question of taste. There are people that like that strong sor- ghum taste. When it is grown on ordinary land it is quite strong, but not so marked on sandy land. Some people like it, but as a general thing the market does not demand it. As a rule people like to have some acid left in the syrup for baking pur- poses. I should say that it injured it about fifty per cent. Mr. Smith. Ithink the difference is about twenty-five per cent. That is, where the lime is used it makes that difference. That is. I think there is about that difference in the process used by Mr. Whipple and that of Mr. Kenney. I think it will make fully twenty-five per cent difference in the value. A Delegate. I think if you do not know how to use the lime you had hetter let it alone. I know in Farmington that you can- not sell a barrel of syrup that has been defecated. But the syrup that Mr. Day makes, the crude syrup, will sell; everybody wants it. Isay if you don’t know how to use the lime you had better letit alone. It spoils it for cooking purposes. Mr. Whipple. I believe that the most that has been said on the question is in regard to the commercial value and in regard to manufacturing on a large scale. One man remarked that the small growers did not dare to come here. Now, I am one of the small growers and I dare to come; and I believe yet that I am on the right track for a small grower. When you can convince me that I am wrong I will change. Now, it has been stated that the market demands a clarified syrup. I don’t know but Min- neapolis is an exception; I know that it is in a great many respects, but I think not in this, for I am told that it is the crude syrup they want. They can sell it to the bakeries and to the refinery men, and for family use; for table use they cannot sell anything but the crude syrup. It may make some difference in the quality of thesyrup, but I claim that there is not twenty- five per cent, nor twenty per cent, difference in the sale of the two kinds. It is on the table here and I will leave it to anyone in the house, after he tastes it, to decide on his own judg- ment. In regard to raising and manufacturing I have a little different way from those that manufacture ona large seale. I 158 ANNUAL REPORT. use everything that grows excepting the blades; I don’t use them only to fertilize my land. I make use of the seed. In the first place I go in before I cut my cane and select my seed for the next year’s planting. I tie it up in small bunches and keep it away from the rain, let it completely cure and take it off with a currycomb. Very many of our small farmers don’t have a currycomb, and if they do perhaps they don’t use it. When the seed heads are well cured I strike them across the top of an open barrel and thus thresh out and secure the ripest and best grains for seed. The other seed I cure in the field. Once in a while there is a season that it will mould, but generally it will cure. My process of gathering the crop is about as Prof. Porter has described; after cutting the seed I leave it ina pile until I get through caring for the cane; by that time it iscured. This year I have hauled some three or four acres of it and piled it up by the hog pen, just as I have cut it in the field, and the snow has covered it up, and we are feeding it every day tothe hogs. It is a Simple way of caring for it, but I find that it pays to feed it. A simple way to care for the seed is when you go into the field take your knife and with one blow you sever the seed, and it can be piled up in a bin after it is thoroughly cured; and I will guarantee that I can take a thousand bushels and have it keep as wellas corn. I feed it to my hens in that form; probably it requires a little labor for the hens, but they have nothing else to do. I throw itin a heap by the hog pen and it keeps there. That is the way I put it under cover. If it is cured it keeps all right, but that which I have by the pen is not under cover. I think I can keep it as well as corn. Gen. Le Due. Suppose you put it in a corn crib, will it keep? Mr. Whipple. Where I have mine there are some windows out and it was piled up in a heap there and here is some of the seed that I took out of the pile to bring here. Prof. Henry. You put it in when it is dry? Mr. Whipple. I get it dry and then it will keep. And then my bagasse from the mill, instead of burning that, I have plenty of waste wood in the woods there and that is cheaper for me to burn than the bagasse. Iam also in the garden business and I would rather put it into the raspberry bushes to mulch the vines than to burn it. Iam trying to make an estimate of the amount of berries from the same amount of ground with its use and with- out. I find there is a great difference. I find that there is a great difference in the yield of fruit and a better result secured STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 159 from that than from anything else I have tried. I have tried marsh hay for mulching, and corn stalks, but there is nothing that will keep the ground so moist as the bagasse. It packs down close to the ground. Prof. Porter. While visiting one of the plantations below New Orleans and listening to the doleful complaints they make concerning the business, I saw some things that were worthy of note; and while this discussion has been going on I could not help thinking of a scene presented to me there. I saw them taking the bagasse by the load up to the levee and dumping it into the river. Right opposite to that they were loading up with Pittsburgh coal with which to evaporate the juice. There was cause and effect. They were using open pans and conducting the business in a most wasteful manner. All the profits going down the Mississippi River. Mr. Whipple. I would like to state as to the manner that I care for my crop. I have a Climax, two-horse mill which I got in Wisconsin and a self-evaporator. I manufactured in twenty- six and a half days within a few gallons of 2,000, employing three men and two horses, which was all the help I had. I lacked only ten or twelve gallons of 2,000. Mr. Ditus Day. I manufacture both ways. I defecate, and for cooking purposes I make the crude syrup. For baking, the acid in the molasses will have the effect of baking powder and it will make light biscuit. For table use and for general purposes they generally prefer the defecated article. In the market it will bring ten or fifteen cents more a gallon for the defecated; but there are others that prefer the pure juice. Last year I manu- factured only 2,230 gallons, but. four years ago I manufactured a little over 4,000. Gen. Le Due. What does it cost a gallon to make it? Mr. Day. I cannot tell you exactly. Capt. Blakeley. It is known to some of you that I have been conducting some experiments and have been trying to make some sugar in this State. In conducting those experiments we have been using in making sugar a process for thorough defeca- tion. The syrup made at the refinery is not sold to the bakeries. They say it is the best syrup they ever saw but they do not want it. It has not got theacid init. Acid isa necessity for usin our syrups, but we soon learned one thing that the syrups that were used inthe refineries were not desirable for the bakers. That is information that the merchants all give. But they will 160 ANNUAL REPORT. say it is the best syrup that ever came to the State,—that sugar- house syrup,—but I cannot get a sugar-house price for it. Then the question comes up, how much money can I make in the use of that syrup and how much can I make if I follow the process of some of my neighbors?) When they came to compare the two they found that the cheaper syrups on the whole made the most money. It was found that thesyrups that had gone through the coal filtration and that were finished in the pan, brought about the same price as the common syrups made without defecation; in fact, those that were not defecated were preferred by bakers to the syrups that we made. There werea large number of persons, as a matter of course, who wanted these syrups and who sent to us to get them, and we would send them five and ten gallon kegs, and they were very sorry when we quit our work. As a matter of course, if we had continued as we had hoped to do, we should have had a market for those syrups from all parts of the State, simply because of the unquestioned purity of the goods, and next because they would keep ‘‘forever and aye.’? Some think the syrups that have not the acids in them are the same, but if you had had the experience with them that I have. had on sugar-house syrups you would not think so. I think there is no doubt but what some persons find it to their advantage to use syrups that have been defecated. Our friend Kenney has adopted the plan of using sulphur. He has got what he calls a sulphur house; I have not seen it for some little time. I do not now remember exactly its arrange- ment, but my impression is that it is about the same as any other. The syrup after going through the defecating tank runs through the sulphur house, where it is bleached by the sulphur smoke. The process used by Mr. Hughes, who is a sugar chemist, and one of the best [know,—a man who was raised in a sugar house,— is to use the sulphur in his preparation with lime, for defecation. He says it is not quite sulphate of lime, but it is so near it that there is very little difference. I think his process is a little better than what is called that of sulphate of lime; he is using it in mak- ing sugar, and he says he cannot make sugar successfully without; he might make some, he might make a pound or two to the gal- lon, but if the cane is well grown and thoroughly matured, you can get five pounds of just as good sugar as is in that white sam- ple there, from a gallon of syrup. The gallon of syrup will be heavier than people usually make in their common products, because there must be a certain consistency to the granules. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 161 Any of you who have arranged to make a few gallons of syrup ean adopt this course. This is the explanation of the difference between what is called a commercial process of making sugar and syrup, and the usual process, which we may all use, in which a man may use lime or not as he finds to his advantage. As was said by our friend, if you don’t know how to use lime you had better not try it; but it don’t injure the syrup for the uses of most people. I could not use syrup that had acid init. lama little dyspeptic. So with a great many others. The nicest quality of syrup is that which is completely defecated, thoroughly pure; and that will not be white syrup, either. The generation now coming up, even men that are thirty years old, have been taught to believe that clear, white syrup is pure syrup, and is the best to use. Thirty years ago the Belcher refinery, of St. Louis, used to make a very fine kind of sugar-house syrup. The process took all of the acid out of the syrup. They had a very large sale for their syrup, and when they sent out a barrel of syrup, it had been put through a process which made it pure. I bought a barrel of that syrup, and I never troubled myself about its condition or charac- ter any more than if it had been so much water. Nobody ever heard of a barrel of it bursting; it was simply pure syrup. It used to bring in the market about a dollar a gallon, or eighty- five cents if sold by the barrel. That was unqualifiedly the best syrup that has ever been sold in the United States; but to-day there is no sugar-house man that makes that class of syrups. We made that kind in our refinery simply because we didn’t have time to reboil the syrups. After it wasready to crystalize we did not try to get the last grain of sugar out of the syrup, hence our syrups were better than anybody would find in this market that came from the East, or which was brought here, and when compared with ours there was no comparison between them. Wesent asample of it to Prof. Moore, who is probably the best sugar chemist in America,—Gen. Le Duc is acquainted with him — he is the chemist of one of the largest sugar refineries in New York City. He said, when he looked at this sample: “There is no such article as that made in America, now.’? He says: ‘‘ That is a very excellent class of goods; it is too good for the general market in competition with other syrups.’’ It was like the old sugar-house syrup that Mr. Belcher used to make thirty years ago; it had a large proportion of sugar in it, hence the difference between the two. It is not that defecated syrup is not better, but if you want it for use in the bakeries, you want 21 162 ANNUAL REPORT. it with the acid. That is the reason they buy New Orleans mo- lasses in preference to any other, if they can get it. It is very difficult to get. There is somebody in the way of that barrel getting to market; they have a special use for it. Now people had not asked yet how to make glucose syrup, but they do find that the amber cane syrups are in their way in the market. It was said, very properly, that anyone would take the amber cane first; consequently they have a man down there who knows what the price of it is; he will bring that and the glucose together somewhere; and they have stopped talking about the pure, clear white syrup to the people, and they have stopped selling it now; it is not fashionable now; it is not exactly the thing that recom- mends the syrup in the market, and that is what comes of a large proportion of the amber cane syrup, and almost all of the New Orleans syrup in the market. There is imported into the United States 30,000,000 gallons of syrup annually. There is produced in the United States another 30,000,000 gallons of syrup; hence there are 60,000,000 gallons of syrup which, in one way or another, is grown, and which comes from sugar cane which is sold and used in the United States. The syrup which is handled in the Baltimore refineries is re- boiled. For instance, syrup is imported into the United States and is rated at fifty-six per cent of saccharine matter; that is, the kind of syrup they usually buy. It pays a duty of four cents per gallon. Our Baltimore friends take it and they boil it. There is no end to the demand for syrups in this country. We need not have any fear that in your day or in mine there will be enough to supply the demand of the people. Now I want to say a word about the manufacture of amber cane syrup. My friend here, Mr. Smith, has very aptly said that Mr. Kenney was once a poor man. A great result to him was the discovery of the sugar in 1877. He became enthusiastic; he spent the last dollar he had or could raise to buy machinery. | at kd Oh He went to work upon his process, and he said to his neighbors ~ that they could grow cane for him and he would pay them so much per ton, and he has got his neighbors growing cane by the ton for him to grind. Now, his machinery has not been suffi- cient to work up all the cane that he has had; he had to have the cane piled up in the yard. I have seen the yard full of cane, and piled up as high as my head and higher, and some of it would have to stand there perhaps for weeks. He used to STSTE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 163 pile it up in that way and put leaves over it, and he used to de- scribe the manner of piling it. It was a necessity to do this, as he could not work the cane up as fast as it was necessary to cut it. He had to leave it in the field, but he lost very largely by that process. There is no question that those of you who are growing cane want to cut it when it is ripe, and you want to grind it, if you can, the same day it is cut, and run it right through and finish it right up. That is the best use you can make of it. You can get more syrup, and that is the best way to dispose of it. The Rio Grande folks gather their cane say to-day, and to- morrow every stalk of it is through the mill. They will use up about two hundred tons of cane in twenty-four hours. They put it through the mill right away. They will stake out enough to make two hundred tons, to be cut at one time, and run through the mill within twenty-four hours. Mr. Hughes, the chemist, will go down and examine the product, and if he finds it is not fit to cut he will bring the men home; but when itis ready he will order the men to cut the cane and put the whole thing through as fast as possible. He tests it with the polariscope to see if the cane is ready to go through the mill. Hence they cut it from day to day, regularly, and make sugar as successfully as it is possible to doit. You can readily see that it requires instruction and practice for a considerable period of time to accomplish all this. For instance, the man that was at the vacuum pan when I was at their mill was an old gentleman from Germany. Mr. Hughes asked him: ‘‘How long have you run a vacuum?” His reply was, ‘‘ Thirty-three years.’’ He asked him if he had ever done anything else, and he replied that he had not. That man knew how to boil syrup. He knew when he looked at it whether he would get any sugar. He knew exactly every moment of time whether the process was going on right or not. Mr. Hughes knew whether the boys who had charge of the defecating room understood their work or not. He had two or three boys down in the defecating room attending to the work. They put in the lime and whatever preparation was necessary, and when the defecation was complete they would turn a valve at the bottom of the tank and run the sediment into the scum pan, and when the clear juice commenced to run they had an arrngement by which they could turn it off by a valve, and everything was ar- ranged to work in a perfect manner; everything reduced to a system the most complete, —the cheapest and most practical way 164 ANNUAL REPORT. of making sugar. Hence there was no trouble with it whatever. They have improved their process of manufacture within the past few years. They keep a number of hogs, and they have a train of cars which carries the bagasse and the seed to a eonven- ient point in the vicinity of the pens, and the seed is distrib- uted to the hogs, and they use the bagasse to make manure, and in the spring they usually have enough manure for one acre of land for each hog kept. Gen. Le Due. Did they tell you the cost of the sugar per pound? Capt. Blakeley. Well, they estimated that it would not cost them over two cents per pound. The year I wasthere they told me they had sold seed enough to pay for the crop. They estimated the cost of putting the crop through the mill at a dollar a ton. Now those of us who know anything about this industry know that amber cane can be grown so as to make it a paying business beyond the possibility of a doubt. Mr. Collyer has said that sugar can be made for one and one-half cents per pound. Of course, in order to do this you want to avail yourself of all the products that come from the crop. Mr. Kenney is paying two dol- lars and fifty cents per ton for cane, and every man that is grow- ing cane for him is making more money from that than from anything else he could grow. I had hoped to see our friend from Wisconsin, Mr. Powell, here at this meeting. He has always been here, and he comes through cold and heat, and is one of the most enthusiastic men we have anywhere in the business, and is making money out of it. Last year he lost his cane, but it didn’t dampen his courage one bit. He said, ‘‘If I had lost my corn, that would not be a reason why I should not plant more corn.’’ This year he has done well with his crop of cane. I have sent to Mr. Powell for a barrel of vinegar, as I have become tired of using muriatic acid for vinegar. Such vinegar as he makes ought to be more generally used; it would be healthier than the vinegar made and sold in the market. . The policy that this State should pursue, and especially at the schools, and which should be pursued by my friend Prof. Porter, is that all the boys that he graduates in the school should be put through a thorough course of training, and let them become ed- ucated on these matters, and by so doing they will find their knowledge a source of benefit to them in the future. When they go home they can impart information among their neighbors, Pas ae STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 165 and when they examine a piece of cane they will know some- thing about how much sugar there is in it. The boy educated in our schools should be able to tell about these things. It is such information as this that is going to be utilized, and in due time the business of making sugar will be a successful industry in the State of Minnesota. A delegate inquired as to the difference in the cost of making by the different processes described. Capt. Blakeley. I think Mr. Kenney will make more money by the process that he uses than Mr. Whipple will by his pro- cess. The cost of refining is not very great, and is not over a quarter of a cent a gallon. That does not amount to anything, really. The knowledge consists mainly in knowing just when you have to put the lime in and when you have enough of it in; you may spoil it by overdoing. Itis the practice of a little skill which is required. Gen. Le Duc. The process is very simple with the use of lit- mus paper. Mr. Whipple. Mr. Kenney got about eight cents more a gal- lon than I did. JI make my syrup and sell it. Mr. Kenney was an old schoolmate of mine. He used to get seventy cents for ‘ his syrup while I got fifty-five cents for mine; but I think this winter our sales are just about equal. We have had a good deal of demand forthe crude syrup. I may say this, that these syrups will keep the year around, and I have never had any trouble. There are people who have handled other syrups and have had trouble with them. A syrup can be made a good deal cheaper and sold for less money, but after they have had one or two bar- rels burst in their cellars, they usually conclude they don’t want any more. Iam satisfied that some of our wholesale dealers are using the amber cane syrup and putting it into their ‘‘ golden drips.”’? I made this year about 2,000 gallons of syrup in twenty- six days, counting my time for stopping, cleaning pans, and everything, with three men and a span of horses, and drew most of the cane from the field during the time with the same team. Mr. Smith. The expense would be about five cents per gal- lon. President Smith. I bought some syrup from the Faribault refinery and have some of it on hand now, and it is as good as when I bought it. Mr. Smith. The syrup usually has sugar in the bottom after | it stands for a while. ae 166 ANNUAL REPORT. President Smith. I bought it in ten-gallon kegs and I found that it kept all right. Capt. Blakeley. A man that takes the ten-gallon keg of syrup is not disturbed about its keeping, for if it is not made as well as Mr. Whipple’s is, or Mr. Kenney’s or Mr. Powell’s, it will keep. But if there is acid in the syrup and you start to travel any dis- tance in the hot summer season it is bound to work, and it will soon make itself heard before it gets a great ways; there is no doubt about that. Mr. Whipple. I have shipped my syrup to Dakota and never had any trouble in that way. Some think that the acid injures the quality but there is one good thing about it,—some of our physicians tell me that the amount of lime that they have in the syrups is of advantage and that it counterbalances the acids; I don’t know but they are mistaken. If anyone knows anything about that I would like to hear what he has to say. Japt. Blakeley. No acid is necessary forme. I use the great- est care in my food in order that I shall not have any acid. I don’t use it. I don’t use even the vinegar that I bought from our friend Powell; but my family use it. It is because I have an abundance, and more than enough. There are plenty of peo- ple who require acid, but this is because of a difference in our systems. The instructions from the books are, as well as that of the best chemists of Hurope, that you must get rid of the acid if you are going to make good sugar. What I am urging and what I think we must look toward developing ultimately in this country is the sugar industry as well as the product of syrup. We are all able to make syrup. There are many in the State who know how to do it and can make money out of it all the time; but one more step is necessary,—it is practical to make sugar in this State for two cents a pound, as I believe Gen. Le- Due will tell you, and as Mr. Collyer has told us, and he is indorsed by the Academy of Natural Sciences of the United States. . There is probably no better authority on these subjects in the United States than Dr. Moore, a man who gets $25,000 per year for his services as sugar chemist. He unqualifiedly indorsed the whole thing. Not only that, but I had an extended conversation with Prof. Silliman, in which he expressed himself as not only gratified, but astonished, at the result, and they both believed it would be a success at that time. Prof. Silliman and Prof. Brewer Gah STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 167 were very enthusiastic. Gentlemen, this is not a delusion; it is the truth. All you want is the necessary information in or- der to enable you to make the most beautiful sugar the earth has ever produced, and it can be done on the broad prairies of Min- nesota. Our friend Prof. Henry knows all about it. He tells you that over in Wisconsin they have made sugar, using a little pan, about thirty inches across; and according to their estimate it only cost them about four cents per pound. I want to say a word about beets. In 1747 A. 8S. Marggrof, a German chemist, declared that there was some sugar in beets. It went for sixty years before his statement was confirmed by one of his scholars, K. F. Achard, in 1799, who presented a sample of sugar to the Institute of France. The Institute of France and other chemists continued experi- ments confirming Achard’s statements up to 1810, when it had become a necessity because of the war between England and France that some means should be devised to procure a supply of sugar for France. When this subject was again taken up by M. Proust, an able chemist, who made sugar from grapes, and M. Fouques, who found a means of bleaching it and giving it the color of cane sugar. This new and interesting progress in de- velopment of the discovery of Messrs. Marggroff and Achard was brought to the attention of Napoleon by his minister of the interior, and his majesty issued a decree that there should be granted M. Proust $20,000, and to M. Fouques $8,000, to estab- lish this industry, and made M. Proust a knight of the Legion of Honor, and on Aug. 18, 1810, the minister of the interior ad- dressed the prefects of the different departments of France on the subject, urging them everywhere to establish this new indus- try. The closing paragraph of this letter of the minister was as follows: ‘‘Let manufacturing establishments multiply every- where. Let it be considered, M. le Prefect, that this is a sort of war we are making against the enemies of the continent, and which his majesty considers, more than any other sovereign, worthy of recompense to those who make themselves promi- nent in the ranks.’’ This is the way the beet sugar industry be- gan, and all the world knows what it is to-day; and sorghum only wants a similar friend behind it to havea still more complete success. Prof. Henry. You have not told how when Napoleon fell the price of sugar fell. That is an important consideration in look- ing at the history of the industry in that country. i 168 : ANNUAL REPORT. Capt. Blakeley. When Napoleon fell the people of France soon learned that it was necessary to protect them by law. They found that the cheap sugar of India could be made and sold for less money than they could make it by the use of beets. But they ‘‘walled up”’ the industry, gentlemen. It costs to-day eight cents a pound to get sugar into France or into Germany; but you can get it out for a good deal less money. That is the secret. Prof. Henry. We hear to-day about some of the sugar fac- tories going to the wall. It is saidthat after Napoleon’s down- fall all of the sugar factories of France went down but one. They gradually started up again and to-day, with a protective tariff, they have between four and five hundred sugar factories in France. We find a parallel in our own history in reference to the business of sugar-making. Capt. Blakeley. Sugar cannot be made at the prices at which it is being sold. It is simply like selling wheat at twenty-five cents a bushel. So it is with corn. We cannot get its value when we have to burn corn. It will always cost a certain price to raise it, consequently it must be worth that; and so it is with sugar. The people of Germany are as much in trouble as any- body else about this matter. Their sugar business is with them a national industry; it involves millions of dollars, and there are thousands of people engaged in the business. It is indispensable as a rotation crop. They get a large amount of feed from the beets for their cattle, and they get a large amount of manure for the land. It is almost indispensable as a crop for rotation. This is one of the theories of the growth of the sugar interests of this country; and because of the difficulties that are to be © overcome there should be an earnest effort to bring to bear all the practical knowledge that can be gained, and all the skill and adaptation of one part to the other that is practicable. I might say here that there is one institution in France, a sugar mill, that has forty-four miles of pipe that carries the juice of the beets from the different farms all around that plantation to the factory. The beets may be grown away over here or away Over there, but the product is conveyed to the mill by these pipes. They send out word when the supply is to be sent in from one locality to one man, and then at another time send word to an- other, and so on. It would be utterly impracticable for the teams to get to the factory with the amount of beets which are manufactured into sugar and supply it with the amount of mate- STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 169 rial necessary to run it. There are fifteen hundred men at work in the factory, and there is not a beet brought to it. You have no real conception of what an immense industry the beet indus- try really is until you commence to study it. But I have taken too much of the time and you will have to excuse me; I am a little enthusiastic about sugar and don’t usually know when to stop talking. A delegate here inquired if there was any way of disposing of the bagasse so as to use it to advantage as fuel. Prof. Porter. I have seen a machine in operation on some of the plantations in Louisiana that takes care of the bagasse. There is attached to the crusher a carrier with an endless chain aud it conveys the bagasse away very much like the straw carrier to a threshing machine. In the passage it becomes so dry that it will readily burn as fuel. There have been a number of inven- tions brought into use for disposing of the bagasse. Anyone who desires a fuller description can send a dollar to Mr. Colman as a subscription to Colman’s Rural World, and that will give one a great deal of useful information. It will be the best investment he will ever make for one dollar if he ever expects to become thoroughly posted in sorghum culture and manufacture. Mr. Whipple. I will say that after reading that journal for several years that you will find out by that how to get rid of the bagasse as well as obtain much other useful information. Capt. Blakeley. It is the organ of the amber cane interests of the Mississippi Valley. Mr. Colman has almost always been to our annual meetings. I wish to say that I attended the meeting ' in Wisconsin two years ago and was well repaid for going. We had a remarkably interesting session. There were a great many present who were well informed in regard to this industry. We were all gratified at the results which were shown to have been accomplished thus far. We felt that we had made an advance that was beyond a question. The report that was made of the meeting was a very correct one; we had a good reporter, who made a very accurate report of everything that was said. There were a good many interesting items of information contributed by the different persons who met upon that occasion and many valuable suggestions made. I have sent to every member of our association a copy of the report so far as I knew them by name. I have still a few copies -left. I have no doubt it has been a source of profit to many, for all these things were very carefully discussed in that report. 22 170 ANNUAL REPORT. Gen. Le Duc. In regard to the burning of bagasse. If you have a machine that will split the cane and get the juice all out, and have a good chimney of brick, you will be able to feed the bagasse directly to the flames so that it will be practicable to run your furnace. There is no doubt of that; I have seen it done and have done it myself. The great question before us here now, and before those who have assembled year by year to discuss sorghum matters is, I think, what shall we do to make some money out of the sorghum? That is the practical question that lies at the foundation of all the interest that we take in it. But there is a broader question than that and one that lies at the foundation, and that is what shall we do in order to produce in this country everything that can be produced by American far- mers, rather than to use those things that come from abroad, produced by some other country? We will surely profit by this. Even if we seem to be making no money, stillif we work within ourselves to supply our own needs we as a country are making money out of that. This was a question which came to me in my official position: How can this country save to its people that great amount of money which is flowing away to other countries? In that country that I told you about I had a good deal of com- munication with the people. I was in the country that Prof. Porter has told you about. I had with me a sample of Minne- sota amber cane sugar. I had a bottle of syrup made by Mr. Kenney, and after they had gotten through with their congratu- lations we fell into a discussion. They said, ‘‘This is open pan work?”’? J told them, ‘‘ Yes, I believe itis.”’ ‘‘I suppose it was some that was made in Texas or in Georgia?”’ ‘‘No, it was not made in Georgia.’’ ‘‘Where was it made? It was not made of eane?”’ ‘‘No; it was made out of a kind of cane; it was made in Minnesota.’’ There were there twelve gentlemen at the time; men who had spent their lives at the business, and some of them who had fortunes of $250,000 each, perhaps, invested in sugar mills. They looked at it again and again and they said, ‘‘It cannot be possible that you are telling us the truth!” ‘‘ Yes,” I said, ‘‘that was made in Minnesota, and it was made by a far- mer, cal it was made in open pans.’”’ ‘‘ Well, by the gods !”’ said one of them, ‘‘we are done, boys, we may as well stop !”? and they sat down and stopped and looked, as much as to say, ‘these Yankees up North are going to beat us to death!’’? They knew the kind of labor we have to do our work and that they STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 171 could not compete with the intelligence of Northern people. They knew that if sugar could be made by a farmer of Minne- sota without expensive machinery, without the centrifugal and the vacuum pan, that we could make it cheaper than they could. I tell you that sugar can be made for less than a cent a pound, paying all expenses, under favorable circumstances. Their sugar at the Rio Grande works does not cost them a cent a pound to-day. They have reduced the expenses and placed them elsewhere so the sugar don’t cost them a cent a pound. Capt. Blakeley. Have you seen the Rio Grande works since they have adopted diffusion there? Gen. Le Due. No, but I have kept up with that. The ques- tion comes up to me as it has with Prof. Porter, which is this: Is not this treaty with Mexico going to be prejudicial to our interests in making sugar in this whole country? The professor was not in when I was telling about the kind of people they have downthere. The people with their present degree of intelligence down there will never be able to compete with us of the United States. It is not because they have so fine a soil that they may be enabled to excel, for that is only one item in the account. Their land for sugar-making is limited. The greater portion of the area of their country is not subject to the rainfall which is necessary to the growth of a crop of sugar; their sugar cane must go ten, twelve, or fourteen months before it is cut. The rainfall there depends largely upon the travel of the sun to the north, withan atmosphere that brings moisture. Instead of the tropical rains there is drought for six months and then practically rain for six mouths. That affords a very small area in which to grow sugar. You cannot make sugar there in a dry season without irrigation. As the world grows older the increase in the amount of sugar is larger than theincrease of population. Thatis because sugar takes the place of other kinds of food; it takes the place of meat in a large degree. The population of Mexico will need the increase in the sugar for the next ten or twenty years. In the next ten or twenty years, if the people of this State will put them- selves to work as they ought to, and if this State will encourage this industry as it ought to do, there is no question or doubt that you people will be enabled to raise your own sugar as you may your Own grain. It may even be one of your large exports. I say this in all earnestness. I say think of it and study it, and do so with the purpose of making your money out of it. I should like to see this crop cultivated as a leading industry of the State 17 2 ANNUAL REPORT. and one which the fertile soil of ours may produce in such an abundance that we might have a surplus to send abroad. Mr. Day. If there is no further business I would move that we now adjourn. The motion was carried, and this closed the transactions of the Amber Cane Association. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 173 EVENING SESSION. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1885. The meeting was called to order at 7 o’clock P. M., by Presi- dent Smith. He called attention to a beautiful collection of flowers presented by Mr. William King, of St. Paul. President Smith then introduced Mrs. Anna B. Underwood, of Lake City, as the pioneer orchardist of Minnesota, who proceeded to read an essay upon apples. The following is the paper read: ORCHARDING IN MINNESOTA. BY ANNA B. UNDERWOOD. Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: Your committee asked me for an account of my orchard, and the labors connected therewith, and it gives me pleasure to con- tribute to our society’s program in this way. Although cognizant in a general way of what had been done in this orchard from its first planting, I only feel qualified to speak particularly of its management and results since it came under my control. This orchard has always been the pet of the family, and, like most péts, it has givenits natural guardians considera- ble anxiety, connected with hard work, to properly guide its growth into a fruitful maturity. The most favorable situation for an orchard is generally conceded to be on a high northern exposure. The location of this one has always been regarded as unfavorable, as it is on a flat bench of land where it gets the full force of the sun in summer and in winter, which makes the tem- perature more variable than it would be on a high northern slope. Owing to the pressing duties connected with the nursery busi- 174 ANNUAL REPORT. ness the orchard had not been as well attended to— particularly in one respect—as it richly deserved. Aside from this (which will be referred to again later on) it had been well looked after, amply repaying the time and money spent upon it. The cattle —which in many orchards are permitted to roam around at their own sweet will, doing all the pruning and cultivating that isever given—have never been turned in to browse around the trees; neither has the sod been allowed to grow between the rows. From the time the trees were first set out, they have been thoroughly cultivated each season in the rows running north and south. While the trees were young and until the ground was too heavily shaded to do it, one row of corn or something else has been grown between the trees. This last season I planted raspberries and blackberries between some of the orchard rows, hoping to gain protection for them. At the same time the cultivation necessary for their growth will be beneficial to the trees. The soil is asandy loam with a clay subsoil and is really a genial home for the roots of trees, although our hot August suns cause it to mature the fruit early, and make it difficult to keep. The situation of the orchard has one element that is both desira- ble and objectionable, and that is a free circulation of air, but when it comes to us in the latter part of August with a force that precipitates to the ground two hundred bushels of apples a day for three consecutive days, we think there is a ‘‘leetle too much air stirrin.”’ It is at such times, too, that the sun shines so hot as to literally bake large Duchess as they lie on the ground from 10 A. M. to 2 Pp. M., and we can only hurry them in to a cool place to be sorted and disposed of as best we may. ButI fear you will think that I am describing a poor orchard, poorly managed, which certainly is not the case. Forwhile itis yet but ayoung orchard, the greater part of it having been set but nine years,— the balance one, two and three years later,—I have for the past two years marketed forty to fifty dollars worth ef apples per acre to say nothing of fine returns from it before that time. Most of the trees are set 12x14 feet, the rows being fourteen feet apart. The largest portion of the orchard has been seeded down with clover, that is a strip about four feet wide in the row. Cloveris better than other grass, as, owing to its branching, spreading habit, it is more yielding to the falling fruit. For another reason it is the best, and that is its fertilizing qualities. It also makes good mulching for the trees. There are in all between 4,000 and 5,000 trees in the or- ? - et oe ; or. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 175 chard, about three-fourths of which have borne more or less fruit. The varieties are mainly. Wealthy, Duchess and Tetofsky. Next in quality are the different varieties of the hybrids;. then in small lots are a number of semi-hardys, such as the Haas, Walbridge, Drake, etc.; and finally, to close the list, is an ex- perimental orchard of several Russians and Minnesota seedlings that are undergoing the test for hardiness and quality. A great many of these have been found wanting, and another season the trees will be top-worked to some other varieties. It rather dampens one’s pomological ardor, after growing for three or four years a cion of some apple with a name ofseveral syllables, indi- cating that the fruit possesses all the qualities that the apple should, to find that the fruit has the same delicate flavor and fine grain (and I was about to say size) as an acorn! We have several worthy varieties now, like the Wealthy, Duchess, etc., and it seems to me that a certain scale of points ought to be de- cided upon by which new varieties should be tested before throwing them broadcast over the land to load our orchards with unprofitable varieties. The Duchess orchard has had a vacation for the past two sea- sons. In the spring of 1883 there was a severe frost that killed the blossoms and young apples. It was quite interesting to note the susceptibility of the different varieties to this late freezing, the best to stand it being the Wealthy and Orange. This last season not over fifty bushels of apples were gathered from the Duchess orchard of about 1,400 trees, that should have produced as many bushels. This fruitlessness I attributed to a tremen- dous down-pour of rain just at the time this variety was in full bloom. Most of the hybrids suffered by the same fall of rain. The Wealthy, blooming a few days later, were heavily loaded with fruit, constituting the main crop of the season. I think I made a mistake in allowing them to fruit so heavily, for by the time the last barrel of apples was gathered the Wealthy trees looked very tired and weary, which was not to be wondered at, considering the quantity of fruit they had borne. The Duchess, standing by the side of the Wealthy, looked so strong and vigor- ous, thoroughly refreshed and ready for their coming winter struggle, that I then and there resolved I would not again over- work a tree that I cared anything for. Another season will try what systematic thinning will do. It requires the free exercise of all the courage and will power a mortal is capable of to delib- erately destroy a third or half of the fruit afterit is set, particu- 176 ANNUAL REPORT. larly here in Minnesota where we have to submit to the idiosyn- crasies of our spirit thermometers, which will persist, in spite of all protestations and ejaculations, in registering all the way from fifty degrees above to forty and forty-five degrees below during twenty-four or thirty-six hours, and not only once but two or three times during a winter. These sudden changes are liable to destroy the fruit buds, and when, after a fruitless season, the trees are once more set full of fruit, it is a great temptation to let every one grow. But the tree will winter better if it has been kept in good growing condition and not stunted by bearing too heavily. The trees have been pruned but little; when a branch seemed to seriously interfere with another it was re- moved, and this, with the cutting of cions for grafting, has been all that was necessary to keep them in good shape. There were several weeks this summer of very dry weather, that militated strongly against the size and quality of the fruit. An occasional cloud would bring hopes of a thorough soaking, but it would leave us with hardly enough moisture to lay the dust. Quite often it would be accompanied by heavy winds that would threaten to uproot every tree. Sometimes the apples would present a bruised appearance on the trees. As a conse- quent result of this lack of moisture, high, drying winds, ete., there were a great many undersized immature apples that were useless for any purpose. In gathering the apples from the trees I used bushel and half- bushel baskets to pick into; when full they were carried to the ends of the rows, and from there were carried to the apple shed on hand-carts. The utmost care and watchfulness had to be ex- ercised over the pickers in order to have the apples laid in the baskets and not thrown in. Eyen after explicit directions had been given the picker relative to the proper handling of fruit, the reasons therefor given, and in addition, the fact, demon- strated by actual illustration before the eye, that an apple will not stand without injury the same banging that a stone will, the picker was occasionally unable to resist the temptation to save a few steps by giving an apple a toss of a foot or two, although he well knew that by so doing not only the apple thrown but the two or three hit in its fall were more or less bruised. These bruises would not show at the time, but eight or ten hours would develop ugly black spots that would condemn them at once as first-class apples in the eyes of purchasers. When wanted for shipment, if to go by express, the apples were carefully sorted STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Lhe and placed in bushel baskets, the covers pressed on firmly to prevent shaking of the fruit. Then a lath was passed over the cov- er of each and through the handles to keep the cover in its place. Apples were only sent to near markets by express. If they were to go long distances they were just as carefully sorted and packed in barrels, and sent by freight. In spite of all the diffculties of the past season, and failure of the Duchess to bear, I marketed about 1,300 bushels, and could have sold as many more without any further effort, as the de- mand far exceeded the supply. Our Minnesota apples, particu- larly the Wealthy, are so highly colored that they find more ready sale in market than the Southern grown ones, and we all know that there is no apple grown anywhere that excels the Wealthy in beauty or quality. - The first of August found the Early Strawberry ready to be gathered. This hybrid, coming as it does right after the rasp- berries are gone, is especially desirable, as at this time fruit of any kind is very scarce in the market, and every housekeeper is wondering what she will have for sauce, pies, ete. When ripe, owing to its mild, sub-acid flavor, entirely free from bitterness, it is adelightful little apple to eat out of hand. .2c.sscessenseseesenbens 2 00 1885. Jan, (17. “\Of the’Stateitreaserer.::)..:62.s.ccoc---nsaecendeatd sacman emma 500 00 MOtalereceipiss cps sccwcsecath cece os scree eloe sn cece sisnenesssscss-aeneeaeaen $1,737 29 DISBURSEMENTS. 1884. Jan. 18. To Lake City Graphic, printing................ Papas saabeeeenetn $17 35 18. Oliver Gibbs, Jr., balance on account...........<.-0s50s¢sssseras 69 96 138) WB. McHenry, printing...........s0+s.0rescsavoouseasseeemeneeee 13 50 1850 J.58. Harris, time and @xpenses), .-..cccacc..cseussos aspera eeemeeee * 50 00 18. E. A. Cuzner, librarian’s OXPEMSES, «20 «eceveccesssesnen deen 3 05 185) HesAr Cuzner, shelves for library... ..20...-.:-0s0-s-«aaeeeeeeee 15 00 18: EK. A. Cuzner, librarian’s salary,..-.-.20...-..s«0s-cesssseseeaaeeee 10 00 185) 2M) Co Messner, TrepOrtsic. FIGURE 8. vated and manured, and the runners may be allowed to grow. They will soon fill the space and make a matted row for the next Season’s crop. We prefer, however, annual renewal. The run- ners are easily reduced by the use of a circular cutter, an illus- 44() ANNUAL REPORT. tration of which we give. The cutter is made of a cast steel ring, a foot or so in diameter and very sharp. A single thrust over the hill will cut off all runners in a rapid and suecessful manner. With the aid of the wheel hoe and runner cutter, the labor in hill culture is greatly reduced. We give in Figure 1a good illustration of the berry in both hill and matted row sys- tems of culture. It conveys clearly the two plans. TRANSPLANTING. Always secure youny, vigorous plants of the varieties you wish, for transplanting. Old plants—those that have set fruit— are not good for this purpose. They may be recognized by the black roots that adhere to them, and if these are used, the old roots should be broken off, with the black stem to which they are attached. Young plants may be known by their fresh-looking appearance and the mass of long, white roots, free from black ones, and are the only ones fit for setting. The dead leaves, if any, are also removed, and if the weather be dry, allow but a few FIGURE 9. of the green leaves to remain. The leaves will soon grow, while if many are left the plant may be exhausted of all its vitality and perish. The best season for planting in field culture is in May, or earlier, if weather permits, for the plants become then fully rooted for a large crop the coming year. In transplanting, spread the roots out even with the surface, as shown in fig- ure 9, not too deep, as in figure 11, or too shallow, as in figure 12. The cuts are AN) so well done, that the idea of setting is FIGURE 10. fully illustrated. MULCHING. The great use of mulching berries is not only to keep the weeds from growing, but also to keep the ground from exposure to the hot sun and drying winds. The mulch, by its gradual decay, also furnishes manure for the soil. The mulching should not be STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 447 done before a hard freeze in the fall or early winter. Freezing will arrest the growth of the plants, and they can then be covered with the muleh without danger of smoth- ering them, aS a more early mulching might do. The best material for mulch is fine hay or fine-cut straw, and chaff that falls be- hind the machine in threshing. All that is required is fineness of the straw or hay. Long straw cannot be spread evenly, and it cannot be removed from the row in spring when the plants are starting into growth. The thickness of the mulch depends upon the material and the climate. When the mulch is fine and the winter mild, from four to six ordinary loads, per acre, are suffi- cient for a covering an inch or two thick. When the mulch is coarse and the winter severe, from four to five inches are used. In spring the mulch must be carefully removed from the crowns of the berry plant, or it will smother them. Mulching always pays well. It makes larger berries, keeps them free from sand and dirt, and by making them later in bloom, lessens the danger of injury by late frosts. Many Western growers, after the crop of berries is gathered, set fire to the mulch to kill the insects in- jurious to the fruit. FIGURE 11. PICKING AND MARKETING. Berries carry, keep fresh longer, and of course sell better, - when a portion of the stem is lefton when picked. This is done by pinching off the stem above the berry, with the thumb and finger nail, taking care not to bruise the fruit. Pulling or strip- ping the berries from the plants will lessen the market value and. when very carelessly done, the berries are valueless for shipment. Berries carry better when picked in the cool of the morning, and allowed to stand open to the air in the shade. Picked in a hot. sun, and at once put in a tight box, out of moo ff the wind and air, will cause speedy softening ese and decay. Always ship berries in a well * “ ventilated car. Ventilation will always keep the fruit in good condition. It is needless to say, make your berries good for good prices. The crates for shipping should be as light and have as much spring as possible. FIGURE 12. The boxes must be packed closely in the crates to prevent shak- 56 442 ANNUAL REPORT. ing or moving. Berries well picked and well shipped, are half marketed. Never lose sight of the market for berries. VARIETIES. We will not take up the subject of varieties. Our country is so large, the climate so varied, the number of varieties so great, and the wants and tastes of people so different, that we could not recommend a list that would suit all who would grow ber- ries. We are often amused to hear berry growers, who plant largely, in the same vicinity, differ widely as to the varieties that suit the neighborhood in which they are located. ‘‘ When doctors differ, who shall decide?’ All we can do is, from time to time, to figure and accurately describe all berries, as they ap- pear to us. The selections must be to the taste and wants of the grower. The suitability of any berry can only be correctly found by trial on the grounds of the person who wishes to grow the best fruit. Notheory will beof use. Practical experiments only will decide it to the satisfaction of the grower. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 443 IN MEMORIAM. HENRY CARROLL STEARNS. Henry Carroll Stearns, L. L. B., was born May 11, 1851, in Walpole, New Hampshire. Died Aug. 15, 1884, in Lakeland, Washington County, Minnesota. The subject of this memoir was the only remaining child of Josiah W. and Abbie Martin Stearns, recently of Watseka, Illinois, but originally of Walpole, New Hampshire. The fam- ily name is old and honored in the town of Walpole, dating back in its ancestry to 1630, when Isaac Stearns landed at Boston as one of the passengers of the ship Arabella, from England. Henry C., was a lawyer of much promise in the county of Iroquois, State of Illinois, where he practiced his profession for about six years: previous to his coming to this State, being a graduate of the Union College of Law in Chicago, 1876, and ad- mitted to the bar of the Supreme Court of Illinois, the same year. He established a practice in the city of Watseka, the county seat of Iroquois County, where he was highly esteemed by the bench and bar, and by the community generally, until the season of 1882, when his condition of failing health induced him to seek a climate with a dryer atmosphere and having a dryer soil. The State of Minnesota seemed to fill the requirements, and his purpose was to establish himself at Minneapolis; but being too ill to engage in business, he was induced to accompany his de- voted parents to the bluffs near Lakeland, where it was hoped the healthful occupation of farming and gardening, under favor- able circumstances, would soon result in the restoration of his health. These hopes, however, proved delusive, as the flatteries of consumption usually do, and after a few months of heroic strug- gle with this old and most formidable foe, in which he exhibited the highest qualities of patience, fortitude and courage, his attenuated form and panting breath yielded to the inevitable, and the ambitious young lawyer, the affectionate son of doting parents, sleeps in death. Mr. Stearns possessed, in an eminent degree, those admirable qualities and habits which give assurance of success in an hon- orable career. Numerous certificates from professional brethren and others with whom he was associated speak in generous and 444 ANNUAL REPORT. confident terms of their high hopes and expectations concerning him. Says his law partner: ‘‘I found him to be well acquainted with intricate legal questions, diligent and able. Possessing these essentials of success, he won, and deserved it too, a high rank and an enviable standing with the bench and bar of this district. His determination to leave us is a matter of much re- gret. Asa public speaker, Mr. Stearns is logical and eloquent; as an associate, he is agreeable and courteous.’’ Weary and worn, go Rest thee, Stranger, Brother, Thou art bereft, it may be, Of a few years of culture And of fruitage here, By the swiftness of slow disease; But thy harvests of well doing Whilst thou didst stay, Nor kings, nor thieves can take away. ‘“When all the things thou calledst thine — Goods, health, pleasures, honors fall, Thou in thy virtues shalt survive them all.’’ And the others, too, shall yet be garnered there, By One whose tender thought hath numbered every hair. RICHARD PORTER. Richard Porter was born at Vermilion, Ashland County, Ohio, June 16, 1825, and at the age of 21 took up his residence at Decatur, Indiana. Ten years later, and on the thirtieth day of May, 1856, he arrived at Rochester, Minnesota, making that city his home till the day of his death, which occurred Jan. 15, 1885, near Huron, D. T., where, together with his son, he was trying to perfect a title to a piece of government land. The desire to perpetuate the memory of departed friends man- ifests itself in various ways. Perhaps the use of the marble slab is the most common; but a tree is a monument, and the most fitting one for our friend, who was always so much at home among trees, fruits, and flowers. ‘‘ How living and lasting an epi- taph is a grove of trees planted by some early pioneer.’’ In 1884 Mr. Porter was vice-president of the Olmsted County Hor- ticultural Society, and delegate from that to our State Horticul- tural Society, where he took an active part in everything per- STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 445 taining to the welfare of the society or for the promotion of the cause of horticulture in our State. SKETCH OF HON. CHARLES DOWNING. The following biographical sketch of the life of Hon. Charles Downing, by 8. B. Parsons, is taken from the Rural New Yorker of Aug. 16, 1879. It shows in few words the high estimation placed upon his character at the time those lines were written. —SEC. **Born in 1802, and, working with his father among trees and flowers until twenty years of age, he then succeeded him, and commenced that series of ex- periments with fruits which makes him now the most trustworthy pomologist of America. From 1836 to 1838 he was in partnership with his brother, who afterwards commenced his literary work, and filled the niche which was then open. A. J. Downing held a spirited and graphic pea, and his breezy articles, when editor of the Horticulturist, were the natural outgrowth of his taste and love for horticulture. In the preparation of his book of fruits, however, he was much indebted to his brother Charles, whose long experience gave him accurate knowledge, and who had fruited and compared many thousand varie- ties. After the death of A. J. Downing this book passed through several edi- tions, each greatly enlarged by Chas. Downing, until the present edition is the best pomological book in the world, and made so mainly by the labors of the subject of this sketch. It was not until after 1840 that I knew either of them; and while admiring the striking qualities of his brother, I was always impressed with the quiet observation, the great accuracy, and the unobtrusive modesty of Charles Downing. He never sought appreciation, but always received it from those who truly knew him. While writing of his attention to fruits I should not forget his love for ornamental plants, and his knowledge of them. His old place was much changed in 1868 by the running of streets and the de- struction of many of his trees. He still indulges his taste, however, and his memory does not fail him. Anyone desiring information on fruits can rely upon its correctness if received from Charles Downing. When thinking of the usefulness of such a life one cannot help wishing for the old days of Methusela when mans’ life was not limited to four score years. ‘‘TIn the career of the two brothers is a valuable lesson. One gave his life to save life; the other spent his years in labor for men. Sacrifice and labor are two pivots on which the moral world revolves. Happy is the man who has his -share of each.’’ 446 ANNUAL REPORT. TREE CULTURE.* BY DR. RENGGLY, OF LA CROSSE. Forests and Their Relation to Climate — Hydrography, Agriculture and Horticulture. Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: All of us are very well aware that the extensive territory of the United States of America is the most recently cultivated country. Only a few centuries ago the same was a wilderness in its entire circuit. In almost, immeasurably extensive dimen- sions, more particularly in the hilly and mountainous regions, all the land was covered with luxuriant forests, whose origin, growth and temporary partial decline was left to nature and its unrestrained activity. Tranquil waters in the shape of large and small lakes, and flowing waters in the form of springs and large and small rivers, passed through the country from and in all directions. This mass of water and its flow was at that time nearly symmetrical. Expansive, treeless prairies made their appearance with surprising rapidity, similar to the small and large deserts of Africa, with this remarkable difference, however, that instead of being sandy, dry and bare of vegetation, they present, in combination with a soil enriched largely with humus, a growth of grass marvelously luxuriant, and a lower strata of soil abounding in water. This latter peculiarity caused thesoil to become marshy to a more or less extent. These level prairies, existing in unbounded expansion, are chiefly located in the cen- tral regions of this vast territory; no hills, mountains or trees are visible, and furious hurricanes visiting these deserts periodically exercise their absolute authority; by reason of which state of things a prosperous growth of trees appears to be absolutely im- possible. In those districts of the country which are covered with a more or less dense growth of timber and where an abund- ance of water exists, a damp and rugged climate prevails, the same as everywhere else on the surface of the earth. The cli- mate of our country must have been, during the time of its wilderness, in a large measure a damp and inhospitable one. The country was nevertheless at that time abundantly provided with animals of different species. Multitudes of fish and ani- * This article, procured from the author by Mr.J. 8. Harris, to be read at the Annual Meet— ing, was not presented for lack of time.— Src. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 447 mals of other species were to be found in lakes and rivers, the forests and open prairies harbored countless numbers of game, and the shrubs and trees furnished a vast amount of nutritious fruit. Everything necessary for the sustenance of a frugal hu- man being, in the form of food, clothing and habitation, was, in a strict sense of the word, at that time attainable with compara- tively little effort. The aborigines of the country, the sameas we signify to-day by the name of ‘‘ Indians,’’ were, at that time, the legal owners and rulers of this vast wilderness and its rich treasure; they were in possession of a paradise, in whieh these people enjoyed a happy life, full of contentment; the wild nature of the country closely resembling their primitive life, similar to that of the first pair of human beings inthe garden of Eden. Like the angel sent by God, after the fall of man, armed with asword for the purpose of driving Adam and Eve out of paradise, came the civilizing people from Europe into the American wilderness. Theaxe and the fire destroyed, in an astonishingly short space of time, the luxuriant forests and grassy prairies to an immense extent. Agri- cultural machines of various kinds, and trained domestic animals, aided the diligent hands and the intelligence of man, in the cul- tivation of the soil and in his aim at agricultural success. In place of the former wilderness appeared farms and plantations with luxuriant and remunerative cultivation, flourishing gardens and profitable stocks of cattle. Side by side with agriculture and horticulture and in thesame proportion, industries and commerce began to flourish, and means of communication and ways of transportation were established. Population increased steadily, and the formation of new and well organized states resulted in comparatively short periods. The number of population in- ereased from a few hundred thousand to fifty millions in a com- paratively short space of time. All nations of Europe and many countries of Africa and Asia, all religious sects and all languages have contributed representatives, who live in peace, have friend- ly intercourse with each other, follow their separate vocations undisturbed,.and have good cause to be contented and happy. No country onthe globe shows in the course of its history a sim- ilar development of its society, agriculture, industry and com- merce to the United States of America. The conditions and motives causing this development and guaranteeing its thriving progress in the future, find their sure source of support in the here ruling freedom; in the protection, A445 ANNUAL REPORT. by the state, of personal liberty, in the free and independent pur- suit of personal and co-operative industry, regulated by wise laws. A high degree of intelligence, of scientific and practical education, and restless activity of the leading portion of the population, combined with the natural impulse of the whole people to build up a great, independent and mighty nation, led those institutions, laid down and guaranteed in the fundamental constitution of the country, into the track of a marvelously suc- cessful development. The immigration from the other side of the ocean continues constantly and in great numbers, even promises to assume larger dimensions in the future, Hundredsand hundreds of thousands of persons, wishing to evade the dominant circumstances on the other side, and to take part in the blissful institutions of this country, are flocking to our shores. They are eager to take part in the common and paying activity for the development of its rich treasures, and the use of them for their own benefit and for the welfare of the whole people. Similar to the high, rising stream overflowing its banks in quiet but rapid course, spreading over the territory adjoining, supplying the soil with fertilizing material, the great stream of immigration is spreading over the southern, but more particu- larly over the northern and western regions of the country, to transform the wilderness into cultivated fields. A comparatively small portion of immigrants remain, either temporary or perma- nent residents, in the older states of this country. Simultaneously with the rapid increase of our population and its wonderful distribution over every section of the continent, with the consequent marvelous increase in the production of the prime necessaries of life, it is highly important that we should take heed to the preservation of our forests where still left in their primitive grandeur, and cultivate them where destroyed by the hand of Nature or man. Every person noticing the differ- ence in the appearance of the territory of the United States, be- tween the seventeenth century and the present time, must be favorably impressed with the surprising development made dur- ing that time. Not only the development of this immense terri- tory, as stated hereinbefore, its increase to its present grandeur, in so wonderfully short a space of time, but the change of the climate of the country is also very surprising. In the same ratio as the destruction of a large portion of the forests and the ecultiva- tion of the soil has progressed the climate has become milder ~ STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 449 in general. Anything pertaining to the whole United States is also applicable to the State of Minnesota. It would certainly be a great mistake to take it for granted that the climate as well as the financial condition of the country would be benefited by an increasing removal of the forests, and the utilization of the soil on which they were growing for horti- culture and agriculture. On the contrary, and this should never be lost sight of, a climate as good as possible, and the utmost prosperity in agriculture and horticulture, can only be expected to be prevalent in a country where a reasonable proportion of open plains and extensive forests exist, may the same be large or small. A large number of species of animals find a home in these forests; they furnish many useful products and form land- scapes exceedingly beautiful to the eye; they are rich sources from which to obtain various kinds of wood, which are absolutely necessary for the maintenance and promotion of our civilization; they also form valuable reservoirs for the precipitations of the atmosphere. During the time of these precipitations, and along time afterwards, these extensive forests check the immediate drain of the water so received, and discharge the same only by degrees, partly through the medium of springs, into the rivers and lakes, partly through evaporation into the air. In propor- tion tothe degree of the temperature and the amount of water con- tained in the air, a larger or smaller amount of water is obtained through evaporation, which has a tendency to moderate the ex- cessive heat of the summer season, {nd guarantees the plants re- freshing dew and rain. Forests are also capable of resisting hurricanes. Currents of air, coursing along in furious career, whenever they encounter forests in their rapid course, are con- siderably moderated, so that they pass afterward over the open eountry with greatly diminished force. A roaring, rushing, whistling or yelling noise is observed in these forests during the tremendous attack of the tempest; trees are bending, inclining and wavering, and their branches are cracking. The forest is de- fending itself against the fury of the hurricane with great success. The success of its resistance is proportionately greater where bluffs or chains of mountains support the same. It is no doubt true that cognizance of the great value of forests, more particularly the great value of the preservation of a most favorable proportion of the same with the open country, with a view to regulation of the climate and the water courses as well as in regard to their influence on agriculture and horticulture. 57 450 ANNUAL REPORT. and also in view of a prosperous condition of the finances of the country generally, is very limited with the people in general, as well in the upper as in the lower strata of society. Take it in general and you will find that the tendency is still prevailing to extirpate the forests more and more, and establish farms in their place, or to enlarge farms already established. This tendency is prevailing, not only in places where the nature of the soil is favorable, but also in places where the soil is very unfavorable for the establishment of farms. The forests are an- nihilated, not only on the plains, but also on the level ridges, for the purpose of establishing or enlarging farms. Even on steep ridges and in ravines of the bluffs, the axe and the fire are instru- mental to divest the land of their luxuriant growth of trees to a great extent. The method, adopted during the latter years, to decimate the woods along the slopes of the bluffs by the use of the axe, the fire or grazing cattle, break up the soil and place the same under ag- riculture, has created an entirely new, but in the highest degree ruinous, system of water courses. No wonder that failure of crops, injury to cultivation and to the stock of cattle, follow the pernicious influence of the same, when, after every violent shower of rain, the dams, built mostly or exclusively of earth, are demol- ished, the bridges carried off, and the roads leftgin such a miser- able condition that they are impassable. This great calamity is at this time predominant in the bluff regions. The in the highest degree important question, how the same may be diminished, or ~ even excluded, is certainly not an untimely one. We will try to answer the same in a few short passages: First — Leave off entirely to set the prairie on fire. Second — The cattle must be excluded from the growing, or commenced to be growing, underwood. Third— Leave the steep declivities of the bluffs, such as are absolutely unpropitious for agriculture, to the unlimited activity of Nature, and in places where Nature acts insufficiently for the growth of timber, it would be well to help her by planting young trees, shrubs, ete. Fourth —The land located on the slopes of the bluffs, and al- ready cultivated, which may be used for other purposes thanthe growth of timber, should be seeded down with grass plants, such as are hardy and useful for feeding cattle. In such soil of our bluff territory, which contains lime in profusion, the planting of esparcet (Hedysarum onobrychis) would be most excellent; the STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. : 451 same endures our climate sufficiently, and renders, when cut and dried at the time of its bloom, a large quantity of superior fodder for cattle. Py FRUIT AT SOUTHERN MINNESOTA FAIR. From Rochester Record and Union. The fruit show at the Southern Minnesota fair last week was the finest ever seen in this city, and considering the quality has never been approaehed in the State; and the man who twenty years ago would have predicted such a show possible would have been deemed demented. Two prominent features in this exhi- bition were the absence of large collections, and the fact that there was no fruit on the shelves for mere effect. With the ex- ception of about a dozen plates, all were entered for competi- tion, and with the exception of three professionals, all were the exhibits of farmers, of just such fruit as they had plenty more of at home. Thespecimens were in many instances so uniformly fine that the committee found great difficulty in making awards, especially the committee on plates, who consumed more than one entire day in their labors, completing their duties to the entire satisfaction, so far as we have been able to learn, of all the ex- hibitors. There were brought out at this fair, for the first time, a number of promising Minnesota seedlings, and the commis- sioner to the New Orleans Exposition found among them, as well as the older sorts, many things worthy of notice, and em- powered Mr. A. W. Sias to make and forward a collection for exhibition at that place, and also expressed a strong desire to have a photograph of this exhibit forwarded with that collec- tion, to show to the world what a single locality can do in the way of supplying the people with such a desirable fruit as the apple. The tempting display made by Pomona on this occasion will long linger in the memory of those who were so fortunate as to witness it, and will go far to dispel all doubts as to the future of horticulture in Minnesota. 452 ANNUAL REPORT. THE LAW RELATING TO THE PRINTING AND DIS- TRIBUTION OF THE HORTICULTURAL REPORTS. "CHAPTER 8, GENERAL LAWS OF 1883. AN ACT TO AMEND CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO (72) OF THE GEN- ERAL LAWS OF ONE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED AND EIGHTY- ONE (1881), RELATING TO THE STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Minnesota: SECTION 1. Sections one (1) and two (2) of chapter seventy- two (72) of the General Laws of one thousand eight hundred and eighty-one (1881) relating to the State Horticultural Society shall be amended so as to read as follows: Sec. 1. There shall be annually printed and bound thirty-five hundred (3,500) copies of the annual report of the State Horti- cultural Society, provided the number of printed pages of the same shall not exceed five hundred (500); which report shall be transmitted to the governor, and shall be distributed by the State Horticultural Society, as follows: One (1) copy to each of the State officers, members of the legislature, judges and clerks of the supreme and district courts, county auditors and members of the board of regents and faculty of the State University; fifty (50) copies to the State Historical — Society; one hundred (100) copies to the State Board of Immi- gration; one hundred (100) copies to the State Agricultural So- ciety in exchange for a like number of its annual reports; and a sufficient number of copies to each county horticultural society to supply one copy to each of its members; provided, such county society shall be in active existence, and shall have filed with the secretary of the State Horticultural Society a list of its officers and committees, and an abstract of its proceedings for the year preceding; and the remaining copies shall be distrib- uted by the State Horticultural Society, in such manner as it shall deem best, after retaining a sufficient number for its library and to supply future members and exchanges. Sec. 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. Approved February 28, 1883. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 453 THE LAW OF MINNESOTA ON FRUIT STEALING. Chapter 35, General Laws 1867. AN ACT FOR THE PROTECTION OF FRUIT AND ORNAMENTAL TREES, SHRUBS, VINES, AND VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Minnesota: Srecrion 1. That if any person or persons in this State shall hereafter enter the enclosure of any person, without the leave or license of such owner, and pick, destroy, or carry away the fruit, or any portion thereof, of any apple, pear, peach, plum, grape, or other fruit tree, bush, or vine, or any vegetable products, such person shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof may be fined any sum not less than ten nor more than fifty dollars, and imprisoned in the county jail for any period not exceeding thirty days. Src. 2. That if any person or persons in this State shall will- fully and maliciously, and without lawful authority, cut down, root up, sever, injure, peel, destroy or carry away, any fruit or ornamental tree, or shrub, cultivated root, plant, or vine, of whatever kind, or any fruit or other vegetable production, standing, or growing on, or being attached to the land of an- other, or shall willfully, and without lawful authority, cut down, root up, destroy or injure, in any manner, or carry away any fruit or ornamental tree, plant, shrub, or vine, upon any street, lane, alley, public highway, or public grounds, in any city, town, or village in this State, such person or persons so offending shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof, shall be punished}by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars, or by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding three months, or both fine and imprisonment, at the discretion of the court having jurisdiction of the case, and shall, moreover, be liable in double the amount of damages to the party injured. Sec. 3. The penalties incurred by violation of this act may be enforced by indictment in any court having jurisdiction of misdemeanors in the county where the offense is committed, or the fine may be recovered in an action for debt before any justice of the peace of such county. Sec. 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. Approved March 9, 1867. 454 . ANNUAL REPORT. ADDITIONAL ANNUAL MEMBERS, 1885. Aa BY Gipson. ..'-.s2—.nshaactey ioe: Geeeeeees tne ream sone Greeley, Colorado. C. H. Hoffner ...... Ls ceaewbas scene nen NeMeis cir = to. «cnet Litchfield. EG EL. ICCTINGY tc.c..cescec-ca. cretendsecaseettace+s eset seaaemm Morristown 1 MCLL SL) 1 eee gee aR EERS A <8) <1) SAMS Garden City. FAL INOEDY cases cwane scgeasenqns sachs ectaelege pltenbats epietes Madison, Dakota. ED PALMeEP sc cas se ce ac tyes ens othe ealeele ee Repeats +8 = esa aamaEE 76, DLLANVDOLLIEK aces ar est nace rere vasctmtaataaveeseemem essa tasesa tos: staes 66, 281, 383, SMM DUTO IG TAPES saseecsacecetesccetacaneeses sued ssltasemrc cst .1c+estdeeeeaaan deciene Downing, Charles — Memorial’ Resolutions. .: 5.23.52. Jccsessesdssssseesccccenascecsaeaseuesenadecseeeemeem MUCONOMY, NCCMOd 4... .ccsesccccccasciedacneeccucleenceveacosewssioopevesee: asd swue ee aanaam PME cto) Offs OM COE sc .cae se ses esiesdocs ov desire sae eeedclece saeearaen: ates 136, Elliot, Wyman— Chairman of Finance Committee suceee cased sess ccscecesaneesacecanssineceeeeneeenen Report on Finance Committee..........:.:.ssccccscccsesesccevcsssercossceanssesnes Report. on PremiUmMs),...........0cescceecocosesescccnsscsneoewnrnec esse sseneaeeeaeemmn Entomologist — Committee to Confer with)...-. 005.0020. 200secernsssecescneecsesers=ssecessereeeaaae Committee on Legislation on.................0:cc.ssesccesecscesrscsacess comshinsiess DISCUSSION ON. 23.05 sees suas saskaaseddasetesc'oeceetedesaceneseees semen ae eeee eae 187, Resignation of R. J. Mendenhall..................csescoscscoecsescoeeasssnaseenee Report of Committee OM............cceccecoessceccccsccscnesccneescscasccnscascescness Bxchange of Reports: ......csccscnevsecess cee scccdececocnsascserevaceves+s ss east meen Executive Committee, Meetings f..............cesccccccescscscecescscecceeeenees 33, AMD UGOTS, ANG KU DLtS we eoneseacereiettesncscensateterdesr ee eeecerceae 27, 42, 136, Experimental Farm at State University.............cesssscsesecerseseseees 30, 143, Fair ‘Grounds Between the Cities. .............00csceccseccsessecciscesecdsesesbuesne 42, Farm, Stock and Home— ETIGOTSOA | acs sreciesesececcsccaccccns vadesmaeslsuebbws civ sebess sirens ach stk ses asae aman SCLECULONA MLO. 050-005 cnscnnaschvetaneeetatcteeecliensos cesses ofansact ane 265, PavOva ple WUOCAIILY sc. .cccccr.s-cs sees ccrerewaddcttnemves es secss re: cersaccesses aan e MOrglliZersee pies ce otse:sstzessssscace ses ane heamecstetesessealsccceesancac cease aeeeamm 420, Hirt TRESOMMGIONS: bise0ccccss sce ccdeasdagcesdeadeetendscedsocsdectecs's ves tcl tleleatttee = = 60 52 47 382 253 63 Ja. ae ee Oe INDEX. 459 Finance Committee — INSEAD CUS! Ol cacccteesescetwel cs tees re cesnveoceess seaceaves eastucebanceetsasapcdeedtiae ts 47 EMPL AOL PLSD este con anes (acvaccess sacs se es's ces Secundectevanhmnseyent saat «Moaaadena vate 215 eestsCUtig Ota LOMO MMcemn ne raess rap ante see caosccsdccder,=:esuueseeaversenesairaaneneonaenceet 240 PBC TAO ON GAO Off SOCOUY ja cse =e hin aes 313 > , 460 INDEX. Grapes — Discussionio£ Rot and Sunburn .s-cery.\vscevesccssrs0seeadledascetereseeene enaneee 52 tyN envy, OLICANS. 2.5 snscccesesiaces tates seslestidsaadscreraistcsvssscesenerten 212, 223, 317 TT MANN CSOtA.......00c0s00es sone dsiescasceus dabnosdivecdssdeescosce ches enent en aaa 255 ROPOLb OM. ...02..0.ciseseesdsebecioinececcwtcalstleweeadese ciosdedetes voltete cs tee === 272 Revision Of | List: Of... 2. .c0.seeeeeeemeaeeee 5 Amber Cane Association, 1885.........20.00.sescreccesleessoedeecioe us dder serena 136 Hennepin County Societiy.....2...<:.ccscecsscorveossncooadvsstdscenasectiadecesaeneene 243 Olmsted County. Socletiy...:.<....scsscecsecsesesieesnssecssocese covssecsseerene senate 95 Ramsey, COUNTY: doses aecenesae geen 111, 114 ReportiOn! MLruib.<. 2.0.02. cceceeena cess ccsneeseretseswreceskels sevcae/s es \elec tea 315 Remarks on Cell Stricture: ..-..cc..cecsencenscoscs0jsieos¢0ds coco esas ee=eeneneeaae 204 Petter) George P., Report on Fruit. cic... ccccc.cen...cnecaees see ce cise sepnseeeaa ana 300 Peperson,, Au. WReportsiOn WPUvtl c ccesccen css ecvencsccessc> oe cnsecaencesaann 119, 312 Picking and Marketing Strawherries.............scececeiscossccersrecnvecncesesevonase 441 Pioneer Press, Extract from......<...ss:ceceacecoescedsesecn eee 00 coeeaqnnns seh neeeeaneaame 326 FPRUTERINS ag = caiclstoiesinisa:e visio oo 0¢,0.0\s 0./e cicmniaice Rae eobWeuneidnge se Meaclees. te 5-5 sasis een meee 279, 282 Boolendia We, keports on Pruit:.......ccccsssscsveonessbesssec dos nesass eee 1. 40 Experience with Fruit Trees........:.0..:s0cescscanssseusaceess 20a 55senes nanan 205 Remarks on Seedlings... 1c0.-01csessccesecncncorsueesossecons Baar saccnctece 109, 112 Strawberry Culture: .. 21.1 22..0snedscsverssvesscecececnesesceei ess epee am 385 , Smith, President, T. M.— Amine AGO reas) ..65.5.kcsc.cecstdctesesctasseccsesecetenseaeessa ae en Been: 88 Report ON PTUits.. 2. sc ..dccncdscecscocacepesccecsrsncecasecnes vensar seseas— =a 298 ESomeryville, Wm., Report on Pruitt... 7.0<..ccc.cccescoscecocceecossensceess ene eaeaeenam 432 Sorghum Sugar Industry, Prof. Wiley........ccssscsccecasssesconsees sssoeneeaaceeanae 351 “Springer, W. A., Report on’ Frulit............ssccscsesconceccoeencessecesancsssnssenente 301 Standing Committees. ...0. 225.20... .c:.cedanardecsoncnansoneeshosthant nee suek=aeaeaae 6 -Statute for Proit Protection: 222.2 125.2 cio pcce..c0cscseessccesees senensaeseee eee 453 eStearns, Henry C:,: Death Of-is2.-.cc.cscoussccnccesnsennencascscese>anespenaneeae 95, 443 pSteele County. Applesiccc.:-..ccccecesees Sater sccncesccs>+cecmenecaee sees ssannaaa 127 . Strawberries— By. Mi Outlier, vi cscansccnsedscenankaneceae wou seens aectecqen=dcten oan 64, 375 IPISCUSSION ON. cs :car teas ss nectasncnesseasaetieee as ccsstbea esse tena seckae ene 66, 383, 388 Cultivation, Fertilization, etc. (with illustrations).................:ceeeeeeee 433 IREPOLtS ON. sscs.c0s-t2bcecnt see seeeaceatusmeeneneste-sce>o ces cace tesa ean 49, 375 Varieties -Recommendeds: iss: -scc-sacsacct=ncsss:cenecscs sctescsteene heer 279, 355, 392 ‘Stubbse N. J., Report.on, Prait.cc: 22.5. :csresessssesesocccorse+ occ seconcesanteaeeeeeeam 305 ‘Sugar Industry in: Mexico, Gen. Le DuC.....................sssseese: cosenasensantecnes 137 MUMIMET MeCN: :.. fa... sl/eencsclsascsctrectnecessescescesesssceaecencecensssseeuaee 240, 277 Superintendent Horticultural Exhibits..............cssceccseeeseesceseeesseenees 24, 317 fh Taylor, B., Report on Fruvit........ ......secsescscescccccarscscntccesccnaccsascessassnes 381 ‘Tilson, Mrs. Ida E., Essay, Poultry in Horticulture...............cssccecssseeees 180 INDEX. 465 Transactions— RED WT RETA E PEP tecea yee a ch clei cccvesie ch -oadecentqancene da rehise Rpeabel sevaees 56 SEMIN NTOMEDET 40505050 cueeee soscvesse Suveceretscsercces sapoctuae salyeuleeeent 126 RMR MSTMIA HU NOOSS nso cic i vice vciolspectinwerossinaa secueesessocctetacad cumcatetnmeeeaene 200 PEIN “AD DIOSs. 6 sii sarees assissceensccuceedenentselscddadiudercessoaeen 129 PTE MONEE SOC CUIN OG << «la nants oicdiaeediastaniedteadecceweteeatanateh tabase sete aeteemee 125 U Underwood, Anna B., Essay on Orcharding in Minnesota....................... 173 Mimderwmoods. M.,sReporton SeeGlngs.......2..2...cceseteees csossoserecaucseesseees 113 MEEMEER SEO IINS. (5.050 5ccesisesen ecu comncadasntaessnctsestcaens sews narcances 42, 63, 213 V WAPIETICS MRECOMMENGEM.........220.0c00ss0cecenneceos 281, 355, 392, 398, 404, 412, 419 TINE UIT WEG LEN C5255 oaesse sqe asian nawiks + se avciensleenalampeuenessttenenitape omen 202 iimestorOur Homes; by Mrs. Huntley .c.....ccccsecdeasscessesdcacseoeaocidecssiseeses 426 Rirmeoaneibach, Ered, Report. OM Eruit.......:.c.seccecesscvcveag scccdedescsaversesree 316 Waldron Seedlings...... hie cae Ueda. at ge a 118 Wealthy Apple — RPE DRI Cece c'clos's(nt ois c(slie\eisocis n'e Wisse seleeifels ot NEW YORK BOTARICAL Carpet: PREPARED BY THE SECRETARY, §. D. HILLMAN, MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. ST. PAUL. J. W. CUNNINGHAM & CO. 886. OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, eee March 31, 1886. Respectfully yours, S. D. Hitiman, Secretary Minnesota State Horticultural Society. munasl....... oeeeee eee ee ere ewes eee ees ee ee eee sees eee ee oe Seomorary fOr Hive: Years... .cs ct ies ods sles a ule chen eeen Semarary ite Members...) . i. .,0 4 scores ss aiee ole too eran OFFICERS STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY........c0:ssesceeeeees 4AW RELATING TO PRINTING, IDC ies eheveislicicl cyete)s, cictocedanolentiareveleletetetans POMSTITUTION............. SOOMEDINGS OF THE SuMMER, MERTING. J... sds0 os caeogen eee Correspondence.... Pruning of the Grape........ eevee es eee eee etee Report of Delegates to Wisconsin.........ceee...8eeeees OOD 4 Fruit Outlook for the Northwest..++-.00is.rssseeds saan? 410 hn fe ; _ American Pomological Society...........0.+.++seeeeeees os y INDEX. see elec eee e eects teat ete e sete teeteetteeees 436 1B iT | a aS i kee br ae er ty fot Ss OFFICERS AND MEMBERS FOR 1886. ‘ PRESIDENT. oe Meena Mrrior.......... .............22.....-----./-Minneapole Ble i VICE-PRESIDENTS. i et , ey 1m ee NI ee Rochester y MUP OULD. |... 8. nine cee ee cece selene nd eecs os J0xCelsIORaa + 3 IR ce ann pe oe a ge Litchfield ie 3 SECRETARY. | ae = D, HILLMAN. ..-----------+-+--+--- ween tees cee. soos, Men a , TREASURER. a EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. rt o ; i The President, Secretary and Treasurer ez officio and h a Seeereis, Chairman. -.....--.:-----2-- ---ss---e2ce La Crescent e Eoin ee es Lake City Biteuman M. Surrz..:....-....-.---.--- Fetal Caneel erp SE Page RE ae. oe oe eee ae dae Farmington Eee ee. ek eu, Minneapolis ‘es « Me i ENTOMOLOGIST. 1 Kove nN 7 " i? Dy ihe COMMITTEE ON § EDLING FRUI rs ue iis . ME UNDERWOOD, | 2)... 00 els declan s bee's +s vena en COMMITTEE ON NOMENCLATURE. Pag VV. OLAS... .).. A PONV, LATHAM. |: 0.3 OS, OO Meo Tatas DO LIN GTR (¢ ic Maer ae hegt CE aariye 8 COMMITTEE ON FORESTRY. BePePeGuiins:. i. oe. eee. Ct nea i J. WW SOX BLE. 6... os ig Myon tii tehe de alate eave acts eth MOU TLER. .e. ccs ese ee HOLES Aa TEE Or. [pawl SPOR TR) Aoki eRe a ea GeEorGE P. Pavone i a fo eee GPARRIS:. 0. WERT es a pe te res Mees MES. COMMITTEE ON RUSSIAN APPLES. er PTL 2 i. lakeeiabaeenie eee 9 CN MEGTS) 0 ieee faa nae se aaeny Ua MEPANDREW PETERSON... isc ce siecc cee ssc wseca ene’ COMMITTEE ON VEGETABLE GARDENING. BEVAM LYONS: 0. 2... \ Pueutieee acs « eases : Re. VV OOLSEY 6 oc iroitteieelst sale esl ae SO RIMHALL. ..o. ssc abt oe ee eee Truman M. SmITH..... OTL ID bikie die shh din oe 5b ha MMOeneRe Te cale as ee oe PU CO ol eicee o.oo ao oo haa sic vie ue « ene ou teidleeneinanan ‘STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. GENERAL FRUIT COMMITTEE. IERIB ED) O30 RE BOM Lid. 5. 4 sa’ vc a oo o'aldlclange Geka anes SEPETETEONO | seo eee ec. eda. s avs os = o a's. iolattaediaters: Goal Sleigh taanm MIE Ue HS cS hc ng 4, boo ww oo 0 ce wad latela ney See SAUNDERS............. Sn MMRDA acto 'e ko MUPEMITOH WOOD: cocci e ss. etc eee ee Balaton, Murray County f; SIEM Ss sk edge ae copa cens Cyne contieumen p ee a lic iu gases cig aanuoded aiden Long Lake rn SUITMROMUGUIEN ERY 2... cc ccc cc cece ueeecaveceed St. Charles a PMs we cies Ve weenie cas seaeeeces ee Minnesota City iE: MUG, . cnc dca cs ccceccadacsaneaccnenes Albert Lea gs Lee ie De end wae cet bewen eel St. Peter S I ae uy wale Guia ces Ra Sumter t Eee i elcalle do bbie bbl Occ blemens Litchfield 4 Mofo aoa esl clal ele cecie hole sie sue elecelae olde. tate Farmington : EMEMNEIEIDLIOEE of os sc ee clees cg eb ole sees Ue ule ime a Carver a MRPURMETAT Ti os 5c ck vin oobi ce a eccislvin gos wdled semen eilelue St. Paul Wm. CANNON...... PRE Sia fat sshd ap eatard .-Fort A. Lincoln, Dak. SUBERINTENDENTS OF EXPERIMENTAL STATIONS. . Pror. Epwarp D. Portzr....University Farm, St. Anthony Park Pe EC EIVICON 0 5625. bcc ccc ecw eve cies e culaie wales le Excelsior 4 oes Oko in ii vps casele vs Wajeereanse cous Minneapolis q EE Seca e eee cg cee ees avdnenedae Litchfield é ee cae suo vs wjue one le acireeate Rochester c BPEPOESTRTEDD 20... ck cette eee en eee uenene Moorhead aE i oes bea edge og een Moorhead x PUA UTHESON. occ cece ce cess eect ecne aay ieeds Waconia * MPMI TORE 6S. .-. ec oc ee ccs cece ce unenwoenciiy ude uale Carver ; MeewOUD & HMERY..............ee cree wenres Lee le Lake City ee askew bnaeticgewaanens Forestville DPA MBAOH o.oo. eee ete de nen cnneeees Alexandria : ORT hs Sb ca kee e i beee Sdena sed ges Owatonna "ie Sr SUREPOS ne eeelar Farmington ; Hf NT a be em biesetbeetiinies oie 6 La Crescent i Eis ee de ES NRT Minnesota City ‘3 The members of the General Fruit Committee are expected to report separately on all matters of _ interest in Horticulture, but more especially to bring to the notice of the Society new and improved fruits. oie * 10 ANNUAL REPORT, Te ANNUAL MEMBERS, 1886. OT UNS RRS oR se Ty Young America MeOmrNE OSIAH . i. .5:5:.eaeenene BREE «- a Red Wing PMRHWS, JOHN Pi... ccsciltes fetstes's/ss o'e'es vie 0 nn Faribault PeeNOUD, JAMES... ..2 sc cdsulesbed chee: ..t35.3s50e0 Hammond Peeernt AS Ho's ack tes eek EE ease ae Strawberry Point, lowa ua Ts I ORAS Ok 8 oe Brown’s Valley Brresmmry ON: A Ly S550 sed eae sien tain wos be sae e's) 2c enn Glyndon Bee NUN aia tiretsts elec tetetaitale ore nalisloieie'oia’ fate Minneapolis PARELHY,, CAPT: (RUSSELE!? ori )i5d) haesai vs +h Ree St. Paul MONS ae ce ote ahs als a tualete atebettate’s! at Natale ate oer Excelsior MNOE RPT 2 she'd 5a *ui'eha laste tna" 8'e 0° 1b to ata le a ie ‘aie 'o ua lo eel ee Excelsior MPR WW is = o's so carve §. 0,050 8. 2a ica ade a 6.8 0 oe oe St. Paul BPASUAN,| CHARLES: Poy Sy sie 'c Ce ok voce coe eee Minneapolis Bam ASL LS) WB a3, oes 5 Se Oe aie sla’ 9 o'v'o'e wt St. Paul MEMO ATT) | WW. LS ss a alee ceie'a ais'd 6 & bisi es Gb ello choy a a St. Paul . EOWN, Oooo. hp oto eats vidal oe vader St. Peter — Besant DR. I H..o. etheel A ea ds. Wee St. Paul — BSN ELL, MCs ce iss va vwieltle oo 2 sels ere elle ie Newport | Pesce. ERED ...'.3 0.) ised ls) shies sostees enn Richfield — LE 2 OS ee ERTS eA MUR. Minneapolis — eee AVERY Koo... oj... es e's s(s' lp vin’ wate ore oe Dover BATE AT as oh Souci ha ged aa Beale doetbae 8 hae ene ee Minnetonka PARMON, VWIDLEAM, 3.0208 dense hasio tas Meee Fort A. Lincoln, Dak. NGS SKB! Ty. ERO ook Oe ee ok aha OTE Blunt, Dak. — Perm pay me EE 3, slice eet tala ba eee a ae Minnehaha PekGSsEN, HMI J. oi eke k. Ste ieee tea eden Bismarck, Dak. er R ey: PAY 5: oc occ ltthe Re Nar Rend AcE: Fort Atkinson, Wis. POMC LING, H. AUGUSTUS: ge igi scesoe tee Ose nese ee Brooklyn, N. Y. PMB. Ts (Cvs 05 sc area ete ue cate Fort Atkinson, Wis. een. JOHN Hy. 3. 2.24 eee ee een Ss Sk ee Farmersburg, Iowa — Bie OIDNEY ..... 5.2.2 sda pee oe ae 0a Cask Hammond PRANDATY, CHARLES A... ioc ivk dosiridsw cs 000s tape Sumter © CRORE DATL, \WTHAN’....|.. swt peelenebes cc. cee Sumter CRITTENDEN, WO), 2.4 s0'vs settee mews als's «\+\s 010000 oer DANFORTH, WILLIAM .').. ...); eee Ses. ss. Coe Red Wing (TVs ne E.R oC MI ES Owatonna NAGY 5 AEDS (5 Sp a's Ss. ic «cle» ROR eaiale te dios oe Farmington Ry ere oe AN TA Oe ke RA he, FR Pe kes) See fo fen & Uh eee Je sas | eT ID EMA DY: oe MEET It NS a MORE ARAL Sesleri ay pl arte , , - - : STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 11 | ree _ AR REI oye Sai Gs Farmington MT JOHN EP... e nes ee csc ec ee eens Mp pal ara ae Waukon, lowa mower, I. G....... 26 Ap ci a ae ae aie erent Esmond, Dak. Ree J. (COLE, bo. cece e ec ci ene RPM ei, : gba hha Lake City 2 ne a mletblalletoraie'e 3-< <.0le eee Clearwater ieear, C.F...... MERI tale, Sisiglateds ce a\a > 60’ pre sd tegen! Tomah, Wis. SS a Eldora, Iowa OS Bre ned » uae aiele eeauaecaieds eee Lake City ii. soos vrs eevee nese gbiesoo ete te emmeen Newport. IEEEDIAM ok. kee ce cleneenacsecngerecgs Chatfield Memeneeb FP. O............ TERIA NEE A cals ea edeeme ih ape BAR Lake City FULLER, GEoRGE W..... Bis aaa ta om acct eos eee, Sy an ncaa Litchfield Gipes, GEoRGE T............ NRA EET | ig See et yg vn ars Minneapolis SOLD VER. ss oss ns sce Coa evles ds seule tenon Ramsey, Dak. I hoi, se Se a Pe a His ly's oie ed vs woke yaaa Excelsior rs, Lia's aso, oo eieiel ew. o's od 8 ne din a oie ealeaaemtte Richfield MMIREIGRAG, cscs dece cbs ccdeeceatioeenwanan Minneapolis Bacup. FE. G...... Fit aR UNS Cy auigns asthe lamas eal Excelsior os, Su cule satel ovale Rides ol anes aioe Excelsior ei cleo woes cheers veces tuts PAB RR er Snes Minneapolis SeeameG.O. ©............ Be ce nate here AS eae eae Minneapolis Tc cep eet c eta vevescdcesens Cleveland, Mich. RT sco orcas, Sinai ie ae a0 ce cooineid ale d dle xen eee Anoka IN cone esis ci ccje'e d e'e wens oils e's she diese bevels Minneapolis Harrineton, GrorGe W...... araichehe ale o's «0 kone teen Plainview RGN Pe. cece eee soc wete nares .La Crescent ot .La Crescent DER Gr. sac cco e ccc aeieseeseuoueas vale St. Paul Ia Ie ey Minneapolis. Hinteaen, Mrs. Mary..... Seats eccars os te ee La Crosse, Wis. MumrtGEINGEE, CHARLES,............+.es00008 apne Baraboo, Wis. ee ce as as ae a ae o's slab ein ele a teal tates Rochester PI TUIRIOW cee cise puck cece cece eee conten hanes v.++ Moorhead Re oc we c Sinic tie elec ev vo ee eeigeimewied lores Bloomington NEMO SED C10 Goce. aie ss cs cee sence wemeipucle gages ae Excelsior INGERSOLL, D: W...... OS ee « cadet Hote ACG Ys SRR Mi? St. Paul I 20 a oa a Minneapolis NET 0 Ie esc Shea's ose oo 2 ob ecg R MER hig sipleta.s. cidge Hastings MNS VN SAILS 5's ai a. 5 oe eS dr SieNM Gale enol jaye Champlin EEN orca rhe ck Oo soe wn wna Riegelaie le in at ERS Rochester ‘ ae ‘) 12 Kenney, Seto H....... KENNING, CHARLES Weraprnrrson, ' 0. .. es ea lea ie! s o's) s vs fea err SEA HEID EH) HUDOLPH.) 2). yl deme dale s os oe cls ey oes nelle deen Pe NE oo AAS ea ee Dees mere LY. Ba WW "58 SA Re Ces ey "eeeses sss nnn Glyndon LUEDLOFF, CHARLES......... LS LURES Sie aie, ok ee ce 2/2 Carver Peres VV ELLLAM C00! cs Osaka in ees cy ocdhalgacee ena Minneapolis PAPI N POSE WV LGRTAM S'S "s. sins. ce eae cae eee eee 3 Langdon McArruour, A..... BSCR SS) Sin Rie en ae Winnepeg, Manitoba — MPENEY, WILLIAM... 505.5. 02000. otha a a St. Charles — EMCI NEAT. Ets gs 's's.c's sid 10:8 be eel eve tie ed er Minneapolis | TAS eg 0 oa ae Pit nite ied terest Garden City — OR i ARM SK Milbank, Dak. | EST ss soe ng Don als oe a vene denise eee ae Sumter EE A: GRO ASOD TORTIE Ray AD: wa: POR ss: Madison, Dak. MMR UEVEIEP sds choc int etaaton Sed ut i. Minneapolis — OSTERGEEEN, HipWARD A... ....22)..00...025 seen St. Paul — MON We Ms asa ates oles wets atthe lene err Minneapolis — Parmer, CHARLES TY... 06. os .h60 ocr: Seb dle toa Minneapolis _ PARIGER. Woe Lin 33... akcded's sas cares co alent ae Farmington — BARTEIDGE,' SAM! |. Saw ede loe slash ee ee Moorehead | PRTERSON, ANDREW 0.02660... 066 2.20 es oe Waconia 4 MOE. J. Wr y's os ahh eerie tiyeke MSRM Farmington f Porrer, Pror. EpwarD D.................se0--- 90, Anthony Paros e mureer, De. BL Loo estate. ces Os. oe an Bird Island 3 pe A. A Ss Sot ies eae es Wilwvess. oe Glencoe — Sw@ousrin, A. By ...u'0:.cs secdene Whee 4 Oe ae .Granite Falls — Rozerts, G. H........ Rare 4 Set aa AeA Minneapolis — Sroeees, GEORGE . oo ieiceid eee olamies o's 3 2 oon er Money Creek © i) te MORRELL Ort 2 Fo PE Minneapolis a SR PACRPUINNS (S22. a 0 co Wo cee BRIM cacti neg ...Menominee, Wis. — ASO ROEENT A... . s\n's 5 sinneisieraletehe sey mio, MP La Crosse, Wis. — SAUNDERS, 0. H....... RE h sk Niphy | E98 foie Oe ....-Granite Falls | S Saunpers, Mrs. 0. E..... cme 2 bes tee ee Granite Falls fi Shere 10 0 1) Ghee! Sr oI) Soe) Ba 2... 0104 22 Moorhead — 7 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 13 SEELYE, Re ORE ot DS... cu needs LOSE Water, ame MN GP sie aaa’ ine oslo o's viv oa vee mafecaley clue a/ 8! etal St. Paul RUEPEUTHORGE Woiscicc ccs chs cece cc cee ce wean ene ® Minneapolis tee aeaje sos ee ols aes ove ow ren eterna shes Minneapolis Cyt. ce siciale die sv 5 os cuca eevee alain mimes Farmington SG eine Sai c ee cis k bales es oe be ay sega Minneapolis TOME NOE. |... eect ete eee ees Cresbard, Faulk Co., Dak. ee Halstad — ME VY TGLTAM «0... 8 ee cee eee e een eraceus Viola nen anne nnn inane iene Excelsior DUPE YVILLTAM |. ee ee lee eee eee ees Cannon Falls MI I, VU... ee tee eee Winnepeg, Manitoba GS oP San Lake City GS ee ea La Crosse, Wis. METIS. ce eee eee ee renee Big Lake Eo. oc is os wine's s bin ee se wena eset s deed me vie me Sumter MPTPTODAEENCE, 0... 0.02. ce sec c cect eee en cctaeneenis Albert Lea Seren TGHT Hy. . i eee e Northome MITA Gc ek tee tenet ee ete St. Paul es ee cece e deen dass ceeapees Minneapolis MIETEIE.O f= coe cc eee ceca eee tie nescence anna Faribault GS eae iin Minneapolis moone, H. H....... Ales DE hee Sea balan sae tists cin Re oan St. Paul HONORARY MEMBERS FOR FIVE YEARS mene. MURRAY, from 1881.............0....-0000 Lake City aoRGH J. KELLOGG, from 1882.................+.- Janesville, Wis. Mere AM, from 1882............0....eeeeeeee Ash Ridge, Wis. MeeMnGAVLORD, from 1886...............-.:-. Nora Springs, Iowa COMMITTEE ON FLORICULTURE. EUAN OUHVE 2s 2. eee ke eee e eae seiine Minneapolis MMGTOULD «0.2, cece 3 oe ote eee ee cle enn ee inla eelales Excelsior STITAN Is. UW NDERWOOD:......---20ssccce escent Lake City COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATION. AG ROP yess ss o's» ou einen oa sae Bs Minneapolis RS MITE ek ee ee ee cele elec ae cee eens ele St. Paul RS PORTER, 62.55.6226 ee anne es St. Anthony Park q ahi. . an a. Sk a . = An i Ta ty “2 . oe! ee = Ape - oft te. a hw ae eRe REG CPI OMEN ST} TET ees eas f rit tee ofS alg Np yar Sa yy i La PRRSER) ds. Loses eee ss ss bales wena Pewaukee, Wis. PROG AE TUE MOD 2,),> ce S95 mile(s sevontiegetess Ala’ ><. sles" sacra Milton, Wis. SICESTS'S 0 On rs era Ce PP MAA EERE Green Bay, Wis. BANU TERSOR/ 5.058 Baie alg Svave: ales rove ae Beek Mie, 4-3 ony wih ani La Crosse, Wis. POE obi ODD 223%. bie be labs Sh eae ae oe le Ames, lowa Pa fe DDT TIE Fiat 2 Gage dave ba o-Sre-H paseo sete. a see Baraboo, Wis. F. K, PHOENIX......... Dba les des wt o eatciecs ae Delavan, Wis. BI VERN ING 431s o's ack w adeeb is <(tc.a eles ocala wo sete name Reading, Mass. Metre), WWVics WEAINIRIING «225/52 ce wie nin 018 5 0sn-es his sole rae Reading, Mass. MRS VV MG PAIST 03 s/s. ks eles os else se wee eee ous 8s seen Hersey Re SN POM ule gi 25s vialale | LRU Yad cine alge Fort Benton, M.T. Con..J.H. STEVENS: ........ pi ehoase dca ts toe Minneapolis ; Meme TLATERIG. gro 5, $0i0)6 0:0 \0-4'6.,0'6 Wi. o'sjarale ate ene anh er La Crescent Pepe MPR MHA 3/0). 5 cos wine eb ds eon sd ae eee oe Minneapolis Praean Mo SMITH; . 0. 45.0.'s ose ods s ove ene sn St. Paul POMP NORD as. a bods 62a e ds cede ise le ons Side ate St. Paul’ | WAS OCA IN PILETOT S|: 51. s13 6/8 te ase Meld aed blu s see ele a Minneapolis _ PPE GS TL AG id jarc (care cused siarwse ete hides wisltote cio sts ta Minneapolis MEL SUPERS 20,15 die Sai ew bad oh beaks Sask Minneapolis Mine.) 0. VAN’ CLEVE.O i Gio. ohn ses svete sea eee Minneapolis AW SEAS oso Shc ode oc ailan an a ele haley tive ean Rochester Perce M, GIDEON... 20.0.5 25.0025 o's > ne ne Soe oles a 30 ANNUAL REPORT, weather, I am trying to build a dwelling and I have no leisure what- ever. There is a bond of sympathy between us, augmented, no doubt by the disasters of the past very cold winter—such sympathy as comes. from the commisseration of common misfortunes, if not from common success. No doubt after the many funeral services we shall be com- pelled to hold over dead pets and blighted hopes, we should get encour- agement from a meeting of your Society, whose circumstances as hor- ticulturists so nearly resemble our own. As it is we can only offer vou our good will and hope ere long to be able to render you materiab assistance in your horticultural work, so courageously undertaken. Respectfully, A. L. Hares.” FRUIT REPORT, BY GEO. J. KELLOGG, JANESVILLE, WIS. The following fruit report was then read: ~ The effects of the past winter are very disastrous and singularly marked, especially among small fruits. Among apple trees there is the finishing up of our borne trees, and of those partially killed the two previous winters. In the orchard Red Astrichan, Golden Russet, Talman Sweet and many others of this hardy list have lost a limb and occasionally a tree. Willow Twig seems least effected in the orchard of any winter apple in the nursery, it frequently injures badly—Duchess and Tetofsky are most hardy of all; though most of the new Russians seem hardy enough but are predisposed to blights. The winter of 1882-3 was more severe on apples than any winter for the last ten years. I had Wealthy kill to the ground in the nursery and every- thing but Duchess, Tetofsky and New Russian were more or less injured. Among the Raspberries new plantations have suffered least. Turner and Crimson Beauty seem most hardy among the Red. Old Plantations of Cuthbert and Brandywine, Hansell and Sheffers Colos- sal are killed to snow line and in some cases to the ground, while new plantations of the same kind are iruiting to the tips. Among the — blacks about the same appearance with Gregg, Tyler, Sonhegan, Onandaga, Ohio, M. Cluster, &. The old plantations are hardly worth standing, some even killed to the ground, while most of the new — plantings are fruiting to the tips. ; Strawberries, except when not covered and in low places, have win- tered well and are loaded with fruit—of the comparative value of kinds — it is too early to form a correct opinion. “i Sa eS STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 31: Crescent beats all for production while Countess is a profitable fer- tilizer. Vick and Piper give abundant promise, but if their promises are not - redeemed better than last year they will go under with many others. Blackberries are a failure unless protected; the Dewberry is easiest covered and the earliest to ripen, gives a good crop when well culti- vated. The Snyder and Stone’s Hardy are showing an occasional branch in bloom when unprotected. Taylor’s Prolific, Ancient Briton,. Western Triumph, Early Harvest, Stayman’s Early and many others have shared alike fate. Acres have been mowed and burned—there is no safety except by covering, and even then there is danger of uncover- ing just before a prize and get the tender buds nipped. The grapes are promising full, when well cared for—there is no use trying to raise any fruit without care. Truly the horticulturists’ path is strewn with thorns beside those’ on roses. . Gro. J. KELLoaG@. JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN, June 15, 1885. A letter was read from C. Hamilton, of Ripon, Wis., regretting his- inability to be present at the meeting and enclosing a paper on smali fruits, furnished by request, and closing with good wishes for the suc- cess of the Society, etc. The paper referred to will appear further along in this report. FRUIT REPORT BY ANDREW PETERSON, WACONIA. The following report on Russian varieties of fruit, from Mr. Peter- son of Waconia, was then read: Waconia, Carver Co,, Minn., JUNE 19, 1885. S. D. Hillman, Secretary, etc. — Dear Sir: Iam very thankful for the program and the letter you send me, but am sorry to say that I cannot be at the meeting, as I - shall not be at home at that time. I send youa short report on the condition of apple trees after the past severe winter at my place. ~ Most of the Wealthy are entirely killed and the rest are so badly dam- ; aged they will probably die another year. The Duchess is damaged a - good deal. Some of the Russian varieties, perhaps eight or ten, are F injured more or less; some of them I suppose will die. Little Seedling and Transparent are not hardy trees. The Christmas apple seems: 132 ANNUAL REPORT. hardy. The varieties that withstood the past hard winter are the fol- lowing: Hibernal, Ostrekoff’s Glass, Charlemoff, Lieby, Red Checked. All of these look as nice.as ever before, and there is a great deal of -fruit on the trees. I have been in Minnesota over thirty years but L never saw so much damage done to fruit trees as we have had from -the past winter. Early Richmond and Mountain Hess cherry trees, -ten years old, are entirely killed. Very Respectfully, ANDREW PETERSON. FROM PROF, J. L. BUDD, AMES, IOWA. The following letter from Prof. Budd, of the Iowa Agricultural Col- ‘lege, was then read: Secy. Minn. State Horticultural Society. My Dear Sir: Iam sorry that I cannot meet with you as I wish to go to Washington with a view to getting aid from the Department .of Agriculture in our adapting fruits, etc., to our Valley. The past winter has wrought fearful havoc with our old list of fruits, but the Wealthy, Duchess and all the true Russ apples came out clean and white as did a few of the Russian pears, all of the plums from the East plain and all of the cherries and shrubs from Central Russia. For once theory and practice walk hand in hand. What I wrote from Europe two years ago has been verified by this last winter to a dot. In other words the products of like soils and climates live with us. ” odiveee FROM A. G. TUTTLE, BARABOO, WIS. The following communication was read from A. G. Tuttle, of ‘Baraboo, Wis. : BaraBoo, Wis., June 22, 1885. S. D. Hillman, Esq. Dear Str: I received your letter with sheets of your report. I find ! that what I said at your meeting is somewhat mixed up; 1 have made -some corrections and return them. Prof. Budd claims not to have been correctly reported in what [ said about my list of Russian apples. You will find in one of your re- — ‘ports a letter from him to your secretary in which he says that the Russians that [have are not from interior Russia and not adapted \ STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. on to Minnesota. I wrote him in regard to it, and the only excuse he made was that he did not expect the letter to be published. Ihave no - desire for any controversy with Prof. Budd, for I believe we agree on this, that there is absolute certainty that the Russian fruits will prove perfectly adapted to the great prairie regions of the northwest. This _is what we aim to prove and what the people would be glad to know. If I ever had any doubts of their perfect adaptation the results of the extreme, long continued cold of last winter and its effect upon our or- chards, destroying nearly everything of American origin while at the same time all the new Russian apples and pears are in splendid condi- tion—is proof positive to me that they are just what we need and that » they have just come in time. Iam confident that there are none among them but what are as hardy as the Wealthy, even those the most tender, and very many of them are much hardier than the Duchess; among them is the Hibernal, its large, dark, glossy foliage and enormous crop of fruit tells its story of extreme hardship, after passing through such a trying winter. Longfield, after maturing a crop of fruit the largest ever borne by any ten on my place comes out this spring perfectly healthy though showing but little fruit. The Antonooka never looked better; we had a single apple of that variety last season, which I have yet in good condition. There never has been sucha universal wreck. Trees _that have stood in my orchard for over thirty years coming out of all» the severe winters, during that time uninjured are now dead by the hundred. I have one orchard of 300 trees each alternate row Duchess and Utters. There are not five trees of the Utters that will ever re- cover, and some of the Duchess are badly injured but only a few; which seems very strange, as in my Russian orchard of over eighty varieties not a tree is injured. The bright and healthy foliage of this orchard in contrast with my orchard of common varieties will satisfy any one of the value to us of Russian apples. I should be glad to give you more information about our Russian fruits but my time isso fully occupied I must close this hastily written letter. Yours &c. A. G. TUTTLE. The following report of the secretary of the Missouri Horticultural Society was read: “The fruit prospect June 1st, is somewhat better than was expected 3 34 ANNUAL REPORT, after the cold spring. The prospect for a full crop is as follows, 100 rep- resenting a full crop: Apples, 66 per cent; Plums, 71 per cent; Pears, 65 per cent; Cher- ries, 64 per cent; Grapes, 51 per cent; Raspberries, 84 per cent; Strawberries, 93 per cent; Blackberries, 41 per cent. Peaches are an entire failure, except south of Springfield; after going below 37 degrees, we find there is quite a full crop, so that in the southern part of the State, especially the last tier of counties, we find an average of 78 per cent given. In many parts of the State the report shows that the peach trees are injured very badly, and that many thousands of trees are dead or dying. As matters now stand we must look to the southern part of our State for peaches in the future. But we must plant more in all parts of the State—make another trial. Apples. The best prospect for apples seems to be in the southern third of the State. Much complaint is being made of their falling off, and the report in August will change this report considerably. Strawberries will be abundant and low in price. Raspberries will also be quite abundant, more so than last year. Blackberries are poor and will be scarce. With the rust and cold winter injuring the plants, we find that the fruit will be in extra de- mand this season. Grapes also will be in good demand, and the finer varieties will be very hard to get, being very much injured by the winter. The varieties having the best prospects are: Apples—Ben Davis, Willow Twig, Maiden Blush, Huntsman, Red Astrichan, Karly Harvest, Jonathan, Missouri Pippin. Pears—Bartlett, Seckel, Buffum B. Anjon. Plum—Wild Goose, Weaver, Miner. Cherry—Early Richmond, Ostheim, English Morello. Trees injured by winter are nearly all varieties of peach, all tender cherries and a few varieties of apples. Some have been injured by bursting of the bark, others by the branches being frozen. Many varieties of grapes were badly injured, notably the Gethe, Wilder, Lady Washington, Herbemont, Creveling, Catawba, Hartford, and even Nortons and Isabella. Raspberries were injured in some portions of the State; the Cuthbert not standing the cold well; even Turner and Thwack in low places are injured. In very few locations do the newer sorts seem to be hardy. But one variety of blackberries seems to be hardy, and that is the Snyder. We must look for some new black- berry—some native which will be both hardy and productive. 1 be- 3 4 p STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 35 lieve this can be found, and will be, if we look for it; then we can raise some as fine blackberries as were seen years ago. The whole of this report I believe will be lowered by the August re- port, and I fear we will yet have to report less than half a crop of apples, perhaps even one-third. The reports.from other States have not yet been received, but from private sources I believe that few States will have more than half a crop of apples. L. A. Goopman, Secretary.” President Smith announced the next thing in order would be a paper fiom Mr. Pearce, of Minneapolis. STRAWBERRY CULTURE. BY M. PEARCE. Mr. President, I am at a loss in determining what to say to catch the attention of horticulturists and arouse them to action on this, a subject of the utmost importance to farmers and all having houses and homes, and especially those located in the vast prairie districts. Of all fruits I know of nothing earlier or more reliable than the straw- berry, and no crop gives better profit to the grower. The cost of plowing one acre of corn land is $2; harrowing, seventy-five cents; 7,000 strawberry plants, $28; planting them with a line three and one-half feet one way and fifteen inches the other, $5; cultivating and hoeing during the summer, $12; mulching very lightly in the winter with marsh hay or straw, $6—making a total cost per acre of $53.75. This covers all material expenses up to the pieking season. An average crop per acre of a good variety of strawberry should not be less than 250 bushels, and with the best of soil and cultivation and abundance of water, the number of bushels per acre can be increased to 500. On a basis of 250 bushels at the low rate of ten cents per quart, the valne will be $800 per acre; the expense of picking, boxes and crates, $240, having a net profit of $560 per acre. The greatest care should be used in getting new and pure varieties of plants; never take from old beds, and get plants from those who. use and know how to grow good plants; avoid new varieties with fancy prices, and use only the old and established kinds. Matted rows and hills have their advocates, and both are good—my greatest success: having been with matted rows, as follows: Select a moderately rich. 36 ANNUAL REPORT. piece of ground, nearly level, and surrounded by high grounds, because the berry field will then get the wash of the surrounding land and catch the snow of winter, which is the best of all mulching material; plow deep and harrow level and fine, set out with a line and have the rows straight; have the plants tied in bunches of fifty, taken up with the full length of the roots, When ready to plant, dip the roots of fifty plants in water, and then distribute them along the line where they are to be set out; then with a dibble of iron or wood set them out as quickly as possible, putting the roots down full length, and press the soil about them. If land is scarce they can be planted closer each way. What varieties to plant is of the greatest importance. In new and rich ground the Wilson is a good variety—one of the very best for shipping; but as a general thing it gives a poor yield on old land, if not well manured and provided with abundance of water. The Cres- cent seedling is the lardiest and most prolific of any variety known. By many it is considered a pistilate variety, but such is not the case; it is an hermaphrodite but too weak to be depended on as a perfect fertilizer. In all cases, in order to insure a crop every third or fourth row should be planted to some perfect flowering plant, such as the Wilson, Glendale or other hardy variety with perfect blossom. It is at home in all soils and localities, and if every third or fourth row is planted to the Wilson or Glendale it will give a large yield of fine fruit. Stick to old varieties, such as the Wilson, Crescent, Green’s Prolific, Downer’s; and on sandy soil the Countess. After the plants are set out and well started, the soil should be frequently stirred with a light — cultivator with narrow teeth, that will keep the ground level and not hill up the plants, but if the plants are in perfect line but little har- rowing will be necessary. When the plants throw out runners the cultivation should all be one way. In the fall when the vegetation ceases and there is a good stand of plants, there will be matted rows from one foot to fifteen inches wide with an open space between the rows. Mulch lightly on the first permanent fall of snow. In the spring rake the mulching on the open spaces b2tween the rows and let it there remain. The second year about all that can be done will be to pull out the weeds and grass and plow up after the fruiting season. Failure often occurs by taking plants from very rich soil and trans- planting to poorer. Plants should always be transplanted to richer soil to warrant success. In ordering plants a description of soil and condition should always accompany the order to an intelligent plant grower. C= aa ee ea ere oo STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 37 DISCUSSION. President Smith. You have heard the paper read by Mr. Pearce. Discussion would now be in order. It is a subject that should bring out some discussion. Mr. A. W. Sias. Mr. President, Mr. Pearce speaks of planting the Countess on sandy soil, as I understood him. I believe that a great many growers claim that the Countess is identical with Downer’s Pro- lific. I have known of Downer’s Prolific, or thé Couniess, to be grown on clay soil, where it proved to be very fine. I think perhaps that it stands next to the Crescent as to profitableness, but [ would like to hear from others. If the Countess is the same as Downer’s it will succeed on sandy soil. J would inquire of Mr. Pearce if he considers them the same? Mr, Pearce. I have heretofore considered them identical but have changed my mind. After a careful comparison I think beyond doubt there is a difference. The Countess seems to be peculiarly adapted to sandy soil, although it also does well on high land andaclay soil. Mr. Ww. Lyons had very good success with it on sandy soil and he thinks there is nothing that equals the Countess. It is a very fine berry and ought to be generally grown. It is very hardy and the vines are free from rust, while the Downer is subject to rust; the Countess produces large berries, while those of the Downer are smaller. Col. Stevens. Mr. President, I would hke to inquire if anyone knows how the Countess was introduced into this state? A few years ago I was told that it was introduced by Chas. H. Clark, of this coun- ty, who received some ten or twelve plants from France, subsequently, or some years afterwards, Downer’s Prolific was introduced; of course you all know about that. In the opinion of many members of the Society the Downer has been considered to be the same berry. I would like to have Mr. Elliot, or some of these early horticulturists, ex- plain the difference in these varieties, if any of them can do so. Mr. Pearce. Mr. Clark told me that he was in Washington and while visiting the Agricultural bureau he came to the department of strawberries, where he found many imported varieties. He saw one variety that appeared to be very promising and asked the gentleman in charge to send him a dozen plants. He afterwards received the _ plants marked as the Countess, imported from France. 0 aah 2 Ed 5 Mr. J. S. Harris. Mr. President, I do not wish to join in any dis- cussion on this question, but I remember seeing the Downer’s Prolific some two years before Mr. Clark received the Countess, which I knew 38 ANNUAL REPORT. of as he sent me some of the plants as soon as he could get them. I planted them side by side with the Downer and after keeping them two or three years allowed them to run together, as I could d scover no difference, either in size of berry or quality of fruit. I believe them to be identical and also that they are a profitable variety for farmers to plant. I believe there is no more profitable variety. It was orig- inated by a man in Kentucky who also originated the Charles Down- ing, a few years later. I agree with Mr. Pearce that there is no berry that can surpass the Crescent seedling in hardiness and productiveness; but if not properly fertilized it is inclined to be knotty or imperfect, especially after the first picking. I don’t consider it the farmers’ berry because it needs some other variety with it to fertilize it and they are usually too busy to attend to their proper cultivation. I do not quite agree with him that we should fertilize with the Wilson or Glendale; there is too much difference in the varieties as to the kind of soil required and the habits of the plants in order to have the best results.” The Crescent will often bear heavily after it becomes partial- ly overrun with blue grass or white clover; the Wilson will produce nothing under such circumstances. A heavy fall of snow is apt to Smother the plants; if you set them you are obliged to set with some perfect blooming variety or your first setting of the Crescent will prob- ably be a failure.’ With the Glendale I am not so well acquainted. If it blossoms as soon as the Crescent I am inclined to think it will be one of the very best. The Downer, or Countess, I believe upon all ordinary soils the very best to set in rotation with Crescent seediing. The color of the berries is about the same but the flavor of the Down- er is a little bit better than that of the Crescent. I think it gives the best satisfaction to fertilize with the Downer; it is about as hardy as the Crescent. I have them growing on my place where I had berries seventeen years ago. And we get good berries there now; the plants perpetuate themselves. It is one of the fittest. berries for the man that is too lazy to keep the weeds out. Speaking about rich soil, the Crescent on very rich soil will not produce as large a berry as on me- dium good soil; the berry is soft and destitute of flavor. There is . probably no berry in our list that we have recommended that we want to be more careful in over-fecding, that is, when set on strong soil, such as [ have, than the Crescent, if we want fruit that is of any value. Mr. H. F. Busse. In regard to the fertilizing I would say that I do not agree with Mr. Harris. I have raised them and fertilized with different kinds, and I think on clay soil where the Wilson will do any- Se ee STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 39 thing it ought to be fertilized with the Wilson. The fruit is about the same as to firmness and color, and there is nothing that bears shipping better than the Crescent. Butif fertilized with the Countess they are apt to be very soft; I think too soft to ship any distance. Fertilizing with Wilson you will find a great difference in that respect. I have some on the table there that one would almost call the Wilson; they are about the same in color, are firm and nearly alike in shape. I prefer the Wilson as the best to fertilize for that purpose. Mr. Pearce. I want to add a word to what has been said about fertilizing the Crescent. It is the earliest berry we have and it is also one of the latest, and that is one reason why we can sell it to farmers. They need to be fertilized clear through their season; I would there- fore fertilize with Wilson, Glendale and Downer’s Prolific. I think we should never confine ourselves to one fertilizer but have two or three good varieties. The more you fertilize the better the berries. The Countess is good, the Wilson is good, Charles Downing is good, and James Vick is good. It don’t hurt to put them all in, for if one misses another may hit. Mr. Harris. I[ don’t think it is best to have too many kinds’in one patch if you are going to send your berries to market. Ata certain meeting about a year ago I said that I thought it made a difference in the quality of the berry to fertilize with different varieties. From experiments I have conducted the past season I am inclined to think I was mistaken and that it is something in the air, or in the soil that makes the Crescents darker one season than another. This spring I set out Crescents and fertilized a section of the bed with Wilson, a section with Sharpless, a section with the Downing, a section with a variety that I procured in La Crosse that they call the Foundling, _with Hart’s Minnesota, and with another variety that I obtained at St. Charles; and on picking the berries and examining them I could not see any difference between those fertilized with one variety from that of another, and I don’t think any one else can. This may be owing to the season. I am inclined to thing that the influence of the male plant upon the other the present year doesn’t have any impres- sion. Those plants planted and fertilized with different varieties the progeny would be different; but of course one year don’t settle this question any more than ‘‘one swallow don’t make a summer ”’ Mr. G. W. Fuller. Downer’s Prolific and Countess are very much alike. The Sharpless, of course, you detect anywhere. I have ex- perimented a little with covering. Those that I covered came off the 40 ANNUAL REPORT. earliest that I had. It seems to me that Mr. Pearce’s direction for covering after the first snow falls hardly answers every year; some- times we don’t get snow until in January. We have to cover right away after the first freeze to amount to anything. Mr. Pearce. Iam inclined to think it isa mistake to put on- the cover- ing too early in the season, before the leaves are killed to the ground. From tests I have made with mulching I have found my best success has been with mulching on the snow in the middle of winter, or say in January. With strawberries the injury is not done in the fore part of winter but in tie spring; I speak from experience and observation. I know of perhaps twenty beds of strawberries where the plants were completely killed by mulching last fall. The snow came on top of them and smothered them. If you wish you can mulch in the fall, if careful not to smother the plants. Mr J.C. Kramer. Mr. President and gentlemen: I would like to ask the question, What do we understand about this fertilizing the strawberry? Some say there is nothing of it. We cannot make them produce fruit by using manure or by working, but the other we can do; for example I have a seedling here that I have grown for sev- eral years. It is a seedling of the Wilson. I raised it for three years and didn’t get any fruit althoagh it was always full of blossoms. I didn’t know anything about the habits of the plant, but finally got a catalogue from the east from a gardener, and there was a full explana- tion given of the difference in the blossoms. [ examined my plants and I could see the difference. I found my seedling was a pistilate variety. So I went to another bed where I had what we call the Iowa King which has a full blossom. I took some of those plants and set them out with the seedlings, and I had the John Hart seedling on the other side; asa result I took twelve quarts of berries from a square rod at the first picking. Before this I had nothing but blossoms for three years. I had been fooled for three years. So I made me an implement out of an old cross-cut saw to transplant with, and I go to a row of full blossom plants and set one from them every eight feet; I take the plants up with that machine and set them right in and don’t disturb the roots. I set the plants out in this way and gota crop. After that I took the Glendale and mixed them among a dozen kinds of seedlings and the fruit showed the efiects and the berries were of the shape of the Glendale. We cannot understand it but there is a Higher Power above that gives us the blessing. Mr. Harris. Did you pick Glendales from the seedlings? ery ts : STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 41 Mr. Kramer. No; but there was a mixture of the two kinds. [ have been experimenting and -have perhaps 500 different plants. I have about a dozen different kinds of bérries here; some that [ set a year ago are now hearing. I have one seedling three years old that I think will beat the Crescent to death. Mr. Harris. That machine which Mr. Kramer speaks of was made in this way: He took a piece of a cross-cut saw about five inches wide and had it bent in a circle but the ends not welded together. He has a piece of iron rivetted on where the two ends would come to- gether and has a wooden handle. He can take up a plant with this without disturbing the roots; it isa most excellent plan for transplant- ing strawberries. It costs perhaps twenty-five cents to make if you can get an old saw blade. Mr. Smith. I have fertilized a bed of strawberries in the same manner. In regard to the subject of fertilizing, I would say that I think there is a marked effect upon the fruit. I had a Jot of Michigan seedlings wheih [ fertilized with Wilson and Glendale, andif you could have seen them you would have been convinced that it had an effect upon the fruit. The seedlings were soft and light colored; those fer- tilized with Wilson were rounder in shape and darker in color and very much firmer; the same with those fertilized with Glendale. Mr. Harris. Was that this year? Mr. Smith. That was three years ago. Mr. Harris. I think I was of the same opinion at that time and made a statement to that effect at the time. But I conducted a ecare- ful experiment this year and I wanted to take back what I said at that tine. Mr. Smith. I made some notes upon the paper read by Mr.. Pearce. _ This matter of mulching in the fall or winter; as to which is to be preferred depends on circumstances. If plants are not standiug very _ thick together and the ground has been cultivated late in the season it will be of advantage to mulch early; if plants grow thick together and the ground has not been cultivated it is as well to mulehinthe winter. Ifthe ground is clean and liable tocrack-—as much garden soil is—the plants will not be injured by mulching in the fall. In regard to fertilizing the Crescent. On strong clay soil I would rec- ommend to use the Wilson as you cannot do any better. You cannot depend on the effect of fertilization from the fact that Crescents grown on high, clay soil would be much firmer and of much better. color than if grown on a lighter soil and with plenty of rotted manure around them. 49 ANNUAL REPORT. Mr. Harris. They would be darker in color also would they not? Mr. Smith. Yes. In regard to this question of manuring the Cres- cent; if plants are close together, by manuring you will spoil the fruit. You can manure heavily by giving plants plenty of room. If you manure heavily enough and cultivate well enough to cause the plants tc grow a foot high there should be a space of three feet for the plants to growin. If the soil is poor they do not need so much space. But — if the plants are a long ways apart you can manure heavily and culti- vate. As to this matter of the Countess which we have discussed so often, the question of its identity is continually coming up. We have the fruit here and you will notice the pink shade at the stem which is more distinct than on the Downer, which always has a smooth stem. Is not that color an indication of foreign blood in this Countess? I think st would be well to settle the question as to whether they are identical. For farmers who have sandy soil it is the best variety we have, because it needs no fertilization and is good enough for anybody to eat, and as Mr. Harris says, it is good for years without any atten- tion. President Smith. If there is nothing further I would suggest that we hear from our former secretary, the commissioner for Minnesota at New Orleans, Mr. Gibbs. I presume the members would be pleased to hear from him. REMARKS BY MR. GIBBS. Mr. Oliver Gibbs, Jr. Mr. President and Fellow Members: It af- fords me pleasure to meet with you again, the old Horticultural Soci- ety, and to say a few words to you although I have nothing special to offer upon any matter under discussion. I wish to congratulate you, however, upon the thought that occurs to my mind, which I have found in the last six months to be well supported by facts, that although your Society is not large in numbers you have a reputation abroad in horticultural work that places you in the very front rank. Wherever I go I find the reports of the Minnesota Horticultural Soci- ety well spoken of; I find the labors of its older members well appreci- ated; and I find all the most advanced horticulturists who are looking to the interest of experimental lines in the development of new and hardy varieties of fruits, directing their attention to Minnesota and expecting to gain the most valuable information in those lines from the experiments that are going on under the auspices of this Society. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 43 At New Orleans J did not find time, owing tothe heavy pressure up- on me in the care of the exhibits of the State, to spend any time what- ever with the horticulturists in their special meetings. But I met them all from time to time in my walksabout the exposition buildings. Most of them spent time examining our fruits and exhibits, and I learned there the views that I have expressed in regard to your posi- tion and reputation abroad. Although my time, during this last year, has not been devoted as closely to the interests of this Society as I could wish, yet in my atten- tion to other duties I trust that the horticultural interests of the State have not been neglected. I think, gentlemen of the Society, that there was no question at New Orleans but that the Minnesota collection of apples was the handsomest and the largest and the best in the entire Exposition. In fact it was the only collection where apples were put up attract- ively and in large quantities in one exhibit. We had about two hundred bushels of apples to show there to represent our State— largely composed of our Wealthy, an apple which attracts more at- tention than any other variety in the world wherever you carry it. We put them up in large masses, in order that the admirers of that apple might see it in quantity and in its beauty as grown in the - country where it originated. It affords me much pleasure to say that the style of the exhibit made by the chief of installation, as devised by Prof. Porter, who sits here by my side, and who sketched out the whole plan of the Exhibit at New Orleans, was thoroughly artistic and well adapted to show all the varieties of apples that we raise here, to the best advantage. Massing our Wealthies for our large exhibits, we placed upon them and over them, for purposes of color, something over a hundred varieties of others, and there being some sixty bushels of them always in sight, made a very attractive exhibit. Mr. Gould, to whose industry and that of his wife and daughter, we are mainly indebted for the show of the fruit and the care of it at New Orleans, has made you a most excellent report. I do not think I could add to that report, and I presume it has already gone into your Annual Report for the past year. I wish, however, here to express to the Society my thanks to him for the great industry, patience and perseverence with which he collected that fruit. To him is due the fact that we had so large and complete a collection. His services in that regard fully sustain the theory upon which he 44 ANNUAL REPORT. was appointed, that was, that he was a man who would work faith- fully and thoroughly, leaving no stone unturned to accomplish whatever he put his hand to and whatever trust he accepted. Let that be my testimony, then, on your records to the services of Mr. Gould; and as I have said before, to Prof. Porter, our chief of instal- lation, are we chiefly indebted for the very attractive character of that show. I wish here to emphasize the advantage that Minnesota gained in the display of her grapes at New Orleans. You already know that we took nearly all the premiums on single plates of varieties of grapes grown east of the Rocky Mountains. We did not get those premiums by mere chance or good fortune; but we had heavy com- petition; we had the Delaware from Ohio the place where it origi- nated, and we beat Ohio with her own grape on her own ground; and we had many others of the most favored varieties of other States in competition with the Minnesota grapes, and although we had held them nearly five months after they were ripe before they were shown up-for competition—that is to the middle of January—they were in fair condition, so that the committee did not hesitate to declare that upon the point of condition alone they were entitled to ‘the premiums, and by comparison with the others, they were so far superior that they had a walk-away with the premiums. I think as it is stated in the report that we have eight first premiums on single plates and four silver medals on collections. I think our fruit dis- play there has done a great deal to encourage people to emigrate to Minnesota. We do not claim that all the fruits that were shown there could be grown here profitably, but we presented them as evidences of the necessity and possibilities of fruit culture, and I think that all intelligent horticulturists that saw that fruit display were ready to agree with us, that in a climate where such fruits of such quality and beauty can be produced with the final success that we all hope for in the growing of apples, is something that is worth fighting for. I think any horticulturist, after seeing that display, other things being favorable, would be willing to take his chances in a country where it was possible toraise such fruit. This in view of the fact that apple raising as a business, compared with other products of the soil, might be some years at the foot and to come as the result of further experiments. I make these remarks, gentleman, to indicate that horticulture and the Minnesota Horticultural Society received their full share of ‘ ey et, STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 45 attention in the large effort we made to represent all the industries of our State. Going there as I did the representative of the State ~ Horticultural Society, if there was any department which more than any other | regarded as my pet department and wanted to see it at its best, it was the Horticultural Department. We did not give it any advantage over any other, as you are probably aware who have seen the reports. We aimed to carry the State to the top notch everywhere where we were in competition with others. You are already aware that we established the reputation of our butter to be of a quality equal to the finest gilt-edge product pro- duced anywhere in the world, although the improvements in the manufacture of butter have been so general that in these exhibits, where all parties are straining every nerve to get the blue ribbon, there is but a line of difference sometimes between the different samples, and judges have to figure very close to determine where the superiority lies. Still with all this to contend against and the closeness of judging, we were enabled out of the grasses, and water, and climate, and cattle, and skill of Minnesota, to get the award for making the best butter to be produced in the whole world. [Ap- plause.] And I want to say here for your satisfaction that there was no element of chance and no element of favoritism that entered into that award. I speak of this here for I think these two branches of dairying and of horticulture are more important to the country than any other branches of farm industry, and I believe I speak a fact that has not been published and am therefore excusable for intro- ducing it here. To show how close those things were in that busi- ness of competition; it was the earnest desire of every person ex- _ hibiting at that exposition for premiums on dairy products, that the best experts in the world should do the judging, men in whom all had confidence; their success in the markets depended upon these awards and they wanted no foolishness in the matter. Hence busi- ness interests compelled them to agree upon judges of the very highest character. They sent for men and brought them there for . that special duty whose reputation was as good for judging of the quality of butter as that of any stockman would be for judging of the points of an animal, so easily distinguished by the eye, and as those grand sweeptakes of the world, this gold medal, was so important they selected all of the packages in all the different classes that had received first premiums and placed them in a room together and then sent for that committee of judges and told them, * Rete ee ea se Oe Pitan de 7 ee ae ery ¢ bd ie 46 ANNUAL REPORT. out of those packages to select the one package which they found on a close and on the most critical analysis to be the best. At the conclusion of their work they found two packages upon which they were divided in sentiment; and upon the closest test they found only one-half point of difference. Finally they agreed upon their award of the premium and then curiosity asked for the history of the package that they had selected. Giving its number they found that while they had given the grand award to Minnesota the one that was so near equal to it in merit was another package of Minnesota butter. [Applause.] And added to that the fact which was further ascertained thet it was a package of Norwegian butter. [Laughter. Let our Scandinavian friends about the State take that to their credit and the next time we get up an exposition let them add on another point and take the award. Mr. Grimes. What was the “‘nativity’’ of the best package? Mr. Gibbs. It was made by Wm. H. Patten of Le Sueur; the other by Mr. Olson of Spring Valley. Mr. President, I have taken up too much of your time. I want to congratulate the Society (and I want your Secretary to be obliged to take down what I say,) upon your good fortune and your excellent judgment in the selection of my successor. I know him to be well worthy and qualified for the position, a good deal better qualified than the person that he succeeded, and I hope that he will be so enthusiastic in his work that he may assist greatly in developing horticultural work in Minnesota. I wish him every success. Mr. President, I wish to say a word as to the plate glass trans- parency, or our pomological medal. We got it up to represent the work being done in the horticultural industry; it was very finely painted and was some three feet in diameter, and was intended to be shown to good effect by electric light; we found it looked so well that we never litit up. I have the consent of the governor to turn it over to the Society. REMARKS BY PROF. PORTER. Prof. E. D. Porter being called upon for some remarks came for- ward and said: Well, gentlemen, an attempt upon my part to add to what Mr. Gibbs has said would be very much like attempting to add to Bunker Hill monument by putting dirt around its base; it would only tend to conceal the monument. But I will say as long 3 i ee Me “og ‘ STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 47 as you have called upon me afew words. You had me down for. an address of welcome without any consultation with me, but that was not at all necessary, and [had intended to be here at two o’clock to-day to make that address to the strangers or members in attend- ance here at the meetings of the Horticultural Society. But un- fortunately I was obliged to be at St. Paul at that hour to attend to some business connected with the State University, and was de- tained; consequently I could not be here at the hour you had indicated. I will say in reference to the work at New Orleans that this Soci- ety is largely indebted for the reputation which the State has ac- quired at the Exposition, as well as at the meeting of the American Pomological Society at Philadelphia two years ago, to the energy and efficiency of Mr. Gibbs. These premiums have caused much remark. Why, they say, ‘“‘How in the world is it that you men - up there in Minnesota can do these things, where you have such a : ; i s : ; a) ee climate? If you get an apple once that has merit you want to blow it all over the world!’’ [Laughter.] Why isit, they say, that you can go to work and ‘“‘scoop’’ the whole country? Well, the truth of the matter is, the credit for the taking of these premiums is largely due to the skill and care, and to the persistent energy of Mr. Gibbs. In the first place everything that was worthy of exhibition from Minnesota was gathered up by Mr. Gibbs and taken to Phila- delphia. I won’t say everything, but samples of nearly everything of value, were taken by him two years ago to Philadelphia and placed in competition with the truit on exhibition from other States. Jt was handled very carefully and was shown in its height of per- fection. And the result was that there was no other way but to give the first premium to Minnesota. It was the best fruit on ex- hibition there. It was the same way at New Orleans. We had some two hundred bushels of apples to exhibit. We did the very best we could with what we had at our disposal. The fruit was very carefully selected and it was very carefully handled; it was placed in cold storage and kept in that state, no heat being allowed in the car except what came from a coal-oil stove; it remained in this condition for some two months till the opportune time came for the exhibition of our fruit; and I may say that this was against the persistent demands made that we should show our fruit at an earlier date. They wanted to know why we didn’t put out our fruit and put it on competition; 48 ANNUAL REPORT. if we had done so we would have lost all the premiums. But we kept the fruit in cold storage by the orders of Mr. Gibbs until it was taken out and massed upon our tables. And when our two hundred bushels of apples were taken out they were in just as fine condition as when they came off the trees. That is the secret of the success and it is due to Mr. Gibbs. Now, Mr. Gibbs has spoken especially of the results of Minne- sota’s labors in the horticultural and dairy interests—but two of the great industries represented there. I wish to say that by com- mon consent Minnesota had the cleanest and really the finest ex- hibit brought together there in New Orleans. It was the finest exhibit on the floor, representing all the varied resources and in- dustry of our State. We did not go there to make a grand show of our manufactured goods; it was our resources that we wished to exhibit. It was the evidences of progress that we brought there, and we had the best in the Union by common consent; I think we had twenty-one separate and distinct departments in our exhibit. In all these we were able to take premiums of the first class where they were offered, where brought into competition, and where we did not enter for competition we had honorable mention. Mr. Gibbs has related the manner in which they decided who was entitled to the grand sweeptakes and gold medal for the best butter in the world. That means something to Minnesota. I have made some investigation and [ find that five years ago we didn’t produce in the State of Minnesota one-half of the butter consumed within the borders of the State. At that time there were but three cream- eries in the State; whilein 1884 there were over one hundred cream- eries in full operation in the State of Minnesota and we exported or shipped last year thirty million pounds of butter. That shows the rapid development of the dairy interest and it is becoming one of the leading industries of Minnesota. As I said at St. Paul- last win- ter we have a soil which is most fertile, a location which by nature is fitted for stock raising and dairying, as well as being adapted to the growth of wheat, or the cereals. The fact that in five years we have been enabled to bring up the dairy interest from nothing as you may say to export an amount of dairy products to come in com- petition with the dairies of the world shows the progress that is being made. ; There is another department in which Minnesota stood at the head and that was the educational. We were brought into competi- el i Oe a STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 49 tion with all the States of the Union and all leading countries, Min- nesota was honored by being the only State that got the grand dip- loma for the best educational exhibit. France received a diploma but Minnesota stood at the head. In fact we stood head and should- ers above all other States of the Union. In our educational exhib- its and educational work we took many other premiums. They were not given through favoritism, because I tell you it was a bad place to show any favoritism when we had forty-five States and Ter- ritories which were represented by shrewd, keen men and each just as anxious to excel as the other. I tell you everything had to stand on its own merits. Mr. Smith. Prof. Porter, before you sit down I would like to ask in regard to the plants and trees received from Prof. Budd this spring? Prof. Porter. If you will excuse me I will present a short report of our Experimental Farm to-morrow, and I shall be very glad at that time to make a statement of the work we are doing in that line. Mr. Smith. We have had a communication here from Prof. Budd. You will recollect that at the last annual meeting a resolution was passed commendatory of Hon. Norman J. Colman. Mr. Gibbs has spoken of the influence of our Society and I think in justice to the horticulturists of the west and to Prof. Budd, we should pass a res- olution commending his work; I therefore offer the following if it it would be in order: Resolved. That it is the sense of this Society that Prof. J. L. Budd is doing a good work for the horticultural interests of the Northwest. Resolved. That we respectfully askithe Commissioner of Agriculture, Norman J. Colman, to render such assistance to Prof. Budd as is necessary to secure to the people of the Northwest the full benefits of his work. Resolved. That a copy of these resolutions be forwarded to the Commissioner of Agriculture and to Prof. Budd. Prof. Porter, in seconding the motion for the adoption of the resolutions, said: Perhaps it would be well to make a short statement of the work that Prof. Budd is doing. Perhaps some may not know the fact that Prof. Budd, in connection with Mr. Gibb, of Que- bec, three years ago this summer undertook an experimental tour through Russia, for the purpose of making a personal examination and investigation of the fruits of Russia and their adaptation to the corresponding soil and climate of this country. They visited sections of Russia having precisely the same natural topographical 4 i 4 ¢ a ‘sae 50 ANNUAL REPORT. features as our Northwestern country embraces, lowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota, Western Kansas, Dakota, and the country immedi- ately west, on our high, dry plains. They {found there what you will find described in their reports, and it is unnecessary for me to repeat it. They brought back with them as the results of their investigations a large number of the most valuable plants, cions, eut- tings from the most promising fruit trees and shrubs,ornamental and useful, that were to be found. Prof. Budd took his collection to the grounds of the Agricultural College at Ames, lowa, where they have had careful propagation during the past two years. They arranged for other trees to be forwarded and have received two con- signments, one each year, and have been very successful thus far with them. I placed myself in communication with him to geta list of these trees, etc., for our own State. He promised to furnish me with a supply of everything that would be of value to Minne- sota, as soon as we were ready to receive them and they were tested there. J was with Prof. Budd for several weeks at New Orleans and I made arrangements with him then. This spring I sent down and secured from him grafts and buds of everything that he had and he sent me a complete collection of all of his fruits, shrubs and ornamental trees and plants. I have those all set out, and nearly all of them are in fine condition, and in the course’of another year we shall be able to make a report to you of their success in the climate of Minnesota. To-morrow I will furnish a list of what we have for the information of the Society. In consideration of the labors of Prof. Budd that he has been engaged in, of so much value to the country, I most heartily and cheerfully second the adoption of the resolutions. 4 Mr. Fuller. Mr. Chairman, I most cordially favor the resolu- tions. I met Prof. Budd last winter and had heard of him before that. He is aman of good common sense, and it seems to me he is engaged in a work that he is going to carry through successfully. I think very much of him and of his work. I received a year ago — considerable many of his trees and this spring he sent me another lot, and the best that he has that are adapted to our climate. Many of those received last year failed this spring; those he said were of the Russian varieties. A good many killed to the ground. One — pear I received a year ago came out nicely. j Mr. Busse. I would like to make a remark on the work that has been done by Prof. Porter, Mr. Oliver Gibbs, also Mr. Gould, of Ex- = ’ ; STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Dl celsior, on what they have done for this Society. They have donea great deal especially in the line of fruit, and it is of more value to the Society than many may think. Their arrangement of the fruit in good condition and other farm products, and the care of it is worthy of praise especially what has been done by Prof. Porter. I think we ought to thank those gentlemen for the work they have accomplished. Mr. Smith. I have known Prof. Budd for some twenty years and knew him before he was connected with the college at Ames. He was always a persistent worker in the interest of horticulture. He is a thorough horticulturist and has been all his life. I was very glad when he received the position he now holds in the Agricul- tural College. He has used the position to advance the cause of hor- ticulture rather than the interests of J. L. Budd individually. What- ever assistance the Department of Agriculture can give him you may rest assured the people of the entire Northwest will derive the bene- fits from it as we could hardly expect from any other person in the Northwest. It is these considerations that lead me to urge the ad- option of these resolutions. The resolutions were adopted. FROM PROF. TRELEASE, MADISON, WISCONSIN. The following letter was then read from Prof. Wm. Trelease. Manison, Wis., June 25, 1885. Dear Sir: I enclose copy of asomewhat rambling paper that I had preparéd to read at your request at your meeting. I fear that it will be disappointing in the absence of specimens and diagrams. I regret very much my inability to attend the convention, which I know, from the program and the reputation of yourSociety, will be good. I trust, however, that I may enjoy the pleasure of meeting with you at some other time and beg to extend to you, on behalf of the Wisconsin Soci- ety our most hearty greeting. : Very Truly, Wa. TRELEASE. Secretary Trelease had arranged to be present at the meeting but was unable to come owing to the meeting of the Wisconsin Horticul- tural society at Weyauwega on June 24 and 25. Following is the paper furnished by Secretary Trelease: 52 ANNUAL REPORT. A FEW COMMON APPLE FUNGI. BY PROF. WILLIAM TRELEASE. In preparing a paper to be read at a popular convention, like the present, I have assumcd that the most satisfactory result will be reach- ed not by giving an exhaustive account of one or more injurious spe- cies, but by speaking in general terms of a few forms which are so abundant as to attract general attention, witlout, however, going be- yond the comprehension of ordinary observers. Of late years the increasing damage inflicted upon our crops by the potato mildew, the grape mildew, the apple scab and a host of other vegetable parasites, has rendered every reader of agricultural journals, and, indeed, every farmer or orchardist of sufficient intelligence to look from effect back after cause, and to consult with his neighbors regarding both, familiar with the word fungus. Yet many of our most acute observers slip lamentably when they come to speak or write of these pests, for nothing is more common than to find the word fungus applied to anything from a gall on a horse to a knot on an oak tree, irrespective, even, of what a grammarian would call ** number.” The word fungus, as properly used, in- dicates a plant of low organization, hav- sep ing nothing that can be compared with the leaves and trunk of a flowering plant, and entirely destitute of the green color- ing matter (chlorophyll) to which the higher plants, and, indeed, many of the lower plants as well, owe their leaf-green eae a color. Asan English word, although it ee retains its Latin form, fungus should be rendered in the plural by funguses. To one with dull ears and a glib tongue this 7 plural is proper, and a few of our breth- “y, ren across the waters employ it. But 4) the combination of grunts and _ hisses that it represents repels the majority of H) even those who hold that naturalization Y ofa word, as of a citizen, carries with it ne amense leaf wffected by Fusicladium +h duty of conforming to all customs of its adupted country. For this reason the allowable English plural is STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 48) replaced, almost universally, by the shorter, better-sounding Latin plural—fungi. No fact is better understood in vegetable physiology than that the chlorophy.1 or leaf-green of ordinary plants serves an important pur- pose in their nutrition. Without entering into the details of its use- fulness, I may say that it acts, in a measure, as a tool, by means of which, using daylight as the motor power, the active portion of these plants (protoplasm) breaks some of the water which they obtain from the soil and the carbonic acid gas which they abstract from the atmosphere into their chemical elements, and reconstructs these bricks from the old structure into a new one available for plant growth. This new substance is starch or something very like it chemically, é. g., sugar or fat. A plant containing chlorophyll is, therefore, able to make its own food from the air and soil; and it may be said with equal certainty that a plant destitute of leaf-green must obtain a very important part of its food from other sources. We know that starch, sugar, oil and woody matter (cellulose) do not occur ready formed, nor originate spontaneously in nature, but only where living proto- plasm has acted—originally through the instrumentality of light and chlorophyll; and it therefore needs no demonstration to show why fungi, having none of this coloring matter, always live ow organized material,—that is, on what is or has been part of some other living thing. One of the commonest groups of fungi is that which includes the puff- balls and toadstools; and from what has béen said it will be seen why these growths are found in well ma- nured pastures, on rotting wood, and in other places where organic matter ==& is going to decay. Most of these plants are found on dead or decaying substances, but there are, unfortu- nately, a few exceptions to this gen- eral role. I say unfortunately, be- jcicsrcnowine ihe fongus under the cuticle. cause the only alternative is for them ™"¢h enlarged. to grow on living matter, either vegetable or animal. A common sight in old orchards—far too common wherever the ap- ple is grown—is the heart-rot or canker of trees, which, usually start- ing fram some unhealed pruning-wound, insidiously eats into the very centre of the tree, up and down, until the once solid trunk is but a 54 ANNUAL REPORT. shell, filled with powder, ready to fall before a puff of wind that would once scarcely have stirred its larger branches. This is the result of the slow but sure growth of a fungus which ordinarily lives and ecar- ries on its destructive work within the tree for years before it can be seen by the naked eye. Howit lives may be shown by comparison with the well known process of cultivating mushrooms, in which, after a suitable bed of compost is prepared, bits of spawn are set as ‘‘seed.”’? To the eye this spawn is nothing but turf or manure, trav- ersed by a few mouldy threads; but from it the threads, which are the feeding organs (mycelium) of the mushroom, spread into every part of the bed, working over the crude, dead manure, until it is transformed into a part of their own substance, when they suddenly develop the growth that we prize for our tables. So, when a branch is cut from an apple tree, and the wound fails to heal over, a spore or reproduct- ive cell, exceedingly minute, falls upon the wound and develops a mycelium in the healthy wood, on which it feeds until it has effected its work of destruction. Sometimes years pass before it shows itself in any form other than this microscopic growth; but ultimately, in some sorts of canker, it fruits in a form visible to the naked eye. Another common fungus of the apple, but one very unlike the toadstools, is that (Fusicladium dendriticum,) which has attracted much attention of late years as the scab and leaf-mildew. To sustain its own life it needs the nutri- tious substances elaborated by the leaves, Scabs on Apple. Natural size. nor does it hesitate to freely take them; leaving the twigs weakened, to make a spindling, sickly growth, if they succeed in growing at all, as the season goes on, and with so lit- tle vitality that a severe winter, like the last, is fatal to them. The gnarled, cracked and blackened Snow-Apples that, alone, can be rais- ed in many localities, testify with equal force to the destructive power of the same parasite when it seats itself upon the young fruit.* Many orchards are affected by a white mildew that appears on the young leaves or, more especially, on the twigs. When in its most vigorous summer growth, like the mildew of the rose or the verbena, it well deserves this epithet, which, however, is less expressive than the German word that it corresponds, to. Mehlthau—meal-dew aptly ex- presses the mealy appearance of the diseased parts, which are covered *This fungus is discussed at some length in the Report of the Wisconsin Experiment Station, for 1883, from which the accompanying figures are copied. ’ ad STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 55 by a dense white mycelium from which very many minute spores fall in the course of the season. This Apple mildew (Sphaerotheca castag- néi) is More injurious than many of its relatives, since it does not con- fine its attacks mainly or entirely to the leaves, but settles at once on the twigs, which dwindle and die under its baneful influence. Like the other true mildews, this forms its snowy spores only during the open season, their place being taken, as winter approaches, by anoth- er sort of fruit, visible to the naked eye as small black dots, in which resting-spores are formed, capable of surviving the winter and further propagating the disease the following spring. Accurate observations on this parasite and its work and the results of experiments with sul- phur, properly made kerosene emulsions and other substances destruc- tive to it are much to be desired. If time permitted, attention might be drawn to a considerable number of other fungi that live on the apple; some causing disease and death, others merely living on the dead portions, which they cause ~ to decay. No less than thirty-one such species have been enumerated by an Austrian botanist. I think, however, that while this paper is Section through edge of Apple-scab, showing of necessity very incomplete the feeweds te Tr hae ott Tee subject has been carried far enough to show what some of the things we know as fungi are, and why, when they live as parasites on culti~ vated plants, they are as destructive as experience shows them to be. Knowledge of these minute beings is still in its infancy, and can be advanced only by the most painstaking scientific investigation, sup- ported by intelligent observation and experimentation on the part of those who feel the need of such knowledge and will profit most by it. Let us trust, therefore, that in its pursuit the practical man and the scientist may join hands in harmonious work tending to the solution of these problems in which both are interested. On motion the meeting then adjourned till 9 o’clock Thurday morn- ing, June 25, 56 ANNUAL REPORT. SECOND DAY. THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 1885. The meeting was called to order on Thursday morning at 9 o’clock, by President Smith. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. Mr. President and Members: Since our last annual meeting we have been occupied a good deal of the time in the preparation and publication of the annual report of the transactions of the Society for the current year. Necessarily this work has required time and attention. It scarcely need be said that much care has to be bestowed in the preparation of the copy for the printers, revising the same and the reading of proof. The work of printing our reports was performed expeditiously and in a very satisfactory manner, the typographical execution of the same reflecting much credit upon the State Printers, the Pioneer-Press Com- pany. If future publications shall be as well executed no reasonable ground can be found for complaint in this regard. There was a delay of some three weeks in the issue of the present volume, as the last few pages were about going to press, from a failure in the supply of paper, which was this year furnished by the State. We are pleased to note that the number of typographical errors in the work is not large, thanks to the pains-taking care bestowed by proof readers and pressman. There is certainly nothing so annoying to a careful reader as to see page after page disfigured with numerous errors which might easily have been avoided. Owing to the compilation made in 1873 of the reports of previous years, this is the thirteenth report issued by the Society. It contains a few more pages than any preceding number but is still within the limit allowed by the law authorizing our publications. It was not deemed desirable by the members of the committee on publication and your Secretary to unneccessarily enlarge the size of the report, but it was found to be impossible to make a really creditable showing of the plans, work and discussions of the Society, together with a judicious selection of material of interest to horticulturists generally, without somewhat enlarging the size of our publication. Our report certainlyj{makes a very creditable showing for the Society and will compare favorably with those issued by similar societies in ———— a STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 5T our sister States. The volume will be found to contain fully as much original matter as the average of their publications, and as to its merits- we will let it speak for itself, as comparisons might seem “‘invideous.”’ It should be the constant aim of the Society to improve its annual reports from year to year. As its members become more thoroughly informed, gain experience and learn more of the practical require- ments in the varied departments of horticultural work, as pertaining particularly to Minnesota, they will the better be prepared to impart this knowledge, thus enlarging their means of usefulness, and the scope of their influence. Aside from the routine report it will be seen by a casual examina- tion that our field of investigation has taken a somewhat wide range» while at the same time many topics of a timely and interesting nature have not been considered, or even referred to. It will be the province of the Society to bring up some of these matters for profitable discus- sion and consideration in the future. But we will not detain you. longer at this time with any extended remarks. The following letter was then read: REPORT FROM MURRAY COUNTY. BaaToNn, May 5, 1885. Dear Sir: Yours of May 2nd, 1885, came to hand yesterday. Am sorry to have to say that we have no Horticultural Society in our County, though I believe you think me to be a resident of Lyon County. My post: office is Balaton, Lyon County, just over the line between Murray and Lyon. I am three miles from the county line and in Murray County. Iam quite sure they have no Horticultural Society in Lyon County. They havea live Agricultural Society and with a little waking up could keep up a live Horticultural Society in that County. As to our County I shall make an effort to have a society organized here this summer. The few trees I have here have gone through the winter in very good shape. That is, the Duchess, Wealthy and all the crab varieties. My raspberry canes were dead down to the mulching, all varieties, even: the Turner; but they were young plants. My plum and cherry trees are all right, I think. What I have said applies to the country around here. If we succeed in organizing a society I shall be very much pleased to report list of officers. With best wishes for our State Hor- 58 ANNUAL REPORT. ticultural Society and those who by their untiring aid and support are keeping it up, I am, ° Yours Truly, C. F. Norwoop. The Secretary then read a paper on smail fruits, by C. H. Hamilton, of Ripon, Wisconsin, Mr. Hamilton being unable to be present. SMALL FRUITS. BY ©. H. HAMILTON, RIPON, WIS. Mr. President. Having been requested by your secretary, to pre- pare a paper for your annual sammer meeting on the subject of Small Fruits, I will endeavor to give you a few practical suggestions. Small fruits, to people who live in the country are like heaven— objects of universal desire and very general neglect. Indeed in a land so peculiarly adapted to their cultivation, it is difficult to account for their neglect, if you admit the premise that Americans are civilized and intellectual. It is a trait of a savage and inferior race to devour with immense gusto a delicious morsel and trust to luck for another. People who would turn away from a dish of Wilson strawberries with their plump, pink cheeks powdered with sugar, or a plate of melting raspberries and cream, would be regarded so eccentric as to suggest an asylum. But the number of professedly intelligent and moral people who ignore the simple means of enjoying the ambrosial viands daily for weeks together, is so large as to shake one’s confidence in human nature. A well maintained fruit garden is a comparatively rare ad- junct of even stylish and pretentious homes. In June of all months, in sultry July and August there arises from innumerable. country breakfast tables the pungent odor of a meat into which the devils went, out of which there is no proof they ever came, The cabbage patch may be seen afar, but too often the strawberry bed, even if it exists, is hidden by weeds and the small fruits struggle for bare life in . some neglected corner. Indeed an excursion into certain parts of the country might suggest that many of its thrifty citizens would not have been content in Eden until they had put its best land into onions and tobacco. Of course there is little hope for the rural soul that does not love the manna of small fruits. We believe that humanity in the main has reached a point where its internal organs highly ap- prove of the delicious group of fruits that strayed out of Paradise and have not yet lost themselves among the thorns and thistles. Living —_ oP. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 59 without books and pictures is only a little worse than living in the country without fruits and flowers. Some perhaps have the delusion that small fruits are as difficult to raise as orchards. They class them with hot-house grapes. Others think they need so little attention they can stick a few plants in hard, poor ground and leave them to their fate; one might as well raise canary birds and kittens together as strawberries and weeds. There is a large class who believe in small fruits and know their value. They enjoy them amazingly at a friend’s table and even buy some when they are cheap. A little greater outlay, and a little intelligent effort would give them an abundant supply from their own grounds. But they usually goon from bad to worse until like their neglected strawberry beds | they are turned under. Some of you would like to have a list of varieties of strawberries which would be sure to meet all the recommendations of the dis- ' seminators. But in my own experience it is an almost utter failure to find in the different varieties all the superior qualities and adaptations which are claimed. Don’t be too fast in discarding older and tried varieties for the newer and untried. I will not undertake to give you any suggestions as to what is best for you to plant. But when you do undertake to raise a bed of strawberries either for your own family use or for the market, prepare your ground with great care by having it well plowed and dragged, and by enriching it heavily. By close attention and good cultivation you will be able to get the cream or the only paying crop the first year, by forcing them in this manner. I have never seen a bed of strawberries which I really thought paid the outlay of labor by endeavoring to revive it to the vigor and pro- ductiveness of the first year; better plow them under and cultivate the land for some succeeding crop. At this time of the year our only fruit which has ripened and once more graces our tables is so pleasing to our tastes, we are liable to want to dwell too long on the subject. But what has been said of the strawberry, one of our most popular , fruits, the principles of thorough preparation of the soil, culture, etc., apply equally to the other small fruits. Like the strawberry the raspberry is well connected. It also belongs to the rose family, and by many even preferred to all others. All people seem to have a feel- ing sense of the spines or thorns of this plant, as may be gathered from its name in different languages, as in German ‘‘kratsbarre’’ or scratchberry. While it is true that the raspberry in various forms is 60 ANNUAL REPORT. found wild throughout the continent, and that the ancient gardeners © in most instances obtained their supply of plants in the adjacent fields or forests. The late Mr. A. J. Downing is of the opinion that the large fruited foreign varieties are descendants of the Mount Ida Bramble, and from that locality were introduced into gardens of southern Hurope. Al}? that has been said about the thorough preparation of the soil for the strawberry applies to raspberries with a few exceptions. Certain strong-growing raspberries, like the Cuthbert and Turner, should not be over-fertilized. Some kinds demand good clean culture rather than a rich soil that would cause too great a growth of cane and foliage. But with most varieties, I consider from my own experience, there is but little danger of over enriching the ground. By planting in rows six feet apart, and three feet apart in the row, give them a thorough system of cultivation, and a vigorous application of the pruning knife. When the plant has attained the height of about two feet cut off the top, it will cause it to branch out and form a well shaped tree capable of standing up of itself. I thinkit a good plan to plow a furrow up to the rows in the fall as it acts as a protector. As for the varieties, I think a man is safer in giving alist of the raspberries for general cultivation than he would for strawberries. I will name over the varieties which have proved the most hardy with me, and will name them in rotation as to the time of the fruit ripening. The Hansell has proved the most hardy of any of the reds; Waterloo and Cuthbert next. Black raspberries, the Soughean, Ohio, Tyler, earliest; and along comes the Mammoth and Gregg; all are vig- orous yrowers and proluctive. I find there is a great deal which might be said on the subject of the different varieties of the strawber- ry and raspberry and the different modes of cultivation. But there is one other small fruit that I would not like to be guilty of not men- _ tioning. That is the blackberry, a fruit which is strewn over many acres of our state of Wisconsin, as well as of many other states grow- _ing wild, and from which the greater part of our supply has been gathered by the natives and others and shipped to most every town ~ and village which could be reached. The onward march of civiliza- tion and immigration has caused the supply to diminish as well as to recede further from the prairie towns. As to varieties, this species has also an endless variety a3 well as those who advertise. Many of them are varieties of great merit in certain localities and wholly worthless in others. I will not occupy i é. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 61 your time in relating to you my likes and dislikes of each kind whichI might name. But I will give some little history of my own success and of others in the immediate vicinity of Ripon, Wisconsin. The culture of the blackberry has become one of the first, and within the last twelve years the cultivation has extended from half an acre, till at the present time you can see something over fifty acres now in full bloom promising a large crop of this delicious fruit. The Briton or Ancient Briton which is the variety cultivated here with unparalleled success, was first sent here from Wales to an amateur horticulturist and after eighteen years’ trial in different localities we place it.at the head of anything that has been disseminated from any part of the country as a shipping berry or as to productiveness, and as to hardi- ness it will compare well with anything yet introduced. It may be called the king of the blackberry; 4000 to 5000 quarts in about an average yield per acre. The treatment required by the blackberry can best be understood by observing where, in its requirements, it differs from the raspberry and kindred fruits. It seems to dothe best on light soils that are warm and well drained. The question is often asked, shall we manure the ground? Mostcertainly, as the blackberry luxuriates in a good rich soil as much as a crop of corn or any other crop. More room should be given the blackberry than the raspberry. In planting for field culture, plant in rows eight feet apart and three or three and a half in the rows (some 8 by 4 in row) which will enable you to cultivate easily. They need to be cared for by cultivating and hoeing, the same as a piece of corn. The season being favorable, you will likely find that with a few exceptions you are progressing towards a foundation or start in blackberry culture, but after the first year is passed and you have every hill well established, comes the time which is of vital importance to the fruit grower. It then stands you in hand to look after and take care of the new wood, which is your promise for the fruit crop the next year. At this stage of growth they require support and may be staked or be supported by setting a strong stake at each end of the row, and at equal distances along the row smaller stakes opposite each other, and stretching a wire on each side kept at the proper height by a nail which answers for a support to the young bearing plants and for the new shoots, which, without sup- port, are liable to be broken with wind. The ideal treatment of the blackberry is management rather than culture. More can be done with thumb and finger at the right time 62 ANNUAL REPORT. than with the most savage pruning shears after a year of neglect. Two or three feet is considered a fair average to stop the growth; it will branch out and generally become high enough if stopped at two feet. Here it is necessary to protect the plants. Two good men will lay © down and cover one thousand hills ina day. Beginning at the end of the row, we dig away a small quantity of soil on the side of the hill with a garden fork, which is less liable to injure the roots than a spade. We step to the opposite side of the bush, and placing one foot at the crown. close to the ground and the fork in the top of the bush, we push lightly with the fork, and with the foot hard enough to bend the roots, not the tops. The other man then throws on the soil, and in less time than it takes to write this the bush is nicely secured and covered ready for a long, cold, changeable winter. When spring comes, take a four-tined fork, loosen the crust, and placing your fork under the plant, carefully raise it up and press the soil back firmly. After the row is all taken up, string your wires at once if possible, and your plants are protected from the winds. There is much more which could be said on this subject, but I ell leave it with you. DISCUSSION. Mr. Harris. Mr. President, I met Mr. Hamilton last winter at the meeting of the Wisconsin Horticultural Society, and we had quite a long discussion on the subject of growing blackberries and he gave mea number of good points. I am begining to be of his opinion, that the Ancient Briton is the best. I have been growing the Snyder because I believed it to be more hardy, but it is more difficult to pro- tect, the canes are stronger and it has more lateral roots. Mr. Hamil- ton recommends covering the blackberry canes by digging down to the lateral roots and bending the canes over to the ground and put- ting earth on them. On account of sickness last fall I did not pro- tect mine in that way. I have the Snyder, Ancient Briton and Stone’s Hardy. The Ancient Briton blossomed the most, Stone’s Hardy the next, and Snyder about one cane on a quarter of an acre; Ancient Briton was full as hardy as any of them. Mr. Pearce. Did you cover with earth? Mr. Harris. Mr. Hamilton covers with earth; Mr. Lord also does the same. They put the protection on very loosly that they cover the canes with; the main thing is to hold them down to the ground; STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 63: it isa simple operation. I went to Mr. Lord’s and witnessed the operation. Where they are covered in this way they start a week sooner and grow better than where unprotected. Mr. Pearce. I have been growing the Ancient Briton for five years. [have lost a great many plants without covering them, but where I have covered them they have done remarkably well. The past winter is the first I have paid attention to covering as I have grown them for plants more than for fruit. But I was told a year or two ago that it was not necessary to cover with earth, and I thought I would experi- ment and ascertain whether that was correct or not. Last fall after the wood was thoroughly ripe I bent the canes over to the ground and laid weights upon them—a stone, chunk of wood, or earth—and this. spring straightened them up and never saw a better prospect for an immense crop than at the present; so [ think the covering with earth is entirely unnecessary. I tried the same thing with roses. I tried it with the Ancient Briton blackberry on different kinds of ground, in every instance they came out in the greatest perfection; they are at this time just loaded with fruit. I shall experiment further and if I find the covering with dirt unnecessary I[ think it will be a great im- provement. They were in exposed places and they came out in per- fection without any other covering whatever. Col. Stevens. Mr. President, it is a well known fact that in the backwoods where Mr. Pearce’s grounds are, the wild blackberry comes to great perfection. It is very probable that the Ancient Briton, which is no doubt, a species of wild blackberry, would do well on his grounds when they would not succeed on the open prairies. On that kind of soil where there was no protection by snow they might be des- troyed. We had acomunication from a gentleman in the interior of the State who has had experience with Stone’s Hardy, and he stated that it grew to perfection with him and was a most hardy and valu- able variety of the blackberry; the past winter they came through without a terminal bud being injured. President Smith. There was a good deal of snow the past winter and that may have served for a protection. Col. Stevens. Yes, and I think Mr. Pearce’s grounds are favorably located. Mr. Harris. I do not think on my place there is a necessity for covering with earth one winter in twenty; but out on the prairie I think the earth covering would be well. Down in the valley all you need to do is to get the canes down to the ground and they will take care of themselves. (64 ANNUAL REPORT. Mr. Kramer. My Snyder berries froze down to the ground, and that portion which had naturally fallen down and laid flat on the ground, came out all right and the bushes are now just loaded with berries; the canes which are an inch or more in diameter are all gone, -but the small limbs which were on the ground were saved. Mr. Harris. I had a similar experience with grapes, the vines that lay upon the ground were not injured, but I did some pruning in November before the ground was covered with snow, and among those .a good many vines were killed almost to the ground. That indicates that there must have been injury done before the extreme cold, before the time when the thermometer went down into the thirties below zero. Mr. Kramer. I have grape vines, I think, four inches in diameter which were fiozen clear to the ground. I have some seedlings that are good grapes, and I laid some of the vines on the ground and they are full of fruit at the present time, but everything that has been up three or four inches in the atmosphere is all gone. Mr. Pearce. I did not make the suggestion to recommend the practice as I expect to try it a little further. I have Concord grapes that kept to perfection without covering, by simply laying the vines upon the ground. Mr. Kramer. I think they will; the soil keeps them from killing. If they are on the ground it makes no difference how cold it is; there igs where they want to be. Mr. Pearce. I think it well for the Society to experiment on these things. I tried the same thing with roses and am inclined to think they will keep if laid flat on the ground. Mr. Harris. I have two of the Prairie Queen rose bushes; one of them my wife asked me to take down early in the fall, and I did so; the other I did not lay down until about the first of December; that was entirely dead in the spring, while the other was perfectly sound. It ought not to have been cold enough to injure it, but I think the portions that were exposed when we had our first freeze must have been hurt. Mr. G. S. Woolsey. That is not my experience with the rose bush. I have prairie ground and the snow blows off; I cover the bushes and in the spring take them out and they are bright and clean; where they are exposed they are bright but dead. Mr. Elliott. My experience in covering is this: whenever we get plenty of snow that will ordinarily cover them and keep them from STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 65 freezing, we do not have any trouble, if you only lay a few boards or sticks over them, but if they are in exposed positions where the snow blows off, your vines or bushes will be more or less injured. I think the proper way is to lay them down and cover them with sawdust, just enough to keep them from getting exposed; I think that is the surest plan. Ihave adopted it with raspberries and roses and it has been a perfect success this year, at any rate. Mr. H. H. Young, of St. Paul, being present, was called upon to read a paper. He stated that he had been unable, from a press of other duties to complete a paper in time to present 1t at the present meeting, but would prepare a paper for the Society. Mr. Harris moved that Mr. Young be requested to complete his essay and furnish it for publication in the transactions of this Society. Carried. FRUIT REPORTS. _ Secretary Hillman presented the following report: Mr. President and Members: We desire to offer a few suggestions which have come under our observation, in regard to the Daa con- dition of fruit trees. On the first day of the present month of June, we had the pleasure of visiting the orchard of a worthy member of our Society, namely, Vice-president Dartt, at Owatonna, and-will give a brief description of what we saw while there. Mr. Dartt has a very pleasant and inviting location, and for many years has taken great pains in caring for his orchard and nursery stock. Upon inquiry he assured us that the prospect for a fruit crop this season was not encouraging, as the past winter had been much more disastrous to the trees than he had at first supposed. He said that he was not disposed to despair entirely of success at fruit growing, and would continue his efforts in this direction. He expressed grave doubts, however, of the successful and profitable growth of standard fruits, and intimated that he should rely more than ever, hereafter, upon the crab and Hybrid varieties. He said further, that the past winter had been the severest he had ever experienced in this State, that a majority of his standard trees were more or less injured to the snow line. In proof of his assertions and conclusions Mr. Dartt invited us out to take a stroll through his somewhat extensive orchard and nursery grounds. On first going into his garden, we were shown a fine speci- men of Hybrid seedling of Mr. Dartt’s own propagation, a thrifty ten- 5 66 ANNUAL REPORT, year old tree, then in full ,bloom, and apparently uninjured. He stated that this variety was grown from a Tetofsky seed, probably crossed with the Hyslop crab, the fruit of which it resembles some- what, both in size and general appearance. ‘This same variety stands well in the nursery, the trees appearing thrifty and showing very slight injury. We noticed here a large Duchess tree which had been utterly ruined by the protection afforded from a building which stood on the north side of the tree; from which he concludes that any pro- tection from the north is worse than none at all. In the orchard we found Yearl’s Winter, badly affected. He re- marked that it had heretofore given considerable promise as a hardy winter seedling, but he now regards it as worthless, and should never again recommend it to favorable consideration. In his orchard of Duchess and Tetofsky, of seven or eight ‘acres, most of the trees show marks of injury. The larger portion of the Duchess trees have been set some fourteen years, proving heretofore hardy and productive, while now many of them are killed outright and others are so much injured that they cannot fully recover. His mode of culture has been to plow the ground between the rows spring and summer, manuring or mulching heavily near the body of the trees as a protection from the cold. He regards the Duchess and Tetofsky as the only well known standard varieties worth cultivating in this climate; although a few of the Russian varieties promise equally well, others are more or less injured. With Mr. Dartt quite a number of the crab varieties are apparently hardy and will produce fair crops of fruit this season. The best of these are Early Strawberry, Transcendent, Orange, Beachs Sweet and Hutchinson’s Sweet. Whitney No. 20 is a good deal injured, or semi-hardy. As the Transcendent blighted in former years, he had, be said, on the recommendatiun of the State Horticultural Society, planted the Haas quite freely, but the experiment had proven abortive. The Greenwood crab seems to be a promising variety, fruit of good flavor, size of the Transcendant, the tree a constant bearer and very hardy. The Peach apple is alsoa hardy tree but ashy bearer. He favors the crab family generally, but says many varieties are good for nothing. The Maiden Blush, for instance, is an early bearer, a good apple, but the tree dies early; the same with Minnesota. Hutchin- sou’s Sweet, a very fair sweet apple, is a poor bearer. Mr. Dartt also has a young orchard one mile distant from the city, containing some three thousand trees in which he had set five hundred —— STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 67 Duchess this spring. He considers this variety our main dependance for standard fruit, at least for the present. His Wealthy trees, both in orchard and nursery, were pretty nearly all killed to the snow line; hence he does not recommend them, and will plant no more of them. On the third of June we visited the orchard and nursery of Vice- president Sias, at Rochester. But as he is present we prefer to have a report from him in person. Mr. M. W. Cook, of Rochester, informed us that his trees were badly injured by the past severe winter, but he gathered consolation from the fact that in Missouri, from which State he had recently re- turned, the fruit trees had been nearly all destroyed from the severity of the past winter; an illustration, perhaps, of the adage that ‘“‘misery loves company.” Wealso met Mr. F. K. Phoenix, of Delavan, Wisconsin, at Rochester, who reported sad havoc to the trees of that locality, especially with the so-called Waupaca Seedlings, among which is the Wolf River, or ‘Alexander. He expressed the opinion that hardy new scedlings must be sought ont as our chief dependance for apples in the future, both of Russian and native varieties. Mr. A. W. Sias, of Rochester, was then called upon and presented the following report: OUTLOOK FOR FRUIT. Mr. President and Gentlemen of the State Horticultural Society : Perhaps there isno being more commonly and grossly misrepresented than the Supreme Being of the Universe Just after the winter of 1872-3, a preacher of the Gospel said to me, ‘‘Well, Mr. Sias, the Lord has killed all the fruit trees, but it will be just as well for you, as they will buy and fill right up again.’’ It perhaps did not occur to him, that it would bother me to furnish live trees to fill up with, in a country where they were alldead. And further, that if [ shipped them in from a more southern clime, that others like himself would have too little confidence in the pleasure that the Ruler of the Universe is said to have in ‘‘giving good gifts to his children,”’ to purchase so extensively as to make it as well for meas before. Another man said to me on the street at Rochester, not long ago, that ‘‘the fruit trees in the country were all killed—wood literally killed to the bark.” This is - true as far as the wood of the Duchess is concerned in southern Minne- sota, and a most severe test of my doctrine that a “Black hearted 68 _ ANNUAL REPORT. tree’ is not wholly worthiess. Providing the Duchess matures any. considerable amount of fruit this season, then we are all forced into the knowledge that a ‘‘black hearted tree’’ is sometimes valuable, and also into the old dotrine that ‘‘a tree is known by its fruit.”’ During the last two or three years the fruit grower of our part of the State has had many trying obstacles to contend with. July 21st, and then again August 21st 1883, we were visited by the two most destructive tornadoes ever known since the first settlement of the State, which killed many trees outright and badly injured many others. Anything that lessens the vitality of our trees appears to increase the number of insects. The same as in the animal kingdom, before life is fairly extinct, insects assert their claim, and take full possession immediately after. I am of the opinion that in the wake of these tornadoes over one-half of the fruit has been literally destroyed up to this date, by insects of various kinds. The need of a competent State Entomologist is imperatively demanded. Now for the bright side of this subject. We are told that every family upon the face of the earth were drowned, at one time, except one. An innumerable host is the result of this one family. In like manner, it the past winter had killed all the fruit trees but one family, from that we would soon replenish the earth, but thanks to a kind providence we are driven to no such straits as this. We find among the Russians, the Anis, Transparent and some other families that came through last winter almost unscathed. Also many native seedlings just as sonnd—I refer here more particularly to the seedling hybrids. Many Wealthy trees were killed in some locations, still I continue — my faith init for good locations, and on the whole I see no good reason for discouragement. The De Sota, Minnesota, Quaker, Wild Rose and Weaver Plums, never looked better. Small fruits are look- ing splendid. Mr. Smith inquired if Mr. Sias had seen the Brett seedlings this spring. Mr. Sias. I have not; I have seen the owner of the trees and he stated that they were apparently uninjured. REPORT OF J. 8. HARRIS, OF LA CRESCENT. I have no written report, but I merely wish to state that in the last twenty-nine years, that I have spent in Minnesota, the last one was the most disastrous of any to fruit trees. The St. Lawrence trees that I set out twenty-nine years ago are badly whipped; also the STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 69 Wealthy; so much so that but two trees on my place will bear this year. The old varieties which produce such fine fruit, which I used to ex- hibit at our fairs are practically dead, and it don’t seem possible that they can recover. I have had some Russian varieties a short time and have four or five that are not injured to any serious extent. The Duchess is not seriously injured; last year’s growth was killed back some two inches. I am not, however, entirely discouraged; as soon as I found out the injury that had been done to my trees J resolved to go on again, and I shall continue my efforts in trying to grow apples in Minnesota. The very difficulties we have to contend with are going to help us the sooner to get a hardy variety. We have met with re- verses, and every time it seems to be worse. But I tell you we are going to raise our own fruit, and have enough and to spare; we are going to find Russian varieties, I think, that are hardy; we may not find tnem adapted to all seasons of the year and every portion of the State; but, we are going to keep planting until we get what we are looking for. Small fruits in our part of the State are doing well, especially strawberries and grapes. LRaspberries in places were killed down to the snow line, which means ordinarily, within three inches of the ground. Blackberries were also killed that were not protected. Ev_ erything seems to be favorable for fruit. I find much interest mani- fested among those who have been growing fruit long enough to raise it and they are replanting and carrying on the good work. I saw one man who had been growing trees for twenty-five years who wanted to buy some trees and when I showed him the dead trees, he said he should plant more of them and keep on trying. That seems to be the feeling among the members of our Society, and to my mind it indicates that we are doing a good work. Mr. Fuller. The Transcendents which some persons have been try- ing to drive from our State are about the only trees that stand unin. jured in our section, north of the Big Woods; that stands very well. The wood is colored a little as is nearly every fruit tree in Minnesota; but it looks healthy. Usually the trees hang full of fruit. Next to the Transcendent in hardiness is the Orange; Minnesota and Beachs Sweet stand pretty well. Hutchinson’s Sweet asa tree is hardy but does not bear any apples and I dug up the last of mine this spring. Whitney’s No. 20 is hurt some but not very badly. I received about -twenty [Russian varieties a year ago from Professer Budd. A part of them killed to the ground and a part of them stand. I have a seedling 70 ANNUAL REPORT. crab which is the least colored of anything [ have seen—probably a seedling of the Transcendent, and the fruit a.little larger; probably not much more valuable if any, than the Transcendent. Small fruits are all one could expect. We can do nothing up there with blackberries, except by laying them down. Raspberries were hurt a good deal. Currants, gooseberries and strawberries are a very fine crop. Mr. Kramer. Mr. President, I had a letter from the Secretary ask- ing me to give a report of my seedling apple trees, and as I had no time to write I thought I would net make him the trouble to read my poor writing or write it all over again for me. So I was induced to come up myself and I will give you the report so farasI can. I sent the Secretary this spring some specimens of my seedling apples. I generally think that one can tell more by the taste than by the looks what fruit is good for. I have been sowing seed for a good many years and have received a good many apples, but must say to you that the nicest ones are eitirely gone I think. Three or four trees are coming out, I wont say all right, but within the last two weeks have - commenced growing and [ think will recover. I have half a dozen younger trees that look well; some of the shoots have grown a foot and a half. They were hurt worse than I thought at first. Of the older trees there is not one that has recovered except the crabs, and the Duchess and Tetofsky, of course; the crabs I don’t call apples. It 1s our duty to go on and try again; if one tree kills out we should set another and after awhile we will succeed, that is if we all try. If we plant the good seed, as the scripture says, the same with the apple as with the strawberry, we will have an apple and a strawberry for our use after awhile. The older trees are all gone, and we can’t de- pend on the Duchess and Tetofsky. The apples don’t keep long enough; they only keep long enough to take them from the tree into the mouth, and that is the last of them. We must try and find something better. Mr. Pearce. I would like to say one word in regard to a fruit re- port. I don’t suppose there is anyone more interested in fruit grow- ing in the State than [am. I had as fine an orchard as anyone and had about 4,000 trees and which [ valued at five dollars a tree. Fully two-thirds of them are virtually dead and the prospect is not encour- aging. At the same tiine those trees, many of them, will recover and produce fruit. They are reviving and I find that young shoots are coming up which in three years will bear fruit. I have probably 200 seedlings and nearly that many varieties. Among them I have one variety of excellent quality that fruited last year; it is early and Ee ee STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. TL one of the best. It received the highest premium at the fair. The tree is green to the very top and not a bud was injured. I have sever- al other varieties, not injured a particle, as well as several Russian va- rieties. We can graft upon these young shoots and we will soon have a better orchard than ever. Where my Wealthy trees died I shall graft with varieties that I know will stand, and if my life is spared three years my loss will more than be made good. We need perseve- rence and determination when we fight against the elements. The Almighty has given us a mind that is capable of endless improvement, and we can surmount all these difficulties, but if we submit and be- come discouraged we shall fail. . Mr. Kramer recommended growing trees from the roots instead of the ordinary method of grafting. Mr. Sias said a very good way to graft trees was by budding. Mr. Kramer. This is not alone for the nurserymen. I have an interest in this myself. Ido not see any use in budding or grafting the way they doit. The cion from the tree does not start to grow in that way, it comes from the root. You take the roots and you can grow your trees from them; keep them from freezing in the winter and in the spring they will start out and come right ahead; so that in May you will have a tree that you can set out and will make a good growth the first year. What is the grafting for? You take the roots from one tree and put another piece of wood on to it; why don’t you take the root and set that out? You would not take a part of one ehild and put it upon another, to make two children. [Laughter.] Mr. Harris. One advantage from Mr. Kramer’s method of propagat- ing is probably very poorly understood by the mass of people. One difficulty in grafting with cions is caused by an imperfect union which causes injury to the tree. It looks reasonable to conclude that a tree upon its own roots will grow the most natural, and it will undoubtedly grow more rapidly and be longer lived upon its own roots. Mr. Sias. If I understand Mr. Kramer’s idea, it is to propagate from the roots, which is probably the nearest approach we can get to a seedling; it would naturally be a longer lived tree than a grafted or a budded one. Mr. Kramer. If you take these sticks in and keep them through the winter they will naturally heal over; you set them out and the upper end is unhealed. In time the warm weather comes and causes the roots to start. It is the simplest to grow your trees in the way I have stated. 72 - ANNUAL REPORT. CONGRATULATORY TELEGRAMS. Mr. Harris stated that the Wisconsin State Horticultural Soctiey was now in session, and moved that the Secretary be instructed to send a telegram of greeting to the Society. Carried. The Secretary sent the following telegram: MINNEAPOLIs, June 25. Minnesota State Horticultural Society in convention assembled, sends greeting to the Wisconsin Society. A grand display of straw - berries, and members are enthusiastic, S. D. Hitiman, Secretary. REPLY. Later in the day the following reply was received; ‘“WEYAUWEGA, June 25. Wisconsin Horticultural Society in session with the Weyauwega Society, receive greeting from the Minnesota Society and return the same. Come and see our Wolf River apples. Ee S. Hoxm,.” LETTER FROM PROF. BUDD. The following letter was received from Prof. J. L. Budd of Ames, Iowa, under date of June 23: Mr. 8. D. Hillman—My Dear Sir: I have just returned from the nurserymen’s convention at Chicago. I tind that the old sorts of trees are mainly dead through to Lake Michigan; only the Russians and the crabs are really alive at Waukegan, Ill. My old forty-acre orch- ard in Benton county is wholly dead, except Duchess, Wealthy, Plumb’s Cider, Gros Pomier and the crabs, and all except the Duchess and the crabs are sadly hurt. It will pay the State of Minnesota to send a man to Eastern Russia to forward cions. Any variety of apple, cherry or plum doing well in the province of Limbursk and Kazan will live with you as well as box elder. But many of the sorts of Central and Western Russia will fail to stand your test winters. It is impossible to get cions or trees from Eastern Russia without being on the ground. If packed there by inexperienced parties without moss—there is no moss there—they always get used up by their four months’ voyage. We are most anxious to get the varieties of the black soil sections of Central Russia, say of Oreal and Varouesk, and for Southern Iowa down to Koursk. Yours, J. L. Bupp. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 73. THE LEAF-ROLLER. President Smith. One of the objects of our summer meeting is to discuss small fruits. There are many insects which prove injurious to small fruits and I would like to have the experience of some of those present in regard to the leaf-roller, which has done a good deal of damage in some sections. Mr. Oliver Gibbs, Jr. being called upon came forward aa said: Mr. Gibbs. About all the information I could give you is as to the: destructive character of the pest, and so far as that is concerned I think you already have about all the information you want. I had experience with the leaf-roller two years ago; they were all over my strawberry beds and J had three or four acres planted. On one-half acre they destroyed the whole crop. I mulched my strawberries with fine straw taken from an old ice house. In the spring I noticed very early that the birds were digging over that straw. I examined and found where they had searched for these insects, going some six inches down in the straw sometimes. The following season I discovered hardly any signs of the leaf-roller, and I think the birds took them. I do not know of any artificial remedy whatever. It is the most des- tructive pest I think, that ever infested strawberry plants. Secretary Hillman here referred to remedies recommended in the: report of the Missouri Horticultural Society, exterminating the leaf- roller by mowing and burning the leaves in mid summer, etc. Mr. Busse. Do they deposit their larve in the ground in the spring ? Mr. Gibbs. The insect hatches out in the spring and is about a sixteenth of an inch in length, and commences its work after warm weather begins. It weaves a web consisting of little bars, across the stem or leaf of the plant, and the leaves commence to fold together. It weaves its way along until the leaf is entirely folded together and after it is closed no poison can touch it unless it is strong enough to kill the plant. Ordinary solutions of Paris green have no effect. It has been said that the burning of the fields in the fall or spring has proven of benefit. I think Prof. Forbes reported to our Society that they had tried it in Illinois and it was the only effectual remedy they had ever used. The worm changes its form and becomes apparently lifeless; it eats its way through the leaf, drops off and buries itself in the rubbish or mulch on the ground. There seems to be a period when it lies among the vines or rubbish, when they can be destroyed by burning; but if not destroyed it remains near the surface of the soil’ and comes out in the spring. Of course it changes its form to a fly 74 ANNUAL REPORT. which deposits eggs which in turn are hatched out, thus performing the various evolutions of insect life. Mr. Busse. Some three weeks ago I noticed small worms upon my plants that were very numerous and I thought perhaps they were the leaf-roller, but they were much smaller. Mr. Gibbs. This insect when in the form of a pupa eats holes through the leaves. Here isa leaf which has one of the insects inside. You can see it by opening the leaf. [Illustrating.] There he is, a very lively little delegate; if you are going to catch him, you have got to be spry. Prof. Porter. In reference to the leaf-roller, I would say that I have had a little experience which may be of interest. Two years ago this last winter I had a very fine bed of Wilson’s Albany, Glendale, ’ Crescent Seedling and Minnetonka Chief; they were in very fine con- dition and growing in hills. I mulched the plants; the rows were four feet apart—plenty of room. As the ground was very light or sandy, I thought I would mulch heavily with well-rotted manure so as to protect the plants through the winter. In putting on the manure the outer edges of the bed were not covered. The next spring as soon as the plants began to develop I found the leaf-roller on every single plant, so thick in the body*of the bed that the plants were all des- troyed; in the outer borders where the mulching had not extended, there were very few insects, and the plants were alive and vigorous while all the rest of the bed of plants was entirely destroyed. Last spring I commenced an investigation of the habits of this leaf-roller. Not knowing that the subject was coming up for discussion I did not bring my notes with me; but this fall, at the State fair, I will show you there the insect in all stages of development; I have them pre- pared and mounted, but have not the notes of the examination with me. THE UNIVERSITY EXPERIMENTAL FARM. Mr. Busse. I understood that we were to have some remarks from Prof. Porter about what he is doing on the Experimental Farm. Prof. Porter. Gentlemen; this Society is one of the associations of the State, which is entitled at every annual and semi-annual meeting to areport of what is being done at the University Experimental Farm. * You are well aware that five years ago when I took charge of the Department of Agriculture at the State University, I found it in i STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 75 possession of a farm of 120 acres, within the limits of the city of Min- neapolis. At that time, I was a stranger to the soil, a stranger to the climate of this State, and astranger also to its wants. I contented myself the first year with carefully looking over the grounds and taking notes. I found at the end of that season that we had a farm totally unsuited for the purposes for which it was designed; there were not two acres of ground in the whole 120 acres contiguous to each. other, of the same quality of soil; there was not one-fourth of the 12v acres that would bear the weight of a horse; you could jump up and down on three-fourths of it and shake the surface for a distance of fifty feet around you. ([Laughter.] It was either a quagmire orasandhill. In _ addition to this, it was unfavorably located. It was contiguous to our cily; it was being surrounded by the great improvements which are being carried on in our rapidly growing city of Minneapolis; it was being cut up by the great lines of communication between St. Paul and Minneapolis, and I saw that in the course of a few years more if would be totally unsuited for our wants, even though the soil was suitable for our purpose. I therefore condemned it as being unfit for the purpose of an experimental farm. The Board of Regents author- ized me to make any selection of any farm in the State of Minnesota, that I thought would be suitable for our purpose. I had in the mean- time been examining different localities, and particularly the situation of a farm midway between Minneapolis and St. Paul, the first pur- chase embraced 155 acres and at the close of the first season we pur- chased about 100 acres more. This land adjoins the new State Fair Grounds, and is most conveniently located on Como Avenue. It con- tains within its enclosure every variety of soil that can be found in this country—from a brick clay on the one side to drifting sand on the other. A portion of it is just as fine a soil as can be found on the face of the globe—all that we need; and we have got just as little, poor soil as can be found within the limits of our State. We have on that farm every exposure, north, south, east and west; we have lakes and meadows, hills and prairies; we have everything that is desirable excepting running water; but we cannot find all the advantages in one place. We suppliment that deficiency. by sinking a well 170 feet deep and throwing water, by the use of a windmill and by power, on to an elevation that enables us to distribute water over every foot of ihe ground and on the top of every one of our buildings. This land was purchased, and two years ago this spring I tvok possession of it and commenced the erection of our farm buildings. 76 ANNUAL REPORT. We have not completed all our buildings, but we have two main build- ings up, the farm house, its offices and appliances, and the farm barn. I pronounce both of them the best buildings of their kind in the United States; I challenge contradiction and examination. We have not yet completed the barn, but the work is now going on; I found the farm had been run continuously in wheat and oats ever since it was taken up by the first settler. I took off last year the nineteenth crop of con- tinuous grain, there was no grass of any account upon the farm. Now we have about one hundred and sixty acres seeded down that will yield two and one-half tons of hay tothe acre. A good deal of it was in black oak grubs, and a portion of it so thickly filled with underbrush that a bird could scarcely pass through it. There was not a panel of fence in good condition on the farm and all the line fences were covered with underbrush. My work thus far has been mostly foundation work; in the first place to get our hedge rows cleaned out to get the ground fitted for cultivation; grubbing, plowing arid seeding down to grass, and to prepare it for keeping stock; to get our farm buildings erected and get in condition for experimental work. I found the fields com- pletely overrun with everything that was vile and noxious to the farm- er. One year ago in passing through the fields on a portion of the place, you could not tell whether we were growing oats, wheat or wild mustard for a crop, but the wild mustard predominated. Our fields were so filled with wild mustard, with wild peas, with wild oats, that we could not grow a single bushel of grain fit for seed purposes. Now, we have commenced a system of improvement. Our fences are not yet up, but we are ready for them. I have been preparing the ground in the first place. As I said, our buiidings are nearly completed. We are just ready, really, to commence our legitimate work of illustration and experiment work. Every department of agriculture and horticulture is expected to receive a proper proportion of attention. You are interested of course to know what we are doing in horti- culture. I have commenced this season for the first time the putting out of our fruit plantations. I have in our orchards and nurseries, this season, the entire collection of Russian varieties furnished by Prof. Budd, in all, 197 varieties. J have established a Russian orchard; of trees as yet, I have only seventy varieties. Prof. Budd could not fur- nish me trees of suitable age of more than about seventy varieties. I have two acres and a half devoted to these Russian apples. The trees are all two years old, and I have lost but two out of the entire number. I sent one of my young men down to Prof. Budd’s nurseries in March, : STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. TT and he selected under the direction of Prof. Budd, cions of everything that he had brought from Russia, and that he had received since his return. I have over 5,000 of these root-grafts now planted, and I find from an examination made yesterday that about seventy-five per cent. of them are going to live. The work should have been done much earlier in the season. I have over 3,000 of these root-grafts growing, and in the course of another year I shall be able to distribute from this nursery to our horticulturists throughout the State enough for testing purposes; I propose to furnish duplicates to your different ex- perimental stations whenever thev are ready to receive them. In addition to this line of work I have not only all the fruits, embracing his apples, pears, plums and cherries, but I have a large list also of ornamental shrubbery and trees that Prof. Budd found growing the most luxuriantly, or successfully, in the same climate as that of our northwest, where they have the same average temperature, the same degree of humidity, where there is every reason to suppose we should have the same degree of success; if they can grow these ornamental trees in Russia I don’t know why we should not succeed equally as well in Minnesota. In addition to this work I have planted an orchard of four acres of our most approved Minnesota apples for fruiting purposes. I have four varieties of pears that Prof. Budd found to ‘be perfectly hardy in Russia which are hardy at Ames, Iowa, and which he recommends for Minnesota and Dakota. We will give them a test and another year we will be able to make a report on them. Of Russian plums I have only one variety; I had four specimens, but have only one of them living. Of the native plums of Minnesota we have a collection of the best varieties, etc. I have of the grapes, twenty-two varieties; they have all come through the winter in fine condition, and will be ready for fruiting next season. In the line of small fruits, Ihave a large number of varieties of straw- berries, raspberries, currants and gooseberries. They are all well established and making a good growth. In the line cf vegetables I have growing this year about every thing that can be grown in the State of Minnesota, and in condition may be ranked as good, bad and indifferent. Some of these varieties of vegetables are doing remarkably well; some of them owing to defective seed, are looking very poorly. I can report one crop that is vigorous wherever it has had a chance, and that is weeds and grass. [Laughter] Now, in our work in horticulture I wish to place the Experimental 78 ANNUAL REPORT. Farm in full accord with this Society; I wish to receive the sugges- tions of its members as to any of the lines of experimentation that they wish to have employed and carried out. Every member should have a deep interest in the success of this Experimental Station—it is yet in its infancy, and will need all the support and encouragement you can give it, but by such assistance we can make it worthy of our Society, our State, and its grand resources. The Judges being ready to report, the following award of premiums was then read: AWARD OF PREMIUMS. STRAWBERRIES. Best general collection of five named varieties, George 5. Woolsey, Minneapolis, first premium, $5; J. C. Kramer, La Crescent, second, $3; best four varieties, Wm. Lyons, Minneapolis, first premium, $3; G. S. Woolsey, second, $2; best three plants in pots, H, F. Busse, Richfield, first premium, $3; Wm. Lyons, second, $1. Largest fruit ot any variety, (Sharpless), Mary E. Hintgen, La Crosse, Wis., first premium, $2. Minnesota Seedling—(Early Princess,) J. C. Kramer, La Crescent, first premium, $5; Wm. Lyons, second, $3. Wilson—H. F. Busse, first premium, $2; Geo. 8. Woolsey, second, $1. Crescent—Prof. L. Asire, Minneapolis, first premium, $2; A. W. Sias, Rochester, second, $1. James Vick—J. C. Kramer, first premium, $2; Geo. S. Woolsey, second, $1. Manchester—Wm. Lyons, first premium, $2; Geo. S. Woolsey, second, $1. Glendale—G. S. Woolsey, first premium, $2; Oliver Gibbs, Jr., Lake City, second, $1. Cumberland Triumph-—A. W. Sias, first premium, $2. Minnetonka Chief—Wm. Lyons, first premium, $2; G. S$. Woolsey, second, $1. Sharpless—Mary E. Hintgen, La Crosse, Wis., first premium, $2; H. H. Dyar, Minneapolis, second, $1. Bidwell—John Van Loon, La Crosse, Wis., first premium, $2. Boyden—John Van Loon, first premium, $2. CURRANTS. Stewart’s Seedling—J. F. Gilmore, Richfield, first premium, $2. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. ~ T FLOWERS. Geraniums and Pansies—Best collection, C. A. Smith, Minneapo- lis, first premium, $5. Peonies—J. T. Grimes, Minneapolis, first premium, $2. Potted Plants—Mrs. M. J. Hillman, Minneapolis, first premium, $2. Boquet Wild Flowers—J. C. Kramer, La Crescent, first premium, $2. : Boquet Roses—G. H. Roberts, Minneapolis, first premium, $2; Mrs. M. A. Pearce, Minneapolis, second, $1. Collection Roses—Mrs. F. G. Gould, Excelsior, special premium of $3. Remarks. The collection of Geraniums and Pansies by C. A. Smith of Minneapolis, in the opinion of the judges, is one of the finest ever displayed before the Society. The collection of Peonies exhibited by J. T. Grimes, of Minneapo- lis, were hard to beat. The potted plants shown by Mrs. M. J. Hillman, of Minneapolis, were especially tine. The boquet of wild flowers by J. C. Kramer, of La Crescent, was **a thing of beauty.”’ The boquet of roses by G. H. Roberts, of Minneapolis, is just splen- did. The collection of roses by Mrs. F. G. Gould, of Excelsior, will bear close inspection —a display well worthy of imitation. VEGETABLES. Best and Largest Collection—J.S. Gray, Minneapolis, first premium, $5. Asparagus—J. C. Kramer, La Crescent, Wis., first premium, $1; Truman M. Smith, St. Paul, second, 50 cts. Carrots—J. S$. Gray, Minneapolis, first premium, $1. Onions—J.S. Gray, first premium, $1; C. A. Smith, Minneapolis, second, 50 cents. Radishes—C. A. Smith, first premium, $1; J. S. Gray, second, 50 cents. Turnips—C. A. Smith, first premium, $1; J. S. Gray, second, 50 cents. Pie Plant—Wm. Lyons, Mae eccle first premium,$1; F. X. Cre- _ paux, Minneapolis, second, 50 cents. Cabbage—Fred Busch, Richfield, first premium, $1. = 80 ANNUAL REPORT. Cauliflower—J. Ostergreen, St. Paul, first premium, $1; Fred Busch, Richfield, second, 50 cents. Peas—Wm. Lyons, Minneapolis, first premium, $1; G. H. Roberts, Minneapolis, second, 50 cents. Cucumbers—Fred Busclt, Richfield, first premium, $1. Potatoes—Wm. Lyons, Minneapolis, first premium, $1. — Lettuce—J. S. Gray, Minneapolis, first premium, $1; N. H. Reves, Minneapolis, second, 50 cents. The premiums awarded seemed to give general satisfaction and were at once paid by the Treasurer. The total amount of premiums as awarded by the several committees was: on fruits, $56; on flowers, $17; on vegetables, $21; total, $94. On motion of Mr. Fuller the following resolutions were adopted: WuHuereas, Our Stateis being continually invaded by tree agents, who have some new process for making trees and shrubbery perfectly hardy, and which they will warrant to any extent desired, and Whereas, The last hobby is budded trees, which they sell at ex- travagant prices; therefore Resolved, That we recommend, as we have before, that the people -of the State give no order for trees to irresponsible parties. Resolved, That Prof. Porter be requested to prepare a paper for pub- lication in the papers of the Northwest in regard to the comparative value and hardiness of budded and grafted trees. Mr. Harris, from the committee on Final Resolutions presented the following report, which on motion was adopted: FINAL RESOLUTIONS. Resolved. That the thanks of this Society are hereby tendered to Mr. H. A. Gale for the use of this hall for our meeting; to the citi- zens of Minneapolis for entertainment and encouragement; to the mem- bers in attendance at this meeting, and to the various railroads that have tendered to us reduced rates of transportation. Also to Prof. Budd, Secretary of the Iowa State Horticultural Society, and to Prof. Trelease, Secretary of the Wisconsin State Horticultural Society, and other members of those Socigties for papers, words of encourage- ment and good wishes. Also to Commissioner Gibbs, Prof. Porter and others of the Faculty of the University, and Mr. and Mrs. I’. G. Gould and Helen M. Gould and all others, who were in any way instrumen- tal in constructing the late Horticultural exhibit of New Orleans and securing for our State such liberal awards and marked honors. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 81 Messers. F. Augustus Conkling and HE. D. Jackson, appointed a committee to examine as to the merits and to select a name for the best seedling strawberry exnibited by J. C. Kramer, presented a re- port recommending the name ‘‘Karly Princess.” It was decided to omit the visit to the parks and horticultural gardens in and near the city. The fruits displayed were appropriated by the committee on arrange- ments for the purpose of providing for the picnic dinner. The meeting on motion adjourned sine die. The Farm Stock and Home, of Minneapolis, under date of July 1, 1885, says: The Summer Meeting of the State Horticultural Society, which was held in this city, on Wednesday and Thursday of last week, was a grand success. The display of small fruits on exhibition plainly in- dicates the rapid progress made in this important branch of horti- culture. The vegetables were marvelous, and the floral exhibition was good, considering the time of the year was advanced for roses. The different matters discussed by the members were interesting and profit- able. The venerable president, of the Society, Truman M. Smith, of St. Paul, gave a glowing account of the progress made in the good work under the auspices of the Society. Itisevident that the members never intend to give up the ship. As often as the fruit trees are killed by the severe frosts of winter, they will ‘‘pick the flint and try again.”’ There are several seedling varieties of rare merit in our midst that withstood last winter’s inclemencies, and these will take the place of the supposed iron-clads that proved too tender for this climate. 6 82 ANNUAL REPORT. MEETINGS OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. A meeting of the Executive Committee was held at the office of Farm, Stock and Home at Minneapolis, June 19, 1885. There were present T. M. Smith, President, J.S. Harris, J. M. Underwood, Wyman Elliot, J. T. Grimes, Treasurer, and 8. D. Hillman, Secretary. A billin favor of the Pioneer-Press Co., of $15, for printing was allowed. President Smith proposed his resignation, assigning a reason for . this action in a failure to secure proper recognition of the interests of the Society, from the State Agricultural Society. On motion the committee declined to accept the resignation. On motion of Mr. Elliot the time of holding the summer meeting of the Society was fixed on Wednesday and Thursday, June 24 and 25. After some informal discussion with reference to horticultural exhibits at the State fair, etc., the meeting adjourned. ~ A meeting of the Executive Committee was held at Market Hall, Minneapolis, June 25, 1885, all the members of the committee being present. A bill of $16, of H. L. Smith of Lake City, for printing, was allowed. Oliver Gibbs, Jr., the former secretary of the Society, presented a statement of his account, showing a balance in his favor of $43.33, including quarterly salary, which was accepted as correct and account allowed. A bill of $1.55, express charges, paid by Wyman Elliot, was allowed. On motion of Mr. Harris each official member of the Society was authorized to distribute twenty-five copies of the annual reports of the Society. The bill of Mr. Harris of $8.85, expenses as delegate to the meeting of the Wisconsin Horticultural Society, was allowed. An itemised bill of the Secretary of $43.66, was allowed. = Sa ee STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 83 MEETINGS OF THE EXECUTIVE CoMMITTEE.—Concluded. A meeting of the Executive Committee was held at the State fair grounds, September 10, 1885. There were present Messrs. Harris, Elliot, Day and Pearce, of the committee, Treasurer Grimes and Secretary Hillman. Treasurer Grimes made a statement with reference to the ruling of the State Auditor as to the use to be made of the annual appropriation of funds in aid of the Society, to the effect that no money could be set apart as a reserve fund for the purpose of paying premiums, and that the same was only available to pay current expenses, etc. On motion of Mr. Pearce, the Secretary was directed to communi- cate with the Attorney General as to his opinion upon the point raised. The meeting then adjourned. A meeting of the Executive Committee was held January 22, 1886, at Harrison’s Hall, Minneapolis, all the members being present ex- cept the Secretary. The following bills were audited and allowed: T. M. Smith, balance on account rendered $3.50. J. T. Grimes, incidental expenses, 1884, $4.76. S. D. Hillman, balance on account rendered $35.55. C. L. Smith, services as Assistunt Secretary, $15. J.S. Harris, expenses and railroad fare, $10. A. W. Sias, expenses as Vice-President, $4 80. M. Cutler, expenses as Vice-President, $3.85. G. W. Fuller, expenses as Vice-President, $3.10. Rent of hall/and janitor fees, $23. Drayage, use of plates and fuel, $2.75. 84 ANNUAL REPORT. MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOU NINETEENTH ANNUAL MEETING Sa Harrison’s Hall, Minneapolis, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY AND FRIDAY, JANUARY 19, 20, 21 ann 22, 1886. of the Society : The Program for the Annual Winter Meeting is unusually complete, and the officers of the Society feel assured of an interesting and profitable session. To this end they earnestly and cordially invite every member of the Society, as well as all others interested in horticultural pursuits, to be present and take part in the proceedings. It is hoped and expected that County horticultural societies and other kindred organizations from a distance. will send delegates and take part in the discussions. The amount of personal sacrifice made necessary by uttendance upon the daily sessions will be amply repaid by the information which may be gained from the consideration of numerous practical topics to be brought before the meeting. The public are earnestly invited to attend, especially the evening sessions, as the meetings are not exclusively for members, but are free to all. The ladies are very cordially invited. Any person may become a member of the Society on payment of one dollar, the annual member- ship fee, and be entitled to receive one or more copies of the annual reports and back numbers if desired. In addition to the usual reports of officers and the members of the various fruit committees, it i specially requested that members and others prepare short papers or essays upon practical and use- ful subjects, giving their experience and such suggestions as may seem timely and proper, and such as may be calculated to elicit profitable discussion and afford valuable information upon horticul- Following is the circular sent out announcing the annual = STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 85 | tnral topics. Useful hints may be given concerning the best and most profitable varieties for differ - ent localities, methods of care and culture; also experience as to vurieties which have proven unprofitable, thus enabling others to avoid needless expense from planting inferior kinds, or those not suitable for certain localities. Reports are desired upon hardy varieties of fruit which have escaped injury the past severe winter, as well as the methods adopted to afford protection. Any one unable to attend is invited to send such notes to the Secretary. A number of papers and reports will be given in addition to the list published herewith. Members in attendance at the meeting from a distance, will be provided by the Secretary, on application, with certificates which will enable them to return to their homes over the various lines of railway at one-fifth the regular rates, they having paid full fare coming to the meeting. Members in attendance from a distance will be provided with entertainment by the local com- mittee on arrangements. For further particulars address: S$. D. HIBLMAN, Secretary. TRUMAN M. SMITH, President, MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. Sr. PauL, MINN. j é PROGRAM. - The following order will be adhered to as near as circumstances will permit, but may be varied from time to time as the Society may think best. . : First Day.—TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 10 A. M. Opening Exercises. Arrangement of Exhibits and Reception of Members. Appointment of Committees. On Award of Premiums; on Finance; on Final Resolutions; on Pablication; on Obituary. AFTERNOON SESSION.—AT 2 P. M. 9: Address of Welcome. Prof. Edward D. Porter, in charge of Theory and Practice of Agriculture, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Response to Address of Welcome. Geo. W. Fuller, Litchfield. Practical Suggestions for Horticulturists. Col. John H. Stevens, Minneapolis. Discussion on same. Reports from Local Societies. By Secretary Hennepin County Horticultural Society, J E. North- up, Minneapolis; Olmstead County Horticultural Society, M. J. Hoag, Rochester; Minnesota Valley Horticultural Society, A. B. Register, Granite Falls, and others. Question Box EVENING SESSION.—aT 7 P. M. President’s Annual Address. Truman M. Smith, St. Paul. Grape Culture. Silas Wilson, President Iowa State Horticultural Society, Atlantic, Iowa. Discussion on same. Cross Breeding of Plants. Geo. P. Peffer, Pewaukee, Wis. Discussion on same. Pruning and the cause of Black Heart in Apple Trees. Dr. T. H. Hoskins, Newport, Vt. Discussion on same. SECOND DAY.—WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, AT9 A. M. Report of Seedling Committee. John S. Harris, La Crescent. s Discussion on same. Russian Apples. A. W. Sias, Rochester. ; Reports on Russian Apples. A. G. Tuttle, Baraboo, Wis.; Andrew Peterson, Waconia; Chas. es Ludluff ‘Carver, and others. Discussion on same. Miscellaneous Business. Premium List Horticultural Products at State Fair; Discussion; Ques- _ tion Box, etc. ae i, 86 ANNUAL REPORT. AFTERNOON SESSION.—AT 2 P. M. f Ad Interim, or District Reports, by Vice Presidents of the Society: A. W.Sias, Rochester; E. H. 8. Dartt, Owatonna; M. Cutler, Sumter; F. G. Gould, Excelsior; G. W. Fuller, Litchfield. Discussion on same. EVENING SEssion.—aT 7 P. M. Music by Glee Club. Some Fungous Diseases of Small Fruits. Prof. A. B. Seymour, Wisconsin State University, Madison, Wis. Also, Suggestions upon Grape Rot, Pear Blight, Spot Disease on Strawberries, etc., Prof. Sey - mour. Music by Glee Club, Climate and Horticulture. Prof. D. R. Maginnis, Northfield. 4 Aesthetic Features of Horticulture. H. H. Young, St. Paul. Music. THirD Day.—THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, aAT9 A. M, Annual Report of Secretary. Annual Report of Treasurer. Training and Pruning the Grape. Samuel Doughty, Lake City. Grape Growing at Minnetonka. A. W. Latham, Excelsior. Discussion on same. Humbugs in Horticulture. M, Cutler, Sumter. Success and Failure in fruit growing in the Northwest. F.G. Gould, Excelsior. Correspondence, etc. P Question Box. AFTERNOON SESSION.—AT 2 P. M. Horticulture on the University Experimental Farm. Prof. E. D. Porter, Minneapolis. Discussion on same. Orchard Management. M. Pearce, Minneapolis. Discussion on same. Report of Finance Committee. Report Committee on Districting the State, J.S. Harris, Chairman. Annual Election of Officers, by ballot. A complete Farmer’s Garden. J.S. Harrie, La Crescent. Question Box. EVENING SEssION.—aT 7 P. M. Music by Glee Club. Floriculture as Related to the Adornmentof School-grounds. Mrs. C.O. Van Cleye, Minneapolis. Fruit Culture in Southern Dakota. Mrs. Laura A. Alderman, Hurley, Dakota. Entomological Report. Prof. N. H. Winchell, Minneapolis. Some Notes on the Biological Aphide, or Plant Lice. O. W. Oestinnd, Assistant on Minnesota Geological and Natural History Survey, Minneapolis. Discussion on Same. Music. FourtsH DAy.—FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, aT9 A. M. Reports from Experimental Stations: PROF. E. D PORTER, Minneapolis. PETER M. GIDEON, Excelsior. M. PEARCE, Minneapolis. G. W. FULLER, Litchfield. A. W. SIAS, Rochester. R. M. PROBSTFIELD, Moorhead. F, J. SCHREIBER, Moorhead. ANDREW PETERSON, Waconia. CHARLES LUDLUFF, Carver. UNDERWOOD & EMERY, Lake City. B. TAYLOR, Forestville. FRED VON BAUMBACH, Alexandria. E.H.S. DARTT, Owatonna. L. E. DAY, Farmington. J.H. BROWN, Lac Qui Parle. J.S. HARRIS, La Crescent. a STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. . 87 Report of General Fruit Committee: SIDNEY CORP, Hammond. D. K. MICHENOR, Etna. CHAS, BRENDERMULE, Moorhead. Cc. E. SHANNON, Granite Falls. 0. F. NORWOOD, Balaton. M. C. BUNNELL, Newport. J.N. STUBBS, Long Lake. GEO.S. BARNES, Fargo. WILLIAM McHENRY, St. Charles. O. M. LORD, Minnesota City. CLARENCE WEDGE, Albert Lea. E. MEYER, St. Peter. M. CUTLER, Sumter. G. W. FULLER, Litchfield. L. E. DAY, Farmington. CHAS. LUDLUFF, Carver. W.E. BRIMHALL, St. Paul. Discussion on same. Fruit for Farmer’s Families. O. M. Lord, Minnesota City. Small Fruit for Profit. Geo. J. Kellogg, Janesville, Wis. Discussion on same. Report of Committee on award of Premiums. AFTERNOON SESSION.—AT 2 P. M. Ornamentation of Homes. J. M. Underwood, Lake City. Landscape Gardening and Public Parks. H. W.S. Cleveland, Chicago, Ill. Evergreens and Their Uses. A. W. Sias, Rochester. Coniferous Trees of the Rocky Mountains, their yalue and adaptation to the treeless prairies of the Northwest. D.S. Grimes, Denver, Col. Our Treeless Prairies. S. M. Emery, Lake City. Notes on Forestry. M. Cutler, Sumter. Miscellaneous Business. Revision of Fruit List. Place for Next Meeting. Report Committee on Final Resolutions. Question Box; the Bird Question, etc. Announcement of Standing Committees. Final Adjournment. PREMIUM LIST. Wy™MamM ELLiotT, SUPERINTENDENT OF EXHIBITS. APPLES. Best display of Wealthy Apples, first premium, $5,90; second, $3.00; third $2.00. For plates of Winter Apples in good condition, any variety, first premium, $2.00; second pre- mium, $1.00. Five specimens to constitute a plate. GRAPES. Best plate of grapes in good keeping order, first premium, $5.00; second, $3.00; third, $2.00. PLANTS AND FLOWERS. 1st Prem. 2nd Prem Best display ornamental and flowering plants...... 2.6 .see cece eeeee cree ee cee $5 00 $3 00 eats RRA BAIN Goleta ot a/avcie’s|e/ 010) e.ain/alcivin s.s\e(a\e aie\c,0 s.0/aio\eie'e\e\s'6,4,0-010:66 aul sbiciaein/sinie@y «/vin\a\s 7 00 5 00 Best pyramidal design boquet.............-se.eeeee je sie ausiciecaleieet= oe alee o/sietg ater ee $5 00 $3 00 Best half peck early potatOes....-... 0. ccc ceca sins cae sccecscccecccecescsens ence 2 00 1 00 Best half peck potatoes for winter and gspring......-......eeeeeee ia'sial ai eee eee 2 00 1 00 BERG ALE DECK ONIONS) 5c ive oiceisieins sis Svlclelalpferteteinsle'siolsis.s\elc' sas > o's olssels =\seh maielantaaien 2 00 1 00 BERNA PECK ULI LPS oo cieiein'c eleiels's|cinto's aeinreleiarstete stetsisieis sls\e e's sir1cis cie/s\s'e ols/ejaln/s\erautaiaiem™ 2 00 1 00 Best half peck Deetsis<. 2... ecm csancns since ves S000 LOCOOD DS CCEDO CAE Sana: : cis eiemtals 1 00 50 Best half peck parsnips.......2+-...ssescescevee 2 Ade AOU ARAIDOCOnS cans» see'aleteeee 1 00 50 BERL HAE DECK CALLOUS: « -1(>\« «ele laik>/siel aiell iotmiotelelsietstaya(atsie/ailain'= els e1n(olnre aire's ern reine 1 00 50 Beat Hap Dard, Sq USN sn:cioxsisre sie cle eine Gorcleip neisien aaiencterelars clale,s ={o,o:ere\einie sai cheln<'eieto mae 1 00 50 BORE PITIGH COLOLY: ejn-s\+,aisiain-o;'0 0 «1s aiule ayoleres ncaa tolatoyafanePelata tel oc tyaleisieln 0([s.e\d\ciece v0» sve eee 1 00 50 BEBE WINKEL CRDDALEC. 0c sec cncsys ccs seem weelslenes forsale lstehi esses aloldPals.coa coe dete ses 1 00 50 SEEDS. Best display Minnesota grown garden seeds, first premium $5.00; second, $3.00. PANTRY STORES. Best display canned fruits, $3.00; second best, $2.00. Best display jellies, $2.00; second best, $1.00. Best jur mixed pickles, $1.00; second best, 50 cents. Best sample home-made vinegar, $1.00; second best, 50 cents. Best sample comb-honey, $1.00; second best, 50 cents. Best sample strained honey, $1.00; second best, 50 cents. WORKS OF ART. Collection of paintings, fruits and flowers, first premium, $5.00; second, $3.00. Best single fruit painting, $3.00; second, $2.00. Exhibitors are expected to make their entries the first day. All exhibits must be in place by 10 o’clock a.m the second day. Competition shall be open to all, but it is expected that the annual membership fee will be con- tributed unless exhibitors are members of the Society. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 89 meen UAL WINTER MEETING OF THE MINNESOTA Pee HORTICULTURAL. SOCIETY, Hetp at Harrison’s Hatt, MINNEAPOLIs, few ARY 19; 20,.21 and, 22,. 1886. The nineteenth annual winter meeting of the State Horticultural Society, held at Harrison’s Hall, Minneapolis, was opened Tuesday, January 19, 1886. The meeting was called to order at 10:30 o’clock A. M., by the President, Truman M. Smith, of St. Paul. Prayer was offered by G. W. Fuller, of Litchfield. Secretary Hillman being called to Winona, as a witness in an im-_ portant railroad case, his brother, Wm. O. Hillman, of St. Paul, served in his place during the first three days of the session. Mr. Cyrus L. Smith, of Minneapolis, served as Assistant Secretary during the entire session. President Smith. The first order of exercises is the arrangement of exhibits and the reception of members. Col. Stevens. A committee for the reception of members has been selected for the purpose of providing entertainment of members and delegates. Perhaps it would be well to have it understood at the out- set who the members of the committee are, so that visitors can go to them, and find where they will stay while in the city. 90 ANNUAL REPORT. Mr. Pearee. We have a place for all that come, and at the proper time they may come to Mr. Elliot, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Grimes, Mr. Lyons and myself. As soon as we adjourn this forenoon, if visitors will come to the committee, we will designate a place for each of them. President Smith. There is a committee to appoint on awarding premiums, on finance and others; [ would announce as a Committee on Awarding Premiums, Messrs. M. J. Hoag, of Rochester, W. E. Brimhall, of St. Paul, and F. G. Gould, of Excelsior. , The Committee on Finances is already appointed, as by the con- stitution of the Society, the Executive Committee, with the exception of the President, Secretary and Treasurer, compose the finance com- mittee. As acommittee on Final Resolutions, I will appoint Messrs. J. 8. Harris, of La Crescent, Col. J. H. Stevens, of Minneapolis, and G. W. Fuller, of Litchfield. The committee on Obituaries should now be appointed; has any- one any suggestions to make with reference to that committee ? Mr. Harris. I would suggest that Col. Stevens, and the Secretary, Mr. Hillman, and Mr. Sias be on that committee. The Chair accordingly appointed Col. J. H. Stevens, A. W. Sias and 8. D. Hillman as a Committee on Obituary. Mr. Harris. Mr. President, I think it would facilitate business somewhat, to appoint committees on the different branches of fruit, to recommend varieties for cultivation and for trial; for instance, a committee on grapes, and a committee of three on Russian apples. Of course, these matters will be discussed by the Society, but we will hardly have time to revise our whole list in these discussions; and, for that reason, I propose the appointment of committees. There are questions that should come before committees, and not before the Society; for instance, taking the Russian varieties, they are but little known by the mass of the people, and there are members here who are familiar with them. I would move that a committee of three be appointed to select a list of Russian apples, of eight or less varieties for general cultivation, and also eight varieties, or less for trial, and let the report of that committee be the action of the Society. President Smith. I should be opposed to recommending eight va- rieties of thoseappies. I think, as we have our Experimental Stations and University Farm, we had better let them have a longer trial, and be thoroughly tested before committing ourselves by recommending — Ba ii ii i i ee STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 91 particular varieties, so that the purchasers may not blame this Society. Where this Society has put forward varieties one year, which it has condemned the year following it has injured us. Hight varieties are more, perhaps, than we could conscientiously recommend. The motion of Mr. Harris was adopted. Mr. Pearce. I would move that this committee be appointed by the Society, and that as chairman of that committee, Mr. Tuttle, of Baraboo, Wis., be appointed. Mr. Tuttle. I should object to serving on that committee. I am propagating Russian apples to some extent; I can tell what I know abont them and I prefer to do it, rather ‘than act as a member of the committee. President Smith. What is the pleasure of the Society as to excus- ing Mr. Tuttle ? Mr. Smith. The object of that committee is to make a report as coming from this Society, and I agree with Mr. Tuttle entirely; he is a propagator of Russian apples, and is offering them for sale, and although I have no doubt of his honesty, I think that committee should be composed of men not engaged in the selling and propaga- tion of those trees, if you want to get a report that will have any force whatever. Here is Mr. Grimes, Mr. Cutler, Mr. Whipple, Mr. Hoag of Rochester, and others that are not engaged in selling trees; they can consult with these men that are propagating them, and recommend on ,the strength of that. Here is Mr. Peterson who is not - engaged in selling those trees, and who has had a good deal of experi- ence with them. Mr. Tuttle. [ would be willing to state to the committee the ex- perience I have had with Russian fruits. I think that it would be far better that a report should come from disinterested persons not promi- nently known as propagators of those Russian apples. Mr. Pearce. I think that every member of this Society has entire confidence in the integrity of Mr. Tuttle; I am very certain that he is better posted on Russian fruits than anybody else. I withdraw my motion and nominate, as chairman of that committes, Mr. A. W. Sias, of Rochester. Mr. Sias. I object to serving on the same ground that Mr. Tuttle has given. I ama propagator, on asmall scale, of Russian apples, and that I think, is reason enough for declining to serve on that com- mittee. Mr. Harris. Mr. President, I have entire confidence in the honesty 92 ANNUAL REPORT. of Mr. Tuttle and of Mr. Sias, but I would like to see men placed on these committees who are known to be disinterested, so that it will not look as if our Society was run in the interests of the nurserymen. For that reason I would object to Mr. Sias; but I would be very much in favor of Mr. Hoag. He lives close by Mr. Sias, has seen his trees and knows how they behave. Mr. Peterson would be a good man, or almost any other man that knows how the Russians behave. We want a competent committee, for in making a report, the committee will have to state that they recommend such and such varieties. Mr. Sias. Mr. President, my neighbor, Mr. Hoag, although not a nurseryman, was brought up in a nursery, and is one of the best posted men in the State in horticulture. Mr. Pearce. My object in nominating those men was to get a report from the men who were most likely to be the best informed. I like my information fresh from its source. I contend now if you do not put them on the committee, you have got to go to these men and take the results of their experience and your committee will have to get their report from them after all. But if objection is made to it, I will withdraw my motion and nominate Mr. Hoag. The motion was adopted. The Chair then announced that he would appoint M. J. Hoag, M. Cutler and A. Peterson, as a committee on Russian apples. Mr. Pearce. Mr. President, I move that a committee on grapes be appointed who shall recommend a certain number of varieties for cultivation, and a certain number of varieties for trial. The motion was adopted. President Smith. In appointing this committee I will say that I feel the responsibility of it, and will appoint men that I think have had some experience. I will appoint J. S. Harris, J. T. Grimes and W. E. Brimhall. Col. Stevens. Mr. President, I would like to see the western part of Minnesota represented, and I move that Mr. Regester, of Granite Falls, be added to the committee. Mr. Regester. Mr. President, I would object to serving; I am ex- pecting the president of our home Society here to-day. His name is Q. E. Saunders. IT would decline in his favor. Col. Stevens accepted the amendment, and the motion making Mr. Saunders a fourth member of the committee on grapes was adopted. Col. Stevens. As this makes an even number on that committee, I would suggest that another member be added, a man that knows all 7 3 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 93 about grape culture, and that isour president. I think that he ought to be added to that committee. There is no question but what he has had as much experience as any or all of us put together. I move that our president be added to that committee. The motion was adopted. On motion, the meeting then adjourned until 2 o'clock P. M. AFTERNOON SESSION. TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 1886. The meeting was called to order by the President at 2 o’clock P. Mm. ADDRESS OF WELCOME. Prof. Edward D. Porter, of the State University Farm was intro- duced and delivered the following Address of Welcome: Mr. President, and Gentlemen of the Horticultural Society : I feel myself, sir, very highly honored in being called upon to extend to you the congratulations of the horticulturists of Hennepin County and the citizens of Minneapolis upon this your nineteenth annual meet- ing. We greet you, sir, not as strangers in our midst, for your annual gatherings for years past have been looked forward to by our citizens with pleasure and with profit. We greet you also, gentlemen, not only for the many pleasant social relations which have been formed by these gatherings, but for the honor of the work in which you are engaged. By your efforts you have removed the stigma which rested in the early years of our State history upon us, because our soil, they said, was unfruitful and our climate uncongenial, incapable of producing anything but snow and ice, and pine trees and prairies. But your efforts have shown, that, in addition to these, and fair women and noble men, and an abundance of No. 1 hard wheat, we can compete with the world in the production of flowers and fruits and vegetables, these three graces of agriculture which add beauty and comfort to the strength of the other products of the soil. But, gentlemen, these re- sults have not been accomplished without untiring labor and ceaseless energy. The difficulties, disecouragements and failures in horticulture in this State in the past thirty years have been enough to dishearten men of average courage, but, as ‘‘a smooth sea never made a skillful 2 a ANNUAL REPORT. mariner,’ these failures have only stimulated you to greater effort and these difficulties met and mastered, have not only accomplished grand results in our State, but have placed you, gentlemen, in the front rank among the horticulturists of this or any other land. We honor them for the work that they have accomplished, and hoping, that your stay in our midst may be as pleasant to you as we know it will be agreeable to us, and believing that your labors and delibera- tions will be of lasting benefit to our State, we bid you, sir, a most cordial welcome. RESPONSE TO THE ADDRESS OF WELCOME. Mr. Geo. W. Fuller, of Litchfield, responded on behalf of the So- ciety. He said: Mr. President : We have too often enjoyed the hospitalities of this city not to know that these are not the words of a mere formal address, but are the ex- pressions of the real feelings of the citizens of Minneapolis. You are building here a great city. And you are wise in planning to make it great, not only in the. census of its inhabitants; in the number and magnitude of its buildings and in its manufacturing and business establishments; but great also in the esthetic, mental, moral and religious power of its citizens. Hence, your schools, your churches, your societies for encouraging music and the fine arts, your beautiful homes, surrounded by lawns and flowers; your shade trees and grand system of public parks. God has put into every soul an element vf love for the beautiful. And all these things have an educating as well as restraining power. Keep a flowering plant in every house, a pure painting on every wall, a grass plot and shrubs about every home, and your streets shady and clean, and the people, even the lowest, will measurably approxi- mate in character to their surroundings. And He has given us flowers and plants and fruits innumerable to- meet and satisfy the demands of our nature. And He has made even the fruits and vegetables to contribute to the beautiful before they do to our grosser needs, the blossoms and the changing tints coming before the perfected fruit. And itis our work to do what we may, to extend the cultivation and influence of these God-given fruits and flowers. We are confident that an increased interest in these things is ex-- STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 95. tending through our State, not only in the cities and villages but in the country as well, and that soon beautiful as well as comfortable homes will be the rule in country and town. And we are glad tbat in this city so strong an interest is manifest in this direction. I believe, Prof. Porter, you are building what is to be one of the most beautiful cities on earth. We thank you for inviting us now to enjoy its hospitalities. Col. J. H. Stevens, of Minneapolis, next read a paper entitled ‘‘Practi- cal Suggestions for Horticulturists,’’ which was received with applause, and on motion, a copy was requested for publication in the annual report. Following is the paper referred to : Lj PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS FOR HORTICULTURISTS. By J. H. Stevens, MINNEAPOLIS. Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Minnesota Horticultural Society: In responding to the demand made upon me to prepare a paper on the subject of Practical Horticulture in Minnesota, permit me to say that my time has been so constantly occupied with editorial and other labor, that I have not been able to pre- pare an address which the importance of the subject demands. I am not prepared to admit that we will not in the early future have enough fruit for our own use, and a surplus to export. While it is true we cannot make as favorable a showing as‘we wish we could, we must not blame our climate and soil for all of our failures, because frequently our trees die of neglect or are eaten up by insects. We should not be surprised at this, for we are assured that in some of the best apple growing communities on this continent, that at least one-half of the newly transplanted trees are starved to death, one-fourth more are destroyed by borers, cattle, bad trimming and other enemies. So that the full proportion of those set, which never bear an apple is fully three fourths. While our citizens are intensely practical as a class, we are sadly deficient in correct experiments, equality of circumstances which might influence the result and perfect accuracy in every particular are absolutely necessary in order to derive . benefit from these experiments, and even after having done all in the most accurate manner, it would not seem to be safe to form positive conclusions from the results of one, two or three trials, for there may be circumstances unknown to us, or be- yond our control, which might give a result from which we should, if we depended on it, form wrong conclusions; or spreading abroad, we might probably mislead others. It is safe to believe that many an inquirer after horticultural truth may be discouraged by the apparent conflicting of the results of experiments, and it may be, is led to think that it makes no great difference after all, which way a given thing is done. Any way our experiments already made in Minnesota, in growing fru.ts has developed three facts, viz: First. That there are a few—a very few varieties—standard apples that are iron 96 ANNUAL REPORT. : clad up to this time, the origin of which is generally believed to be of a Siber- ian parentage; that we have great expectations from seedlings such as Peter M. Gideon, and others have propagated, and are in great hopes that the Russian varie- ties so extensively introduced may prove hardy. The iron clads already mentioned, with the numerous Russians, together with the hybrids—say the Whitney, the Beeches Sweet, and near fifty other semi-crab sorts, will, it is believed by our most practical fruit growers in an early year—furnish us an abundant supply of apples. The native wild, and the descendents from them, gives us a good supply of plums, just about as good as auy of the tame varieties that are raised in the east. Second. There is not a state in the Union that excels us in the production of small fruits; currants, gooseberries, strawberries and raspberries are all at home in our soil. It is to be greatly regretted that the blackberry could not be added to the list, in order that it should be complete, but it is almost proven to a certainty by many of our best fruiggrowers, that such varieties as the Ancient Briton, Stone’s Hardy and the Snyder, may yet with proper care be grown with success. = Third. Grapes of many varieties are certain, and an exceedingly profitable crop. We bid fair to rival the vine clad regions of the old country in their product. They are within the reach of all, no farmer or gardener nor householder can afford the abscence of the luxury from their premises. With these considerations it is difficult to arrive at any other conclusion than the practability of growing fruit in this State. If it could be proved. that no man had ever made money for his labor through fruit growing in Minnesota, as an occupa- tion, and that all following it had been always obliged to restrict themselves to the greatest economy, in order to gain a livelihood, that it never in any instance paid a fair profit on the capital invested, then indeed, we might be somewhat disheartened, and might consider our case rather a hopeless one. Buta very different state-of things can be proven. It is well known that our fruit growers in the vicinity of St Paul and Minneapolis, have made money, especially this is so with our small fruit and grape growers. I speak of those, because Iam acquainted with them, if those engaged in this industry in the neighborhoods mentioned here made it pay— others throughout the State can, in like manner make it pay. It is a true saying that ‘‘whatever man has done, man may do.”’ I do not deny but what to produce fruit of the larger varieties requires patience and practice and work in this climate. The powers of earth, air, frost and water have joined those of the far distant sun, and during the hitherto rather short life of most of our apple trees, there has been an example of a complication of the most wonderful laws of nature. It seems to have been ordained that every step in the knowledge of apple growing must be won by trial and exertion, and thus it has been during the past year; we are only able to slowly unfold the wonders that occurred by the severe test of the winter of 1885; wonders we might add that are occurring on every side during the every day experience of horticultural life. The field, too, widens as we advance, until we find that every step has its consequence; every breath of air its appointed mission; every drop of due its office to perform ; we discover that we are in the midst of causes and results, of which our knowl- edge is limited; that the threads we have seized only guide us to new and more difficult labyrinths of investigation. What we know dwindles away, when we compare it with the sum of that which we desire to know. We realize we have STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 97 to contend with climatic influences, but ‘‘let us work on and win.’’ We are morally certain of being victorious in the end. None need be discouraged so long as we are favored with so manf encouraging results which have been handed down from the recent past. These show noi only what fruit growing may be, but what itis. It will doubtless be said that this is rather a slow way of reporting progress. Be it so, itis a sure way. The injury to apple trees by the strange fatality of last ‘winter’s phenomenon, was not confined to Minnesota. It reached south to Mis- souri and east beyond the big lakes. When we consider the injury inflicted on the trees in these celebrated apple producing states, remote from our boundaries, we have abundant reason to be thankful that we had even five or six varieties of the standard apple, that survived the frosty element, even to the terminal bud of the branches of the trees. This is encouraging. It shows that we have the pyrus malus that are ironclad. They should bein the hands of all of our farmers. If we have one, two, three, four, five and six varieties, now, we may reasonably expect the introduction of more of the same sort every year. This is a law of nature. Let no one forget it. Our worthy old pomologist, Peter M. Gideon, has some forty varieties of new seedlings which he has propagated on the shores of Lake Minne- tonka, which are quite equal to the Wealthy. Some are hardier than that famous apple. Some too, are of more merit, and are longer keepers. All of these will soon be scattered all over the four corners of the State. Several other gentlemen in this State have, too, new seedlings that defied last winter’s frosts. No one denies but we have many things to learn yet in regard to pomology. Probably if it were made a rule in moving trees to reduce the last year’s growth to one bud, half the failure in transplanting would not occur, provided the proper care had been be- stowed on the new set out trees, because the head and roots would be brought at ence to something likea balance of power. Shortening-in and mulching trees ought to be followed as established practical rules in this climate in transplanting, every decidious tree requiring mcre care than a willow. We all know that the best growth and the finest fruit, are always to be expected when the tree is furn- ished with the materials of nutriment in just the right proportion. If greatly deficient in any essential ingredient, the tree languishes from starvation. If any highly nutritive substance is in a large overdose the tree may be surfeited or poisoned. _ We must bear in mind that in large portions of Minnesota the soil is very fertile and rich. During the months of June, July, August and September, we have the average temperature of southern Ohio. The overfeeding of one year’s growth is worse than lost. Several years will be required to establish a healthy action again, especially if the tree stands in a rich soil so as to dissolve a great amount of food. There is certainly a great contrast in the temperature in our State between summer and winter; certain laws of p»mology must be observed. ‘These laws have hereto- fore and will be hereafter pretty thoroughly analyzed by the Minnesota State Horti- cultural Society. They will be made so plain that all can understand and master them. : It is well demonstrated that the few varieties of apples we do produce are far superior in quality te those same varieties in other States. This is another curious law of nature, with the law on our side. It is an ill wind that does not blow some one good. Again, apples, the product of Minnesota, are finished off in the most 98 ’ ANNUAL REPORT. artistic manner. Dame Nature’s master hand paints and polishes them in the most satisfactory and beautiful manner,our most celebrated artists cannot do them justice with their talented pencils. Usually the plates of the tree peddlers are far ahead of the appearance of the original fruit, but the autumnal tint bestowed on the bright, glossy, delicate hue of the Minnesota fruit defies the handiwork of the most far- famed painter’s brush, hence, when on exhibition competing for premiums, we always come out ahead. Witness our success over all competitors at the American Pomological Society in the autumn of 1883, at Philadelphia, and again at the world’s exposition in New Orleans, last winter. Many failures occur in Minnesota for a want of seasonable attention. These failures should not be charged to the impracticability of growing fruit, neither should our northwest nurserymen be blamed for so many failures. If properly sifted a good deal of the trouble comes pretty near our own doors. Now, when all the causes are properly analyzed it may be, we are not justified in attributing to the climate and soil so large a share of our disasters. It is better to divide the responsibilitiy so that the frosts of winter and the heat of summer, the manner in which we cultivate our trees, our soil and climate, can all come in with.a co-equal assumption of, our misfortune. There is no doubt of one great cause of the failure of fruit in Minnesota. It is patent to everyone except the victims. It is the ac- cursed foreign tree peddler, they will humbug most every farmer to give copious orders for trees that are pefectly worthless, at the same time many of these victims would utterly refuse to consider an order from our own nurserymen where they could get honest stock true to name. It stands our nurserymen in hand to be honest, if otherwise they would kill the goose that lays the goldenegg. Itis by no means any proof that this is not a fruit producing State, because of the failures from the trees purchased of these dishonest outsiders. The site of orchards have a good deal to do with the practicability of growing fruit in Minnesota. Selections can be made on a quarter section of land, that would be called favorable locations. At the same time the site of an orchard could be selected on the same quarter section that would prove to be unfavorable. Finally, Mr. President, if we come down to pretty near the facts in the case, we shall find that in proportion to the numbers engaged, that there will not be a great difference in the failure of those engaged in horticultural pursuits, and those that are engaged in a strictly legitimate agricultural industry. ‘The books will be pretty nearly balanced. DISCUSSION. Prof. Porter. I wish to bear my testimony to one statement that Col. Stevens has made, that the cause of failure in fruit growing in Minnesota, as well as in other portions of the old states, is largely due to the neglect and carelessness of the grower, and not to the climate nor to the stock that is grown. I will venture to say that throughout Minnesota, the proportion will be larger than Col. Stevens has mentioned of trees that have received no attention what- ever. They have been received from the nursery, set out in unprepared STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 99 soil, ‘“‘wished’’ well, and that is the end of it. All the varied cond - tions of climate and the required treatment are forgotton. These methods fail to give the very best results, and fruit-growing is con- demned. It is very rarely the case that in traveling over our State and examining apple orchards or small fruit, that I have found an orchard or garden that is half tended, that is not overgrown to weeds and grass, the common pasture field for all kinds of stock, no protec- tion, either in winter or summer, and no pruning. One thing that has struck me very forcibly, especially in this whole Northwest, is this neglect of pruning trees. There seems to be a sentiment among our farmers that you must not touch a tree after it is once put in the ground. I think we should share a portion of the responsibility with Dame Nature. Mr. Pearce. Another thing occurs to me. I think a great draw- back to our fruit-growers is that they labor under a wrong idea as to the best locality to plant their trees. Since 1854 farmers, universally, have been looking for an old piece of land, well protected by timber as an orchard site, the warmest place they had on their farms. To-day, if you travel over the country, you will find orchards on just such localities. The reverse of that I be- lieve to be the correct plan of growing orchards. If you have a piece of land, high, smooth, unprotected, there is where you should put your trees. Where the Wealthy, is on the highest pinacles of Minnesota, it is in the best condition. Mr. Smith. Mr. President, [ set out an orchard fifteen years ago, and tried to get the trees in the most sheltered situation we could find. Those trees that were in the most exposed localities were the ones that stood the winter’s blast, and the trying ordeal of last win- ter. I made a few notes in regard to what the Colonel said. He says “Fruit growers have been making money.’ I want to speak of one case that was reported to our local society of a man near here that set out an acre of strawberries. It was the first experience that the man had ever had. He planted just about an acre of strawberries, first in the season of 1884. In 1885 he sold from that one acre $400 worth of berries, at a net profit of $300. Again the Colonel said he thought one man could do what another had done under the like circumstances. Now, there is Mr. Nobles; he has been successful in grape growing in McLeod County. I wasathis place just as his Concords were ripening, and his vines were loaded with great, beautiful clusters of fruit. It is 100 ANNUAL REPORT. worth remembering that he is a successful fruit grower out in Me- Leod County. As to raspberries and blackberries, I am thoroughly convinced that covering with good clean soil is the only certain protection for them, and I know that that can be successfully and profitably done; that we can afford to cover the same as grape vines, and make a certainty of every crop. I am glad to say that that has been practised. Another thing: In setting out apple trees there should be very deep stirring of the soil before the trees are set. If it is where you can plow, run three or four furrows, and back-furrow on that, until you get two or three feet of loose soil; then set the tree. If you set the tree without plowing, dig a hole three or four feet across, stirring the ground thor- oughly, then mulch. We have to fight drought in this country, and it is in this way that our trees can be made to stand our winter’s cold and the summer’s drought. I would ask Mr. Chandler to state how he covers his blackberries ? Mr. Chandler. I turn them over, and cover them with fine, loose dirt, not more than three or four inches in depth. Prof. Porter. I will give the method I have been practicing for the last thirty years for covering blackberries, which I find very effectual, and it is applicable to grapes, raspberries and blackberries. In the first place, I want the ground clean. I get that by careful tillage in the proper season of the year; but I don’t want any cultivation in my orchard, except the merest surface cultivation. I want it done early in the season, and then check the late growth by pinching back. I have just enough surface cultivation after that to stimulate the late fall’s growth, and the first frost kills the leaf. Then I endeavor to bind my vines all in one direction. The direction, of course your rows will determine. JI make a small mound of earth against the vine, making a shoulder, as it were, over which the vines are bent, so as to prevent the breaking of the canes, and then I cover with the soil. It is not a very great depth of covering that is desired; two or three inches is as good as two or three feet. It is simply to protect the canes, not from the frost altogether, but from the sun and wind. I have been engaged in fruit growing about thirty-five years, and have found that it paid in Pennsylvania and Delaware to cover my vines, as it pays in Minnesota. While it was not necessary to cover, with many varieties, to prevent winter-killing, the increased productiveness, the certainty of a finer crop more than compensated for the labor per- formed. Of course, there are some varieties that cannot be grown, STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. — 101 even in the mildest climates, without this protection; but all varieties of grape vines, amply repay for this protection. Mr. Harris. I would like to inquire if raspberries are treated in the same way as blackberries? Prof. Porter. In the same way; I loosen the soil around the root so that it will bend without breaking. I will say that in preparing the plant for going into winter quarters by checking the growth, I do that by simply pinching; I don’t want any knife, but by the thumb and finger pinch back the vine, throwing all the strength into the cane. In growing blackberries, I allow my canes to grow until about three feet in height. If Jet alone, a blackberry bush will make a rank growth, and has been known to grow seventeen feet of cane in one season. Of course, in that case you would have to cut. about twelve feet off. By this process of pinching back you throw the strength of the vines into the fruiting buds, with this protection you can grow them without difficulty. A Member. How do you cultivate your raspberries in the summer? Prof. Porter. Well, sir, in the first place I want them planted in rows, for the purpose of economy of cultivation. I[ prefer growing in rows so that they can be cultivated, leaving plenty of room between the rows for thorough cultivation. I commence by plowing from the rows. I approach the hills until the plow strikes the rootlets of the plants, and am not afraid of injuring them. [I find it stimulates the growth of the fruit more than enough to compensate for any damage done. After throwing the furrows from the vine, leaving a center un- broken, I then put the cultivators in and keep the ground thoroughly tilled and cultivated for a week or ten days, working it back towards the vines. After that there is nothing but the merest surface cultiva- tion. I was led to this method of cultivation about twenty-four years ago. It was just after the commencement of the war, in 1862. Iwas in the grounds of a large grower of small fruits in southern New Jer- sey. He had a lot of raspberries and blackberries. He was a Northern man and a Quaker, and had an immense stock there, which he couldn’t sell, and of course it was a great loss. He had a great success in the cultivation of the blackberry. In July, when I went through with him, in many places the fire weeds, jimson weeds, and grass was all over his patch of seventy-five acres, and you would have to hunt to find his blackberries. I laughed at him and asked him if he called that a model garden. The old gentleman stands about six feet, six, is well proportioned, very moderate and very slow in his speech, but direct 102 ANNUAL REPORT. and simple. ‘‘Well now,”’ he says, ‘‘friend Porter, I know that at first glance, it looks as if it was very slovenly; but after thee has been as long at gardening as I have, thee will not allow a hoe or cultivator among thy vines after the blossoms have set.’’ And then he went on to explain. ‘‘Now,” said he, ‘‘I used to till late in the summer, but I _ found in the first place, that I was stimulating an undue growth in my vines, and in the second place, I was running the chance of losing the crop by winter-freezing and thawing. I stopped that, and I have had no trouble with winter-killing.”” I took the hint and have adopt- ed his methods, with some modifications. J don’t want to conceal my vines; I like to see them. I like to cut the weeds out, and [ can ac- complish that with the merest surface culture, just cutting the weeds, and at the same time not stirring the soil enough to stimulate the late fall’s growth. Mr. Harris. When I came here this afternoon I had no idea of hav- ing anything to say to-day, but I am very much pleased with this discussion in reference to blackberries. I think it is important to prevent the breaking of the canes in laying them down, to dig away © from the roots with a fork, from the side you bend them, and then bend the bush where it joins to the root, putting the fork down about six inches and bending the root. Then there is no danger of breaking. Prof. Porter. That is necessary with very strong, heavy caves. Of — course, you have to use a little common sense. Mr. Harris. It has been said here that the most exposed situations are the best for orchards. Mr. President, I hope that no one will understand this Horticultural Society as advocating the seeking of the most barren peaks and exposed situations of Minnesota, for the plant- ing of apple trees. I believe in high locations for apple trees, but not the most exposed. The best locations are high, but protected from the south and west winds. I believe we can raise apples on the prai- ries here, but we will not succeed until there are groves and wind- breaks all over between here and Dakota. And then, I want to criticise those holes ‘‘three feet deep’’ for set- ~ ting out apple trees. I don’t dig any deeper than the ground has been pulverized with the plow. I like the idea of plowing; and if you dig a hole three or four feet square and half as deep, put in the loose dirt and set your trees, I will guarantee they will grow. Mr. Pearce. In regard to covering small fruit, there is nothing that can be covered more easily than blackberries. If I was going to grow berries for profit, in preference to any I would take the blackberries. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 103 The Philadelphia and the Turner raspberry don’t need any covering to keep them. I don’t think there is a place in Minnesota but what they will do well. The Cuthbert raspberry is one of the most valuable we have; it brings the highest price in the market, has a firm berry and you can ship it a thousand miles But probably every third winter they would kill. They are of so much real value that it is worth a man’s attention to coverthem. My method of covering is very simple. It takes three men to cover to advantage. My canes are in rows, about twenty inches apart. I first provide myself with a pair of buckskin gloves to take hold of the canes. One man goes ahead with a fork and loosens the ground about the roots. Then I take hold of the cane and pull it down from the roots; I don’t bend the stalk, I bend the root. One man puts about two shovels of dirt where the ends of the canes come together. I can cover an acre or more in aday. In my experience I find there is no occasion of cover- ing the plants entirely; all you want is to keep them flat on the ground. I have tried it repeatedly. With blackberries I use a fork to loosen the earth around the roots. I take hold of the cane and bend it from the root; bend it right over, and when I get it laid flat a man stands by and puts a shovel of dirt on, which holds it. Three men will cover an acre of blackberries in that way inaday. I think the fork is the best thing that can be used. My experience is that if I get the plants to the ground and keep them flat there, they need no more covering. I[ covered all my Cuthberts this year in that way, and my blackberries. A Member. Do yon cover in hills or rows? Mr. Pearce. The hills are in rows about three feet apart. A Member. How many canes in a hill? Mr. Pearce. Two or three. Thenin the spring I take a fork, throw the dirt off, and raise them up. A Member. I wish to ask if they have fruited well when not covered ? Mr. Pearce. I had some last year which I did not cover; they came out alive but with no fruitage. Col. Stevens. We have a gentleman here who has been engaged in cultivating blackberries for thirty years. The variety that he has raised has been confined exclusively, or nearly so, to the Lawton. I have reference to Mr. John A. Ford, of Newport. [ have known him for forty years. He came to Minnesota in 1841. He is present to-day. I would like to have him state to the meeting the manner that he cultivates the Lawton berry. I understand that he has never made 104 ANNUAL REPORT. a failure during the whole time that he has had them, for twenty odd years. Mr. Ford. I first commenced setting out the wild ones. I began the practice of covering them up, andI found they fruited much better. In the first place I got a thousand plants of a common variety which I tried for several years; they grew up immense canes, and when covered they would come out all right, but I found that they did not pay very well. I got a few Lawton’s by accident, which a man had thrown away. I have been cultivating them, about twenty years. They have to be covered, but are very prolific, more so than anything T have ever seen. I have about an acre and a half. I also have the Snyder. They are a very good berry, they need cultivating; are not so large as the Lawton; they grow most too strong. The Lawton grows up four or five feet high, is more slender, and is easily laid down; I like it for that reason, and because it is the greatest bearer I have ever seen any- where. Col. Stevens. As long as I have lived in Minnesota, I never knew before that the Lawton blackberry could be ripened and grown to per- fection in this State. Although I have seen Mr. Ford frequently, I never knew until to-day that he had met with such extraordinary suc- cess in their cultivation. I certainly feel as if we were gaining a great deal by his experience, and I would like to have him state how and with what he covers them, and what do you use for mulching? Mr. Ford. I used to use straw; for the last two years I have used sorghum bagasse. In laying down I have a pair of buckskin mittens, and J take hold of the stalk, bend them down and throw dirt over them. I find the Lawton is the easiest to laydown. Ijust cover them lightly. If they are covered half an inch deep they are all right. If there is one sticks out an inch, it is killed to the ground. Mr. Tuttle. Blackberries are very extensively grown in the neigh- borhood of Ripon, Wis. There are about sixty acres in cultivation there. Mr. Hamilton is the principal grower, and has been growing them, he tells me, for twelve years, and has never had a failure. His manner of covering is the same as that spoken of by Mr. Pearce. With a fork he digs the dirt from one side of the plant, puts his foot at the base, and pushes the roots over. The root will bend very easily, especially if laid down the first year; if you don’t bend it over the first year you will have a good deal more work to bend and cover the second or third year. A portion of mine have never been laid down until this year. Mr. Hamilton tells me that two men will put down AL 2, ' Loe a 4 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 105 an acre in aday. Blackberries are grown without much difficulty in Wisconsin; I never thought it was really necessary to cover them. I have been growing them some years, and one or two winters I have lost the crop by the vines winter-killing. I lost a crop last winter. The winter before they came through all right, without any protection whatever. There is no more work attending the covering of an acre of blackberries than there is an acre of strawberries, and a crop of blackberries is much more prcfitable. A Member. How much fruit do you get on an acre? : ‘ Mr. Tuttle. I have grown ten thousand quarts on an acre. I have one acre of blackberries that Iam very careful of. Iam going to report what they produce in the future, and I believe that I shall report ten thousand quarts. A Member. What is the kind? Mr. Tuttle. The Ancient Briton. It isa larger berry than Stone’s Hardy, more nearly the size of the Lawton, and is a great deal better in quality. Last year Mr. Hamilton’s were a failure. He told me he had Stone’s Hardy principally which he got on account of its extreme hardiness. In my experience it is not as hardy as the Ancient Briton, and he told me this fall at my place that he never would send out under his name any more fruit of the Stone's Hardy; that he had a reputation for what was called the ‘‘Ripon berries,’’ and he didn’t ° care to send out anything but the Ancient Briton; he said he had " ordered the men to dig up all the Stone’s Hardy and put them on the brush-pile. Col. Stevens. I would like to ask Mr. Tuttle what he gets a quart. Mr. Tuttle. The lowest Mr. Hamilton ever gets is ten cents; some- times he gets eighteen cents a quart. Col. Stevens. If you get ten cents a quart, and grow 10,000 quarts to an acre, that amounts to $1,000 per acre. Mr. Tuttle. That is what I am trying to do; I believe it can be done. Mr. Barrett. You gentlemen talk as though blackberries were a success. They are a perfect failure with us, in every attempt that we | have made in our locality. I procured some vines from Wisconsin, of the Ancient Briton, took proper care to cover them in the fall; the next spring they were very feeble, and during the succeeding summer they died. If any gentleman of experience can tell us how we can raise blackberries, he will tell us something of importance. Mr. Fuller. I have never succeeded in growing blackberries on the 106 ANNUAL REPORT. prairies beyond the big woods, but perhaps one reason is we have never tried the variety spoken of here. I intended to get a few vines of the Ancient Briton last year, but have not done so; I propose to try it another year. The Turner raspberry is the only kind that I. grow; that does very well, and I get good crops. Mr. Smith. I would like to ask Mr. Fuller if black raspberries don’t grow there? Mr. Fuller. No, sir, I think not without protection. The vines will winter-kill. We get a very good crop of black raspberries by cutting them off to the ground in the spring, and get very nice berries from the new growth. We have not practiced covering. Mr. Cutler. I have had a little experience in trying to raise black-. berries. Two years ago from the Ancient Briton I picked a little over 200 quarts, but since then have had but few berries. I have the Snyders; they are very prolific, and the Stone’s Hardy; last winter they killed to the snow line. There were a few left below the snow line that blossomed, but produced no berries. I have come to the con- clusion that the only way we can grow raspberries successfully, except the Turner, is by covering. Last fall I covered my Stone’s Hardy, according to Mr. Pearce’s method. I think we can raise blackberries, provided we cover and preserve them during the winter in that way. Mr. Saunders. I would like to inquire if anyone has had trouble with the blight? In our vicinity, Chippewa and Yellow Medicine Counties, we are troubled considerably with that. The fruit blossoms well and sets, but when it has attained the size of a small pea, it blights, so that I have lost my crop for one or two years. I have the Doolittle, and some other varieties that I have cultivated with success, have this year dcze poorly. Mr. Pearce. One word further on the raspberry in regard to this matter of winter-killing. The Gregg raspberry will kill, I believe, every winter in Minnesota; at the same time, it is the largest and best we have. I am growing them; a year ago I was very successful. I bank them up in the fall, from a foot to fifteen inches, in the spring ~Iecut them back to sound wood, I then take the dirt and spread that : around the vines. We grew last year in that way more and larger fruit than we had from leaving the whole top of the vines. I cut them right back to sound wood. Experts came and examined them, and all agreed that it was the best method of treating them. In regard to this blight spoken of, that is the result of the vines having too little vitality. If your vines are heavy and vigorous, I STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. ~ 107 don’t think that will trouble them. [ have observed, that when the vines are cut back in the way [ have spoken of, they do not blight, and this method of covering I think will be a grand success. Mr. Harris. Mr. President, I have been troubled with the blight and once [ found it was occasioned by chintz bugs working on the berry. I don’t cover raspberries, that is the blackeaps. I have found that the Doolittle and the Seneca will form their berries and promise a good crop, and then, with the hot weather in June, about in straw- berry time, the berries wil] all dry up. The chintz bugs may cause the blight, and do with us some times, but it is oftener caused by the canes being somewhat injured in the winter. Mr. Kellogg. Mr. President, [don’t want to prolong the discussion, but I would like to call attention to the necessity of taking the plants up early in the spring before the buds form. If you leave them down until after the buds form, (and we believe in covering the whole cane), they are more tender; but if you take them up just before a cold night you may lose your crop. I lost a portion of mine last spring. Then after they are up, give them a thorough mulching to prevent drought in the summer. Mr. Whipple. Mr. President, I have had a little experience with smal] fruit. I always have taken pride in the success we have had. Now, it is said that the Gregg and Cuthbert are the latest bearers we have; but for several years, since [ have been growing them I have found they were out of the market before the old variety that we have had ever since I have been growing fruit, (and that is twenty years), was still on the briers. That the covering of the Greggs warrants the success that has been told, [ fail to see. I know one of the most experienced men with the black raspberry—I think one of the most experienced in the State—last season left his customers, and I had to carry them along for over 2 week when he could not supply them with his Greggs and Cutbberts; and he has made up his mind that he is going back to my old raspberries, the old Philadelphia. I will venture to say that I can grow that longer, every season, with the same culti- vation than you can the Gregg or Cuthbert. I can give you dates of our last sales, and the names of customers to show that it is still fruit- ing when other kinds are gone. Mr. Cutler. I would like to ask if there is any member here that is residing in this part of the country that has had good success with the Ancient Briton blackberry. Mr. Harris. The only gentleman that I know of that has been 108 ANNUAL REPORT. growing the Ancient Briton for any length of time is O. M. Lord, of Minnesota City. He has had good success. I have seen his Ancient Britons and Snyders growing side by side. They are certainly a finer berry than the Snyder, and he gets more fruit from them. Mr. Pearce. I would say that Mr. Shepard has grown the Ancient Briton for the last five or six years in large quantities; he keeps them all to himself, and I think he has made a good many thousand dollars from them. He lives here in Hennepin County. He has ten acres I think. Mr. Gould. I was at Mr. Lord's place first in August and I might have seen his plants in September. He had those two kinds, Ancient Briton and Snyder, and as I was somewhat interested in them I asked as many questions asl could think of. I remember of asking him which he liked the best, and he didn’t give any great preference as I remember, except that he considered the Ancient Briton a little the better pruducer. I was there again in October, and he told me that he was about covering his blackberries; I told him I was very much interested, and so he said he would light a lantern, and go out and cover some; he practiced this method that has been described here, that is of digging away from the root of the plant a little and doubling them down inarow. He commenced at one end of the row, bent them all in the same direction, and gave them a partial covering with earth. He makes a success with that style of covering. Mr. Harris. I have had berries from his plants, and they are very nice. Mr. Sias. Blackberry culture has been, until within a few years, almost a total failure. I recollect of seeing but two places where they were covered; one where they were growing the Ancient Briton the vines were well loaded with fruit. [I am satisfied that there is no trouble about blackberries, provided they are covered in the fall at the proper time. Last fall 1 covered nearly all of mine for the first time. Mr. Tuttle. I would say in regard to covering, it is necessary to turn them over in the way described, but not to cover them entirely; bringing them to the ground I think sufficiently protects them. Our canes are so large and so many in a hill it takes a good deal to hold them down, and I try to keep them to the ground. We went through last year and just put enough dirt on to keep them to the ground. Mr. Wilson. Ithink success with blackberries depends a good deal on the kind of soil. I have seen them grown wherelI don’t think more than one crop was obtained in five years, and they were covered. ; STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 109 It is most important to put them where they will stand the drought. Mr. Smith. Mr. Kellogg has mentioned the kind of treatment that will always prove effectual. After you have taken them up in the spring, give them a thorough mulching; that will retain the moisture through the summer drought. Mr. Harris. Mr. President, it strikes me that we have brought out about all we can until we get some papers on that subject, and I sug- gest we move on to some other part of the program, or elise we will not get through. . REPORTS FROM LOCAL SOCIETIES. The following report by J. E. Northrup, Secretary of the Henne- pin County Horticultural Suciety, was then read. ‘ HENNEPIN COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY AND MARKET GARDENERS ASSOCIATION. To the Secretary of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society. The year of 1885 has witnessed a great development in the interests which form the aim of our Society. The membership has largely increased, the meetings have been well attended, the discussions animated, and the facts elicited therefrom, have been of benefit not only to the members of the Society, but through the reports of the newspapers giving the discussions in full, it is reasonable to suppose, that hundreds of farmers, and others interested in horticultural pursuits throughout the Northwest, have been benefited by its work. All this should serve to encourage each member of the Society to active and willing participation in its work; having in mind the fact, although it is not always encouraged as it should be, the work is no less effective in its results, or grand in its maturity. The Society now numbers in membership seventy-six, in other words, has nearly doubled within the year just drawn to aclose. At the fair held in Brackett’s hall, Sept. 23 and 24, there were seventeen exhibitors of grapes, fourteen of apples, twenty-eight of vegetables, fourteen of potatoes, four of canned fruits and vegetables. A special premium of $50. was offered by Mr. Henry F. Brown for the best display of fruits, the same being awarded to Mr. A. W. Latham of Excelsior. The special premium of $25, offered by Mr. Gale for display of vegetables, was awarded to Mr. Wm. Lyonsand Mr. H. F. Busse, first and second, respectively. In addition to these premiums of $185 were awarded by the Society to exhibitors. It is a matter extremely to be regretted, that I have to record the fact, that at the close of the fair, it was found that the receipts and the money in the hands of the treasurer of the Society were insufficient to cover the liability for premiums. This was owing to the fact that the Society was unable to obtain from the State, the money on which it had partially depended for tke payment of its premiums. This was especially disappointing in view of the fact that, the Society had become incorporated under the name of the Hennepin County Horticultural Society and 110 ANNUAL REPORT. ; Market Gardeners Association, in order that it might receive the benefits arising from the funds set aside by the State. And it was not until the share to which the Society was entitled had been applied for, that it was discovered, that owing to improper organization, it was debarred from securing the amount to which it was justly entitled. Steps are now being taken to remedy the difficulty, and it is to be earnestly hoped that before the next meeting of your Society, it may be rightly adjusted. Despite the unfortunate termination financially, the fair was a grand success. The exhibition on a whole elicited on all sides, expressions of surprise, not only from visitors from abroad, but from citizens of our own County and State, to whom the exhibit was a revelation. It is an undeniable fact, that the showing o1 such a collection of fruits and vegetables does more to attract the attention of people look- ing for western homes than any other means that could be used. This fact alone, and the reflection that good is being done, not only in benefitting our State by developing its resources, but humanity at large by each new fact drawn out—of value—should be the reward of those who sacrifice their time and interests in this grand work. The year 1886 opened with bright prospects. The meetings are held on Saturday of each week, at the rooms of the Northwestern College of Commerce, Prof. Asire principal, and thus far have been well attended. At the annual meeting held Dec. 26, 1885, the following officers were elected: President, J. 8. Gray; Vice-President, G. H. Roberts; Secretary, J. E. Northrup; Treasurer, Prof. L. Asire. ” Believing that the record of last year will be surpassed by that of the coming, I am sir, Yours Respectfully, J. E. NortHRvp, Secretary of Hennepin County Ilorticultural Society and Market Gardeners Association. Mr. Pearce said the financial condition of the Hennepin County Society was by no means bad, though individual members had ocea- sionally to come to its relief. Liberal premiums had been given, fifty per cent of which had been paid, and the balance would be paid with- ina month. . The expenses for premiums, etc., amounted to about $400. The report of M. J. Hoag, Secretary of the Olmsted County Horti- cultural Society was then read. OLMSTED COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. To the Secretary of the State Horticultural Society. In compliance with regulations in the interest of Horticulture embodied in an act of Legislature approved Feb. 28, 1883, I herewith submit the annual report of the Olmsted County Horticultural Society, its receipts and disbursements and abstract of its proceedings for the year ending December 26, 1885. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 111 Pursuant to notice the 13th annual meeting of the Olmsted County Horticultur- al Society met in this city on the twenty-sixth day of December at 2 o’clock Pp. m. A. W. Siasin the chair. Meeting called to order. Whereupon President Sias read his annual address which was replete with interest, and encouragement to the fruit growers of Olmsted County. An interesting and congratulatory letter from 8. D. Hillman of Minneapolis, and a highly instructive paper on entomology from the veteran pomologist J. S. Harris of La Crescent, were read by the Secretary. Treasurer’s Report. Balanee of cash on hand January 3, 1885,.......+.+see0e: $ 9.70 dueceryed for membership fees, ...... 0.0, scceancvenecdees 15 50 $25.20 - HIRIRIUTSOMUCI TS: Saielerets c é-cle cc -scte heleietaie Satie: oll Seine cher poeta 20.90 Balance ion. Waid yi gs sic aciya orate ea cenavcrter an manos $4.30 M. J. HoaaG, Secretary and Treasurer. Officers elected for ensuing year: A. W. Sias, President; W. O. Crittenden, Vice-President; M. J. Hoag, Secretary and Treasurer. Respectfully submitted, M. J. Hoag, Secretary. MINNESOTA VALLEY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. A report from the Minnesota Valley Horticultural Society being called for, the secretary of the society, A. B, Regester, of Granite Falls, responded and said: F Mr. Regester. I have no written report, but [ will, with your per- mission, give a brief account of our society. A little more than a year ago—I don’t know exactly when, and I don’t think anybody does —we had a succession of attempts and failures, in regard to the organ- ization of a society at Granite Falls; but about the 14th of February, last year, we succeeded in organizing; we had at that time, I think, twenty-two members. About the middle of July we held our first semi-annual meeting. We had quite an exhibition of fruits, beyond what we anticipated, and the interest was considerable; and between that time and the fair in September, our membership had grown, until we had sixty-two members. We have now a membership of sixty- eight. We held our first annual meeting a week agoto-day. We only held one day, three sessions; we had a grand time. We had no exhibits or anything of the kind, but a good deal of interest was mani- fested. But I am a little ahead of my story. At the county fair at Granite Falls, we had a horticultural department, the same as at our agricul- 112 ANNUAL REPORT. tural fairs, and that created quite an excitement. There was a fine exhibit of small fruits, jellies and canned fruits of all kinds; and that stirred up an interest at that fair, and in about a day anda half, we gained forty members, by means of considerable work. A week ago to-day we had our first annual meeting and elected officers. Mr. O. H. Saunders was elected President, W. J. Rice Treasurer, and myself . Secretary. The interest in horticulture among our people is increas- ing, and I think there is no doubt that between this and the next semi- annual meeting, which will be held some time in June or July, we will have about a hundred members, and we anticipate getting even more than that. So far as the finances are concerned we have no extended report to make; we have taken in some twenty dollars and we have on hand a part of it, and a part of it we are using to-day in coming here and going home. I think that is about all I have to report; if Brother Saunders has anything further to offer he will do so. REMARKS BY MR. SAUNDERS. Mr. Saunders. IM. President, Ladies and Gentlemen : I came here as a stranger to-day, representing, with my friend Regester, our society at Granite Falls. He and my wife and myself were chosen delegates. Coming here as a stranger to all of you, with the exception of Col. Stevens, with whom I have had a pleasant ac- quaintance for some time, the welcome that I have received here has made me feel at home, and I feel that I am among friends. In regard to our society I wish to add just a few words to what Mr. Regester has said, and I wish to say that we have not succeeded in getting the society on the footing on which it now stands without some hard work. It has required some effort to get our people to work there. We almost despaired of doing anything toward the organization of a society. When the matter was first up for consideration, it was said by one of our leading men in that section that they had tried to organ- ize a farmers’ meeting without success, and a horticultural society would certainly be a failure; but that same man is now one of our most active members. He was at our meeting and I think he felt we were alive, and although our society might not be more than an infant, it is a healthy one and bids fair to live. [Applause. ] Now, I would say that interest in fruit culture in our section has been at very low ebb, but we are able to report to this body that there is an increase of interest up there. Five years ago I was told by STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 113 people there that I could not raise fruit—couldn’t raise straw berries— and it was an impossibility to raise apples. -But I was not discouraged; I came there, notwithstanding this report, and I have raised fruit in Chippewa County. The influence that a few have had there in persist- ing in this matter of bringing forward the claims of fruit raising has done a good deal to place fruit raising on a successful basis in these western counties up there. Our meeting last Tuesday was wholly an experiment, and we didn’t know how we would succeed. We arranged to have three sessions and we sort of made upa program. We put in enough papers we- thought to fill up the time allotted with discussion. Every paper was presented, save one, and that was caused by the ill health of the ‘person; and those paperselicited most earnest discussion. Every man was ready to respond to anything that was asked, and the discussions were so interesting that we had hard work to get them tostop. I expected that we should have some difficulty in drawing out discussion, but we had to put the brake on. WhenI was going to the hall in the evening, I met one of the editors of one of our papers at the door of the hall, and he said, ‘‘I am going to set out some fruit trees; I had been wanting to, but didn’t know how to take care of them. I ° was into your meeting and heard your discussion and it brought out just what 1 wanted to know. Now, I can go to work in the right way.” That is one instance of the good that has come of our society. You must understand, of course, that we have had failures there from inexperience and from the fact that our land is not in the condition it should be. It has not yet become thoroughly fitted for fruit culture but we are gaining ground and becoming more successful, especially in small fruits, and we feel confident that we will meet with ultimate success. Mr. Sias. I have been very much interested in this report. I will say that I was present when this society was organized; also present at the second annual meeting. It seems that this new society is a larger one than ours during the first two years. Mr. Harris. Mr. President, | have been very much gratified in hearing this very favorable report. Jt carried me back to those days. down at Rochester, some nineteen years ago, when we were a weak and feeble little institution; and yet our Society has become a power in the State, and I think that it will grow till all our people are interested in horticulture. I would move that we furnish this new society at Granite Falls with one hundred copies of the report of this Society for 1885. 8 ,» ern: ® ar " . ? 114 ANNUAL REPORT. Mr. Smith. I was very much interested in the report of this Minne. sota Valley Society; and inasmuch as it may encourage the members of this Society to do what they can in aid of local societies, I will tell you why. I went out to attend a farmer’s institute in Chippewa County two years ago, and I met Mr. Shannon of Granite Falls, and I gave him a report of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society. After he had read it one evening he said he wanted a membership in the Society, and paid me one dollar and I gave him what back reports I had. About two weeks afterwards I got a letter asking me to write back, giving the form of a constitution; I did so, but in two or three weeks more he said it was no use, the peuple would not take any inter- est; but he kept talking it up, and last winter he attended our state meeting, and he said they were going to have a county society. That’ man was working over a year before seemingly accomplishing any- thing. Now, he has gone away from there, but here is a society of more than sixty members. These reports ought to be in the hands of farmers as far as this Society is able to put them. I simply throw out this suggestion for you to think about. This splendid showing in Yel- low Medicine and Chippewa Counties is the result of good seed sown years ago. The motion of Mr. Harris was then adopted. Mr. Saunders. I didn’t anticipate any such result, but allow me to present to the Society the congratulations and the thanks of the Minnesota Valley Horticultural Society for the very favorable notice this Society has taken of our society in that section, and as delegates from that society we will guarantee to do our best in distributing these reports where they will do the most good. : I wish to make one additional statement to show the interest that is being taken. Last Saturday, when I was waiting at the depot to come down here, I was talking with some of our citizens, and there was one gentleman asked me, ‘‘Why didn’t you carry your meeting into the next day: you didn’t get through; the papers were not half discussed ?’’ We told him we had only made arrangements for one day, and couldn’t very well exceed that. Another gentleman said, ““The next meeting you must make two days; with the interest that was manifested, you will not be warranted in giving less than two days.’’ You may think we feel a little pride in this matter; but I think it is a proper refinement of pride. We don’t claim the honor for ourselves, but we believe that we are working in a good cause, and one that will redound to the good of the people, not only in a financial po STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 115 point of view, but in the better health and the more wholesome food it will bring, and in the aesthetic feature o the cause, it will elevate the sentiments of our people by surrounding their homes with fruits and flowers. Col. Stevens. I would state that I was at Granite Falls a year ago last September, I think it was, and I saw some very thrifty gardens there, and I saw some pretty good apples there too; I saw the Duchess and one or two other varieties that [ didn’t know, and the names were something new to me, and they were apples that were apparently comparing well with any that we had. Another thing [ noticed in the neighborhood of Granite Falls, and that was their timber lands. I saw trees that had made a mammoth growth in one or two years. I was very much surprised to see the enterprise displayed by the people of that part of the State. | Mr. Saunders. You would have seen a better display there this fall. Mr. Edson Gaylord, of | ora Springs, Iowa, delegate from the Lowa State Horticultural Soviety, was then introduced, and presented the following paper: RCHARDING IN THE NORTHWEST. By Epson GaytorD, Nora Springs, Iowa. Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: We will use our best endeavors to confine our remarks to such points as we have proved to be of the most particular value in growing an orchard for home use dur- ing the past thirty years, leaving the commercial orchardist to care.for himself. In touching so many points as we are seemingly obliged to, we hope to be excused if We appear to be dogmatical in our statements, for noone more than ourselves would more cheerfully stop, and give with the greatest pleasure the thousand and one reasons why we practice and advise others to try the following methods in growing an orchard here in the Northwest. The first apple trees set in Northern Iowa, so far as we have béen able to learn, were set on our present orchard site in Floyd county. We then considered this site the best that could be found. After years of persistent efforts in setting and resetting we have been most thoroughly convinced that our site is one of the most difficult to successfully grow an orchard, that can be found in the Northwest. Our soil is aspen, white and jack oak, elm, hickory, and black walnut, the first three proving best, the last three poorest. It was not till after many years of repeated failures that we could be convinced that our worst troubles came from a source we had so little thought of. Our orchard was so completely shut in and pro- tected by thick, tall timberembracing some over five acres. The first twenty years we set and reset a few of all the leading kinds that came well recommended. Suc- ceeded partially now and then, but more often failed entirely with many kinds. “4 116 ANNUAL REPORT. Finally we stopped short and seriously considered the situation. *We soon saw the little knowledge we brought west about growing an orchard was only a damage to us. This we demonstrated most thoroughly as soon as we went over the country comparing and examining the orchards and trees as we found them on all kinds of soils, slopes and in all conditions. Every tree bearing evidence of the most potent character, showing by its own conditions that there were certain conditions which would invariably bring about certain results, the conditions of different trees of the same kinds being almost invariably the same under the same surroundings. In short, certain combinations with similar surroundings almost invariably pro- duced like results. Thorough and numerous examinations soon convinced us that what we had not learned about growing an orchard in the Northwest would fill a large book. Our first and most important discovery was finding many orchards on the bleak prairies on northern slopes, entirely unprotected or cared for by those who had but little knowledge and less experience in orcharding, doing fifty per cent better than those under opposite conditions. This soon convinced us of the truth and falsity of many theories we had formed while toiling in our orchards at home. What we had been so long guessing at we soon demonstrated. Our false theories went like brush to the bonfire, and our proved ones like choice wood to the wood hous? for future usefulness. We would say first to the amateur, go and bury every idea or thought you have brought here from other climates about growing an orchard. This done, you have taken the first and best step on the road to success. Failing to do this, your blun- ders and failures will be endless. Second, secure your trees from reliable nursery- men who would much sooner lose the sale of their trees than their reputation for honest dealing. Unknown agents have swindled the Northwest out of millions of dollars, and as a rule those who have been the most successful have left with us the most worthless trash. Third, our first choice for a tree to set is one with extremely hardy stem, one grade more hardy than the Duchess, and grown on its own roots, top-worked three feet from the root with the best kinds which are as hardy, or nearly so, as the Duchess would be grown on its own roots. This will add full twenty per cent toward securing better quality than can be grown in any other known way. Fourth, our second choice is to have trees started on a two-inch root and a six-inch hardy cion, having the principal roots grown from the ction. We protest against two common plans: one, having our trees. grown mainly on indiscriminate roots; the other budding into common stock grown from seed brought from Michigan, Ohio and New York. Either of these plans should be sternl y rebuked, and will be by honest nurserymen. Fifth, give us neither wet nor dry soil. Theadvice so commonly given by writers to select a rich, warm, dry soil, often leads to bad results. Good corn land is all right, but extra good corn soil seldom fails to ruin an orchard sooner or later. Sixth, the best slope is northeast; worst, southwest; north is better than south; elevated lands better than low. Seventh, no protection on either side except south. Eighth, make your orchard self-protecting first by setting each tree in the second row south about twe feet to the west of the one nearly opposite in north row, so as to have the south tree’s shadow strike the north tree at half past one. The shadow of trees being much longer in Winter than in Summer, they will when thus set, shade and protect each other at the exact time and place they most need protection from the steady direct — Oe eee ——— ee eee STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 117 rays of the sun which so seriously injure our trees during the cold, sunny days in February and March. Ninth, in Minnesota we would set trees fifteen feet apart each way. Set them from two to ten inches deeper than grown in nursery. Leave the hole on the bottom a little sloping to the one o’clock sun. This will help much in keeping a tree growing the same way. Be sure when setting to point the heaviest and thickest branches towards the sun at half past one o’clock. Set them firmly; and as soon as the trees are about to leave out, cut all the lead ing branches on the northeast side, clipping in the ends of the twigs on the sun side with a view to close up all openings from the steady unbroken rays of the sun. Small limbs are seldom injured by sunscald and we have never seen a dead spot on a tree caused by the sun, unless the rays are unbroken for two hours and a half and never only when the stem or branch leans from the sun. Some think these dead spots caused by sunscald are always on the south or southwest side. We have often found them from where the sun strikes the tree at ten o’clock and all the way around three. We mean by this that a tree that leans northwest will be killed on the southeast side. If it leans northeast it wiil be killed on the southwest. If it leans southeast it will be found dead on the northwest side as far as three o’clock. These lessons are not only found in our orchards but all through the openings on the walnut ‘and butternut. They are frequently found on the hard maple and pig hickory trees. Follow the above plan for setting and keep them so trimmed. One tree thus grown will be worth ten fine high symmetrically topped trees we read of so much. It isa fact known well to old observers that ninety-nine trees set as they commonly are with fine even symmetrical tops will at the end of five years be found making more or less to the northeast. And in making northeast they are making toward ruin. Grow such crops in orchards as will best prevent the ground from thawing out in winter or early spring. Many orchardists are recommending clover in orchards. We have serious objections to clover. It harbors mice and rabbits; it fails to hold the frost in the ground as even as other grasses; and what is worse than all we think it helps to produce blight. Potatoes we deem one of the worst crops to put in orchards for reasons too plain to need comment. We have tried high tops and low tops, now prefer medium. Think this is of less importance than when we set trees perpendicular. Now we would sooner have a tree with five feet stem leaning slightly to the southwest, or to half past one o’clock sun, than one with only one foot leaning northeast. Eleventh, just how, when and why, our trees are so generally making to the » northeast is still a disputed question. But that itis caused by the steady and un- interrupted rays of the sun during February and March, in nine cases out of ten we most firmly believe. This we argued many years ago but published nothing till 1879, in Iowa Report Book 1879, page 317. At that date noone living, as we have ever been able to ascertain, held the same views as we did. The next year Hon. 'R.P. Speer of Cedar Falls published his views (on page 151 and 153, Book 1880 of Iowa Report). We give now a few of the most prominent men who sustain these views: Prof. J. L. Budd, H. W. Lathrop, Jonathan Thacher, Suc! Foster, P. M. Gideon, A. J. Haviland and a host of others are fast falling into line. We have observed and reflected much on the propriety of growing three trees in one hole. Twelfth, we have observed a number of such conditions in various orchards. Each top will diverge from the others and in doing thus, protect each 118 ANNUAL REPORT. other much more than one would at first think. Thirteenth, we manure our trees when they are not making at least six inches growth. Also when we find a tree is ; very heavily set with fruit. Without this in either case the tree would be liable to starvation and death. Fourteenth, we mound up with about half a bushel of earth to each tree in Fall, to protect from mice, and we prefer to leave it there through the Spring to prevent the reund-headed borers entering the bark as they always do near the collar of the tree. The mouse very seldom climbs up a mound of clean earth to gnaw a tree. Fifteenth, to protect from rabbits, we set an old-fashioned box trap baited with sweet apple, carrot, or corn, or hunt his-hole and drown him out with two pails of water turned suddenly into their holes; if in the ground, will bring them up quickly. We often whitewash the trunks with a mixture of lime, Clay, sulphur, and snuff, with good results. Tie newspapers about trunks, but never use tarred paper. ———. STOCK IN ORCHARDS AND BLIGHT. Of all stock in orchards the pig takes the lead. His omniverous instinct leads him at once to duty and usefulness. Our most injurious insects are hidden in the imperfect fruit which falls prematurely and when left as it commonly is will bring forth and multiply to an alarming extent. All secluded nooks and corners, old piles of rubbish and bunches of brush with grass and weeds grown up through them form the insects’ paradise. The pig possesses a wonderful degree of push, search and research; in fact there is nothing so finely hid that his constant search will not find out, upset, turn over, root to pieces, scatter, tramp out of existence. And if the old sod needs stirring up and renovating he will do it without being coaxed or told. He isa most willing servant in his place; and that is in the orchard from spring till time of gathering; and then immediately after. Some say he is unbecomiug in the orchard, but we have not unfrequently felt more indignant toward some pigs who never were so favored as to have the use of as many legs as the one here referred to. We say of blight for those who are troubled by it: Seed your orchards to blue grass or timothy; remove all protection; Keep away all manure; cultivate but little, and mulch thoroughly with light material, straw, tomatoe, or potato tops, fine brush or evergreen boughs. For particulars see our article in WasteRN RURAL on Blight. Our views have not been changed since then. We do not hold to the common idea that some in Minne- sota do, that the Transcendant engenders blight and then sends it to its adjacent neighbors; while many think its conduct will warrant them in so believing, we feel sure that the evidence when better examined will not sustain such belief. The worst blighted orchard we saw on our trip of five days observation the first of July last, was one facing south shut in close by groves and buildings on north and east and was litteraly a feeding lot for a host of hogs and had been for some years in the past. We mulch when the ground is frozen in early winter to keep the sap dormant till proper time for trees to start in spring. In 1884 we mulched with six inches of snow and three inches of frost. We then doubted the utility of our mulching with so little frost in the ground. In January we thoroughly examined our orchard in “ a a ee ee es STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 119 all parts with iron bar and found no frost. Think our mulching did more evil than good as it kept the ground too warm in winter and spring and the sap more active out of season. In the fall of 1884 we had so far conquered the uncongenial conditions by eur new methods of setting, trimming and top working that even from our worst of all orchard sites we sent to New Orleans the finest specimens of Wealthy, Wolf River, Dyre, Fall Orange, Pewaukee, Bennonia and many others of like quality. We then felt that we were only one round below Pomona, even then we had ourarms raised to embrace her. But spring came and where was our ladder we had labored from early manhood till old age to build. Alas every round nearly to the bottom broken and fallen all in one rude heap, with a world to pity but no hand to save. Now as Buddah to Kilvana said, nothing can save a child that’s dead. RRESENT OF ORCHARDING IN NORTHWEST. To say that we are plunged in a gulf of dark despair would but feebly express the sad condition we are in. No soil, slope, setting, leaning, trimming, protecting, exposing or mulching, has saved our orchards. But there appears before us a new lesson, and difficult as it may appear to us, we must search it out before we can reach the goal of success in the Northwest. Nearly everybody looks upon the causes of our calamities as something entirely new; we do not. It is only a new combination of the same old troubles we have been battling for years, viz.: exces- sive cold and’ untimely heat. We have studied this much, and differ with many. We have held for miny years that our principal trouble has come mainly from un- timely heat rather than excessive cold. Cold injures and kills many tender trees and shrubs but always shows first at the tips, keeping pace with the thermometer in its downward course. In excessive cold, the twigs of some kinds we call hardy appear to be injured but in this case the balance of the tree will remain uninjured. We have shown our most hardy kinds to be much more discolored in the twigs when the mercury sank no lower than fifteen degrees below zero, than they were last winter with mercury below forty. The true cause of our present disaster lies in the fact that the various elements were combined in an unusual manner. The snow fell before the ground had frozen. Potatoes growing wherever we grew them the Summer before. We have seen the like in other climes but never before here. Have known the snow as deep, have seen it go off with the sun as late, have seen it unfrozen when thesnow fell,have seen it drift as little, but some of these con- ditions were differently combined from what they were in the Winter of 1884 and 1885. Orchards received their first shock from a warm spell late in the Fall before the ground froze. Nextly, warm sunny days in February and March which melted the snow and settled it much, calling up the sap sunny days and suddenly freezing it nights while up. This was often repeated. The first week in May we had a very warm spell, everybody was hurrying up for planting. Some had planted, but on the 7th of May, when the blossom buds began to show red on the crabs there came a remarkably sudden change. The northwest wind came sweeping down from the way of Manitoba, making it so excessively cold that we could not run our planter for cold and frost. These conditions continued three days unchanged. 120 ANNUAL REPORT. Water tanks that had been uncovered frize up worse than they had been during the whole winter. We had to chop the ice out of our watering troughs for stock to drink. This was the third and last shock, and how could we have expected anything more than a general destruction? Here we beg to insert two items which have come under our immediate observation. We have hundreds of others to demon- strate the position we have taken, that celd is not king in the destruction of our hardy trees. John Cline, of Panora, Iowa, has an orchard with two ridges running east and west through the center of the orchard. Has some ten different varieties in rows running north and south over the ridges, and across the two sags; the snow blew off these ridges, settled in the sags, freezing on these ridges and not in the sags. Lach of these varieties as they passed over these ridges were left alive, those in the sags (with ground unfrozen) of each variety all died. Andrew Peterson, of Waconia, Minn , west of St. Paul, on an exposed, high, elevated site, takes all the premiums on apples at this meeting, in Jan., 1886, while J. 8. Harris, down in the southeast corner of Minnesota, in a snug, cozy, protected site, close surrounded by the Mississippi timber, her high bluffs, and high ridges, with all his care and skill, which is not equaled by anyone in Minnesota, if in the Northwest, has not the first apple on exhibition. For many years in the past he has had the honor of car- rying off the great share of blue ribbons. If our theory is not correct then Mr. Harris’ place must have been the coldest, and Mr. Peterson’s much the warmest. We have facts without end to show that the same varieties of trees grown in thick- et form, or under protection from sun have come out entirely unharmed, while those on same soil and same conditions as to site (excepting their exposure to the warmth of the sun), have been killed dead. If it was untimely heat then let us be prepared to guard against the like in the future, which we can. But if excessive cold, as many affirm, weare lost with but one road left to retreat and that across Behring Straits. We examined the twigs nearly every week from December till May. We found the tender kinds killed back, some more, and some less, some to the ground; but our well known iron-clads were only slightly discolored leafing out nearly to the ends of the twigs while their trunks were badly discolored. We trimmed every month all Winter to test winter pruning; observed no discolored wood until the last day of February in the trunks. Newif cold was king will some one answer @ few questions: 1. How the bodies of our most hardy kinds showed more injury than their twigs, and why such kinds should leaf out almost to the last bud?’ Why were chestnut trees standing single, ruined while those near by standing in close thicket entirely uninjured? This answered, will you next tell us how it happened that one orchard in our township facing north had always been up to 1884 and 1885 remarkably thrifty and productive, while the other cornering this but facing south had been one of the poorest but came out last Spring full the best? Why, says one, that is perfectly easy to answer. The one facing north without any protection received the greatest amount of cold. So we thought the first time we examined these orchards. We felt then that all our labor to show that trees the most exposed to cold came out of winter the best was scattered like chaff. We had for years held this north orchard as being one of our most conclusive evidences that a cold slope without protection was better than the opposite conditions. After studying these conditions in these two orchards a few days we went and re-examined them STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 191 and learned the one north had been left the summer before to grow up to a heavy thick growth of grass and that it stood undisturbed all winter. The south orchard was planted to potatoes and other light crops such as left the ground nearly ina nude condition. Here we saw the whole thing in a nut shell. What we thought had ruined our former arguments on this subject you now see turned out when properly investigated to be one of the strongest evidences in favor of our position. The snow coming as it did caught the north orchard entirely without frost in the ground, holding the roots all the time in readiness to send up the sap at the first call of the sun. The same sun that melted the snow called up the sap day after day and at the same time freezing it solid at night. The sap passing up in the inside as it does and coming down on the outside in the inner bark and sap wood growing thin- ner and cooler as it must in its downward flow, would as a matter of consequence commence to stop by freezing outside at least a few minutes sooner than the sap would stop pressing up on the inside. This action would cause a superabundance of sap to gather on the inner bark on the trnnk which by sudden and severe freez- ing would cause the bark to loosen from the trees, as was the case with many trees in this north orchard. The south orchard being nearly clean ground froze some three inches just as the snow commenced falling, which helped to keep the ground cooler than in the north. Had we all gone to werk and cleaned the snow away from the trees as we talked of doing a number of times during the winter we have no doubt but that our trees would have come out last spring. : That we may not be misunderstood on this great and leading point now so much attracting the attention of the progressive orchardist, particularly throughout the Northwest, first we say, we do not pretend to claim that excessive cold alone does not kill many tender varieties. This we admit. But we do not admit that the most hardy kinds are injured as much from excessive cold as from untimely heat which starts the sap out of season, and suddenly freezing catches it up in the tree above ground or above snow line, and in this condition the sap wood and inner bark are so much and so suddenly enlarged from their normal condition that the sap cells are so broken up and injured that death follows. Any unusual warm spell followed by a sudden freezing at such times as when the leaves are off in fall or winter, or when they may be partly formed in spring is almost sure to be followed by disaster, particularly so if the ground is not frozen when the warm spell occurrs. Orchardists should consider here in the Northwest how best they can secure the freezing of the ground early in the fall and hold it so till time for trees to leave outin spring. Our plan is to seed to grass and soon as the ground is well froz- en mulch thoroughly. The ground in 1884 and 1885 was not frozen from fall till spring but very little, and this mainly where the earth was by accident or. in other ways made bare. FUTURE OF ORCHARDING IN THE NORTHWEST. Shameful ignorance and alarming stupidity, has marked our path while attempt- ing to produce choice, hardy apples here in the Northwest. Look back on our track and see how uncertain and unreasonable has been the course we have been pursuing till recently. Theseed to grow our stock, for roots to start the kinds we now have have been grown in Michigan, Ohio or New York; not one in a thousand proving valuable as standard trees. These results are nothing more than we 122 ANNUAL REPORT. should have seen long ago. You say you did, but how could you have helped this since this was your only choice? This you say, you had te accept or remain idle, and who, in all this Northwest ever saw an idle or lazy horticulturist? Such con- ditions are not in the nature of his surroundings. If any set of men have ever followed the old moth to try, try again, it has been the orchardists of our North- west. But his misspent energies and wasted means have brought him to penury and want. He has been forced to fall back on his resources and use the most rigid economy, or take to other callings. Noone need envy the wealth any orchardist has gained in the Northwest. We would deem it no more than an act of justice should the State of Minnesota exempt from taxes each forty acres which shows five acres of orchard property set and cared for during the next five years. The State should take the matter in hand of experimenting and growing new varieties of apples, plums and other fruit. This play of chance should be played out. It has wrought the ruin of many of our best citizens. We have been lo, these many years striving to procure valuable kinds for the Northwest by planting seeds from Such tender varieties as have not had the least shadow of a chance for success. We have tried long enough to get the kind of blood we so much need to make orchard- ing a success in the Northwest. We have not once stopped to reflect or reason on what we were doing or how we were doing. Like children we have been playing blind man’s buff, catching at this and guessing at that. We advised many years ago to grow no trees for the Northwest except from seed grown in Minnesota. Had this course been pursued we should at least have had more hardy kinds than we now have and much superior in value. To be convinced that we were pointing towards amore direct road to success, you only need to examine the results of the well directed labors of C. G. Patten of Charles City, lowa, who took up this same train’ of reasoning some years ago and went t» work with a well defined object in view- He selected seeds from the best hardy kinds grown there, and now he has a show of fruit and hardy trees that will surprise any orchardist in the Northwest. Some of his trees are heavy bearers, good in quality and perfect models of trees as to hardiness. The contrast they show, surrounded as they are by all of our old stand- ard varieties which scarcely have life sufficient to leaf out the coming spring, is truly worthy of a personal inspection by any interested in grewing new varieties from seed. Apple trees grown from sced grown as far north as Minneapolis, would give us a good chance from which to select such hardy stock as are at least one degree more hardy than the Duchess, and on such stock we could grow with reasonable success such choice varieties as have been grown on their own stems as far south as the center of Iowa. This course would advance your chances of success at least twenty per cent beyond any other direct way now known. Many individuals have been pursuing this course the past few years with marked success. But bear in mind the stem and root must be extremely hardy to make a success of this plan. The Wealthy in northern Iowa top worked on crab stock have borne us a good crop this season, while on their own stems-very many have failed entirely with only now and then a tree on its own stem that has borne any more than to keep up the credit of the tree. Here we come to a full stop and find ourselves switched off on a side track with little other show than to remain, except taking to the long circuit- ous route which would take us through centuries of labor in acclimating the more i a STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 123: choice varieties to endure the sudden and extreme changes so common to the Northwest. Our direct road to success is through the Russians some of which will prove hardy, fair keepers and passable in quality. But our richest results. will be brought out as we believe, through some course not wholly unlike the fol- owing which we here sketched for your careful consideration. For site select the: most favored location known in America where the richest and choicest kinds can be successfully grown. But to secure the finest flavor and better assist nature in acclimating the new seedlings to the Northwest, we would fix the site on the north- ern limit of sure success. Select sound, vigorous, healthy trees, two or three of the best standard hardy kinds, and top work each with three or more kinds. For Minnesota use the best Siberian, the best Minnesota seedling and the best long- keeping American apple known. Those whose identity has been thoroughly established for hundreds of years both for keeping and for quality. These com- binations could be so formed as to suit almost any taste and all future require- ments. Then just as the trees were ahout to blossom we would have a frame so: made as to readily receive a fine wire screen which could be fastened on leather strips so as to roll up and unroll as the occasion required. These screens could be painted white to keep them from rusting as well as reflecting too much heat. They would only be needed some ten days when they could be taken off rolled up and stored away for each successive year. This would effectually prevent the chances: for the trees thus protected being pollenized by spurious kinds through’ the agency of bees and other insects. But to make this plan sure and complete there should be no other kinds growing near on the outside for fear the pollen might find itg. way through the screens. While these are our best thoughts on the subject, we have no doubt but that there can be many amendments made to these suggestions with profit. A swarm of bees might be placed in each apartment to insure more perfect mixture of the pollen. When the fruit is ripe the seeds should be saved. and sent as far north as Minneapolis to be grown and cared for properly. By doing this we would soon Jearn which of the fittest would survive. The south side we would hoard up tight and let it so remain the year through. This would protect much from untimely heat in spring, from oppressive heat in summer as well as. from the direct rays of the sun in February and March which causes sun scald. We have the strongest confidence that some plan similar to the one we have: attempted to describe would lead us directly out of the wilderness and at once secure to us much more valuable trees than we have secured through all these many years of struggle. Trees that have commenced bearing could be secured, and the work commenced at once, and rich results would follow one after another in quick succession. We think this plan simple, and perhaps it is too much so to attract your special attention, but if you should deem it practical then we shall not be sorry for making these suggestions on this the most important part of alk that pertains to success in orcharding in the Northwest. It appears to us that one thousand dollars a year would cover the entire expenses for ten years to come; and at the same time relieve the thousands who are now wasting so much time and money on foolish and unwise experiments such as have brought so much ruin and failure over the Northwest. If the great State of Minnesota cannot be induced to lead out in this alone let her make the effort to join with Wisconsin and lowa and divide the seed and grow each its own as it may deem best 124 ANNUAL REPORT. Mr. Harris moved that the Society express its appreciation to Mr. Gaylord by a vote of thanks for the paper, and that he be made an honorary member for the term of five years. The motion was adopted. Mr. Gaylord. Gentlemen, I rise to thank you for this mark of your appreciation; and I can only say that I will be very happy in returning the compliment by doing what I can to see that you are well treated by our society should any, of you visit us. In lowa we are interested in helping you along as far as we can, for we are working under similar conditions, and your labors have been help- ful to us. . THE BLIGHT QUESTION. Mr. Whipple. I would like to ask you in regard to blight, whether it is still existing in Iowa. Mr. Gaylord. The blight is not in my orchard although it used to be. Itis in others. I think I have got one of the worst places for blight in the world; I have never seen any place that I thought could beat it. If you want to produce blight I will tell you the most certain way to doit. I would select a warm place, lying to the southwest, shut in by timber;: plow and cultivate well, manure thoroughly and set out your trees; and then with a long, warm, dry spell in June, followed by rain, about two showers a day, and I would be sure the trees would blight. Now, if these are the worst conditions for producing blight the opposite is the best. I want a northeast slope for my trees. I believe it is a miasmatic poison, something similar to that which rusts our wheat, rising like an exhalation from low ground; it will come up similar to a fog; not moist like a fog, but dry. I don’t know how I can better explain what I mean. ! have studied this subject a good deal. It seems to be adry substance which rises from low ground and is carried along in currents by the air. When I say a current I don’t mean a wind, but if there is a little air moving, there it will attack your trees. There are certain trees that are more subject to blight than others. In Minnesota you are troubled with blight more than we are, I think, from the fact probably that you have very short, warm summers; your trees grow fast; you take care of them and give them protection to keep them from these cold chilling blasts of winter. Everything grows here much more rapidly than further south. And as you shut your trees in more, you furnish the most inviting conditions for blight to work in. / STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 125 Mr. Whipple. Do you consider blight something that certain localities are especially subject to, or is it something that will finally pass away. Mr. Gaylord. I think it is something that rises on every man’s farm, and comes from the specially favorable conditions to be found. Mr. Whipple. We have a little different history. The first appearance here of blight was where the city of Minneapolis now stands, and it has traveled west. Out where I am, fourteen miles from here, I used to have it in my orchard, but it has disappeared. ‘Some trees have been nearly killed. Other orchards close by were not affected by the blight the same year. It seems to me that blight has been in the country about fifteen years. But I believe it is something in the air that will pass away after awhile. In my orchard there was no sign of blight this last year. Mr. Gaylord. Another thing that affords a favorable condition for blight is the rapid growth of our trees. A tree will grow five or six inches in a week’s tinie; the twigs are then very tender and that accounts for this dry, miasmatic substance striking the leaves and holding to them, and its being most destructive to the new growth. Mr. Whipple. If that theory is correct, I would like to know why, when we were troubled with it here, it wasn’t known some fifteen or twenty miles west of here. It is on trees further west, twenty or twenty-five miles west from here. If itis in the atmos- phere and certain conditions bring it on, why does it not trouble us one year as well as another? A Member. Another thing about blight, if you commence cutting off the blighted part, you will kill the tree, I don’t care if the tree is a foot through. Another Member. I let them stand the first season, and cut off the blighted part the next year. Mr. Tuttle. I have never found any man that fully understood the cause of blight. I have talked with Prof. Berry and others, and they all agree that it is something that comes and goes. We don’t know why, and we don’t know when it will disappear. Mr. Down- ing Said it appeared in his vicinity, quite a number of years ago; it left there, and for some thirty years it has not returned. I know in Wisconsin for more than fifteen years we never saw anything of blight. J don’t know why we didn’t have the same state of atmos- phere then that we have had since. The first appearance of blight was on the Talmon Sweet apples; it wes not confined to them, but 126 ANNUAL REPORT. it was generally found on the Talmon Sweets. It was confined principally to that variety. The next year it took other varieties, while the Talmon Sweets didn’t blight. It has been changing from one variety to another, and now it seems to be nearly worn out. There are some trees that are more lable to blight than others; there is the Montreal crab, and the Alexander, a Russian apple that are subject to blight. In regard to shelter, | have seen the worst blight where there was no shelter. I have seen Transcendent apple trees killed to the ground that were standing 500 feet higher than others that were not affected. The style of blight was the worst I ever saw on any place. In another place on the north side of the orchard, several Transcendent trees were as badly blighted as any I ever saw. I know that blight spreads. The same thing is seen in the oak. The black oak blights the worst generally. I had a fine oak grove, and for two or three years the blight was gradually spreading through it. It is going through it again now, in the same direction, moving northwest, and it will go through the whole grove. It is something that comes and goes. We don’t know the prime cause of it. And certainly, [ know ofno remedy for it, unless it is putting your orchard into June grass seed. I think very likely that is the best remedy. Of course, the effect of blight is to destroy the tree so far as fruiting is concerned. I have a number of trees that were affected with blight; this year they died. But I haven’t been troubled a great deal for the last ten years. Commencing on the present year’s growth, [ cut off all that is ruined. Where I see a black limb, I cut it off. It will stop the blight for that year. But I don’t know of any remedy; I don’t know what you can do with it. I think it is wearing out. I believe that we shall finally be rid of it, and in fifteen or twenty years we will be without any blight. Mr. Nobles. I have a small*orchard, and several of the trees blighted. I examined them, and cut off a limb, and found a little _ worm about an inch long. I have about seventy-five trees that I set out several years ago. The blight killed a good third of them, but did not kill many of my Transcendents. Mr. Gaylord. When my trees are not looking well I put a little manure on them, or a heavier mulching. If they have all they need I put on ashes. Manuring will never hurt a tree except when it is loaded with fruit. I never knew trees to blight when I tried that. I use chip manure. Mr. Nobles. I think that white-washing the trees will keep them ad = STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 197 free from blight. I put on white-wash and a little clay with it. Mr. Busse. I set out fifty trees eight years ago. I[ put a row of. currant bushes between the rows. By working thoroughly I kept them clean. In two or three years they got from a foot to a foot anda half growth. I think it was in June 1880, they commenced blighting. I cut off the blighted part. They didn’t blight any more that season. The next year, early in the spring, I put about half a barrel of salt around them within about three or four feet of the trees. I did that for two seasons and have not been troubled with blight since. At the same time a neighbor close by is troubled with it yet. I would say that the Iowa gentleman is very correct in his remedy, if he does not choke the trees too much with manure. Mr. Somerville. I wish to say a word in regard to blight. Tam not going to discuss the cause of it, but I wish to tell of the pre- ventive used in my orchard. I hada large orchard of crab trees which were affected with the blight. I thought I would either de- stroy the orchard or get rid of the blight. I seeded the orchard to red clover, took the rings out of my hogs’ noses, and turned them allin there. They rooted the ground all over and over around the trees, and since that time, for four years past I have not seen any blight. Mr. Sias. It seems to be admitted that noone knows exactly what this ‘blight is. My opinion is that it is some kind of living organism that gets into the cell structure of the wood. As Mr. Busse says, I believe that salt is a good thing to throw around trees if you don’t throw it over them. You are very apt to kill the tree if you throw salt on the top, but throwing it around the roots I - think would be a good thing. One gentleman recommends lime. Ashes, sulphur, and kerosene, anything that will destroy these minute, living organisms is beneficial. I believe it is something that moves in the atmosphere, as Mr. Gaylord says. It floats in the air slowly, and lights on the different trees, and runs in streaks through the country. Some vears it is a great deal worse than others. A great deal depends, he said, upon where the orchard is located. I believe in wind breaks myself, but not in hemming in too close. Usually where I have seen blight was where I[ thought the trees were hemmed in too close. Mr. Kellogg. Mr. President, I know of no subject that is so in- exhaustible as this subject of blight; if you get out of timber, just take up this blight question. 128 ANNUAL REPORT. THE DWARF JUNE BERRY. The following question was then read: Does any person know anything about the Dwarf June Berry, and is it worthy of cultivation? Mr. Gaylord. I think it is what we used to call the Shadwood or Shadberry. I have a few trees from one of the best nurserymen in owa. They produce a very small berry. They don’t amount to much except for the birds to eat. I have grown just enough to have a few berries to eat. Mr. Smith. It makes a very pretty tree for a garden or lawn; the berries are small and of no particular value. There are quite a number of them in this city set in gardens. They are not as large as the common June Berry. Mr. Harris. Mr. Gaylord, I think, has given us all the light we will get on it. It is recommended by men that are peddling it as very desirable, and the berries equal to huckleberries; they are selling the plants at a pretty good price. J don’t think they are of any value except to feed your birds on. Mr. Gaylord. It blossoms very early. The birds feed on the berries and like them, but for eating it is about as poor as anything you can get. Mr. Sias. I supposed we had the common June Berry and the Dwarf June Berry growing wild in our county. I have heard con- siderable about the Dwarf June Berry being a good and fine fruit, and last fall I took pains to look around to see if there was any in our section. I found a good many, bearing pretty well, some of them I couldn’t see any difference between the fruit of those called the dwarf and the common species; they were generally small. The fruit is about the sizeof a pea. I couldn’t see any advantage in the dwarf over the common species, and I doubt if they have any large fruit such as they recommend. Mr. Smith. The only particular difference I could see is in the size; the dwarf only grows about three or four feet high, while the standard grows to some height; they grow all along the road. THE BLIGHT QUESTION AGAIN. Mr. Harris. J would like to say a word about this blight question. I used to think I knew something about horticulture, but I don’t think anyone knows very well what blight is. But my opinion is that what is called blight is a living ergot, or parasitic fungi, which q ——_ STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 129 propagates itself and is carried in the atmosphere; it will propagate on our fruit trees. I havenoticed thatif we have a warm, dry spell just before strawberries commence to ripen and then directly a sue- cession of warm showers, as Mr. Gaylord spoke of, I have known trees to-make a growth of. six inches in twenty-four hours. These shoots are full of water, and are just in the right condition to be affected by blight. It attacks the Transcendent first, then the Duchess, and everything else on my place. I believe where the wind works freest it is the least liable to find a lodgment, because years ago when I set out my orchard J set out a windbreak and at first when the windbreak ‘was small and the wind coursed freely through it, I didn’t have any blight, but it grows worse and worse every year. I have tried salt; it hasn’t cured my trees of blight, but I find itis beneficial. It helps them to withstand the drought and makes the soil hold the moisture. Mr. Smith. Two years ago I recommended hanging open cans of kerosene in the trees, asa remedy for blight, and I think it is an excellent remedy. Mr. Harris. We have a blight, so called, that is caused by a twig borer. I have seen a little of that, but it only comes once in a good many years, and is not a permanent thing. _ Mr. Nobles. I would like to say here that I havesome apple trees closely hemmed in with cottonwood and maple trees and I am not troubled with blight. I have cultivated them for twelve years, and my apples bear every year; | have some trees set in the door-yard that are the nicest trees I have, and they were loaded with fruit this last year. Mr. Gaylord. There is an insect of that kind; but it is not this common fire-blight; that is given up, I believe, by all our best men. Insects will work in after a few days. Where the blight touches the sap it foments and works, and draws insects to it. Mr. Harris. You can almost see that kind of blight grow. Take it about two o’clock in the afternoon after a shower, and after examining it a little while you can observe a change; the progress is almost perceptible, it grows so fast. In this kind of blight I have seen the insect that produces it. Mr. Nobles. My orchard on the south and east is protected by soft maples, and west by cottonwoods, but if I was going to plant again I wouldn’t have a windbreak within twenty rods of my trees. 9 130 ANNUAL REPORT. When I first came here I was told to set them close to my trees; I did it but I wouldn’t do it again. Mr. Tuttle. I have had pear trees blight in a field, on ground that never had been cultivated. It was an idea we had several years ago that pears on cultivated ground wouldn’t blight. I have trees on cultivated ground and uncultivated, and I can see no differ- ence. They blight just as bad in one place as another. Whena pear tree blights it is one of the worst of trees. We used to grow trees that never had a particle of blight, that bore good crops of fruit. I have trees that never blighted a particle, that are twenty- five feet high. Ibelieve trees, generally, after they bear good crops, to be more liable to blight, but I have little faith in varieties that are originated in this country. IfI had as much faith in the Rus- sian peais as I have in the Russian apples I would look no further. Iam trying the Russian pear; it seems to be perfectly hardy, but whether it will stand the blight, is a question to be found out here- after. On motion, the meeting here adjourned till 7 o’clock P.M. EVENING SESSION. TuESDAY, JANUARY 19, 1886. The meeting was called to order at T o’clock Pp. mw. by President Smith. A paper by Wm. McHenry, on Blackberry Culture in Minnesota was read by the Assistant Secretary. Following is the paper: BLACKBERRY CULTURE IN MINNESOTA. By Wm. McHenry, St. Charles. Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: As it is impossible for me to be with you at this meeting and feeling a great interest in the cause of horticulture, I will try in a brief manner to comply with the wishes of your Secretary and others. My motto is ‘‘What one man has done another can do.”’ What varieties of blackberry are best adapted to culture in Minnesota? or have we any variety hardy enough to bear well in Minnesota without protection? I answer No, if so trot it out, for it is worth ‘‘millions.”’ I know when I make the above assertion I tread on many corns, for nurserymen’s catalogues are full of testimonials of certain kinds that need ‘‘no protection;” and yet which it is alleged bear immense crops of lucious fruit. There are few of my STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 13h hearers, perhaps, that have traveled more miles the past year than I have, having visited one field of seven acres, and having sought practical information on this subject from every available source. We are deprived of raising many of the most lucious of the larger fruits, and even apples, in many localities are a failure, as I could show you orchards in this vicinity where even the Duchess was killed last winter. And yet I have now on my table a catalogue containing testimonials reading like this; permit me to copy one : ‘‘The Stone’s Hardy Blackberry came through last winter without injury, with- out protection, although the mercury was forty degrees below zero several times. It is evidently an iron-clad.”’ This catalogue has two pages of such testimonials. Now, this man has a large patch and should have picked one bushel to the picking, and he told me he only picked one box at a time, (and yet they need no protection;) further his berry patch is very favorably situated, being surrounded by a willow hedge, also plum thicket, and other trees among the bushes, so that the snow piled in there nearly to the tree tops, yet he says this is ‘‘no protection.’’ He only had a few berries. But to my subject. Stone’s Hardy is the best adapted to protection of any of the high bush varieties though there may be some of the dewberry family that might do well. It isa very rank grower yet it hasa slender stalk, throwing its vigor more into side branches; it does not grow tall, and yet gives more fruiting wood than any other variety, which accounts for the immense crops of fruit pro- duced. Hence it can be laid down for protection without breaking but few bushes. The Snyder is also a vigorous grower sending out one very coarse, tall stalk with but few side branches, which accounts for its light yield of fruit. The Ancient Briton, which has so much said in its favor by growers, is much like the Snyder in its growth, but has more side branches, hence it has more than double the amount of fruiting wood, but it breaks very badly in covering. I also have other varieties but do not consider them worthy of notice here. MODE OF CULTIVATION. id I would prepare my ground by manuring heavily and thorough cultivation; then mark the rows eight feet apart. After the row has become established, or has been set two years, | would have the row one foot wide, and if I could would have a double row or have one bush to every six inches of space in the row; and thus the ‘plants will stand one foot apart. It is best to keep the suckers down if you want choice fruit, this is easily done with a horse and cultivator. We often hear of blackberry patches that blossom full but the fruit dries away. We have had no such trouble with our mode of culture. As soon as the young bushes get eighteen to twenty-four inches high pinch off the tops of the plants and pull out where they grow too thick; this should be kept up for one month at least, or until about the time the berries begin to ripen. PROTECTION. As we have plenty of bagasse at hand and are glad to get rid of it we takea wagon with hay-rack on, putting on a long neckyoke. Load our wagon and drive astride the row and the wagon will bend the bushes all one way. One man on the wagon forks the bagasse eff on the bushes; one man on the ground with a pitch- 132 ANNUAL REPORT. fork in hand sees that all the bushes are held down and covered. In this way two men witha team will cover about one acre in three days. In the absence of bagasse I should use straw in the same way; or even coarse manure will answer the same purpose. Some recommend cutting the roots on oue side of the bush, bending down and covering with dirt. Ihave tried this with very poor success, as the bush needs all the sap it can get to mature its fruit. Ileft one patch last winter of the Stone’s Hardy without covering, but did not get 4 pint of fruit where I should nave had a bushel had they been covered. ‘ REMOVING COVERING. As it is necessary to mulch your bushes all you have to do is, as soon as freezing weather is done, have two men with forks walk on each side of the row, removing the covering from the bushes; raise them up with the fork and place the covering under, or as nearly as you can get it; this keeps the weeds from growing among the bushes and also protects your fruit from being injured by drouth; the rest of the cultivating can be done with a horse. TIME OF RIPENING, ETC. We first went into blackberry culture with many doubts. Hence we only set three rows fifty rods long. From this patch we sold last year over one thousand quarts of very choice fruit at twenty cents per quart, and estimated over five hun- dred quarts on the bushes when the frost of September 1st harvested the balance. We have so much faith in blackberry culture that we have now three acres, and shall double that amount as soon as we can get the plants. I should have said our rows were not full, and we now have bushes enough on the three rows to double the yield of 1885. As to the time of ripening of the three kinds above described, I would say, thag we commenced picking Snyder August Ist; Stone’s Hardy August 10th; Ancien Briton August 20th. - September Ist, Snyder all gone; Stone’s Hardy had but few berries left; Ancient Briton had not yet reached their best. QUALITY OF FRUIT. We had many visitors and with but few exceptions the verdict was in favor of Stone’s Hardy. Any of these yarieties are good enough for me. A paper on Grape Culture, by Silas Wilson, President of the lowa State Horticultural Society, was then read by the Assistant Secre- tary. Following is the paper: GRAPE CULTURE. By Sas Witson, Atlantic, Iowa. Mr. President and Members of the. Minnesota State Horticultural Society: By the kind solicitation of your Secretary I have been induced to prepare a short essay on the grape. Grape vines are among the most variable plants. Even in their wild state, in climate, soil, shade, humidity, and, perhaps hybridization, have originated such a multiplicity and such an intermixture of forms, that it is often difficult to recognize STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 133 the original types and refer to the different forms to their proper alliances, only by carefully studying a large number of forms from all parts of the country, and after all this, we can only recognize the Labrusca and Reparia families of the grape as the only source from whence we get our valuable grapes. Ihave no faith in grapes of any other parentage, other than Labrusca and Reparia; although the Delaware is supposed to be a cross between Labrusca and Unifery. The Delaware has a poor leaf for the prairie States, but can be grown quite successfully in some locations in the Northwest by fertilizing and giving good cultivation, with winter protection. The cultivation of this delicious fruit is too much neglected in the Northwest. I hope soon to see a new era in grape growing on the great prairies of the North- west, and the best way for us to help bring that about is to quit buying such varicties as are usually grown East in hot houses from single buds, and forced to grow five or six feet in the space of two months, the Prentiss, August Giant and a host of that class of grapes, too numerous to mention. We should recommend and plant largely of Worden, Lady, Cottage, Moore’s Early and Janesville—and plant for trial the Empire State. This is in my judgment the most promising new white grape before the public; it is a seedling of Hartford Prolific, fertilized with Clinton; thus you can readily see that it isa representative of both these valuable families of the grape; it isa vigorous grower with broad thick leaves very much like that of the Clinton; while the wood resembles the wood of the Hartford, it is early. I have seen it when about as early as Moore’s Early, and the fruit is of high quality. I have great faith in grapes from this source. The Niagara grape, I am free to confess, is a surprise in many of the Eastern States, but I am afraid those that plant largely of it in the west will be surprised in the opposite direction from those of Western New York. Il recommend pruning, and laying down vines in the fall as soon as the wood is thoroughly matured. The Delaware can be improved by grafting it to such roots as Concord and Ive’s Seedling. I grafted last spring 75,000 Delaware cuts vn Ive’s Seedling roots with a good degree of success. The process is like that of the apple root grafts. I cut the Ives root in sections two inches long, and splice graft. The Delaware, cut seven or eight inches long and lap with a waxed thread same as with the apple root graft. DISCUSSION. Mr. Smith. To those not acquainted with Mr. Wilson, I would say that he has probably been as successful a grape grower as any- body in the country. He is president of the lowa State Horticultur- al Society, and he has made a grand success of grape culture down there in Iowa. . Mr. Harris. I like the list he has recommended very well. It is probably just such a list as can be safely planted by most of the people in the West. We discarded the Janesville, I think, at our last meeting; but I thought at the time, and still think, that we ought to give the Janesville a prominent place in the list of grapes for common cultivation by farmers. It is sure to produce a: good / ; ® 134 ANNUAL REPORT. crop where some of these other grapes that are later will not do anything; for instance, the Niagara grape, which is recommended by eastern men, we know nothing about it, and from what I have heard I have a very poor opinion of it. Both bunch and berry I am told are small, although the pictures we see of it are very fine. I understand-the color recommends it. I have only tried it once or twice. It may be a fine grape for the East. Mr. Tuttle. Mr. President, I don’t see any particular use in recommending the Janesville. I consider Moore’s Early a better grape. I have a Moore’s Early vine, standing in the open air, which came out better than the Concord. It is hardier than the Concord, or the Janesville, and I got fully as good a crop as from the Concord. It ripens its fruit more evenly than the Concord, and is about twenty days earlier with me. I consider it the most prom- ising grape to plant in any portion of the country where we have short seasons, where the Concord fails to ripen; I consider it the most promising grape of any that I know of. In quality and hardiness I have set it down as unexcelled by any other variety. Most of these new grapes that we saw advertised a few years ago at $2, or $3 a vine, can be bought now for ten cents apiece. Some have grown higher, showing that they have real merit in them. Moore’s Early is pretty well known now, and will be known still more generally. I touch new grapes very lightly. I spent $500 on new varieties that were very highly recommended. I would have done better if [ had thrown the money in the fire. Since that I fight shy of them. I have full faith in the Worden and Moore’s Early. Mr. Pearce. Mr. Wilson has struck a very important point in re- gard to eastern grown vines and those of the West. I am, in a business way, personally acquainted with Mr. Wilson; have been for a number of years, and I must say that his vines give the best satisfaction of any I have ever handled. They are all grown out doors, and prove more hardy and more prolific than the eastern vines. I have tried the eastern vines, and got very poor satisfaction. Although you may have to pay less for eastern vines, I say be very careful when you say they are cheap. A few cents on the vine is nothing as between poor and hardy vines. Now, in regard to the Niagaras, I hardly know what to say. But, when I see so many hundreds of acres of that vine planted and so many hundreds of men getting the amounts that they do from the vines, and the price STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. ~ 135 per pound they get in all the markets, and then find other men con- demning them, I hardly know where to place them. I would say this, however, that it is one of the most remarkable growers that we have. I have seen vines attain a growth of fourteen feet in one season. We had them on exhibition at our fair, some of those grapes from Lockport, New York. With the exception of two or three that were not quite ripe, they were pronounced first class; they were very large grapes, large bunches, and would be pro- nounced, I would say, excellent. I have been planting a few of them, and so far I am very well pleased with them. My vines are three years old; I have got them well shaped. I have also the Empire State. I am very favorably impressed with that variety. In the first place, it comes with the highest possible recommenda- tions. The best authorities pronounce it not only an excellent grape, but free from all disease, coming from pure parents; and so far as my observation goes, I think'the Empire State will probably be a success. Mr. Smith. Mr. Latham, you have raised the Lady grape; what do you think of it Mr. Latham. It is avery good grape; it is very early. I would recommend it planted with others. Mr. Stubbs. Mr. President, I have had a little experience with the Lady grape. I live on Lake Minnetonka. So far as I have observed, it is not very thrifty on sandy soil, I have noticed on clay soil it did better, yet it seemed to be a partial failure. The vine seems to be hardy enough; I must say it is extremely rugged, and perhaps as sweet a grape as I ever tasted. Some seasons I have taken fruit from it by the 20th of August, although generally with me it is ripe about the 25th of August. I think the Empire State has more merit than any of the new varieties, and is one that we should not overlook from the fact that it belongs to the Labrusca variety which is allied to the white grape. It is as strong in its powers of resistance to disease as our wild grapes. There is no question but what disease has already made its appearance among our favorites, and it is going to be a hard matter to protect them, as it was in the eastern states. In looking for new grapes, the first thing to look for is a healthy, hardy stock. I planted a number of vines of the Empire State last spring, and they did remarkably well. The grapes ripened as well as any I had in my vineyard. Take it all in all, it seems to me from its parentage, it is one of the most valu- able new grapes that has ever been brought out. 136 ANNUAL REPORT, ' Mr. Gould. These new grapes are being offered for sale with high recommendations and people are buying more or less of them, and so I think it proper to discuss the merits of them as far as we know them. What I rose to say in particular was this, that there seems to be a craze for new and high priced fruits. That is all right, to keep things moving; something will come out of it, but I advise everybody that hasn’t any money to throw away, to goa little slow. They come well recommended; they always do, if there is a good price. Now, I have been very cautious about expending money on new things; I tried it a little years ago, and I learned a lesson that has stuck by me so far. And notwithstanding this new grape, the | Empire State, comes with such high recommendations, (and I be- heve it stands the best show of anything at present) still I am not convinced that it is all right. I think it is well enough to discuss these things, as I said before, because people are buying them. There has been quite a large quantity of the Niagara grape sold at very large prices. Well, my impressions on first seeing that grape, were that it was a success. [saw some of them last winter in solu- tion, pickled, and I noticed that part of them were hung on the cluster, and part of them were in the jar. That aroused the suspi- cion that they had dropped from the bunch, and I have made some inquiries, and I have been told that they had that failing. That is avery great fault. Mr. Latham. I had an opportunity to try the Niagara grape several times this fall. Some of them I tasted were passable; many of them were distasteful according to my idea. If these samples of the Niagara were the best that could be produced, I am not favorably impressed with it. I think it must be two or three weeks later than the Concord. At the time these were picked they were in the con- dition when the pulp parted readily from the skin, but at the same time they were unripe. I have never had a chance to test them when fully ripe. Mr. Smith. I would like to inquire whether it is not considered later than the Concord. Mr. Latham. Those were gathered at the same time as the Con- cord [ should judge; they were shipping them at the same time that Concords were selling. But they certainly must be ten days later. Mr. Smith. In correspondence with parties in the East who are not growing them or selling them, but living where they have had good opportunities for judging, they have written me that it was STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIFTY. 137 fully a week later than the Concord on the same ground. Now, if that is a fact (I don’t say that it is, but that is what I have been in- formed,) I think it puts it out of our reach, as Mr. Gould says, entirely. Mr. Harris. If anyone wishes to plant the Niagara, they can get a circular by sending to Mr. Hubbard, of the Niagara Grape Co. He will send vines for sixty cents a piece if you take more than ten. It is well to get one of those circulars. Mr. Pearce. Are you correct about getting as few as ten at sixty cents apiece? Mr. Harris. Yes, sir, I can get asingle vine for sixty cents, and so can you. Mr. Pearce. I think there is an error somewhere. I had a letter from Mr. Hubbard stating that his wholesale price was sixty cents; he gives those that buy the privilege of selling at sixty cents, or for just what they please, provided they don’t sell for less than sixty cents, but you must take fifty or a hundred vines. Mr. Harris. No, I think you can get any quantity; tney don’t ask for any contract, only they will not sell them for less than sixty cents apiece. Mr. Sias. I have been urged to take the agency of the Niagara grape, but I have always refused for two reasons: first, because they are too late in ripening, and second, they are too high in price. Mr. Tuttle. I think, so far as the Niagara is concerned, it is generally condemned in the West. it is considered a very valuable grape in New York and Ohio. Mr. Hubbard sent me some specimens with the request that I would give it notice; I have refused to do it. I think we have superior grapes, and if we get something out of these new kinds that will prove valuable, I shall be glad of.it. Mr. Bost. The Janesville isn’t a vine that we ought to cultivate, on account of the poor quality of the fruit. From what I have observed of those planted in my neighborhood, I don’t think we should encour- age the propagation of it. Mr. Harris. It is not a very good grape for eating, but is for cook- ing purposes very early, and I think most people would prefer it for cooking to all others. I think it is quite desirable, where you are planting vines for your own use, to have afew of the Jane8ville. It is better for jellies and some other purposes than the sweeter varieties. Mr. Barrett. I don’t rise to engage in a discussion of this matter, but 1 hope that this body will define itself clearly on this subject. Perhaps you may not be aware of the fact that this organization has a 138 . ANNUAL REPORT. great influence among the rural people. I noticed last year they sought the daily papers, to get the reports that appeared of our meet- ings, with reference to this and that, and whatever this Society recom- mended the people were desirous of procuring. We are troubled in our region with irresponsible agents who go through the country and see the farmers, recommending this and that, and the farmers are looking to this Society to get its recommendation of what is best. I hope therefore, that it will define itself clearly as to certain varieties. Iam much interested in horticulture, although but a beginner. I just started a nursery in the vicinity of Traverse. My grounds are in Dakota, but I live at Brown’s Valley. I came here as a voluntary delegate to learn all that is possible, and my friends defer to me, in a measure, with reference to the news of your meeting that I am to bring to them. There is one thing that pleases me, and that is the tendency to con- servatism of this Society in recommending new and untried varieties of fruit. I make this suggestion that the Society define itself positive- ly in this matter, for the benefit of the rural class, that they may understand what to do. President Smith. That matter will be more fully reported upon by the special committees. On motion of Mr. Elliot the President then proceeded to read his annual address, which was received with applause, and on motion referred to a committee of three, appointed by the Society, consisting of Messrs. Wyman Elliot, J. S. Harris, and A. W. Sias, to report upon the same. PRESIDENT’S ANNUAL ADDRESS. Members of the Minnesota Stute Horticultural Society, Ladies and Gentlemen: It gives me much pleasure to meet you again. And my sincere desire is that you may each and all have a pleasant and profitable session, and that each one upon returning to their respective homes will feel that they have been amply repaid for time and expenses in attending this meeting. I will not consume much of your valuable time, knowing full well the addresses and discussions to follow will be much more interesting and instructive than anything I shall have to say. But I must ask your indulgence while I offera few suggestions, which I do in hopes they will bring out others that will add to our usefulness as a Society and to the ultimate benefit of horticulture in our entire State. And in so doing, I do not insist upon the adoption of any on2 of them, but hope that you in your wisdom and better judgment will adopt and carry out only those views or ideas that bring the greatest good to the greatest number. First, our finances need and require your careful attention, and should receive it STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 139 early in the session so that we can have ample time to attend to the matter. As most of you are aware, the decision of the attorney general] in regard to our reserve fund and the setting aside of money to meet the premiums offered by the executive committee of this Society, in accordance with resolutions and instructions of this Society, and as printed in our Report for A. D. 1884, pages 256 and 257, and which all thought were in strict compliance with the law meeting our appropriation. But the attorney general differed with us in regard to our rights under the law, con- sequently we must bow to the power in authority. But thanks to the kindness and courtesy of state auditor Braden, after the matter was fully explained to him, I think has so arranged matters that we can easily work our way out without further difficulty. The auditor informs me there is now standing to the credit of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society the sum of one hundred dollars on ap- propriation for 1885, and one thousand dollars on appropriation for 1886, and available when needed to pay premiums and necessary expenses of the Society. But, as I understand them, we must in order to draw this amount first use up our reserve fund drawn from the State, and now in hands of our treasurer. And in order to do this, it will require some action by this Society to authorize the execu- tive committee to so expend this fund. Then as I understand the matter, instead of having our reserve fund drawing interest in the hands of our treasurer, we will be obliged to keep the amount on band in the office of State Treasurer without interest, the auditor having consented to carry the amount over to our credit instead of carrying it back into the treasury as unexpended balance, as is customary in such cases, and in that case we would only lose the interest now received on our reserve fund. I believe the affairs.and finances of our Society have been prudently and as economically managed in the past year, as the welfare of the Society would permit. Our last legislature failing to pass the appropriation to enable us to make a display and be represented officially at the last meeting of the American Pomological Soci- ety, held at Grand Rapids, Michigan, in September last, left us without representa- tion in that honorable and useful body, with the exception of Hon. Peter M. Gideon, of the State Experimental Farm at Minnetonka, who, I understand, attended and from whom I hope to hear a report of their proceedings; and I hope at ,the next meeting of said society that we may be able to make a general display and gain some fine prizes for Minnesota and our Society. I would recommend the election, at this meeting of a legislative committee of five of our best and most influential mem- bers to attend to such legislation as may come up in our next legislature for the benefit of this Society, among which should be the provision for a State Entomolo- gist and the erection at State fair grounds of suitable buildings for the purposes of exhibition of all horticultural products. Now if the State Board of Agriculture wishes and expects the Minnesota State Horticultural Society and its memopers to take an active part and help to make the State Fair the success it should and could be made, inasmuch as they receive all the gate money and State appropriation for premiums, they should be requested to and should set apart for the use and bene- fit of our Society, to be under the entire and exclusive control of the executive committee of this Society, a sufficient sum to enable them to offer liberal premiums. on all horticultural products,and they should have them and the making of premium lists and awarding of premiums thereon under their exclusive charge; and such 140 ANNUAL REPORT. premium lists should be made out in time to be printed in our reports as early in the season as possible, so that all could see what premiums they could compete for. I think the executive committee, composed of horticulturists, would be more capable of getting up a premium list suited to our wants, and one that would bring out a larger and better exhibit for the same amount of money, than by the course now adopted by the Board of Agriculture, and one that would give much better satis- faction to all concerned. In order to make our exhibits and Society a success, the premiums should be offered principally on single plates of fruit and single speci- mens of plants, or for best three or six plants of a kind, for best peck, one-half peck or dozen or one-half dozen of vegetables, and first, second, third and fourth premi- ums offered on all leading desirable varieties, and then a reasonable amount on a Tew sweepstake premiums. In offering on single plates and specimens instead of largest display, you will give all an equal chance to compete for all premiums, and in that way I think, bring out the choicest specimens from all our growers, and get up a display of real merit and worthy of the premiums offered. When the premi- ums are for best or largest display there is only a few of the largest growers, or those who can obtain from others what they lack to make up an assortment, that will exhibit at all, and is it not much better to have one thousand exhibitors with One or two specimens of choice fruit or plants, than to have only two or three exhi- bitors with a large display, many of which are only put in to make outa collection of a large nnmber of varieties, and are worthless to grow for any other purpose. I would also recommend a list of premiums for young ladies and gentlemen under eighteen years of age, or men that age, to induce them to make exhibits and be- come interested and active members of our Society. Again, instead of offering agricultural papers for all second, third and fourth premiums, amounting to one dollar or less, I would offer one year’s membership to our Society and a copy of our reports. Hoping thereby to introduce them into every school district in our entire State. Believing, as { do, that the Minnesota State Horticultural Society was organ- ized for the benefit of the people of the State of Minnesota, and not for private purposes of any kind, whether in the interest of nurserymen, old settlers, or a mutual admiration society. You will pardon me I hope for the views herein ad- vanced. When I look around and see the same old faces for so many years, and see them slowly passing away to other, aad I hope better fields of labor, and their places supplied only by others of about the same age, I don’t wonder at the question being asked, if ours is not an old settlers association? Then, again, when I _ hear discussed by the hour the Duchess, Wealthy, or Transcendent crab year after — year. that someone should ask if some nurseryman has not an ax to grind, or are we not talking to see which can make the best speech, or for mutual admiration. I for one feel that there are other vital and important interests in horticulture, floriculture and arboriculture that demand, and should receive, at least, a share of your attention. The cultivation of vegetables and the varieties suited to our soil and climate has been almost wholly ignored by this Society, while there are more than twenty engaged in growing vegetables and small fruits, where there is one in growing apples to any extent; and there is received and marketed in this State, at least, fifty dollars worth of vegetables and small fruits where there is one dollar’s worth of apples; and still our State has this season imported many thousands of —————— STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 141 dollars worth of vegetables, to say nothing of small fruits that could and should have been raised in our State, and the money saved to our own citizens, instead of going to other States. One town in Michigan boasts of having shipped 20,000 tons of celery, much of which has found a market in St. Paul and Minneapolis and other Minnesota towns, and this, together with car loads after car loads of other vegetables have come to Minnesota for a market that could have been grown here of better quality, and at a large profit. Now, would it not be well to get the vege- table gardeners to come in and take an interest in our Society and discuss the best varieties, mode and manner of cultivation. Again, if we would get the ladies to take a part and interest themselves in our Society, (and who is there that does not want them here) should we not take more time for discussion of different house plants, flowers and shrubbery, and the best varieties and mode of cultivating them? Now, in regard to our Summer Meeting, instead of having a two days’ meeting and exhibition, I will propose that the Society form itself into a committee of the whole and pay a visit to the State University Experimental Farm, and there take our baskets of lunch and spend the day, some time in the month of June agréed upon by the executive committee and Prof. Porter, and in this way learn more in one day than we could discussing here for a month, and all take notes of what he or she sees new or of interest, and then when we come to compare ideas at our winter meeting will have something for a common standpoint, from which to judge of different varieties and modes of cultivation, and a chance to see and learn more of new and improved varieties and modes of cultivation than in any other way, — and at the same time see and know whut is going on here in our midst for our special benefit. I have thrown out these suggestions, but wish it distinctly understood that I do not insist upon the adoption of even one of them, but offer them in the hope that they may suggest to the minds of the members of this Society the importance of adopting some measures to interest and draw into our Society the young and rising generation, so that they may become active and honorable members thereof. And that the Minnesota State Horticultural Society in its usefulness may survive long after its present members have gone to their last resting place. And that we may have done something in our day to put the Society in a prosperous and progressive position, will ever be the wish and prayer of your humble servant Thanking you each and all for the kindness and good feeling shown me, I herewith return my thanks for the honors conferred upon me, and will bespeak for my successor your best aid in carrying on the good work already begun, and may it go on without interruption until every town in this State shall have its orchard, fruit, vegetable and flower gardens, and its yards filled with evergreens and shrubbery, and its sides fenced with shade and ornamental trees, and each school house in our State its play grounds well laid out and beautifully supplied with shade and ornamental trees, shrubs and flowers and the requirements of horticulture and plant growth taught in every schoolin our land. To this end let us each and all work with a will and harmoniously, and that each individual member will forget and forgive each and all their differences of interest and opinion that naturally and frequently occur in Soci- eties of this kind, and always remember, to freely accord to others the honesty and freedom of opinion that they expect to exact for themselves. 142 ANNUAL REPORT. The next on the program was the following paper: CROSS-BREEDING OF PLANTS. By Gro. P. PEFFER, Pewaukee, Wis. Plant breeding has reference to crossing, or producing new varieties from seed, or originating new varieties of any species from flowering plants, or tree-fruits of any kind. New varieties are constantly and naturally produced by pollenizing our domestic fruits. This result may be secured when several sorts of the same species are in bloom at the same time. We cannot depend upon seeds saved promiscously to propagate a certain variety and obtain the same result secured by grafting. But if we understood how to con- trol a variety, or species, and the proper manner of assisting nature by hand work, (if only on a limited scale) we may produce a better fruit in respect to quality, size, color or keeping merits, or all of these characteristics combined; also, at the same time promote hardiness and productiveness. It is necessary to understand the characteristics of fruit blossoms in order to dis- tinguish between those which are stamen and those which are pistil varieties. Both forms are found usually in the same flower, especially on fruit trees. It is necessary to cut out the stamens from the flower to be used for the female plant before the large leaves spread open. The flower should then be confined within a paper bag, or other proper covering, until other flowers, having stamens, and which have not been disturbed, are ready to burst into full bloom, when one of these should be placed in the bag, leaving but two flowers in the same bag. If it is desired that the new variety to be obtained shall combine hardiness and thriftiness of tree, the female (or the flower from which the stamens have been removed), must be the hardier of the two trees from which the flowers are taken. If good shape or form of fruit is desired (the color will not differ greatly), the one used for the male must be taken from a tree having the qualities desired; the same may be said as to season of ripening, quality of fruit, flavor and productiveness. As soon as the air is warm enough to open the petals, or flower leaves, the pollenizing is accomplished. By labeling the limb or spur by the name of the staminate or male variety used, there will be no room for mistake in keeping the proper record of the experiments made. By saving seeds from fruits pollenized in the manner described and planting them, the product when fruiting will not vary materially from the two varieties used to originate the new variety. In order to perpetuate a variety which is sometimes desirable, in order to secure hardiness of tree and preserve the identity of the species, isolation is necessary in order that the pollen from other flowers may not supply the pistils. As soon as the flowers are ready to open, in order to keep them fresh until the pollen around them is scattered, enclose a few bunches in a paper bag, allowing them to open within the bag. Keep them confined until the tlowers are fully developed before removing the covering. In this way the variety may be perpetuated by preserving the seed from trees treated in the manner indicated. Had this system of perpetuating hardy varieties been extensively practiced since these Northwestern states were first settled, and varieties propagated from, which STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 143 had proven specially hardy in certain localities, we would not now be required to send to Russia to obtain hardy varieties. And it is my opinion that we will have to resort to this practice yet if we want to raise fruit of good quality. Much credit is due to Prof. J. L. Budd for his efforts in introducing the new Russian varieties of the different fruits; for the accounts of his visits to the fruit growing districts of Northern Europe, (in company with my friend from Canada, Mr. Chas. Gibb); for his description of the varieties of fruits found, the character of the climate, the distances between certain varieties, where found, etc. From the descriptions he has given I take it for granted that the countries visited were older than ours. From these investigations and from personal examination of the Russian varieties with which I am familiar, that have been propagated here, I con- clude that all of these more valuable Russian varieties were produced from seeds; that the best varieties are from natural crosses; that the progress made thus far is due in part to gradual acclimation, and advancement to more northern dis- tricts. It should be observed that very few varieties of special valuc were found in large districts of country; that the farther north we go the fewer are the varieties found having any merit. It is true Prof. Budd refers to latitudes and situations much colder than ours. Many of the varieties found in such localities will no doubt prove to be hardy enough in our climate: In fact many sorts have already proven ito be so, since they came through all right the last test winter. We have personally tested some thirty-nine varieties of Russians which were fruited in Wisconsin, also made outlines of some of the best, noted the time when ripe, quality, etc., etc.; but we failed, however, to find a single variety in the list that was equal in quality to the Wealthy, except, perhaps, the Longtield. lt may be as good an apple but is not as long a keeper, and in my estimation is no hardier, grown side by side with the Wealthy, as I have seen both varieties badly damaged. There is no doubt that many of the new Russian varieties will prove a blessing where other varieties can not be grown successfully, or where nothing but the Siberian crabs can be grown. But there is a limit to all things, and many who are trying to grow these varieties will be disappointed. Prof. Budd undertakes to predict that wherever melons and Indian corn can be grown successfully, becoming fully ripe, either east or west, that most of the hardier Russian varieties can be grown; not only of the apple, but also of the pear, cherry and plum. In his estimation they are all the time improving, especially those varieties which originated in that part of the country where dent corn and melons have ripened. Iam in hopes the Professor is right; it certainly would save much time. But if he is not, then the surest and best way to proceed would be by the production of new seedling varieties. It has been demonstrated very conclusively to my mind that nearly all the Russian warieties are crosses originated in localities where varieties have been kept separate by local causes, which is, no doubt, the occasion of the distinctions which exist between many of these varieties. It also appears that all the improvements made have been from natural pollenization and by reproduction from the seed. . It has required the process of many years of continuous cultivation and propaga- tion to produce such fruits as they now possess and enjoy. The Russian people 144 ANNUAL REPORT. deem them to be excellent varieties; so also would we if we had never tasted any- thing better. By means of cross-breeding we can improve even the best known varieties of our fruits. To accomplish this result it is only necessary to use our best sorts for the male parent.* : DISCUSSION. Mr. Smith. Mr. Peffer takes the ground that the quality of Russian fruits is of a much lower standard than of our best American seed- lings, and that while we may perhaps gain something by the general production and planting of Russian fruits, the apples of the future for the Northwest must be produced from American seedlings, and not from the propagation of these Russian varieties. Mr. Harris. I would like to hear from Mr. Sias on that question. Mr. Sias. My opinion is that we have no better fruits and better quality of apples in the State than we find among those same Russian varieties. You may take, for instance, the White Transparent; I don’t know whether I have ever fruited anything that surpasses that in quality; the Russian Green is hard to beat. I have several other varieties of very fine quality. I have not seen any native seedling varieties that surpass them; there may be some in the Northwest somewhere, but if so, I have not seen them. Mr. Tuttle. It is a little singular that Mr. Peffer should take that position at this late day. There was a time when that was the general ery. I don’t know where, and I would like to be informed where the American seedlings are that have been originated in the Northwest that would compare in quality with those of the Russians. We have to fill the place of all those old varieties that we have heretofore been depending upon. And we have Russian apples to fill their place, as market apples, as to quality and as to productiveness. I defy any man to take the same number of American seedlings and compare with the Russians in these respects. If anything, I should say that the Russian apples are the better apples; they are better in quality. We have a large number of those apples of different qualities; for instance, there is the White Transparent, an early apple. That has been fruited more generally and is better known, both east and west, and it stands to-day ahead of any early apple grown east or west. I would like Mr. Peffer to mention an apple that would compare with *Mr. Peffer states in a private note that he has only briefly referred to cross-fertilization in this paper, since the process is more minutely described in some of the earlier volumes of the transactions - of the Society. —SECRETARY. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 145 tle Transparent. It isequal to the Early Harvest; it is larger, finer, and always perfect in form and handsomer in appearance, and is con- sidered by eastern consumers as being ahead of any apple in the east. Consumers in New Jersey place it ahead of any apple in the east. Then coming after the Transparent we have other apples, which take the place of the Early Joe and Strawberry apple; the Green Streaked apple, a large apple of the Alexander type and better in quality. I might go through the whole list. There is the White Russet; that will take the place of our old variety. It is an apple that for bearing and beauty, and in the market will fully take the place of the other. I can go through the list, and mention apples which will take the place of those that have failed. It is too late in the day for a man to come out and talk about there being no Russian apples of good quality, or that there are no Russian apples that will keep. We always con- sidered Mr. Peffer’s opinion as of a good deal of value, andI ama little surprised that he should take that stand. I have exhibited to Mr. Peffer some of my Russian apples, knowing that he had been opposed to the Russians; I wanted him to see and examine for him- self. He made that examination and expressed himself as believing | that the Russian apples were the apples of the future. I trust I have no interest in this matter, beyond the interest of this great Northwest; of course we are growing them. I have been to work at those apples for the last fifteen or twenty years. I have believed (after I heard what there was in Russia, 500 miles beyond Moscow, in a climate more rigorous than Dakota, where they have the most extensive orchards in the world) that from there was to come our fruits for the whole Northwest. We have for forty years been trying to propagate seedlings, and what have we got. We hayn’t produced a seedling that will compare with the Duchess of Oldenburg. And we may go on, and we will go on for years, and after going on for 500 years, I doubt if we will get where Russia stands now. They have a class of fruit such as we cannot grow of American varieties; they have the apple, the pear and the cherry. AndI have no doubt that when we have introduced their hardy fruits, that Minnesota will become as good an apple growing State as Michigan or Ohio. Mr. Sias. In regard to the Transparents. I came to Minnesota from Western New York. I believe that is considered a good fruit growing country. I think the Early Harvest was considered one of best early varieties they had. And yet they are very much surpassed by some four or five varieties of these so-called Transparents. I can- 10 \ 146 ANNUAL REPORT. not see why they are not equal to any of our American apples. Iagree fully with Mr. Tuttle in that respect. I know of nothing’ better. I think they are sufficiently hardy for my location. I have fruited the Red Transparents and the Green. I have never fruited the Yellow which he has spoken of particularly, but it is cultivated in other places and I have seen them. [I know it is one of the best. But there isn’t very much difference between that and several other members of the family. The earliest apple that I have raised is the Early Champion. It is a very fine apple too. It is not quite as good in quality as the Red and Green Transparents. Mr. Smith. Peffer says that he tested thirty-nine varieties of Bie. sian apples as to length of time in ripening, quality, hardness, ce oe : none came up to the Wealthy except the Longfield. Mr. Tuttle. [ think Mr. Peffer is mistaken. The Wealthy is the only American apple that we are propagating. We have found among the Russians varieties that are hardier. The Longfield is hardier than the Wealthy. I hada tree that bore an enormous crop a year ago last fall; I am confident if it had been a Wealthy tree it would have been dead in the spring, but that tree is now in good fair condition. Mr. Cutler. J have understood that the Yellow Transparent was not a sale tree to plant beyond a certain limit. I would like to inquire if any of our nurserymen living in this vicinity have tried it? Mr. Pearce. Mr, President, perm:t me to say a few words on this subject. They seem to be a little hard on our friend Peffer. A few years ago Thomas Moulton, introduced a good many of the Russian trees of many of the varieties prominently known, such as the Trans- parent; there were, I believe, thousands of those trees sold in this vicinity. Gentlemen, I wiil give you $5 for every one of those trees that you can find alive to-day. They grew and bore fruit, but thereis not one of those trees he sold here but what is dead. It has proved that they don’t begin with the Wealthy in thissection of the country. We have tried them twelve or fourteen years ago. Now, there is the Transparent, probably it is as hardy as any; it appears to be hardy. But the fact is, these trees are not where they belong; they belong further north than here—entirely so. ‘These trees live through the winter, the warm weather comes on, the buds‘ appear, and after that they die. It is not because they are not hardy; they are as hardy as any tree, but it is something else. They are out of their latitude; they belong further north. You put them on high hills and knolls and they do reasonably well. Take the Transparents every last STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 147 one of them—large trees that were eight or nine years old—have died. Now, this is a fact that is well known among fruit men in this section » of country. Mr. Tuttle. Were those Transparents that died? Mr. Pearce. No, but they have failed. . Mr. Sias. I have not had very much experience with the Yellow Transparent. I have some of the White which I set out a year ago last fall; the White seems to be very nearly the -same thing as the Yellow. They are all alive to-day. Of course, that isn’t time enough to test it. But last winter we considered the hardest winter we have seen since we have been in the country, and we must conclude that they are tolerably hardy; right opposite them we had the Wealthy, and nearly all of them were killed. Mr. Pearce. Mr. Sias has high ground, and very well adapted for those Russian trees. Now, you can take certain localities for the Transparent and it is all right, but you must select a locality that is not subject to those sndden changes that do the damage. Mr. Tuttle. I would say that I don’t consider the Transparent as hardy as a good many other kinds, but it has stood a good deal better with me than the Wealthy, and it is hardy enough, I think, for our State. Andso far as my orchard trees were concerned or nursery trees ] never saw anything that showed tenderness. I had several hundred Russian trees in the nursery, and several hundred in the ‘orchard last winter, and every one came through in good condition. I have had no reason to doubt their perfect hardiness. I have not the least doubt but that they will compare with anything we have been in the habit of growing, take them as a class. Mr. Latham. [I visited the orchard of Mr. Gould a year ago last summer; I found quite a number of trees broken down more or less, and on those there was scarcely any fruit. I asked Mr. Gould what was the cause of that; he said those were nice apples and the boys came out there from the city and broke down the trees in getting the apples. I judged they were not in the best conditicn to show the merits of fruit. The varieties of the Russian that I have seen, on my own place and elsewhere, have done well, and some that I have are hardier than the Wealthy. I will not say as much for their quality. I examined an orchard with Mr. Gould when Early Harvest apples were ripe, and we made a thorough search through that orchard; we didn’t just run through it. I think we went to every tree. The man that lived on the place went with us, and I think he took us to 148 ANNUAL REPORT. every tree that had been grafted or borne apples of a Russian variety, and quite a number of those trees were in bearing, and some of them had been broken down or limbs broken off, I think on the Transpar- ents mostly. Some of the limbs were quite large when they were grafted, and they broke off easily. We found quite a number of them in bearing but the most of them were poor in quality. We found one | or more that were nice, smooth apples, of fine flavor, and one tree that the man pointed out that had been bearing, he couldn’t remember the name, but those he said the boys had destroyed. I think there was only one branch left, and we could see where the others were broken down. Mr. Stubbs. Iam quite interested in this subject of Russian fruits. I would like to know if there is a history of the pomology of Russia, that is of how they started their fruits in that cold country. Did they have to battle with the elements, or import their stock from Asia? I claim, if they could fight the elements of nature for a hundred years and produce such wonderful fruit, as has been admitted they do, where it is certainly colder than it is here, I see no reason why we should be discouraged because we have not achieved full success in thirty or forty years. Perhaps they worked for one hundred years. I believe, gen- tlemen, that our fruits which we will get here in the future will come from our seedlings, and J still sincerely hope that these seedlings will abundantly repay those gentleman who have worked so assidiously and untiringly in the propagation of American seedlings. I would like to know the history of fruits in Russia, how they brought them up to the standard of their present excellence. Mr. Somerville. Mr. President, I have been trying to raise a few Russian apples for a number of years. I got trees of Mr. Sias of Rochester. I set them out, and [ will say that I have had more fruit from those trees than I have ever had from all the seedlings from that time to the present, and I have tried almost everything that I supposed was hardy. I think it would be useless for us to wait at this time to raise seedlings when we have got Russian varieties that are adapted to our soil and climate. I set out an orchard some fourteen years ago of about eight hundred trees. I selected the best seedlings to be found in the country, the best that I could hear of, the Wealthy along with the rest. I also now have about forty-seven Russian varieties. I am not a nurseryman, and will not undertake to tell the names of those Rus- sian varieties. Last winter killed pretty near the last of the trees in my orchard, except my Russians. Of them I think I haven’t one that ee ee STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 149 was injured. I think I have something over twenty varieties in bear- ing, and there are some there that are excellent fruit, and there are others of them again that are far from being valuable. The majority of them I consider good keeping and good cooking apples. I think the only way we can succeed at fruit raising is to get these Russian varieties and make selections, and thus take advantage of their five- hundred years’ experience, and by doing that we will get our fruit right away, at the start. That is my opinion. Now, of my Wealthy, which we consider stands at the head of our seedlings, everything was killed or injured. And so [ think we can get the fruit quicker through the Russian varieties than we can in our own seedling system. Mr. Sias. I am aware, as Mr. Peffer says, that the Russians have the reputation of being poor in quality, and it just occurred to me what the reason might be. There is always a reason of course, for everything. Among the earlier varieties sent me out of the Moulton orchard was a Russian. Those apples commenced bearing very early, and there has probably been more of those raised in this State than in allthe rest together, perhaps. They are of a very poor quality of fruit, they are coarse grained, bitter fruit, and I can’t think of any better reason than that for the reputation that Russian apples have got for quality. Mr. Harris. When our pioneers came to Minnesota, they first had _to content themselves with a hole in a clay bank or a log cabin, but afterwards they came to live in palaces, and we now experience none of the hardships of the early settlers. And so, it would be unwise in us to neglect such a great boon that is coming to us in the Russian fruits. We are told that they were more than five hundred years in getting the apple up from China before they would produce fruit in Russia. I believe that our seedlings can be brought up _ I believe that replanting and continued replanting will produce that hardiness which the Russian apples have attained at home, and bring them up to the standard which we desire to reach; if we understood the physi- ology of vegetables and fruits, perfectly, that we could raise our own seedlings to the standard that the Russians have in theirs. I don’t expect that these Russians that are being brought here, or any large portion of them, -will prove what the American taste will demand. I have no doubt that the majority of them will prove hardy and thrifty, when they are planted in the right place. There are some varieties ‘that may stand upon the most arid and cold points; there are probably - other varieties that would not stand that rigorous treatment, but 5 ’ yar Ye 150 ANNUAL REPORT. - " . would come to perfection in the valleys and prove to be our choisest apples; and there are others the taste of which is so bitter that we couldn’t hardly get our pigs to eat them. Perhaps those will grow upon the most arid of our hills. It would be useless to raise great quantities of these Russian apples that are almost worthless, but I have a good opinion of some of them. I believe we ought to ayail ourselves of these Russian fruits, but ought to move a little slow, and when we purchase, instead of buying at Rochester, N. Y., and trom Ohio nurseries claiming to have the new varieties, that we should try to get them from nurserymen that we know have them. Mr. Wilson, of lowa, hassome; Mr. Gibb broughtsome into Canada. Weknow Mr. Tuttle has them. But we don’t know that we get a ‘‘Siberian crab”’ from the nurseries of southern [llinois and Ohio. Their agents are bringing up to Minnesota trees that they tell us are ‘‘new Russians,”’ “‘the best thing ever was,” and are selling them at a dollar apiece, when they probably bought them at home for ten cents apiece. I hope the farmers will try and get some of the very best of these Russians, and that they will, when they have planted them and grown fruit, raise seedlings from these, and from these seedlings take the best and raise seedlings again, and if we continue doing that we will turn the Russians into full-biooded Minnesotians. We will adopt their fruits as we have their citizens, (for there is none of us but what have come from a foreign race) and in that way I am confident that we shall pro- duce the best fruit that can be grown. We have the elements in our’ soil and atmosphere to perfect the fruit; we will take their hardiness in the tree and we can get the American flavor into it in time. Mr. Tuttle. I wish to say just a single word. It seems that there is a sort of a universal sentiment, but a wrong one, that the Russian apples are all poor. I can mention varieties among them that will rank with our best American apples. Take the Anisettes, the Fameuse, the Golden White and others; they are good in quality. I never ex- pected at first that we could get half a dozen, or as marty as ten va- ~ rieties that would fill the bill, but we have got them. I don’t claim that all these Russian apples are of first quality, but I do claim, that take them together, they are of good quality. The following paper was then read: STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 151 THE “BLEEDING” OF APPLE TREES. By T. H. Hosxuss, M. D., Newport, Vt. A recent writer says he has trimmed apple trees every month in the year, and has come to the conclusion that from May 25th to June 25th is the best time, because a wound made in the full flow of the sap will begin to heal immediately. He adds that March and April are the two poorest months to prune, because there will be a liquid ‘‘forming”’ (query, flowing?) out of the wound, which will kill the bark underneath the limb. Another writer insists that March is the best of all months to prune, because the sap is not then in motion, and the wound will dry before the sap starts, and that then the process of healing will go on most favorably, while anything but very light pruning in June will greatly weaken and sometimes kill the trees. Still another writer says, shortly and emphatically, ‘‘Prune when your knife is sharp,”’ without regard to season. All these writers are orchardists of experi- ence. Is there, then, no proper time to prune, or no way of intelligently reconcil- ing the seemingly contradictory views of these practical men? WHY APPLE TREES BLEED. — A widening accumulation of facts does, in all disputed questions, tend towards the reconcilation of conflicting opinions. In the thirteen years that I lived in Ken- tucky I never saw an apple tree ‘“‘bleed,” that is to say, 1 never saw a flow of disorganized and blackening sap from the stump of a severed limb. In the first years of my orchardiug in Northern Vermont, this so called bleeding exhibited itself in nearly every case where a limb of any size was removed, no matter at what season the operation was performed. It was the most discouraging of my experi- entes at that time, and I could not understand it, or find a remedy for it. About fifteen years ago, at a session of our State Board cf Agriculture in the Champlain Valley, where this question of pruning and subsequent bleeding was discussed by many orchardists of that orchard country, one of the speakers dropped the casual remark that he had never known an apple tree that was not ‘‘black- hearted’? to bleed, no matter at what season it was pruned. That thought was much more fruitful to me than my orchard had been up to that time, for all my trees were black-hearted, except the Siberians and Russians, which I at once re- membered never bled, no matter when they were pruned. Anéc at the same time I remembered that apple trees are never black-hearted in Kentucky. THE CAUSE OF BLACK-HEARTEDNESS. The state of black-heartedness in the apple tree is unquestionably the result of excessive winter’s cold. In New England a large proportion of the most popular apples are grown upon trees that are more or less black hearted. The Baldwin is always black-hearted in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, and frequently so in the three southern New England States. Along its northern limit it can only be grown when top-grafted on some hardier stock. With me a Baldwin tree or graft has never lived long enough to bear an apple. Now; if it be true that only black-hearted trees bleed, then the experience of orchardists must vary according to whether they are growing more tender or more hardy sorts. When | began, though | planted the hardiest known of New England 152 ANNUAL REPORT. sorts, yet almost all my trees became black-hearted in a few years. Now that near- ly all of that class of trees have been up-rooted from my orchard, and re-placed by the ‘‘iron-clads,’’ I see almost no bleeding, and when I do see it [ know the cause. I do grow a few sorts that suffer some inthis way, (such as Fameuse,) because of the excellence of their fruit. The Fameuse is with me as hardy as the Baldwin in the upper Champlain Valley, and though the trees are short lived in both cases, they are planted because of the merits of the fruit. WHEN TO PRUNE. In my experience it makes no difference at what season a black-hearted tree is pruned, as regards the subsequnt flow of disorganized sap, provided the limb sev- ered is so large that the stump will not quite or nearly heal over in one season. This flow takes place during the whole growing season, and injures (often kills) the bark over which it runs. branches off that are not more than a quarter of an inch in diameter. Large branches are better taken off some other season of the year. I have done it as late as October, and I have seen no bad effects from trimming at that time. 1 never saw a black-hearted tree but what would bleed. About cutting the cions; I know that Mr. Pearce’s ex- perience has been that of others. have had them rot when others would not, put up in the same box, in the same condition; they will rot a piece from the end. Why it is or what, I cannot tell. Mr. Smith. If you cut them when they are frozen they will rot some distance; usually, I think, from one-sixteenth to half an inch. Mr. Pearce. There are facts with reference to trees rotting or drying up that are well known to old settlers. I lived in a country where. they sometimes wanted to clear ten or twelve acres of timber in a season, where we used to rot it and burnit. Ifthey wanted to saw the timber they took a certain time in the summer to girdle and cutit. If they wanted a tree to rot right out they always girdled in the winter. If girdled in the summer time the tree will always dry up, and it will stand there for years; you may cut them down a year afterwards and saw them up; but the same trees if girdled when there is no sap in them will tumble down in three years. There is that difference in the condition of trees growing and when they are not growing, and there is something about it that we don’t exactly understand. Mr. Smith. Mr. Pearce, haven’t you made a mistake and just reversed the thing? If you girdle your elms and basswoods in the win- ter, any time from December to March, the stump will throw up ~ suckers. Timber cut in June isn’t supposed to be valuable for any — purpose. I guess you have just reversed your theory. Mr. Tuttle. I have seen that done in white oak. White oak cut in February will rot, but I noticed the same kind of timber that was cut in August two years ago, and a short time since I saw that the leaves were still hanging to the branches and twigs, and the timber did not rot at all. Mr. Cutler. I think Mr. Pearce is correct. The tree cut in August has an immense absorbing surface; there is not a large amount of sap coming from the roots at that time, and when the tree is girdled what is left in the tree is very speedily absorbed, and the tree is much more rapidly dried. [f cut in the winter, the reverse is true; the sap is in en e's ‘ STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 155 the tree, it has to dry out through the bark; and the wood will rot before it will dry. There is no doubt but that trees cut during the month of August wil! make much more durable euete than if cut at any other time in the year. Mr. Whipple. We are at the cooper business, and I know from experience in that that there is only one month in the twelve when it is safe to cut hickory whip-poles and have them last when they are put on the barrel, and that is in the dead of winter. Then they never powder-post. Mr. Pearce. I think that is explained by the fact that in the dead of winter there is no sugar in the trees. When the sap starts it forms a starch or sugar, and the worm works in the wood for that. There is a time in the winter when this starch or sap is chrystalized, and there is no sugar about it. Mr. Sias. Several years ago I saw, about a hundred apples trees girdled, I think some time in June; there were trees probably six to 3 eight inches in diameter, and a foot or more of bark was stripped off clear around. It was done to make them bear early. They were Baldwins and they usually bear very late. I saw the orchard some years afterwards and I noticed that it dwarfed the trees, but they came into bearing several years sooner. I was talking with the proprietor of the orchard about it and he seemed to think it paid, Mr. Pearce. There is a time about the 20th of June, when if you strip the bark clean off, from the ground up, in twenty-four hours there will be an entirely new bark. At that time the sap is just like glue. It is perfectly safe and is frequently practised in Ohio. Mr. Sias. I don’t know as that is dangerous, but my impression is that it would kill my trees. My grounds are high and my trees require a moist atmosphere. Here it is so much drier that I believe girdling would kill the tree. Mr. Cutler. I would move as the sense of this Society that the best and safest time to prune is before the sap starts in the spring, after the cold weather of winter is past. Mr. Kellogg. I would suggest that there is quite a different opinion as to when the sap starts. Pruning, I think, should be done pretty early in the spring; it is better not to let it be too late; the sap starts before the frost is out. The motion was adopted. Mr. Gaylord said he wished to find out in some way the youngest man in the house, as he had a curiosity to know how many young men were interested in horticulture. > — 156 ANNUAL REPORT. Mr. H. F. Latham arose and stated that he was twenty-six. Mr. Cutler said there would be quite a number of younger members present the last day or two of the session. The meeting then adjourned until Wednesday morning, at nine o’clock. MORNING SESSION. SEconD Day, WEDNESDAY, JAN. 20, 1886. The meeting was called to order Wednesday morning at nine o’clock by President Smith. COMMUNICATIONS. The following letter from Vice President Dartt was read and ordered placed on file for publication : “OWATONNA, Mixy., Jan. 11, 1886. Dear Sir: Your letter of recent date and premium list received. You may be sorry to learn that Iam down flat with what is or seems about equal to a broken leg. I knocked my stiff knee joint loose last Tuesday. I think it is doing well but it is an unpleasant thing to get along with, and I write with the reserved right to be cross, as usual. You say you want a program more than full and a report equal (in size I suppose) to Iowa. A very full program means much hurry and poor work, nothing well done. A big book filled largely by professors and writers on grapes and such, will make the common reader imitate a certain old hen. She was walking in green pastures; she spied something that looked quite inviting; it was round, rather plump, and though it had a greenish cast it looked to her good enough to eat; she tackled it, scratched much, picked very little, finally with a very dissatisfied air went her way. Better have a small, good book that will be thoroughly read than a big one to be scratched over. I am much surprised that your premium list puts the best winter apple on a level with one-half peck turnips and leaves Hybrids and crab apples entirely out. I have saved some of my Hybrids till now, expecting to exhibit if they kept long enough. I don’t suppose anyone would object to their being shown, but few are found who like to exhibit their goods or themselves when they know beforehand they are not appreciated. You may say to the old members that it would afford me a great pleasure to meet them but Iam unable, and as I have not reformed, [ congratulate them on being rid of me without paying my expenses to Iowa. Next year they can be on the look out. Inclosed find membership fee $1 00. I am under great obligations to you for your kindness and consideration. Hope you will pardon me for my old hen foolishness, STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 157 for cripples and fools have a right to fraternize or change from one to the other and claim immunities that do not belong to others. I send a short piece on ‘‘Preparing the Orchard for Winter” which you may smuggle into your book if needed to fill up. Yours Very Truly, E. H. 8. Darrt.’’ PREPARING THE ORCHARD FOR WINTER. We have found by oft repeated trials that orchard trees that have been kept in a good growing condition by cultivation and the application of manure as a mulch, each fall or early winter, will withstand the effects of extreme cold much better than those in grass or cultivation where little manure has been applied. The bear- ing of a heavy crop of apples so exhausts the vitality of a tree that it is illy-prepared for the test of a severe winter. Ona poorish soil death is quite likely to follow a very heavy crop. On rich soil more wood buds are produced, rendering the crop less excessive. In extreme cases the thinning out of fruit or fruit branches in the early part of the season will prove beneficial. Winter- killed trees are often supposed to have died from the effects of blight, because they frequently start in spring, make a feeble, sickly growth, linger for an indefinite time, possibly for a year or two, and then wither and die. Blight effects trees in a somewhat similar manner, but usually attacks the thrifty terminal shoots during the growing season, and frequently leaves the trunk and main branches uninjured. We must distinguish between winter-killing and blight; for whilst with Duchess, Tetofsky and other similar kinds manure must be applied liberally to keep up vital- ity, blighting kinds, like Transcendent and some other rampant growers, might be ruined by it, for excess of manure certainly favors if it does not produce blight. It ‘is best not to plant blighting kinds, but if we have them we should seed down and mulch if at all with old hay, straw or other material not rich in manurial properties. E. H. 8. Darrr, Mr. Grimes moved that the Society extend to Mr. Dartt its sympathy in his present affliction, but for which he would have been present at the meeting. Adopted. The following letter was then read: DENVER, Cou., Nov. 16, 1885. S. D. Hillman, Secretary, etc. My Dear Sr: Yours of 12th at hand. Yes, we will prepare and send a paper on the ‘‘ Coniferous Trees of the Rocky Mountains, their Value and Adaptation to the Prairies of the Great Northwest.’’ In our opinion there is no profession or occu- pation in the catalogue of busy, progressive life more refining in its influence or elevating to humanity than that branch of horticulture covered by the propaga- tion and cultivation of trees, fruits and flowers. We love the plainsman of the Great West, who has caused a tree to grow where ‘ 158 ANNUAL REPORT, none ever grew before. We honor that brave syndicate of brain and muscle who refuse to be ‘‘snowed under,’’ but who through vim, vigor and victory are making Minnesota and Dakota the Agricultural Bank of America, from which we draw our daily bread. Hoping your meeting will be one of great benefit to your State, 1 remain, Truly yours, D. S. GRIMEs. The report of the Committee on Seedlings was called for and J. 8. Harris, of La Crescent, presented the following: REPORT OF SEEDLING COMMITTEE. FoR THE YEAR 1885. January Ist 1886. Mr. President and Members of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society: I consider the encouragement of the growing of New Seedling fruits the most important question that has or will for some time come up for the consideration of this Society. It is admitted by every one wbo has had any experience or observation in orcharding in Minnesota that the varieties of apples at present under cultivation do not fill the bill. For more than thirty years we have been striving to grow choice fruits by purchasing and planting varieties that originated in the eastern and middle states—and whether the trees have been procured direct from eastern nur- series or from home nurseries, have found them wholly unfitted to endure our climate for any great length of time, and to-day we dare not recommend for general planting any of them or any other varieties except the Duchess of Oldenburg, Tetofsky, a few other varieties from Russia, some of the best Siberians and their seedlings, and our own seedling, Gideon’s Wealthy. Among the newer Russians that are being introduced there are most likely some that will prove hardy and will produce valuable fruit, but we can hardly expect them to come up to the American standard of excellence, or to prove perfectly adapted to growing ia all situations and localities, and we shall earnestly settle down upon varieties to the manner born, seedlings of these, and the best of our others that will be originated upon our own soil from seeds produced here. As the people of foreign countries do not become fully American by being trans- ferred to this country (although they become valuable citizens) until the second or third generation, so it will probably be with the foreign fruits. High cultivation, careful selection, cross-fertilization and successive planting of the best has been the method by which the greatest success has been attained in the amelioration and improvement of all domestic fruits, vegetables and grains. When we go back and study the history of pomology we find that a most wonderful progress has taken place in the improvement of the varieties of apples (Pyrus Malus) that are grown in America, and that it has all been wrought through the growing of seedlings, and that largely without the aid of any skill. -A greater degree of skill has been brought into requisition in handling the grape, and the result is that from the sour, foxy wild grape we have the Concord, Worden, Niagara, Duchess, Empire State, and scores of others that suit the American taste and are adapted for cultivation over a STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 159. greater part of this country; and a similar improvement is visible in strawberries and other fruits through the impetus that has been given to the raising «f new seedlings. These results encourage me in the hope and expectation that we will yet have a list of apples that will enable us to compete with any part of the world, and I see no reason why the horticulturist may not indulge his fancy with the be- lief that his ideal of excellence will be reached, and Minnesota will soon stand forth first and foremost among the apple growing states. With the apple in the past there has been but little scientific manipulation, or any great amount of skill applied in the selection of varieties to be used as parents, and yet ninety-nine out of every hundred of the favorite varieties of the country have been originated from seed within a hundred years, and propagated from seed saved and planted without any specific object in view except to get trees and fruit; and therefore we have no data to prove why whole orchards of seedlings are found that are either worthless or defective in some essential points. While we occasionally find some small collections of considerable merit, to me it appears evident that seed selected from young trees that are healthy and under a high state of cultivation, aad where they are likely to have been fertilized by other sorts, having desirable qualities in hardiness or long keeping, there will be a stronger tendency to sport into varieties of marked character that will make a radical improvement over plunting seeds promiscuously and with no end in view. I have in previous years made reports to you upon Minnesota seedling apples that have come under my notice, and feel confident that we are making some progress. The winter of 1884-5 was probably the most disastrous to our trees of any one that has occurred since the first settlement of our State, and several varieties of promise have gone to the. wall, together with almost everything that was considered ‘“‘iron-clad.’’ This fact should renew our zeal in making a pomology of our own by the originating of new seedlings. As soon as the season was far enough advanced to enable me to determine the actual condition of the several seedlings that were coming into notice 1 commenced making observations, through inquiries of the parties owning such trees as had given promise of value, and by personally visiting and examining as many of them as I could without in- curring too great expense and inconvenience to myself. I find that nearly all of the oldest trees that were fruitful and good enough to make them desirable are se- verely injured, and some that were from twenty-five to thirty years old, and that had before shown no signs of injury, were killed to the ground A tree upon the George Hartman farm in the town of Hokah is in good condi- tion and produced a full crop of fruit, so say parties who have seen it at times during the season. The fruit is rather below medium in size, of very fine appear- ance, good for cooking, and a long keeper. Of something over twenty varieties upon the farm of Jacob Kline, town of Union, Hokah P. O , there remain two vari- eties that did not when I visited them June first show any more injury and even less discoloration than the Duchess in the same neighborhood, and appear very much better than the Wealthy. Ihave not seen the trees since that date but Mr Kline informs me that they continue to look promising and that they produce fruit of superior quality. The Eberhard seedling of Mound Prairie was seriously discolored and was late in putting out in the spring but has improved during the summer and the owner informing me that he has hopes of its recovery. I estimate its hardiness. 160 ANNUAL REPORT. to be about the same as Plum Cider. Mr. Kramer’s seedlings that had come to fruiting were all quite seriously hurt but he has a number of younger trees that look very promising. The trees of Mr. Wright and others at Minnesota City were gen- erally totally killed, several of them had survived thirty-two Minnesota winters and borne paying crops of fruit. Hearing that the Brett seedlings of Dover Centre fruited last season and that the fruit had been placed on exhibition at the Southern Minnesota Fair, and that the trees were ina promising condition, and believing that they would if sufficiently hardy prove a valuable addition to our lists for Southeast- ern Minnesota, 1 in company with A. W. Sias of Rochester, gave them a visit and examination about the first of November. We found three varieties of them that had stood as well as any Duchess in the vicinity, and one of them had cleaner wood than anything I found in Olmsted County. In addition to producing a crop of fruit they had made a vigorous wood growth and the cions of the year were from one to two and one-half feet in length. They stand upon ground sloping gently to the south. A few varieties upon my own place that are of uncertain origin have stood very well but I do not anticipate that any of them will furnish the coming apple. The choicest variety I had, had been raised from seeds of tender varieties but, while some of them were unmistakably better than their parents, all are ruined past recovery. Iam informed that friend Gideon is meeting with encouraging success in the originating of seedlings, but I have not had an opportunity to examine them in tree or fruit, and therefore cannot report upon them. It is my opinion that we should make the growing of seedlings a speciality and by every means at cur hand encourage the people ol this State to assist us in originating that much desired long keeping apple, by saving and planting seeds from the hardiest and best fruit that is produced at home or in the Northwest, whether of American or Russian varieties. Also that we should give more attention to the cultivation and improvement of our native plums and other wild fruits. Your obedient servant, JoHn S. Harris. DISCUSSION. Col. Stevens. Do I understand that as the report of the whole State, or only the southern portion ? Mr. Harris. It includes all the seedlings I have been able to get any track of. At the last annual meeting, on account of the shortage in the funds, the Executive Committee proposed to abandon the idea of having a seedling committee, and I said I would serve alone, and if the Society were short of funds and had nothing to pay for the expense, I would spend all the time and money that I possibly could, and make as many visits and examinations as I could. I have had a good deal of correspondence, besides making what personal examinations I could. The general report is that the seedlings are nearly all dead. I have a card from Mr. Samuel Bates; he says, writing from Stockton, under date of January 12, 1886: STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 161 “Mr. J. S. Harris, yours of late date at hand, in reply, would say that my whole orchard or Seedlings and all that ever bore are dead, except the Duchess and a few Wealthy, and they are badly injured, and made no visible growth the past year. I think all the crabs are badly injured but not killed. The bark was severed from the wood on all standard varieties; the sap started too soon in March and then froze which is the sole cause of all trouble. S. Batss.”’ Mr. Forster writes me as follows: ‘‘CHATFIELD, Mrnn., Jan. 12, 1886. Myr. Harris: Dear Sir. I received a card from you wishing to know about my apple trees. Well, my seedlings are killed and so isthe Wealthy with me, and about everything else except the Duchess. I[ do not know of anyone that has any hardy seedling apples. It has been the hardest blow for apples I ever saw and I think we are liable to have a winter every few years that will take our best winter apples; so I don’t think it will pay me to belong to the Horticultural Society. Yours Respectfully, Wo. Forster.” That is about the tone of answers I have been able to get on seed- lings. IfI had had more funds I should have visited Mr. Gideon’s place at Excelsior, and some orchards in Martin County. We have made very little progress in the raising of seedling apples. We must take seeds from the very hardiest varieties and plant them; those seeds must be raised in our climate and in our soil, and then we must select the best fruit from these seedlings, and the seeds from these again must be replanted, in order to get just what we want. But, in the mean time, as [ said last night, there is a great boon com- _ ag to us in these Russian apples. Just as we accept the foreigner and recognize him as our fellow citizen, so we will accept these Russian apples as ‘‘good citizens’ now, and future generations will bring out the fruit that will show the good effects of our soil and climate. I believe the day is coming when Minnesota apples will be sent to Europe, and to the eastern cities. I hardly expect to live to see that day, but if the State Horticultural Society will keep on in its efforts; if it will not become discouraged by such failures as has been occasioned by the last winter; if we can keep our courage and look 11 162 ANNUAL REPORT. forward to the bright future which is certainly before the people, I believe that the time will come when our apples will be sought for beyond the great ocean, and when we shall have the merited reputation of producing the choicest apples that can be grown. Col. Stevens) ‘Mr. President, I would like to amend that report so as not to have‘it appear as the report of the whole State, it is confined to southern Minnesota. I know very well that Mr. Gideon has over forty varieties that are hardier than the Wealthy. I know very well that Mr. Pearce has a seedling that has proved hardier than the Duchess; last spring there was not a bud injured. Mr. Harris. This report of the seedling committee is a report of what has come under my observation, and although I believe there is no necessity for it, [am perfectly willing to have it appear as Col. Stevens suggested. Col. Stevens. I wish to say, as far as I understand the history of the Duchess of Oldenburg, and the Tetofsky, that they are acclimated the moment they are brought to the United States; they become ac- climated at once. If I understand Mr. Harris’ idea it would take two or three generations before the Russians would be acclimated. I may have misunderstood him. i Mr. Harris. I think you did not understand me. I believe the Russians, a great many of them, are as hardy as the Duchess, and that seedlings from them will improve on the old variety. Apples acquire an excellence of flavor in one locality which they do not in others, just as the Baldwin raised in a certain place is a better fruit than it is anywhere else. Mr. Fuller. I was working for several years at Cedar Mills, where a number of seedlings were tested. The seeds were planted some four- teen years ago, seeds of the Transcendent, and the Gen. Grant. I was there last summer and saw the fruit. It was very much like the Duchess and about the size of the Gen. Grant. ‘lhe trees are perfectly hardy, commenced bearing when three years old, and have borne every year since. The tree is a slow grower, it is neither blighted nor winter-killed. I have taken cions to graft and shall watch it with some interest; and another year, if of any value, I can have cions for others. Mr. Busse. The president of the State Alliance, who resides at Fillmore, told me that he had a seedling apple tree that had borne crops for about twenty years. It came through the winter last year in perfectly sound condition. He said he would send Prof. Porter a few cions of that tree. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 163 Mr. Harris. We heard of a good many seedlings that were said to be hardy, and Mr. Sias went with me and we visited them; when we found the trees they were on their last legs. A man who isn’t much of a horticulturist sometimes makes grave mistakes in reporting upon the condition of seedlings. Mr. Smith. I had a seedling that I thought a greatdeal of. It was about ten years old when it came into bearing. After the hard winter of 1872, it was then perfectly clean and hardy, hadn’t a black spot on it. There is a great difference in the hardiness of seedlings that are raised from the seed of fruit grown here and of those grown elsewhere. T had a little experience in that direction. I traded fora dozen or fifteen bushels of black walnuts, and advertised them for sale, and in consequence, got orders for forty bushels. [ thought the black walnut from one place would prove just as hardy as from another and [ had a chance to buy some cheap in Illinois, sol sent for them, and they came and I sold the most of them and planted the balance; and every- one of those black walnuts, yearlings, killed to the ground the next winter, while the Minnesota black walnut stood all right, every one of them lived and they didn’t kill last winter. I believe that trees must be acclimated. I don’t think that the Siberian crab is as hardy in this climate as seedlings grown from it will be. The motion of Col. Stevens was adopted. The following report were then read: RUSSIAN APPLES. By A. W. Sras, Rochester. Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: The past severe winter was just what was needed to thoroughly test the many new varieties of the Russian apple lately introduced. They were subjected to the ordeal of fifty degrees below zero and came out in good shape, with but few exceptions. The latest formation of cells on the new wood, was found in the fall to be well hardened up with starch, or mucilage, while many of the native sorts were spongy and full of sap. The Anis family have proven themselves to be wonderfully hardy. Mr. H. H. Howlett of Baraboo, Wisconsin, wrote me under date of Nov. 28th that what he received for Red Anis fruited last season for the first time, and the fruit was then very hard and had all the appearance of being a good keeper, and if so he would have the fruit here to show for itself. I hope this will prove just what we want fora winter fruit. One ofthe greatest objections with me to the Russian varieties, is that there is so few good keepers among them. I did have some faith in the Red Black that I exhibited here a year ago, but alas, fifty degrees was too much for it, and it is now in good shape for kindling wood! (This was top worked en 164 ANNUAL REPORT. the Hyslop crab.) I have a few small trees four to five feet that came through the winter all right (root grafts). The Longfield was also pretty badly injured with me. It failed to ripen up in time last fall. E3Chas. Gibb of Abbottsford, Canada, when at my place in 1883, pronounced what I call the Russian Green, a true Anis. This has proved to be very hardy, and most excellent in quality. Sidney Corp, one of the most successful horticulturists of Wabasha County speaks in high terms of the Autumn Streaked, and an unknown Russian bearing a fruit similar in appearance to the Tetofsky, but will keep perhaps ten days longer. The Yellow Anis also looks well with him. Reports from the Southern, Middle, and New England States, with the exception of Northern New England, are rather unfavorable to the Russian apple. This is all right, and per- fectly natural. Our reports in regard to the pears, plums, Baldwins, Mann apples, Shys, Salome, etc., that they are persistently trying to crowd on to us, are also extremely unfavorable. ‘The Russian apple is only completely adapted to a similar climate from whence it came, and that is supposed to be Minnesota. The great treeless plains of Russia are known as steppes, like plains here are designated prai- ries. It would seem plausible that a variety succeeding well on the arid steppes of Central Russia, should stand equally unharmed on the dry prairies of Minnesota. Planters should know the origin of every tree they purchase, and study its adapta- tion to their particular soil and climate. * The following paper was then read by Mr. Tuttle, of Baraboo, Wis. SOME SUGGESTIONS ON ORCHARDING IN THE NORTHWEST. By A. G. TuTTLE, Baraboo, Wis. The destruction of orchards during the past year has been very general, not only in the Northwest but in regions farther south and east, where heretofore but little complaint has been made of the injurious effects of the climate. Eminent horticulturists throughout the country have given their views of the causes that have operated to produce the destruction. It is well, before suggesting a remedy for an evil, to know something of the causes that produceit. Before giving any views I propose to examine some of the causes assigned. It is claimed by many that the warm weather in the fall held out so late that the sap was forced into circulation, which being succeeded by freezing, destroyed the trees. If such was the fact why were a very large proportion of the trees injured killed only on the north side while the south half was not injured, and produced a fair crop of fruit. If the sap was forced into circulation by the prolonged heat in the fall it should have been in more active circulation on the south half than on the north half:of the tree Of all trees the Duchess and other Russian fruits should have been the first to start into growth, as they finish their growth earlier and hay- ing consequently a longer season of rest, should have been the first to commence growth, and yet that class of trees suffered very little, if any, injury. The Trans- cendent crab, always the first to put on leaves in the spring, should have been the first to start into growth in the fall, among them we hear of no injury. It has often been said that trees suffer injury when the warm weather in the fall STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 165 does not hold out late enough to mature the wood, so that between too little and too much heat in the fall the tree stands a very narrow chance of living, and were it not true that we have a class of trees unaffected by these conditions we might as well give up the business ef growing fruit. Another reason given is that nurserymen in grafting cut off the tap root, conse- quently the roots of the trees do not penetrate below frost. If the hardiness of a tree depends upon the depth its roots penetrate the soil, the pear, of all trees should be the hardiest, for everyone knows that it sends its roots deeper into the soil than any other tree, There was very little root killing of trees by the cold of last winter. I have found the roots of all trees that were killed so far as I have examined them to be in good condition and I can see no reason why the killing of the top should be the fault of the roots, so long as the roots are in good condition. Orchard trees do sometimes, though very rarely kill in the root. Seedling trees that had never.been shorn of the tap root suffered equally with oth- ers. As an evidence that they do not require a tap root to insure hardiness we find that trees growing the farthest north, even to the northern limit of tree growth, close upon the confines of perpetual frost such as the fir, spruces and pines do not have any tap root and their whole system of roots is spread just below the surface of the ground, nor does it seem to be necessray in this latitude to insure the hardiness of the Duchess and other Russian apples and crabs. Trees, so far as I have observed, were not killed in the root by the cold of last win- ter not because there was no frost in the ground. Trees were top-killed in grounds here adjoining the cemetery where in digging a grave they found five feet of frost. Many claim that the injury was in consequence of there being no frost in the ground. It made no difference whether the ground was frozen or not, the killing was in the top and the injury was as fatal where they claim there was no frost in the ground, as where there was. Another reason given is that they were in a starved condition and so enfeebled by it that they were easily destroyed. There seems to have been quite a difference in the kind of trees starved; while one came through in good condition another was killed. I had twenty-five trees of one variety that had been in June grass sod for twelve or fifteen years which never passed a winter apparently in better condition, and bore last season more than dou- ble the fruit of any season before. A tree half hardy may survive under favorable conditions of soil and culture that would fail with unfavorable conditions and neglect. If ever fruit growing in this great Northwest becomes permanently a success it will be when we have a Class of fruits that need no petting and are able to flourish under neglect and extremes of climate, whatever it may be. As with animals, so with trees and plants, one will live and flourish where another will die. Many think that the injury done to trees is by freezing and thawing in the spring. In portions of our country where there is freezing and thawing in rapid succes- sion during the whole winter they grow all varieties of the peach, pear, plum and cherry and also the most tender varieties of the apple. In any part of the northern states where the mercury seldom, if ever, falls much below zero all these fruits are 166 ANNUAL REPORT. successfully grown, and in many portions this freezing and jthawing during the whole winter is similar to what we have in the spring. There is one other reason given for the destruction of our trees, coming from such high authority and accepted by a very large class of planters that I must not fail to notice. It is the claim made by the dishonest tree peddler, that the reason trees kill is because they are grafted in the root, and that trees budded above the surface of the ground will be perfectly hardy. Any one knows who has had any experience with seedlings exposed above the surface of the ground, that not one in a thousand will prove hardy, and that the seedling root placed below the ground will be much more likely to live than when exposed above the surface. The seed- ling in the root graft has the same protection we give tender vines and shrubs when we cover them with earth; and then too the hardy cion most of it placed below the surface will send out roots that will ensure the life of the tree though the seedling root should kill. There always will be probably these traveling sharks prowling over the country doing a large business by pure unadulterated lying. They are even now selling new Russian fruits that they have not even learned the names of, at exorbitant prices. An eastern concern has made itself notorious by claiming to sell stock of budded trees grown at Sparta, Wisconsin. Whether budded or grafted I am unable to say, but that they were grown at Sparta, Wisconsin, we have positive proof that they were not. I have less respect for a Wisconsin nurseryman who will lend himself to carry on this swindle than I have for the cheap actors in it. Some twenty years ago I wrote an article on ‘‘Orcharding in Wisconsin.’”? It was given as my opinion in that article that the very extreme and long continued cold of some of our winters was the principle cause of injury, and now after the lapse of a quarter of a century carefully noting the effect of the extremes we have passed, I am still of that opinion. Every cold winter when we have had many days in suc- cession of very extreme cold, and when some of these days the mercury did not rise above twenty below zero at midday, I bave always found injury soon to follow. In every case the extreme cold winters have been those most destructive. If we place a foliage plant in the open air with the thermometer at zero, it is soon killed and we do not hesitate to say it froze to death; so too all agree that the peach kills at about twenty degrees below, and that it is killed by severe freezing. The Baldwin, Greening or Spitzenburg apple kills in a dry atmosphere with about the same degree of cold that destroys the peach. The winter of 1884 and 1885 was one of extreme cold. Varieties that we had hitherto considered safe to plant were badly used up. I have no doubt that it was from extreme and long continued cold, and yet I am equally confident that there are certain conditions of soil and location and of the state of this, consequent upon those conditions that tend to increase or modify the effects of extreme cold. From what source are to come good fruits sufficiently hardy to flourish in our climate? Some claim our only hope is from seedlings produced upon our own soil. For forty years we have been planting seeds of Duchess and other hardy apples, and how stands the account to-day? There is not a tree of the thousands produced that can be said to be as hardy as Duchess unless crossed with the crab and have enough of the crab in them to reduce their size and spoil them for market apples, STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 167 If we cross the Duchess or any other hardy apple with any of the common apples we lower the standard of hardiness in the seedling produced. If we cross with the crab we generally reduce the size of the seedling and lower the quality. I have more than a hundred seedlings of Tetofsky, most of which have fruited. They all in tree and fruit show more of the crab than the apple; some are very large and fine for crabs but the growing of crabs and Hybrids is nearly overdone, there being no market for them, or a chance even to give them away. I have several seedlings of Fameuse; some of them have borne a few apples of excellent quality. They came through last winter in good condition, but a few years of trial of trees that have borne a few apples is no test of these hardships and we have no reason to suppose they will prove any hardier than Fameuse. Some are recommending the general planting of seedlings of only a few years growth because they were not killed by the cold of last winter. Young trees of the Ben Davis came through the winter uninjured. It is no test of the hardiness of a tree though it may have passed unscathed through such a winter as the last, not having borne previously a heavy and exhausting crop of fruit. Two seedling trees have been growing on my grounds for twenty-five years, they had passed all the hard winters during that time and were in perfect condition; they came out last spring with fine, healthy foliage and blossomed heavily. I thought there was a seedling that would do to propagate from and recommend for hardiness; both trees are now dead and with them the last hope of ever producing a seedling from the common apple sufticiently hardy for our climate. There is a field open for experiment to which I would direct the attention of the careful pomologist. Let crosses be made with pure Russian fruits, the Zolotoreff, a very large fall apple, high colored and very showy crossed with the Repka of medi- um high color, a very late keeper; or the Green Streaked with the Antonouka, the former high colored and very large, a fall apple, the latter a yellowish apple of good quality and a very late keeper, these crosses would be likely to produce a seedling valuable as a market apple with keeping qualities to carry it into spring. In these crosses Russian with Russian the standard of hardiness would not be lowered, and I have no doubt an apple of great value might be produced. Im more than ever satisfied that we are to look to Russian fruits and seedlings from them for the future orchards of the northwest. Itis certainly our only short road to successful fruit growing. These Russians have withstood for ages a climate of greater extremes than our own. We may be able ages hence to show as good a collection of hardy fruits produced from seedlings originated on our own soil as are now found in interior Russia. I think it far bet- ter however to accept the results of these labors and improve them if we can by judicious cross fertilization. When we can show as extensive paying orchards as are found on the great plains of interior Russia, we may well lay claim to being a fruit state. It is absolutely certain that these fruits will flourish as well here as there. I have fruited about sixty varieties of new Russian apples and have about fifty- three more varieties to fruit. Should we find nothing of more value among them, we have enough already fruited to fill the places of all the old kinds that have failed; trees that are as hardy as the Duchess and many of them hardier and fruit of better quality. 168 ANNUAL REPORT. I have one orchard all Russian, comprising eighty varieties; every tree except one came through last winter unhurt and are now in good condition. One variety from the Crimea, a country much warmer than this was killed. I doubt whether an an orchard be found either east or west of an equal number of varieties showing such health and vigor. This is the more remarkable as the old varieties hitherto considered iron-clads, in ground adjoining were nearly all destroyed. The country from whence these fruits came is an open prairie country, much farther north than the farthest limit of the United States, very much farther from any large body of water, conse- quently must have more intense cold with a much drier atmosphere. These condi- tions make it certain that fruits that flourish there will be at home in all the prairie regions of the northwest. That our trees freeze to death, I have not the least doubt, but why one kills and another does not, is something I don’t understand and probably never shall. Prof. Budd claims that trees freeze to death by the expansion of the sap in the sap vessels caused by severe freezing. This is an old theory and one I could never accept. That portion of the tree containing the sap vessels is as easily frozen as a potato, and 1 can see no reason why the sap should not be as thoroughly frozen and expanded, with the thermometor at zero as at thirty or forty below, and yet with the mercury at zero we suffer no injury. It is claimed that the difference in the sap cells of the different varieties determines the different degrees of hardiness; allowing this to be true, how do we account for the fact that trees of the same vari- ety side by side, one kills and the other does not, or how do we account for a tree being half destroyed and the other half uninjured. Ifthe sap cells are alike and all parts of the tree are subjected to the same degree of cold, the effects of the freezing should be the same. It is not necessary for us to be able to explain why one variety kills and another does not, the fact is all that is necessary for us to know until we are able to go back in creation to the great first cause and explain the phenomena of its existence. — We shall find many mysteries in nature we cannot solve; science can only reveal to us a few faint glimmerings of that effulgent light that shines beyond the reach of human vision. Only in another state of existence, if ever, shall we be able to com- prehend the wonderful mysteries that nature withholds from us here. Let us accept the facts as they present themselves rather than adopt a theory and spend all our energies to make facts conform to it. I made a thorough examination of my shrubs and vines the first day they were thawed after the severe cold in Feb- ruary; the injury was as apparent then as it was a month afterwards. The evidence was as conclusive to me that they had frozen to death as it would have been had I found a person who had perished in a Dakota blizzard. I would as soon have entertained the idea that the person had died of sun stroke or fever as that thawing killed the trees. Vines, shrubs and small fruits can be protected, but our orchard fruits, apples, pears, plums, and cherries should be sufficiently hardy to withstand any amount of cold we may be liable to have. The time may come when we can determine the hardiness of a tree or plant by microscopic examinations of its leaves or sap cells, but I have far more faith in the long tests that have been made on the great plains of interior Russia or in this por- tion of our own country. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 169 REPORT ON RUSSIAN APPLES. By ANDREW PETERSON, Waconia. Secretary of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society: DEAR Srr:—As you ask for a short report on Russian apple trees, I will do so, but of course it will be short because I cannot write the English language myself. AsIsaid in the report last spring, that the Hibernal, Ostrekoff’s Glass, Lieby and Charlamoff, these four varieties were not injured by the cold last winter, and bore a heavy crop this summer, rather too heavy, but the fruit was not quite as large as they used to be. ILI suppose that was because the fruit bud was swelled out too much by the fine weather late in the fall of 1884; and I had a few Wealthy trees that was not entirely killed last winter, and the fruit on them was smaller than they used to be, and also the Crab apples, and the orchards in my neighborhood as far as I have examined them, the fruit was a good deal smaller than it used to be. The Duchess of Oldenburg was a good deal damaged but not killed, and bore a heavy crop. The Russian White Astrachan is nearly a Duchess, but not quite; in tree and fruit seems to be hardier than the Duchess, and is a good bearer. The Winter Lowland are hard trees, have bore a few apples this summer, the fruit middle size and middling good quality; not a winter apple, but late fall. Red Cheeked apple bore a few apples this summer for the first time, size of fruit some larger than the Transcendent but sour; good for a cooking apple; the trees are the hardiest I have seen. When the wood of the Transcendent took some color last winter, these Red Cheeked trees did not take any color at all. The small Russian trees that I received from Prof. Budd most of them stood the winter good, but some varieties were damaged more or less. The Red Anisette were not injured at all, and neither was the Antanouka. The pear trees I received from Prof. Budd were colored some, but not much, and also the Russian plums. The grapes I raise are Concord, Delaware, Isabelle, Hart- ford Prolific, Iona. All bore a heavy crop, and a very heavy crop. Of the raspber- ries the same may be said of Philadelphia and Turner. REPORT FROM CARVER COUNTY. By Cas. LUEDLoFF, Carver. No previous winter has been so severe on fruit trees as the last one and new and extensive demands are made upon the pomologist to regain what has been lost. Many causes, which are injurious to fruit trees, can be removed by a scientific pomologist, through remedies which by experience have proven to be valuable. But other causes, which in their operations are harmless to the tree, cannot be over- come or guarded against; such are the extreme cold during the winter months, or the heavy frosts in the spring, or fall, before the sap had matured the wood. If this is the case, then we must endeavor to assist nature in accomplishing a restora- tion. The injury done on fruit trees last winter was not alone caused by extreme cold- ness, but is more largely due to the fact that the sap had not matured the wood of the tree sufficiently. The sap froze into ice, and the effect of this was to cause 170 ANNUAL REPORT. bursting of the sap cells, and it became, for this reason impossible, or better said, perhaps difficult for the sap to recede. By this expression the sap ‘‘recedes’’ the gardener will understand that when the sap thickens and with difficulty passes through the cells, a condition is produced causing leaves to fall; and the pomologist should then observe the maturity of the terminal buds. An equally fatal occur- rence for fruit trees experienced happening here last winter, happened in the year 1829, in Germany. In October of that year the fruit trees were in ‘‘full sap’? when a cold spell, accompanied by a snow storm, set in, the snow remaining uniil the month of April following. The prune trees (‘‘Prunus domestica’) were mostly all destroyed, and apple and pear trees had to be cut down. Some nurseryman adopted the plan of top grafting but the expedient totally failed; ali trees were killed to the snow line. This shows that here and there, at great intervals, such disasters will occur, but it should not induce us to stop the planting of fruit trees, or the raising of fruit. The loss of trees on my place is great; different kinds which have withstood severe winters heretofore are dead. Top grafted Russian varieties, Minnesota and Wisconsin seedlings, are all destroyed. It is my judgment that top grafting is not advisable; we thereby get no hardy trees, and such trees are the first to die. Our hardy kinds should be replanted, and the approved Russians also; replacing with root grafts, or yearlings, would be the best. 1 think it not advisable to trans- plant two year old trees which have partially withstood the last winter. Such trees are subject to the ‘‘black-heart.’’ My yearling trees were transplanted by cutting them back to sound wood, and with two year old trees the same process would be beneficial. The kinds which withstood the winter best are: Russian Green, Ostrekoff Glass, Lieby, Kurski, Smelling Apple, Round Wassen, Arcade, Switzer, Charlamoff, Beel, St. Peter, Milton, Red Lake, Lake Winter, Whitney’s No. 20, Dartt’s Hybrid. The Bessemianka Pear trees were killed to the snow line. Ostheim Cherries came through the winter all right. Plums of our best native varieties all sound, and brought a heavy crop. Blackberries, Doolittle, Seneca, and Mammoth Cluster were killed to the snow line. Gooseberries, Downing’s Industry came out all right. Also the Currants, White and Red Dutch, Grape Currants, Fay’s Prolific, all bringing a good crop. Strawberries were uninjured and brought a heavy crop. From the different kinds I had on trial I find the best adapted for my location the following: Glendale, Champion, Crescent, Green Prolific, and Wilson. I find no injury on grapes, and think we have nothing to fear hereafter when they are properly covered with earth. From the many kinds I had on trial I find the best for my location and soil the following: Progress, No. 30, 33, 43, Lady, Grein’s Extra Early, Minnesota Beauty, Cambridge, Rochester, Telegraph, Martha, Hart- ford Prolific, Worden Seedling, Moore’s Early, Concord, Miles, Delaware and Aminia. Berbary vulgaris were killed to the snow line; the Rhamnus Catharticus (Buck- thorn) near by, came through the winter all sound making a robust growth and produced a fine show of its fruit in the fall. This and the Caragam abarescens, also the Juniperus Virginiana (Red Ceder) I consider the best hedge plant for our Climate. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 171 DISCUSSION, Mr. Harris. Mr. President, I consider these four reports that we have received of very great value to the State of Minnesota. On motion, it was carried that in speaking each member be limited to five minutes, and to speak but once upon a subject until all who desired to speak had spoken. Mr. Harris. One of the gentlemen spoke about the White Astrachan coming out perfectly well with him. I supposed it to be the hardiest apple we have; but last spring I visited one tree that was perfectly dead; so that it is not perfectly hardy under all conditions. | Mr. Tuttle. I want to say that the White Astrachan as commonly known is not the real White Astrachan, according to the description given me. The tree that I received from the Agricultural Depart- ment I think is not the true White Astrachan. It resembles very much a tree coming from the department under the name of Gen. Grant. It seems very hardy, and was not hurt at all last winter. Mr. Pearce. I think this is a question that ought to be discussed very thoroughly. The propagators of these Russian fruits who have handled the trees ure perhaps most capable of forming a correct idea of their value. I was very much pleased with the report of our friend Mr. Tuttle. Some pretend that the spring freezing kills our trees; others say that the extreme cold of winter kills them. In the last few years some people seem to have formed the opinion that it is the hard winds that kill the trees. The Russian varieties are generally very early; they mature their fruit early; they cast their leaves early; on this account last season they were injured after the buds were out. The only objection is they are short lived; they may live five, six or seven years, but I will guarantee that time will bring them. Here is the Yellow Transparent, and I might say forty or fifty varieties that were scattered over this country ten or fifteen years ago; they bore fruit; people thought they had a good thing. There came such a year as last year, and the result was almost everything was killed. I knew one variety that was apparently adapted to that par- ticular kind of soil where it had been planted; it continued longer in growing than the others. Now, those same varieties on high lands shave come through, generally, in good condition. I have examined trees all over the country, and have observed this to be true; while on the low land, in warm localities, all the varieties of the Russians were injured, especially the White Transparent. Mr. Tuttle. I have understood that the tree that is called the Trans- 172 ANNUAL REPORT. parent is not the true Transparent. I grafted ten thousand trees that were sent to me as Transparents, and out of that ten thousand there is not a tree that is worth a cent—not one. You can pick out the rows standing in my pasture ground where the old trees stood in the nursery. You can’t find one tree in fifty but what is killed. Part of the Tetofsky are killed; it is an apparent failure, but it is no test of the Russian apples in general that this one variety kills. Mr. Sias. I believe what we want is to get grafts of the Russian apples. Mr. Tuttle has touched upon an important subject in his paper; and I am very glad he has had the courage to mention it, for writers generally feel a little delicacy in speaking of it, as their motives might be misconstrued, and that is the reference to foreign nursery- men bringing in and selling, under fancy names, all sorts of things. In Dayton, Ohio, and that vicinity they have more extensive nurseries than almost any other part of the country, so far as I know, and they send a great many men into this Northwestern country. They come here, and find a man that has some little reputation for doing an hon- est business, and they want to sell their miserable stock on his reputa- tion. I have been interviewed several times by these same parties and asked to allow them to use my name to sell stock. They said if I had a surplus of anything of course they would buy some of it; but they wanted to use my name in selling stock, and have named parties in the northwest that were doing the same business, and said they thought it would make it mutually profitable to doso. Ofcourse I have always answered these fellows that [ would allow no one to use my name unless they had my stock along with it. One of these fellows called a few days ago to talk with me; I asked him what varieties he was selling mostly; he said they were running heavy on the Mann apple and the Pewaukee, and that class of fruits; and they were selling a great many of the Irish Juniper, ete.; I told him he was doing wrong; they were entirely worthless, aud I had seen them tested, and knew they were all of no use whatever. A year ago I told a fellow the same thing, and I found out that he had sold some hundred of them to my neighbors. So you see how it goes; all they want is your money. Mr. Latham. The buyer goes and gets his trees, and the agent goes into another section of the country. I don’t think that these Ohio men always come to nurseries to ask permission to use their name in selling stock. During the past season we have talked with farmers in the vicinity of the Excelsior nurseries, who have been solicited by for- STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. ilyis eign agents and who said that they represented themselves as selling for the Excelsior nurseries. I am aware that in this discussion of Russian apples, much has well been said about the varieties that have not succeeded, but I want to know what varieties have succeeded. 1 woald like to plant a few more of them; I would like to try those that have done the best. Of about forty varieties of Russians on my place the most of them were root grafts; they came from the scientific department at Washington some twelve years ago. Those I grew in the nursery and transplanted into the orchard; they were well culti- vated and cared for, the same as the Wealthy. The Wealthy came into bearing, and they did not. For the past three years I have noticed that two of these trees have made a very vigorous growth. They attained about the size of the largest Wealthy; they appear much akin to it; I can hardly tell them apart. The trees were not seriously injured by the severe winter. The other 25 or 30 varieties have borne scarcely anything; some of them are blighted badly. The leaves are smooth, and have an unhealthy color, but I hope something may come of them yet. I have perhaps twenty others that were top grafts on the Duchess. They are all alive, and most of them have borne fruit. There is nothing very nice among the fruit however: When perfectly ripe they are as good as the Duchess; perhaps not quite as sour. When not quite ripe, there is a little bitterness about them, that condemns them for eating. It bruises very easily. I don’t think it is an apple that could be handled. It isa valuable apple for home use, but I don’t think it will be valuable for the market. Mr. Tuttle. J mentioned these trees particularly for the reason that they show that the root grafts are better than the top.grafts. When a man sells a thing that I know is worthless by means of persistent misrepresentation, and at an extravagant.price; for instance, the Rus- sian Mulberry at $1.50 that costs him five cents, I do not wonder that people lose faith in fruit growing. Every seedling that is grown has to go through years of testing and trial. Mr. Sias. Mr. President, there has been considerable said about the quality of the fruit of these new Russians, and I would like to see this matter put to a severe test. I don’t want to propagate an inferior variety when I know it, and I would move you that the Chair appoint a committee of three to meet during the time of the State Fair and select half a dozen of the best Russian apples, and a like number ofthe very best natives, to compare them carefully, and report at our next annual meeting upon their comparitive merits. It is an important 174 ANNUAL REPORT. point. If these Russian apples are worthless, we should take measures to have the facts ascertained at once. Mr. Harris. Mr. President, I am very glad to second that motion. Mr. Busch. Thirteen years ago I grafted a good many Russian cions on crabs, and my neighbors did the same, almost without excep- tion, and now they are dead. Last spring I sent to Prof. Budd for trees of these newer varieties. He sent me some thirty-five varieties, and most of them seem to be good. A few came out in good shape through the summer, and some did not. One kind seems to be blight- ing so that I don’t depend much on them. Now, as to quality; Iam not yet satisfied as to the quality. We don’t want to grow hardy apples and have to feed them to the hogs. Mr. Kellogg. At our state fair in Wisconsin, we had an exhibition of about sixty varieties—I havn’t the numbers with me now,—of the new Russian varieties, don’t count the Alexander, and Tetofsky new Russians any more; of these fifty or sixty kinds I think there was at least ten or fifteen that came up in quality to the Duchess, Fameuse and Wealthy, and that class of fruits that are considered to be hardy. Mr. Tuttle. I would say that Mr. Kellogg was chairman of the committee on apples at our state fair, tasted the fruit, and satisfied himself as to the quality. The motion of Mr. Sias was adopted. Col. Stevens. I have a short resolution which I wish to read now, which the members can be thinking about, and it can be taken up later: Resolved. By the State Horticultural Society in convention assembled, that J. 8. Harris of La Crescent, A. W. Sias of Rochester, and George W. Fuller of Litchfield, be and are hereby appointed a commission to visit all portions of the State during the early autumn of 1886, for the purpose of thor- oughly examining the different seedling apples and other fruit trees, and plants, and to report the result of their labor to the Society, at its annual winter meeting in 1887. Resolved. That the sum of $150 not otherwise appropriated, be and is hereby appropriated to defray the expenses of said commission, in gathering such useful information as they may deem of value to the Society. Mr. Kellogg. I think that the following varieties of the Russian apple are equal to the Wealthy: The Transparent, which comes under five different names, the Yellow, Red, White, Red Cheek,, and Charleton Thaler; those are all one variety; the Summer Lowland; Roland Raspberry, Green Streaked Raspberry, Yellow White, White Russet, and the Reptka, which are varieties as good as any that I know of that have been mentioned in our discussions. The Chair named as the committee on apples at the State Fair, Messrs. Wyman Elliot, Prof. E. D. Porter and H. H. Young, Secre- tary of the State Board of Immigration. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 175 Mr. Tuttle stated that he would exhibit specimens of the Russian apples at the next State Fair. Mr. Latham. I would like to see them exhibited, with a section of the wood, showing three or four years’ growth. I have no doubt that many Russians are doing well, and winter well. I had a few bushels this year that were almost worthless for eating; my family would not eat them; they took apples from the market instead. And so I say let us have the Russian apples from this section with specimens of the wood, so that we can see what the apple is as grown here. President Smith. I would suggest that we offer premiums on apples with samples of the wood accompanying. Mr. Elliot. It seems to me that we have taken a good deal of time for this Russian apple discussion, and we ought to get to our premium list pretty soon. President Smith. The next order of business wil) be discussion of premium list at the State Fair. THE PREMIUM LIST. Mr. Harris. Mr. President, it has been impossible to get anything like such a premium list at our State Fair as we ought to have. The whole time of the executive board of that association generally is con- sumed in looking after the interest of the blooded horse, the Short-horn, and Jersey cattle, and when they get down to the premium list of fruits, it is the last thing and the money is about exhausted. I[ think we ought to appoint a committee of about three to prepare a premium list on fruits, and demand an audience with the executive board of the State Fair association. President Smith. I am tenacious upon this point. If we goin with that Society, with the state appropriation entirely in their hands, we have nothing to expect from them. I hold that this Society should at this meeting make out a premium list, or instruct our Executive Com- mittee to inake out a premium list, present it to them at their meeting next Tuesday, and ask them to furnish funds to pay these premiums. If they expect us to join hands with them, they should understand that we, as the oldest society in the State, are entitled to this consideration. Let us make our premium list liberal enough so that it will be a benefit to the whole State of Minnesota, and not one that will benefit one or two nurserymen, and exclude everybody else. Let us have premiums on single plates, and upon articles of merit; and present a premium 176 ANNUAL REPORT. list that will show to the world what Minnesota can do. Then if you want to offer premiums upon sweepstakes, do so, but let us ask them for what is our right, and if we cannot get it, let us apply to the legis- lature next time. That, gentleman is the position I take in this matter. We are not begging in this matter; we are helping to build up this State. We have helped to build up this Society and have helped to build up that as well; and we propose to work hand in hand with them, but we want them to show us some consideration as a Society. I ask nothing for myself, and this matter should not be in the hands of the President and Secretary; but it should be in charge of a committee of three, which should be selected with care; and they should decide what amount will be required to make liberal premiums, and then they should demand of the Agicultural Society fundssufficient to pay that list of premiums. I would say make our premiums liberal if we have any spare funds. Now that, gentleman, is my position on the premium list; and I think it is one of the most important matters to come before our Society. I suggest that we would increase the interest of the people generally by offering premiums of subscriptions to an agricultural paper, or by offering premiums of membership in this or in the Agricultural Society for one year. It will save funds for our Society, and help to save funds to the State Agricultural Society, and help increase our useful- ness as a Society. That is the object of our Society—to throw the seed broadcast, to each and every individual in the State. This Society is not organized for the benefit of St. Paul and Minneapolis alone, it is for the whole State of Minnesota. Mr. Smith. I think that is exacty what we want. As Mr. Harris said, at one time last year it looked as if we should have a good prem- ium list. I advocated then that the premiums should be placed on all such things as the farmers can raise through the entire State, and should be so arranged that there would be a great number of them, and on a large variety of these products; that they would be scattered throughout the State. Another thing that should receive our atten- tion is the giving of premiums on small fruits, preserved in liquor or sugar, or any other form so as to bring them there. Now, at the time of the State Fair, currants and strawberries of course have gone by. Still we might have specimens of them exhibited, and there should be a statement with these in regard to the variety, the locality where they were grown, the amount produced, and the conditions under which they were grown. This idea of having specimens of the wood accom- STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. iw ( panying the apple I think is a good one. I will offer this as a resolu- tion, that the Executive Committee be instructed to prepare a premium list to be submitted to this Society, not later than Friday morning, for approval and amendment, which premium list that committee shall present next week to the Agricultural Society with a demand of recog- nition by that Society. President Smith. We want the list prepared and published in our reports. Mr. Gould. I would recommend that the committee go to work as soon as possible and get it ready. Col. Stevens. Mr. President, I apprehend there will be no difficulty, as far as the State Fair Association is concerned, in granting us all we claim. Heretofore the Society has been handicapped, they hadn’t funds to make such appropriations for premiums as they would like to do. Until the past year officers of that Society and some of the stockholders have been members of this Society, and have always been in favor of making as large premium lists as their funds would allow. Iam very well convinced that the Executive Committee of that Society have a friendly feeling towards the State horticulturists. We have had Mr. Harris to represent us there, a gentleman who is favorably known throughout the whole State, not only in the interest of horti- cul.ure, but in the interest of agriculture as well; and I think that if we in a gentle manver make known our wants to them, that they will grant them at once. It has been exceedingly necessary in the past, and it is necessary now, that everyone should do all in his power to advance the interests of the Minnesota State Agricultural Society, especially when its fair grounds are located as they now are, within the easy reach of these two big cities, and when our railroads are ex- tending to every neighborhood in the State. It is necessary that we do all we can to sustain that Society, and at the same time to help our- selves. President Smith. I would state that the horticultural exhibit has always taken place entirely under our charge up to two years ago. Why they should change, that I don’t know. I took it for granted they had something against me as President of the Society, and I ten- dered my resignation when the Agricultural and Horticultural Society had met in conjunction. bu! that resignation was not accepted. They never printed a premium lst until the 12th day of August. I spoke to Mr. Clarke about it, as President; he said they hadn’t thought any- thing about it. They thought the Society of Horticulture was of very 12 178 ANNUAL REPORT. little importance. I think we should prepare our premium list and present it to them with a request for the funds to pay it, so that they cannot have a chance to say that they didn’t know what our wants were. Col. Stevens. That is right. Mr. Smith. Ifthe amount appropriated to the Agricultural Society had been increased, a proportionate sum should be due the Horticul- tural Society, whether that amount of money is $2,000 or $500; in the hands of the Horticultural Society the same amount of money would go twice as far. No extravagant amount for premiums should be asked, but what is due us we should have; that appropriation should be under the control of this Society, and its Executive Committee. Col. Stevens. I fully concur in what our President has said. Last year the Agricultural Society took in between $50,000 and $60,000. It paid off a debt of some $20,000 or $30,000 forits buildings. They have got money in the treasury now. I suppose next year they should take in the same amount of money; probably they will; and if they do, we certainly should be entitled to get our share of that, so we would be entitled to $5,000 perhaps. That would leave them $45,000 or $50,000. I don’t suppose the Society wants to get money in the treasury, to any extent, hence we could rightfully ask them to be reasonable, and give us, say $5,000. With that sum we could make a grand exhibition which would do more for us than ever has been done. Mr. Elliot. I have had some experience with the State Agricultur- al Society. I have had the pleasure of being one of the board. I have seen the same question come up before the Agricultural Board and the way that they treat it. I will venture to say that we don’t get a thousand dollars. President Smith. No; what has been the record in the past? We have never been able to get over $500 or $700. A Member. The only way for us to do it is to make up our premiums, not an extravagant list, but make such a list as we shall not be ashamed of, and put it before that board, and if they do not see fit to accept it, let us not hold any fair. Mr. Smith. Or, if they do not accept it, let us go to the Minneapolis Exposition, and ask them what they will give us. Col. Stevens. Never! Mr. Pearce. I am interested in the State Fair, but it is my opinion that the Agricultural Society know no other society except their own; they don’t know the State Horticultural Society. They expect to go STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 179 to work and make up a premium list all the way through, including horses, cattle, sheep, bulls, and everything else. But we are just as independent as they are, precisely. We can hold our own fair, and we have the money to do it; and we have the right to doit just as much -asthey have. But if the thing can be arranged satisfactorily, and we get what is our due, I say go in; if not, stay out. Mr. Kellogg. Mr. President, I don’t believe in being too gentle in approaching them about this matter. Make up your premium list as high as you think proper, and say that your Executive Committee shall have control of it. If they make their premiums $25 on horses, put that down as the first premium on fruit. Mr. Harris. Mr. Kellogg has expressed my ideas exactly. If they don’t want our exhibits enough to give fair premiums, let us have a fair of our own. I would rather attend a horticultural fair here in Minneapolis, even if I failed to get a dollar, and know that I stood on an equal footing with the other exhibitors there, than to go into the State fair where the horse and the bull receive a $25 premium, and the ap- ple, which represents the care and attention of twenty years in bring- ing to its present perfection, gets only an insignificant sum of a dollar or two. Mr. Gould. I think we should take a reasonable view. I think the only thing to talk about is to hold our fair in conjunction with the State fair. There is a larger number of people that contemplate going there than on any other occasion, and they expect, more or less of them, to see all there is to be seen—all of the fruits and products of the State that are worth seeing. Some of them come a long distance. One may go to see the fruits, or perhaps some one kind of fruit; he may be interested in apples or grapes, another in small fruits; but each one expects to find what he goes to see, and for that reason it affords the greatest and best opportunity for a general ipspection at a State fair. Now, we could have a little one-horse thing of ourown. We might get great satisfaction out of it; but the people at large would not see it; it would be out of their reach; they couldn’t afford to come from a distance just for that. But they all come one day in order to see the State fair; that is the place that attracts the crowd. Now, I think we may as well drop the idea of exhibiting independently and make the best terms we can with the management. ‘Mr. Harris. I don’t think we will have any difficulty at all in mak- ing satisfactory arrangements. | Mr. Gould. I think we had better offer liberal premiums. There 180 ANNUAL REPORT. has been no inducement to the Society or any member of the Society to take pains to improve exhibitions, because the premium list has been somewhat light. The fast horse, or blooded bull, and other favorite animals get liberal premiums; there has been too little money reserved for premiums on fruit. J think that now, the way the State Agri- cultural Society is fixed, they can be and will be more liberal, and I am in favor of giving a pretty large and liberal list. President Smith. We do not wish to propose an independent ex- hibit, but this Society should request of them that our premium list be adopted. Col. Stevens. [ama member of the State Agricultural Society; so is Mr. Elliot, and Mr. Harris, and Mr. Grimes, and several others here. I think if we don’t get what we want it is our own fault. Let these gentlemen attend the meetings of the Agricultural Society and tell them what they want. This Society has a member on the executive board of that society; I have been a member of the executive board, Mr. Elliot has been, and Mr. Harris has been; so we are as much to blame as they are. Mr. Elliot. The representative of the State Horticultural Society on that board has four to contend with; he has the secretary and pres- ident to contend with, and asa general thing the president of the society is a stock man; he has been for years; his interests run in that direction; they don’t run to horticulture, and it is almost impos- sible to get anything for horticulture. They will give you a certain amount; they will take the old premium list and say, ‘‘Well we want about what we had last year, I should say; if the State Horticultural Society wants to give any additional premiums to what they had before, they can do it.”” In that way we are shut off, and I think it is about time that this Society made up a premium list and presentedit. I would like to have any member of this Society put in our question box what he would like to see premiums offered upon, and let the Ex- ecutive Committee take those suggestions and arrange them. I don’t know that they can get to it to present a full list between now and Friday morning, but they will be able to present a premium list at the annual meeting for them to act upon; and in that way we can get something. Mr. Smith. I think we ought to put this matter squarely before the Agricultural Society, and ask them for a full and fair recognition on their premium list, such as we are rightfully entitled to, and if we don’t get it I believe that sufficient can be raised from other sources, ————— IM 6 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 181 if the Executive Committee of this Society will take hold of the mat- ter, they can have a fair that will not only bea credit to fruit growing and horticulture, but that will bring us enough to pay all premiums; but I believe that they will come to our terms when we go to them in a proper way and demand our rights. Mr. Harris. I don’t think we will have to entreat them very much to get a good show. Mr. Latham. I think the Executive Committee should be given some discretion in the matter. Suppose we make up a premium list and present it, and they refuse to consider it. Are we going to tell them that we will get up a fair of our own? You see what sort of a position that would place usin. The Agricultural Society would hold their fair, and they would still get up avery good horticultural display, and then what will the Horticultural Society do? I think that we had better approach them in an amicable way, and adjust this matter. Mr. Busse. The people of the whole State are interested in this subject; the State fair grounds have been paid for by the State, and it is the duty of this Society to present them our premium list; if they object, ask them to state their objections. Then if our Executive Committee can agree with them, the premium list can be modified so that, it will be agreeable to the members of the Agricultural Society. They should harmonize this matter for the best interests of both Soci- eties. President Smith. I don’t think that anyone here intends to go there in a spirit of dictation, or believe that our Executive Committee should make their demand in an arbitrary manner. But we want to make our wishes known in a way that will be thoroughly understood. Mr. Latham. I would offer the suggestions that the Horticultural Society have erected a suitable building for our exhibts. I think that ~ suggestion might well come from this Society. President Smith. I suppose that would have to come in after the next Legislature meets; I don’t suppose it is feasable at present. We shall have to put up with such accommodations as we can get. The ground is staked out for a very fine Horticultural Hall there, and whenever the funds are procured, it will be ready. Mr. Cutler. I would suggest that the horticultural exhibit be placed where it was last fall, in the main building. I think they can give us enough room in that building to have our display, if they are willing to. President Smith. I would suggest that the whole thing be left in the hands ofgour Executive Committee. 182 ANNUAL REPORT. QUESTION BOX. * The following question was then read: Has any one in Minnesota been humbugged by Iowa nuserymen? and if so, by what firms ? Col. Stevens. Mr. President, I have hada pretty large acquaintance with the nurserymen doing business in Minnesota, perhaps more so than any other man, in consequence of my business connection. [ never have heard the first word of complaint in this State of an lowa nurseryman. | Mr. Harris. And I believe I can say the same. Mr. Gould. The thing seems to be all one way. I would like to know if anyone has heard of any humbug nurserymen in Minnesota. Mr. Gaylord. Iwill say that I think that you have got a good many better men up here than [ have got behind me. The next question was, How should root grafts be cared for ? Mr. Harris. Mr. President, I think the subject is of such importance that we ought to ask some experienced man to write an article uponit. Mr. Tuttle was called for. Mr. Tuttle. Most anybody can graft a root graft. It is a very easy matter. The parts will very readily grow together. The principal difficulty I have is in preserving grafts in good condition after setting. My practice is to pack them in sawdust. It is important to have the right degree of moisture. I get it as it comes from the saw; if too dry they will come forward too quick. In setting, care should be taken to set them so that the lower end will be solid in the ground; when it is loose it will not grow. I have seen grafts set sometimes when I could take hold of the top and shake it. Set in that way there will not one in twenty grow. There is one thing that I have observed. We used to use wax in grafting; we finally got to using twine or simple cétton yarn, waxing it, running the thread through the wax and twisting it on. We prac- ticed that a number of years. Finally, I didn’t think there was any benefit in the wax, and since that [ have used the simple cotton yarn without any wax, and I never had any grafts grow better; it is all nonsense about wax. . A Member. About what temperature do you keep the grafts ? Mr. Tuttle. Well, about as cool as you can keep them without freezing. A Member. About thirty-five or forty degrees? STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 183 Mr. Tuttle. Yes; the cooler you keep them the better. I gener- ally enclose my cellar and keep it shut after the warm weather com- mences; if we have pretty cold nights, I open it at that time and shut it up in the day-time. A Member. Do you form a union by splicing the graft? Mr. Tuttle. Yes, sir. Mr. Pearce. Did you ever graft without any string at all? Mr. Tuttle. I have grafted without any string at all, and they grew very well. I didit just for trial. The object of the string is to hold the grafts in place. They are easily put out of place, and in packing them some of them would move out of place, and itis merely to hold them together that the string is used. They will grow together with ordinary care. You must be careful not to disturb the union when you are setting. A Member. Do you use any mulching? Mr. Tuttle. No,sir. The great thing is setting thegrafts. There are ten times as many lost in setting as in anything else. We havea dibble that we press into the ground; we put the graft in and press up the dirt so that the graft is set perfectly solid. Mr. Sias. I never undertook to graft either root grafts or top grafts withe it wax until 1883. I learned that while on a visit to Mr. Tut: tle’s place; that was the first I heard of it—and since then I have practiced it myself with satisfactory results. I will say, in regard to sawdust I have always supposed that the sawdust, just as it came from the saw was about the right degree of moisture; but it is frequently thrown out of the mill, where the snow and rain gets on it, and is fre- quently much too wet. That is all the difficulty I know of in regard to keeping root grafts. Mr. Gould. I suppose the question was asked for the purpose of get- ting information so that farmers would know how to raise trees from root grafts. I will say as far as I can gather from my own experience in the matter, that the grafts should be planted firmly in the ground; that is, the bottom of the root should be planted in the earth. The _ earth should be worked deeper than the bottom of the root; that is very important, because if it comes on dry, down in the hard pan, they are almost sure to die—would not live through July if there happens to be a dry spell. When the grafts start in June, they should be watched carefully to see that there are no little worms on the leaves; if the leaves are touched, the worms will drop on the ground and it is difficult to find them. There may be two or three of them about the ta 184 ANNUAL REPORT. same size, some green and some gray; they destroy a great many young trees some years, and there are always more or less of them. Col. Stevens. I move this discussion be continued. I understand that the distinguished fruit-grower from Ripon, Wis., Mr. C. H. Ham- ilton, is present, and I move that he be requested to take a seat on the floor and participate in our debates and proceedings, and that the com- mittee on hospitalities see that he has a pleasant home while he is with us. Both motions were carried unanimously. Mr, Barrett, of Brown’s Valley, being called upon, came forward and said: Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen : I confess that I feel some misgivings, seeing that I am just begin- ning in the work,—that is, professionally, (though for years I have been engaged in the business, in a small way, in Wisconsin, where I have given considerable attention to horticulture),—but I say I have some misgivings in trying to make a report to men of many years’ ex- perience who know more than I do about these matters; therefore, if my statements are not found to be correct, I shall thank you if you will set me right. I will state that I reside in Traverse County, Da- kota, a new county that borders on Lake Traverse on the east. Brown’s Valley is on a neck of land on Lake Traverse. Mr. Barrett then proceeded to read the following paper: PROGRESSIVE PRIMARIES FOR FRUIT GROWING. By J. O. BARREttT, Brown’s Valley. A great diversity of opinion prevails in the new county of Traverse and its envi- ronment, respecting the permanent success of fruit and fruit plants. While there are cases of sheer neglect, compelling plants to ‘‘live at a poor dying rate,” the careful observer will also notice a marked difference as to their health and thrifti- ness even in localities where they are properly cared for, with good drainage and similarity of soil, both in hardiness and culture. On some rightly managed claims, forest trees do well, while on others, equally favorable to all appearances, a heavy per cent of cottonwoods die out year after year, even when they have attained quite a large size; so of the box elders. the soft maples and other trees. An experi- enced tree man of that county, formerly proprietor of a nursery in the East, says: “It is safe to calculate, that, as a rule during the eight years allotted for prov- ing-up, the entire ten acres have to be the same as reset to insure success.”’ What obtains with our forests trees obtains to a more marked degree with our fruit plants. Seldom does a first experiment prove a success. This is the experi- ence generally, even with those who are posted in horticultural art. We have all STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 185 learned that we cannot safely use the same methods as in the East whence we came, and have to be very particular as to the variety and institute adaptable methods with the expectation then of early cremating a goodly number of our costly candi- dates. A well-to-do farmer, resident in that county, who formerly made orchard ing a business in New York, said to me the other day, that he was ‘‘utterly discour- aged in trying to grow.apple trees, cherry, or even small fruits.’’? Last spring, from the same lot of crab and apple trees, two years old, consisting of the Whitney No. 20, the Wealthy and Duchess, I sold different amounts to men whom I personally know are posted in the art of fruit growing. While most of them reported in the fall that their trees had lived, timbered well, and promised safe wintering, others, whose orchard localities appeared every way favorable, reported that, while many of the trees lived, they did not grow, scarcely any timbering out to any appreciable extent. Though failure is the rule thus far, we have beautiful exceptions. A gentleman by the name of Bowman who lives on the shores of Big Stone Lake, a very candid man, said to me last fall that he had raised seventy-five bushels of apples; that among the varieties he was growing were a number of trees which he had brought from the East; he also said that those trees then in bearing were pro- ducing some of the best apples he had ever seen. He was a very modest man, but from his report I should judge that he has some valuable fruit. In special localities we have some thrifty young orchards, yearly bearing fruit, some of the trees native, from the seed, with fruit equal to the best. Crab-apple trees do finely in our alluvial soils that are well drained and kept friable, wherein is embed- ded and rotting the bones of buffaloes and other wild dnimals, washed in from the plat sabove. The exceptions keep our hope alive, that in due time, with unfaltering perseverance, success will crown the enterprise. As respects small fruits, discour- agements obtain, but not so generally as with apples. The diverse results of experimentation are by no means circumscribed to our section of the State, but, so far as I can learn, characterize the newly cultivated regions of our prairies west of the big woods, and over the vast domain of Dakota. Our soil is rich, under it is a clay stratum to hold the moisture, and every year’s tillage better fits it for high types of plants. Though we are buta few years old, as prairie farmers, we have come to the conclusion that we must vary our crops and give more attention to stock raising and the dairy, as fundamental to feeding our soil with proper pabulum wherewith to develop next the fruitful orchard and garden. Obviously there is no uniformity in the constituents of our soils Some localities, doubtless, have an excess of what is vaguely called alkali; others are deficient in this respect. Silica may be wanting here and there, or where abundant, there may not be enough potash to hold it in solution for available appropriation. Though iron properties are not wanting, they may not yet be chemically fitted to feed the roots. Though our soils, in the main, may have all the ingredients deemed essen- tial to fruit growing, yet they may not be progressed enough as primates from the original rocks, nor old enough in fertilization, to warrant general success. In cer- tain chemical relations and proportions, water, carbonic acid, ammonia and inorganic matters are the food of plants; for vigorous thrift and complete maturity these must be supplied to act simultaneously and in progressed constituency. As aman will die, if only a single condition of his existence, air or water, for instance, is 186 ANNUAL REPORT. withdrawn, so the perfect development of a plant is obstructed, if, indeed its death does not ensue, when one of its means of nourishment fails. It illy becomes us, then, to wonder at failures, and give up the undertaking; our business is to under- stand our business, and know how to feed our plants with what they naturally need to live, grow and bear fruit. Allow me here a condensed statement from the experimental researches of emi- nent chemists. They demonstrate that compound substances exist that are chemically alike, but differ in appearance, and differ in all their effects in use. Parian Marble, for instance, and common chalk are called carbonate of lime; they are chemically alike, but unlike in effects. Professor Tyndal says, speaking of the minute shells composing chalk-beds: ‘These shells are built up of little crystals of calc-spar, and to form these crystals the structural force had to deal with the in- tangible molecules of carbonate of lime.’’ During all these transitions it was carbonate of lime. And there he rests it as he must. Neither he nor his peers can tell us what vital conditions ensued, when ‘‘the intangible molecules”’ climbed into calc-spar, and this into shells, and these into chalk beds. No chemist on earth has been able to trace the vital processes by which nature fits her soils, and waters, and atmospheres for organic forms in regular gradations. Suppose a farmer sows a pulverised quantity of ‘‘the intangible molecules of the carbonate of lime’? direct from the rock, and an equal quantity of the crumbled stuff from chalk beds; the former will be inefficient compared with the latter. Let him sow sulphate of lime which is known as Plaster of Paris—a valuable article rightly applied—and an equal weight of sulphate of lime made from bones by treating them with sulphuric acid to render them super-phosphate of lime; for a higher class of plants to which it is best adapted, the latter is a very large per cent. ahead of theformer. The great dif- ference in the effects of vegetable growth is not owing to the acid treatment above. Take the dust of phosphate rock which is compared of phosphoric acid and lime, and have the same relative proportions as in the phosphate from the bone, and treat it (that of the rock) with sulphuric acid, and, as before, the bone in comparison leads in nutritive virtue. Our farmers do or ought to know about these facts, yet they, generally, seem perfectly indifferent when they see buffalo bones by the car- load gleaned from the wild prairies and valleys, shipped into the eastern cities, thus robbing our soil of the best possible dressing almost at our doors. Why, the strange antics of a cow ought to waken the farmer to his senses, when she gnaws bones like adog. She thus teaches him that his soil and thence his crops are deficient in avail- able phosphate of lime. Will he give her the decection of a powdered phosphate rock, or a bit of bone dust—which? We have a plentiful supply of potash, but, perhaps non-adaptable. If direct from the granite or field par, what is it fit for, except to be ground over and over by the plow and harrow, chrystalized and rechrys- talized, pulverized and triturated, and possibly it may then aid in the growing of cereals, preparing the way for fruit plants. Suppose we try, even on the alkali fields, the progressed potashy of wood or grass; that’s an improvement; that loves the apple tree and the apple tree courts the favor. The night soil will produce effects such as are not warranted by its analysis, and such as cannot be imitated by any synthetical arrangement of similar constituants- Experience also demonstrates the other manures of a high class furnish progressed materials that will produce larger and better crops than even greater quantities of like primaries from a lower class. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 187 The same rules obtain in materia medica. Prof. Mapes, whose horticultural writings are above all price, calls our attention to an interesting fact practically illustrative of the law under consideration. He says, ‘‘For more than a century a medicine has been manufactured in London, known as Pulvis Jacobi (James’ Pow- ders). For a long time its composition was a secret. The medicine, however, was in general use, and large quantities were annually sent to the Eist Indies by the East India Company, for the use of its medical department. It was very effective in the treatment of fever, and its action always found to be uniform The Messrs. James, the original discovers of this medicine died, and their successors of the same name, from philanthropic motives, made known the composition, and the receipt for its manufacture found its way into the Pharmacopia. It was said to be com- posed of phosphate of lime and oxyd of antimony in certain relative proportions, which were stated. James’ Powders were soon manufactured by every apothecary as well as by the immediate successors of the original discoverers. The East India Company advertised for proposals to furnish them with medicines, among which was a large quantity of James’ Powders, and a large and respectable manufacturer of London named a lower price for this article than that named by the Messrs. James themselves. It was furnished and sent out. The Medical department reported that it failed entirely to prove the usual results. The company refused to pay the bill, and a suit ensned. Many of the first chemists of England, including one of the Messrs. James, made an analysis of this article, and gave evidence that it was the same composition as that made by the Messrs. James. It appeared in evidence that the new manufacturers had calcined the phosphate of lime rock from Estramadura, and then combined it with antimony as directed; that the Messrs. James made their medicine by calcining the bones of oxen, and mix- ing the phosphate so obtained with oxyd of antimony. Every chemist, Mr. James included, believed and stated that there could he no difference in the effect of these two medicines; that after the Estramadura rock was calcined, and the bone was calcined, the results were alike, and the verdict was given in favor of the manufac- turers. The company, however, sent out a new quantity manufactured by the Messrs. James, and unlike that made from the Estramadura rock, it was found to be efficient.’” This statement of Prof. Mapes clearly shows that men, like plants, can only assim- ilate such primaries in progressed conditions as are adaptable to their plans of being. It also helps us as to proper mixture an4 selection of manures; the higher qualities always for the higher grades of plants. Why will the cauliflowers refuse to be sus- tained in the proper soil for the lichens and mosses? Obliviously because the cauliflower is far removed in progression of primaries in its structure from that of ‘the lichens and mosses. The fresh debris from the mountain side may grow the wild, colorless, single rose, but try the progressed rose, a variety which only centuries of culture can develop, so beautiful and sweet, grim death is transformed in its pres- ence into life’s opportunity for a higher type of being; rather than be sustained there, its very soul departs, for ought we know, into the angel realm that enshrines all the perfections of nature. The apple is the best fruit in the world, ‘‘the survival of the fittest,’ the com- panion of civilization. It was, doubtless, the crowning excellence previous to the records of the Greeks and Romans, previous to the pre-historic lake dwellers of i i, is 188 . ANNUAL REPORT. Switzerland, previous to the migrations of theearly Argus. By the slow and uner- ring law of evolution, through centuries of transplanting, hybridation and fertil- izing culture, it has reached its present perfectable condition. Hence, it must have a location, a soil, an atmosphere exactly fitted to its progressed structure and instincts. In the attempt to shelter the apple tree, suppose you plant it in the woods to feed on decayed leaves, locusts and wild honey. What a shriveled, scrub- by, lousey thing it is! If it has health enough, bring it forth into the freer light and air, into cottonwood soil where you can love it into life, and see how quick it undergoes a “‘revival of religion.’” Prof. Budd, of the Agricultural College at Ames, Iowa, in his able report on “‘North of Europe Fruits, Trees and Shrubs,”’ calls our attention to the wonderful success of orcharding in nearly all the provinces of Russia. Speaking of the prov- ince of Kazan on the upper waters of the Volga, whose southern boundary is on the 55th parallel of north latitude, he says: ‘‘The largest and best orchards are on the lowest bluffs on the west banks of the Volga, or on the dry prairies just back of these bluffs. We found the dwarf-appearing trees loaded with high colored and really good fruit, and we could see scarce a trace of injury by the terrible winters of this latitude.”’ He also informs us that the thermometer there, has often been known to reach fifty-eight degrees below zero. In other provinces of the hyper- borean climates of the great empire are found vast orchards of cherries, as well as apples, and pears of the improved varieties. He and his horticultural compatriots were sanguine that root grafts or top-grafts from those hardy Russian sorts would be a pre-eminent success on our western prairies, dating their conclusion on similar dryness of air and rigor of climate, with the odds in our favor, because our soil coun- terparts that of the Russian plains, with greater natural richness in the main. But the test thus far largely disappoints expectations. While some Russian varieties have proved successful, it is found they are no more so than some of our native pro- ductions. We are therefore thrown back again upon our own resources to build our hopes where we must—on primary fitness to insure mastery for the apple and other fruits, over heat and cold, wind and storm. Russia is an old country. Vegetations, animals, humanities have there lived and died, their bodies rotting and elementally rising again in improved forms; the pri- mates of structure evolutionally progressed. Hence, apples, pears, plums, cher- ries, apricots are profitably raised there in localities much higher than our own, some of these flourishing where the Sirrocco of the north freezes the ground six, eight, ten, twelve feet. Our prairie soil is new in use; some of it just subduing by the plow. Give usa tenth of the time Russia has had to prepare for such fruits, give us but twenty years more, with closer analysis of soils, with improved fertili- zers, With an education working from the school, to the field, and factory, with our forests then grown into paternal protection, with freer brains to think and sweeter hearts to feel, and see if we do not make our prairie lands the fruit Eden of the western continent. The meeting adjourned till 2 o’clock P. m. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 189 AFTERNOON SESSION. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 1886. The meeting was called to order at 2 0’clock P. M., by President Smith. The ad interim, or District Reports of the Vice-Presidents being in order, the following reports were presented : REPORT FROM FIRST DISTRICT. WILD OR NATIVE FRUITS. By A. W. S1ras, Rochester. Mr. President: You will not be surprised when I say that about thirty years ago, nearly ali Jue land in my district was in just that wild state in which the Aborgines had always kept it—abounding in a profusion of wild fruits, of no trifling importance to the pioneer settlers. And thirty short years is too quickly passed for the horti- culturists of one district to think of running ahead of ‘‘Old Dame Nature,’’ were it possible to give the real value of the wild fruits of this district, (to the settlers,) in dollarsand cents. And also in the value of all the cultivated sorts, it would no doubt astonish you to note the balance that would stand in favor of the wildings. No inconsiderable number of our citizens predicted last spring, that all nature had turned a sort of ‘‘winter set’? and somehow during the icy operation had man- aged to kill all the cultivated trees, and also the fruit buds on the wild varieties. Happily, this proved a great mistake, as subsequent events most clearly demon- strated. The severe, cold winter (perhaps the most severe, since the settlement of the country) was followed by a cool, but seasonable spring and summer, and the re- sult was that we reap one of the best crops of wild fruits known here for several years. This would indicate that ‘‘Dame Nature’”’ understands her business, and is more lavish in her gifts than the majority of people are aware of. The wild plum crop was immense—and many fine varieties among them. Some day we hope to produce from the seed, a native plum that shall astonish the horti- cultural world. Some of the best named sorts are, De Soto, Rollingstone, Cotterell, Waldron, Weaver, Wild Rose, and Forest Garden. James Berry, Choke Berry, Black Cherry, Red Wing, Black Haw, all bore plentiful crops. Wild Strawberry crop splendid, also Gooseberry, Currants, etc. High-bush Cranberry and Elderber® ries abundant. The Blueberry is found here, but only to a limited extent. APPLES. Some member of this Society remarked a few years ago that ‘‘a tree is known by its fruit” and not by the color of its heart-wood. And now it looks as though we might advance a step farther, and say neither is it clearly known by the color of its sap wood; for I can assure you that we produced thousands of bushels of as fine apples as were ever set before a king last year on trees whose wood was badly discolored from pith to bark. The recuperative power of our fruit trees, has taken 190 ANNUAL REPORT. us all by surprise. Many orchards in this district bore heavily; prices ruled lower than ever before, and yet were high in proportion to other farm products. Among the common apples the Russians take the lead as to hardiness, many of the hybrids stand all right, and a very few of our seedling are looking as well. As far as I know, no pears were grown the past season. Plums, splendid crop; cherries, poor crop; grapes, fine crop; leading varieties grown, Concord, Worden, Janesville, Delaware and Rogers Seedlings. BLACKBERRIES. We believe the question of blackberry culture is now settled for all future time, and in the same way as that of the strawberry culture. No one expects to grow the strawberry in paying quantities for market without covering the plants in the fall, and the blackberry must be treated in the same way. Keep this constantly in mind and practice, and the delicious blackberry will very soon be as plentiful in our markets as the strawberry. Best varieties of the blackberry, as faras we know, are: Ancient Briton, Snyder, Hoag’s Seedling and the Mammoth Dewberry. STRAWBERRIES. T'he strawberry crop is very fine, and prices good, our gardeners are encouraged and will enlarge their beds in the spring. The irrepressible Crescent Seedling still leads the van. It not only ‘‘chokes out grass,’”’ but chokes off all new aspirants for unearned honors, keeping the while just a step in advance. Downer’s Prolific is still popular, Sharpless the largest, and Cumberland Triumph hard to beat for quality and beauty of proportions. Among the newer sorts the Old Iron-clad, Manchester, Vick and others, are attracting con- siderable attention. RASPBERRIES. Crop splendid. Turner the leading variety, Cuthbert, Brandywine, Sheffer’s Collossal, and several others grown to some extent; Marlboro, not fairly tested, but quite promising. REPORT FROM SECOND DISTRICT. By Vicr-Presipent E. H. 8. Darrr, Owatonna. Mr. President and Members :— I have been watching with far more than ordinary interest the advent and effects of the exceptionally cold winters of the last few years. And though they have seemed uncomfortably close together and decidedly discouraging in their effects, we have to admit that last winter 1884-85 beats them all. Previous to that our common apple trees such as Fameuse, St. Lawrence, Talman Sweet, Haas, etc., also Wealthy and other Minnesota seedling apples, had been gradually but surely freezing out. Now a clean sweep has been made. The Duchess and possibly a few other Russians which may prove of equal hardiness and the despised crab apples, with crosses between the two are all that is left on which to build our hopes for the future. And since the Russians are not all hardy and many are liable to blight, (and the same is true of crab apples) we can readily see that years of experience will be required before our Society can put forth a list or lists that shall prove reliable for all sections of the State. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 191 The Duchess has stood best in high, airy locations, and on northern slopes, whilst in low, sheltered situations it has killed out badly. The Tetofsky seemed as hardy a3 Duchess till last winter. Now three-fourths of them are dead. The most live — trees are found where the land has been the best cultivated, and the most manure has been applied. Of crab apples I have tried about forty named varieties, besides a large number of seedlings of my own production, and up to the present time I know of hardly a tree that comes up to all the following requirements: hardiness, fruitfulness, size and quality of fruit, longevity and freedom from blight. I think about one-half lack in hardiness and an equal proportion in fruitfulness, and blight hits them all toa greater or less extent, some much more than others. I mention a few varieties : Transcendent—Liable to blight ; supplies our own market nearly every season. Hyslop—Not a good bearer, sometimes blights; apples second quality ; keeps well. Greenwood and Early Strawberry—Well up on most points ; apples do not keep. Whituey No. 20—Promising ; have grown it 8 to 10 years; needs further trial. Dartt’s Hybrid; same. Maidens Blush—Sprouts badly from bottom ; dies young. Minnesota—Not productive ; short lived on sandy land. Orange—has not borne well; blossoms very frail; killed by slight frost. Gen. Grant, Conical and Marengo Winter—Not hardy ; blight to death. Beeches Sweet and Hutchinson’s Sweet are well up except on fruitfulness. I sincerely hope that our Society will in the near future pay more attention to the crab list. For the people want trees that will stay with them and produce a passible fruit in seasonable quantity. They are tired of kinds that come with de- ceptive, high-sounding names, go with winter’s first shock, or linger for a season to prove how uncertain certain things are, and especially Minnesota apple trees. REPORT FROM THIRD DISTRICT. By VicE-PRrEsIDENT M. CUTLER, Sumter. Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: Owing to my not receiving last years’ report of the Society until late in the season, and my being busily engaged in building, I was not aware of the duties devolving upon me as vice-president until a few weeks since, after having accepted an invita- tion from our Secretary to contribute a paper for this meeting. Hence my report will not be as complete as it would otherwise have been. hy The past year has been one to test the courage of the horticulturists of the North- J west. From every direction come reports of the sad havoc produced among fruit 4 trees and plants. My section of the State has suffered with the rest. All report _ their standard trees as dead or dying. Contrary to expectation Transcendent and Hyslop trees came out in pretty good shape last spring, blossomed very full, and bore a large crop. There were so many _ crabapples in the market that they reached the low price of twenty-five cents a j bushel. A few Duchess 2pples were in the market but no other home grown stand- ard apples. Wild plums were abundant. 192 ANNUAL REPORT. One year ago last fall I had as fine a strawberry bed as I ever saw, about one and one-half acres, located on the west side of willow trees. I covered them nicely with marsh hay and hoped for a good crop. But alas my fond hopes were doomed to disappointment, the snow blew off the highest part of the bed, and where it sloped to the Southwest the ground thawed out to the depth of four or five inches during the first days of March, then froze up solid so that most of the plants were killed. Where the slope was to the Northwest and on the low land, Crescents and Glen- dales were in fair condition, but Old Iron-clad, Bidwell and Pipers were nearly ex- tinct. Manchester, James Vick and Jumbo were about half killed. Manchester and Jumbo produced some large berries, and James Vick a few small ones. Crescents proved as usual with us, the boss of all, fur wherever a plant had life enough to live, we found nice berries whether in weeds four feet high, or where the ground wasclean. Some have said they were too soft for a market berry, I shipped them to Fargo and Aberdeen, Dak., and although some were dead ripe when picked, they were reported to be in fine condition, and were sold at good prices. I copy the following from Rural New Yorker, froma Michigan correspondent. ‘‘Sharpless sold in the Chicago market for $1.75 to $2.75 per 16 qt. case; Crescents 90 cts. to $1.75, while Wilsons sold for 25 to 40 cts. Total expense of picking, crates, etc., 45 cents per case.’? You can easily figure out which paid a profit. The same writer states that the Crescents yielded much the largest crop. I gathered 2,300 quarts, 500 being from my old bed, which sold for 124 cts. per quart. The crop would have been better but for drought and hot weather in June, which nearly cooked vines and berries. As far as I have been able to learn, berries grown on the east side of trees where covered with snow, came out in good condition. Turner raspberries came out all right and bore a good crop. Cuthbert in fair condition for newly set plants. I have come to the conclusion that to get a crop of blackberries they must be cevered, and that those most productive and of the best quality should be set. Grapes do fairly well where properly cared for, but on account of frost none but the earliest kinds should be set on the prairie. One of our members, Mr. Nobles, had some very fine Concord grapes which he exhibited at our County fair. The display of fruits and vegetables at our County fair was not very extensive, not because they are not grown, but because horse-racing and gambling games are made such a prominent feature that few respectable farmers will exhibit their pro- ducts. When they see fifty cents offered for the best plate of grapes, and $100 of- -fered to the owner of the fastest trotting horse, their exhibition ardor gets so cold that it never thaws out. When the people see their hard earned dollars spent in fixing up costly race tracks, great amphitheaters, and elegant barns for the accomo- dation of a few horse jockeys and gamblers, and the great agricultural staples of the State shoved off into a temporary shed, it is time to cry a halt. We have often been told that a fair could not succeed without horse-racing, but the Dakota County farmers have proved the contrary, and I hope other fair associations will follow their exampie. Mr. Ditus Day, of Farmington, writes me as follows: ‘‘We had no racing at our fair last fall, and all that I have spoken to admit that it was the best fair we ever heid, and we had plenty of money to pay premiums, for the fast horses did not carry it all off, as has been the case sometimes before.”’ —— STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 193 In regard to fruits Mr. Day writes as follows: “Strawberries were a good crop; Crescents did the best, and Green’s Prolific did well. Delaware, Concord and Janesville grapes did well.’’ He likes the Delaware the best of all. The Turner raspberry stands the winter first rate and bears a good crop. Ber- ries brought 10 to 15 cts. in our market, and grapes 8 to 15 cts. per Ib. Duchess apple trees were but little injured last winter, and bere a good crop. I append the following report from Mr. Crandall, ore of our leading fruit grow- ers. Froit REPORT FROM McLEop County. M. Cutler, Vice-President Minnesota Horticultural Society. DEAR Srr:—In answer to your inquiries after fruit culture I give the following : (1.) ‘Give age and description of seedling apple, comparing leaf and body of tree with other apple trees, also condition last Spring.” Ans. i have some fifteen or twenty Duchess seedlings five years old of which one is a promising, thrifty tree but has not blossomed yet. It is tail and straight, and if the fruit should prove good, would make good nursery stock. The leaf re- sembles the Duchess very much, with perhaps a little resemblance to the Transcend- eat. Some of these seedlings are of very slow growth. Others have been set back by the green aphis, but have done better this season than ever before and may beeome thrifty. None of these Duchess seedlings have ever winter-killed, not even affected by last winter’s extremes. Seedlings from Russets and Willowtwigs froze down every winter as long as their roots lived. Last year all of my standard apples black-hearted or killed out entirely except Duchess. The Crabs came through in fair condition, except some young Transcend- ents, which black-hearted. Whitney No. 20, Early Strawberry, and Hyslop showed no signs of black-heart. (2.) ‘‘How many kinds of strawberries have you, and what was their condition last spring? Which stood the drought and yielded the best ? Ans. Over twenty kinds, besides seedlings. All were covered last winter with marsh hay as usual. Great American, Mount Vernon, Bidwell, Old Iron-clad, and Glendale, a part of Crescents, Sharpless and Cinderilla, were protected by snow through the March thawing and freezing, and were in good condition in the spring; those not protected by snow except seedlings and Parks Beauty were from one-fifth to four-fifths killed by freezing and thawing. Considering the quantity of ground occupied, and the lack of mulching to keep the soil moist, I think the Parks Beauty stood the drought and the winter the best and bore the heaviest crop. I think the Parks Beauty is not the same as Crescent , but it is very much like it with renewed life and vigor. Pipers Seedling and Kentucky stood the winter as well as the Crescent, and bet- ter than Captain Jack, Wilson, Warren, Big Bob, Cinderilla, Longfellow, and some twenty other kinds. (3.) ‘‘What can you say about your seedling strawberries ?”’ Ans. They were not protected by snow and were not winter-killed. About a dozen from Crescent and Sharpless, Crescent and Capt. Jack, and Sharpless and Capt. Jack produced the finest berries on my place. There were more pistillates than perteéct blossoms and generally the pistillates were larger than the hermaphro, 13 be i ¢ 194 ‘ ANNUAL REPORT. dites, but not quite as fine flavor. The plants ware nearly all strong growers with thick, heavy foliage resembling the Sharpless while the berries had the peculiar yellow seeds of the Captain Jack. I can’t give a particular description ef any one as my memorandum has been mislaid. I havea large number to come into bearing next summer that did not fruit this year. Not one of the large number of seedlings from the Great American bore any resemblance to their parents. One seedling from the Cinderilla was of fair size and flavor, but in neither quality equal to the parent stock. (4.) ‘‘What do you consider the best ‘raspberries for prairie cultivation; give ex- perience ?”’ : Ans. After six years experience I find Turners red decidedly the best on the prairies. Philadelphia winter-kills more, is softer, smaller and less productive. Brandywine is hardy, but is small and yields but little. I have not tested any good Black-caps yet. Purple-cane and its seedlings are hardy but too small. Gregg freezes down every fall. Iam now trying Tyler and another Blackcap; have some hope of them. (5.) ‘‘What kinds of grapes do the best with you ?”’ Ans. Asyet the Salem; but the Worden, Moore’s Early, Concord and Brighton may do as well after a full trial. Clinton does not pay for the trouble of covering it in winter. Worden is sweeter and thinner skinned than Salem, and Brighton is a ranker grower. Salem is the best of these and the best keeper. It has always ripened here except in 1884, when we had practically nine months winter, and nothing got ripe that season. (6.) ‘‘What can you say about blackberries?’ Ans. I have had no success with them yet. They all freeze down to snow line. Snyder and Taylor’s are not worth bothering with any more. Will try two other kinds that [ have and one or two kinds of Dewberries, and perhaps some seedlings. Yours with respeet, E. CRANDALL. Sumter, Minn., Dec. 1885. REPORT FROM FOURTH DISTRICT. By Vicr-PREsIDENT, F. G. GouLp, Excelsior. The experiments of the early settlers of Minnesota in growing fruit resulted usu- ally in utter failure. The day of small fruits had not yet fully arrived, and it came to be a common saying that fruit could not be grown in Minnesota. ‘This supposed fact was considered the greatest drawback to the settlement. While the healthful- ness of the climate, and productiveness of the soil were satisfactory, it would do to to endure but was not good enough to live in. About twenty years ago the Duchess apple and Transcendent crab came into notice and soon after the Wealthy apple. About this time the Delaware and Con- cord grapes began to attract attention all over the country, and we may as well make the year 1866 or thereabouts the date from which we started ona more hope ful prospect in fruit growing. To be sure a few fine strawberries had been grown, a few grapes had been tried. Those of the latter, of most value, were the Isabella oll rie oe: STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 195 and Catawaba, both late in ripening but answered the purpose of demonstrating the possibilities of grape culture. All will admit that the orchard and fruit garden add much to the enjoyment of farm life, especially with the children. How many of us have in dreams in later years lived over again the scenes of our childhood and the happiest of all were, those when we were the first in the orchard in the early morning to gather the first fruits which had fallen during the night. ; I could not advise the planting of extensive orchards of the apple, but I would recommend the planting of a few trees of the apple or crabs on every farm, even Without a fair prospect of making a profit out of them, I believe this to be the duty of every owner of afarm. Children relish the Transcendent crab; it is the best medicine for them, and another thing, when boys have fruits at home they will escape somewhat of the temptation to appropriate that which belongs to others. A larger list of desirable fruits can be grown in Minnesota and Dakota than in the extreme Southern states of the Union. My attention was called to this fact last winter at New Orleans by residents of that section. To besure they have there oranges, figs and cherries, and that about completes the list, except the shell fruits. Wild strawberries and red raspberries were quite plentiful last season in the vicinity of Turtle mountain and Lake Minnewaken in Northern Dakota. Chokecherries of the best quality I ever tasted grow in the greatest abundance in the so-called ‘‘bad lands,’’ in Dakota. Strawberries and raspberries are among the most valuable of fruits. Currants, gooseberries and the native plums are desirable also. They can all be successfully grown all over Minnesota and Dakota. The grape can be profitably grown only in favored localities but in such locations where good varieties have )een planted and properly cared for they have returneda greater profit than any other cr op grown. The timbered portions of the Northwest are the most congenial to nearly ‘all kinds of fruit. Some kinds succeed best on northerly slopes; among these I will name apples, raspberries, strawberries and blackberries. The selection of varieties is the most important step in the business. Unlike most other things the higher priced are generally of the least value to the planter. At present there are many new and untried kinds of fruit plants offered to the public; possibly some of them may have some merit, but I would suggest touching these new things lightly, for if they prove worthy they can be secured later at a moderate price. I will name some of the varieties of the different fruits which I consider the most desirable for planting over the greatest range of country. Of the apple family I will name the Transcendent crab. - This sort can be depended upon to yield more fruit than any of its kind. The Turner raspberry is the hardiest of all known sorts. Where it will not suc- ceed, I doubt if it is much use to try any other. The quality of the fruit is as good as the best. Ifit was as prolific as the Philadelphia (which exceeds all others in this particular) it would stand very much above all others. The Wilson Strawberry is the best for general cultivation though it does not always do well on sandy or light soils. It requires carein the growing season and protection over winter. Among the blackcaps I will name the Doolittle and Seneca. None of the blacks 196 ANNUAL REPORT. can be relied upon on the prairies west of us. Currants, the Red Dutch; goose- berries, Houghton; grapes, the Concord and Delaware with a very promising can- didate in the Moore’s Early. I think the Snyder and Ancient Briton blackberry are giving as good satisfaction as any at present, but are liable to winter-kill unless protected by laying down. The cultivation of the apple is an up-hill business, as the hardiest known trees are either killed outright or severely crippled as often as once in every ten or twelve yeais. The question as to what killed the trees has been pretty thoroughly gone over. The fact that the most disastrous years were those when the mercury found a resting place down in the forties has convinced me that the éxtreme cold weather has much to do with it. Mr. Gould. Mr. President, I have to report, in common with oth- ers, injury to nearly all kinds of apple trees by the severe winter of last year. Some varieties, the Duchess and others, had life enough to blos- som more or less; some of them set some fruit, but nothing to amount to anything, excepting the Duchess and Wealthy, of the large apples. It is the case quite generally in our neighborhood, and I don’t know of any place where trees have shown more injury any year since the winter of 1874 and 1875 than last year. Generally, good crops of strawberries have been raised. We have found the snow a good protection. In the timber districts the Phila- delphia raspberry bore a good crop generally. On the prairie, in some places, it was killed quite badly. I think the Philadelphia will bear more berries than any other known sort in the Northwest; it will bear a good many more where it will stand the winters. The Turner is hardier, however, so far as my-observation goes; I think it is the hardiest raspberry we have. None of the blackecaps are as hardy as the Philadelphia, and not near as hardy as the Turner. An ordinary winter will kill the blackcaps on the prairies most anywhere, more or less, and I consider the blackcaps utterly worthless beyond the Big Woods west of here, unless they are covered. The price of strawber- ries was lower last year than it has been for six or seven years, I think. A Member. What was the average price ? Mr. Gould. Well, I think the price did not average eight cents a quart last year. I have been growing for the market, more or less— not in very large quantities, however—for fifteen or sixteen years. Year before last I estimated my crop’at an average of about ten cents a quart; it might have been as low as eight; but I am satisfied that last year the price was lower than ever before. Col. Stevens. LIunderstood Mr. Pearce’s crop averaged twelve cents. — ee ae. GS a! ‘ STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 197 Mr. Gould. I presume he is a better salesman than I am. Col. Stevens. Can you raise strawberries at eight cents with any reasonable profit ? Mr. Gould. Oh, yes; that is better business than growing wheat, a good deal. They can be grown profitably at from five to six cents per quart; two cents on a quart is a pretty good profit. J am speaking, of course, of the wholesale price. Plums were plentiful in this part of the State, so much so that every- body could have a share even if they had but little money to buy, and ‘a good many could have them without money. Currants and gooseberries were, perhaps, not a big crop, but there was a fair vrop of currants. Gooseberries are not raised here very ex- tensively, but the Houghton, as far as I noticed, were a fair crop. REPORT FROM FIFTH DISTRICT. By Vice Prestpent G. W. Fuuier, Litchfield. Mi. President : I have no written report, and I will be very brief. I am sixty-eight miles west of this city, on the St. Paul & Manitoba road, five miles beyond the Big Woods, on the prairie. We had ayear ago quite a fine crop of Wealthy and Duchess apples. This last year the only apples we had, to amount to anything, were the Transcendents. The Wealthy trees, not only my own orchard, but as far as I know all througk that section of country, with very few exceptions, were killed. I have a few very poor trees still surviving. The Transcendents, how- ever, done the best the past year they have done for years, and have produced a fine crop. Hyslops were a failure. I had a pretty good crop of Harly Strawberry. The trees are in fair condition. Our currant crop was very fair; mine was as good, probably, as I ever had. Ihave the white and red varieties. !do not think there is any better variety for our section than the Victor. Of raspberries, of course the Turner is the best with us. I have the Philadelphia, but shall allow them to run out. The Cuthberts I set a year ago last spring, but the bushes were killed down last spring. I don’t regard them worth raising,—that is, unless we can succeed by covering. Blackberries, as I have already stated, are of no value with us unless covered. We raise the Doolittle blackcaps there, getting a very good crop of berries from the new shoots that come up in the spring. I 198 ANNUAL REPORT. keep all my raspberry bushes down low by pinching them off when they get up two or two and a half feet; I pinch them back and keep them low in that shape. Strawberries were very good the past year. I raised the Crescent and Charles Downing. The Glendale [ do not regard as worth raising. I have had them, and they do very well to fill up a quart box, but are good for nothing else with me. The Sharpless failed by reason of frost in the early spring. The year previous, however, I had a very fine crop. As to grapes, I would report that I have the Janesville; have not given it a long enough trial to say what it is really going to do; I doubt about its being successful. I have several other varieties. The crop, was very good, and I sold none of mine for less than fifteen cents a quart; that is the wholesale price. The retail price during the whole season nearly was twenty cents. Of course, we don’t send them down to Minneapolis; we sell them at our own place and send them west. The Cherry currant I have never raised successfully. JI have had them for ten years, and every year it would die down. I regard it as entirely worthless in our locality. Mr. Kellogg. We have about ten papers that want about ten hours’ discussion. We left off this morning and promised to take up, first, the unfinished question about grafts, about their treatment and growth, how farmers could use them, and the profit that could be made from root grafting, etc. We have had presented the subjects of hot and cold locations for trees and plants, seedlings, new plants, propagation of small fruits, fungi, wild fruits, Russian fruits, and grapes in ail their varieties; raspberries, blackberries and strawberries, in all their varieties; two varieties of dew-plants; winter-protection, cross-breed- ing, tree culture as adapted to northwestern prairies, and lastly, that never-ending question of blight. [Laughter.] Idon’t see any hope of touching them all. The report of the committee on Russian apples being called for, Mr. Cutler in presenting the report stated that owing to the limited time the committee had had to inquire as to the merits of the different kinds of Russian apples, and their non-acquaintance with the quality of many of them, they had deemed it best to select only such as have been grown in Minnesota, those that are of good enough quality to pay for grow- ing; that the committee had to take the evidence of their own number to some extent, that had propagated these different kinds of apples. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 199 RUSSIAN APPLES RECOMMENDED. We the undersigned committee appointed to report six Russian apples for general cultivation report the following: Ostrekoff’s Glass, No. 472. Hibernal, No. 378. Red-cheeked apple, No. 445. Red Anise, No. 985. White Pigeon, No. 317. Autumn Streaked, No. 964. Respectfully submitted, ANDREw PETERSON, M. J. Hoag, M. CuTuER. Mr, Smith. I move that the varieties named be recommended for trial rather than for general cultivation. Mr. Tuttle. Mr. President, I think that is a proper thing todo with all these Russians, for some time, at least. We will find probably a good many just as valuable and some a good deal more valuable than those on the list. | Mr. Sias. I am in favor of the motion. I would ask Mr. Cutler and other members of the committee if they are willing to accept that amendment. Mr. Cutler. Yes, sir; I have no objection. I think that is best. The motion was carried by sixteen in favor and none against. DISCUSSION. Mr.’Kellogg. We stopped in the discussion of root grafts, after we had got them planted, I believe. Upon that subject I want to say that if it is designed for the farmer’s use, [ believe it to be the most profit- able way you can grow an orchard, to set out the trees when not more than seven inches long; set with astake on thesouthside. Ifyoutake half as much care in growing your orchard as you do your calves you will have apples, and plenty of them. The tree should never be trans- planted from the place where it is first set. After setting there should be clean culture until the first of July, then let the ground go to grass. I don’t want any late cultivation, either in a nursery or in the orchard. It is better to put two grafts in a hill so as to be able to take one up if necessary; if one dies you haveachance foranother. Give them clean culture, and keep everything out except the horse that draws the cul- tivator. Let your graft occupy the place of a hill of corn. oa a - . mI 200 ANNUAL REPORT. Mr. Sias. About twenty years ago I advocated that same doctrine. I went to selling root grafts, and I only found one man that succeeded with them. He is not a nureryman, and never has been, but is one of the best practical gardeners I ever knew. He watched them, took care of them, and from those root grafts he had a spendid orchard. He had eastern varieties’from Rochester, N. Y. And he was the only man I ever knew that succeeded. Farmers, as a rule, will not take care of plants; they neglect them when they are smal]. They only have to neglect them for a single year in order to have them die. If we could ‘make over’’ the farmers then it would be all right; but it seems to me, as,we have to take things as they are, that it is better for the nurserymen to nurse the plants until they get to be three or four years old. The farmers have succeeded with that class of trees the best. Mr. Tuttle. Ihave seen both methods practiced, and I can’t see any difference—not a particle. As to cultivating, we used to think, a few years ago, that we must cultivate the fore part of the season, and then leave the trees growing in the grass. That was when we didn’t grow Russians. We can cultivate the Russian apple; I find no difficulty, neither in the yearlings nor in the others. There is no trouble with the Russian apples from late cultivation. I have never had any trouble from root-killing in the orchard; if I did, I would mulch the trees. The trees that were mulched on sandy land in 1872 and 1873 came through all right. If I was setting an or- chard on sand I would mulch the trees in the fall, always throwing dirt around them. Your trees would always be secure in the sand; hard soil freezes much deeper and harder than lighter and more porous soil, especially [if you get on gravel. Freezing will kill anything. Any kind of mulching’ will prevent excessive freezing. J have exam- ined orchards where nearly every tree was killed,—an orchard set thirty-five years ago, and on quite sandy land. The trees had gotten to be of considerable size, and finally nearly all of them died, and sprouts were coming from the roots. It has been a pet theory that we must take the crab in AB to get good roots; but we have found that the crab is not fit to graft a com- mon apple on to, either in the top or root. I would like to use crab erafts if they were of any value. I had but very few apples. last fall, I ground up some of my crab apples for cider, and piled up the pomace. I should very much have liked to wash out the seeds for planting, but Ithad tried it and knew it to be worse than worthless. | A Member. Couldn’t you use the seeds of the Transcendent for : root grafts? t STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 201 Mr. Tuttle. No; I could have washed out $20 worth of seeds in a day, but I have seen enough to satisfy me that it is the worst thing we can get. Mr. Smith. I have seen Transcendent roots used, and I never could see any difference between them and others, when the trees were dug up two or three years afterwards. I could see nothing in the growth of the trees for two or three years that militated against them. Mr. Tuttle. Well, the difference comes after that. I have seen trees set of the Duchess and Fameuse, grafted on crab stock. Those trees were’ perfectly worthless as orchard trees; they were scraggy and of no account. It don’t make any difference whether you graft in the top or the bottom. I have grafted on the common crab, on the old Transcendent, on the large, the yellow, and the common, and have never found a tree yet that was worth anything as an apple tree, grown upon crab stock. I grafted ten thousand Tetofsky on Transcendent crabs, and those trees proved to be perfectly worthless. Of that ten thousand there isn’t, [ think, a stem alive in the Tetofsky above the ground—not one. Mr. Cutler. I would like to ask what kind you consider the best? Mr. Tuttle. I have been in the habit ofrecommending the Fameuse. [have been experimenting with a quantity of seedlings. Some of them I have great hopes of, but there isn’t one of them that I would recommend for propagation to-day, because they haven’t had trial enough. I have apples other than the Fameuse that appear to be No. 1 in hardness and quality, and yet I would not dare to recommend them. We have had apples which were recommended a few years ago in Wisconsin, which were said to be just what we wanted; men have gone and planted thousands of those trees; if those trees had stood and proved to be hardy, they would have made orchards that would to- day be worth thousands of dollars. I planted five hundred of them - and don’t consider them now worth anything. We don’t dare to recommend these seedlings; it takes years of trial to fully test them. Understand me, I don’t object to men planting seedlings; I don’t care how many. I am planting lots of them myself, but I say it takes years to test them, and I don’t expect to live long enough to see a seedling that is thoroughly tested in Wisconsin; and yet, I would not discour- age anybody from planting them. There may be something that will come from it; we have been working for twenty years and we haven’t got much of anything we can depend upon now. The seedlings of Mr. Gideon, crossed with the crab, undoubtedly are as valuable as anything 202 ANNUAL REPORT. we have. I have seedlings crossed with the crab, sweet and sour, very nice ones, but still we can never make the crab apple take the place of the common apple as a market apple. You may raise all the crabs you wish, and no matter how good the quality, people will buy their apples from the Baldwins and Greenings. Mr. Smith. Somebody said there wasn’t any difference whether you planted root grafts or transplanted them when two or three years old. That is a question that is of importance to farmers, and I think there is a vast difference if grown by them; I think Mr. Kellogg’s views are correct. A good root graft is worth in the market about one cent put up in good condition. Farmers throughout this State have been paying twenty-five cents up to a dollar apiece for trees that were not worth as much for them to plant as the root grafts would be. Many of them, if they knew how to plant root grafts would doit, their boys would do it, and I think it is very important for the best interests of farmers that this question should be thoroughly answered. Now, in regard to tying, the nicest thing to use is to unrayel an old stocking leg and use the yarn. One end of the yarn is fastened at the top of the graft and then wound around. Mr. Sias says they will all die. They fail of course, from careless handling, and you have to handle them more carefully than you do eggs. If you break them apart after they have been knit together, they are very likely never to unite again. The ground should be worked at least two inches deeper than you expect to set the plants. Another reason why farmers do not make a success with root grafts is that nine times out of ten they take the plants out under a burning sun into a warm place and set them out; they may be exposed perhaps for two hours to a hot sun where the heat is so intense that perhaps ten minutes’ exposure will turn them brown. If I were to advise how to handle grafts I would recommend to take them to the cellar, into © the shade, or to thé north side of the house, without allowing the sun . to shine or the wind to blow on them; careful handling will insure success. I verily believe that to get an orchard cheaply and surely it would be better for a man to get these root grafts than to set three and four year old trees. Mr. Pearce. I have no objection to the farmers setting out root grafts, but there is objection to setting them out in the orchard at once. If they will take the root grafts and set them out in rows and cultivate them, they will soon have them ready for transplanting, and will succeed in growing them. I can see no objections to farmers set- ting out root grafts if they will take care of them. Se STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 203 Mr. Sias. Fine spun theory is one thing, and practice another. J live at Rochester, about fifty miles from any large body of water, and I am satisfied that if I had set my orchard in the start that way, I should never have succeeded in keeping my trees alive. I am on a high, northern slope, which is naturally, I think, too dry for an orchard, and if I had set root grafts in there, (unless I had cultivated it right along every week as they do the root grafts), 1 am sure that I would have lost every tree in my orchard. Perhaps these root grafts may be set on the shore of some lake, and with half the cultivation that would be necessary in my locality, they might succeed, but to recommend the practice generally to farmers, to plant out trees in that way, would be decidedly wrong; why, I think I would insure more than two-thirds of them to die. It has been tried; it is no new thing, and has proven a perfect failure, as a general thing. Mr. Busse. I don’t think farmers should buy trees less than two years old atleast. Ihave been out west and seen a good many orchards, of trees four or five feet in height. In times of haying and harvest- ing the grass was about as high as the trees. A great many plant them all right and say ‘‘I am going to have an orchard and take care of it,’’ but the time comes when their work presses and they neglect the trees; the consequence is that if the trees live through the first year, they are sure to die the next. These root grafts will not grow if you don’t take care of them; the farmer don’t do it, and it is better not to recommend them. They should not have the trees before they are two years old, because if you give them grafts, they never will get an orchard at all; that is the opinion I have of it. Mr. Cutler. I would like to ask Mr. Tuttle how long he would leave the trees in the nursery before transplanting? Mr. Tuttle. That depends a good deal on the variety. Some trees will do first rate transplanted when they are five, six, or seven years old. I set out in rows three hundred Duchess trees, five or six years old and never lost a tree; there were three of them killed last winter. But there are other trees that it is better to set when they are two years old. We don’t calculate to sell a great many two year olds, but in setting them we do it without trimming; we find that trimming is not good for them. It was practiced generally thirty years ago, but I don’t know of a practical pomologist in Wisconsin that would recommend it to-day. I set out fourteen or fifteen Seek-no- furthers; four of them did not survive the first winter. They came from Rochester, N. Y., and according to the ideas I have always had, 204 ANNUAL REPORT. I thought they were about worthless, and so they proved to be, for there are but two or three out of the lot left. I set out fifty Golden Russets; they came on and bore. I lost twelve of these trees in a storm, but they came up again from the ground. Mr. Brimhall. I think it would be better to recommend to farmers to buy two year old trees. President Smith. This question seems to have been pretty thorough- ly discussed; it has had about an hour and a half. Mr. Kellogg. Mr. Tuttle has sprung another question on us, as to the formation of trees, and the height of the top; that will take anoth- er hour’s discussion; we shall never get back to where we started. But before leaving this question of root grafts, I will say that I think the very fact that farmers wont take care of them is no reason why it is not the best way to grow an orchard. There must be thorough cul- tivation, of course; it is only neglect that kills them, still they don’t require any more attention than a farmer gives his calves. How long would a calf continue to grow if you didn’t feed him night and morn- ing? Mr. Sias. One thing more. Farmers never set their trees deep enough, if they set them with a dibble. They ought to set them with aspade. I have been practicing setting with a spade the last two or three years, digging holes four feet deep and four feet wide, digging them in the fall, and find my trees have been doing better, by this plan of getting the roots lower. down; if trees are set with a dibble the roots will be covered so shallow, right where they want to extend, they will dry up. The dirt should be stirred deeply. Mr. Smith. I want to ask what good two year old trees, as they come from the nursery, are worth; what would be a fair price for them? I think nine-tenths of the farmers are paying three and four dollars a dozen when they would not take care of root grafts. Mr. Sias. I have no objections to telling what I am selling my trees for. I sell any number under fifty of my best Russian varieties at twenty-five cents apiece. Mr. Smith. Two years old? Myr. Sias. From two to four years old; anything two years old or anything above that age; we have been selling for years at those prices. If they take fifty trees or upwards, the price is twenty cents. If they go much higher than that it is still lower. Mr. Tuttle. In selling in small lots, of course the price would vary; some varieties are worth more than others; twenty or twenty-five cents is our price for trees when a man sends a small order. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 205. Mr. Smith. That would be a fair price for two year old trees’ Mr. Tuttle. Ifa man gets a good tree, it is really cheap if it costs him half a dollar to a dollar; if he gets a tree that won’t live, it is dear at any price. I can afford to grow Russian trees cheaper than I can natives, cheaper than [ can grow the Wealthy, for the reason that a tree that will grow right along is worth more than a poor one and we can afford to pay more for it. Mr. Smith. But as a general proposition if a man asks fifty cents. apiece for his trees, you would set him down as a humbug, wouldn’t you? Mr. Tuttle. Yes, [ would; and a man that buys his trees for five cents apiece and sells them for a dollar and a half is a thief. [Laugh- ter and applause. | People that set out these small trees don’t realize and think at that time that the roots of those trees require a large amount of good soil in order to make them grow. A tree that will bear six barrels of apples must have plenty of room for its roots to extend. I have seen an orchard raised on what was called pine land in the East. The owner was told that he couldn’t raise an orchard there; but he said he would have a good orchard by planting the seed. He had the ground prepared the same as you would to set an elm tree, taking a great deal of pains, and setting out a large orchard. The result was that some thirty years after that he raised hundreds of barrels of apples on that sandy land. : Now, in planting apples on our prairies we need to dig down at least two feet where the roots will have to extend; you then come to a hard- ‘pan; if you dig it out and set the trees they will grow; but you must know what the roots have got to feed upon and give them a chance. One thing more. Setting trees in the fall of the vear, apple-trees, elms or anything else, is usually a failure. We have had elms set in the fall, and three out of four died the next season. Why? Because the dirt that was put around the roots was loose, so much so that the frost came down and froze them and they became just as dry asif they were burned. If you set a tree in the fall of the year wet the roots thoroughly; if you keep them wet until the spring frost is out it will live; if you do not, it will certainly die. Mr. Harris. Mr. President, Prof. A. B. Seymour is present, and has prepared a lecture upon Grape Rot, Pear Blight, Diseases of Straw- berries, etc., and may not have time to give it in full this evening, as he desires to return to Madison by the evening train which leaves at 8 206 ANNUAL REPORT. o’clock; therefore, I suggest that we call him forward to address the Society at this time. The motion was carried. Prof. Seymour then came forward with a number of charts, much enlarged, which were hung up in front in full view, and were used by the Professor in illustrating his remarks before the Society. Prof. Seymour. I have nothing especially new to offer, and did not expect to give anything that should go into print, but at the request of your Secretary I have consented to give some points on the subjects of Fungus Diseases of Plants; and I would be pleased to receive any practical suggestions from you that we may be mutually benefited by the discussion. STRAWBERRY DISEASES. The subject of Strawberry Diseases has been treated by Mr. F. 5. Earle and Prof. Wm. Trelease has also treated the subject very thor- oughly. Mr. Earle has found ten species of fungi on strawberries. Five of these were species that had never been observed before. Of the ten he finds only about three are specially injurious. White Rust, (Ramularia Tuslanei) is especially destructive and is quite common all over this country, as well as in Europe, where it has been known for many years. Its first appearance on the leaf is seen in little red spots. As those grow older and larger, they become brown, or it may be white, and covered with threads that come through the leaf. This red color comes from a red fluid in the outer cells of the leaf. Mr. Earle finds it to be especially destructive to plants in the latter part of the season, and is more destructive then than at any other time, espec- ially during the fruiting season and afterwards. In the fall the plants have sometimes been found to be so badly diseased as to be almost worthless. The heavy fruiting of the strawberry vines seems to have a good deal to do with the disease. It might seem at first that the fungi are caused by over-fruiting, but I do not think it can be proper- ly said that over-fruiting is the cause of the disease. A man weakened by exposure is more susceptible to disease than if- perfectly healthy, but if he takes the small pox or typhoid fever it is because he is per- haps more susceptible to the germs of the disease than another who is subject to the same exposure and does not contract the disease. If the germs are absent he will not contract the disease in any case. If they are present they will have a better chance to work in the weakened condition of the system. And with the strawberry, in the over-fruit- ing, the plant is exhausted, and if the fungus germ is present it is more _- i + ig ri * STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 207 susceptible to injury by it than the vigorous plant; but in the absence of the fungus there is no disease. Mr. Karle believes that the damage to southern plantations is greater than in more northern regions. (The structure of these fungi was here explained from the chart.) The fungus grows within the strawberry leaf and sends out threads through the breathing pores on the under surface. The threads bear the germs or spores. Whether the germs can live over winter or not is still a question. If not the fungus must be carried over winter in some other way. There is another form of this fungus that lives over winter. Many fungi have two forms; one that develops in the summer and will not live over winter; another form lives till spring. In the wheat rust these are known as the yellow and black rust. The yellow will live but a short time, while the spores of the black rust will live over winter. In Europe there is a form of the strawberry fungus not found in this country, that lives over winter. In this country, minute but dense masses of fungus tissue are found which live over winter and send out spores, bearing threads in the - spring, just like those that make white spots in the summer. Within these dense masses Mr. Earle has found indications of the formation of spores after the manner of those found in Europe. You may know better than I do of some varieties of strawberries being affected by this fungus disease, while some varieties are entirely free from it. You may perhaps have found some specially efficatious remedy. Mr. Earle has found that dusting the vines with lime before the maturity. of the fruit helps a good-deal. Then, after fruiting, another way is to mow the old leaves down—just go over the vines with a scythe and mow down the leaves of the plants. These leaves that are cut off ought to be destroyed in order to prevent the spores living over winter. But if the bed is very badly diseased it may as well be plowed up. Mr. Earle has obtained good results by mulching with straw. The Black Rust (Gloeosporium patentillee) begins with red spots as _ the White Rust does, but it soon develops a different appearance. It is most injurious to young plants and has destroyed some newly planted fields. It attacks Manchester badly. A Member. I would like to ask the Professer if he can tell us any- thing about the leaf-roller. Prof. Seymour. That is an insect. I have paid very little attention to the subject of insects and I will have to refer you to some one who i des Powe Sete . ay ee Siu he all eS . a ™ J oT 208 ‘as ANNUAL REPORT. has made a speciality of the study of insects that are destructive to plants. Prof. Forbes has done a good deal of work on the insects. which are injurious to the strawberry, and I can refer you to his. reports, the Illinois Entomologist Reports. Mr. Tuttle. We have always considered the rust that Prof. Sey- mour speaks of as being due to heat and sun-scald; I noticed two or three years ago that we had very moist weather in the spring and that the rust seemed to increase very much; and then when the weather became dry and the rust appeared to stop, the vines took a new start. This led me to think that the injury was not from sun-scalding, as then the rust seemed to abate. Mr. Cutler. I never saw any rust on my vines until I got the Man- chester, and they rusted very badly. Last summer, the season was. comparatively dry and I was not troubled with it. It spread among the Manchesters, but I did not observe it on other varieties; I noticed the leaves were covered with dark spots. Prof. Seymour. Probably that was the black spot rust that Mr. Earle found so destructive. Mr. Pearce. How do those spores circulate, in the air? Prof. Seymour. Yes, they are very easily carried in the air, as they are very light. In fact they are more easily carried in the air than ordinary dust. A Member. I would like to know how they are produced, or how they germinate? Prof. Seymour. They need moisture to germinate. They germinate by sending out a slender thread, and if they are on the surface ora a strawberry leaf, they penetrate into it. A Member. Do they multiply rapidly? Prof. Seymour. Yes, sir; quite rapidly. There would be a large number of the spore bearing threads on each spot, and each thread. bears a spore on the end. The number isso great that one couldn’t count the spores; all of these produce an infinite number of spores. A Member. ThenI would understand that the air would be literally filled with these spores that are sent off? Prof. Seymour. If they lived on indefinitely that would be true, but- they probably do not. Probably after a length of time they would not germinate. After they have been dry a few days it is known they would not germinate. A Member. I would like to ask if there is any relation between fire blight and rust? 3 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. a _ Prof. Seymour. No, sir; I shall have something to say about blight ; Tater. Mr. Pearce. I would like to inquire in regard to the different varie- ties that it affects,—is it more extensive on one variety than another? Prof. Seymour. It is said to be. Iam not a cultivatur myself, and cannot speak from experience; but Mr. Earle has observed that very carefully, and if you will read his papers [ think you will find some reference to that matter. I think you will find them in the reports of the Mississippi Valley Horticultural Society. Mr. Fuller. In regard to that, I would say that I have raised about | fifteen kinds of strawberries. I find that the Jersey Queen is most affected. I have never noticed it on the Wilsons, Crescent or Green Prolific. On the Jersey Queen it spread over a distance of about four square rods. Mr. Harris. [ found it on the Charles Downing, but it was worse on the Manchester than upon any other variety. I would like to ask Prof. Seymour if the application of sulphur would be effectual in destroying the fungi. Prof. Seymour. Very likely, I don’t know as that has been tried, - but I should think it might be effectual. GRAPE DISEASES. There are several fungi affecting the grape that are known as grape rot, and the subject is a very large one; here are eighteen fungi affect- ing the grape berry. In this country probably more than one are — called Black Rot. One of these is Phoma uvaecola, B& C. It causes the berries to dry up and fall off. Spore cases occur in black patches and contain a great many minute spores. The other one which has been called Black Rot Has instead of spore cases, short threads in bunches that stand out on the leaf or bear the spores. The American grape Mildew grows on the berries, but we. find it oftener on the leaves. Brown spots, discolored by the action of the fungus, appear on the upper surface of the leaves. Opposite these on the under surface are patches of white; under the microscope, these are seen to be branching threads bearing a spore at the top of each branch. Within the leaf the fungus grows and special branches enter the cell cavities to suck up nourishment. Now, these spores have a peculiar way of germinating. They live only a few days after they are matured. One may expect to have a new crop of spores every morning and sometimes a new crop is pro- duced several times a day. As soon as they mature they fall off in a 14 ANNUAL REPORT. drop of water. After about an hour ana a quarter the conten of the sh spore divide up and the parts escape and swim around very rapidly about fifteen minutes and then they come to rest and germinate. If they are on the surface of a leaf where they can send out their threads they will propagate the fungus, but as I say they can’t live over win- ter. There must be some other way and there is. This was discov- ered by Prof. W. G. Farlow. The threads within the leaf produce thick-walled spores much larger and stronger than the other kind. They are called ovspores or egg- spores. They live over winter and germinate in the spring. You will readily see that to burn the leaves would help to destroy the fungus, for the above is tke only way in which it can live over winter. We can never hope to burn all of them, but we can burn miost of the leaves of the diseased cultivated vines. The mildew erows on wild grapes as well as the cultivated ones. It is also found on the Virginia Creeper. This was first discovered at Lake Minnetonka by Prof. Farlow, a few years ago. It would reduce the mildew to destroy the wild grapes and Virginia Creeper. The mildew does not confine itself to the leaf but runs into the - berry. It probably does not originate in the berry but it goes through the stem. It gives the berries a brownish appearance, but when the spores are produced the berries are white. I have found them white all over with spores. Prof. Trelease found that the brown, rotting berries contained the fungus threads, and when kept moist spores were produced, making the berry white outside. In Europe there is a white mold that grows on the upper surface of grape leaves, known as Oidium Tuckeri, but to what extent that occurs - in the United States is uncertain. It probably occurs to some extent in New England. In this country a white mildew on the upper leaf surface is common. It forms little black specks that are just large enough to be seen among the white threads. Under the microscope these black specks are found to contain the spores. It has been thought by some that there is a connection between this and the European mildew, but the black Me specks have never been found in Europe, and the connection is very doubtful. Mr. Barrett. Can you tell us a remedy for these diseases? Prof. Seymour. Destroying the leaves, as far as possible, is the best general remedy. You can’t give a plant medicine, of course. About the only remedy seems to be to remove the diseased parts and rf . x rh . a * . i 2 ™ - " ~ - Cerd ~> > > eS eee See ee ee et ae a oe vines, by applying the principle of inoculation tothe vine, but it is not stated how it was done ov what was the substance used. Prof. Seymour. I can scarcely imagine how it can be of any avail. I don’t see how inoculation could help. A Member. How are these fungus propagated? Prof. Seymour. The fungi are propagated by germs which are car- ried in the atmosphere. It never originated without a germ. They answer the purpose of a seed. They correspond to seed in the higher plants. Mr. Harris. Professor, for two years I have observed something which comes upon the grapes, and makes its appearance at first in a small round white spot, at one side of the berry, smaller than the head of a pin, but gradually extending and changing in color to a reddish | _ brown and sometimes a reddish white. ; Prof. Seymour. I think perhaps from the description it may be a grape worm if it is a small white spot, but the later development would seem to make it doubtful. Mr. Pearce. I think that disease that Mr. Harris speaks of is rot. I was at Mr. Poole’s place down near Farmington and saw it there. Mr. Rogers of New Jersey was present, and he called it the Grape Rot. Prof. Porter. That is without doubt rot. I have been familiar with it for thirty years in the East. The characteristic of that rot is. the peculiar iridescence that it has when you turn the grape toward g the sun. I think you both are referring to the same thing, but have observed it at different stages. The grape affected by it is worthless. It never ripens; commencing with a small speck at one side it gradu- 4 ally extends in a circle, the white spot then shades off in a brown color. Prof. Seymour. [don’t think the subject is by any means exhasuted. - There are eighteen species known in Europe, and I have no doubt. _ there are a good many now in this country to be looked up yet. PEAR BLIGHT. In 1878, Prof. Burrill of the University of Illinois was the first to 4 suggest the bacteria as the cause of pear blight. He mentioned them - in the Illinois Horticultural report for about 1878, I think, but in Mr. Barrett. I was much interested in a statement that a ereat a : _ French physician makes a success with the treatment of diseased grape ANNUAL REPORT. ak 1880 he hoear more exhaustive researches and found that bacteria Cah __-was certainly the cause. Besides microscopic studies he made prac- y dig _ tical experiments. His plan was to take a little piece of bark that > was diseased and put it ina healthy tree and then watched it and after a a few days, a week or more, the healthy tree would become diseased and begin to blight. Then he used another mode of experimenting. - He took a little of the fluid from diseased bark on an inoculating needle and introduced that into the bark of a healthy tree. This pro-— ae duced the disease just as before. He not only inoculated the pear ty, trees from. pear trees but also pear trees from diseased apple trees. ey He found that fifty-four per cent of the pear trees inoculated from diseased apple trees took the disease, and in the case of pears inocu- lated from pear trees seventy-two per cent. That shows very plainly that the disease is identical in the two trees; it is the same in the apple tree as in pears. He also inoculated apple kfeedi but the experiments on the apples were not quite so strong; the disease didn’t work quite so freely. The apple trees inoculated from diseased pear trees took the disease in only thirty per cent. Im cases of the inoculation of apple trees he also found that the progress of the disease was very much slower than ordinarily supposed. He found that it did not start very rapidly; that it was always slow; he found that it progressed an inch or so in the stem up and down before it became noticeable and the leaves he found did not turn black until a week or so after the disease had spread in the bark. At first the color of the bark is only slightly changed; it - becomes black gradually, and it is only after the disease has been there for some time that it is noticed at all. Mr. Whipple. Is that the Fire Blight you are describing? Prof. Seymour. Yes, sir. Mr. Whipple. I have seen cases of Fire Blight when the first appearance on the leaves, the circle affected being probably one-six- ‘teenth of an inch through. It looks as if it was scalded by throwing hot water on the leaves and similar to that made by a drop of hot water on the leaves of the trees, and probably the next day the leaves _ would be all white. : . Prof. Seymour. Probably that is the beginning of the blackening of the leaf observable. Probably the stem had been diseased before.. Mr. Whipple. It is possible that such was the case, but I couldn’t discover any trace of it before. Prof. Seymour. This change is very slight at first. “STATE HORTICU LTU RAL homer. gi Prof. Burrill found it is on the young trees that the blight worke - most easily. In the summer, during the time that he was making x these experiments there were a good many thunder-showers; he could | " not find that the blight worked any more rapidly or slowly during the - thunder showers than before—couldn’t see that they had any effect. Later he found that the blight sometimes occurs in winter as well as — in summer, although to less extent. ‘ a The bacteria that produces this blight is perhaps s3}o5 of an inch; ¢ from this fact it is not surprising that not much has been found out — by the use of the old microscopes, but the microscopes have been so ‘ much improved that we can get a pretty distinct view of them. i Be Mr. Pearce. I would like to ask if they attack the sound tissues of a tree? : . - Prof. Seymour. Yes, they attack healthy trees if there isa break in AM the bark, if the bark is rubbed off to allow them toenter. The tree i is 4 not diseased before they get in. They grow in healthy tissues and | make them diseased. The cells of the bark contain starch, stored up 4 in little granules as food for the tree. Healthy cells are full. When ~ the bacteria get in, they destroy the starch grains and starve that part of the tree. They can not enter through the bark when that is” unbroken, but they may get in through the flowers in some other way. ih ! as = On motion, the meeting was then adjourned until 7 o’clock P. M. rete 2 EVENING SESSION. tor x = Ns ae a ak ae WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 1886. aise Y, ~ et The meeting was called to order at 7 o’clock by President Smith. The following lecture was then delivered by Prof. A. B. Seymour, a of the State University at Madison, Wisconsin: : : SOME FUNGUS DISEASES OF SMALL FRUITS. ' Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: 4 Before speaking of any particular disease, I wish to show how and — why fungi produce disease in plants. It is well known that the green © 4 coloring matter occurring in all our common plants has the power of : converting inorganic matter taken from the soil and air into food | materials for the plant. All plant food and indirectly animal food is 4 , ANNUAL REPORT. produced in this way. The plants known as fungi, however, have no be leaf-green and therefore are not able to provide themselves with food from soil and air. They must derive their nourishment from either _ living or dead organic matter. Different kinds of plants grow on different soils. Fungi choose places of growth in much the same way that other plants do, but much more closely. Some grow on almost any decaying vegetable matter; others only on dead wood of some particular tree. A very large num- ber grow only on living plants and commonly each species oniy on plants of some particular family or species. Wheat rust grows on various grasses, the orange rust of berry plants, only on raspberries and blackberries, while corn rust is not known to occur on any plant but Indian corn. Where do fungi come from? How do they get there? They never originate spontaneously but always from reproductive bodies called spores, answering the purpose of seeds. These are very minute and so light that they are borne in the air like dust, and some kinds are cars ried in water. Under favorable conditions if they are brought to the right kind of plant, as corn smut spores to corn, they germinate and send out a slender tube which answers the purpose of a root, and makes its way into the plant, often through breathing pores. Once inside, it grows and branches, sending its threads in various directions among the plant cells. Frequently special branches are produced, which enter into the cell cavities and act as suckers to take up nourishment. Many fungi have different stages of development, reminding one rather of insects in their transformations than of plants. Hach stage has its own kind of spores. Frequently different stages occur on dif- ferent host plants, as in wheat rust. This produces on the wheat itself yellow summer spores and blackish spores which live over winter. The summer spores retain their vitality only a short time; only the blackish spores can carry the fungus through the winter. In spring they may germinate on a different plant, the barberry, and produce a third stage there; the spores from this stage, in their turn, produce yellow rust on the wheat. It has been claimed that where fungi grow on plants, the plants first become diseased and weakened and the fungus comes afterwards, following and not causing the disease. This may be true in some cases, but in all ordinary cases of this kind the fungus is the true cause of the q disease. Certain conditions of weather are favorable to its development, — just as certain conditions are favorable to the development of any oth- ile to the plant it grows upon and so give the former a double advan- tage. Moreover plants have a greater power and resist disease when abundantly supplied with foo? waterials, when they are not exhausted — Me _by fruiting, when every condition is favorable to robust growth; but — the fungus may grow and produce the disease in spite of all this. A man in robust health is less likely to succumb to a contagious disease, as small pox, but still he is likely to take it. There are several ways in which a fungus may produce injury to the plant. One way, common to all, is by taking away the food of the _ plant for its own growth. On green parts, they destroy part of the © leaf-green and so reduce the power of the plant to supply itself with — food; in many cases the leaves fall, as from premature ripeness. Fre- — quently the fungus causes an abnormal development of plant tissues | as in the black knot of the plum tree and the curl of the peach leaves; i or they arrest development, as in the orange rust of blackberry, so _ that rusted leaves are smaller than healthy ones. In many cases the flower or fruit alone is destroyed, as in the smut of wheat and oats, “double blossom’’ of blackberries and the swelling of young plums. ORANGE RUST. The most striking and most destructive fungus disease ofswellfruits _ is the orange rust, (Czeoma nitens, Schw.) which occurs on raspberry — and blackberry leaves, and is especially destructive on the latter. This has been most thoroughly studied by Professor T. J. Burrill, of the — is University of Illinois, and many of the following facts are from his investigations. This rust appears as a thick orange coating on the under surface of the leaves and attains its greatest development in June. Figure 1—Orange Rust Fungus, Cxoma nitens, Schw. Cross-section of a diseased leaf; a spores; b, immature spores or sterile bodies; c bed of fun- gus issue; d mycelium threads; e suckers; g sper- magones; h cells of leaf; i epidermis of upper leaf surface. (After Burrill.) The leaves do not reach their full size, are unusually rigid, and have asickly appearance; something of this may be seen even before the yellow coating appears, and the latter at first appears in definite and paler patches, somewhat like scales, standing out slightly on the under leaf surface, covered by the epidermis, through which they afterwards burst. In this early stage, on the upper surface may be seen also yel- lowish specks, which on closer examination prove to be protuberances. There seems to be an exudation from these, which attracts insects. , Microscopic examination shows that the orange portion consists of a great number of roundish spores. Their surface is roughened with sharp points, by means of which it is possible that they adhere to | . insects crawling over the leaf and are carried by them to other plants, — It is certain that they may be carried by the wind from place to place. They are produced in chains arising perpendicular to the leaf surface and those toward the inner end of the chain are either immature spores or sterile cells. The spore chains arise from a bed or cushion of fun- gus tissue, from which may be triced the threads of mycelium running _ through the leaf tissues. Some have special branches entering into the interior of cells and there forming coils, acting as suckers to take up nourishment. Some also extend to the upper surface, where they are connected with the yellowish bodies, spermagones, previously mentioned as ‘occuring there. One of the epidermal cells is greatly enlarged and protrudes. In its cavity athread produces a number of branches which extend nearly parallel toward the top and bear at their ends minute spore-like bodies, spermatia. Their office is not well known. It has been believed by cultivators that this fungus lives over winter in the roots, and spreads to the stem and leaves in the spring; but this is not the case. It extends scarcely at all beyond the areas covered by the orange spores. More than this, it is found that the spores will lose their power of germination if deprived of moisture for a few days and will not live over winter. Hence it is believed that some other kind of spores is produced corresponding to the black spores of wheat rust, which carry the fungus through the winter. These have been carefully sought for, but heretofore without success. Prof. Burrill has however at last found some evidence as to what they are, and it is hoped that his culture experiments, now in progress, will settle the matter definitely and lead to important practical results. Some varieties of blackberries, especially the Snyder, are seldom, if ever attacked by this rust. Remedies: Cut outand burn all deceased parts as soon as the disease appears, and as a preventive measure destroy any useless vines, as wild ones in fence corners or elsewhere, which might nourish the disease. OTHER RUSTS OF BLACKBERRIES AND RASPBERRIES. ~ There are two other forms of yellow rust, one on blackberries only, the other on raspberries only, both inconspicuous compared with the preceding and never likely to be mistaken for it. They are quite similar to each other and bear yellow spores in minute pustules scattered over the inferior leaf surface. They sometimes do considerable damage but never approach the Cwomas in that respect. The general mode of growth much the sameas in the Cvomas (Orange Rust) but the sperma- gones are absent and the spores are borne on stalks, from which they easily fall, instead of being in chains. _ ross partitions into five or six cells; that on rasp- d2 ¥ ¥ ; CLIMATE, FORESTRY AND HORTICULTURE. “a : Pror. D. R. McGrynig, St. Paul. . 3 ; ee bY It is not possible within the limited time necessarily allotted to the consideration { ‘a - of the many important subjects, brought before this meeting, relating to Horticul- Re : ture Bit its allied sciences to go into an exhaustive discussien OF ike relations climate to Horticulture. The field is so broad and the connection between the two i is so complex and they are so mutually interdependent on each other, that it is only ~ 3) by a series of long continued observations and a careful study of the results outlined — . thereby, that an intelligent understanding of this subject can be had. What we shal] have to say this evening will refer to the climatic influences of the United States and more particularly of Minnesota and the Northwest on forest and plant growth. But first we wish to refer to those metorological terms which by the oper- ations of the signal service are brought so prominently before the public and which ; it is necsssary ‘that we should thoroughly understand before we can have an ___ intelligent conception of the meaning which they convey. Those who are interest- ed in the weather (and in this capricious and variable climate it is a subject of per- - ennial interest) will often find in the predictions issued by the chief signal office, references made to areas of ‘‘high pressure’? and ‘‘low pressure,’’ to a probable increase or decrease of the same. It will be found that this refers to the specific gravity or weight, if you please, of the air, and changes in the same which from the expansion produced by the heat of the sun, varying amounts of moisture, the rota- . tion of the earth on its axis and other causes is perpetually varying. Thus as an 5 equal amount of dry, cold air is heavier than an equal amount of warm air satur- ated, or nearly so, with moisture and as the air within storm areas is always warmer ; and contains a greater amount of moisture than outside the storm’s influence, it fol- ; lows that the cold, heavy, dry air rushes in from all sides to the centre of the storm, but the revolution of the earth on its axis deflects these winds to the right of the — P centre in the northern and to the left of the centre in the southern hemisphere, causing the wind to blow in great spirals and thus setting up those great gyratory systems of winds, blowing around a calm centre, which are called cyclones, or areas — of ‘low pressure”. An area of low pressure or cyclone is not necessarily accom- panied by rain or snow. Sometimes, and often in Minnesota, it is the case that its energy is only expressed by high winds and cloudy weather, but it is safe to say - that rain or snow will be an accompaniment of the cyclone during some part of its. existence. In this latitude these great disturbances in the air move in a general j -course from west to east and taking advantage of this law, it is possible to predict _ the weather in advance of their occurrence; sometimes a product of the conditions to — . i which the cyclone give rise is the ‘‘Tornado’”’ with the effects and appearance of ‘ which, some of you are doubtless familiar, as Minnesota, though near their northern — s 4 3 limit is within the region of their occasional occurrence. As there isa generaland ms widespread misapprehension as to the proper use of the terms, ‘“‘Cyclone’’ and — “Tornado,” we append the following as explanatory thereof, from the Weather __ Review of the chief signal office for October, 1885. RS “A cyclone is a large, gyratory storm, generally from 500 to 1000 miles or more in ee diameter with a considerable area of low pressure in the interior. A tornado con- | sists of a very small and violent gyration of the air; generally much less than a ; mile in diameter, with a rapidly ascending current of air in the centre, and low atmospheric pressure very near the centre, although there is generally too much ~ “a violence of agitation for it to be observed, and it is specially marked by a charact- eristic funnel-shaped cloud with a progressive movement. ’’ A peculiarity of the tornado is that it invariably occurs a little to the southeast. y We > y rq fi wi x 0. rm center and usually at a distance of from 250 to 800 miles thersthaeae i oar: n centres rarely pass more than 300 to 400 miles north of Central Minnesota ‘ in the s summer, the season of their occurrence, it is probable that a true, well-defined bs tornado has never occurred north of the line of the Northern Pacific Railway. ee The influence of climate on plant growth, whether for good or evil, depends on , the relative proportion of the different agencies which give to each part of the globe f its distinctive climatic characteristics. One of the most important, as we all know, 3 of these agencies in limiting plant growth, is the amount of moisture which the air _ contains, the amount which is yearly condensed in the shape of rain or snow, and the activity of evaporation, which again depends on the dryucss anu temperature of the air. The warmer air is the greater inherent capacity it has for containing i water in the shape of a vapor or gas, and therefore, its greater evaporating power; and this being so, it would follow that the higher the annual average temperature — of a place the greater would be the need of an increased rainfall to supply the defici- ency caused by an active evaporation, and consequently lost and not available fo plant needs. Minnesota has twenty-eight inches of precipitation in the form of _ rain or snow during the year and Southern Texas the same amount, yet Minnesota om has verdant pastures, fields of waving grain, dense forests, full-yoiced rivers, and all _ those indications of a climate having a proper balance between the elements of heat _ Bi and moisture, while the Central Rio Grande Valley, being much warmer, is Ay ha _ posessed of essentially arid characteristics. A traveler commenting on this excess ee oA of evaporation, says: ‘‘To-day we hada violent thunderstorm during which torrents of water fell.”” Three days after he says: ‘‘From the effects of an unclouded sky and a burning sun all traces of the heavy rain have disappeared; the scanty vegeta- _ tion is again drooping with drought and the earth a bed of dust.”’ fa" One inch of rain during the bland summer of the Red River Valley is ample fo % te plant needs fora fortnight. Provided the summers are warm,enough to ripen the on wood, forestsin temperate etal seem to prefer yes colder eee of the Oe ae zone . : the balance dry and Dnieeane the integrity of the forests from fires during the — dry season. California and the North Pacific coast with their magnificent forests _ of conifers would seem to be an exception to this but it will be remembered that es; although California is almost absolutely without rain during the hot months, yet the forests are there invariably found where from proximity to the ocean or from great altitudes, the absolute or relative amount of moisture in the air is so very - great that by diminishing excessive evaporation it practically takes the place of rain, be and husbands the moisture derived from the heavy snows and rains of winter _ through the long months of drought until the rainscome again. The forest regions of the North Pacific coast do indeed have a rainfall during all the months of the B year, but this is so small during the summer and so near the limit of excessive dry- _ ness that a very small diminuition from the normal amount invariably produces » ~- AN kee ANNUAL REPORT. those destructive forest fires of which we read, as in summer of 1883, that they ‘ raged for weeks and so filled the air with the smoke of their burning, that the sun appeared as a ball of copper and the obscurity at midday so great that navigation” was rendered most difficult and dangerous. In the Northwestern angle of Montana, up near the British line is alsoja grand for- est covering several thousand square miles of mountain and valley, and existing under the same climatic conditions as on the coast, except that perhaps remote as it is from the ocean a more narrow margin exists as to limiting dryness, thus mak- ing the danger from destruction from fire greater than on the coast. A lumberman from Wisconsin who has carefully examined this forest, on being asked if he did not fear competition from this source with the lumber of Minnesota and Wisconsin, said: ‘‘The climatic conditions under which this forest exists are so precarious that since the Northern Pacific Railway has penetrated the heart of this region, making it accessible to the destroying hand of man, that I expect in ten years to see it obliterated by fire from off the face of the earth.’’ It is a source of gratification to those who have the best interests of the country at heart to know that this great danger is appreciated at its full value and that 2a prominent member, with wise fore- sight, has introduced a bill in Congress providing for the withdrawal of this tract from settlement, and containing provisions looking to the preservation of this for- _ est tract in a manner which while providing for its perpetuation, will secure the proper use of its resources to the people. Minnesota from its geographical position in the centre of the continent, nearly equi-distant from the oceans and their modifying influences, has in common with all other countries similarly situated in its latitude, an essentially continenta! climate. The effect of this remoteness from these equalizing influences is to cause great differences in the seasons, the winters being cold with great extremes of tem- perature and the summers warm but not hot, and the amount of moisture to be decidedly variable in quantity. These variable qualities of the climate, while - undoubtedly very favorable to the best mental and physical development of man, and by the avoidance of the diseases and pests of warmer localities peculiarly adapt- ed to the profitable production ef live-stock have an important limiting influence on perennials or those plants in which growth and development do not take place in a Single season. While the summers have an almost ideal temperature and rain- ' fall for the development of the apple, pear, peach and other fruits of temperate latitudes, in their highest perfection, the great extremes of cold during the winter éxcept under favorable local influences are almost if not quite decisive against their profitable production. It would seem that the intelligent horticulturist recogniz- ing these inevitable limiting influences, would seek to produce those fruits such as the Russian apple, the plum, raspberry, currant, cranberry and other small fruits, which seem not only 10 be tolerant but absolutely to require a cool climate to suit the requirements of their best growth. i As to the parts of the State most suited by climate to fruit raising, the south- eastern part in the partially timbered counties, and that part north of the cities of ; Minneapolis and St. Paul and east of the Mississippi, extending north to the North- ern Pacific Railway and Lake Superior, will undoubtedly, by reason of the heavy forest belt and its proximity to the equalizing influence of Lake Superior be excep- tionally favorable to the growth of the grasses and small fruits. ’ > 3 he yu Ad i. R S Pe ee ee eh Regarding forests, it would perhaps be interesting te give some of the results of observations taken during the year just past at stations of the State Weather Service on their influence as a modifying agent of the climate of Minnesota. Scientists agree that while the evidence at present available does not fully estab- lish the fact that forests increase rainfall, other than to a slight extent, yet no fact is more apparent than that they serve a most important part in the economy of nature, by averting extreme and sudden changes in temperature, and more partic- ularly by protecting the earth from the direct rays of the sun and drying winds, to check excessive evaporation and husband the rainfall, permitting it to gradually STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. . 225 | sink into the ground only to again appear in the form of springs which feed the © rivers, a full and constant volume of which is so necessary to the e¢onomical pros- perity of the State. As an instance of the important part played by the forests of Minnesota on the volume of water in two of its principal rivers, it may be stated that the Minnesota river has a drainage area of 19,000 square miles, nearly destitute of timber. The Mississippi, above their junction, a drainage area of 23,000 square miles, nearly all forested. Asa result, at the confluence of these two streams the Mississippi drainage area furnishes at least seven times as much water as the Minne- sota area. Let the present rapid deforesting of Northern Minnesota be continued, and aside from the influence of the government reservoirs, the amount of water in that stream will ultimately assume insignificant proportions and become practically unavailable for manufacturing purposes. The beneficial effects of what are called the ‘‘Big Woods”’ in arresting sweeping air currents and gales, a result so much to be desired in this climate, will be appre- ciated when it is understood that Bird Island on their windward side has in round numbers a movement of 8,500 miles of wind each month, and St. Paul on the lee- ward side only 4,000, less than half as much as it will have when that forest is cleared awuy, as it surely will be unless the people of this State awake to the im- portance of its preservation. Another undoubted influence which the Big Woods have is by their resistance to. the free movement of the air, to cause many of those bodies of frigid air called “cold waves,’ which sweep down from the north, to be deflected over the broad treeless plains of Dakota and Nebraska and, as was instanced last autumn, to be often felt at St. Louis, Mo., before they were, if at all, at St. Paul. They, with Lake Superior, cause the winter isotherms or lines of equal heat to extend nearly north and south instead of east and west, and thus make Duluth and Minneapolis nearly if not quite as warm as Sioux City and Yankton. Similar instances of the mild and genial influences which this forest exerts on the climatology of this State could be multiplied indefinitely. But we will close this paper by expressing the hope that the people of Minnesota will in the near future supplement those at pres- ent in force by a code of forest laws looking to the preservation of a proper per- centage of the existing forests, and their extension over the treeless part of the State; these laws to be based on an intelligent conception of tle necessities of the present and the demands of the future. 15 226 ANNUAL REPORT. The following paper was then read: / AESTHETIC FEATURES OF HORTICULTURE. / By H. H. Youne, St. Paul. Our American ancestors, having little leisure to devote to anything not intimate- ly connected with their necessities, were compelled by circumstances to take strictly utilitarian views of life. Contemplation of the beautiful did not contribute tosupply_ ing their physical wants nor augmenting their fortunes, hence they left it to poets and other imaginative impracticables, whose utopian ideas seemed to them only worthy of derision. They appreciated solely the beauty of what was useful, and, in their eager pursuit of competencies for themselves and families, whatever seemed most available for service in this direction became admirable, though it might in itself be ugly to the degree of repulsiveness. Even the comely person of the marriage- able damsel, who lacked ability to assist materially in laboring for the maintenance . of the family, or was without a considerable dower, was less attractive than homely — efficiency, or wealth. Heaven itself, instead of being a bower of bliss like the ancient garden of Eden, with its groves, and meads, and murmuring streams, became to them a magnificent city built of precious stones and paved with gold, and had no tree but the tree of the bread of life growing therein. -There was, however, a sufficient excuse for those rugged and eminently practi- cable grandsires and forebears to disregard the beautiful. Their hands and thoughts found other tasks for their employment, than the formation and contemplation of what was merely ornamental and elegant. It fell to their lot to enter upon and ~ open up for civilized occupation a new and wild country. To invade the dense and extensive forests and clear them off in order to make room for their own homes in the wilderness, and to open patches of land for cultivation, and they accordingly as laid waste lustily with axe and fire, without discrimination and with little concern for the future wants and wishes of the race. Majestic oaks and elms, poplars and maples, walnuts and hickories, fell crashing to the earth beneath their stalwart blows, and, with graceful sycamores, wide-spreading beeches and pliant willows, were consigned to devouring flames. None were spared because of their grandeur or gracefulness, but large and small, stately and deformed, valuable and worthless were alike included in the general sentence of condemnation, which pronounced them useless cumberers of the ground and obstructions to the growth of golden grain and other nutritive products of cultivated lands. When a farm was being opened in that age, the universal prevalence of the for- ests was reason enough in itself why no thought should occur to them of leaving trees for ornamenting the grounds about their residence sites; and, as groves in ifs vicinity would have been senseless superfluities, because of the proximity of the wild-woods, it could not be expected that care would have been taken for their preservation. The desirable thing to be accomplished was to clear the land of its timber, in order that the fructifying beams of the sun might have free access to the soil, and the sooner this was done the better for the welfare of the settlers. So, too, in laying out a new village, parks and shade trees were unnecessary, the de-. mand of the hour being for open space on which to build and plant gardens and grass plats. If some venturesome wight of Aryan instincts, who recognized tem- 7 y STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 297 ples to the living God in groves of majestic trees, or whose prophetic vision pene- trated far enough to enable him to perceive the wants of geveratiens to come, had suggested preserving a park or grove, asa place of popular resort for all time to come, he would only have drawn upon himself the ridicule of his fellow citizens, and nodoubt been so jeered and mocked at as to render his life thereafter in that neighborhood decidedly unpleasant. With abundant forests surrounding them on every side, it was impossible for the people of that period to imagine the sentiment that our experiences have made common with us. Looked back upon superficially from the present, that unreasoning devotion to a narrew utilitarianism, seems onlv less excusable than the irrational enthusiasm that condemned to death those accused of witch-craft. In both cases the results of their misguided zeal must occasion emotions of regret; but we ought not to for- get that the conduct itself grew out of honest motives for the welfare of society so far, at least, as the great mass of actors in both instances were concerned. That mistakes were committed in both cases is not very strange. Mankind has been fat- ed to the commission of errors since Eve accepted the forbidden fruit in paradise; and we with all our enlightment have not escaped errors or freed ourselves from liability to err. There were two reasons why our forefathers could not realize the value of the forests. The first, the almost universal prevalence of heavily timbered country, has already been mentioned; but the second, the demand for timber for building and fencing on the prairies, for the construction of farm machinery and for railway ties and telegraph poles they could have had noconception of whatever. They were ignorant of the existence of these vast, unwooded plains, and of farming ma- chinery, telegraphs and railways they did not even dream. Had any one predicted even fifty years ago, the extent of the demand for timber that now prevails, and the variety of uses to which it is applied, his sayings would scarcely have commanded more attention than the ravings of a lunatic. It was the mission of our ancestors to clear the land for cultivation. Trees were their enemies, just as much as the Cananites were enemies of the ancient Hebrews, and for the same reason, that both occupied the promised land. The first business of the latter, after they crossed the Jordan, was the wiping out of the idolatrous nations; and the first duty our ances- tors were called upon to perform on this side of the Atlantic, was the denudation of the land of itsexcessive growth of timber. Both it seems left a Gibeonitish rem- nant for future usefulness; in the case of the Hebrews, this was unfortunately too numerous for the happiness of their posterity, while our fathers cut somewhat too closely for our good. We may regret the consequences of their zeal but should not reflect unkindly upon their memories for that reason. Through their toil and privations we have come into goodly possessions ; and their devotion to what was useful, affords us time and opportunity to study and en- joy the beautiful. But are we doing this as diligently as we should? Do we not inherit too great a proportion of their devotion to utility? Have we really learned that there is usefulness in beauty? That it is this which refines our manners, puri- _ fies our desires, elevates eur thoughts and makes our lives more enjoyable? Have _ we learned to serve God more acceptably amid agreeable surroundings, than under circumstances ungrateful to the physical senses? If we have not, we are still un- able to appreciate the beautiful, and should strive to educate ourselves up to a 4 928 ira! ANNUAL REPORT. higher standard of esthetic culture. We certainly have learned that beauty and utility are not incompatible terms, and but few among us will dispute that the study of esthetics is quite as important as much of the learning now considered es- ‘sential in our schools. That the aquisition of this knowledge is more agreeable than that of much else which is taught, and that its pursuit has a salutary influence on the mind and life of the learner will, I think, be universally admitted. But the inculcation of a lesson in sesthetics is no part of the intention of this pa- per, and I fear that I have already used too much of your time in introducing the theme proposed in the title, but hardly yet alluded to. If you will bear with me a few moments longer, however, I will endeavor to apply the ideas I have advanced to the science of horticulture, and ask for this branch of the study the recognition and approval of this association. In most other of the practical sciences, the im- portance of «esthetic features is already acknowledged. The outer decorations of our dwellings with handsome cornices, graceful columns, ornate towers and castel- lated chimney tops, do not affect the health and comfort of the inmates, yet they are recognized as essentials in architecture, and add largely to the value of the building. Even the renter of a humble tenament, who earns his money by his daily toil, will willingly pay more for a residence that has an attractive exterior. The same desire to embellish and beautify is also manifested in the interior finish- ing and furnishing of modern residences. Even the cheapest quality of furniture must make pretentions to beauty to find purchasers; and while many of the win- dow trimmings, wall hangings and other decorative objects may yet exhibit erudi- ties of taste, there is certainly vast improvement in this respect within the last quarter of acentury. The old fashioned window shades and half curtains are rele- gated to attics and unused apartments, to make room for graceful lambrequins and laces. Common wood cut prints and black silhouettes are banished from best. rooms, and their places usurped by well executed engravings, chromos and photo- graphs; and in place of wreaths and ornaments of straw and autumnal leaves, we now find elaborately wrought embroideries and other truly artistic ornaments. The flower beds and borders which ornament the house yards are no longer limited to a few varities of common flowering annuals, but teem with a profusion of gaudily colored exotics, gathered from every land with which we have commercial intercourse. Even business houses and offices of professional men seem to have caught the infection, and wherever we go our eyes are gratified to observe efforts at decoration more or less tasteful and mature. In short, we are unconsciously tending, in every walk of life and among all class- es of society, to increased love for and devotion to the beautiful, and it behooves our horticulturists to accept the situation and strive to discover and teach correct rules for decoration in selecting varieties of trees and shrubs for groves, yards and streets; and in planting and training the sime so as to produce the happiest effects. If this is done now, in this western country, we shall escape the infliction of a long succession of incongruities and crudities, through which the individual members of the community will each endeavor in his own way to arrive at the knowledge for himself. Even now, if we will take a cursory look through our respective neigh- borhoods, we can hardly avoid perceiving what results such individual experiments must lead to.. Ina large level yard, where the ground is covered in the spring and early summer with a luxuriant growth of grass, and where shade is essential for STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIBTY. Q29 ‘beauty, how often do we find a few scraggy pines or cedars, with limbs starting out nearly level with the ground and tops running up to a peak; mingled, perhaps, with half a dozen slender poplars or spindling ashes, none of them casting enough shadow to shelter a cat ordog. On the other hand, it is by no means uncommon to find wide spreading and thickly foliaged maples, box elders and lindens occupying ‘limited areas, and completely shutting out from the ground beneath the light and warmth of the sun. Look, too, along the streets of many of our cities and villages, at the incongruous varieties of shade trees which are trequently displayed; many of them possessed of beauty in themselves, but robbed of their charms by the asso- ciations in which they are found. Do not these sights evince a want of knowledge, and prove that instruction is needed, as to what is truly tasteful in the selection of trees? I think so. But the greatest need, perhaps, for esthetic training in horticulture is shown in many of our public parks. I have now in mind a handsome little park, that might be a per- fect gem of beauty, but for the uncultivated taste displayed in the selection and training of the trees. These are all tall and limbless to the height of at least four- teen feet, with tufts of tops scarcely exceeding four feet in diameter and so sparse- dy limbed that the sunbeams shine so freely through them that they serve little more purpose of shade than flagstaffs would. True they may, in time, put forth additional limbs, but under the most propitious circumstances they can never grow to be good-looking nor to serve fully the purpose for which they are designed. In another city, 1 know of a much more extensive park where the trees are all low and bushy, and all of the same kind. In this instance, too, they are planted in straight rows as though beauty consisted in exactness of parallelograms. I have frequently been led to suspect, when observing shade trees on the sides of streets, that the rule observed by those who planted them was: to put the least umbrageous trees along the widest streets where they would do the least good, and the widest branched in the narrowest thoroughfares where they would be the greatest possible nuisances. Somebody has said that true beauty consists in contrasts, but I beg leave to differ. It will not do to announce that, even as a general rule. Nor is it true that same- ness is beauty. Congruity, fitness, adaptation, are necessary to awaken the delight of those perceptions which recognize beauty. It is these relations to each other that constitute harmony between a series of objects, or between the several parts of the same object. Without harmony there can be no beauty, either physical or moral. This is true of music, painting, architecture, and, indeed, of every branch of art, and it must be equally true of horticulture. A degree of contrast is, of course, necessary to harmony; but violent and inharmonious contrasts are always more or less offensive to the perceptive faculties, Suitableness is a far more essen- tial quality in «esthetic culture than contrast; for that which is not suitable, not adapted to the situation it occupies, or the use which it designs to serve, must be a positive deformity, although beautiful under other circumstances. Large trees in confined localities dwarf the grounds they occupy into insignifi- cance, and tall spindling trees palpably develop their own poverty of foliage in roomy:-situations. Such arrangements of objects are obviously inconsistent in their relations, and disfigure rather than adorn the scene. Let there be variety and con- trast. but keep these attributes within the bounds of congruity. A little reflection ought to convince us that careful and mature study is required to enable us to se- 230 ANNUAL REPORT. lect, arrange and train shade trees, whether in public parks, along the sides of streets and avenues, or in private grounds, so that the most charming effects will be produced; and as no one probably now-a-days will deny that the contemplation of beauty tends to refinement and moral elevation, it will be generally admitted no doubt, that the results of such are as likely to prove compensatory to the commu- nity, as those arising from devotion to music, painting or any other branch of the fine arts. Thatthe subject is eminently worthy the attention and fostering patron- age of this association, will not, I hope, be disputed. It should not be limited to: trees either, but so extended as to include all kinds of ornamental] shrubbery, not omitting regard for the effects produced by the various colored blossoms and flowers. Nature, we are told, affords innumerable practical lessons touching every depart - ment of this subject, and is a reliable and proficient teacher. This is true, af nature shall be sagacious!ly interpreted, hut who trusts to nature alone for instruc- tion will find himself ultimately in possession only of a mass of crude ideas, which he can hardly render available for any use. It would be scarcely more blameworthy to depend solely upon nature for revealing the wonders of the science of astrenomy or opening to our comprehension the deeply hidden facts of geology. To educate ourselves thoroughly and successfully in any science, simple or intricate, we must become acquainted with the thoughts and opinions of our fellow-men respecting it, must learn the results of their observations and experiences; otherwise we are likely to grope in darkness and ignorance from infancy to old~age and leave the world no better by our having occupied a place in it. Moreover, by availing ofir-- selves of all the opportunities afforded for acquiring information, we shall become better able to realize and enjoy the salutary influence of the beautiful on our own lives, and live the happier and die the more blessed for the knowledge we have gained through toil that yielded us joy even in its performance. The following paper was then read: LANDSCAPE GARDENING. Cyrus L. SmiruH, Minneapolis. Fifty years ago the art of Rural Adornment was comparitively unknown in America; to-day we boast of many magnificent parks, while public buildings throughout the entire country are surrounded with gardens and grounds rich in treasures of tree, plant and flower. Fifty years ago whatever we had of rural adornment was an imitation of the English or geometric style; to-day we have a ystem of landscape agriculture that is distinctively American. Imperceptably the spirit of this system has influenced the work of those engaged in rural improve- ment until to-day we can hardly find a trace of the old system. More than :that, the American idea of landscape architecture, or rural adornment has crossed the Atlantic, and like other American ideas, is supplanting those of England, France and Germany. The credit for this isdue largely to A. J. Downing, who might appropriately be styled the founder and apostle of American landscape gardening. —a man of rare good taste, a finished scholar and ready writer of enthusiastic nature; th oroughly in love with his profession, he was peculiarly fitted for his great work; he has, however, had many willing, enthusiastic and able diciples, whose labors 4 7 j STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 231 around the suburban homes of Boston, New York, Washington, Chicago and other cities speak not alone of the abilities ef the teacher, but shew also that the students have been quick to learn and profit by his teachings. To the careful observer it must be at once apparant that the art of rural adorn- ment is only in its infancy. The work of the park commissioners in the city of Minneapolis during the past year has taught the people of the city, asa whole, mere in this subject than they had learned before during our thirty odd years of existence as a City. Rural adornment is a Kindergarten school where object lessons are being taught day by day that are remembered and acted upon, the restless ambition of the aver- age American citizen to out-do his neighbor will constantly develop new ideas in this as in other things; some of these ideas will be crude and inappropriate at first but another ard more skillful mind takes off a little here or adds a little there, until it developsinto a thing of beauty and pleasure. ‘To foster and encourage these ideas and to cultivate a taste for the true and the beautiful in the adorn- ment of our rural homes is certainly within the province-of this Society. Very few perhaps have the ability to lay out and suitably arrange even a small garden plet yet nearly every one can recognize the difference between the place where walks, trees, vines and buildings are tastefully arranged, even where there has been lack of taste displayed. Beauty of outline, harmony of shape and color, are pleasing to the eye and fill one with feelings of pleasure. I do not understand why the press of the western cities do not, pay more attention to a subject of such general interest, although every year shows marked improve- ment; still there is a vast amount of time, money and good material wasted on account of ignorance in regard to even the first principles of rural adornments. It will be my aim in this essay to point out some of these principles, as I understand them. I write for the climate of Minnesota and with the experience of twenty se- vere winters, as many summer droughts, and many exasperating failures. _THE GROUND To be adorned is of most vital importance. My ideal is an undulating surface, sim- ilar to that on the shores of Minnetonka. Where it is possible, let your grounds embrace a hit of water; if naturally, so much the better; if not, have it artificially if youcan. Don’t make the too common mistake of clearing away the timber and leveling the ground; this seems to be a sort of mania with some people. No sooner do they acquire a bit of ground than they proceed to leve] it. The work Nature has done,—the graceful, sweeping curves, the rounded slopes,—are all squared and. leveled; then they are ready toimprove. As arule you cannot improve upon the slopes and curves of nature; a little touching up here and there is all that will be necessary. Rural adornment is to be accomplished with an artistic arrangement of grass, trees, vines, shrubs and flowers. The arrangement of your grounds should be such as to give a place for each of these, so that while they have each a character and individuality of their own, they will together form a perfect whole that will be har- monious and beautiful. The rear, or blind side of the house, stables and kitchen garden, should be concealed from view by trees and shrubbery or grape trellises, _ the outlines of which should always be rounded; the stable yard should be reached by a curved drive; the wood yard for drying clothes, and everything that could in \ \ / 232 ) ANNUAL REPORT. any way mar the beauty of the place should be concealed by screens of vines or trees. In the arrangement of trees be careful not to shade the house too much, never planting trees or allowing them to grow so near the house or so thick that ’ grass will not grow; sunshine is more necessary than shade. Draw your plans care- fully, picture to yourself just what the use and effect of each walk, tree, or shrub will be, never forgetting that grass is the most important factor in the arrangement, When your plans are completed and revised to your satisfaction, the next thing is the preparation of the soil. Here very much will depend upon conditions. A rich, dark loam, with a slight mixture of clay, is best; if you have this, all that is neces- sary is to work it deep (eighteen inches to two feet); but if the soil is poor and sandy you must add clay and manure; if cold, heavy clay, add sand and manure. LAWNS. How can I best obtain a fine lawn? is a common question, and one that should be carefully studied, for it is the crowning feature of any rural home. This cannot be obtained by laying dewn some sed on a sand bank, with perhaps a few inches of soil; nor by heavy surface manuring. The ideal lawn is smooth, velvety, rich, dark — green, from April to November. To obtain this, good rich soil is essential, and the right kind of grass and frequent manuring. {f the soil is not good make it so. I consider cow manure the best to be had. Don’t forget to work the ground two feet deep on small plats; this can be done with the spade; and larger ones, with the subsoil plow, using the manure while subsoiling. Let the surface be made smooth, rolled evenly, all stones raked off, and; you are ready for the seed. Use about two bushels of red top, three of blue grass, and ten pounds of white clover to the acre. Some will say this is too much, but what is wanted is a smooth, velvety surface. Do not sow any oats, timothy, or any other coarse grain, or grass, and never allow your lawn to go to seed; never mow it after October Ist. Give a dressing of well-rotted manure in November; do not walk or drive on it in the winter; never allow slops to be thrown on the lawn in winter; it will injure it worse than in summer. If there are patches that annu- ally turn brown in July and August, dig them up, work in cow manure quite freely two feet deep and re-seed it. If little hollows appear gradually fill them up, add- ing one-half inch or more of loam at atime. Do not water in the middle of the day; if you use water apply it freely in the evening, but if the ground is properly prepared nature will provide all the water that is necessary. Having your lawn once in good condition go over it once every two weeks with the lawn-mower, and at least four or five times each summer with a heavy roller. One who has never tried rolling a lawn will be surprised to see how much it adds to the smooth, vel- vety appearance so much to be desired, so greatly admired and so seldom acquired. WALKS, Having thoroughly marked the soil and got it in proper condition, lay out your walks and-drives; ordinarily these will be graveled. The soil should be excavated four to six inches for walks, and eight to twelve inches for carriage ways, and filled even with the surface with gravel; never raise the walk above the level of the lawn nor leave it, as is sometimes done, a few inches below. It is the least orna- mental part of the grounds and should attract as little attention as possible. Walks should be not less than three nor more than five feet in width ; nine feet is ; STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 233 @ a very good width for drive-ways; eight is wide enough; for large grounds ten feet looks well. Lines should always be curved and they should follow the slope of the grounds in such a way as to carry off the water freely, either winter or sum- mer. The edges should always be kept smooth and even; the gravel should be screened, aud whether coarse or fine, should be as nearly uniform as possible, crushed stone is very nice for walks or drives, and where it can be procured as cheaply as gravel it would be preferable; if you are troubled with weeds or grass in the walks use salt freely, it is the cheapest way to keep them clean. Having arranged the grounds, walks and drives, we now come to the selection and arrangment of trees, for these are the crowning feature of all rural adornment; it is here that all the faculties of the mind are brought into full play. Color, shape ' rapidity of growth, adaptibility of soil, and exposure, relation of surrounding ob- jects to each other, all these and many other questions must be considered before we decide what to plant. If, as is frequently the case, there are native trees al- ready on the ground, they should be utilized as far as possible. We have in Min- | nesota such an abundance of ornamental shade-trees whose characteristics are so perfect we have no need to go abroad for trees to ornament our grounds. The fol- lowing list of deciduous and evergreen trees we consider sufticient for the purpose of adorning the largest ground. With the exception of the six last named, and we could very conveniently dispense with them, they are all natives of Minnesota, well adapted to our soil and climate ; if properly planted they will live and grow strong, healthy and beautiful, very much superior to any of the sick, stunted, worthless importations that cost so much and amount to so little. Following is a list of trees suitable for ornamental planting, found growing naturaly in the forest of Minnesota: White Elm, Ulmus Americana; Rock Elm; Corky Elm; Slippery Elm; Hard or Sugar Maple, Acer Saccharianum; Red or Scarlet Maple, Acer Rubrum; White or Silver Maple, Acer Dosycarpum; Ash Leaved Maple (Boxelder,) Negundo; Hack- berry, Cettis Occidentetis; White Ash, Fraxinus Americana; Green Ash, Frax- inus Viridis; Black Ash, Fraxinus Sambuci Falia; Basswood or Linden, Tilia Ameri- cana; White Oak, Quercus Alba; Burr Oak, Quercus Macracarpa; Red Oak, Quer- cus Rubra; Black Oak, Quercus Tinctura; Jack Oak, Quercus Nigra; Black Wal- nut, Juglans Nigra; Butternut, Juglans Cinerea; Black Cherry, Cerasus Virginiana; Bird Cherry, Cerasus Pennsylvanica; Several varities of willow; White Birch, Betula Papulu falia; Yellow Birch, Betula Excelsa; Cottonwood; Iron Wood, Olueya Tesuta; Tamarac, Tarix Americana; White Pine, Jack Pine, Red Cedar, White ’ Cedar, Black Spruce, White Spruce, Balsam Fir, Lombardy Poplar, Silver Poplar, Eurgpean Larch, Scotch Pine, Austrian Pine. Norway Spruce, Abies Excelsa. One would not be expected to use all of these varieties on a city lot of half an acre or less, but for the farm or for exurban grounds of three or more acres they could be used with good effect. If there is only room for one tree plant a White Elm; if two, an Elm anda hard maple. I place white elm first on the list, but at the same time some of our tree planters think too much of the elm. The boxelder is a very fine tree, hardy, quick-growing, starts out early in the spring, makes an abundance of shade, requires very little care, is easily propagated and bears trans- planting well. But of all the varieties of trees, taking shape, color and everything into consideration, the hard maple is the king; naturally upright and symetrical 234 ANNUAL REPORT. in shape, it produces a profusion of rich, beautiful green leaves, in early spring that, after furnishing shade all summer, change in autumn to all the rich and. gorgeous shades ef yellow, brown and red, giving to the autumn landscape brighter, richer and a more dazzling show of color than any half dozen other trees combined. Any park, garden or ground that has not the hard maple is incomplete, like a church without a steeple, a flower garden without a rose, or home without a wife. The objection usually urged against this best of all trees is that it is shy of trans- planting, grows slow, is liable to die out. Admitting this to be true, still the tree is worth extra care in transplanting, extra preparation of the ground and a little nursing and petting afterwards, for if you have and admire the best and most beauti- fulin all that goes to make up a perfect landscape. the hard maple will liberally reward you for the care and labor necessary to grow it in perfection. To grow good hard maples the soil must be moderately rich, deep, cool and moist; it will not thrive in dry, hot sand; it must be transplanted either late in autumn or very early spring. If the soil is sandy remove three or four cubic yards and replace with clay loam. A description of each tree, their habits and peculiarities would make this paper too long. i The size of the grounds, the shape and arrangement of the buildings must. be studied to determine what is best to plant. Asa general rule at least two-thirds of the ground should be unbroken lawn, free from trees or shrubs of any kind. The lowest growing trees should be planted in front and nearest the house; most peo- ple make the mistake of planting too many large growing trees. Another thing to be studied is the view beyond your own grounds; study how far you can use the good things of your neighbor and make them add to the attractiveness of your own grounds. For instance your next neighbor has a few beautiful trees, but some un- sightly out-buildings, arrange your own trees so as to screen the out-buildings and give you the benefit of the trees. Let the lawn space be widest towards the house or street ; do not use shrubbery promiscuously over the grounds, but group them together; do not have many flower beds and those you do have arrange with regard to the shrubs and trees adjoining; avoid the use of statues, vases or rustic orna- ments, except in shadowy places; there are places where a rustic ornament, a pile of rock-work, or something of the kind may be used effectively, but such places are not common. A fountain ona quarter acre lot, or a dray load of rocks on a lawn of a few dozen square yards is scarcely in good taste. Ornamental hedges can often be used to advantage. The finest hedges in the State are made with the Norway Spruce. It is a hardy, thrifty, compact grower, with an abundance of fine, rich dark-green foliage, bears shearing well and can be trained in any desired shape. The Arbor Vite and the red cedar are both used for hedges with good results. For a deciduous ornamental hedge the common purple lilac is very nice, making a compact hedge; the foliage is abundant and rich in color and it flowers in profusion. The common wild plum, planted thickly and kept sheared in shape, makes a fine hedge, that will show a pretty bank of snowy blossoms in May. Climbing yines are often used with good effect; the hardiest and most successful climbing plant is the Virginia Creeper, (A. Quincifolia ;) this is a very free climber with abundant foliage, that colors finely in autumn ; it is very easily increased by layers and would be used much more than it is if people gener- ally understood how easy it is to propagate it, and the little care required to grow STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 235 it successfully. The Bitter Sweet is a fine hardy climber, with very heavy, dark green leaves; it also has a profusion of berries that hang on all winter ; they area bright orange or scarlet, growing in clusters and look-very pretty. The climbing honeysuckle or woodbine, is another hardy, pretty climber that flowers freely in June and July. Wild grape vines, also Clinton, Oswego and some other sorts are good to cover summer houses, trellises, screens or dead trees. TRANSPLANTING EVERGREENS. The same general directions will apply, except that the season for planting is, in Minneapolis, from May 15 to June 20. The exact time when they would do best would be just as the terminal buds begin to burst. The tops will not require much cutting, but the roots must not be exposed to the direct rays of the sun, not even for a few minutes, their resinous substance being easily coagulated by light or heat, and once changed it can never be restored. DISCUSSION. . Mr. Kellogg. Mr. President, I apprehend we have forgotten all about what the vice president said. I could refer to my notes, and call for a good many questions, but this last paper and the other valuable papers that have been read this evening I think will be more profitable to discuss for a time than to go back. Mr. Sias. Did I understand Mr. Smith to say that his deciduous trees were all native except the last six? Mr. Smith. Yes. Mr. Sias. I would like to inquire if you consider the Bird Cherry a native? | Mr. Smith. Yes; I found the Bird Cherry bearing in Wabasha County twenty years ago. A Member. What time would you transplant trees that are ten to twelve feet high? Mr. Smith. [would move them just as the terminal buds were swelling, in the spring. President Smith. That is the right time for trees ten to twelve feet high, but in transplanting trees that are twenty-five or thirty feet, you want to take them up in the winter with a bunch of dirt. Moving with a pile of frozen dirt is all right, but it is very hard work, and it is expensive. Mr. Bunnell. I was talking to a gentleman last night about moving trees; he said he moved some in the winter, set them in the holes, and every one of them died. Mr. Smith. More than that, they should be heavily watered, when they are set out. They should not be allowed to stand long from the 236 ANNUAL REPORT. int. : time they are taken up. A mah going into that must provide some fresh dirt that isn’t frozen, and put on plenty of water. Mr. Pearce. Mr. President, there is one objection that I have to setting large trees. Unless they have been transplanted two or three times, it is impossible, if they are very large, to get them to do well. There are not roots enough. In ninety-nine cases out of a hundred the internal part will be dead while the sap is alive, and as soon as you check the growth of the elm or boxelder, or any of these shade trees, the borers will set in; the moment the heart of the tree is dead the borer sets in. They have destroyed more trees than all other causes put together. Whoever advocates setting large trees makes a great error; that is, speaking of shade-trees. By taking them up in the winter one may accomplish something. Where a tree has been transplanted two or three times, if it is four inches through, it is as sure to live as a seedling an inch thick. But I speak from experience in saying it is almost sure death to transplant large trees. They tried © it in Rochester; and I think the gentlemen of this city have found it so. A small tree, a one-inch seedling, is as large as a person should ever set. And when it comes to evergreens, I never want to set an evergreen that is over three feet high. You may set one of these large ones and in order to make it live, you must cut off the large limbs and the lower limbs. A small one retains all these limbs, and makes a symmetrical and beautiful tree. The hard maple I believe is one of the handsomest trees we have, but at the same time, if set where it is lable to be tramped and the leaves gathered and burned, it is almost certain to die. A friend of mine at Lake Minnetonka had a fine grove of hard maples. He trimmed out the dead limbs, cut out the old trees, burned the leaves and tramped the ground; and he said to me, ‘‘Pearce, why isit the hard maples all die, the top of every one is dead?”’ Said I, “You take the life out when you burn the leaves.’’ If you put the hard maple where the surface of the ground would always be covered with leaves, it will live as long as any tree. The roots of a white oak tree run down, and you can never kill them by tramping. Mr. Harris. I have a different opinion as to tramping not killing the white oak; I know that tramping is very fata! to the black oak; I have known them to be killed by cattle tramping around them. Mr. Pearce. Those were the red oak? Mr. Harris. Yes, and the biack oak, on my own place. Mr. Elliot. Speaking of lawns, 1 think Mr. Smith has allowed a pretty liberal amount of blue grass seed and clover for seeding. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 23 = Mr. Smith. I guess that is pretty large. Mr. Elliot. Instead of ten pounds of clover I would only use absut two. The finest lawns we have in this city are made entirely with blue grass. Many have come to me wanting to know why their lawns died out. It is because they throw out their slops and dirt on them, and keep them filthy. Ifthey would give them protection and run over their lawns regularly every night they could keep them looking well. Speaking about transplanting trees, I think Mr. Pearce is right in regard to transplanting very large ones. I have been in the habit of transplanting trees all the way from six to twelve inches through and twenty-five feet high. Such trees, if taken up with a pile of dirt, and handled properly, one may succeed in making live; but if one takes up a tree ten to twelve inches through with a pile of dirt four feet square, ex- posing that pile of dirt to the air for one month before setting, what can you expect? You will have a pole the next year without any foliage on it. Our park commissioners have been criticized this evening with regard to the planting so largely of elms. Now, I happen to know why they planted so many, and the reason was they could not get other trees that were suitable. They sent to Illinois to get those elms. They hunted all over Minnesota for them first. There wereno . trees of that description here. They got trees from two to four inches through. Those trees when they came out of the cars had a mat of fibrous roots. They were shipped the same as to-night and to-morrow they were here, and the next day they were hauled away and proper care taken of them. Out of all those trees, | don’t think they have lost three to a hundred. I know at our park they have only lost four trees. They have the maple, the linden, elm, ash and boxelder, and they are all doing well. It is because they have been nicely handled. And that is the secret of planting trees; it is in the handling. Mr. Smith’s idea of taking out a cubic yard of earth in transplant-. ing large trees is a good one, but if the soil is very sandy it should be four times that. Ijhave been somewhat amused to observe our people where they have been cutting down their streets take off all the sur- face. soil, haul it off to fill up some holiow, and leave nothing but a sand pile on which to plant their trees. They go and dig out a bushel or two of dirt and plant the tree. You may expect the tree to live the first year, the next year begin to look sickly and about the third year die. And they then wonder why it is dead. Well, if we were jto take our children and give them the same fare, I don’t think we would raise 238 ANNUAL REPORT. many of them. I have been making a practice of cutting down and digging a hole ten to twelve feet broad, and three to four feet deep in which to plant my trees. Then it has something to feed on. The roots will extend under the street, and it can run up into the lawn and get feed there. I think if we looked at this idea of planting trees in a common sense way, we wouldn’t have so many failures. Five or ten feet across and four feet deep is the way I want it fixed on the street. I don’t know of anything-that has interested me more than this paper. I would say it is about as correct as anything I have seen for the treatment of street and lawn planting. We have given this sub- ject too little attention. Heretofore we have devoted the large propor- tion of our time to the apple and other fruits, and I am glad to see that we are coming back to our senses and trying to ornament and adorn our homes and inake them pleasant and beautiful. Mr. Smith. Iam sorry the paper is not better, but having read in one of the reports what Mr. Pearce said in regard to the hard maple to the effect that for all the shade trees for planting in Minnesota there was nothing equal to the hard maple, I had rather expected a little more endorsement from him. Mr. Pearce. Well, gentlemen, there are a good many strange things in this world after all. That was in regard to planting hard maples for a sugar plantation; but I will say to-day that if you want shade trees on the prairie and want something very nice, you will get ten thousand of those little hard maples, at about two dollars a hundred, in place of putting in the cottonwood, plant them on ten acres of ground and afterwards you will thank me for it. Mr. Elliot. I don’t think you can plant any tree with a large leaf on the prairie, and expect it to hve. Even the boxelder won’t live, nor the ash, and all those kinds of trees outside the willow and cotton - wood, you may just as well give up trying to grow, first as last. Mr. Pearce. Those little hard maples, a foot high, planted thick, say a foot apart, will grow. I set them seven years ago at Moorhead, and I could go there now and show you the handsomest grove there is in that whole country. Mr. Barrett. In the locality in which I live we make a success with the boxelder; we can abuse that tree more than any other and have it survive. The Minnesota Pine is a failure. I have tried it three years. The lombardy poplar is very unpopular with us, also the white poplar, and the silver leaf. On the level ground it seems to blight, and the tree dies. There are certain influences at work there STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 239 that would apply in this locality. One Minneapolis gentleman speaks of us out west as if we were as much advanced in these methods as you are here. We don’t claim to be behind the times otherwise, I guess we are abreast, but in this matter I do not think we are. But we have to contend with those terrible winds where a man can hardly stand up, and yet is obliged to work and travel. Doubtless that accounts for the fact that a great many of our people do not make these things a mat- ter of study; and while they are not indifferent to these things they do not study to understand what they ought to do, and they fail, in a measure. We have made a success in growing the boxelder and the white elm. We are succeeding to a limited degree, with the Norway Spruce and Scotch Pine; the Austrian Pine is a failure. I can give very few instances, indeed, where they have succeeded at all. One of my neighbors living in the vicinity of the town had quite a variety of evergreens. He set outa large quantity of them; [ think about a quarter of them are alive. Last summer a gentleman representing some eastern nursery was through our locality with a large quan- tity of evergreens, beseeching our citizens to buy. They did buy. They asked me my opinion. Said I ‘“‘They have got todie.”’ And my prophecy proved true. There is just one solitary tree that is still alive, which may possibly live through the winter, The Hackberry is a perfect failure with us. Mr. Smith. Perhaps itis better to substitute White Pine for Scotch. Pine. But in making a success or a failure of these things it is a good dealin the man. Mr. Elliott, won’t you please tell us that story of your trip to Duluth for evergreens; tell us how many you got, how long it took, how you handled them, and how long they lived? Mr. Elliott. I have told it so many times it has got to be an old story. I think it was thirteen years ago, I started from here on the 29th day of May, and went to Duluth. The way I happened to go there was, the year before [ went up there and while wandering around I saw a nice chance back of the biuff for getting a few Arbor Vitae. Also I noticed a swamp, at Moose Lake station, where there was any amount of spruce. I was also acquainted with a man at Superior City, that had dug some trees and shipped them, and there was a swamp of white spruce near there. I started on the 29th of May, in the night, got to Duluth the next morning about six o’clock and went to the hotel. Breakfast was not ready, and I thought I would take a little stroll up on the bluff. After a httle [ went back and inquired where I[ could hire a man; I found a man to help me, and we 240 ANNUAL REPORT. went up there, and with our hands we pulled out the trees putting » them-into bundles and packed about twenty thousand Arbor Vitae during the day; at six o’clock at night I had them on the train. I came down to Moose Lake station, switched off there for the night, The next morning we hitched to a hand-car, got a man to run me up to the swamp, where I got about three thousand balsam and spruce; arriving home with the trees the next morning. I had over twenty thousand trees. Instead of planting those trees as many do when they get forest trees, I placed them just as close as I could, right along in rows, about four or five inches apart; some of them were three or four inches, and from that up to a foot high. We kept them in water all the time, and after they were packed in that shape, we drove stakes in the ground, had strips of boards and poles fastened or arranged in such a manner as to keep the trees moist all summer. I let those evergreens stand there for two years. When I transplanted them I didn’t lose five per cent. I have some of the trees out here at my place, that are fifteen to eighteen feet high. Some of the Arbor Vitae that I got are left yet, five or six feet high, and are njce evergreens. That is the way I handled them, and that is the way I got them. President Smith. I wish to say in regard to transplanting large trees, that I do not advocate the setting ont of large evergreens; while it can be done, I certainly would set small trees every time, of both the deciduous trees and evergreens. On motion, the meeting adjourned until Thursday morning at nine ~ o’ clock. THIRD DAY. THURSDAY MORNING, January 21, 1886. The meeting was called to order at nine o’clock by President Smith. The Annual Report of the Secretary was then read: THE SECRETARY’S ANNUAL REPORT. Mr. President and Fellow Members: In presenting this our first annual report as Secretary of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society, you must be congratulated upon the very auspicious circum- stances that surround us, not only as members of this Society but as citizens of this great and growing commonwealth; upon the material advancement and prosperity which have characterized our labors, and the goodly degree of happiness which it STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 241 has been our privilege to enjoy. We have been favored with fruitful seasons; abundant harvests of wheat and corn, and been provided with bountiful supplies of choicest fruits of nearly every character and kind. And while other lands than ours have suffered in notable instances from the ravages of war, famine, or pestilence, we as a people have been favored with the blessings of peace, prosperity and plente- ousness. Losses from heavy storms, disastrous floods and destructive cyclones have happily been averted within the borders of our own State during the past year, and there are abundant reasons for heartfelt gratulation to the Giver of all good for the many blessings that have been bestowed upon us. It isa fact well understood that the larger portion of the people of Minnesota are engaged in agricultural pursuits and that the farming industry lies at the very foundation of our wealth and prosperity. And while it is true that those engaged in other vocations contribute their proper share, still to the well-directed efforts of the farming classes are we mainly indebted for the real progress made ina material point of view. The staple productions of Minnesota are chiefly those of the farm, consisting of wheat, corn and other.cereals; of cattle, horses, hogs, etc., the combined value of our products for the year 1885 being considerably more than eighty millions of dollars. There has been marked advancement in some departments of farm labor within a recent period, which may be cited as an indication of the progress being made; as for example that of dairying, which as a leading industry of the State, has grown to vast proportions within the last five years. No one will question the statement that our people in the pursuit of their various occupations are asa rule, active, earnest and wide-awake; and it is no exaggeration. to say that our industrial classes are generally intelligent, practical and thorough going in their work and several callings. This is, perhaps, but natural and almost ° necessarily the result in such a climate as that which Minnesota affords, where the atmosphere is so remarkably pure, bracing, exhilerating and healthful; where our summer seasons are comparatively short, and the growth of vegetation in many instances so remarkably rapid and luxurient. But while no one will question or deny the rare fertility as well as great pro- ductiveness of our Minnesota soil, it is also a fact which cannot be disguised that there are certain disadvantages, or drawbacks to be contended with which need to be most thoughtfully considered by our best statesmen, by every toiling farmer and laborer as well. One thing to be deplored is unremunerative prices which prevail for various commodities here produced, denying to the husbandman an adequate return for labor necessarily bestowed. We come in competition with foreign grain because of low rates of transportation by rail and by ocean steamers. Russian and Indian wheat find ready market at leading seaports of the western world, and at the same time statistics indicate that our production of the cereals is steadily increas- ing. As one result of this condition of affairs, farmers throughout the State are now diversifying their industries to some extent, instead of growing and depending wholly upon one leading, staple article, that of wheat. They are directing their attention to stock raising and dairying, and other methods of diversifying their labor. The measure of success attending this new venture has thus far proven quite satisfactory. There is, however, need of further change, for we must recog- 16 YAY ANNUAL REPORT, / nize the need of growing our own fruits; we must as far as possible supply our luxuries and our necessities, here at home. OUR NATIVE FRUITS. I scarcely need remind you of the fact ef the superiority of our home grown fruits as compared with products shipped us from the southern states and warmer latitudes. No finer flavored grapes, or strawberries, are produced than such as are or may be grown in Minnesota in great abundance, with proper care or skill. As yet, but little has been done in this direction. We cannot half supply our local markets now as we may do when we have learned the best and cheapest method of care and cultivation. In this regard to educate, point out, and recommend the wisest plans to be pursued, should be the mission, aim and work of our Society, at least to more or less extent. : There is no deubt that horticulture in our State has heretofore been character- ized with failures, difficulties, and losses of various kinds, well nigh sufficient to try the stoutest heart, and not a few perhaps at times have been discouraged; but there is room at present for hope of better things and brighter days to come. The work of this Society, perchance, will not be labor lost, or spent in vain. Those members who have all these many years been planting trees, experimenting and testing various fruits, will not give o’er the struggle yet awhile; we trust their fondest visions in the past may yet be realized at least in part. STATISTICS. According to the reports of the State Commissioner of statistics the number of apple trees growing in the State in 1884 was 779,699; in 1885, 789,080; in bearing in 1884, 301,455. The number of bushels of apples produced was 36,082 in 1874; 52,555 in 1875 ; 64,538 in 1876 ; 75,736 in 1877 ; 89,922 in 1878 ; 124,261 in 1879 ; 147,803 in 1880; 158,058 in 1881; 176,038 in 1882; 180,736 in 1883 ; 173,357 in 1884. It will be seen that the number of bushels reported has steadily increased from year to year, but is in the aggregate far disproportionate to the amount which should be annually produced. The same report returns the number of bearing grape vines in the state in 1884 at 75,334; in 1885 80,352 ; number of pounds of grapes produced in 1883 at 152,678, and in 1884 the amount returned was 259,404 pounds. The counties in the State which in 1884 report above ten thousand trees in bear- ing. are: Carver, Dakota, Fillmore, Goodhue, Hennepin, Houston, Le Sueur, Olm- sted, Rice, Wabasha, Winona, and Wright. Fillmore county reports the largest number of trees in bearing, being 25,379, with Olmsted county next, reporting 20,378 bearing trees. The largest productions of grapes was reported from the counties of Hennepin, Houston, Ramsey, Wabashaand Winona. The number of pounds of grapes reported from Hennepin county, for 1883, was 32,295. Now, this exhibit plainly indicates that raising fruit in Minnesota has not as yet become a leading industry; and it suggests the pertinent inquiry how shall we measure up and reach the wished-for standard? Have not the people been too lax in this regard? SMALL FRUIT CULTURE. While it is true that orcharding has been neglected to some extent it may be = STATE HORTICULTURAL SOOIETY, 2438 said that small fruit culture has rapidly developed, and those who claim to know whereof they speak affirm it pays a liberal return. We have no accurate data con- \ cerning just the quantity of berries raised in Minnesota, suffice to say, the quantity of strawberries alone, produced in 1885, was several times as great as that of three to five years since. The little patches planted here and there have grown to acres in many instances, producing large and paying crops of luscious fruit which finds a ready market here at home. In this connection it may be proper to inquire if this Society should not give some attention to the discussion of all the various methods to be used in order to encour- age and promote this profitable and pleasing industry—the cultivation of small fruit. THE PAST YEAR In some respects has been a trying one; perhaps the most disastrous to fruit trees ever yet experienced. The losses are, however, not confined to northern latitudes. Fruit growers hundreds of miles below the southern limits of our State are bitterly complaining. Reports that reach us from Ohio, Illinois, lowa, Wisconsin and other states would seem to indicate that losses have been great in all these different sec- tions. For example, an estimate of fruit trees in northern Illinois, reported as dead or in a dying condition, presents the following result: apple trees, 56 per cent; pear trees, 65 per cent; peach trees, 95 per cent. This somewhat new and » phenomenal experience has disarranged to some extent the well-established theories “entertained and put in practice heretofore, concerning hardiness and ease of propa- gation of certain kinds of standard trees. But while with us there may have been a greater loss of apple trees than heretofore, it also may be said that this result was not entirely occasioned by the extremes of cold experienced last winter, when the thermometer in some localities at times, perhaps, dropped down among the fifties. It is believed by some that the continued warm and almost sultry weather experi- enced before the cold set in had more to do with the loss of trees than any other cause. Some instances are mentioned where trees were out in bloom just at the time when properly they should have been in good condition to enter “winter quarters.” As to how far exposure, improper methods of protection, heat and cold, diversity of soil, as well as lack of proper Care, or cultivation, have each or all. conspired to bring about the loss referred to, we leave with others to determine; suffice to say we must again revise our systems, plans and modes of culture, if we are ever to succeed in growing fruit. The lessons of the past remind us surely it is no ‘froyal’’ road that leads on to fortune; we need to marshal all our forces and bring to bear the , best experience, the highest measure of intelligence and skill. The very general Joss of trees experienced should not discourage wholly nor cause us even to relax our efforts in the least. Of course the chances lesser, and difficulties in the way are much increased, where such extremes of temperature are found; where drought and scorching heat prevail to some extent in summer; where heavy winds and Storms some times are felt. And yet, despite these drawbacks may we not pursue a ourse which in a meaure will enable us to overcome them and gain an ulti- mate success at last? Itisa vital, all-important question whether we shall give the battle o’er or fearlessly press on to meet and overcome the obstacles which * a* 244 ANNUAL REPORT. seem to block eur progress and partially hedge up our way. We scarcely 1 call attention here to what has been accomplished, or bring to mind the tedious processes by which we have secured the present vantage ground. aia ial well the value of OUR MINNESOTA SEEDLINGS AND S0-CALLED “‘mmoN chaps.” ap Sete It would be difficult to estimate the time and money spent originating healthy, hardy trees, and such varieties 2s would withstand severest tests of every kind, and still afford us fruit of pleasing quality, of proper size and keeping merits: In this regard we have not yet attained our object fully although much progress has been made. The merits of our Wealthy apple are much extolled abroad: we point to that and many other home-grown sorts, of less or greater promise. But still it is an open question how far we may succeed in propagating Minnesota seed- Hinge, = ealljoct well deaceving cinee iavestigsses See ee may elicit much and profitable discussion at this session. _ ‘ RUSSIAN VARIETIES. - We wish to call attention briefy to the subject of the propagation of Russian varieties of apples, and to review the testimony, to some extent, for and against their introduction. {i seems to us this is one of the most important subjects which — ean be brought before this meeting for our consideration. Much interest has heen shown of late, by many persons in gaining all the infor- mation to be had concerning the adaptation of these fruits, both toour salland climate. The merits of the so-called new Russian sorts, have been unduly magnified by some, while they have been condemned upon the partof others. All the dis- cussions on this subject have taken a wide range; we cannot stop to give more than 4 passing notice to what has recently been sid and written im regard to intro— ducing Russian fruits. It would seem quite important st this time, however, that we should carefully examine upon the evidence, pro and con, im order that we may determine what the true facts are in the future and act accordingly. a Upon this subject >f the comparative merits of Russian varietion of apples we msy refer to the discussions had at the annual meeting of the State Horticultural Society of Ohio im 1884, where the question of “practical experience with Russian apples” was under consideration. It was contended on the part of some of the members of the society that for the climate of Ohio, and especially as far as the fruit growing regions of the Western Reserve were concerned, that the growing af Raussisn apples was unnecessary. Others took the positiun and argued strenuously im favor of planting and giving them a thorough tmal li was claimed that in central Ohio they had withstood the storms, snows and frosts fer tem years past, without material injury, where many orchards were producing thousands of of these apples, as fine 35 are to be found im the market, while at the sume time many of the leading nitive varieties had been entirely destroyed. ~_ jr Mr. Saunders, president of the Ontario Fruit Growers Association, and Mr Beadle, a member of thsi society, being present, took partin the discussion referred to, snd were called upon to relste their éxperience with Russian apples in Camada_ President Saunders ssid: “Our purpose in introducing the Russian apples ism to give them to the people who can grow the better spples; cut to those only who reside where the common vurieties will mot succeed; 1nd I cam easily understand STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 245 that the large dissemination of Russian apples among your people of Ohio is more to result in injury than benefit.” Mr. Beadle stated that his observation and experience had taught him to make haste slowly in propagating Russian apples and not to embark in the enterprise by the wholesale. Where such standard apples as the Baldwin. Ben Davis, Rhode Island Greening, the Russet and other familiar varieties could be grown, there was mo occasion to make a change, they were more highly flavored, more valuable in every way than any of the Russian apples that he had seen. So far as his observa- tion had gone they were not as highly flavored as the American apples. He recom- mended, however, the growing of Russian apples in portions of that state where the summers are dry and very hot, and the winters are cold and dry. Among the Varieties which had succeeded well in the vicinity of Ottawa, he mentioned the Alexander, Red Astrachan, Duchess and Yellow Transparent. In this connection he mentions the Wealthy as being originated by Mr. Gideon, of Minnesota, and a _ yariety that had succeeded well with them, and thought it would take the place of the Baldwin in places where that variety would not grow abundantly. Mr. Albaugh, a nurseryman, who had had twenty-six years’ experience in the Miami Valley, stated that there were more fruit trees grown in that valley than in _ any other diameter of twenty miles in the world, and that the Duchess succeeded there first rate, also Yellow Transparent, for an early variety. He advised planting ; plenty of the new Russian varieties, as they withstood the rigors of the climate when the old varieties would not. The fruit growers of Kansas seem quite averse to recommending Russian varieties ‘of apples, judging from action taken by the Horticultural Society of that state. At _ the semi-annual meeting of that society, held in June, 1884, a resolution was _ Sdopted to the effect that none of the Russian apples are worthy of cultivation, ex- _ cept the Duchess, Red Astrachan and Tetofsky, which should only be planted Sparingly for family use. One speaker quoted Pref. J. L. Budd, of Iowa, one of the very best, authorities upon this subject, as having written him as follows: _ **Where such fine apples of the American varieties grow and bear such fine speci- mens as they do in Kansas, don’t trouble with the Russian varieties.”’ 7 At their annual meeting in December 1884, a resolution was offered that, in the _ Opinion of the society, all the Russian varieties of apples are unworthy of general cultivatien in Kansas and should be stricken from their voted fruit-list; and that _ report indicates the adoption of the resolution by a vote of 17 to 5. . The brief report given of discussions upon the foregoing resolution indicates a purpose on the part of the society to defeat the efforts of the swindling tree ped- fers rather than to condemn the introduction of true Russian fruits. Mr. Cutter, of Junction City, in opening the discussion, contended that great damage had been been done to the fruit interests of Kansas, by the sale of hun- dreds of thousands of comparatively worthless Russian fruits at extortionate prices. . He referred to the “‘smooth-tongued tree peddlers’? who, usually being strangers from abroad, are compelled to work, steal or starve; and who sometimes are wont to choose a half way ceurse between the first two. He argued to show from this Standpoint a doubt or positive denial of the value of the Russian fruits for Kansas. He refers to a statement by E. J. Teas of Dunreath, Indiana, who writes under ) date of November 1884. “‘There is not one of the Russian varieties of apples 946 ANNUAL REPORT. tested in this State, or so far as I know, in the Union, that has developed quali- ties that entitle it to pre-emimence. I believe the best are the Duchess and Red Astrachan, and possibly the Alexander.’? He refers also to a letter received from Elwanger & Barry, of Rochester, N. Y., under date of November 29th, 1884, in which they say: ‘‘We have fruited a great many of the Russian apples so-called. This season we have Peier the Great, Titorka, Ananasnoe, Belborodoskoe, Arabskoe Kapsnoi, Limnoi, Antonooka, Ostrowskoe, Tschence, Drewe, Nicolager, Anise, Nova, and others. Seme of these are fruitsof great size and fair looking, but we have not had experience enough with them yet to be able to say whether any of them will be valuable keepers; we are inclined to think not, here. They may be of value in severe north and northwestern climates, We must give them a fair trial.””. Mr. Cutter concludes his paper by adding: ‘‘Therefore we have no room to hope for anything from Russia but a lot of summer and fall cooking apples.” In Iowa the value of Russian varieties of apples has been brought before the meeting of the Horticultural Society of that State from time to time and many in- teresting facts elicited. Mr. Van Houton, of Bedford, in an able paper on orchard management, says upon this subject: ‘‘The unqualified reliability of the Duchess and the high promise of other Russians renders it certain that we will get many profitable varieties for general planting all over Lowa, but the introduction of the newer kinds is in the hands of experienced Horticulturists, and the beginner should await their decision before planting and avoid buying of glib-tongued tree peddlers, fancy-priced Russian varieties.’”? The experimental grounds at the agri- cultural College, under the careful management of Prof. Budd, with the experi- ments under way by our best Horticulturists will bring to the front the best.” President Speer, in his annual address before the society, observes ‘‘A careful examination of the wood or cuticle which covers the bark and the bud-scales of the Duchess and other truly iron-clad trees will show that they have been designed to guard against vitrefaction in a very cold, dry climate. Many of the Russian varie- ties of the apple, cherry, etc., have such qualities and also have thick leaves which have a greater number of empty guard-cells on their upper surfaces than the smaller and thinner leaves of American and west European varieties.”’ Upon this subject we may cite one more authority, referring to the report of Mr. Hayaland, of Fort Dodge. In speaking of extreme climatic changes and the severe cold experienced in that locality, he concludes that a favorable opportunity was offered for a comparison of the endurance of Russian and native varieties, and adds: ‘*judging from the color of the branches of last season’s growth we find the follow- ing numbers compare favorably with the Wealthy and Duchess: 367, 153, 8, 323, 402, 369, 563, 98, 206, 48, 167, 181, 177, 181, 333, 418; and the following net as hardy as the above, are about like the Haas and Yellow Transparent; 10, 371, 164, 185,467, 382, 202, 393, 378, 874, 277, 12, 290, 230, 856, 399, 4, 128, 122.” I will not trespass upon your time further by citing the opinions advanced by fruit growers in Wisconsin and our own State who have had practical experience in srpwing Russian fruits. We hope to get avery fair expression of their views at the present meeting, and trust that they may furnish the added weight of ex- perience gained during the past year, when conditions have changed so very materially in many instances, in regard to the propagation and growth of fruit trees of every kind. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 247 EXPERIMENT STATIONS. Mr. President, I trust this meeting will not adjourn without action being taken looking to the establishment of some definite plan whereby the members of this Society and others may be enabled to receive the benefits to be derived from actual experiments made from time to time by practical horticulturists; that proper plans may be devised and provisions made, whereby not only theoretical but practical horticulture may be promoted in this State I refer, of course, to experiment stations and the character of the work to be undertaken and thereby carried on. The efforts heretofore put forth in this direction have been effective for the objects had in view and much has already been accomplished, but there is need of more systematic effort being made and better methods being used to make these stations all that could be wished. Upon this general subject I would call attention briefly to the matter of agri- cultural experiment stations as showing what is elsewhere being done in this direc- tion. Prof. 5. A. Forbes, at the annual meeting of the Illinois State Horticultural Society, in December, 1884, presented a report to the Society in which he says: “Agriculture has been preeminently esteemed by all civilized nations from the earliest times, because it is recognized as the foundation of wealth and progress. _It has also been favored by governments because the art is essentially experimental in nature and practice, and the benefits of the experiments reach the whole people, rather than enrich the individual. As the processes of agriculture become scientific and rational rather than empirical and traditional, the value of experiment and investigation becomes recognized and new knowledge is not only tolerated but is more and more sought for by practical men.” | Reference is made in this report to the valuable investigations made by Boussin_ gault, of France, and to those of Justus Liebig and others, of Germany, in the earlier portions of the present century. The first agricuitural station regularly established in America was in the state of Connecticut in 1875, since which time stations have been established in North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Ohio, Wisconsin and California. In 1877 the Connecticut station was permanently established in connection with Sheffield school, a department of Yale College, and an annual appropriation of $5,000 made for its support, which was increased to $8,000 per aunum in 1882. The most prominent work of the station has been the analysis of commercial fertilizers sold in the state. It is said that very great improvement is attributable to the work of the station. Bulletins are issued from time to time showing the results of experi- ments made in testing seeds, the physical properties of soils, the relative value of foods, etc. In North Carolina the experiment station was established in 1877 and about $7,000 is annually expended. The work of the station is mainly devoted to fertilizers and soils, but attention is also paid to seeds, feeding-stuffs, waters, rocks, etc. In New Jersey the station was founded in 1880, in connection with Rutger’s Col- lege, the sum of $11,000 being annually appropriated by the legislature, while the college furnishes the laboratory and other necessary buildings. Most attention has been given to the analysis of fertilizers, but much to feeding and field experiments. The New York agricultural station was founded in 1881, a state appropriation being made of $25,000 for land and buildings. 248 ANNUAL REPORT. In Massachusetts the station was founded in 1882, $5,000 being annually appro- priated. It is located at Amherst, the laboratory and about eighteen acres of land: being furnished by the college at that place. Among subjects of investigation are fertilizers, plant diseases, stock feeding, insects, etc. In Ohio the experiment station was established at the State University in 1882, $5,000 per anum being appropriated for expenses. The experiments both in the field and laboratory deal with grain raising, stock raising, dairying, horticulture, forestry, etc. Bulletins are prepared for the agricultural press and annual reports are printed at the expense of the state. In Wisconsin the experiment station was established in 1883 and connected with the State University. The farm, consisting of 125 acres with barns, dairy, fruit plantations, etc., which belong to the department of Agriculture of the University, are all at the service of the station. About $6,000 are annually expended. The scientific corps of the station consist of the professors of agriculture, botany and chemistry, with one assistant. Bulletins are published from time to time and annual reports made at the expense of the state. In California the experiment station is supported by direct provision of the legis- lature and is connected with the agricultural department of the State University. About fifteen acres of the University farm are used, and about $7,500 have been expended in fitting up the grounds and the laboratory. Attention has been given to the analysis and classification of soils, irrigation and to viticultural investigations. Annual reports are made and weekly bulletins sent out to the agricultural press. In Georgia a small experiment station has been established at Athens, and grounds have been purchased and fitted up at an expense of $30,000. Chief atten- tion is paid to cotton and cotton growing. As to what is being done in this line of work in Minnesota [ refer you to the very interesting report of Prof. E. D. Porter, in charge of theory and practice of Agri- culture, at the State University, and superintendent of the State Agricultural farm. In the report alluded to Prof. Forbes defines the agricultural station as ‘“‘An agency intended to determine the conditions of the best success in agriculture un-. der existing circumstances, applying to the numerous and complicated questions involving the strictest methods of modern science, and putting the results arrived at in so Clear, definite, and exact a form that no intelligent farmer.can fail to com- prehend them, or refuse to acknowledge their force. It substitutes skill, method, accurate record, elaborate scientific experiment, for the irregular, indefinite, un- certain, inaccurate, hap-hazzard individual method of agricultural observation and experiment now generally prevalent.”’ What has been said upon this subject would seem to indicate the necessity as well as utility of experimentation, not only in departments of agriculture in general but also in horticultural werk and investigation. In this age of wondrous inven- tions, important and often startling discoveries, we want more specialists,—those who make a particular subject a study, and who, after becoming thoroughly in- formed themselves, may readily impart information to others. If the State of New York can annually appropriate and expend the sum of $20,- 000 for judicious and profitable experiments to be made by their agricultural station may there not be need of provision being made for corresponding work in Minne- STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. — 949 sota? And, further, should not something be done each year by this Society and its executive board, to aid in experimental work ? Among possible lines of investigation which might be named are, protection . from contingencies of climate; the effects of drought; averting injuries from scorch. ing heat, from storms in summer and disastrous frosts in winter; originating new varieties of the hardiest, healthiest and best kinds of fruit trees, plants, flowers, vines and shrubbery ; (casting out the worthless and unworthy,) studying the na- ture of plants, their diseases, their acclimation and methods of cross- fertilization ; the habits and influence of insect life upon plants and fruits, and carefully noting the results. iy It may be said and to the credit of this Society, that its officers and members are deeply interested in the work which they have undertaken. They recognize the nature of the multitude of difficulties to be met and overcome. The record made already in the past in many aspects is a cheering one, and better things are hoped for in the future. In order to avoid mistakes and make substantial progress in the work we have in hand we want united action ; our methods need to be both practi- cal and plain. We seek to gather information everywhere and profit by experience, time and labor speut by kindred state and local organizations similar to our own. LOCAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETIES. As indicating the increasing interest taken in horticulture in this State, it is but proper to refer to what is being done by local organizations. Of these societies there are quite a number in existance, and doing a good work. One new society has been established recently at Granite Falls, and it is gratifying to observe the progress being made in various portions of the State in active, earnest, thorough work. Without designing to repeat or in the least infringe upon the very interest- ing report already handed in, we wish to call attention to the very creditable record made by the Hennepin County Horticultural Society and Gardener’s Association, and more especially in connection with its second annual fair. This organization has but recently been founded (that is a couple years ago,) but has already gained deserving fame abroad. There is no question that it is accomplishing much which will be of lasting benefit to its many members as well as others, by its experiments, its meetings and discussions and various methods used and recommended. In this connection, as showing what is being done, we quote the following, taken from the St. Paul Pioneer-Press, descriptive of the opening of the second annual fair, occurring September 22, 1885: A REALLY SUPERB DISPLAY. The second annual fair of the Hennepin County Horticultural society and Market Gardeners’ associa- tion opened yesterday at the new Brackett block, corner of Second street and First avenue. Asis usual on such occasions, {the first day was really devoted to the arrangment of the various exhibits, but enough were in place last evening to prove that the fair is the most successful of its kind ever held in the county, and the display of fruits and vegetables surpasses that witnessed at any meeting of the State Horticultural Society. The grape exhibit alone occupies a table at least three feet in width and seventy-five feet im length, the major portion of which is credited to the intelligent and enterprising horticulturists residing along the shores of Lake Minnetonka. Perhaps the largest single exhibitor is Mr, A. W. Latham of Excelsior, who has no less than thirty distinct varieties of grapes on the table. He has a vineyard covering eight acres, five of which are bearing, and as one gentleman expressed it, “There are not weeds enough in the vineyard to fill your hat.’” _ The moisture and sandy soil of the lake 250 ANNUAL REPORT, shore are pronounced exceptionally favorable for the culture of the grape. Mr. Latham’s testimony being that the fruit produced is as good as can be grown in the United States but some varieties do not. find the season long enough for complete ripening. Certainly the display at Brackett’s will more than sustain the above opinion, and shows that Hennepin county has not more than fairly commenced the development of one of its numerous sources of wealth. N. J. Stubbs of Long Lake exhibits thirteen varieties of grapes, including the ‘‘Rogers No. 89,” a prolific bearer, ripening early, and with a flayer which cannot be surpassed. Mr. Stubbs states that his grapes have yeilded at the rate of $400 per acre each year since he has been engaged in the business. Mr. J. Bost of the same place has fourteen varie- ties on exhibition, three of which are new, and among the latter the Lady Washington and Jefferson be- ing specially prized on account of their beauty, fruitfulness and the compact and solid character of the individual bunches. e THE DISPLAYS IN GENERAL. In the department of grapes, apples and other fruits, F. G. Gould of Excelsior makes exhibits which will reflect credit upon any state; including nearly all the varieties of grapes to be found in any latitude or country. Exceedingly fine collections of grapes are also exhibited by J.S. Harris, La Crescent ; N.H. Reeves, Minneapolis: J, J. Cale and Charles Gibson, Minnetonka; H. F. Busse, Minneapolis: T. Bost, Excelsior, and G. H. Roberts, Minneapolis. N. J. Stubbs of Long Lake and F. G. Gould of Excelsior are competitors for the $50 prize offered for the best and greatest variety of grapes. In the department devoted to apples, the destructiveness of the extreme cold last winter is fully revealed. The display is not extensive in quantity or variety, but the quality of the specimens exhibited is excel- lent without exception. There are only eight entries in this department, as iollows: K.H. Whipple, Chowan; J. S. Harris, La Crescent; J.J. Cale, Minnetonka; Charles Hawkinson, M, V.-Pratt: J. T. Grimes, H. F. Busse. AMONG THE VEGETABLES. The display of vegetables is very full and complete, and a better is seldom witnessed. The gardeners of Hennepin connty state that the series of meetings and discussions held during the past winter and spring are reflected in the improved character and greater variety of garden products cultivated during the past summer and now placed on exhibition. Several new seedlings of unusually promising char- acter are displayed in the various departments, all indicating that the horticuiturists and market gar- deners have entered upon investigations and experiments which promise great and profitable results in the near future. The principal exhibitors in this department are: G. H, Roberts, Minneapolis: K. H. Whipple, Chowan; J. F. Gilmore, Richfield; Nicholas Hermes, St. Paul; Johu Lyons, William Lyons, N. H. Reeves and John Hogan, Minneapolis: A. N. Grady, Minnetonka; H. R. Samplugh, Minneapolis; E. Peteler, Shingle Creek; J. T. Woodman, Brooklyn Center; Frank Moeser, Minneapolis; J.J. Cale, Minnetonka; Eli Anderson, Northome, Lake Minne- tonka; Nicholas Demuth, Chowan: C.F. Baston, J. J. Baston, M. V. lVratt, J. T. Grimes and Charles Hawkinson, Minneapolis; M. A. Dean, Shingle Creek; J. F. Held and Richard Gray, Minneapolis. H. F. Busse and John Lyons of Minneapolis are competitors for the premium offered for the greatest and best display in this admirably filled department. THE POTATO DISPLAY. There is also a fine display of this common but exceedingly useful vegetable, the principal competi- tors being G. H. Roberts, H. F'. Busse and William Lyons, Minneapolis ; J. F. Gilmore, Richfield ; A. N. Gray, Chowan and E. Fettler, Shingle Creek. Mr. Roberts exhibits five different specimens of win- ter and spring; Mr. Gray eight varieties and ten seedlings, and Mr Lyons’ exhibit was not surpassedat. the late state fair. In the class of canned fruits and vegetables the displays are not numerous, the principal exhibitors being M. V. Pratt and Mrs. Mary Lyons, Minneapolis, and Mrs. M. A. Pearce, Minnetonka. Messrs Northrop, Braslan & Co. have an extensive collection of bulbs on exhibition, including different varie- ties of tulips and double hyacinths, and seeds of all kinds may be found in their tastefully arranged department. The arrangement of the exhibit was not fully completed until last evening, and those who visit the fair to-day will be convinced that the soil of Miunesota can produce its quota of delights, and that beauty, life and wealth are concealed under its fair surface. It seems to us that something should be done for the encouragement of horti- cultural work, such as is being carried on by these societies. It takes some time STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 951 and money to hold an annual fair, at least the kind above described. Where liberal premiums are paid to those who make exhibits, it isno more than just that the society should have some adequate encouragement and support, the same as local agricultural societies are now supported by the State. A small appropriation from the State would prove of much assistance in holding horticultural fairs. It may be proper to consider whether this Society cannot materially assist these county organizations in some substantial way. There ought to be a mutual interest felt in the prosperity of each and all. Perhaps some plan may be devised for cultivating still more intimate relations. We recognize the need of their co-oper- ation and support, and we in turn must do our part since all our interests are so reciprocal. THE ANNUAL REPORT. The thirteenth volume of this Society’s transactions was issued in the month of June. It was received with favor, but published at a season of the year when those who read these publications with the greatest interest have not sufficient time at their command to carefully peruse the same. Among the many notices received in commendation of this number the following may be given: The annual report of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society for the year end- ing March 31, has been issued by the Secretary, S$. D. Hillman. It is the most com- plete report yet issued, and contains in addition to the State Society’s proceedings, the doings of the Minnesota Amber Cane Association at their annual meeting, and the debates of the Hennepin county horticulturists. The book contains much practical information and is a valuable addition to the horticultural literature of the State.—Minneapolis Tribune. The typographical execution is unusually good, while the contents are useful and instructive. It is full of facts worth more to the farmers than any book they would have to pay ten dollars for. It contains all the proceedings of the Amber Cane Association, with a list of their officers for 1885, as well as those of the State Board of Agriculture. There are 465 pagesin the combined work. Secretary Hillman deserves great credit for the able and interesting manner in which he has brought the book before the public. It should be in the hands of every farmer in the State. —Farm, Stock and Home. We are indebted to Secretary Hillman of the Minnesota Horticultural Society for a copy of his report for 1885, a neat volume of four hundred and stxty-five pages, filled with the experience of Minnesota's best fruit-growers. As regards apples, the leading tree fruit, the experience is much the same as we get in the cold north- eastern part of Vermont and in the Province of Quebec. Minnesota has sent us the Wealthy, the best iron-clad winter apple, while we have sent her the Scott’s Winter, the longest keeper of the same class, and Quebec has furnished the Peach of Montreal, one of the best fall dessert apples in existence. These interchanges, and the general and rapid increase of knowledge in regard to fruit growing are greatly promoted by publications like this report. Many promising seedlings suited to the Minnesota climate are reported as on trial, and the new Russian fruits are having a wide testing, the results of which are full of encouragement, assuring us as they do, of final and entire success in pushing the large fruit culture seveal 252 ANNUAL REPORT. hundred miles farther northward than it has ever gone on this continent heretofore. —Dr. Hoskins in Vermont Watchman. In the general distribution of reports we have been subject largely to the direc- tion of the Executive Committee. We have endeavored to supply each member of the Society with at least one bound copy of the transactions, and with extra copies in paper covers when requested. ‘ Exchanges have been made with the societies of the following states, to-wit: Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, (Western) New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey; also with the horticultural societies of Dakota and Montreal, Canada. In this connection we suggest the propriety of having a larger number of copies of our reports bound in cloth. Five hundred copies are barely sufficient to supply our own members and to make the necessary exchanges. It seems to us we ought to have at least one-half the entire edition bound. The value of the work would then be more fully recognized by those receiving it, and it would find its place upon the library shelf where it would be preserved for years to comes to be referred to conveniently whenever necessary. The volumes issued by the Society for a number of years past have beeu credit- able productions, and we trust the interest manifested on the part of members in this respect will not flag and that there may be still further improvement made in the character of succeeding numbers. THE CORRESPONDENGE which your secretary has conducted during the past year is indicative of an increas- ing interest which is being taken in horticultural matters generally in this State as well as elsewhere. Extensive correspondence has been had and almost daily letters are received and answered concerning some department of our work. Of course this work requires considerable time to be employed but it is still a pleasing duty to perform. We cannot publish all our lengthy correspondence and yet we ought not to omit what may be deemed of public interest, although our space is somewhat limited. Among the numerous letters which are constantly received are many _ which should find a place in our transactions. Of these a number will be read or be referred to appropriate committees. One takes peculiar pleasure in perusing letters like the following, received from that eminent and venerable pomologist, the Hon. Marshall P. Wilder, in his own peculiar chirography: ‘Boston, July 28, 1885. My Dear Str: Many thanks for the report of the Minnesota Horticultural Soci- ety. Like its predecessors it is full of interesting information. Your State has made rapid progress in fruit culture and has become widely renowned for its enter- prize and success in this important branch of American Husbandry. It has become an important ally in the labors of the American Pomological Society, and we count largely on its exhibition of fruits at the forth-coming meeting at Grand Rapids, Sept 9th, when the East will come on to shake hands with the Great West. Please send us a full delegation of your noble men. Yours as ever, MarsHaLyi P. WILDER. 8. D. Hinuman, Secretary etc. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 253 The following sufficiently explains itself: MINNEAPOLIS, MINN., Sept. 12, 1885. W. J. Hahn, Esq., Attorney General: St. Paul, Minn. Dear Sir :—At a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Minneapolis State Horticultural Society , held on the 10th instant, the undersigned was directed to communicate with you and to ask an opin— ioz. in regard to the action of State Auditor Braden in withholding an order upon the State Treasurer for a portion of the annual state appropriation of the Society. The point upon which the committee desire information is as to whether the Society is entitled to the annual appropriation of one thousand dollars granted to aid the Society, to be expende1 for such pur- pose as its Board of Directors may deem necessary and proper? Section 3 of chapter 72, General Laws of 1881 provides as follows: ; Src, 3. “That the sum of one thousand dollars ($1,000) be annually appropriated, out of any mon- eys not otherwise appropriated, to aid the said Horticultural society in the work of distributing their reports, collecting data, specimens pertaining to horticulture, providing a suitable place for its books. specimens and articles of the society, and for payment of salary and expenses of its secretary and com - mittees for labor actually performed by them, and other uses that may, in the opinion of the Board of Directors be deemed necessary and proper. The said sum shall be paid by the State Treasurer on the order of the President of said Horticultural Society.” In order to raise the question fully and to get an authoritative decision upon the same, it may be well to give a statement of the condition of the funds of the Society as shown by the report of the Treasurer as well as the action taken by its Executive Board, since the act referred to has been in force. At the annual meeting heldin January 1882, the President of the Society, in his annual address, called attention to the act of the Legislature and recommended action thereon, as follows : (See page 43, Report 1882.) ‘Since the adjournment of our last annual meeting the State Legislature has granted us an annual appropriation of $1,000. Thissum if judiciously used may prove of great benefit to the Society and to the people of the State at large. It remains with you at this meeting to say what disposition shall be made of it. See to it that its disposition shall reflect credit upon us, ac- complish the object for which it is designed, and secure for us the confidence of the tax-payers of the State. Iam in favor of setting aside a portion of the amount to be used only in the payment of premi- ums to be offered to encourage the growing of fruits from seeds, the offer to be so guarded as to leave no chance for imposition, and I think that we ought, without delay, to create a committee to perfecta premium list and make rules to governit. I would say $500 for the best long keeping variety, as hardy as Duchess or Siberians, of good quality, fine appearance, medium to large in size, to keep until May: $400 for second best, same rules to govern; $300 for the third best ; $200 for best winter sweet apples; $100 fora grape as hardy as the Concord, as good or better in appearance and quality, two weeks earlier and that will keep well into winter. If any or all of these were now originated, it would require five more years to give them the requisite tests and probably $200 per year would meet the de- mand.” The Committee on President’s address, consisting of Messrs.S. M. Emery, J. H. Stevensand F. C. Gould, subsequently submitted a report which was adopted, in which they recommended action with regard to the creation of a fund for payment of premiums, as follows: (See page 112, Report 1882.) ‘*Second. That the Executive Committee be instructed to appropriate the sum of ($200) two hnn- dred dollars, to be set aside annually from the annual appropriation of $1,000, and invested in interest bearing bonds, interest and principal to be devoted to a premium list, with the object in view of in- creasing our list of hardy winter varieties of apples, under such restrictions as shall be deemed best by the Society.” The Secretary, in his annual report for that year, remarks : ‘With its customary liberality in forwarding projects of public weal, our last regular session of the Legislature granted us an annual appropriation of $1,000 to aid us in our work, and also increased the number of our reports to be printed by the State and also allowed us an increased number of pages.” Mr. J. T. Grimes, present Treasurer of the Society, at the conclusion of an article on ‘‘the cultiva- tion and protection of orchards in Minnesota,’ says: (See page 121, Report 1882.) “The State has given us a liberal annual appropriation to aid us in our investigations and experi= ments and will certainly look to us for its legitimate results.” 254 ANNUAL BEPORT. By reference to the annual report of the Society for 1886, the condition of the reserve fund will be seen ata glance. (See report of Treasurer Grimes, page 219, Report 1985.) It is given as follows: RESERVE FUND. Jan. 15, 1884 Accrued Principal...........-.... Patiapat ALES ACAORGOOROHEIDEOO 0) 2 da'e ol forbeaitateay eR Jan. 15, °) JA certied:, Interests cis: Lei ee A Ri cnc cic Gub.'2 as eee eee alec 43 78 Jan. 20, 1885. Interest for the Current Year..........0.cccccccsccsccees seccccscvascees ArARG 38 62 Jan. 20. Reserved Principal/f{Or LSBs! c\e raic’e cio oe v'olnele elses tals 200 OO Reserved Mund: Totals saaviaic cote desnertere heme ere eise cee ccleiebls’s cle bie didteete hele es $882 40 After giving a statement in detail of receipts and disbursements for the current year the amount of the balance in the treasury is given as the sum of $257.86. Under the head of remarks the Treasurer says: I would respectfully caJl your attention to the fact that the finances of the Society are insufti- cient to meet the expenses and maintain the reserve fucd which was placed by order of the Society as a special premium fund to encourage the originating and dissemination of new varieties of apples specially suited to supply the demands and wants of the orchardists of this State.” In the opinion of the Executive Committee the setting aside of a certain amount annually to be used for payment of premiums is in accord with the letter and spirit of the act granting aid to the society as ‘necessary and proper.”? The most rigid economy has been observed in order that this fund might be secured for the purpose set apart to be used. Respectfully, S. D. H1LtLM AN, Secretary. ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE, St. Pau, Nov. 3, 1885. S. D. Hillman Esq,, Secy. State Horticultural Society. Dear Sir:—Your communication has been duly considered. It appears that the legislature in 1881 made an annual appropriation to your Society in the words following : Src. 3. ‘*That the sum of one thousand dollars (1,000) be annually appropriated, out of any moneys not otherwise appropriated to aid the said Horticultural Society in the work of distributing their re- ports, collecting data, specimens pertaining to horticulture, providing a suitable place for its books, specimens and articles of the Society, for payment of salary and expenses of its secretary ani com- mittees for labor actually performed by them, and other uses that may, in the opinion of the board of directors, be deemed necessary and proper. The said sum shall be paid by the State Treasurer on the order of the President of the said Horticultural Society.’ (Sec. 3, ch.72, G@. L. 1881.) That your Society has heretofore annually drawn the entire $1,000, but has set apart a portion of the money so appropriated to create a ‘‘Reserve Fund” which with accrued interest on January 20, 1885, amounted to the total of $882 40. That this reserve fund was created under a resolution of your society passed at its meeting in January 1882, which is as follows: Second. “That the executive committee be instructed to appropriate the sum of ($200) two hundred dollars, to be set aside annually from the annual appropriation of $1,000 and invested in interest bear- ing bonds, interest and principal to be devoted to a premium list, with the object in view of increasing our list of hardy winter varieties of apples, under such restrictions 1s shall be deemed best by the So- ciety. You say that “In the opinion of the executive committee the setting aside of a certain amount annu- ally to be used for the payment of premiums is in accord with the letter and spirit of the act granting aid to the Society as ‘‘necessary and proper.’? The most rigid economy has been observed in order that this fund might be secured for the purpose set apart to be used.” And iny opinion is asked in regaid to the action of the Sfate Auditor in withholding orders upon the State Treasurer, for any portion of the annual appropriation while the ‘‘reserve fund remains unused, he claiming as I understand it, that the annual appropriation is for current expenses and that the So- ciety has no right to draw and accumulate any portion of this annnal appropriation for any purpose. The State Auditor, in my opinion is right in his holding. Appropriations of public funds must be strictly construed. The constitution declares that ‘no money shall ever be paid out of the treasury of this State except in pursuance of an appropriation by law.’’ In the case of the People vs. Burns, 27 Barb, 93, the Court in construing’a similar provision of the constitution of New York, say, ‘‘It is in- : STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 255 tended as an absolute and compulsory restriction upon every disbursement from the treasury, except under the sanction of a legislative appropriation specifying distinctly the object to which it is to be ap- plied, thus imposing a salutory and needed check upon the disbursement of the public funds.” Now the question is, what is the object to which the money appropriated by the law under consider- ation, was intended, by the legislature, to be applied. 1st. It is an annual appropriation and if not all drawn or used duirng any one year, the balance would not be available in any subsequent year. Opinion of Judge Cornell, p. 260 Opinions Atty’s General. 2nd. A number of specific objects are enumerated, all of which are in the nature of current expenses viz.: distribution of annual reports, collecting data, procuring a place for books, &c. (rent) payment of the salary and expenses of secretary and committees, &c. Then follows the provision under which the Society claims the right to set aside a part of the money to create a fund to pay premiums in the future, viz : ‘‘and other uses that may in the opinion of the board of directors be deemed necessary and proper.’ Two familiar rules of construction are that ‘‘the expression of one is to the exclusion of all others,’”” and “the enumeration of one class excludes all others not of a similar class.”? Hence the words “and other wses’? must be held to mean “other uses similar to those heretofore enumerated in the law, that may be in the opinion of the board of directors be deemed necessary and proper.’’ In other words any other necessary and proper use that will annually, during any one year, ‘‘aid the Society in its work’ The statute is an appropriation for current aid only and the funds cannot be al- lowed to accumulate and then be drawn, or be drawn and then accumulated for any purpose or object however praiseworthy. Yours Truly, Wiitram J. Haun, Attorney General. The present financial condition of the Society as shown by the treasurer’s report, is very satisfactory. The following is a statement of receipts and disbursements by the Secretary from January 24, 1885, to January 18, 1886, as shown by itemized statement sub- mitted: Secretary’s financial statement. RECEIPTS. Membership fees...... 5 SHOU QOD OTICIMA ED ERE OR BETS Cece set amlocisn eae Ole OO Warrant/om Treasurer............ Gare wataicreuaae aut eas a disse. n= wiibue hea ees nm Balanceidue Secretary............ a atelajs) ayajaiaiavor¥lelaahs loser ciace ss \.Uhaihae Taee 35 55 MDatialicenie tec. vss ae PARIS Washo bs a eee Tear aT DISBURSEMENTS. Stamps, envelopes and postal cards...........--.+e0e- Sep Dob ogo Anadonon eC eiaets Expressage, freight and drayage.... ....-.....- 0°52 Re eR SR ces 125.06 Printing’ ........ 146 Ooh b doc qo eee aoe ose ase REI raie aay iaraicicse/s. Galo) ae tS PIIUGES ee ilaivicig os oj. ce ccc e ste stee ces nnnaaias 4 ott Ai chy > 5 00 0 cS ERC 66 63 ee 2 sp hiaiatetameitatg intel (minin/a\'n(o,,s-s'0\ehe 3 35 Railroad fare and telegram......... Sys sists «\ sheje ahalletepe tenes Rey sal Peieiis brsiaSereiels 7 67 TMCUDLG 5 Reeseeracrcaig #6 .coOneerC ich coe slo! shataleyemetenenetatetovels'leie)e 2.2) Bodoad ¢ v(t) eal Respectfully Submitted, 8S. D Hizimay, Sec’y. 256 ANNUAL REPORT. The Annual Report of the Treasurer was then read: TREASURER’S ANNUAL REPORT. To the President and Secretary of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society. Gentlemen:—I have the honor to submit the following report of the receipts and expenditures of the Society for the current year end- ing Jan. 20th, 1856. RECEIPTS. 1885. Jany “Sp “Balance in treasury.o. x o.<.cecte ewe be le'o.s 2a save rersla/e tle eae $257 86 ole Brom membership hes’... -tcieieiesiieieic ae oni e ees claletaistate 63 00. March.) -M. Cutler, membership) £665.12 1\e)01c +1 « «1 +/+) = s1<\« =) «folate eeletele nee 1 00 June 24. §. D. Hillman at summer meeting for membership fees....... 29 00 24, G. H. Roberts, membership fee J... 2... ..0- «« » «ee aie 1 00 27. From State Treasurer of State appropriation.... ............ 250 00 27. C. A..Smith, membership fee. .......... «<0 « «:cis/si 1 00 Sept. 30. From State Treasurer...... .0002..0- soeben «ose elteee 150 00 MT Ota) reCOUP ts aaa}: c!s%e haysioresinnsje siete cele # ohala cleleve =) 1h tel ener $752 86 The following disbursements have been made as shown by the vouchers herewith returned. BILLS AUDITED AND DIRECTED PAID AT THE WINTER MEETING. 1885. Jan. 22. T. M. Smith, incidental and other expenses......... «.stoteteiets -- §10 00 22. J.T. Grimes, for interest on funds advanced and incidentals. . 9 02 22. J. M. Underwood, railroad fare and expenses attending Execu- tive Committee mee Hier etetels eteletaletatcloiele elete)aieraiate oodes 5 00 22. A. W. Sias, expenses on Seedling Committee for 1884........ 10 00 22. J.8. Harris, for like expenses for 1884..............04. «soins 9 50 22. J. 8. Harris, expenses in attending the meeting of Executive Committee Jan. 15. [88b psec one-< -.o 00 oe nee Prac eet! Uist t: 22. Mrs. Ida E. Tilson, expenses to State meeting on invitation of the'Society, Jan. 1884... oe caine sie sies os 000s one vein 7 70 22. Mrs. Ida E. Tilson, expenses on same account Jan. 1885........ 7 50 22, ‘The Daily Globe, printing’... =~ venecmas css. sos. ane 1 50 22. Pollock & Co. for use of plates...... SOODOUMIE HOS Sook co 2 00 22. C. L. Smith, services as assistant secretary, etc............--. 15 75 22, §. D. Hillman, Stenographers cece s von eee ces. a ss ce 20 00 22. HE. H. Cayner, membership fee returned, (being twice paid)... 1 00 : STATE HORTJOULTURAL sOCIETY. 257 DISBURSEMENTS. 1885. Jan. 22. Premiums paid at winter meeting, 1885— ONIBEMDITS eee heal cls: ie His’ ola's Sa Sl rote PMMA eIaies ole vated oe $48 00 Onmvepoinblesand Seeds... .. 3. veccea LAME MM ows s cece 12 25 Feb. 13. G. W. Fuller, expenses as delegate to Iowa...ce...sscereeees: 33 87 May 27. S. D. Hillman, salary first quarter............ TE taci Oe eaee 100 00 June 24. Oliver Gibbs, Jr., balance due on settlement............ 43. 33 24, Wyman Elliot, express charges ............. alot) Satan Pen aerate ee 155 24. J.8. Harris, expenses as delegate to Wisconsin.......... Andon 8°85 25. Premiums paid at the summer meeting— MA TAMBIONULVUS svefater ose oicr vicic sje'sl'eve 4p: aia miajarsiecejecce'e/eYere/ev.0 ete schemata ens 56 00 MPR VIEE cra lciclate:tigiaie lave re oie’ e rote euelere'eia'n elaG Help olaalo'cahale Sea neem 17 00 PMERMEPPCUAI ICR) nse vwie's's vivo. s:lo.elle ue sid ptetieieie's dieidsfela einige Wiolee 21 00 ete. Hillman, as. per account rendered... 662.002 Seeeee vile cleess 42 66 July 17. H.-L. Smith, printing ...... aha sath enere He Burailerey afetaeh cletel ets os ht el OvOD MmIIONCCEETess CO. ;PFINtiNe s ds\0j56:sceie, sisieie'e store die sie wle-cdi ees 6 oe wiels 15 00 Peo. atillman: ‘salary Second Quarter... : . sce sces seen aeccers 100 00 Oct. 1. S. D. Hillman, salary third quarter.......... clnfaie'e Winve/einlaie (oneha aya 100 00 1886. eee ov Smith, balance On account. .......d.00seervesesesseis ce’ $3 50 Beene. Lilian, freight: On. bOOKS. ...< seisice= edu ins vcb lee a elee os 2 23 | 20. Pioneer Press Co., printing circulars summer meeting..... ... 15 00 20. C. A. Merrill, on account of summer meeting...............-. 5 00 20. J.T. Grimes, incidentals for 1884....... snofafeie crate oheverty Sater ermtovetate 4 76 20. J. 8. Harris, services on executive committee and expenses..... 10 00 20. C. L. Smith, assistant secretary at the winter meeting 1886..... 15 00 20. Rent of hall for winter meeting and janitor’s services......... 23 00 20. T. M. Smith, salary as President 1885......... BEMARTS = stheegay, 25 00 20. S. D. Hillman, salary fourth quarter......... ae wteyaheca ed aratetetete erate 100 00 20. Treasurer’s salary 1885...... iwisni sta (e's. ola hare « eteleiointalmpan vee atae: 25 00 20. HE. H. Cuzner salary as librarian 1885..... o(ai6'e bie ai2le Sa ampere 10 00 MIME RC NOLEITES)|. 0.0 «.<.0.0 s's\0.0 0.00 eset aa BOM ODS oom. DoBtic canoe $943 85. Receipts for the current year....... SAO eo po ades ao tre ec. de ooppmae $752 86: PUMETUTAWE alse fee Sh eccs se cess vee Seat atmidie wtehtats ARCO cick Someone 190 99 $943 85 The report of the Treasurer was on motion accepted, and with the financial report of the Secretary referred to the Executive Committee. FINANCE COMMITTEE’S REPORT. To the President and Members of the State Horticultural Society: We, th e members of the Finance Committee beg leave to report that we have examined and audited all bills as presented, and have 17 258 ANNUAL REPORT. examined the books, vouchers, and annual report of the Treasurer and find them all correct. J.S. Harris, Chairman. Wyman Extiot, M. PEARCE. Following is the report of the Librarian: LIBRARIAN’S REPORT. Total number of reports of Transactions of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society now on hand: 1866-73, (combined) cloth, 210; 1874, paper, 375; 1875, paper, 220; 1876, paper, 1,020; 1877, paper, 340, cloth, 10; 1878, paper, 140, cloth, 30; 1879, paper, 9, cloth, 10; 1880, cloth, 102; 1881, paper, 1,210, cloth, 250; 1882, paper, 1,680, cloth, 600; 1883, paper, 148, cloth, 1,005; 1884, cloth, (about) 300; 1885, paper. -.., cloth 75. BOOKS RECEIVED. Among the volumes received during the past year are the following: 5 Copies Wisconsin Horticultural Reports, - - - 1883 Ghe ts, i i - . - - 1884 SO ea: 4 ¥ F - - - - 1885 5 yaaa Dakota, a © - - - - 1885 Ors Illinois, Hy os - - - - 1884 Dias Michigan, “ a: - . - - 1882-4 the Sheed Kansas, oy i - - - - 1884 m0!'.°: Montreal, ‘“‘ “fF - - - - 1884 iO Missouri, - ‘s - . - - 1884 Boy. ** Towa, a is - - - - 1884 ee a Indiana, ie - - - - 1884 Bs FF Colorado, vig - - - - - 1885 SYomy ay Nebraska, ‘‘ es - - - - 1884 About five hundred copies of our reports have been sent out during the year by the librarian. EK. A. CuzNER, Librarian. REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON NOMENCLATURE. Your committee heartily approve the efforts being made by the American Pomological Society, and other societies looking to the STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 259 shortening of the names of fruits. This is a matter of national import- ance—a scheme in fact in which all nations are interested; and were it possible for a committee from all nations to meet at Boston during the next session of the American Pomological Society at that place and bring about this inuch needed reform—it would, as P. Barry remarked ‘‘be the crowning work of the American Pomological Soci-+ ety. A. W. Stas. Wyman Etior. DISCUSSION. Mr. Grimes. Under the ruling of the Attorney General, as I under- stand it, we cannot draw any mcney from the State Treasury until after we have expended it. You will notice, gentlemen, in my report that I have not included the funds we had on hand for paying premiums, which is $842. 68. We cannot hold that for any purpose as a perma- nent fund, and I would recommend to this Society that we change that fund and make it a contingent fund. If we cannot draw any- thing ahead, when your bills are all in, you will have nothing with which to paythem. Disbursements are made the first day of February and the first day of August in each year. We can draw the funds to which we are entitled to close up all outstanding bills. But your summer meeting is coming on; your Secretary, in the mean time, will be entitled to $200, and you will need funds on hand to meet ex- penses. I don’t think we ought to allow our Society to run into debt and be borrowers upon some one’s generosity. Now, we can hold that fund, I think, under the:law, but we will have to hold it as a con- tingent fund; we can borrow from it from time to time, always replac- ing it when we receive our appropriation. As acontingent fund there will be no question as to our right to hold it. Mr. Smith. In regard to experiment stations referred to in the report of the Secretary, I think that is one thing that should be dis- cussed, when the time arrives. Mr. Harris. I think the Secretary has discussed that pretty well; I regard it as the best Secretary’s report I ever heard. Mr. Smith. There are some things that I think call for a little dis- cussion on some of the matters suggested in this report. Reference is made to the experiments going on. I think this Society ought to take some action by which the information brought out in these experiments can be obtained by the people of the State. Our active membership is 260 ANNUAL REPORT. only about 200; our reports are limited in their circulation and we ought to manage in some way to place the information brought out in these meetings and these experiments into the hands of more of the people of the State. The organization of local societies is a work that. has been materially neglected, and I think we ought, as a Society, and that our Executive Committee ought to do more in regard to the organ- ization of these local societies and getting reports from them; and when a society is organized we ought to assist in keeping up that organization. We have heretofore set aside $200 a year as a reserve fund; we find that under the law we can not dothat. I suggest that we do as the Michigan society did; they issued a fifty-page ‘‘Primer of Horticulture”; they had ten thousand copies struck off, and put into general circulation throughout the State. That ‘‘Primer of Horti- culture’? was made up of articles on the subject of fruit from some of the most practical men that could be found, by some of the best men of that society, and it has done a grand work in that state. I will offer the following resolution: That it is the sense of this Society that any balance of funds over and above current expenses be expended in the work of organizing local societies and the distribution of horticultural literature, under the direction of the Executive Com- mittee. President Smith. That would provide for spending all. the money. Mr. Smith. I only wish to include what we have held as a reserve fund. I would sooner take the chances of using that $200 in the way I have suggested, than any other, and then if necessary, go to the legislature and ask them to pay it. I think that $200 expended in work of that kind throughout the State would increase the interest in horticulture generally and greatly increase our influence, as a Society. Mr. Grimes. I am afraid your opinion would be very liable to mistake. | Mr. Smith. Our appropriation is small. We want a membership outside the ranks of our two hundred members; we want to get two thousand or ten thousand men, if possible, in the State interested in horticulture, and to do that we must place horticultural literature in the hands of more people. Mr. Harris. I don’t see any necessity whatever for the project pro- posed. I think we are expending our funds where they will tell to the best advantage of the Society. Ido not see the necessity of making it compulsory with our Executive Committee to publish a Primer of STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 261 Horticulture. Our proceedings go out in the newspapers; they will publish them every year, and won’t charge one cent for doing it. There are perhaps twenty-five thousand families that our proceedings will reach by this means, and by subscriptions the number may be largely increased. Mr. Pearce. I think there is more general information gathered from the press than from any other source. Local societies should be established over the State, with good live members, their transactions and proceedings published in the local papers would attract public attention and interest; and in connection with that, a few good lecturers, posted on the subjects on which they speak, would do more to disseminate a knowledge of horticulture and educate the people in the growing of the various fruits than all the books that are published. Books might be piled up here to be sent free on application, and there wouldn’t one man out of a hundred ever call for them. It is only those specially interested that would call for these publications. But if a public lecture is given in a town, with proper billed notice given, and a hall procured, the house would be filled and in all probability right there a local society would be established. We want to spend a little money in the way of lecturing; I don’t believe it could be spent in any better way. President Smith. I would call the Society to order. Mr. Smith’s resolution has not met with a second; it is not properly before the Society. Mr. Pearce. I will second the motion merely to get it before the house. Mr. Cutler took the chair, and President Smith moved as an amend- ment to the motion that the unexpended balance now in the treasury be placed as a contingent fund in the hands of the Treasurer. The motion was seconded. Mr. Underwood. It seems to me that the latter motion utterly de- stroys the former. I don’t think it would be proper to pass upon a resolution that completely wipes out the resolution under considera- tion. Col. Stevens. Do I understand the original mover accepts the amendment to the resolution ? Mr. Smith. No, I don’t see any relevancy. President Smith. From the reading of the resolution, as it was originally put, it would leave our treasury destitute. It is bad policy to get in debt. And we cannot possibly foretell what expenses six ! 262 ANNUAL REPORT. months ahead are going to be incurred. I have been a member of this Society for a good many years, and a good many others here will join me in the assertion that we many times have had to ‘‘put our hands in our pockets’? to accomplish anything; our funds were not sufficient. It has been one constant effort of the Society to get out of debt. If we have any unexpended balauce, as I understand, in the treasury, they are willing under the rulings of the Attorney General, to pass it to our credit, and we can keep it until we can see intelli- gently what use we may desire to make of it for the best advantage of the Society, and that will redound to the best good of the people of Minnesota. Mr. Harris. I don’t see any necessity for it, and I am opposed to binding the Executive Committee as Mr. Smith’s resolution would bind them. I don’t want it to be hampered by any such resolution, and it is unnecessary. Col. Stevens. IfI understand it the original resolution is not before the house at all. The Chairman. I[ think it is. President Smith. [ will withdraw my motion for the sake of letting the original motion come before the Society. Col. Stevens. Vote on the amendment, and then if the amendment is carried, vote on the resolution as amended; that is the parliamentary rule. All this discussion is out of order. The Chairman. I shall have to decide that the original motion is before the house, as the amendment offered was entirely distinct from — the resolution. Col. Stevens. That don’t make a bit of difference; the resolution and the amendment may be as far apart as the heavens and the earth. Mr. Underwood. I can’t agree with Col. Stevens; you might make a motion to build a flour mill; it wouldn’t have anything to do with ~ this motion at all. I am certain that the chairman should rule the amendment out of order. Col. Stevens. I have been a member of both houses of the legisla- ture, and I have seen a member bring in a resolution and an amend- ment would be offered to it which was entirely foreign to the subject of that resolution, and I have seen it passed. The Chairman. I will call for the reading of the resolution, and if there are no further remarks I will put the motion. The resolution was again read. President Smith. I think under the law that would be out of order; STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 263 if you read the law, you will see that it leaves it with the board of directors to spend the funds of the Society for certain purposes, and I don’t think we have a right to spend it for this purpose. Mr. Smith. The resolution does not make it absolutely binding upon the Executive Committee; but it recommends that such unex- pended balance as there may be over and above current expenses should be used in the manner indicated. Mr. Grimes. I should regret exceedingly to hues this pass. You have a capable Executive Committee, why not leave it discretionary with them, and not make it binding upon them to spend every dollar of the appropriation on hand in a certain way. I think it would look a little bad on the face of it. Mr. Sias. I take the same ground as Mr. Grimes. It would look as if we were trying to spend our funds in order that we might im- mediately draw the balance from the treasury. I don’t think it would look exactly right. The motion was then put, and was lost. President Smith. [I now offer the resolution that the hoped balance in the treasury be placed in the hands of the treasurer as a contingent fund, to be drawn upon as needed. The motion was adopted. The foliowing paper was then read: GRAPE GROWING IN MINNESOTA. By Samus. T. Douaury, Lake City. At the request of your Secretary I will endeavor to state the method I pursue in growing grapes in Minnesota. Born and raised on Long Island I was accustomed to seeing fruit, and it was to be had without the trouble of my growing it. I came to the Lake Pepin Valley in 1855, when white men were searcer iv that locality than now. My life was that of a frontiersman and I had little time or opportunity to do else than to provide the necessaries of life. In 1865 I began to investigate the subject of grape culture, depend- ing on books for my information. It all seemed very easy and plausi- ble as there shown with nice cuts. But some way or other I did not get the fruit in quantities to suit me, so I began to investigate for myself the habits of the vine and its fruiting. The books told me to cut to the third joint, or the system known as 264 ANNUAL REPORT. 7 close pruning; which does well enough for the nurseryman who wants grape wood to set; but I soon satisfied myself that success in the object I sought demanded and depended upon an abundance of fruit-bearing wood. . Asa boy, at the risk of my life oftentimes, I had ventured out on the limbs of trees to reach the best clusters which I invariably found at the ends of the vines. Dame Nature usually knows her business and here was a suggestion that I commenced to act upon and, instead of cutting to the third joint, I from year to year increased the length of my bearing canes until they were from six to ten feet long, depending on the vigor of the root and the ripeness, or mature condition of the wood. I will briefly narrate the manner of operation commencing from the ground. Two-year old vines are the most desirable. The ground should be in good condition and I would plant in rows running north and south twelve feet apart; the vines should be set on ridges eighteen inches to two feet high and ten feet apart on the ridges. For a trellis I use posts out of the ground five feet with a two by four scantling at right angles with the row, fourfeet long. I string two wires on the upright posts and on the cross scantling three wires, one in the center and one at each end. Grape Trellis, with wire attached. I grow mainly Concords and am not troubled with mildew or any disease. I manure the ground liberally by mulching with well rotted manure, drawing the fibrous roots to the surface where they get abundance of moisture. As rapidly as possible I draw the bearing canes onto the top cross-piece, pruning the leaves off partly below STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 265 the cross-trellis and allowing a free circulation on the upright posts so that the fruit as it comes to maturity will have ample access to all the air and sunlight that can be had. The wires are so arranged that they can be drawn off the trellis in the following manner: The wires run the full length through augur holes in the tops of the posts. They are coupled in lengths of one rod each; by unhooking the coupling they can easily be drawn out, allowing the vines to drop to the ground where they are then covered with straw and earth as they lie on the ground between the rows; the snow collects on the straw and they winter perfectly. When the vines get too large to handle easily I lay them on the ground and cover them for a new root; thus layering them, the result is a strong rapid growth of new wood, In trimming I never allow any old or stubborn wood to remain; but manage to have young sprouts coming on all the time, and when the old vines are not needed for layering I cut them off in the fall, always retaining enough wood to fully cover the trellis; in fact I make the root carry about all the wood I can get that is young, sound and thrifty, merely cutting back the terminal limbs and thinning them out. I have this year on a single hill grown 216 pounds of grapes by actual weight. And Iam confident that this vine will in the coming season produce 500 pounds of grapes. I am also growing two varieties of California grapes, also the Janes- ville, the Prentiss and the Brighton, and all are doing well under the method above described. Karly frosts last spring caught fully one-third of the crop after the grapes had set, but with my plan as above explained the vines were up to the sun and moisture and the direct result was a second crop of bloom in ample time to ripen; all of which I attribute to the high, shallow, surface culture. The following paper was then read by Mr. Latham: GRAPE GROWING AT MINNETONKA. By A. W. LatHam, Excelsior. To the fruit grower who has interested himself in this direction, the culture of the vine in this vigorous climate has been for many years an assured and certain success. But it is only of late that this is becoming generally known, and an interest awakened in this direc- tion. 266 ANNUAL REPORT. The recent devastation of our orchards of hardy trees, from which so much was hoped, is a prominent cause of the present genera! interest developing on this subject. While the Wealthy and Duchess and other iron-clad trees and plants have succumbed to the fierce, cold winds of January, the vine, snugly tucked away in its winter bed, has come forth year after year, bearing its annual and certain crop of most luscious and wholesome fruit. And while the severity of our winters have forced us to lay them under half a foot of earth and a coverlid of mulch, this extra care required has in itself been the means of our pro- ducing the largest. berries and the handsomest and most perfect bunches known in the culture of American vines. The vine grower in this climate has a large list to draw from, limited almost solely by the time of the first severe frost in the locality where he intends to plant. The very earliest ripening grapes, like Moore’s Early, Lady, and Early Victor, can be grown with a reasonable assurance of success in nearly every garden in the State, while the varieties of equal or great- er value can be planted in more favorable localities; andin very favor- able locations, where the soil is a clay loam with much fine limestone, elevations high and sheltered, well protected on the north and west by ~ large bodies of water, varieties ripening as late as the 1st of October can be grown year after year with success. Even the late ripening Catawba can be perfected to such a degree as to snatch the laurels in competition with that variety grown in its native home. In many localities in our State the vine is being cultivated success- fully, and the planter may confidently expect to harvest year after year fine crops of fruit. Of the locations especially favorable which I have visited, or with which I am well acquainted by report, there is none that surpasses the high, rolling and well timbered land on the south and east shores of our beautiful Lake Minnetonka. The culture of the vine here is rap- idly becoming an industry, and it will soon be difficult to get out of sight of a vineyard along six cr eight miles of this shore. The north and west shores and the islands and point of this lake also have vine- yards which are doing well. The number of bearing vines about Lake Minnetoried has been - largely over-estimated, and I do not believe the number of full bearing vines to exceed 10,000, while, including the unusually large plantings of last spring, the whole number of vines now planted may be in the neighborhood of 30,000. The crop the past year from these vines was, doubtless, not to exceed 50,000 pounds. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 267 It is not my intention in this article to give full directions for plant- ing and caring for the vine, for the benefit of the planter who is going into it as a business, as he will of course provide himself with some of the many good works on the subject, and become thoroughly posted; but if by a few plain directions I could induce every householder in the State to plant a dozen vines, and, with the little care necessary raise what grapes his family would use, instead of wasting his money on pear trees from Alaska and cherries from Lapland, at $2.50 apiece, my trouble would be well repaid. And now, first, before planting the vines he must get them. In lo- cations liable to early frost, the planting must be limited to two or three very early ripening sorts, as Moore’s Early, a hardy black grape of excellent quality, and the Lady, a greenish white grape, very rich and sweet; or,if not so particular about quality, the Janesville, a very hardy black variety, sure to bear a good crop of rather poor quality of fruit. If the location is reasonably exempt from early frosts, the list may be extended by the addition of the Worden, Cottage, Dela- ware, Brighton, and some of the Rogers. These are all excellent varieties, with which the public are generally familliar. The standard variety of the country, the Concord is somewhat later in ripening than those named, and should not be planted largely, ex- cept in places so well protected from frost as to be safely adapted to the culture of the grape on a large scale for market. In my different vineyards I have tried setting vines at distances apart varying from six to ten feet. My conclusion is that the rows at eight feet apart afford sufficient room for sunlight and air, and for winter covering the vines. In the row, seven or eight feet is sufficient. Before planting, if the vines come to you with roots two or three feet long as is often the case from Eastern nurseries, they can as well, be cut off to a length of three or four inches, with equally good results and much labor saved in planting. Also trim the top of the vine to one straight cane, cutting away all the branches ~ Dig aslanting hole wide enough - to take in these shortened roots = without bending. In planting place the vine deep enough to bring the crown five or six inches below the surface, which will get the main roots under ground, and ) ANNUAL REPORT. The vine as planted should slant in the direction in which it is intended to be trained upon the trellis. This direction will depend upon the prevailing winds. For instance, if the trellis is built running east and west, and the prevailing winds in summer are from the west the vine should slant towards the east and be trained in that direction on the trellis. This is an important point in keeping the vine well spread upon the trellis. I am unable to see a difference in the success of my vines depend- ing upon the direction of the rows. The rows may run toward any point of the compass convenient, only be careful to lay them out hori- zontally around the hillside to prevent the ground from washing. Some south slope for a location is undoubtedly better, as hastening a little the time of ripening, but the grape will do well on any slope, even a north slope, and the matter of protecting the growing vine is of far greater importance generally than the question of slope. The newly planted vine should be well cultivated, and permitted to grow the first season without restraint, and in the fall pruned by cut- ting off all branches and side shoots, and cutting the cane back to within a foot of the ground. The vine should be buried for winter — by pressing the cane to the ground and covering it with four or five inches of soil, and later on, before cold weather sets in, applying for protection, a mulch of two or three inches depth of straw or other suitable material. This winter mulch is absolutely necessary to insure the safe keeping of newly planted vines, and should be repeated for several winters at least. The following spring a stake six feet long should be set close to each vine. Permit only one bud to grow, and that the strongest which starts, getting rid of the other shoots by rubbing them off while small. Tie this growing cane to the stake as it grows, and if it is making a very vigorous growth it will be well to pinch off the end when it reaches the top of the stake. The laterals, which are the little branches that start out along the sides of the growing cane, should also be pinched at their ends when they haye pushed out the second leaf. Thus, the second fall’s pruning will consist in cutting off all the lat- erals up to the cane, and in pruning this cane leave about two-thirds of the growth it has made this year, not to exceed four feet. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 269 The vine may now be buried as directed for the previous year, and it will be found convenient As the vine gets older and stiffer, in laying it down for winter it will be found to bend easier and more safely below the ground, which the removal of this earth will permit. The following, or third spring the trellis should be built on which the vine is to be trained. In my experience I have found posts set twelve feet apart, suffi- ¢ ciently near tosustain the weight | of the mature vine. If the rows J do not exceed 125 feet the posts "== will need no bracing. Use four wires, No. 12 galvanized iron, the lowest one about 10 inches from the ground, and those above about 10 inches apart. They should be fastened with staples driven in so as to allow the wires free play. The wire should be fastened securely about one of the end posts, passing through the other end post, and drawn snug every spring by the use of small rollers and pins. Along the lower wire of this trellis the vine is to be tied. If the vine has wintered well, two shoots will grow from nearly every bud. These should be thinned out when they have made a growth of two or three inches, leaving the strongest shoots at a dis- tance of about ten inches apart. These shoots must be tied to the wires as they grow, and pinched off at the end when they have reached the top wire. This pinching will check the growth a little, and should be repeated when they commence to grow again, and so on, leaving one new leaf to grow at each pinching. The laterals, heretofore de- scribed, should be pinched off just beyond the first leaf, and when they start to grow again pinch a second time leaving another leaf, and so on during the growing season. If the vine is thrifty it will bear this year several pounds of fruit. As soon as convenient after gather- 270 es ANNUAL REPORT. ing the fruit the vine may be pruned and prepared for burial, not nec- essarily waiting for a frost to kill the leaves as it will do no harm to bury even with some of the leaves on the vine. In pruning, this, the third fall, first select a cane near the extremity of the vine which was tied last spring to the lower wire, and cut it off at a length suffi- cient to reach the next vine on the trellis. This cane must be tied to the lower wire next spring, and will complete the permanent vine. The laterals should be cut off from this cane; the remaining canes must be cut back, leaving only the two lower buds, and any laterals on these spurs must be removed. In pruning do not cut within an inch of the bud, to avoid its winter killing. Bury as directed. The next spring, the fourth, tie to the lower wire as directed, and permit one or two canes—and no more—to grow from each of these spurs, saving always one cane from as near the base of the spur as pos- sible.—In pruning hereafter you must leave the cane last described, cutting it off at two buds, and then cutting off the old spur just above where the new spur starts. The new cane laid down to extend the vine this year should be treated the same as directed for the vine last year. When pruned in this, the fourth fall, the vine will consist of a main arm extending along the lower wire of the trellis to the next vine, with spurs of two buds each standing some ten inches apart. The subsequent summer’s treatment will be a repetition of the treatment suggested for the spurs last summer, and each fall’s prun- ing will leave the vine about as described. If the summer pinching is followed up persistently as directed, the two buds at the base of the canes which are to be left, in this system of pruning, will generally be well developed fruit buds, and will bear a good crop, but carelessness in permitting a long, unchecked growth of the canes or laterals will result in locating the fruit buds higher up, and fall pruning will leave little or nothing that will bear fruit another year. If it were convenient to leave long canes for next year’s fruiting, as is often done in localities where it is not necessaty to bury, a more slipshod treatment would answer; but to keep the vine in good shape to bury, it must be pruned to short spurs, and to perfect these spur buds for fruit requires persistent checking of the growth during the growing season. It isa good plan before burying the vine to remove the earth to a depth of three or four inches close to the vine and cut away any roots which have started that near the surface of the ground. It would be well to repeat this every other fall. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 271 Do not be afraid of giving these vines good care. They will amply repay you for your extra trouble. Use a one-horse piow spring and fall, and cultivate and hoe repeatedly during the summer. There is only one way of raising good crops of fine grapes, and when you have learned to practice that, you have the key of success to any branch of business or avocation in life. Do it most thoroughly. Plant only as many vines as you can look after aright. A dozen vines properly treated, will bring you more profit than a hundred neglected ones, and perfection in this little matter may show you the road to success in greater things. DISCUSSION. A Member. Do you plow early in the spring? Mr. Latham. I do plow early in the spring, and I plow late in the fall. The first thing I do in the vineyard in the spring is to plow, and the first thing [ do after getting the vines up is to plow—not deep enough to break the roots. I suppose the plow does cut some roots, but no harm is done plowing twice a year, if I don’t plow deeper than three or four inches. I do not think the vines are injured by taking off a few roots. By taking offa large number it might injure them. I pinch off the end of the vines; I do not remove the leaves. You will have to pinch off a foot of the vine some times; I just pinch off the ends for the purpose of checking the growth. Mr. Pearce. Last fall, during our State fair, Mr. J. B. Rogers, of New Jersey, was here, and [ took a great deal of interest in what he said in regard to trimming, and in regard to fruit growing generally. First he condemned late cultivation and deep plowing. He would let the work in the spring be thorough but in the latter part of the season he condemned deep plowing and cultivation. He favored very shallow plowing, just surface work, before the grapes ripened. After the | season of ripening commenced, he said we ought to stop cultivation entirely. I was with him probably ten or twelve days altogether. Again, he was very particular about the trimming, that is by pinching back. He did not allow the vines to run over a certain length; I think about four feet was the height preferred; anything over that was equivalent to a certain amount of weeds. In speaking of pinching back he said the laterals were the parts on which the finest fruit could be grown; those must be watched very carefully. By pinching you check the forward growth, throw the sap down into the fruit-buds and develop those. He said the whole process was in the hands of the 272 ANNUAL REPORT. trainer, and the proper thing to do was to seek to throw the strength of the vines in the fruit buds and develop the fruit. Mr. Pearce here exhibited some vines to illustrate what he had said, to show the different kinds of buds, etc. Buds are divided into four classes: fruit buds, wood buds, forcing and foliage buds. A fruit- bud is aperfect bud; itis perfectly round at the base, and a little above it bulges out in the shape of a hay-stack. The forcing bud is inclined to be flat, but little inclined to be peaked. The wood bud is a long, peaked, sharp bud; there is thedistinction. Now, in pinching your vines back, let the laterals remain, don’t destroy them, if you do, you destroy the fruit buds. You want to develop the fruit buds. That is what you need for the next year. Mr. Kellogg. Does he claim there are no fruit buds on the main cane? Mr. Pearce. Oh, no; but we pinch the laterals you know to estab- lish fruit buds on the cane, although we often see them on the laterals. In trimming our vineyard this season the laterals were entirely destroyed. Mr. Harris. Mr. President, I think there should be no cultivation in the vineyard after about the 10th of August. All pinching should be suspended as early in the season as that. Any pinching later than that I find is injurious. Any great amount of foliage that you remove after the growth has commenced is damaging, because it weakens the © vitality of the vines, and therefore ali pruning should be done in the pinching back of the vines, and that too as soon as the bunch is well _ formed. When the ends of the vine are pinched back, the sap im- mediately goes to forming the buds below, and developing the fruit buds that are necessary. Unless the laterals and sprouts from the bottom are allowed to grow too much, the vine will produce just about so many fruit buds. One of the greatest objects of pinching back is to have those fruit buds down at the base of the vine where you can control them, instead of out in the trellis, Any man will notice, that has had experience, that the finest bunches are on the lowest bar of the trellis. Mr. Sias. I don’t wish to discuss this matter. I have thought there might be some new beginners that might possibly be discouraged, or confused by hearing so much about different buds and pinching, and all that sort of thing. It seems there is a wide range between these two papers. I would say, in the first place, tnese two parties that wrote these papers are among the most successful grape growers in STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 273 the State. One of them, it appears, constantiy pinches back his vines, while the other trains them very high. By the latter system it seems he has had wonderful success, but he does not tell us any- thing about pinching, and the idea occurred to me right here (and it © may be an encouragement to new beginners) that after all that has been said there is possibly more in the style of the man than there is in the style of the pruning. Mr. Tuttle. I think the vine requires different treatment on different soils. Different varieties of grapes require different treatment. Now, this first paper advanced the idea that we must have a considerable amount of canes. That depends upon the variety of grape. I[ have never been able to raise grapes on rich soil without long canes. With the Concord on rich soil it requires a good deal of vine. You can pinch back and cut back closely while the vine is young, but the Concord needs more vine in arich soil than others. ‘There is a gentle- man in my neighborhood who has two Concord vines that have been growing for a number of years. He has grown from six to nine hun- dred pounds of fruit on those two vines. He gives them abundance of cane, and the crop is as regular as the year comes around. If you put the Concord on heavy clay, which is the best soil you can put it in, it don’t need so much top cane as it does on the rich prairie soil. We practice pinching off before blossoming; I find it increases the weight of the cluster to nearly double. Since we have practiced that we have — had no trouble in getting very large clusters of grapes, and an abund- ance of them. A man in our place had a Rogers vine, and a cow bit off the end of it. That vine produced wonderful clusters; he went on and treated his vineyard in that way, and I never saw such clusters for fruit. [ can go in there and get a bushel of grapes of the heaviest clusters as large as we ever exhibited at our State fair. I commenced the same practice (but [ don’t use a Jersey cow) and I have had a very good proportion of large clusters ever since. I pinch off the ends of the vine just before blossoming. I am very confident that practice will increase the quantity of fruit, and it will certainly add to the size of the bunches. Mr. Kellogg. I have listened with interest to these two admirable papers that are more particularly designed for professional growers, noted the different modes of treatment of the soil, and the different methods of cultivation; one mulches and the other plows deep. One of them, perhaps both, practices summer pinching and summer prun- 18 274 ANNUAL REPORT. ing. Now, to a new beginnerin planting, with the discussion we have here, it seems to me it will tend to a confusion that will discourage almost anyone. The papers are admirable, but there is a marked dif- _ ference in the treatment by the two men who have both been so suc- cessful. Mr. Smith. Mr. Doughty has a sandy soil, and Mr. Latham’s is a clay soil. Mr. Kellogg. That will explain the different modes of soil treat- ment. One of the most successful orchardists in my county has a good many vines. He said he had more consolation and more pride in the fact that he had never pruned than anything else he did. The Janesville was recommended in one of the papers, but to my thinking the Janesville is good for everything but to eat. It is certainly a poor quality of grape, but productive enough. It will bear good and bad treatment. Now, I would say to those farmers that want to raise a few grapes for their own use, not to be scared to death by these pro- fessionals that pinch and prune all summer. Set out your vines, put them down in the fall, and take them up in the spring, gather in their season, and get your fruit. _ Mr. Latham. I want to say a few more words before this discussion is closed. Of course, [ did not undertake to cover the whole ground. _ I think the cultivation of the vine is pretty generally understood by the practical members of this Horticultural Society. Mr. Doughty mulched his soil instead of cultivating. That is a very good idea; there can be no objection to mulching for a dozen or two vines, but if you commence to mulch, you will have to keep it up; you can’t leave it off. You can make up your mind to that, because it brings the roots to the surface, and if you leave off mulching and there is no snow on the ground, the roots will winter-kill. My object in plowing in the fall, was not to cultivate at all, to get layers with three or four inches of soil over these. There are two ways to train the vine. If you choose to let your vine grow in a loose manner it will grow along the fence, but in order to get fruit you have got to leave the wood; that is all there is about it. You have got to have along vine with a great many branches, and save the wood; if you don’t, you won’t have any fruit. If you want to raise a few vines and get them in a neat, compact shape, then summer pinching is necessary. When the growth gets to be what you want it, one, two, or three feet, stop it right there. ig very nearly killed my stock of Delawares once, by following Fuller’s directions. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. DS I thought Fuller knew everything in those days and I didn’t; I waited before pruning till the berry was the size of a currant; I was anxious to get the best results. I took off half the foliage; it made the vines look sick, some of them, and made me sick. I then began pinching, and discovered that I raised some pretty good fruit. Mr. Underwood. Just a word in explanation of Mr. Doughty’s plan of grape culture. He does not recommend anything; he simply tells what he has, and what he is working with; and he doesn’t offer it as a professional plan for raising grapes or anything of the kind. He has simply told how he raises his grapes, at the solicitation of the Secretary of this association and myself. I know Mr. Doughty very well, and I know he will get more vines and more grapes from about forty vines than anybody else gets from—I was going tosay a hundred vines. I know a man on the next block that makes grape growing a speciality, and I think Mr. Doughty had more grapes from a single vine than he had on his whole lot. I think a plan that brings forth such excellent results, whether it is a professional’s plan or an amateur’s, or whatever it is, ought to be known and brought out. I would like to see Mr. Doughty’s plan illustrated with cuts. I have set out some vines and I am going to try it on his plan. He has mainly, as you see, the Concord variety. Mr. Harris, on behalf of the committee on grapes, then read the report of the committee; GRAPES RECOMMENDED. Your committee appointed to present a list of grapes for general cultivation in Minnesota to be stontss by this Society do respectfully submit the following: 1st, Concord; 2nd, Worden; 3d, Moore’s Karly; 4th, Delaware; 5th, Lady; and for general trial Early Victor, Brighton, Oporto. J. S. Harris, W. E. BriwHatt, J. T. GRIMES, Truman M. Smita, O. E. SaunpDERs. On motion of Mr. Pearce, the list as presented was adopted by a vote of thirty in favor, and none against. 216 - ANNUAL REPORT. The following paper was then read: HUMBUGS IN HORTICULTURE. By M. Currier, Sumter. Our constitution says the object of this Society shall be to improve the condition of pomology, horticulture and arboriculture, by collecting and disseminating cor- rect information concerning the culture of such fruits, flowers, trees, and other horticultural productions as are adapted to the soil and climate of Minnesota. Now, if this is the object of the Society it is its duty not only to recommend the best methods of accomplishing that object, but to oppose and denounce everything that is calculated to prevent it. Isee before me the tree planter, the nurseryman, and the farmer, all members of one body, working together harmoniously. The natural inference is that their interests are identical, and the inference might be correct if it were not for another element that comes between the two. This element is notoriously scarce at horticultural meetings. I refer to the tree agent, not to the honorable, upright one, but to the sharp, tricky fellow who has no regard for the gray hairs of the aged, or the poor crippled defender of our country, if by fraud, trickery and lying he can sell inferior nursery stock at enormous prices. Two of these leeches can do more injury to horticulture in a county in one month than twelve honorable men can overcome in five years. They deserve the fate of the serpent that caused the expulsion of Adam, the first horticulturist, from the Garden of Eden. Surely of all humbugs the professional tree agent is the greatest. He is to an honorable man as a green persimmon is to the luscious peach. To illus- trate their wily ways I will give some of my own experience and that of others in our county. Some five or six years since an agent from Dayton, Ohio, came into the county and sold stock to the extent of several hundreds of dollars, He was so oily tongued that he made some of the farmers believe that even prunes and pears would grow there. One poor German farmer was induced to buy nearly one hundred doijlars werth. The stock delivered was overgrown and worthless, such as nurserymen are glad to sell for a song, and sing half of it themselves. The poor man not only lost his money, but the time spent in setting the stock out. Last spring, as I was transplanting strawberry plants, there came into my field quite a portly fellow who introduced himself as an agent for a well advertised chain of nurseries, located in Wisconsin, Ohio, Kansas, etc., and stated that he was sell- ing nice crown budded trees grewn at Sparta, Wis. He exhibited a large number of specimens of wood cut from black-hearted Wealthy and Duchess root-grafted trees, also a specimen of wood, white and sound, which he said was cut from bud- ded trees he had delivered at Arlington. He next exhibited root-grafts and a seed- ling root well supplied with small fibrous roots, which he claimed to be of Freuch crab origin, and stated that they took a two-year-old French crab seedling, budded it, then let it stand three years in the nursery, when they sold a three-year-old tree on a five-year-old root. He said that where the union was made in root-grafts; mold formed, which was the cause of black-heart. He would warrant his trees, and if they died he would replace them. He offered to let me have half a dozen for five dollars. I told him 1 had not heard before that budded trees were hardier than root-grafts, that if such was the case 1 thought our nurserymen would prac- STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. OTT tice budding, and that I would investigate the subject before buying. He next tried me on small fruits. I told him I had enough for the present. He said ‘*Come and see what I have got.’’ So I went with him, and I must say that greater devices for taking the eve and tempting the palate of the unsophisticated farmer and lover of fine fruits could hardly be devised. First, a grand display of pictures, showing fruits of enormous size and brilliant colors. Then bottled specimens by the dozen; huge arctic plums that were perfectly hardy as far north as Manitoba, for only one dollar each; Mrs, Garfield, the largest and most productive strawberry grown; Taylor’s Prolific blackberry, the hardiest and best grown (mine freeze down most every year); Crimson Beauty raspberry, etc. When he got through with his false statements, I told him I had not patronized tree agents for several years, and did not intend to soon; that I bought direct of nurserymen. And he left to seek for other victims, of which he and his partner found so many that they sold several thousand dollars’ worth of stock which has been delivered and is reported by some to be fine looking stock, probably from Ohio. And now, with anxious hearts, they will watch and wait to see whether their Wolf River apple trees produce crabs, or their Russian mulberry trees produce currants, as they didin Illinois. A short time since one of my neighbors called my attention to some thorn bushes that he had bought for evergreen hedge plants. They were as bare of leaves as a bean pole and looked like Osage orange bushes. And so 1 might go on ad infinitum. Now let us take a retrospective view of the operations of these agents. They came into the county as perfect strangers, representing a firm that the people had never heard of, and selling kinds of trees and plants that were mostly unknown, at enormous prices to the poor, hard working farmers who toil early and late to raise wheat at fifty cents a bushel. I ask you in the name of justice if it is not high time some way was devised to stop this wholesale swindling. Such men deserve to be placed in a lower class than the highway robber of the plains. If they had their just deserts they would be keeping company with the Younger boys. I see before me nurserymen whom I know to be honorable men; and I say to you, it is a duty you owe to yourselves as well as your patrons to help hunt down these unprinci- pled knaves. I say to the farmer, organize neighborhood clubs, send to our home nurserymen for price lists, buy stock of them that they have tested and know to be the hardiest and best, and you will be surprised at the amount of money saved. We will now give our attention for a few moments to another style of humbug- ging the lover of fine fruit. You know this isa day of monopolies, and the nur- serymen of the country have not been slow to follow the ways of the other fellows. Their usual method is to get possession of the whole stock of some new kind of plant or tree, put an enormous price on it, and then flood the country with special circulars illustrated with pictures of fruit of enormous size and brilliant colors, and setting forth in glowing terms the originator’s story of its wonderful productive- ness, great hardiness, etc. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred it will prove to the deluded purchaser either an utterly worthless humbug of an old sort with a new name, which might have been bought for a small sum. As examples I might men- tion the Big Bob strawberry, boomed by a prominent Eastern nurseryman, famous for such operations, who acknowledged the next year that several thousand spuri- ous plants had been sold to him, and sent out by him to his customers. Then there was Fay’s Prolific currant; nearly as large as cherries and three times as productive 278 - ANNUAL REPORT, as Red Dutch, a few of which will be sold for the very low price of one dollar each. Buy a few and save making ladders and ¢limbing cherry trees. If you are fond of grapes, buy the Niagara, a small plant of which you can get for the trifling sum of two dollars. This is said to be the hardiest white grape grown, and will no doubt prove a bonanza to growers in the mild climate of Minnesota, but is pronounced too tender for the cold winters of Kansas. Surely, with humbugs to right of him, with tree peddlers to left of him, with blizzards behind him, and blight, drought and tornadoes in front of him, the lot of the would-be fruit grower of Minnesota is not an enviable one. And when we see the poor farmer made the victim and prey of every kind of monopoly, we should not wonder to see the boys running away from the old farm and ee the gilded attractions of the city. DISCUSSION. Mr. Harris spoke of the agents of Albaugh as among the class of humbugs mentioned by Mr. Cutler. Mr. Underwood. Albaugh told me in Chicago, at the convention of nurserymen, a year ago last June, that he was going to send out par- ties, and sell them just what he wanted to, and furnish them with just what he pleased. Mr. Tuttle. I would say I think he has cioKea up the greatest set of liars on the continent. [{Laughter. ] On motion, the meeting adjourned until 2 o'clock P.M. AFTERNOON SESSION. THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 1886. The meeting was called to order at the usual hour by President Smith. QUESTION BOX. The following question was read: “Has any person been humbugged by Minnesota nurserymen or sellers of nursery stock with head-quar- ters in this State ?”’ : Mr. Underwood. Mr. President, my impression is that there are a good many who think they have been humbugged by Minnesota nur- serymen. WhenI heard the question read I felt lke saying perhaps no one is a bigger humbug than the man who buys anything, don’t take care of it, and blames the nurserymen because it dies. There is / _ STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 279 probably where the most of the ‘‘humbugging’”’ comes in. I think if farmers would all come out and join the State Horticultural Society, help form local societies, and post themselves with regard to the set- ting and caring for nursery stock, and thus inform themselves so that they would know what they were getting and what they want, the same as they would doif they were buying a horse, they would not have so much occasion to talk about being humbugged by nurserymen. It is well enough to talk about agents, but it is usually wind expended without any beneficial results; you can talk and spout but you never drive the agents out of the country. It is better to put in time talk- ing to farmers, Now, here is our friend Cutler that wasn’t hum- bugged because he knew what he was doing, what he wanted, and was in a position where he could guard himself against huambugs. If there is any complaint anywhere I think the farmers had better go to work and post themselves so that no humbugging game can be practiced upon them. Col. Stevens. I would suggest that the question be changed to read “Does anyone know whether the farmers have humbugged the nursery- men?” [Laughter.] | Mr. Pearce. A good many years ago lI learned this maxim, ‘‘Ex- perience teaches in a very dear school, but fools will learn in no other.’”’ Now, I am with Mr. Underwood in this matter. If men living in this day and age when the opportunities for informing them- selves are so many, allow themselves to be humbugged, I say it is all right that they should be humbugged. Mr. Barrett. Mr. President, I know that we are infested with agents in our locality, irresponsible men that are doing damage to the cause in which we are engaged. They injure the good reputation that we may have acquired. I don’t suppose anything can be done, but some resolution might be passed that would have some moral influence. The organization of horticultural societies has done much to protect the people. Mr. Fuller. There are certain classes of agents and a certain class of nurserymen, as well, that propose to impose upon the people; the agents of these firms go out for that purpose, and are a class of liars from the beginning to the end. They operate in one part of the country until they fill a large number of their worthless orders and away they go to some other part of the country. Those who buy their worthless stuff say, ‘‘I knew he was a humbug, but we couldn’t get rid of him.” They didn’t have spunk enough to set the dog on him, 280 ANNUAL REPORT. and so were compelled to give him an order. Nine-tenths of the farmers haven’t energy enough to dispose of these agents summarily who visit them for the purpose of lying the thing through. I regard it no better than if they should come with a pistol and pointing it at their breast tell them to stand and deliver; and there are nurserymen that send out that class of agents. Mr. Underwood. This tree business reminds me of the horse-trading business. We have got lots of men all over the country that are trad- ing horses. They are good enough fellows in their way, but they will get a horse for seventy-five dollars, fix him up a little, and get $125 to $200 for him; while probably the horse isn’t worth any more than they paid at first. Why don’t the horse dealers get up a vigilance committee to see that every man that trades horses doesn’t get cheated. I don’t think our Society is called upon to act as a vigilance com- mittee. People, as a rule, will take care of themselves, and I think it is wise to let them. Now, if you want to talk to the tree agent, you had better talk to him to his face and give him a chance; he will generally “‘stay”’ with you. I don’t like to denounce a man when he isn’t around. We can’t all get honest Smiths for tree peddlers. I wouldn’t guarantee to this Society that all our agents are strictly honest; I can’t control them, and don’t believe there is a man living that can. President Smith. I will state, gentlemen, that we have avery large program to go through with this afternoon. Col. Stevens. Before this question of humbugs is disposed of I want to say that I don’t think myself, so far as I know, and so far as I have heard, that there has been any objections urged to the ten or fifteen leading nurserymen in the three states of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa, but my friend Underwood I think takes a different position from the one he believed in last summer sometime. My reason for saying so is that I have learned that in McLeod County alone during the past year orders have been given for about $6,000 worth of ‘‘budded fruit trees.”’ The agricultural press is doing what it can; we send out about thirty thousand copies of our paper at every issue. That ought. to accomplish something. I believe the fault, so far as we are con- cerned in Minnesota, is more with the farmers than in the nursery- stock, because they don’t take proper care of it. Mr. Cutler. As it has been insinuated that the farmers are an ignorant class, especially upon this subject, I feel compelled to state a circumstance that occurred in our county (McLeod). A gentleman STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 281 came to my place claiming to represent the Jewell Nursery Co., of Lake City, and stated that he had been down in Kansas. I think he said his name was Ambrose; that he had written to the ‘‘old man,’’ as he called him, (I suppose he meant Mr. Emery) and told him if they would allow him to work the budded-fruit dodge through there npon the farmers he could make it pay well. He took out a letter and read from it: ‘‘We do not propose to place a club in your hands to beat our own brains out.’’ Those were the words which he claimed to have received from the Jewell Nursery Co. This same agent also stated to one of my neighbors, who gave him a large order for forest trees,—some 2,300 I think—the games that he practiced upon the far- mers of Kansas to get their orders; and he replied that he didn’t want him to try to work any such games upon him. It has been suggested that the farmers should attend the horticultural societies, but it is very difficult for a large part of the farmers to leave their business at home. Furthermore, these agents work up some new device each year. ANNUAL ELECTION OF OFFICERS. President Smith announced the next business in order the election of officers for the ensuing year. The following officers were then elected: President—Wyman Elliot, Minneapolis. Vice Presidents—Messrs. A. W. Sias, Rochester; E. H. 8. Dartt, Owatonna; M. Cutler, Sumter; F. G. Gould, Minneapolis; and G. W. Fuller, Litchfield. Secretary—S. D. Hillman, Minneapolis. Treasurer—J.'T. Grimes, Minneapolis. Executive Committee-—J.S. Harris, chairman, La Crescent; J. M. Underwood, Lake City; Truman M, Smith, St. Paul; Ditus Day, Farmington, and M. Pearce, Minneapolis. Librarian—. A. Cuzner, Minneapolis. E'ntomologist—O. W. Oestlund, Minneapolis. The following were named as a Committee on Publication: Col. J. H. Stevens, ©. L. Smith, and S. D. Hillman. On motion of Mr. Cutler, the President was instructed to appoint a committee of from one to three, according to the condition of the treasury, to visit the blackberry plantations of Mr. Hamilton, of Ripon Wis., the coming season, and report to this Society, at its next annual meeting. 282 ANNUAL REPORT. On motion it was ordered that hereafter the President and Secretary shall hold their offices and discharge their respective duties during the entire session of the Society at which their successors shall be elected. Mr. Cutler offered the following resolution: Resolved. That each member of this Society be constituted a committee of one to notify the Secre- tary of this Society of any operations of swindling tree agents, the Secretary to furnish the names of such agents to be published in the principal papers of the State. President Smith. While the the resolution in its spirit is good, in carrying it out there may be danger of getting this Society into a good deal of trouble, and rendering the Secretary liable to be prosecuted for libel. Some man may think he has been swindled when he has not, and we may have some vexatious and expensive litigation on our hands. I think we had better keep clear of it; do allswe can to in- form the people, but not in such a way as will get ourselves into any legal trouble. A Member. I think the best way is to let the farmers learn by ex- perience. It may take some time and cost them something to learn, but if they want trees, it is better for them to go to some responsible nursery for them, and they will avoid being humbugged. Mr. Gould. The motion is, as I understand, that each member is to send names of agents that they may regard as doing a swindling busi- ness, to the Secretary, who shall publish the names in the leading newspapers. This would certainly involve the Society in litigation; libel suits are very common nowadays, and they are suits for big dama- ges. I think we had better be a little cautious. On motion of Mr. Pearce the resolution was laid on the table. Mr. Cutler. I have one more resolution that I will offer: Resolved. That this Society hereby advises the people of the State to give the agents claiming to represent the claims of nurseries of Albaugh & Co., a wide berth. Mr, Underwood. I don’t see why this Society should want to pitch into any nursery. I think we had better disseminate what knowledge we have and let the nurserymen alone. I wouldn’t care how much you pitch into me, but I don’t like to see my brother nurserymen abused. I don’t think it is the business of this Society to take up cudgels of this kind. Col. Stevens will publish in the Farm, Stock and Home anything in the way of complaints that may be made, and so will other agricultural papers, and you can blow our nursery or any other nursery, of Ohio or New York all you want to. Mr. Sias. Mr. President, this is a subject that I never have spoken on, but I believe it is a principle that ought to be acted upon that the strong should help protect the weak, as far as they can, consistently. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 283 Now, our Society has been teaching us for nearly twenty years how to protect ourselves. We have been posting ourselves, and guarding our- selves against humbuggery. We don’t need to do anything to guard Mr. Underwood, but there are a great many farmers that never come into these meetings, and ‘many of them live so far away that they can’t get here. I have been here a good many sessions, and try to do a lit- tle something to guard against humbuggery. Some of our best mem- bers don’t believe in stirring up these things; it is true we have always had enough regular business on our program, but I would like to see this resolution pass; I believe we ought to do something to show these irresponsible agents and foreign tree venders that we are not to be imposed upon. They are hurting Mr. Underwood; they are hurt- ing me and every man that is trying to do an honest business in this State. They are doing probably nine-tenths of the business in this State. They are bringing in trees mostly from Ohio and New York. Their trees, as arule, are good for. nothing, for this climate. If we submit to it, why it will go on, and the farmers will call us humbugs. Mr. Gould. I don’t see how in the world the farmers are going to distinguish between the agents of the different nurseries. I think there are honest men in the nursery and tree business, as well as some humbugs in that business. Now, I wouldn’t draw any line between them in a public way. I think it is entirely out of place. I think the tree-peddlar is a civilizer. I believe that he and the Methodist preach- er go hand in hand; [Laughter] he is a horticultural colporteur. He Spreads a knowledge of fruits and flowers among the farmers and makes their families happy. I believe one is about as important as the other. Mr. Latham. I do not see the use of publishing the resolution after everybody in the State have purchased their trees; these agents are going through the country all the time; everybody will have bought their trees and have them planted before our report is published, and if it is determined to pass such a resolution at all, I move to amend the resolution by requesting the press to publish it over the signatures of the officers of this Society, and bave it done to-morrow. Mr. Pearce. These agents will probably sell just as many trees, and we may possibly get ourselves into a lawsuit. Suppose we got into court. It would be like this: Witness would say, “‘I know noth- ing about it; but I presume it istrue.” Hearsay testimony don’t count with the courts. Mr. Harris. We have given this matter a pretty good airing by the discussion we have had, and I suppose some of it will get into the daily papers; I think that is all we ought to do. 284 ANNUAL REPORT. The question on the adoption of the resolution was thentaken are lost; ayes 15, nays 16. The following communication from Hon. William G. LeDuc, of Hastings, Ex-Commissioner of Agriculture, was received and placed on file for publication : THE NEW AGRICULTURE. Hastines, Mrnn., January 18, 1886. S. D. Hillman, Secretary, ete. DEAR Sir:—A severe cold (or what is usually understood as such) has for the past ten days kept me at home closely and will prevent my attendance at the meet- ing of our Minnesota Horticultural Society commencing to-morrow. I promised you if nothing prevented I would be in attendance and take part in the proceedings. As I do not think it prudent to attend in person the nearest approach [ can make is to submit in writing briefly some few thoughts pertinent to the matter that will be under discussion. It may have come to the notice (in a general way) of some, perhaps all the mem- bers of the Society that the system of drainage, irrigation, and ventilation, affecting the roots of trees and plants has been proposed and indeed carried into practice with very remarkable results by Hon. A. M. Cole of New York state, a system to what he gives the name of ‘‘The New Agriculture’’ and which he fully describes in a book, of that title, recently published. Mr. Cole claims that by his system, the soil may be made to produce ten times as much, us by ordinary cultivation. His claims, submitted to personal examination and criticism of some of the best and most conservative farmers of his state, men like himself advanced in years and cautiously wise with a lifetime experience, have been favorably endorsed and approved. The soil he selected for his trial field was a few acres, sloping to the East; included 4 feet in 100; a clay loam more or less stony, with a compact subsoil which his work- men in digging the necessary trenches found tough and solid enough to make it slow pick work. This was poorer than the average of a very poor field of which it formed a part. Along the face of this slope, trenches were dug four feet deep and two feet in width, following the superficial curvature of the slope but maintaining the depth from the surface and also the level of the bottom of the trench from end to end This trench he filled with stones of all sizes and kinds to within fifteen inches of the general surface of the slope, then covered with flat stones carefully laid to pre- vent the interstices being filled with soil and on the top of the flat stones placed coarse refuse, material of any kind, grass, stalks, weeds, anything to hold back the earth. This ditch was in effect a reservoir to hold back the water from melting snow, or rains. The stones serve to support the earth covering the reservoir. At a distance of a few rods, a parallel ditch was dug of exactly similar character filled and covered in the same manner, and these two ditches were connected by transverse ditches constructed in the same manner only smaller, leading however from the upper ditch about a foot from the surface, the effect of these shallow transverse ditches being to carry off any overflow or surplus water in the ditch STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 985 above. Other parallel ditches connected by transverse ditches were constructed to the hottom of the slope intended to be cultivated. The earth was then thoroughly cultivated over and between and nearly as deep as the top of the ditches. The grounds thus prepared by Mr. Cole for his first experiment were two acres in extent, which was planted mostly to strawberries. The results appear to have been so remarkable as to challenge the credulity of those who had net made per- sonal examination. A visitor who inspected carefully Mr. Cole’s place on the 7th of July iast, writes concerning these strawberry plants, which were planted in Oct. ‘1884. ‘I never saw anything like it. There was a full crop of most remarkable berries, remarkable in size, color and quality, the yield was certainly very large; one plant of older setting, had enough berries I thought to fill my hat, if all ripe and green had been picked at one time; and there was no core, no stem, they were tender and juicy all the way through—not good berries to transport a long distance to market, and the foliage was wonderful. I measured one leaf that was five and a half inches across. An apple tree standing in this improved land reported as worthless, its fruit gnarled and valueless, before the land was trenched, is now bearing largely and its fruit of fine quality.’? Another visitor reported the results were astonishing both as to the size of the fruit and the quantity produced. It is no exaggeration to say that more strawberries per acre in bushels can be grown by Mr. Cole’s new agriculture than the old agriculture can produce of potatoes under the most favorable circumstances. Another advantage claimed by Mr. Cole for his method is that in the locality in which he resides, it furnishes a constant supply and flow of pure spring water from the lowest trench, and that in the coldest weather the surface of the soil only is frozen, that frost will not be able to penetrate to any depth beyond a few inches, because of the constant flow of spring water. In calling the attention of this Society to this New Agriculture of Mr. Cole, I prefer to state the bare facts and leave to each one such application or inferences as may seem proper. That it isa new departure well worthy of careful examination and experiment is certain. It also eccurs to me that a statement of another method of irrigation, which I saw in use in California orchards in 1883 might prove of interest, possibly of value, to some of the younger and more enterprising members who desire to experiment in this direction. And itis my opinion that by the profuse use of water in our gardens and orchards we can very largely increase the profits of our lands and labors. IRRIGATION IN CALIFORNIA. An enterprising California fruit grower laid pipes made of cement and sandjunder- ground through his entire garden and orchard grounds, which were between Sac- ramento and San Francisco, where the rainfall is usually sufficient to secure a good crop of fruit. By means of these pipes he was able to keep the trees supplied with any amount of moisture desirable; by drawing a plug he could water any four trees in any part of his orchard. The pipes being porous, leaked the water slowly when kept full and thus kept a constant equable supply ever present to the whole area in which the pipes were laid. The quantity of his fruits was largely increased and the appearance and quality improved, and he was able to command higher prices for his product than other growers. This success led to the introduction of the system in the more arid parts of California, and the finest orchard of oranges, lemons, limes and olives I saw anywhere on the west coast, was near the southern limit of the 286 ANNUAL REPORT. belt of extra tropical rains and where the influence of irrigation was most strikingly manifest in the luxurient growth of trees and fruit. This orchard irrigated by the subteraneous system of cement pipes, was 18 to 20 acres, the flat on top of a ridge which outside of the irrigated area was as barren as a travelled highway in midsum- mer. The water was raised by wind power and managed from the tanks by one man, only a part of whose time was required daily to do the same work that required two and sometimes three men one week in each month. Having for a long time been of opinion that even in our favored land we could profit by a judic- ious use of water, I had hoped some parties interested in gardening or orcharding might make some experiments in irrigation and report them to the Society. Iknow that some few persons have watered patches of berries in an unmethodical manner and without keeping any accurate record, and have acknowledged the benefits accruing therefrom, but no one in our State or so far as I know, in any part of the United States east of the 100th meridian of longitude, systematically applied water to the specific use of increasing the profits of farming, except Mr. Cole, who in the dry weather last season put a team at hauling water from the Vermillion, one quarter of a mile and thoroughly soaked strips about twenty feet wide through a strawberry patch one quarter of an acre in extent; the team was employed three days at one time and two at another, and the results were so satisfactory that I will, if pos- sible. irrigate this year in systematic manner so much of my garden grounds as I can, and should any member of the Society desire any further information as to making the concrete and laying the pipes for sub-irrigation, I will be pleased to give them in detail any information possessed by myself. It occurs to me that a garden plat underdrained in this manner by pipes, could be raised in temperature in early spring or late fall by filling the pipes with hot water, the advantages of which will be apparent to all. It should be remembered that an improper use of water may prove not only detrimental but also sometimes disastrous. Thus, surface irrigation of a clay soil in mid-summer may harden the surface and render it impervious to the air, light and moisture necessary to the vitality of the tree or plants, or too great a supply of water in loose, friable, spongy soils may induce the roots to take up a larger supply than the tree can safely use, thus enfeebling the tissues and weakening its vitality so that it may suffer and possibly die under the heats of our sometime torrid summers; but this whole subject is one which I am sure is worthy the careful ex- amination and attention of our horticulturists and farmers, and to them I desire to commend its practice experimentally. On motion, the meeting adjourned until 7 o’clock P. M. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 287 EVENING SESSION. THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 1886. The meeting was called to order at the usual hour, President Smith in the chair. The committee on the President’s Annual Address presented the following: REPORT OF PRESIDENT’S ANNUAL ADDRESS. Mr. President and Members of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society : Your committee on the President’s Address beg leave to make the following report on those points that they consider of most importance to the future welfare of this Society. The attention of members is called particularly to the question of our finances so ably explained by our worthy President. By instruct- ing our treasurer to comply with the requirements of the State auditor to use the reserve fund (set aside for the paying of premiums on long keeping seedlings of good quality,) our Society can have money to carry on its work this year; and, when the legislature meets, we can - have our laws so changed that we can set apart a portion of our yearly appropriation for a sinking fund to pay premiums of the future, for long keeping seedling apples. We recommend the appointment of a representative to the American Horticultural Society at its next annual meeting, and the paying of his travelling expenses, without any salary attached to the position for services so rendered. A full report from such delegate will be expected at our next annual meeting. A committee on legislation, as suggested, is very necessary in order that they may determine as to necessary legislation in the interests of this Society before its next winter meeting; and the committee should be appointed at the present time. The committee should consist of not more than three in number and be centrally located, where they can confer with each other without great expense to the Society; and if members will communicate with them and make such suggestions on legislation as they may deem proper it would no doubt redound to the interest of our Society. 288 ANNUAL REPORT. The suggestion in regard to the premium list on horticultural pro- ducts being made out early and presented to the State Board of Agri- culture, is a good one and it is hoped our Executive ,Committee will act promptly in this matter, taking the suggestions of our worthy President as a guide in their deliberations. We heartily endorse the suggestions made concerning the proposed Summer Meeting at our State Experimental Farm, under the manage- ment of Prof. E, D. Porter. We approve the suggestion of the President, that instead of offering agricultural papers we give a membership fee in the Society at the coming June meeting, on second, third or fourth premiums, for the sum of one dollar. Wyman ELLior, J. S. Harris, A. W. SIs, Committee. Mr. Sias here took the chair, and President Smith offered a resolu- tion that the incoming president be chairman of the Legislative Com- mittee of three, and that he be authorized to appoint the other two members of that committee. Adopted. On motion of Mr. Cutler it was voted that the Society accept the invitation of Prof. Porter, that the Summer Meeting be held at the University Experimental Farm. Mr. Harris, from the committee on Districting the State presented a report which was adopted: DISTRICTING THE STATE. Your committee appointed at the Annual Meeting, in January, 1885, to divide the State into fruit districts, following the plan adopted by the Iowa State Horticultural Society, would respectfully report that after due consideration they deem it inadvisable at the present time to make any change in the system now in use by our Society. J. S. Harrets, Wyman ELtior, Committee. The following paper was then read: STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 289 THE CULTIVATION AND ADORNMENT OF SCHOOL GROUNDS. By Mrs. C. O. Van CLEVE, Minneapolis. Mr. President :— The subject assigned to me on this occasion is of great interest to all of us, and it is gratifying to all who have at heart the best interests of the rising generation to have it brought before the Society. I am to speak now of the beneficial effects of cultivating and adorning our school grounds, and making them a factor in the edu- cation of our children. The best way to carry this measure into effect is for after- thought and discussion. Not only would our school houses look more attractive in the midst of beautiful flowers and ornamental trees and shrubs, and become an element of beauty to cheer and gratify the passers by, but upon the children of the schools the moral effect would be most salutary. Children learn many things at school that are not in the text books, and the eye takes in much that has power in forming habits and in waking up aptitudes. And there is something elevating, refining and improving in surroundings of this kind; the impressions made on young minds through such channels, though perhaps not fully realized at the time, are lasting as lite. Very many influences are conveyed inperceptibly to the mind and heart through what we see from day to day ; the truth of this assertion all will acknowledge. ° There is a story, which may be familliar to many, of a farmer’s son, who, brought up far away from the sea or other navigable water, in poverty, obliged to work hard every day, having little time to read and scarcely anything to divert or amuse him, developed an intense de- sire to go to sea and urged this so strongly that his parents consented. But it was a matter of wonder to them when and how he had imbibed such taste, as there seemed nothing about his home or associations to inspire or foster them. At length, the mother’s eye lighted upon an old cheap picture which had hung over the mantel piece for years and had become very dim and indistinct in the smoke and dust, representing a ship at sea, tossing on the billows in a storm, and she felt that this picture had been the boy’s inspiration, that imperceptibly there had come into his mind through its influence his ardent desire to bea sailor. Picture the tired boy as coming in from his labors and sitting by the ample fire place, drawing in comfort and cheer from the blazing logs, and ever and anon contemplating the one poor decoration of his humble home, till it awoke in his breast inclinations that took full possession of him, gave him an imtense longing for a ‘‘life on the ocean wave’’ and shaped his whole future life. Then think of the many children who come to our schools from bare, desolate homes, whose only hours of ease and comfort are those spent in and about the school house, whose only opportunity for receiving good impressions is the time spent at school, and try to realize what a powerful influence on their lives might be the beautiful, restful surroundings in these cultivated school yards and grounds. Many children will go out into the world empty handed to fight the great battle of life as best they may; some will be established in business by fathers able to give them a start, but all will be exposed to temptation, and the impressions received while at school will have much to do in forming their characters for good or ill. When tempted to go astray they may be influenced by the sweet memories of their 19 290 ANNUAL REPORT. happy school days, and the sight of some tree or flower such as grew in the old school yard may call up the innocence of those days, and the salutary teachings re- ceived there, and save them from sin. A poor creature had fallen into a drunken sleep on the steps of a building in St. Petersburg, Russi. A saintly woman who had been carrying flowers to the sick in hospitals, passed that way, and stopped to look in tender pity on the poor, sinful girl. She would not waken her, but taking from her basket two or three pansies, left over from her work, she laid them tenderly on her breast and went on her way with a prayer in her heart for her poor lost sister. Hours after, arousing from her stupor the girl found them there, and burst into tears at the sight. She wailed out, ‘“‘The morning I left home to find work in this great city, my mother gave mea bunch of pansies, and God must have sent them to me to call me back to my home, I will arise and go to my mother.’’ And we read that she was saved and ‘became a good, true woman. A few years. ago, a young man lay dying in this city; he was going out in the dark, he did not know the way. Christian friends Jabored lovingly with him and urged him to give his poor broken heart to the blessed sympathizer ; they grew to love the poor boy, far from home and friends, but could not seem to touch him, till one day a lady gave him a few geranium leaves to cheer him. As he took them in his poor wasted hands, and drew in their fragrance his heart melted, tears came, and in broken tones he sobbed out ‘‘Mother had a geranium in her window at home and this smells like it.”’, Remembering then his mother’s undying love and her gentle teachings, he gave himself into the arms of the pitying Heavenly Father, owned his need of him, and died trusting in his Savior, while the leaves ~ were in his hand. We can all remember the story of Azim, the tempted youth in Moore’s beautiful romance of ‘‘Lalla Rookh,’’ who was kept from temptation by memories of flowers called up by the sweet song: There’s a bower of roses by Bendemeer’s stream, And the nightingale sings round it all the day long; In the time of my childhood ’twas like a sweet dream, To sit in the roses and hear the birds sing. That bower and its music I never forget, And oft when alone in the bloom of the year, I think—“‘is the nightingale singing there yet ? Are the roses still bright by the calm Bendemeer ?”’ No, the roses soon withered that hung o’er the wave, But some blossoms were gathered while freshly they shone, And a dew was distilled from their flowers that gave All the fragrance of summer, when summer was gone. Thus memory draws from delight ere it dies, An essence that breathes of it many a year, Thus bright to my soul, as ’twas then to my eyes Is that bower on the banks of the calm Bendemeer. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 291 These few instances may suffice to show the salutary effects of ‘‘Nature’s silent teachers,’”’ and now the question is, how may this idea of surrounding our school houses with beautiful things be carried out? Although many will admit that it would be of lasting benefit to our children, yet doubtless some objections may be raised by practical people who can see no use in all this. The first objection raised will probably be that such grounds as are proposed could not be kept in order, the children in their plays would destroy them. Well, that has weight, but in laying out the grounds, a part could be reserved fora stamp- ing ground where the boisterousness might be worked off, for we who have brought up children know they must have a chance to romp and make a noise, and we would not entirely restrain this bubbling over of animal spirits, but a part of the plan pro- posed would be to teach them to respect the rights of others, and a pride in the ornamentation of theirschool surroundings could be so encouraged, that they would fee] a sort of ownership in them and would foster the beautiful things and guard them from harm. Ina township near Columbus, Ohio, an acre or more of ground sur- rounds each sche@ol house in which are various kinds of trees, shrubs and evergreens and a teacher is made responsible for the preservation of the plant and trees. A plan is proposed by an old school teacher in that state that’ might work well here: ‘‘At a certain time of the year suitable for the purpose, there should be an Arbor day and the trees stould be planted by the pupils, who would feel a sort of interest in them and protect rather than destroy them’’—there too the girls might have flower beds and plant seeds, set out roots and slips under wise guidance, thus all would learn much of tree culture, of the habits of various plants, and botany would thus be taught in a most practical way. This plan, too, would train and educate a great army of helpers in our horticultural societies, who would understand thoroughly what can only be learned by practice and experience, and would be pre- pared to give to the public the benefit of their knowledge. I have thought there might be auxiliary horticultural societies in-our schools from which should come delegates to our regular meetings, bringing reports of their work, the preparation of which reports would be of great benefit to the young people, and, it may be the older ones could gain some hints from the experience, the suc- cesses and failures of the children. Such auxiliaries properly organized would be exceeedingly stimulating, and the officers would carefully guard these experimental school gardens from depredations. In the care of children, I have noticed that giving them something to do and holding them responsible for the doing of it, making them feel that it is their work entirely, acts most beneficially, and while learning lessons which would do them good ali their lives, from this work proposed for them, they would be fitting up little parks all about us, thus conferring great pleasure and benefit upon the whole community. And not least among the benefits to be derived from this scheme, would be furnishing occupation for leisure hours and leaving no time or reom for that mischief which wise old Dr. Watts tells us ‘‘Satan finds for idle hands to do.”’ Then as a measure for encouraging in our children a love of nature’s beauties; for promoting and stimulating pure healthful thoughts and inclinations; for awaking up feelings and impulses which maké lasting impressions for good on the young lives for whose future we are in a measure responsible, and for lighting up our 292, ANNUAL REPORT. beloved State with bits of brightness and beauty which shall be a joy forever; let. us, as a Society, exert our influence in this matter of cultivating and adorning the play grounds, where our children spend so much of their time and where they are receiving impressions which shall be as lasting as their lives. And permit me to say a few words on a subject not down in the bills, I mean the adornment of our railroad stations. Who has not felt the restful, cheering effect of the miniature parks bright with flowers and foliage, to be seen at the stations on some of our roads? Why may not these refreshments for the eye become general? They would be very little expense, the station agent could oversee them, and in most cases would enjoy doing so, for his own pleasure and that of his family. Ang who knows but some weary traveler may be reminded by a pretty, fragrant flower of home and mother’s teachings, and turn away from the saloon right across the way’? A less thing than a flower has been used as the agency to save a man from ruin. Have you read the exquisite tale of ‘‘Picciola’’ by Sanitine? if not 1 pray you do so as soon as you Can. It is the story of a French Count who languished for years in a prison on account of his political views, during the reign of Napoleon the Great. He was hardened against kindly influence, despairing and bitter, and had lost faith in God and man- One day walking back and forth in the narrow court yard, with nothing to interest him, a prey to his gloomy thoughts, his head cast down, he began to count the stones in the walk by way of diversion, and perceived a little mound of earth raised between the stones and slightly opened at the top. So monotonous and bare was. his lonely life, that this change, insignificant as it was startled him; he grew ex- cited wondering what it meant. Stooping over the little mound, he very carefully removed some particles of earth and saw a feeble specimen of vegetation with scarcely strength to sprout, weak and languishing; he was about to crush it with his heel, when a fresh breeze wafted to him the perfume of honeysuckle and heather, and checked the act, with the thought that some day, this little embryo might have perfume to give him. Then he began to reason, how was it possible for that minute plant so weak, so soft, so fragile, to throw out that earth, dried and hardened by the sun. He became interested, examined it more closely, saw how its. first leaves were protected by a sort of double fleshy valve, so that nothing could in- jure them, and his mind was awakened and turned out of his gloomy thoughts. And the story of how day by day, he watched that plant expand, how tenderly he nurtured and watered it, how he grew to love it with the devotion of a lover, and how it became to him an evangel, lifting up his heart to the God whom he had de- nied, giving him patience to endure and inspiring him with hope, and how in some way his beloved ‘‘Picciola’’ was instrumental in his restoration to freedom and great happiness, is most touching and fascinating. Fer beauty of style, ingenuity of method, purity of sentiment and sound con- vincing argument on the reality and power of the Christian faith, it has no equal in uninspired literature and should have a conspicuous place in every horticultural library. And now if the premises in the foregoing are correct, it seems clear that a part of our duty as a Horticultural Society, is to implant and foster in the minds of our youth a genuine intelligent love for the culture of plants, and the plan suggested STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 293 for the adornment of school grounds would, if carried out, be a most efficient means of accomplishing this desirable end. Hoping that some abler pen and more eloquent tongue than mine, will take up the cause and so represent it, that at our next annual meeting we muy point to actual and satisfactory results, I leave the sub- ject in the hands of the Society, with earnest wishes for its steady growth and in- creasing usefulness. On motion the editors of Farm, Stock and Home were requested to publish Mrs. Van Cleve’s address entire, as soon as they can find room to do so in their paper. The following paper was then read: FRUIT CULTURE IN SOUTHERN DAKOTA. By Mrs. L. A, ALDERMAN, Hurley, Dak. Mr. President and Members of the Minnesota Horticultural Society :— Your Secretary having requested of me a report of the progress made in fruit cul- ture in Dakota, I shall fast escape, prefacing my remarks with an apology, by stat- ing thatI greatly regret being prevented, by unavoidable circumstances, from se- curing more thorough information on the subject treated, that possibly I might give you approximate value for your time trespassed upon. You will readily guess that we in Dakota have not escaped the tidal wave of dis- aster that has overtaken the horticultural interests of the country, and which in the northwest have threatened to dethrone Pomona herself. Doubtless Minnesota has suffered more than we, owing to her orchards being older and exhausted by fruiting, but here, as there, we, as horticulturists are anx- . dously asking ‘‘What of the night ?’’ Saying nothing of the thousand worthless trees shipped in by the tree-venders, whose death was a foregone conclusion, there were a few sorts popularly called ‘‘Tronclad’’ that we had fondly hoped to acclimate; among them were Haas, Pe- waukee, Wolf River, Mann, Plumb Cider, Utters, Red Astrichan and others of like hardiness, these are our failures. Among those of not altogether broken promise are the Fameuse and Walbridge, although this is very near the northwestern limit of their usefulness. With us, as with you, the Wealthy and Duchess seem to be the sheet anchor of our Pomology, and I give them in the order of their value and hardiness as exem- plified on our own ground; and from advices received I am led to infer that this was true of most parts of our Territory, yet not universally so. When we have solved all of natures mysteries pertaining to fruit raising we shall know what manner of soil and location are best suited to the needs of each variety, and then we shall know why these things are so. In this connection I will menticn that the well-known fact that large rivers or other bodies of water make favorable conditions for fruit raising is exemplified along our southern border where the ameliorating influence of the great Missouri makes success possible with a line of fruit quite unknown be- yond its softening infiuence ; indeed a moderate success has been met within peach 294 ANNUAL REPORT. raising. In Yankton I have seen peach trees loaded with their luscious fruit, and I am told that in Bon Homme County the Northern Spy and other apples of the ex- treme East are raised. But one cannot judge of Dakota proper as a fruit growing territory by this narrow strip skirting her extreme southern border, and excepting the Duchess and Wealthy, { know of no standard apple that is a pronounced suc- cess in the territory at large. True, the Haas, Walbridge, Fameuse, Pewaukee, and even Ben Davis have been fruited here, and other sorts that the owners could not designate, but as a rule, their days were few and full of trouble. Yet nowhere do the apples that are a success attain a greater perfection than here; perhaps I cannot better illustrate the adaptability of the Duchess and Wealthy to our condition than to mention that on our grounds a Duchess six years old, five and one-half feet high, perfected thirty-two fine specimens of fruit; also, that a limb of a Wealthy one year old matured sixteen well developed apples, said limb being but one-half inch in diameter ; it is but fair to state that this limb bore most of the fruit of the tree. In an orchard of eight hundred young Wealthys four years old, quite a per cent. of the trees displayed blossoms and numbers of them bore one, two and three apples, the wonder and admiration of all who saw them. Mere bushes with tiny whip-like branches terminating in a luscious apple that would have tempted Eve herself. With the Duchess, Wealthy and the Hybrids, headed by Whitney’s No. 20, sup- plimented with the fittest of the Russians, when their fitness shall be proven, and the new sorts that your own Gideon, Sias, Harris and others are developing for us, it is no wild dream of the visionary enthusiast to believe that we shall shortly have a line of apples whose perfection leaves nothing to be desired. Apropos of this, the record of the Whitney No. 20, as a tree for Dakota planting is worthy of special mention, having passed through the last two winters unharmed. Our most remarkable fall just passed has also failed to lower its record. On the night of the fourth of September last, ice formed one-half of an inch thick, this _being our first frost of the season, being followed on the sixth by a warm, copious ~ rain, and conditions most favorable to plant growth during the remainder of the month. October fifth was ushered in with another solid freeze; it being our sec- ond frost, the result was most disastrous to tree life. Young native plum trees that had made a rank growth were killed to the ground. The Wisconsin Weeping Willow on low ground having grown most luxuriantly was also dead; the effect on the White Willows were most noticeable, being killed on low ground but un- harmed on the higher land. The effect on the tenderer sorts of the apple family was more or less discoloration of the season’s growth. Our orchards have been comparatively free from insect pests, but already the blight has worked great injury. This is especially true where the orchards have been literally cremated in oven-like enclosures of tall cottonwood, or other forest trees. Still the Siberian and Russians are not exempt on any site and doubtless the propagation of many of them will have to be abandoned for this reeson ; notably the well-known Hyslop and Transcendent; but for this the Hyslop would be a great success here, bearing early and abundantly such fine fruit as to cause those familiar with it in the East to doubt its identity. Our soil seems peculiarly suited to grape culture of the hardy sorts. Mr. Terwil- liger of the County ef Turner has met with most flattering success in grape growing STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIBTY. 295 on what would be considered an unfavorable location; being on rich bottom land, but a dense grove of cottonwood just north of his vineyard seems to make the loca- tion perfect if success is the criterion. Mr. Terwilliger stated at the meeting of our Horticultural Society that in sending grapes to Fredonia, N. Y., to be named he had repeatedly been told that he grew finer specimens of the same variety than they could produce there. And by the way, Janesville grapes raised by this gen” tlemen took the first premium at Minnesota State fair some four or five years ago ; he this year fruited nineteen different varieties of grapes and has thirty-five sorts growing, has excellent success with Janesville, Worden, several of Rogers, Hybrids, Moore’s Early and the Lady; still the ordinary care, or lack of care, which our vines receive will not insure success with grapes of even the Concord type of hardiness and the Janesville promises to be the most valuable grape for Dakota yet produced. I have not yet known of an instance of its being affected by mildew, our drier air preventing this tendency perhaps. Cherries are among the uncertainties of our horticultural products. In the river fruit-belt they are a moderate success; outside of this they are not reliable, although on our grounds forty trees of the Early Richmond variety have stood the test of eight years without injury until a belated freeze in May last nearly killed them just as their buds were swelling into active life. The plums that are useful to us are of course the best of the wild ones; our De- sota and Forest Garden heading the list. Of the smaller fruits, the currant and gooseberry are an assured success. Of raspberries, the blackcaps are a partial fail- ure without winter protection. Among the red the Turner has perhaps given a better equivalent for money invested than any fruit planted by Dakotians. When once it has taken root, it is as tenacious of life as is the prairie grass itself, and will yield some fruit even with absolute neglect, although it then gives hardly a hint of its great possibilities. The Cuthbert has been tried but is not hardy, and needs winter covering. Strawberries find a congenial home on our Dakota prairies, and nowhere can they be found in finer perfection, indeed our responsive soil and hot summers seem to be peculiarly fitted to produce vegetation of almost tropical luxu- riance, and fruits of the finest flavor and superior size. Although not coming under the head of fruit culture the Flora of Dakota is worthy of more than a passing notice, commencing with the ‘‘Wind flower” a species of Anemone that comes up in the earliest spring, dotting the prairie with what are in effect tulip-like flowers (the flower so called being really the colored calyx of the flower). We have a succession of most beautiful prairie flowers till frost, many of them quite worthy of cultivation. In our ravines and along streams the Bitter Sweet, American Ivy, Hop and wild Clematis revel in tangled luxuriance. Of cultivated shrubs the half-hardy ones are just tender enough for the Dakota planter to escape success with them, but some of the most beautiful roses, as the Moss, many of the Hybrid Perpetuate and not a few of the elder sorts flourish here, and while the edict of the ice king has gone forth forbidding us the half hardy pets of {the eastern garden, nature offers no insurmountable obstacle, and the pos- sibilities are wholly within our grasp of making in Dakota, without noticeable lack of fruit, flowers or vegetable products, the grandest of American homes, which in the best sense are the grandest in the world. 296 ANNUAL REPORT. The following report was then presented by Prof. N. H. Winchell of Minneapolis. ENTOMOLOGIST’S REPORT. MINNEAPOLIS, Mrnn., Jan. 19, 1886. To the Minnesota Horticultural Society. Your partiality, a year ago, elected me, as a member of this Society, to the posi- tion of State Entomologist. This was done in spite of my protestation of inability to discharge the duties of the position. I can barely distinguish a coliopter from an aphis, besides, my hands are more than full of fossils, minerals and rock-strata, not to mention soils, clays, mineral waters and building stones. Iam weighted down; and sometimes I feel as if I should be swamped. : Yet Ido not want to ignore the action of this important Society, nor to decline ungratefully the honor which youthrust upon me. In pursuance of the resolutions of the Society some action was taken toward the proper legislation to make a per- manent foundation for entomological work in the State, and I wish here simply to relate those steps, as a kind of executive report, and to refer you to Mr. Oestlund for more special facts relating to the entomology proper of the State. The resolutions adopted last year were as follows : Resolved. That itis the sense of this Society that there should be appointed, and maintained, a state entomologist, a resident of the State, who should be authorized and instructed to disseminate use- ful information to the fruit growers and farmers of the State, respecting insects injurious to vegetation. Resolved. That the legislature now in session be requested to make the necessary provision by the enactment of the necessary law to carry out this plan, and by the appropriation of the sum of one thousand dollars per annum for that purpose. Resolved. That it is the sense of this Society that the information desired should emenate from the State University, and that such published information should be as rapidly and cheaply supplied as possible with correctness and thoroughness, In accordance with these resolutious a bill was introduced in the House of Rep- resentatives of the last legislature, intended to answer the demands of the fruit growers, appropriating the sum of one thousand dollars per annum. It was re- ferred to the proper committee, but when it came up for final action it was indefin- itely postponed. Although there was a committee of this Society appointed to conter with members of the legislature respecting it, yet it does not seem to have been fairly presented before any committee, and was simply ignored from lack of active friends. : Still, though this effort failed, all was not lost. Through the agency of the geo- logical and natural history survey,in previous years,some investigation in the ento- mology of the State had been carried on by Mr. Allen Whitman, and some valuable reports on the Rocky Mountain locust, by Mr. Whitman were published in the an- nual reports of the survey in 1876 and 1877. I brought the matter again before the Board of Regents,and recommended the resumption of entomological work,at least in some directions. The funds of the survey do not warrant the full equipment of this department, and it was not possible to employ a man fully and only on ento- mology. Mr. Oestlund was appointed to serve asa general aid in the laboratory of the survey, and in the museum, with theinstructions to be engaged on all occa- sions when his time and other work would perumit, in his favorite pursuit of ento- STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 29T mology. He had made a series of observations and many collections during the previous summer, on the insect injuries to the cabbage, uuder the direction of Prof. Porter, at the Experimental Farm of the State University. The observations were put into completed form and were published in the annual report of the survey for 1884. Ihave had some favorable comments on the quality of that work from ento- mologists of other states. In the forthcoming annual report of the survey for 1885, he will have a paper on the aphid of the State, with some original obser- vations and notes on new species. If the Society desire a wide dissemination of these notes among its members and all fruit-growers, it might be well to have them printed in the annual report of this Society. The paper which Mr. Oestlund will present at this meeting of the Society will give some interesting facts on the biology of the aphidz, the result of his work in the laboratory of the survey. Now, | have a few reflections, and simple recommendations to make touching the prosecution of this work. It is obviously a desideratwm with the Society that this investigation continue. It is calculated to give valuable information to the horti- culturists of the state. It is at your instance that more elaborate study is given to entomology than heretofore. It is but just,ithen, that you should share in the cost. These investigations require time and patience. They can only be carried on by the aid of apparatus for collecting, for examination and preservation. They demand & wide range of reference to books, for comparison and determination of species. As has been said the funds of the survey will not admit of the full equipment of this department. Some examinations have to be delayed, and some have to be omitted entirely, from lack of authorities and descriptions which have before been published. The literature of entomology is very great, and it should be at the com- mand of the student. No scientific investigator will work in the dark, and travel over ground which has been gone over by others. At least he should not be com- pelled to, when his predecessors’ results have all been published for his informa- tion. It is, therefore, in my opinion, not asking too much of you to suggest that you set aside the sum of $100 for the purchase of some necessary books and pam- phlets for the use of the entomologist. These can be added to your Society library, now on deposit at the Agricultural College building, and they would not only increase the value of your collection, but would be accessible to all who desire to study entomology. I would recommend, further, that renewed effort be made to secure an appropri- ation by the State Legislature for the necessary expenses ofa state entomologist. So long as the entomologist is an attached simply of the laboratory of the geological sur- vey, and cannot devote himself entirely to that science which he is expected to prose- cute, all his observations will be fragmentary, his studies will be incomplete, and his conclusions likely to be of less value, if not wholly erroneous. Long continued and uninterrupted observations, throughout a whole summer, or several summers, are necessary to warrant him in giving answers to many of the questions that are presented to him. Through the winter he must study his collections, collate his notes, mount his cabinet specimens and prepare his annual report. Thanking you for the honor of having served the Society during the year past, 298 ANNUAL REPORT. and hoping that you will relieve me by electing some other person for the year to come, and that you will find means to carry out successfully a thorough investiga- tion of the insects of the State. Iam very truly yours, N. H. WrincHE.u. The following paper was then read: SOME NOTES ON THE BIOLOGICAL APHID, OR PLANT LICE. By O. W. Oxstiunp, Minneapolis. Apparently the plant-lice are among the smallest and most insignificant of the insects injurious to man. In size sosmall that they are seldom noticed, although to be found on almost every plant if searched for, except when they occur in such great numbers, as they sometimes do, as to completely cover the limb or plant they infest. They lack the firmness of body of most other insects, as.only a touch with the finger is usually enough to crush them. But that they in spite of this are cap- able of inflicting an injury that is often as great as that of other insects apparently more favored, the husbandman very often finds to be the case. What they lack in individual strength they make up by their great number. Even a century or two ago, when entomology was stlll in its;infancy, a good deal of attention was given to this family of insects on account of their very sudden and numberless increase at times. The family has, therefore, probably given rise to as many discussions and hypothesis as any other in the class of insects, but neverthe - less our knowledge of it is very imperfect and too much still remains a puzzle. The life-history, as made out in these early days of entomology has continued to present time with very few changes, and is still found in much of our current literature, although several facts that have more recently been ascertained would call for one more correct. I shall first give vou this life-history as usually found, quoting Dr. Thomas from the eighth annual report of the State Entomologist of Illinois, and wil] then give you in outline the history that I think we are justified to accept in light of what is at present known in regard to these insects. Dr. Thomas says: “In the autumn, as a general and almost universal rule, the last brood, consists of winged specimens, both males and females. These pair, soon after which the male dies; the female deposits her eggs, after which she also dies. Early in the spring, . as soon as the sap begins to flow, these eggs hatch, and the young lice at once insert their tiny beaks into the bark or leaf on which they are situated, and begin to pump up the sap. They wander but little, their entire work being devoted to feeding; hence they grow rapidly and soon come to maturity. ‘This spring brood consists, generally without an exception, of females without wings. These females, by some strange provision of nature, are capable of repro- ducing their kind without the intervention of the males, and, instead of depositing eggs, as the last fall brood, are usually viviparous, bringing forth living larve. These are likewise all females, similar to those from which they spring, and they, in turn, produce a similar brood in the same anomalous manner. This process is repeated again and again during the summer and until in the fall, through some six or seven or even more generations. The last fall brood presents a remarkable STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 299 change, for it usually consists almost entirely of males and females which acquire wings. These winged females, as previously stated, after pairing, deposit eggs which remain over winter.”’ ‘In justice to this writer, it is proper here to remark that he gives us this history as generally given and understood, wherefore he also calls our attention to the fact that more careful and recent observations have shown, is in several respects to be incorrect. One of the greatest objections to this life-history is that the winged females were supposed always to be oviparious. It is now known that they, asa rule, are vivi- parous, just as the wingless form that first comes in the spring ; and that they are not only found in the fall, but more particularly during the summer. The ovipa- rous females of the fall, on the other hand, are now known to be wingless. In pursuance of these and some other facts the life-history will read somewhat dif- ferent. SPRING BROOD. As soon as the leaves begin to make their appearance in spring, the eggs hatch, and the young larve are soon ready to insert their beak and begin to pump the sap. This first brood can well be called the spring brood, though the word brood is here used in a more special sense than usual, as strictly the plant lice cannot be considered but one-brooded, and what we here call brood being simply a form; but as the expression is very often used in treating of the plant-lice I find no objection to it, and moreover, as it can not be well misunderstood when used in this connec- tion. All the individuals of this brood are wingless females, which in a few days, being full grown, begin to reproduce their own kind by giving birth to living lice , similar to themselves, and these, in turn, are soon ready to add to the number of the colony. The number produced by each individual for the day varies, but under favorable circumstances there are several, hence the very sudden and great increase that we sometimes observe. These wingless females show very little desire to wander about, and usually pass their whole life on .the same plant. The dispersion of the species is therefore not. the object of this brood ; their whole life being devoted to the increase of the colony, SUMMER BROOD As soon as the warm days of summer have come we find that some of the young lice differ considerable from the parents, especially in the presence of wing-pads and in being more active. These young lice with wing-pads are called pupe, which, after the last casting of the skin, come forth with full developed wings. In descriptive entomology they are designated as the winged viviparous females, and can also be considered as the second or summer brood. Soon after having ac- quired wings, these also begin to bring forth living lice in the same manner as the wingless or spring brood, and in this respect do not at all differ from the first brood. But as the colony has by this time soincreased in numbers as to make it uncomforta- bly crowded for these individuals. These winged females soon begin to take to their wings in search for new plants where to establish new colonies. The office of these winged females, therefore, is not only to increase the colony in the same manner as the wingless form, but in addition hereto they have as there duty the dispersion of the species. 300 ANNUAL REPORT. That this is the case is of easy observation, especially in regard to many of our garden species, and I need but call your attention to the cabbage or squash aphis, as all who have observed these species probably know that in spring they are found in comparatively few but in very large colonies, and that while one plant may be badly infested, the one next to it may all together be free from the pest, as this first brood seldom does wander from one plant to another. But if we examine the field after the second brood has come to its greatest development, we can usually find not only every plant has almost every leaf with a number of young colonies on them. These young colonies can easily be recognized in that they consist of a winged female with a smaller or greater number of wingless individuals close - around her of all sizes and ages. The species inhabiting the squash is especially conspicuous in this respect, as the females usually choose the outer border of the leaf where to establish their colony, and therefore a series of colonies can often be seen encircling the leaf on the under side. In nature the preservation of a species is always most admirably provided for. So the plant-lice, that in the wingless form would be incapable to disperse the species successfully, as even a small stream of water would make an effectual barrier, we find that it is most perfectly performed in that some of the viviparous females, in height of the summer, as the most favorable time for flight, acquire wings in order to do this duty. FALL BROOD. In the fall quite a different brood makes its appearance, consisting of sexually developed males and females. As before stated, it has usually been considered that all the individuals of this last brood, or fall brood, were winged, it is now known that not only the females, as a rule, are wingless, but that the males are also sometimes wingless. I have observed the oviparous females as wingless in the following genera: Siphonophora, Myzus, Rhopalosiphum, Aphis, Chaitophorus, Lachnus, Caliipterus, Mattopoda, Schizaueura and Pernphigus. The only case in which it is positively known that the ovipraous females are winged is some of the smaller and lower genera. The largest genus aphis is still clothed in much mystery, the life history of but comparatively few species being well known. Yet all that is at present known goes to show that the oviparous females are wingless. The occurrence of wingless males has been noticed in several cases, though it is still considered as an open question by some entomologists. We usually do find the males as winged, and the occurrence of wingless can only be considered as an exception, but an exception that is not as rare as generally supposed. In the genus Siphonophora I have observed this form as occurring in several species; usually only as a few individuals, the majority being winged. In one species, belonging to this same genus, all males observed were wingless, not a single winged specimen could be found. ‘This species is found on the wormwood or ‘‘sage’’ (Artemisia frigida, Wild.) growing plentifully along the bluffs of the Mississippi in this vicinity, and as it is apparently new to science I have described it as such in the 14th annual report of the Geological and Natural History Survey of Min- nesota, naming it Siphonophora frigida, as found on this northern variety of worm- wood. AsI have been able to follow nearly the whole life-history of this species I shall give it as being peculiar in respect to the wingless males, and at the same STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 301 time as a recapitulation of the life history of this family as just given. The spring brood consists exclusively of wingless viviparous females that go on increasing the number of the colony in the usual manner. The winged viviparous females of the summer broed were observed during July and August when the dispersion of the species was going on, after which they disappeared and only wingless individuals could again be found. In the fall I expected to find the winged males of the last brood, but aftera most diligent search for them during September, October and partly also November, until the cold weather set in, I was unable to find a single specimen. Wingless males were repeatedly observed during this time, though few in number in comparison with the other form. These could easily be recognized as they are somewhat smaller and differ also considerably in color. After a care- ful study of this form I am convinced that they are normal males, and the only form found in this species. The wingless females of this last brood, after pairing, deposit the eggs on top of the branches ready for hatching as soon as spring again comes around. HOW WINTER IS PASSED. How the plant-lice do pass the winter is a question on which there still are different opinions. In regard to most of the species it is stilla mystery, as it has been made out in but a comparatively few cases. All those species that are known to deposit their eggs on trees in the fall, there is no doubt of that they do pass the winter in this state. AndIdo believe that tnis will be the case with all as they become better known. Doctor Thomas suggests that some very probably do pass the winter as a demor- phised form on the roots of certain plants=dimorphism being known to occur in several species of plant-lice—and that consequently many of those species inhabiting roots will be found to be but a dimorphised form for passing the winter of some aerial species. As Doctor Thomas seems to be pretty well satisfied that this is the case with a large proportion of the pale, cream-colored subterraneous species, it de- serves Our consideration, but more extensive and thorongh study of the subject will be necessary before the question can be set at rest. The root-inhabiting species that have come under my observation in this locality are yet but few—only three species were found last summer, all of which are with- out any doubt distinct species as is also apparent from the fact that they are,found not only in the fall, but during the height of the summer; and that they occur in different stages of develpement, as larve, pupx and even acquiring wings while still under ground. The three species observed were : Aphis middletonii, Thos., found on the roots of the flea-bane; Schizoneura panicola, Thos., found on the roots of several species of grasses; and Tychea ra dicola, Oest., found on the roots of the great rag weed, (Ambrosia trifida, L.) When the full life-history shall have been made out of these subterraneous spe- cies we can look for a most interesting and valuable page in regard to this family. With the exception of the well known dimorphised form of the woolly aphis of the apple tree (Schizoneura lanigera, Hansen,) the corn plant louse (Aphis maidis, Fitch.,) and the grape phylloxera, very little is known at present about this subject. That inhabiting roots is not the original mode of life in this family, but has been acquired in time I think will be apparent to any one at all familiar with this 302 : ANNUAL REPORT. subject. Allow me to make a suggestion as to how this mode of life may possibly have been acquired in the family. Ants are known to be very fond of plant-lice on account of the sweet fluid or honey that they emit from the honey-tubes. They are also known to take very good care of them, to protect them from enemies as far as possible, and to remove them to a place of safety if they are much threatened, it is therefore probable that in time the ants also brought them dewn under ground into their own habitations for protection, and accidentally finding that they could here also have suitable food from the roots of the plants, the first step was taken towards the domestication of the plant-lice by the ants. These domesticated spe- cies would necessarily change considerably in time and are now found as distinct, probably making it a very difficult matter to trace them from their original stock. We cannot presume that whole species were transformed into a root inhabiting but a part must have continued as aerial. Tnese subterraneous plant-lice would therefore, not be a dimorphised form, but a dimorphised species, if we may use the expression, of some zerial species. Butit is not my intention to enter more fully into this subject of dimorphism this evening, how interesting it yet might be. If I can only in some degree call your attention to this subject for future observation by showing that even in this much neglected and little attractive family of plant- lice, we yet have some of the most interesting problems of insect life, enough has been said. ) During last fall I had the good fortune to find the eggs of several species that probably will be worthy of mention. Of the highest genus they were observed in three cases. Siphonophora frigide, Thos.—Found on the ragweed (Ambrosia trifida, L.) As only a few eggs were found on any ong plant, 1 am still in some doubt if they are usually deposited on the plant, or insome other place. On dissecting the eviparous form eggs were always found. j Siphonophora frigide, Oest.—This species, as noticed above, deposit the eggs on top of the branches of the plant they inhabit (Artemisia frigida, Wild.) When first laid they are soft and pale in color, but soon become hard and shining black on exposure to the air. By the hardening of the viscid substance that covers them at first, they become closely cemented to the plants, where they remain over winter. Siphonophora advanti, Oest.—A species inhabiting one of the ferns (Adiantum pedatum, L.,) was observed to deposit the eggs on the under side of the fronds, and as these remain attached to the root-stalk over winter, the young larvee will have no trouble to find the new growth, which springs from the same root-stalk the following year. Myzus potentiliae, Oest.—A species that is closely related to the currant aphis, also deposit the eggs on the underside of the leaves of the plant on which they live, and as these, like the foregoing, remain over winter, their larvee are as well provided for. Aphis mali, Fitch.—The apple tree aphis is well known to deposit the eggs on the trunk and branches of the apple tree, All the trees observed from this locality are well stocked with eggs for next summer. The eggs were mostly deposited during the month of October, though some as late as November. They are ofa dirty green color when first laid, but soon become shining black. The extensive genus Aphis hasso far given the greatest trouble in tracing the ~~ STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 303 ‘life-history of the species, and therefore, besides the apple aphis, very little is known how they may pass the winter. If dimorphism will be shown to be one mode it will then mostly be confined in this genus. Most of the species inhabit annual plants, so the apple aphis can hardly be considered as a type for the genus in this respect, being one of the few that inhabit trees. It has even been questioned if the species can be taken as a type for the genus and not be put in some other. The nearest analogy that we have of species living on annual plants are Siphono- phoro adianti and Mygus polentinae noticed above. Lachnus solicicola, Uhler.—This very common and largest of our species is found on several of the willows, and were observed to deposit the eggs very abundantly -on the limbs; sometimes a limb being found almost covered by them. Chaitophorus negundinis, Thos.—Living on the box-elder, deposited their eggs late in the fallin very great numbers on the twigs and limbs, usually choosing the underside of the limb as giving the best protection from the weather. Chaitophorus spinosus, Oest. Callipterus discolor, Monell. These two species, inhabiting the oak, and especially plentiful on the campus of the University, were observed to deposit the eggs in the creviees of the bark. A peculiar fact, probably worthy of mention, is that these as well as ail tree-inhabiting species, although they pass their whole life on the leaves, yet never will deposit their eggs on them but always do so only on the trunk or limbs; while on the other hand those that inhabit plants with leaves that remain over winter were found to deposit the eggs on the leaves; this being the case with Stphonophora frigida, Siphonophora adianti and Mygus potentilla. Why this should be so is obvious to every one, and we usually explain it by saying that it is instinct. Very probably it isinstinct, but also a good deal of foresight connected with it. From these, as well as what is known in a few other cases, I think that we have reason to consider the egg-stage as the mode for passing the winter for the family, though more extensive observations are necessary to confirm this. There are, undoubtedly, still those who would consider it only at a waste of time for an intelligent person to concern himself about how the plant-lice possibly may pass the winter, but I feel confident that I have not such before me this evening and wherefore I will not need to ask excuse for taking up some of your time on this subject. I do not present to you some of the results of my observations, only as a cifrious fact that may interest you for the moment; not only to show some of the great wonders of nature as found even in these so insignificant beings, not only as a small addition to science, that in no other way can be built up, but by such slow accumulation of fact upon fact, how insignificant they yet may be. There is also an economical side of the question that will deserve your attention as fruit growers of this State, as well as many others in a similar calling. It is very probable that the egg-stage will be the time, when we can best and most success- fully destroy this insect—pest of the garden, field and orchard. Too little is as yet known to say much on the subject, but if all-attention be called to it, future observations and experiments are likely to give us some most, valuable results. In conclusion I shall give a short account of a few of those species especially that, concerns the horticulturalist, as found in the orchard, or on the ornamental trees 304 ANNUAL REPORT. and shrubs. In the 14th annual report of the Geologist and Natural History Survey of Minnesota I give a list of all the species observed in this locality—some seventy and odd species—to which I refer those who may wish a more extended account. The species that probably more than any other concerns the horticulturist is the apple-tree aphis (Aphis mali, Fitch.) It is found very common in Hennepin and Ramsey counties, and most likely is already found over the whole State wherever the apple is grown. A number of young trees lately set out on the experimental farm of the University were observed to be badly effected. In this case the trees very likely were infested by the aphis, or at least the eggs, before being set out, or they would hardly have eccurred in such great numbers as they did, there being no orchard very near. It would therefore be well to have trees inspected before they are set out in a new place where the aphis is not likely to be found before, and if aphis or eggs be found, that they be well cleaned so as to make them exempt from this pest, at least for a year or two, until they can be well rooted and better able to withstand. A young tree on being transplanted has all it can do under ordinary circumstances to accommodate itself to the new locality without having in addition hereto myriads of aphis continually pumping the sap and destroying more er less of the leaves. Aftera tree has well come under growth it can withstand the presence of aphis as ordinarily found without very much injury, except when circumstances are more favorable for the aphis than the tree, as we some years find to be the case, when even a healthy and well grown tree will become much injured and even succumb. Together with the apple trees, the mountain ash was also found to be badly affected by the same species of aphis. As far as 1am aware, the apple tree aphis has never been recorded as affecting the mountain ash, although we might expect this to be the case from the close botonical relation of the two species. * The species inhabiting the cherry, (Myzus cerasi, L.), although not observed in this vicinity, is known to occur in the State. It is very similar to the apple aphis in habits, and often quite as injurious. A closely related species is the one found on the currant, (Myzus ribus L.), observed to be rather common in this county, and to cause a good deal of injury by cupping the leaves, or forming hollows on the under side with corresponding chiefly swellings on the upper side. Leaves so affected turn yellow and fall off before the usual time. f Several of the more favored shade trees are more or less affected by species of aphis. This is particularly the case with the white elm that is affected by two rather common species. One of these, (Schizonera american, Reily), gnarling and curling the leaves, making them unsightly and of no use to the tree, and the other species, (Glyphina compressa, Koch), forming the cock’s-comb galls so often seen on the leaves. Young trees, especially, are often found to be badly affected, and much injured by the combined efforts of the two species. The boxelder, that is often met with in this county, and seems to be much fav- ored as a shade-tree on account of its rapid growth and fine appearance is also often found badly affected by a leaf-inhabiting species (Chaitophorus negundinis, Thos.), and made unsightly by the filthy appearance of the foliage when badly affected. As before stated, the eggs of this species were observed very plentiful last fall, and STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 305 if next year should prove to be as favorable to plant-lice as the past we probably will find the species to be greatly on the increase. The poplars of this locality are also affected by several gall-inhabiting species that not only do great injury to the trees, but also makes them unsightly as shade trees. This is especially the case with the vagabond gall louse (Pemphigus vaga- bundus, Walsh), found not only on the poplar but also on the cottonwood, as large, irregular cocks-comb galls on the ends of the twigs, greatly injuring and deform- ing the tree by stopping all growth of the twig thus affected. And as the galls re- main over winter and turn black, they make the tree quite unsightly after the leaves have fallen. On University Avenue, we have a group of trees that are lit- erally covered with these galls, hardly a twig being found that does not end with one. Two other species are found to make their galls on the stalk of the leaves, but as these are smaller and fall with the leaves they are less objectionable. The following paper by R. J. Mendenhall, of Minneapolis, was placed on file: USEFUL INSECTS. By R. J. MENDENHALL, Minneapolis. Mr. President and Horticultural Friends : In the talks that we have had from year to year on the subject of insects, I have called your attention only to the pernicious caterpillars, worms and grubs from which we, as gardeners and fruit-growers, suffer every.year more or less loss. I think now, in justice to the ‘‘nug’”’ community, that I ought to say a few words on the other side, and introduce to you, instead of enemies, a few of the more import- ant of our six-legged friends. When we come to count them up we find that the ‘‘good bugs,’ in point of numbers and value of services rendered, very nearly balance the ‘‘bad’’ ones, and that if theformer were all to be suddenly exterminated we should find ourselves, in spite of our “‘insect powders,’’ ‘‘emulsions’’ and “spraying machines,’’ quite powerless to protect our fruits, flowers and vegetables against the destructive species. Those that I have called ‘‘good’”’ are such from a human point of view only, and because they assist man—not by any means, however, from motives of benovelence toward him—in keeping in check the species that do him most damage. By their own kind, there is every reason to believe, they are regarded with terror and abhorence, as the most ferocious and greedy of murderers and cannibals and very likely they are ‘‘out-lawed’’ by every first-class insect community. The insects that have proven themselves useful to us in the manner indicated, may be divided into two classes, the predatory or hunting species and the true parasites. In the first class will be found the Tiger beetles, the various ground beetles, the Water-tigers, the larve of the Lady birds or Lady bugs, the various sorts of Soldier bugs and the larve of the lace wing flies and some few other Nerve- winged species. Most of the true parasites are found among the two-winged or four-winged flies. The Tiger beetles and Ground beetles are the tigers, leopards, lions and cats of 20 306 ANNUAL REPORT. the insect world. They are as beautiful and as ferocious, in their small way, as are the warm-blooded felines of the African and Asiatic jungles after which they are named. The Tiger beetles are of medium size, varying in length from one-half to three- fourths of an inch; the form is slender and graceful with the head set on vertically, and the colors are various shades of metallic green or purple, marked and dotted with pale yellow or white. The legs are long and the insects run with surprising rapidity. When pursued they make a series of short, swift flights alighting about every rod. The larve are most repulsive looking grubs, having an enormous head and jagged jaws, and the body being furnished with long, sprawling legs and several hooks and horns, by which they sustain themselves in their perpendicular burrows. They live in tunnels from ten to twelve inches deep and about as large around as a common lead pencil and generally bored in hard ground. At the mouth of its tunnel the larva lies in wait for any unsuspecting insect that may happen along, which it seizes in a twinkling and drags to its under-ground den and devours. The ground beetles (Carabide) are one of the largest families of the Coleoptera and are of many sizes, shapes and colors. Some of the larger species are very beautiful. They are regular hunters, running swiftly over the ground with the head slightly bent, the antennze projected forward and the sharp jaws apart, and very few insects which they scent escape them. The larve are horny, flattened grubs which are as active in burrowing in all directions underground in search of soft bodied grubs and caterpillars, as the perfect insects are in pursuit of their prey on the surface. A very usefui species is the Rummaging ground-beetle (Calosoma Scrutator). This handsome fellow is over an inch long with wing covers of a bright metallic green color, and the head and other parts of the body purple and blue or green with golden reflections. It kills great numbers of the larvee of the Colorado potato-beetle, the Codling moth and the Curculio before they transform, and its larvee is just as greedy in devouring the species that have entered the ground. Another species equally valuable and almost as attractive is the Fiery ground- beetle (Calosoma calidium.) This is somewhat smaller than scrutator, of a black color thickly dotted with large, bright, coppery spots arranged in rows on the wing covers. i A third species, the Elongate ground-beetle (Pasimachus elongatus), is of a smooth shining, jet black color, bordered all around with deep blue. This beetle has a very broad head and conspicuous jaws and other mouth parts. The only other member of this group which I shall mention here is the murky ground-beetle (Harpalus calignosus.) This has not so much beauty to commend it to our notice, being entirely of a plain, dull black color, but it has proved itself of service in the exterminating of various leaf-feeders that prey upon our crops. Everybody knows the trim little Lady birds (Coccinelidw) with their red or or- ange black-spotted coats. They are of round or oval form, and rather small size, the largest not more than one-third of an inch long. The perfect beetles are some- times found on flowers, but more frequently on leaves and stems infested with plant-lice or bark-lice which they themselves do not feed upon, but among which they deposit their eggs, and the awkward, ugly larva which hatch therefrom very soon dispatch a whole colony of the tender Aphides or young Cocetdae. There are a great number of species, some of which are very small, only one of which feeds in its larve state on vegetation, and that is quite rare. - STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 307 The Soldier bugs, which we are to consider as friends, are medium sized, shield- shaped, vile-smelling insects, differing from beetles in having the wing covers ap- parently crossed on the back, with the tips membraneous, and instead of jaws they are provided with a strong jointed beak, which they thrust into any soft bodied in- sect that they come across and suck out its life blood, leaving it when their appetite is satisfied, shrunken and limp, never to recover. Arma spinosa, a rather small, dull, green species is one of the principal foes of the Colorado potato beetle, and of some other very injurious grubs and worms. Most of these bugs are dressed in very plain colors, but a few wear bright red or yellow military stripes. These are among the most active and do not need to approach their victims ‘‘on the sly.’’ The Lace wing flies and ant lions are among the few Neuropterous species that do net breed in ths water. The perfect flies take but little food, but the larve are very voracious. The habits of some forms are very interesting and well repay the observer for the time spentin watching them. Among these is the Ant-lion, an in- sect resembling a small Dragon-fly but with a slender and rather short body and disproportionately large, floppy wings, which are beautifully spotted but which is does not seem to have sufficient muscular force to manage skillfully. The larve are jug-shaped with a horny head and long, sickle-shaped jaws. They are usu- ally found in sandy situations in which with their jaws and strong front legs they scoop out a funnel-formed hollow, hiding themselves at the bottom. If an insect accidently runs into the open mouth of the funnel it is instantly bewildered and brought down by a shower of sand thrown upon it by the waiting cannibal belew, which speedily devours it or such parts of it as may suit its taste. It then arranges its trap for another victim. The Lace wing flies are beautiful and symetrical insects with four gauzy irri— discent wings and golden and green bodies. The eggs of tne genus chrysopa are attached to the top of long thread like stalks in the midst, or very near a colony of plant-lice. The larve are slenderly oval in form, with strong, thoracic legs and and scissor-like jaws. 'Fhey are very voracious and destroy incredible numbers of the lice. When full grown they enclose themselves ina dense, white, round or oval cocoon prepared with a lid at one end which is pushed open by the fly in emerging. The larve of the genus Hemerodius cover their bodies with the skins of their victims. The plant-lice have still’another deadly enemy in the larve of various Syrphus flies. These are large, flattened, slimy maggots, very disgusting in appearance, but very efficient in clearing the plants on which they are found of the little, vivapa- rous sap suckers. The flies are usually somewhat longer than the common house- fly; with more slender bodies which are in many species banded with bright colors. These are all the cannibalistic or predatory insects that I have time to mention at present. The genuine parasites breed in the bodies of caterpillars and grubs and prevent their development. I have had occasion to call your attention to some of these be- fore, in connection with various leaf-feeding and fruit-feeding pests. The Yachina flies are among the most important of the two-winged parasites. These closely resemble the house-fly in appearance and structure, but are usually larger and have more hairy bodies. They go through their transfermations within the body of the host insect, as a rule, but sometimes leave it to enter the ground. 308 ANNUAL REPORT. The pupa case consists of the shrunken and hardened skin of the mature larve, and the fly issues by a sort of trap door at the upper end. The four winged para- sites include a great number of very diverse forms, all bearing more or less resem- blance to bees and wasps which are among their near relations. The females are furnished with bristles or horny organs at the tip of the abdomen which are of a great variety of shapesand lengths. These are the oviparitors, by means of which they can place their eggs in the bodies of caterpillars, worms and boring grubs which they cannot closely approach. Some of these flies like the larger Ichneu- monidae, are so large that a great caterpillar such as the Polyphemus or Cecropia, or some of the grape vine or tomato vine Sphinxes, are only sufficient for food for a single larve. Others are so small that a hundred or more will be nourished on the fatty parts of a single worm. Some have oviparitors four or five inches long by which they are able to find the borers in trees and place in their bodies an egg from which hatches a sort of insect cancer for which there is no cure. By some strange instinct these parasitic larve avoid the vital paris of their victim which feeds languidly and lives along until its tormenting guests have completed their growth and are ready for transformation. We have all seen large sphinx worms on the grape or tomato or tobacco whose: bodies were covered with tiny white cocoons, like grains of rice set on end, which were still alive though punctured in a hundred places where the little parasites had cut their way out. Itis unfortunate that the ‘‘first law of nature’? enables us to- look with sutisfaction on such barbaric and pitiless processes, but if insects did not prey upon each other in the waysI have mentioned man would never be able to hold his own against them. The multiplication of the vegetable feeding species is so rapid and excessive on all our most important plants that were it not for the assistance we receive from the small, but not insignificant allies, whose vigilance far surpasses Our own, they would soon take complete possession of our fields and orchards and leave us penniless and disheartened. It is most desirable that all should learn to aistinguish the beneficial from the injurious species, that the former may be exempted from the death sentence which we are very apt to execute without any form of trial, and in so doing often destroy a friend instead of afoe. Thisisa branch of economic entomology that should receive especial attention at our agricultural colleges and at all meetings that have for their object the promotion of practical agricultural science. BLACKBERRY CULTURE. On motion of Mr. Cutler, Mr. C. H. Hamilton was requested to give the Society some of the results of his experience in blackberry culture. Mr. Hamilton. Mr. President, I did not come here with any-inten- tions of making a speech, and [ hardly know now where to begin on this blackberry question. I will state to you, in the first place, that we are quite extensively engaged in cultivating blackberries; also other small fruits, but we are making a speciality of blackberries. I think it was about eight years ago there was some three acres. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 309 planted at our place. Those of us that were beginning in the busi- ness were cautioned by some of the older ones to move cautiously, that it wouldn’t be but a year or two before the blackberry business would be overdone. Well, we have progressed along, as fast as we could get the plants, and at the present time there are about seventy-five acres planted inside the city limits of Ripon; we claim that we have had success, and it has been obtained by means of thorough cultiva- tion, care and protection. Some people ask me if the variety known as the Ancient Briton is hardy and will endure our winters. I tell them it will, and that it is as hardy as any known variety, to my knowledge. Again, they say, “The idea of laying them down is a great expense, so much so that it takes off all the profit.””’ That is a greater bugbear in the eye than it is when youcome to go to work at itand try it. The expense of laying -down an acre of blackberries I am not at present prepared to give, but Ican take a five acre patch, and give you some idea of the expense connected with its cultivation. In removing the old brush, laying the plants down, and covering for winter, the expense on five acres was thirty-six dollars; the further care of them, raising them up in the spring, and preparing them for fruiting, the expense would be about twenty more, making about fifty dollars to insure a crop on five acres for thenext year. In the last seventeen years that I have known this variety to be cultivated in that way, I haven’t known it tofail. IL claim that an outlay of fifty dollars on five acres of ground insures me a crop of one thousand dollars worth of fruit. This can be sub- stantiated by my salesbook. The fruit of this variety is one of the best for shipping I have ever seen; it is a large, firm fruit. Mr. Tuttle has extended an invitation to send two or three men over to our place to look at our mode of cultivating and our different patches of berries, and we shall be glad to meet any persons that you may see fit to send there, and we guarantee that we will show them as fine fields of blackberries as they can find anywhere. oe: A Member. What distance apart do you set the canes? Mr. Hamilton. We plant in rows, seven feet apart, three feet in the row; occasionally some eight feet by three feet; some plant eight feet by four feet. A trellis is placed on each side, and the wires and stakes are about twenty feet apart. A Member. What is your mode of cultivating ? Mr. Hamilton. It is to keep the ground as rich as we possibly can. 310 ANNUAL REPORT. We mulch for winter, drawing the mulch out in the summer and working it into the soil for the purpose of keeping the ground rich. We cultivate about in the same manner as you would a piece of corn; * giving thorough cultivation, but not deep. A Member. What is the character of the soil ? Mr. Hamilion. We havea variety of soil at Ripon. We can furnish a black loam, prairie soil, underlaid with clay subsoil; then we have a sandy clay soil and loam; we also have almost clear sand. They are a little earlier on the sandy soil than on the prairie, but as to the difference, whether they do better in one place than in the other, you can’t tell it by the eye. A Member. Do you prune any? Mr. Hamilton. Yes, sir, we pinch them back to about three feet and three and a half feet high. That causes them to branch out. Some of them undertook totrim the laterals, but we found that we were cutting off the part where our best fruit grew. We now take off nothing but the top. A Member. Is the Ancient Briton as hardy as the Stone’s Hardy? Mr. Hamilton. I consider it is fully as hardy. A Member. Are they thorny? Mr. Hamilton. They are a thorny bush. A Member. How many canes do youallow in a hill? Mr. Hamilton. Not over five; you will not very often find that many. Mr. Smith. How do you cover them? Mr. Hamilton. They are covered by removing the dirt at the side that you wish to lay the brush over. Then place your foot at the crown of the fork and pushit under the root and bend down; you bend the root by so doing, and not the top. Lay them down straight, as the row extends; we endeavor to cover them from the side. I think it is better to have the rows run north and south, because after they have been laid down, the dirt being again removed, the canes will run in the angle on which they were laid down; the new growth will be in full foliage and that breaks the heat from the midday sun on the berries. You have all observed that the best wild blackberries. we get are those that have been raised jn the shade. Mr. Cutler. I would like to ask whether you turn them north or south ? Mr. Hamilton. We bend them to the north; that is the way they run. Weendeavor to have the rowsrun the way that they would STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Slt be most likely to carry off the water. If it is on a sidehill and the slope is to the south, we should haye the rows run north and south, so that when the plants are covered it will make aridge, and the water which is apt to collect between the rows will flow through them. Water is detrimental to the plants. We cover with dirt. Mr. Pearce. Do you cover the vine entirely up? Mr. Hamilton. Yes, sir. _Mr. Pearce. Is it necessary to do it? Mr. Hamilton. In our locality, some claim it is not; but when we have no snow, I do not consider it safe not to fully cover. It is not the cold weather that kills the cane so much as the freezing and thaw- ing, and we think we have too good a thing to run any risk, when it only costs from six to eight dollars an acre to insure their coming through the winter in excellent condition. Mr. Pearce. Did you ever try putting only sufficient dirt on the canes to hold them down? Mr. Hamilton. Only along the side of fences where snow gathered in, _ It isn’t safe to leave them uncovered except where snow is likely to collect. A Member. You said you mulched, what time? Mr. Hamilton. We draw it in the winter, and leave it in heaps there; after we have raised our plants and hoed them out, we put this straw or mulch around them and then do our cultivating afterwards. A Member. What slope do you consider the best adapted for black- berries ? Mr. Hamilton. I consider a south slope the best. I should prefer a level piece, but not what you might eall a low piece. Mr. Underwood. Will you allow me to add a word in connection with what you said of covering. A gentleman from Dakota who is growing some berries, was at my place this fall and telling me how he covered his vines, and I practiced it a little. He has a man go along with mittens on, who straddles the row and lays the plants down while another man follows and puts on some earth to hold the canes down; when he has that done, he hitches a horse to a plow and throws up a furrow, covering the canes. He covered some grape vines in the same way. Mr. Hamilton. That it is an easy and quick way of doing it, and you will get through the first winter, likely, all right, but it is hard governing the plow, and you will break and loosen a quantity of roots; then it is necessary to keep one man in there the rest of the season to 312 . ANNUAL REPORT. keep the sprouts down, while you will find that you have broken the roots from the main vines and checked them. I undertook to cultivate them in that way, but [ soon found it was really costing me more, and I took to laying them down with a spade, wholly. Mr. Underwood. You take the dirt out on the north side so as to lay them down toward the north? Mr. Hamilton. Yes, sir; my rows run north and south, and I take out the dirt on the north side so as to lay them down toward the north. Mr. Underwood. I think that is a very important item; if it isn’t going to do to plow with a horse and cover them in that way, we ought to know it. A Member. How high will they grow? Mr. Hamilton. They will grow from eight to twelve feet high; but we endeavor to keep them back to three and a half or four feet; we keep them in hills and keep down all sprouts. A Member. What price do you get, wholesale, for the berries? Mr. Hamilton. My berries this year were sold at $1.60 a case. Mr. Smith. Ten cents a box; about two thousand cases for the five acres. A Member. I understand you cultivate with the hoe? Mr. Hamilton. Between the rows we do all the cultivating with a horse; we do not cultivate very deep, using a common corn cultivator. A Member. Do you give them any support, after planting? Mr. Hamilton. Not the first season; but the second year we support the canes with wires on each side. If there is nothing to protect them from the wind, it will soon break them over, and they will be sprawl- ing all over the ground. A Member. How high is that wire? Mr. Hamilton. About two feet anda half. We put one wire on each side, and the stakes are about twenty feet apart. Mr. Smith. In regard to mulching, did you state the material that you used? Mr. Hamilton. I have mulched with almost every variety of straw and hay—anything that I could get. A Member. How much mulch do you use? Mr. Hamilton. You can’t use very much if you cultivate. There is no need of cultivating from six to eight inches on each side of the row. Hardly any plants or weeds will grow under there, on account of the shade. A Member. Do you fasten your vines by those wires in any way? STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. ole Mr. Hamilton. Well, occasionally we cross-tie them. A Member. Please tell us what you know of the history of the Ancient Briton. : Mr. Hamilton. As far as I have been able to trace the history of it, it was originally sent from Wales, to a county in Southern Wisconsin about twenty-two yearsago. A man in Berlin, Wis., first got hold of a few plants and set them out, and he came through Ripon, the first I heard of him, seventeen years ago this coming spring. I bought a few plants of him, and also a few of my neighbors. I was not in the fruit business then, I was running a general nursery. My neigh- bors planted them out; they did not protect them and they said they didn’t think it was of any use to try to raise blackberries there. One fall I was unloading a hay-rack, and a row of blackberries were near, and as they hadn’t borne, we expected to dig them up in the spring, and the men put this hay-rack on them; they were thus laid down un- der the hay-rack. The next spring these canes were alive and the rest of the row killed. That suggested to me the idea of covering and the question why not lay down the blackberry as well as the rasp- berry? I undertook the task of laying them down. And that was followed up by different persons in the vicinity of Ripon, until now, blackberry culture is one of the chief industries of our town. There are about seventy acres, as I said, in cultivation in that vicinity now. A Member. How far from the ground do you place those wires ? _Mr. Hamilton. About two feet. [had five acres of blackberries last year; I took 725 bushels off the five acres; on one acre it was the seventh crop. A Member. Will they run out in the course of ten or twelve years? Mr. Hamilton. There are plants in Ripon that have borne the fif- teenth crop, and are still in good condition; I have seen them eighteen years old. A Member. They stand it better than red raspberries then? Mr. Hamilton. Yes, sir. A Member. Does any insect trouble your blackberries ? Mr. Hamilton. I have never seen anything onthe Ancient Briton; I have noticed that the Stone’s Hardy was affected in some cases. A Member. Don’t you consider the Stone’s Hardy a better berry than the Ancient Briton? Mr. Hamilton. No, sir. I claim I can send the Briton blackberry to Minneapolis in better order than yon can the Stone’s Hardy, half a mile distant from your market. 314 ANNUAL REPORT. A Member. Doesn’t your Stone’s Hardy continue longer in bear, ing than the Ancient Britcn? Mr. Hamilton. No, sir, I think not. The following paper was placed on file for publication: A COMPLETE FARMER’S GARDEN, By Jonn 8. Harris, La Crescent. Mr. President and Members of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society:— Our motto is good fruits of all varieties in abundance for all purposes; an abund— ance of fresh vegetables upon our tables every day in the year; lovely flowers to shed their fragrance over the pathway of life. While I acknowledge that Iam by nature a farmer and in experience and educa- tion a life long gardener, I am convinced that some one has made a mistake in des- ignating me to present to this meeting a paper upon the subject of a Complete Farmer’s Garden. I consider it in many respects the most important subject. that. will engage the attention of our Society, and worthy of being presented by some one more able than myself to make it interesting. It would be a simple matter to tell you what kind of gardens very many of our Minnesota farmers have, but a laborious and tedious task to map out and describe in detail such a garden as every farmer ought to possess who has cast his lot in this so-called ‘‘Farmer’s Paradise,’? famous the world over as the beautiful land of ‘‘Golden Sheaves” and ‘‘Laugh- ing Waters.’?’ When we look about us and consider the short period of time that has elapsed since our State was the hunting ground of the savage and the almost boundless pasture of the bison, where the tread of civilization had never encroached, and the hum of business had never been heard, we are led to exclaim, ‘‘wonderful marvel of the age.’’ Within half a lifetime it has become dotted with towns and villages, and threaded with railroads and a trail of gold is following back upon each track and being switched off at every station, a tribute from the older ‘Kast’? and ‘‘South” to the excellence of our ‘‘No. 1 hard,’’ ‘‘sleek Shorthorns,’’ and the prize ‘‘butter and cheese’ of America. We have scores of farmers who take commendable pride in breeding good blooded horses, and without being jock- eys they are compelled to take the dust from the best of any other state. We have hundreds of stockmen engaged in rearing the best cattle, sheep and swine that has ever found its way into any market. We have everything produced within our borders that is needed to get up the grandest exposition and fair, the eye of man ever beheld, and do not fear to come into competition with the world. What more do our farmers need, what greater boon can they ask? I reply, thousands of them need better homes, not merely a place to shelter their families, but true homes. The farm is the plant that creates or furnishes the life, wealth and power of the world, and the farmer is the commissary who opens up the storehouses of the soil, and gives out the bread to feed the teeming millions of the earth; therefore he is entitled to a home worthy the name. Now, my idea of a true farmer’s home is as many broad, fertile acres as can be well tilled without making his life a burden and the life of his wife and children a hateful drudgery; good substantial buildings, STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. O58 Uy outwardly neat, and corresponding to the demands of the family, and located upon the pleasantest spot on the farm. Within, they should be convenient and supplied with the arrangemeats for lightening the labor of the housekeeper, and should con- tain ample comfort for the physical man, and for the inner man, pleasant pictures hanging upon the wall, good books and papers upon the table as a provision for mental improvement, and asa change, music is refreshing to the tired body after the rough and heavy work of the day is ended. ‘There should be kept upon the farm the best of stock and that well cared for. The field fences and out buildings should present nothing unattractive about them but should harmonize with the dwelling. Upon the “‘ideal farm’ there is no place for unsightly hedge rows of brambles and thistles along the fences or wood piles, worn out tools, broken down sleds and wagons and other rubbish in the street. Stumps and boulders have been removed from the highway, and rows of trees adorn its sides and in summer cast their refreshing shade upon the traveler, and in winter loosen the icy grip of the fierce blizzards. The dwelling stands well back from the road and in front is the well kept lawn, with here and there an evergreen or ornamental tree to break the monotony, and the walks from the road to the house are bordered with flowers, a reminder to the passing traveler that hospitality, comfort and happiness have a dwelling place within. Theideal home is a pattern after nature. Nature delights in beauty; she loves to brighten the landscape and make it agreeable to the eye. She hangs the [yy round the ruin, and over the stump of the withered tree twines the graceful vine, and clothes even the Alpine heights with moss and lichens. The farmer’s occupation brings him into constant association with nature, and it is his privilege to draw inspiration from her handiwork. _ Is that all that is necessary to make the farmer’s home complete? Where is the orchard and the garden? What kind of a home is that which is barren of fruits, vegetables and flowers? Mr. President, do you think there are any such in Min- nesota? How many farmers do any of you gentlemen know that furnish their tables with two or three quarts of fresh fruit every day from the time the first strawberries are ripe until the last cluster of grapes is clipped from the vine, and canned fruits for every remaining day of the year? How many farmer’s gardens do you know of that are ample in size and furnish his family with all the fresh vegetables they can consume from the first sallads in spring until the cellar is stored for winter? What an improvement it would be, and what enjoyment it would give to take an acre or two out of that field that runs right up to the door, and transform it into a productive fruit and vegetable garden, and make it the most pleasant and profitable acre upon the farm. Even farmers want something more than to merely exist. Any good fruit and vegetable garden is worth more to the family than the products of any ten acres in wheat. Pork and beans, potatoes and bread, although they will sustain life, leave a void that can only be satisfied with the luxurious and wholesome products of the garden. In my opinion the farmer who does not plant a good plat of ground to small fruits and vegetables is not enjoying the advantages that Ged designed he should, neither is he dealing rightously by those committed to his charge. Why does he not do it? He says because he has no time to fool with such little things. Little things they may seem now, but whén the end cometh, when his overworked wife has laid down the bur- den of life and rests in yonder cemetary, and his children have flown the parental 316 ANNUAL REPORT. roof to find more congenial homes, and he finds himself a prematurely old man in the world, a sad picture to contemplate, he may look back upon the neglected little things with deep regret. The complete farmer’s garden should conform in style and character to the home- stead and its surroundings, and in size to the wants of the family. It should be located in the immediate vicinity of the house, so that it may be readily accessible and under the constant supervision of the household. It should be located if possible, so as not to take away from the cheerful aspect of the homestead, but rather to add to its charms. . If a portion of it i8 devoted to the cultivation of flowers, that should, if possible, be so located that the passing neighbor and stranger may enjoy its beauty and fragrance. Flowers are like pure breezes and sunlight, we enjoy them none the less because others enjoy them too. Another reason why it should be located near the house is that a great many leisure moments may be utilized in weeding and taking care of it, besides the saving of time in going a long distance to gather its products as they are wanted for daily use. Some judgment should be exercised in choosing the soil for the garden. A de- cidedly gravily or sandy soil is unsuitable for general garden purposes, and so is a heavy tenacious clay soil. The very best soil isa sandy, deep, rich loam that will work easily and dry off quickly after a rain, and yet retain sufficient moisture to withstand considerable of adrouth. For this northern climate it is better for hav- ing a southern exposure sloping a little to the east and south. Almost all vegeta- bles and most of the fruits do better upon land that is sloping enough to give good surface drainage, say about one foot to thirty. It should be securely enclosed so that neither stock, poultry or dogs can enter it at will. It would be better if the north and west sides were protected from chilling and tempestuous winds, either by a tight board fence ora live hedge. A high bluff, grove of timber or orchard on the north side affords good protection, but as farm buildings are often erected without regard to the garden it cannot always be located on the most suitable spot. Another important requisite for the garden, is to bring it into a high state of culti- vation and fertility by deep plowing and the liberal application of manures. For the present purpose, as but few of our farmers will care to make a separate plot for each, we will make it a combination fruit and vegetable garden. Having selected, manured and fenced a spot for a garden, the next question that arises is, what shall we plant and how shall we manage to gain the best results at the least possible expense of time and labor. If it contained one or more acres of ground, I would recommend devoting one-third to one-half to permanent plantations of summer fruits, chiefly strawberries, raspberries, currants and grapes, and an asparagus bed, pieplant patch, etc. To facilitate cultivation I should plant every thing that will do as well in long rows instead of square plats, so that a horse may be used to help in the work. I should lay off a border upon the north side and the two ends, or all around, from twelve to sixteen or more feet wide, to be used chiefly for the permanent planta- tions of fruits and perennial plants, leaving a four foot walk inside to separate it from the remainder, and for convenience in using a wheelbarrow, turning the horse in cultivation, etc. In making the permanent plantation, commence on the north border, at the end nearest the house. First, leave room for hot beds and cold-frames; next a little plat for early lettuce, STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Blt radishes and pot herbs, then let enough roots of rhubarb or pieplant to furnish material for sauce and pies before the early fruits are ready. The remainder of the north border may be set to grape vines, three or four feet from the fence and six to eight feet apart, and if awide border and two rows are planted have the rows ten or twelve feet apart. If this space holds more grapes than is desired, a portion of it may be used for an asparagus bed or strawberries. The east and west border had best be used for strawberries, currants, etc. Upon the south border set two or more rows of raspberries, set the first row three or four feet from the fence, the second six or seven feet from that. Commence at one end and set both rows with blackcaps, as many as are desired three or four feet apart in the row, then set the remainder of the patch with red varicties three feet apart and keep them in hills, or if it is thought desirable to try a few blackberries, and I think it is, let them have thirty or forty feet at one end of the border. The reason for this is that a row of blackberries along side of the others would prove trouble- some on account of their thorny habit and propensity to spread and run out every- thing else. If this border takes more of the above varieties of fruit than is desired, a portion of it may be planted to currants. Upon one of the end borders set as many currant bushes as will produce what fruit the family will require ; they should stand four feet apart in the rows, rows six or seven fect apart. Of the remainder make an asparagus bed, or if other provision has been made for asparagus. and currants, turn it into a strawberry bed. The other end border has been designed for strawberries, but if it is not needed for that use it may be used for a flower garden. Upon the border devoted to strawberries, set one-half this spring and plant the remainder to potatoes or some other hoed crop and the next spring set to. strawberries. Ifit should be desireable to take two crops of berries from the same plantation before turning them under make provision for a third plantation to be set the third spring. This disposes of the borders and provides a quantity of fruit, shrubbery and vines that if properly managed will produce all the summer fruit that a large family can consume in the fresh state, and afford a supply for canning,. drying and preserving for winter use. A bed of asparagus unless it has already been provided for will finish the perma- nent plantation. It may be a single row upon either side of the garden, and four or six feet from any row already planted or in a plat of any shape, but the rows had better run in the same direction with our rows of vegetables to facilitate cultivation. and avoid tramping or turning a horse when plowing or cultivating. This plant delights in arich, warm soil, and pays well for good cultivation and liberal manuring. Once established it will annually throw up its abundance of rich, healthful food,. through all our and our children’s lifetime. The remainder of our garden plat is designed for the growing of culinary vegetables, and may be arranged to suit the different plantings, and planted in varieties and quantities to suit the wants of the family. The fitting of the ground can be mostly done with the farm team, plow and harrow, and the plowing may be done in strips just as wanted for planting, but I consider it the best to all be plowed as early as the soil is free from frost and in good condition to work well. if weeds should get started on any portion of it before needed for the later plantings, they can be preity thoroughly destroyed by an extra harrowing, or it may be plowed again. To insure the best results each species or variety of vegetable seeds should be 318 ANNUAL REPORT. planted in their appropriate season. Peas, onions, beets, radishes and lettuce are rarely injured by spring frosts, and for the earliest crop should be planted as soon as the ground is in condition to work well. Onions for the main crop will also do better if sowed early, and a few early potatoes should be planted at the same time, but we expect the farmer to raise his main crop of potatoes in some other field. It is useless to plant the seeds of beans, sweet corn, cucumbers, melons, tomatoes, etc , in the open ground before the first week in May, or until the ground becomes somewhat warm and dry. A great many kinds of vegetables may be brought to maturity earlier if started in hot beds or cold frames, and transplanted into the open ground afterward. The time alotted me will not admit a description of the making and management of hot beds and cold frames. Beets, carrots, parsnips and salsify or vegetable oyster usually do the best to be got in early in May. All root crops are the best in rows sixteen to twenty-four inches apart. Everything that comes up too thickly must be thinned to give the plants room for perfect development. It is better to have all vegetables in rows too close to admit of the use of a horse in their cultivation planted upon one side of the garden, and it is not essential that the rows of these should run the whole length, but they may be divided off into plots with narrow walks between each variety; neither is it essential that the rows of anything run the entire length of the garden if they are planted to such varieties as will admit of cultivating at the same time, and require the same distance between the rows. Cabbage and cauliflower may usually be transplanted for the early crop as soon as the plants can be gotten ready. [tis useless to transplant tomatoes, egg plant and peppers before the latter part of May. Celery is not usually planted before the first of July. Of lettuce, radishes, snap beans and sweet corn it is best to make several plantings at intervals of two or three weeks, to keep up a succession until frost comes. A garden line should be used in planting everything, and great pains taken that rows may be equally distant apart and perfectly straight. It might not produce a better quality or greater quantity of vegetables for taking these pains, but if our newly planted garden looks well, we will feel a greater interest in it than we would in a slouchily arranged truck patch, and as one thing after another begins to come up in clean straight rows, we will begin to feel proud of our accomplishment, and the whole family, even to the ‘hired man, will become interested and willing to lend us a helping hand to keep it a thing of beauty. They will probably call it “our garden,” and try very hard to make it the best one in the neighborhood, and perhaps it will stimulate our neighbors who see it to go and do likewise. This paper is very far from complete, but owing to its great length I must bring it toa close. To secure a better knowledge of the varieties of fruits and vegetables and methods of cultivation, I can only recommend my hearers to join the State Horti- cultural Society, and become active members. The complete ‘‘farmer’s garden’’ is a ‘‘comfort and joy’’ to its owner. It is a prize thatis not beyond the reach of every farmer in the State. It cannot be brought about at once. It may. require years to do it. By doing a little at a time, adding one improvement after another, every farmer may create around him scenes whose beauty alone would amply reward him for all his labor. A garden thus formed by degrees is much more satisfactory than one produced at once by a great outlay of labor and money, because the pleasure of STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 319 creating was prolonged. In this way too, new fruits, flowers and vegetables may be added from time to time, each giving new pleasure and new beauty. The farmer needs recreation, and where can he find it better than in his garden? Time spent there will make him fonder of home and keep him from temptation, and as the love of home increases, he will surrround it with associations of beauty, and memories of joy and pleasure will go with his children wheree’r they roam. And when his “‘last debt is paid,’’ and his neighbors stand around his new made grave, they can truly say: ‘‘His work is done; he did it well, and there is one little spot of earth that is better for his having lived upon it.” On motion the meeting then adjourned until Friday morning. MORNING SESSION. FourtH Day, Fripay, JANUARY 22, 1886. The meeting was called to order at 9 o’clock, Friday morning, by President Smith. e REPORTS FROM EXPERIMENTAL STATIONS. It was announced that the first thing in order would be the reports from Experimental Stations. The resolutions offered by Col. J. H. Stevens, on Wednesday, rela- tive to a Committee on Seedlings, ete., were, on motion, unanimously adopted. (See page 174.) Prof. E. D. Porter and P. M. Gideon not being present, M..Pearce, of Minneapolis, was first called upon for a report. REPORT OF MR. PEARCE. Mr. Pearce. Mr. President, I was not aware that I was down for a report, but I can report verbally as to whatlamdoing. A great many cions have been sent to me and I have grafted them and given them a trial. They were pretty much all root grafts, and came from different places, some from New York state and some from other distant points. Think there were fully fifty different varieties received, and all have been put out, staked and properly marked. A great many of the grafts came through last winter without any injury particularly, but some of them will die. I think some of them will be valuable; especially one or two kinds received from northern Nebraska. They don’t appear to be injured at all. 320 ANNUAL REPORT. A number who were expected to report at this time, not being pres- ent, N. J. Stubbs, of Long Lake, of the General Fruit Committee, was called upon for a report. REPORT OF MR. STUBBS. Mr. Stubbs. Mr. President, I have a few remarks written out here but the subject has been so thoroughly canvassed heretofore that it. will, in a great measure, be a repetition of what has already been stated. . President Smith. It may be similar to reports from other districts, but that is to be expected. Mr. Stubbs then came forward and presented a written report. This was awell arranged and somewhat lengthy paper, containing many valuable suggestions. It was, however, accidentally misplaced by Mr. Stubbs, and at his request is omitted here. During the reading of the paper some discussion was had. Mr. Stubbs stated in reference to grapes, that his Delawares did not ripen well two years ago owing to the cold and backward summer season. He said he had experimented with a variety of currants that were sup_ posed to be Stewart’s Seedlings. Mr. Pearce inquired if they were not the same as the Victoria. ° Mr. Stubbs replied that he thought not, as he was well acquainted with Mr. Stewart, and thought he would not send out varieties not. true to name. President Smith. I have them growing on my place and think well of them. Col. Stevens. It is not to be presumed that Mr. Stewart would put anything on the market that was not genuine, and claim that it was. the same as the variety that he had been experimenting with for years, for he had a reputation for honesty and fair-dealing. Mr. Pearce. I have heard many speak of this variety who pro- nounce it the Victoria. Col. Stevens. I don’t suppose there are half a dozen persons in the ‘State that have it. Mr. Elliot. There have been very few of them distributed. Mr. Smith. There is a marked difference in the appearance of the bushes, more perhaps than in that of the fruit. Mr. Stubbs stated that he had planted Fay’s Prolific, but it had not yet fruited. They seemed to be very promising but he did not expect them to prove as valuable as they were recommended. He believed the Em- STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 321 pire State variety of grapes, for this locality, ahead of almost anything else, on account of earliness. It has not been known to be attacked by disease, even when planted by other varieties that were diseased; in this respect it is like the wild grape. It is a vigorous grower, being a cross between the Clinton and Hartford Prolific. It will be extensively cultivated, especially in this country where we have a comparatively rigorous climate. He had raised Downing’s gooseberries, which had fruited abundant- ly, and considered it the best variety, although the past season it had developed some mildew. Mr. Underwood. I have tried Downing’s two or three times, but with me it freezes out badly. It is rather a spragegly grower, does not look like the Houghton, the American, or Smith’s, is a more thorny and an open grower. Mr. Smith. About four-fifths of the bushes sold for Downing’s are Americans. Mr. Stubbs. The Downing shows a good many limbs coming from the ground and the berry is large and handsome. Mr. Elliot. The Downing that I have is heavier in thorn and limb than either of the other kinds that have been named, is an upright grower and has given me no trouble with winter-killing. The name of William McHenry, of St. Charles, being called, the assistant secretary said that it was stated by Mr. McHenry, in a letter, submitting a paper to be read at the meeting, that the Russian Mul- berry was a humbug. The following report was then read: REPORT OF O. M. LORD. Minnesora City, January 15, 1886, To the State Horticultural Society: — In attempting to report progress from one of the experiment stations, I am re- minded of the criticisms on the management of the University farm. The critics are like the boy who desired to see a miracle by planting a pomegranite seed and immediately plucking the fruit. They would ignore entirely the element of time. A chemical experiment may show its result in an hour or a minute and be satis- factory, but the most trifling experiment in agriculture requires at least a year, and in horticulture who shall say how many years? Our beginning was small, and at the end of two years there is little to report except growth and a few additions, The object of the Society in appointing stations was to secure reliable information - for the benefit of the people at large, in regard to the cultivation of fruits. In order to secure a variety of soils, and climatic and other natural conditions for experi- 21 = 3 eek ANNUAL REPORT. menting, these stations have been as widely separated as possible, and probably have been wisely chosen. The exact location, the particular character of soil, alti- tude, exposure, etc., should be made a matter of record with the Society for refer- ence. A general uniformity of selection and distribution of trees and plants among the Stations should be made, to insure reliable knowledge as to their adaptability or desirability for general cultivation. No uniform plan of work has been devised or at least no instruction to that effect has been given. It is supposed that each ex- perimenter has done what he could in hisown way. As individuals we are apt to run to specialties, and if we succeed we are liable to jump at conclusions. Itis un- der such circumstances that trees and plants are sometimes largely advertised and sold, that prove to be entirely unfit for general cultivation. I commend the spirit of the nurseryman who stated in his catalogue, that the Hansell raspberry was not adapted to sandy soil. It saved me some money and useless work and proba- bly greater disappointment. If I had been informed in the same manner of the Re- liance, and numerous varieties of strawberries, I could have saved myself a good deal of expense and labor. It is hoped that the Horticultural Society through these Stations will secure sufficient tests to enable anyone to plant with a reasonable assurance of success. The grounds selected for the experimenting here are near the railroad station, upon what is known as table Jand, lying about thirty feet above the Mississippi river, and nearly level, with exposure about equal. It has been under cultivation twenty-five years. The soil is sandy to the depth of two feet, and underlaid by a foot or more of yellow clay, and then loose gravel. It has never suffered with drouth and the natural drainage is such that it does not suffer with wet. For experiment, and otherwise there are now growing thirty varieties of apple trees; twenty varieties of plum trees; twelve Ostheim cherry trees; eight varieties of strawberries; two of blackberries; three of red raspberries; and the Gregg black; of grapes, the Concord, Delaware and Lindsey; native plums have been and will con- tinue to be a speciality. FRUIT REPORT FROM O. M. LORD. Minnesota City, January 18, 1886. So far as I can learn, old apple trees are dead, with the exception of the Duchess and the crabs. A large number of young trees have been set, and to all appear- ances are doing well. There is considerable increased interest shown in the cultivation of the small fruits; no doubt induced by the failure of apples. The local markets were well supplied with Duchess, Transparent and Hyslop. Strawberries were abundant ‘ and prices very low. Currants were scarce. There was a fair supply of raspberries, blackberries and grapes. The indications are that a good many fruit trees will be set the coming season. The Russian varieties are attracting more than usual attention. $ % 3 Mr. Harris. Mr. President, Mr. Lord wrote me a few days ago that he had found that it was disputed by some that he was the manager of ‘4. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 323. an experimental station, although he was appointed at our annual meeting two years ago. President Smith. I remember that Mr. Lord was appointed at that time but I see that his name does not appear in the list. Mr. Harris. It was an oversight that his name was not published, and I move that his name be properly placed among the names of the managers of Experimental Stations. The motion was adopted. Mr. Underwood being called upon for a report said: Mr. President I am not prepared with a written report. If you would just duplicate the very excellent report of Mr. Lord, which has just been read, in case it were found necessary to do so to fill out our proceedings with some- thing of the kind, I think it would very accurately express what I would wish to say. It seems to fit our experience almost exactly. I don’t know, if I were to write out a report, that I could improve upon what has been expressed in giving his experience. We have suffered much from the severe winter and there was no way to avoid it, and all we could do was to take it as it came. Even many of the shade trees, Maples, Elms, etc., were more or less injured. The effects of the winter have not in all instances been entirely disastrous, still, more or less injury was done. Mr. L. EK. Day, of Farmington, being called upon for a report, said: Mr. President, I have very little to report. JI have just commenced, you know, in a small way, and as yet have only a few cions, bat the most of those put in are doing nicely. I am succeeding well, so far as [have gone. Have not done enough as yet to make a report upon, but have done the best I could with what I have had. REPORT OF J. 8. HARRIS. La CRESCENT, JAN. 1, 1886. Mr. President:—I have very little to report in addition to what was brought out in the discussions at our last annual meeting. I have accepted the position of manager of an Experimental Station in good faith, and shall prosecute the work as ‘extensively and rapidly as circumstances will permit. To start with I have but little besides the ground on which to make a beginning. Some cions were fur- nished me in the spring of 1884, by our former secretary, Mr. Gibbs, including two varieties of apple, two of plums, and one of cherry. I did not succeed in making any of the cherry cions grow. The apple cions lived and made a fair growth’ the first year, but unfortunately they were worked upon tender stocks, and last winter made a finish of them. Some of the plums are living. I procured and planted a few Cuthbert raspberries and Ancient Briton blackberry plants, both of which are Ww ihe! 2) a EPA , Yahiw ee. } ie Wi 1} 65) UO ? kf Wet ] y us To PAT eak oa P 4 he ) Tek he A aay ~ tr GAPE ee Lee eee, Ee VN eS ear AA fe, tp Ae et Gilg el ee ere, ob, Thx Ser ey be bgt Cay wie ae Ny My? tan a et ne haa n) ie Abas fat : alee | 7 sf yy { i fe, ‘ us , { (ood eee. } mH " yee) ’ yet ? ‘ " " om i Se f : wi ach » M Pte \ 4 Ho 324 a ANNUAL REPORT. promising well. The raspberries bore a fair crop of very fine fruit last season, The canes seem to be as hardy as any variety I have tested except the Turner, and the fruit is large and of fine appearance, and will take well in the market. The fruit of the blackberry is superior in quality to the Snyder or Stone’s Hardy, but ordi- narily they will require winter protection. I also set a few young trees of the Rollingstone plums donated by O. M. Lord of Minnesota City, and a half dozen of the Pheeney plum procured from E. Markle of La Crosse, Wis., and Moors Arctic from E. Wilcox, La Crosse. The Moors Arctic isa variety of tame plum that is reported as hardy in the State of Maine. The others are natives that have a good local reputation. The natives are doing well, and I hope to have some fruit from them the coming season, and as I have the De Soto I shall be able to compare them together and determine their relative merits. The Moors Arctic lived and made a fair growth the first season, but one of them was entirely killed last winter, and the other considerably injured, but may recover to produce some fruit. They were worked upon native stocks by budding about one foot above the ground, and did not seem to have formed a very perfect union, I think they would do betteras roo* grafts. Last spring I made some additions to the planting, setting a few trees of the Giant Swaar, Rollins Pippin, Wabasha, Red and Yellow Anis, and McMahon White, procured from A. W. Sias of Rochester, and about sixty trees in thirteen varieties of Russians and a few pears, procured of Prof. Budd of Ames, Lowa. These trees were called two-year olds; they were small and inferior looking compared with American varieties of the same age, and some of them appear to be very slow growers and may require nursing an ordinary lifetime before they will be much trees. I think they would do better if grafted upon stocks from Russian seeds. Most of them were secured under numbers instead of names. I set them in my best garden soil, and they generally have made but little growth, and some of them blighted badly. Three varities, the Antonouka, Anis and No. 4 made a good growth and look well. I also planted three small one-year old trees of the Salome, all looking well. I received some cions of the Brett Seedling from Mr. Sias, and have succeeded in saving enough to geta start. I find that although hardy, the Orange and Strawberry crabs do not make good stocks for working by cleft grafting owing, to a wind inthe grain of the wood that prevents their splitting freely. In grapes I have set two vines of Niagara and one of Empire State. They have made a fair growth. I also planted two each of Early Cluster and Wilson June blackberry, and have a few one-year seedling apples that I shall hold for trial. The following report was next read: Mr. Sias. I will say that I have put upon trial everything that has been sent to me. Even varieties that I had tested years ago and had found to be worthless, I have experimented with them. A large num- ber of cions sent me by a friend from Maine two years ago made a good growth the first year, but they were not hardy enough for last winter. My report may have very much of a sameness about it, but here is the result: REPORT OF A. W. SIAS. RocHEsTER, MINN., JAN. 16, 1886. Mr. President and Fellow Members: Spring of 1884, grafted 11 trees with Pewaukee cions, on Hybrids, all dead. oe ge Ay ss ‘« $pitzenburg cions, on Hybrids, all dead. Base “* Wrights Sweet cions, on Hybrids, all dead. ss ES i) <8 ‘¢ Yellow Bellflower cions, on Hybrids,all dead. Bil ite ‘* King of Tompkins County cions, on Hy- brids, all dead. Spring of 1884, grafted 3 trees with Wolf River, on Pippin, all dead. 6c oe “cc ce ae se 7N. W. Greening, on Hybrid, one living. Oe ue 4 Robinsons Seedling, on Hybrid, all dead. a Dt 7 Robertsons Red Everlasting on Gen.Grant Crab,all dead. # as 4 Oxford Russet Everlasting, on Hybrid, all dead. ce s¢ 3 Roxbury Russet Everlasting, on Hybrid, all dead. £6 es 5 Vaughn Apple, on Hybrid, all dead. Bt = 6 trees Forster’s Red Winter, on Hybrid, all dead. Lb es 4 cions trees Forster’s Sweet, on Hybrid, all dead. ne es 4 cions trees White Astrachan, on Hybrid, all dead. ‘* April 3d, grafted, 5 cions trees, Ostheim Cherry grafted on small STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 325 red wild cherry, all dead. Spring of 1884, grafted 4 cions trees Red Plum, on wild stock, all dead. oe s¢ 4 cions German Rambo, all dead. 1884, 2 Coles Quince, grafted on Hybrid, all dead. ae 2 Clark Apple, grafted on Hybrid, all dead. 3 Porter Apple, grafted on Hybrid, all dead. 4 Golden Russet, grafted on Hybrid, all dead. 3 Dean Apple, grafted on Hybrid, all dead. 4 pair Eastern Belle, on Hybrid, all dead. 2 Red Astrachan, grafted on Hybrid, all dead. 2 Baldwin on Duchess, all dead. 4 Bangor Apple on Crabs, all dead. 2 High Top Sweeting on Hybrids, all dead. 4 Hovey Apple, on Hybrids, all dead. 5 Seeknofurther, on Hybrids, all dead. 2 Northern Spy, on Hybrids, all dead. 16 trees Longfield, on Hybrids, all dead. 2 Messenger Russet on Duchess and Minn. Crab, living. 12 trees Brett Seedlings on Hybrid (stocks not all hardy) 4 living. 2 cions Lieby on Hybrids, all living. 1 cion Charlamoff, on Hybrids, all living. 2 Hibernal, on Hybrids, all living. 2 Ostrekofi’s Glass, on Hybrids, all living. ' Ostheim Cherry trees received from Chas. Luedloff of Carver, doing finely. » Se Sete ae eS eT REPAY Go ke eat Bae be 5 he ee hk, See Re ee re ad YC ER RT MMM a SA RR eR eG i é Si) ate es eI : ats hon 826 e ANNUAL REPORT. REPORT OF M. C. BUNNELL, NEWPORT. Mr. Bunnell, of Newport, being called upon, said: Mr. President, I have no written report. I find the Duchess and Wealthy are badly injured from the effects of last winter. As regards the Hybrids, I think Whitney No. 20, as a general thing withstood the test very well. Those having Transcendents seem inclined to think well of them, as they bore well; Hyslops did not stand quite so well. As regards plums, the De Soto more particularly gives good satisfaction. Weaver has not come into bearing much in my district. Think both varieties will stand the climate well here. As regards grapes, the Concord and Delaware seem to be the leading grapes and have done very well. The raspberries raised in our section are mostly the Turner and Philadel- phia of the red kinds, although some are planting the Cuthbert. It is thought by some, however, to be too tender, that it needs protection through the winter. Of blackberries Stone’s Hardy stands at the head of the list, with Snyder next. These varieties seem to be giving very fair satisfaction. As regards strawberries the Crescent and Wilson seem to take the lead for productiveness and hardiness. There are some other varieties that are being planted there, such as the Ironclad, ete. Bidwell has been planted some but I don’t think it will amount to much on our light soil; I don’t know what it might do on clay soil. The Windsor Chief may perhaps give very good satisfaction. There are some other varieties of course that are being tested, but I find that in Dakota county the majority of the strawberry growers seem inclined to plant the Wilson, more particularly I suppose on account of their shipping qualities. The Crescent will yield greater crops perhaps than most any other variety we can plant. Mr. Elliot here announced that .a meeting of the Amber Cane Association was being held at the Nicollet House. As some of the members present desired to attend the meeting of the Amber Cane Association it was suggested that the reading of the paper by Mr. Kellogg be deferred until afternoon. Mr. Jenkins. I am not one of the fruit committee although I am very generally known among fruit raisers in the northern part of this county and in Anoka county. J am not in the tree growing business although I see a good many. As far as my experience goes I would say from what I have seen that trees were injured some last winter, a year ago; still in my section they have borne a good crop of apples. {or ~ STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 327 I am on the prairie, but near the big timber in the northern part of this county. Those who are raising grapes have had good crops of fruit. The raspberry crop was very good and the strawberry crop was most excellent. The varieties most grown there are the Wilson, Crescent and Countess. The latter variety has done exceedingly well. My own seedlings you all know about and I do not need to mention them. Mr. Cutler. I made a report as Vice President. I don’t think it is necessary to make any further report. The Secretary then read the following: REPORT FROM CLARENCE WEDGE, ALBERT LEA. The blight entered my orchard three years ago and after disposing of the Hyslops and greatly injuring the Transcendents it last season affected every variety in my orchard, the Wealthy and the Maiden Blush seriously, the Duchess, Tetofsky and Elgin Beauty, the Whitney and Briar Sweet slighty. The Wealthy has in some cases thrown up strong suckers, and I am now in doubt whether to save them or grub up the old trees and plant anew. The Duchess lost the greater share of its fruit buds by the winter, but saved enough to produce a good crop. Rollins Pippin winter-killed outright, while the Elgin Beauty by its side came out fresh and resisted the blight, which I consider a good showing for this variety, considering that it was set the season before and on account of poor roots was barely able to live through the summer. Through the kindness of Prof. Budd I was able last spring to set out a little orchard of yearling Russian apples and pears, and a few willows and poplars. The apples made a strong and the pears a feeble growth. The willows and poplars were very distinct andinteresting. Salix Laurifolia is certainly as beautiful as a willow can be, its leaves having a thick glossy polish resembling a heavy coat of varnish. My vineyard has been the most satisfactory part of my fruit garden, beginning with a half dozen vines cared for in a most ignorant and unsystematic manner, it has ever proven_a most reliable and bountiful source of fruit, and such fruit too as made us the envy of our neighbors. I have fruited the Concord and Delaware five years with put one failure and that but partial. The Agawam, Massasoit, Champion and Cottage as two-year old vines bore a few branches last season. The Telegraph and Prentiss although rank growers have failed to ripen any wood for two years and a large share of the vines are dead. For our latitude a variety equal to the Concord and ripening a little earlier 1 should consider about perfect. The Cottage promises to be of about this description; it certainly is of a much more vigorous habit than the Worden or Moore’s Early and I think it may deserve more attention than it is receiving at the hands of the planters of this State. The De Soto plum is a favoite with us, it is abundantly fruitful and its season being later than that of our wild plum, the time of sitting under our own plum tree is very pleasantly prolonged. ee eee 2, es os SPL eS) de el eee Rie te ee) | Ee te rs eouny-- 7%"? . ° 1% tA EOS OC GAD 8 Se MeO Te Ng) ee re * ox > ™~ A + 328 ANNUAL REPORT. In this stony country the most important horticultural work that our farmers can engage in,is that of planting belts of evergreens that shall fully protect their houses, barns and barn yards; the cottonwoods, willows, etc., commonly planted are a partial protection, but it should be constantly insisted upon that they are not suf- ficient, and that evergreens are not difficult or slow to grow when properly managed. This is a work that all can engage in with enthusiasm no matter how sordid or unrefined their taste. We bank up our houses and shut them in with storm windows and storm doors, let us also cast up this outer breastwork of green and smile when the storm king rages. I cannot bring this report toa close without expressing some of that gratitude, which as farmers of this State, we owe to those‘few brave and enthusiastic men who, overwhelmed by discouragements again and again, have yet led on to the present advanced state of horticulture; what other men of our time have bestowed such comforts on posterity? How might these interests have languished and our homes been left without many of their attractions and endearments! ¥€ There is now no room for despair, everything leads on to the hope that this land which already flows with ‘‘milk and honey’’ may indeed ‘‘blossom as the rose.”” REPORT OF G. W. FULLER, LITCHFIELD. Mr. Fuller. Asa member of the fruit committee I have prepared no written report. In that already submitted I said nothing about plums. The De Soto bore last year and promises to be valuable. The Weaver variety, which was set some four or five years ago, has not borne any as yet. The crop of native plums was very good. As far as the experimental station is concerned, would say that I have had very few cions sent to me as yet. Have been unfortunate somehow. A bunch of cions sent to me from some source proved a failure. The Russian varieties killed down a trifle but they grew nicely last season and appear to be doing finely. Four varieties were sent me by the Secretary. In the spring I intend making a careful examination and will make a definite report. I cannot report defin- itely on the varieties received from Prof. Budd. Mr. Harris. Mr. President, there was no member on the General Fruit Committee from our county to report, and I will merely state that last winter killed the trees very badly, everything excepting the Duchess, Tetofsky and Peach apple. Now, while the Peach apple is the hardiest variety I have upon my place I don’t recommend it to people for general cultivation. Not because it is not an ironclad, but it is not productive and it seems to be more infested with this de- structive insect known as the circulio, than almost any other variety. It seems to be a favorite variety with them. One of my trees had perhaps a barrel of apples but I could hardly find enough perfect speci- 5 CLP ie Let 2", y ee S 4 5 Aaa! : «6 f top / 4 is STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 329 mens for a single plate and I did not exhibit any of the fruit at the Fair as I intended todo. The list of apples that we reeommend down there for cultivation is the Duchess of Oldenburg and Wealthy; and for trial, the Duchess of Oldenburg. REPORT OF F. J. SCHREIBER, MOORHEAD. Mr. Schreiber, of Moorhead, was requested to make a verbal report. Mr. Schreiber. Mr. President, I would say that in our cold section of Minnesota there are quite a number of amateurs trying to raise fruit, but thus far the prospects are not very good. I have never re- ceived any cions but we are working and experimenting right along. One of my neighbors located near the Red River in a little timber belt has made a partial success with a small orchard of Transcendents. President Smith. Have you an orchard or are you engaged princi- pally in growing small fruits ? Mr. Schreiber. I have a little of everything; but you know I am located on the open prairie about three miles southeast of Moorhead. I have several thousand trees all told, including evergreens and fruit trees. My trees exist but [ cannot say that they are very healthy, at least not so thrifty as I would like to see them. The Transcendent seems to be about the only variety of apple grown to any extent, and that only along the river where there is shelter; some two or three or- chards there are doing very well. Mr. Probstfield, an old settler, has an orchard of bearing trees, mostly Transcendents. He has ex- perimented with the ‘‘Ironclads”’ but says there is hardly anything as hardy as that variety, and they are dying off gradually. The Black _ Walnut is raised there. One of my neighbors has some hard Maples which are doing well. Heis also making a partial success with hardy, Russian apples. The orchard is three or four years old but not yet in bearing. . Mr. Underwood. Have you the Russian Mulberry and is it hardy? Mr. Schreiber. I have a thousand small trees from six to ten inches high. They stood well last winter. I lost very few trees but they were. killed back some. President Smith. How are small fruits, strawberries, etc., doing? Mr. Schrieber. Quite well. There is an abundance of wild straw- berries on the praries. [ think all that went into raising small fruits have been making a success of it. Cultivated strawberries are doing well. Evergreens do well; I have several thousand trees. The White Cedar is doing well. xe ee eae ey PIR a ere RY ay ae Or pea, MOCATD ee Seg tra ak ee ne Hah ee Se i ee a ate 3 7 ‘uh Jy pe he Ry ge ds eed Sy a ‘ ¥ \s cme ) ‘ er a f iL? ae f eae, : 4 Vege) ee Moras ahs * 330 . ANNUAL REPORT. Mr. Cutler. About what growth does the White Cedar make ? Mr. Schreiber. It makes a very good growth. Mr. Busse. Do you raise any raspberries up there ? Mr. Schreiber. Yes, mostly the blackcaps. I could not tell which varieties do the best, the red or the black. They lay the canes down and some cover with corn-stalks ; others cover with earth. As arule all fruits do better in the timber than on the prairie. Where corn- stalks are used for protection on the prairie there is this objection that the snow drifts, and in the spring when it melts there is too much water on the surface; consequently we suffer more from the water in the spring than from the cold in the winter. In the spring the nights are generally cold and the snow which melts in the day time causes the water to accumulate and it remains for some time on the level prairie, doing much harm to trees and plants. Mr. Busse. What is the soil up there, generally ? Mr. Schreiber. A stiff clay. Col. Stevens. It is a black, deep, rich muck, with a hard, clay sub- soil ; probably the richest soil this side of the West Indies. Mr. Kellogg. How are you succeeding with the hard maple ? Mr. Schreiber. One of my neighbors, Mr. Brendermuhle, is growing it successfully. The trees are quite young. We are also growing the White Ash. Col. Stevens. I wouldstate that many years ago where the village of Casselton now stands, in Cass county, Dakota, on what was then called ‘‘Goose Creek,’ I planted out a good many bushels of acorns and a great many seeds of different kinds of trees. And to my certain knowledge the trees did well there. I did not personally attend to them but Mr. Elliot’s gardener attended to them for me. Among the kinds of trees that succeed well in that neighborhood were the box- elder, elm and cottonwood. Of the latter there are some trees there now whichI am told are as large around as a man’s body, but of course they were planted a long while ago. Mr. Schreiber. I would state here that [ think we should not get our trees too far south as our northern grown trees succeed best. I got a car load of white willows from Illinois eight years ago and planted them on the open prairie there, and I find that they do not thrive, whereas the same variety planted from stock received farther north has proved to be a rapid grower. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. REPORT OF R, M. PROBSTFIELD. The following letter and report of R. M. Probstfield, was then read: MoorweEap, Cray Co., Mrinn., January, 16, 1886, S. D. Hillman, Sec’y. Minnesota State Horticultural Society:— Dear Sir:—Your note of January 9th received. Should have replied at once but for the hope that I would be able to attend the winter meeting of the Society, next. week Iam now convinced to my regret that I will not be able todoso. Itis a great disappointment tome. As I cannot be with you in the body, I will all the same be with you in sympathy and spirit, and hope for a session abounding in suc- cess, profit and pleasure to all attendants, the whole State, and in particular for the good old wheelhorses of the Society who have contributed so much, to make the Society and its meetings a blessing to the Northwestern states. Very truly and sincerely yours, R. M. PRoBstrFreLp. REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT OF EXPERIMENTAL STATION. By R. M. ProgstFreLp, Moorhead. I have very little to report on. First, I would mention that on March 16, last, I received from A. W. Sias of Rochester, the following cions: two Kimball, two McMahon White, two Autumn Streaked and four Hart. On May 12th they were grafted on as thrifty and sound appearing Transcendent stock (top graft) as I pos- sessed, (had no other). I gave half of the cions to.Chas. Brendermuhle of Krag- ness, of Clay Co. Of mine, not one bud started. Brendermuehle reports the same failure. I have been thinking that the cions were damaged during the time of transmission by mail, which was during a very cold and severe spell of weather. Two of the cions looked very bad and shriveled when received, the balance ap- peared all right. They were kept in a cool cellar in a small box filled with earth tops of cions about three to four inches out of ground. I wish to amend my report of date April 9, 1885, somewhat. (Page 296 of Re- port.) The Wealthy which I found at that date tc have been damaged most, improved wonderfully during the seasen and got into fair shape for this winter, yet I have no hopes for its hardiness in this region, and would advise experiments on only a very limited scale. Whitney No. 20 is not altogether hardy here, but have still some hopes for it; would advise experimenting with only a few. Beach’s Sweet and Sylvan Sweet seem entirely recovered from last winter’s damage and I feel en- couraged to continue to try them. Transcendent is the only real iron-clad I have tried, but is subject to blight of late years. Red and white Dutch currants, hardy as the oak here, and good bearers; have no other on trial. Turner’s seedling raspberries, which I wintered for the first time last winter was but little injured, without any covering and nosnow. The wild raspberry, indigenous here is perfectly hardy, bears well and furnishes a good supply for home use nearly every year. Lib ata Lh aes Shut Nee ee Oe eae id Mae a ‘a : \ Ane OA i Ni / i 4 ‘ Ke 332 ANNUAL REPORT. raf J Blackberries froze completely out last winter, despite the covering of about three inches of svil over the bent vines. Houghton’s seedling gooseberry froze badly last winter; no crop of them this year, but they stood the winters fairly well before last winter. Strawberries froze out completely where not covered last winter ; where covered, they came out all right, but crop very poor on account of hot, dry winds at the critical time when beginning to set fruit. Has been so with me for the last three seasons. As I was very well aware the Society was not in the possession of funds to supply experimental stations with stock to experiment on, I made an effort on a small scale to try some on my own account and applied to Mr. A. W. Sias of Rochester, Minn., for ten kinds of his hardiest varieties of apples, using his own judgment in the selection thereof. After receiving the trees from Mr. Sias, I applied to Mr. A. G. Tuttle of Baraboo, Wis., to supply me with a number of varieties other than those furnished by Mr. Sias, also to make his own selection with the request to consider hardiness above quality. I will here offer my thanks to those gentlemen for the furnishing of those selections at prices which probably will not pay for the work of handJing them, showing thereby their earnest striving for progress by experiments in the cause of pomology, in regions her eiotone supposed to have been too rigorous a climate to grow apples. The following is the list of trees furnished by Mr. Sias: Two Red Anis, No. 985; one each of Early Champagne, 68; Russian Green, 382; Autumn Streaked, 964; Longfield, 161; Somerville Seedling; Red Black, 966; Yellow Transparent, 334; McMahon White Seedling; Red Transparent, 333; Yellow Anisette, 987; Revel Pear, 338. From Mr. A. G. Tuttle, two each of the following: Yellow Anis, Long Arcade, Glass Winter, Hibernal, Blue Anis, Whitney No. 20, Arabian, Green Streaked, and Enormous. I shall try to add a few more to this list if I can obtain them, and if any members of the Socioty, or new members attending, have anything as hardy or hardier not contained in this list, I would like to correspond with them. I should like to try about twelve or fifteen varieties more, if there are that many in existence to-day with any reasonable show of being hardy enough for this climate. I had intended to apply to Professor Porter of the University for some, but was told that there were no trees to spare for a year or so. I should be glad if anyone could inform me where I can inquire with a reasonable prospect of obtaining a few more hardy varieties not contained in the list given. President Smith here announced that a number of papers on the program for the afternoon would be read at this time. The Assistant Secretary then read the following paper: FRUIT FOR FARMERS FAMILIES. By O. M. Lorp, Minnesota City. With most farmers, where you have discussed apples, the subject of fruit is exhausted. The cultivation of small fruit is supposed to demand more labor and : ie vO ? ¥ y ei. 7 my Ny a t * ‘ " 4 , STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 3833 skill than they possess, or can command; nearly all, in opening their farms, have set apple trees and some have tried the smaller fruits, but success has not been general. One of the common mistakes has been in the selection of varieties, another has been in starting upon too small ascale. A dozen plants only have been pur- chased; when the quantity should have been at least a hundred. The smaller quantity is put in some out of the way place and neglected, when a larger number would have received proper attention. If a small quantity of plants is set in some out of the way place, it requires hand labor to care for them, which is always the most expensive and hard to command of any on the farm. Hand labor is really the great bugbear of small fruit raising. If farmers could be convinced that a good supply of small fruits could be raised, with no more work than should be given to a crop of corn or potatoes, many a family would enjoy a plenty that now rarely see any upon their tables. With such as do not like fruit, [havenoargument. I have never seen a child who did not like it, nor a woman, nor a man whose taste was not per- verted. It is not claimed that we can grow all kinds of fruit in Minnesota, profitably, but it has been demonstrated that we can successfully raise apples, plums, grapes, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries when our climatic conditions are well understood; and when varieties and methods of cultivation are carefully considered our success 1s reasonably certain. ‘ A Ishall not attempt to discuss with farmers, the preparation of the soil for fruit raising, the authorities all agree upon that part of the subject. In regard to adaptation of different varieties, to the various soils, too little is generally known. It is, however, well understood that for climatic reasons we cannot depend upon the old standard varieties of apples of the eastern or middle states and that there are kinds that succeed here, no well informed person will dispute. The plums, commonly cultivated at the east and south have not succeeded here, and there are natives indigenous here that compare favorably in quality with any of them, and in character of tree, hardiness, productiveness, and ease of propagation far surpass them. No farmer need be without this very desirable fruit, as this is its natural home, and it is adapted to any variety of soil found here, and to almost any kind of treatment as to cultivation. D. B. Wier, a prominent fruit grower, says he has solved the problem of producing native plums in any quantity, viz: to plant different kinds close together (mainly for fertilization) from four to six feet in rows, twelve feet apart. An indiscriminate selection of trees from the woods is not desirable, a better way is to plant the seed from such as are satisfactory, and con- tinuously select the best; or if a superior kind can be found to propagate by graft- ing. Experiments have proved that it pays to give the trees of any variety thorough cultivation. They may produce a single crop or more, while standing in the grass, but they will not continue to bear and do well in that condition. STRAWBERRIES. Not one farmer in ten is supplied with strawberries of his own growing. So much has been published in regard to this fruit, that little remains to be said, although its habits of growth, and the metheds of cultivation are so well known, failures in the production of fruit arecommon. Beginners are confused with the ~ numerous kinds advertised, and make mistakes with the varieties in regard to fertilization and adaptability to different soils. mati Wet Var A eS mbit A oh MBN SEO Won. ae : AN, eve Ade) © is + aOR) ua i Wi, igh Ree 334 ANNUAL REPORT. The average farmer cannot afford to experiment, and is easily discouraged with one failure. For such, a few varieties only can be named that are entirely reliable. - The Wilson for clay ground, Downers Prolific for sandy soil, and the Crescent seedling with a fertilizer for either soil, will with proper care, well repay one for time and labor. In order to reduce the labor, I mean hand labor, to the lowest point, this and all other small fruit should as far as possible be placed upon clean ground, in rows of such length that the cultivation can be mainly done witha horse. Rows of ten rods in length are short enough to be conveniently managed. If every farmer would set apart half an acre to be devoted to small fruit, and plant so as to be easily cultivated, the fruit return would pay him a hundred fold besides enhancing the value of his farm in the opinion of any intelligent buyer. RASPBERRIES, Raspberries follow strawberries in season, and there is no small fruit grown more easily than the red varieties. After the first year of planting the amount of work given them does not necessarily involve more than is usually given the same quantity of corn or potatoes, and a selection of two or three kinds will prolong the season, till blackberries are ripe. Plants set ten years ago of the Philadelphia and Turner have produced nine good crops, some very large yields, and are still in good condition, without any hand Jabor except trimming out and picking; the cultivation being done with a horse and small plow or cultivator. Some growers practice trimming in the fall, and laying the canes down, and with a team and large plow turning backfurrows over the rows, claiming that they are thus certain not to be injured by the cold. Others do not disturb the bushes in the fall after picking the fruit, claiming that the surplus bush retains the snow, and thus enable them to endure the cold without damage. The Wisconsin growers pinch back the growing canes to make them branch out, but it is doubtful if this method is beneficial after the first year of growth, with any of the red varieties, while it is absolutely necessary with the black ones to secure large yields. The black varieties were abundant in the market at Winona a few years since. The kinds were Mammoth Cluster, Seneca, Miami, Davison Thornless, and Doolittle; mostly the latter. There are at present some of the Gregg, a disease having attacked the others and nearly or quite destroyed them. The disease was not the well known rust or yellows, but the tender shoots had the appearance of being stung with an insect which killed them. No known black variety will stand our winters as will the red ones, but if it is desirable to try them, the Doolittle is probably the most reliable for hardiness and quantity of fruit. BLACKBERRIES. Very few farmers have tried to raise blackberries; where they have tried, they have succeeded beyond their expectations. In addition to the cost of cultivating, they need to be protected in winter. The cultivation does not require much hand labor. The method of protection for winter in a great measure fills the place of hoeing, etc. Farther south it is advised to sow clover between the rows; cutting it and using as a mulch between the hills. That plan is not practicable here. Shallow plowing, turning the furrows to the rows and then from them to keep the surface level and the weeds and suckers down, is the cheapest and easiest way to cultivate them. Large stout canes that have been pinched back will produce the most fruit. . 7 Vas oy PO * ~~ Ne Oe va Ya ae 7S LS eee Pa ee eae ¥ a ol) Ge ARS SR a (Na le ; As 4 a : y ¥ ; ‘ ’ 7s ' STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 335 If too many canes are allowed to grow ina hill, they will be so slender as to fall down, making them difficult to cultivate and protect. The season of this fruit may be greatly prolonged by setting early and late varieties. There are no varieties adapted to a wet soil. A clay loam will produce the most fruit, but they will ripen earlier where the soil is sandy. Besides the foregoing fruits, others might be named, which would well repay the farmer for all necessary cost and labor, but those named including currants involye the least outlay in money for plants and will yield a bounteous return for the labor bestowed. FRUIT AT NEW ORLEANS EXPOSITION. Mr. Woolsey. Mr. President, I would like to inquire, if it is in order, if it would not be right to ask some explanation from Mr. Gould in regard to our fruit exhibited at the New Orleans Exposition last winter, as to whether we had received an adequate return for the large amount of money expended in making that exhibit. President Smith. It is not on the program but I think everyone would be glad to have a short report on that subject. Mr. Gould. Mr. President and Gentlemen: I would like to add somewhat to the report that I have already made which is published in the proceedings for 1885. At the time I prepared my report I was not well and I made it as short as I could and omitted some things of some interest to the people of the State. I know that many are in the dark in regard to some things which were left out of the report. Mr. Gould here read extracts from the published report referred to. Continuing, Mr. Gould said: The arrangement was that fruit had to be in place on the night of the 14th day of January, as the tables would only hold a certain amount; they were calculated for twenty thousand plates. Mr. Parker Earle, of Cobden, Ill., was superintend- ent of the horticultural department. I had seen him frequently pre- vious to this time and consulted with him in regard to space in Horti- cultural Hall, and he intormed me that I could have all the space on his tables that [ would agree to fill. But I will say here that Mr. Gibbs, the Commissioner from Minnesota, was in favor of making the principal display of fruits:-in the Government Building, which was three-quarters of a mile from Horticultural Hall, and hence there was no chance for an exhibition for competitive prizes in the Government Building. All fruit that was to compete for prizes had to be exhibited in Horticultural Hall. I was in favor of making our principal] exhibit 336 ANNUAL REPORT. there, but Mr. Gibbs was in authority and preferred to have it made in the Government Building with the balance of the State exhibits, for the purpose of making a very creditable exhibit there, thinking perhaps that it would be of more value to the State to put it up in that way than it would be to compete for prizes at Horticultural Hall. As far as I am concerned I have no opinion to express in regard to that policy at present. Jt was my wish at the time to make an exhibit of fruit at Horticultural Hall because I wanted to make a show of our fruit. And I will say here that we had very much the best exhibit of Russian apples there; in fact there was nothing of any consequence from any other state in the line of Russian apples. I had about five bushels, comprising eight or ten different varieties. Mr. Harris. I would like to inquire whether we did not have a suffi- cient quantity of fruit to make a creditable exhibit in both departments if it had been put up? Mr. Gould. I had fruit enough to make an exhibit in both places. I could have made a good exhibit in the Government Building and could have used six or eight varieties there without interfering with the exhibit in Horticultural Hall. There was another thing in the way. Everything was behind except in Mr. Earle’s department. He had his building and tables ready for fruit the first thing in the Expo- sition. The official opening was on the 14th day of December and he asked to have some fruit placed there from our State. Only a small portion of the states had their fruits on hand at that time. It was talked up among the commissioners generally that they would not put any up there then. He came down and made a special request that we should take some fruits up there and I thought it was very,;important to doit, but I was only one. It was the understanding, however, among all the commissioners at that time, with one or two exceptions, that he should not have much fruit. Our stricture in the Government Building was not completed until about the 13th of January, so that we could begin setting up fruit there. On the morning of the 14th, when there was no more time to spare, if we made any exhibit in Horticultural Hall—we had to do it that day—I got Mr. Woolsey, who is now present here, to assist me in taking some grapes up there and getting that exhibit arranged. The committee came around once or twice to ask us whether we had things arranged. The next day, when it was too late, I asked the privilege of taking a few apples up there to see if I could not get them on the tables. Mr. Gibbs was then entirely willing that I should do aN a STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 337 so, and I took up a few specimens in a common market basket, carry- ing them up on my arm, and succeeded in getting two premiums on that lot. Mr. Harris. Are we to understand that that was all the apples that we had there of our immense collection that came in competition with those of Wisconsin and other states? Mr, Gould. Yes, sir, that is all; it was either four or five varieties. Mr. Hoag. I would like to know how our fruits compared with the fruits of lowa and Wisconsin. Mr. Gould. Well, there are some testimonials here that I might read which were given by strangers of their own free will who saw our exhibit. I will say that Ohio brought down some of their Catawba grapes, expecting, of course, to carry off the prize, for they are supposed to be the Catawba people of all the rest of the country. They had some in nice condition; they were almost perfect; the stems were yet green and the grapes well preserved. But those exhibited by Minnesota were the best. The management there are still owing the State Hor- ticultural Society ninety-five dollars in cash for premiums awarded. It is doubtful whether the debt is worth anything. They owe ussome medals which they will give us if we will make them. But in this re- spect we have fared the same as the people from other States. I pre- sume foreign premiums have been awarded, but I do not know. Ohio tried hard to secure that prize, but there was no question that Minne- sota had the best. One gentleman of forty years’ experience in fruit- growing in New York came to me and inquired if our grapes were grown in the open air. Hethought they must have been grown under glass; but they were all grown out doors. Kansas exhibited some seventy varieties, but they did not succeed in preserving them to ex- hibit them in a presentable condition. I had some photographs taken of our exhibit. I have one left which the Society can keep if desired. Mr. Harris. What about our exhibit of Minnesota wine? Mr. Gould. I[ don’t know whether that was entered for competition or not; I was not there. Mr. Harris. It is suggested by Mr. Kellogg that perhaps the judges drank the wine and forgot to make a report. Mr. Gould. I think it was used up after I came away. I noticed that apples from different parts of the country varied much in form and color; the apples that were grown on the Pacific coast, especially those from California, seemed to take on an elongated habit. The 22 ae, f. 338 ANNUAL REPORT. Baldwin runs out long and pointed. They have a nice, waxy look. I believe the finest apples I saw were grown in Oregon and Idaho—the largest and finest looking. There was a collection of over one hun- dred varieties of apples from England, and they had a sort of famished appearance, as if they were starved, the sides being pinched in back of the calyx. I should therefore conclude that England is a poor place to grow apples, and not as good an apple growing country as our own. On motion a vote of thank was tendered Mr. and Mrs. Gould and Miss Gould for the manner in which they had cared for the fruit ex- hibit at the Exposition. AWARD OF PREMIUMS. Mr. Hoag, from the Committee on Award of Premiums, presented a report which was, on motion, adopted : We, the members of the Committee on Awards, have discharged our duty to the best of our ability, and report the following: APPLES. PREMIUM. AM’T. Display Wealthy, Andrew Peterson, Waconia, - - - First $5 00 Winter Apples, Andrew Peterson, Waconia, - - - First 2 00 Winter Apples, Willow Twig, Talmon Sweet, Fameuse, Ben Davis, Sweet Seedling, Geo. J. Kellogg, Janesville, Wis., Special 5 00 s GRAPES. PREMIUM. AM’T. Best plate, A. W. Latham, Excelsior,- - - - - First $5 00 Best plate, A. W. Latham, Excelsior, - - - - - Second 3 00 Best plate, lona, Andrew Peterson, Waconia, Third 2 00 VEGETABLES. PREMIUM. AM’T. Best Display, Wm. Lyons, Minneapolis, - - - - First $5 00 - Best Display, H. F. Busse, Minneapolis, - - - - Second 3 00 — Winter and Spring Potatoes, Beauty of Hebron, J J. Cale Minnetonka, = - - - - - - - First ,. 2-00 Winter and Spring potatoes, Burbank, J. J. Cale, Minnetonka, Second 1 0014 Early potatoes, Ohio, Wm. Lyons, Minneapolis, - - First 2 00 Early potatoes, Ohio, J. J. Cale, Minnetonka, : - Second 1 00 Ouvions, Wm. Lyons, Minneapolis, = - - - - - First 2 00 Onions, Wethersfield, J. J. Cale, Minnetonka, - - - Second 1 00 Beets, Wm. Lyons, Minneapolis, - - - - - First 100. Beets, Basona, G. H. Roberts, Minneapolis, - - - Second 50 Orange carrots, G. H. Roberts, Minneapolis, - : - First 1 00 Orange carrots, H. F. Busse, Minneapolis, - - - Second 50 Parsnips, G. H. Roberts, Minneapolis, - - - - First 100 Parsnips, Wm. Lyons, Minneapolis, - - - - - Second 50 Ilubbard squash, H. F. Busse, Minneapolis, - - - First 1 00 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 839 RANTRY STORES. . PREMIUM. AM’T. Best display canned fruit, William Lyons, Minneapolis, - First $3 00 Best display canned fruit, E. M.{Chandler, Minnehaha, - - Second 2 00 Display Jellies, W. H. Brimhall, St. Paul, - - - - First 2 00 Display Jellies, Wm. Lyons, Minneapolis, - - - - Second 1 00 Mixed Pickles, W. H. Brimhall, St.Paul, - - - - First 1 00 Mixed Pickles, William Lyons, Minneapolis, - - - - Second 50 Home-made maple vinegar, Knight H. Whipple, Northome, - First 1 00 Home-made maple vinegar, J. J. Cale, Minnetonka, - - Second 50 Dried apple sauce, Mrs. M. A. Pearce, Minneapolis, - - Special 1 00 WORKS OF ART. PREMIUM. AM’T. Collection Paintings, Mrs. J. T. Grimes, - - - - First 1 00 Seedling strawberry, J. W. Jenkins, Champlin, - - — Special $2 00 Gregg Raspberries, J. W. Jenkins, Champlin, = - - - Special 1 00 Currants two varieties, J. W. Jenkins, Champlain, - - Special 1 00 We recommend a special premium of five dollars on collection of apples entered by Geo. J. Kellogg, of Wisconsin. Also, special premiums as indicated in report. (Signed) M. J. Hoaa, W. E. BriMHatu, F. G. Goutp, Committee. CRANBERRY CULTURE. Mr. Tuttle. Mr. President, I would like to speak of one kind of fruit that has not thus far been mentioned. I understand there are facilities for growing it somewhat extensively in Minnesota. TI refer to cranberries. It is not really necessary that a man should have a marsh in order to grow cranberries; if you have a flat, or level piece of sandy land, so situated that you can keep the ground muist by allowing a stream of water to flow over it, enough to moisten the soil, you can grow cranberries with success. Some have supposed that it was necessary to have a marsh to raise cranberries, but it is a fact that one of the most successful cranberry plantations in Wisconsin is on a very poor piece of sandy land, where they were accustomed formerly to grow buckwheat. The plants require to be covered in winter with water, but in the growing season sufficient water is required simply to keep the ground moist. There is a plantation of some fourteen acres in our state that I have referred to where they grow eight or nine hundred bushels of cranberries to a single crop. 840 ANNUAL REPORT. Mr. Roberts. They have to overflow the land in winter? Mr. Tuttle. All cranberry ground has to be overflowed in the win- ter. If the snow covers the ground so as to prevent freezing it answers the purpose, but if not covered in some way the cranberry vines will kill out, and they are quite as tender as the rose. In regard to grow- ing cranberries the great point is to have plenty of water and to have proper facilities for using it at any time in the quantity required, in order to ensure the greatest success. I believe in our,state that it is going to be one of the most important of the fruit interests. President Smith. I have requested Mr. Tuttle to prepare an arti- cle upon cranberry culture to be furnished for publication in our_re- port. The following paper was then read by Mr. Underwood. ORNAMENTATION OF HOMES. By J. M. UNDERWooD, Lake City. It must be apparent to you all that very little thought is given to the proper lay- ing out and adornment of our homes, for you can hardly find a country home that does not have some conspicuous fault in its surroundings and some of them have very many. I will try to point out some of these objectionable features, that it may be more apparent to you that a discussion of this subject is necessary and my remark reason- able. A common error that farmers make in laying out their grounds is to put into the foreground the most objectionable and unsightly of their buildings. Quite likely as you drive by you will see the hog-pen in front of the house, the front fence serving to make one part of the pen. If it was dark and you could not see it, you would know by the smell what was there. Very likely back in an out of the way place, you will find a flower bed wasting its sweetness in obscurity, while the hogs and their filth are made conspicuous. is Near the hog-pen you will find the barn-yard and you may have to drive through the barn-yard to approach the_house, in fact I know a well-to-do farmer a highly educated man, that in going to his house one must pass through the barn-yard over a manure-pile and near a hog-pen, before you can get to the door-yard. Then you will not find a place to tie your horse without danger of its being kicked to death by the colts running loose around, or hooked by the cows that share the yard with the colts. Imagine if you can the pleasure of calling for a neighborly chat under exas- perating circumstances like these. These are no exaggerations but actual facts that I can testify to. Im a timbered country a woodpile is quite certain to occupy an exalted position in front. If on the prairies we have sometimes seen wheat or other grain almost up to the door of the house. The mistakes I have mentioned are inexcusable and are too disgusting to merit anything but our indignation. In towns or cities it is nearly as bad to see d 5 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 3841 the barns in the residence portions built out to the sidewalk so that one is compelled to pass near all of the objectionable and unsightly features of a barn. Then how many persons pile their wood on the ground between the rvuad and sidewalk and if they have any wagons or sleighs, rundown machinery of any kind, they find it con- venient to store them indefinitely on what they imagine is waste ground. The city officials could abate these nuisances, but they dislike to cause any disturbance or are themselves indifferent to the subject. In towns a favorite manner of ornamenting the surroundings is to dump ashes out in the street. I know men who for some unaccountable reason, every spring wheel all the refuse of their back yards out into the middle of the street. Tin cans, old hoop-skirts, chips and rubbish of all kinds are brought out to frighten horses and annoy persons driving by. So that in country and town I plead for anawaken- ing to the importance and correction of these objectionable features and a cultiva- tion of the adornment of homes. In laying out the grounds for a home, one should locate the buildings conven- iently to each other, always being careful to keep barns and out-houses in the back ground; or if on the side they should never be farther to the front than on a line with the rear of the house, and all barn yards should be back of this line. The house should stand so as to preserve a good proportion to the surrounding ground, not so far front as to make the front yard seem close and stingy, or so far back as to make the yard appear too prominent. Of course in the country one can and should be more liberal in the use of ground than in towns; but I have seen farm buildings so far from the road as to look as though they had been dropped there by chance with no thought of symmetry or convenience. A not infrequent error in towns is to crowd the house into a corner of the lot and then in the small remaining space in the shadow of the house and the dense shade of the trees on the street, attempt to grow flowers and shrubs where grass will not even do well. Choose an elevated situation for the house, and if the ground is level, set the underpining up high and fill in so as to have good drainage from the house. The wall should show at least 2 ft. above the sod. I have seen houses on side hills set so low that on the upper side the ground came to the base board, and water would run into the cellar. The ground was wet and unpleasant in every respect, when good drainage was so near by. This principle should apply to barns and all out- houses as.well. It is a great deal more pleasant to work in and around buildings that are up and out of the mud and dirt. Having located the buildings, we will proceed to ornament the grounds. GRADING. Where it can be avoided I would not plow the ground for a yard; simply sow on blue grass seed and drag itin. In nature no attempt is made to bring everything to a level or even grade. A man’s house is his own little world, and why not as far as practicable, have it look natural. If there is a mound or depression in the yard, and it is not out of proportion with its size, let it be, or you may possibly enlarge or diminish the size of either and improve its looks. Rocks, fountains and lakelets and running water always improve the looks when properly introduced, but great care must be used not to give them a stiff and unreal appearance. When the grading is all done, we will next consider 842 ANNUAL REPORT. FENCING, In the first place, I would not have any more fencing or gates than are absolutely necessary for protection, and in this country where all kinds of stock are fenced, it is not so necessary to fence yards, and no fence at all looks better than a homely unpainted one. In cities and towns I think it looks much better to do without. fences, and Jet the sodding come to the walk, and from the outside of the walk to. the road; besides its looking better, it is indicative of the common brotherhood of man, and cultivates a mutual interest in the good appearance of all. PLANTING. In the first place select a patch of ground in front of the house, according to the side of the yard that is scrupulously retained for green grass. It must not be shaded by trees or encumbered with anything whatever. It should be of. pure blue grass to suit me, well enriched, if possible well watered, and kept closely cut. A few well kept flower and rose beds, near the house, that can be seen from the windows on the south and east sides, are desirable. In addition to these there should be a plat exclusively devoted to flowers, the same as to a vegetable garden; but don’t put the sweet flowers near the unsightly cabbages, tomatoes and onions; let them occupy a warm and pleasant spot by themselves, or, if they must be near together, set an arbor vits screen to separate them. Trees and shrubs should be planted in groups. In the country set out a grove of hard maples on the north and west. Three hundred trees will make a good one. Do not set them in rows, but twelve to eighteen feet apart, with no three trees in aline. It will tax your ingenuity somewhat to do it, but it can be done. Plow this grove with one horse and a common stirring plow four or five times each sum- mer, and in a few years you will have a joy to behold. On the road side and bordering the lanes, plant alternate trees of elm and soft maple; plow these trees also and make them grow. The soft maple will grow up quick and furnish shade, and when they are blown all to pieces by the wind, the elms will be there to take their place. Do not allow crotches to form, and keep the heads well cut back so they will not break with the hard winds. Evergreens can be introduced in groups of three, five or more, according to the size of the yard. A good place for them is in the corners of the yard. If the grounds are large, there should be a group of nice shade trees near by where one can go to rest in their hammock and watch the children playing on the green. Lindens, Maples, Elms or Box Elders are good for this. If you have a fine view in any direction, do not shut it out by anything. ; It is always nice to have one or more specimen trees on the ground. Ifthe space is limited, cut-leaved Birch, Mt. Ash, English Alder, Larch, Weep Mt. Ash, or Weep Poplar are good. These should all enter into the adornment of larger grounds, But where one can have them there is nothing handsomer than our Burr and Red Oaks. The majestic branches of the former with its artistic covering of rough bark. The beautiful leaves of the latter that remain on the tree nearly all winter,. together with their symmetrical forms, make them most desirable. Do not try to have every tree look as if it had been turned ina lathe. A rough, leaning tree with a limb broken off, looks well in a picture, and a tree artist never fails to introduce them. They give variety and make the place look natural. The Linden isa grand ° — : ; \ ; STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 343 tree, and I hope to see it more generally used; it likes to overhang a stream of water, but does well on high ground, is a native and consequently hardy. Never put fruit trees in the front yard, let that be for the picturesque and ornamental alone; let the useful elements come in by themselves where they can receive the care they need, Groups of shrubs should be planted here and there. In the front or on the side set the low growing ones, Spireas, Weigelias, Hydrangeas, &c., and farther back set Snow-balls, Lilacs, Honey-suckles and Syringas. Or you can put them all ona plat of ground and call it your ‘‘shrubbery,”’ setting the higher growing varieties jn the background, and the lower kinds in front. Arbor vitse hedges look well on borders of driveways. They should be eightcer or more feet from each other and about a foot apart in the row. A nice evergreen border for walks and beds is Juni- per Savin, and for an evergreen screen, almost any evergreen can be used by cut- ting them back severely. Set a screen out around the back yard to hide the wood pile or any other objec- tionable feature. Finally having planted the ground, take good care of it, cultivate frequently, mulch heavily, prune judiciously, and enjoy the reward of living in a beautiful home. DISCUSSION. Mr. Fuller. Mr. President, while [ am pleased with the paper which has just been read it seems to me that the picture is a little overdrawn, and I fear that it may give the impression that we are dis- posed to be unnecessarily severe upon some of our farmer friends in various portions of the State. Mr. Underwood. Mr. President, [ won’t take back one word of what I have said. I don’t set up a man of straw for the purpose of knocking him down again. There are those that cannot educate themselves up to this idea. It is not my intention to make any attack upon farmers as a class at all; I know there are just as intelligent men in the country, who have correct ideas of how to do things de- cently and properly as elsewhere, but at the same time I do know that there is the least attention given to these things imaginable. It is beyond dispute that there is not the proper attention given by the farming classes to the ornamentation of their homes. Of course on the prairies out where Mr. Fuller lives their surroundings may not be so unacceptable, but it isso at least in Wabasha county, and I can call the names of farmers and men with whom Mr. Fuller is acquainted who have natural advantages for pleasant and attractive homes, but who make them actually repulsive by their carelessness and neglect. It is no uncommon thing to see farmers’ homes, where in order to 344 | ANNUAL REPORT, reach the house, you have to drive through the barnyard and over a manure pile. “Mr. Fuller. I do not question or deny that there are not some in- stances of the kind referred to, but is seems to me that the impression given by the paper is a very general one; now is that true? Mr. Smith. Yes. Mr. Sias. Mr. President, I have been accustomed to travel over various portions of the State for a number of years more or less, in canvassing, and I can safely say that the picture is not overdrawn one particle, and I will agree with my friend Underwood. No longer ago than last fall I had occasion to call on an intelligent man and a good farmer in our county, who resides not more than six miles from the city of Rochester, and in going to his house I was obliged to drive not only through his barnyard, but his hog-yard. And I have been to many such places in this State. I will say that I once canvassed some in the South, in Indiana and Kentucky, and there it was still worse. I don’t want to misrepresent our own State, or to make out that it is any worse than others in this respect, but I think that this is not an overdrawn picture. Mr. Gould. Mr. President, I think that people when they begin to grow fruit are in some way influenced to fix up their homes, to put their back yards where they properly belong. It is hardly right, per- haps, to designate particular neighbors, but I may say here that if one will visit Wayzata, Long Lake, Watertown, and other places I might name, there are a large number of farmers who have taken no pains to fix up their front yards. But it is not so out where I live. Where people get to growing fruit they are apt to put flowers in their front yards and put things to rights. I believe this Society is proving, per- haps, the greatest benefit by civilizing people, elevating their minds, improving their habits and making them better citizens; it is doing much in that way. The Secretary then read the following paper: THE SELECTION OF SITES FOR PARKS AND PARKWAYS. By H. W. 8S. CLEVELAND, Chicago, Ill. Few people ever think of a park as anything but a luxury; an ornamental ap- pendage to acity for the recreation and enjoyment of the inhabitants, towhich they may resort as a refreshing change from the toils and cares of daily life in the busy __ streets. In selecting a site fora park, therefore, the first object, in the popular mind, is to secure the most attractive and picturesque area that is available within » STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 3845 easy access of the city, and then to develop and heighten the charms which nature has bestowed upon it, by tasteful and artistic arrangement, and the intro- duction of artificial decorations of various kinds, suchas fountains, bridges, statues, vases, rustic work and ornamental structures. In arranging the routes for parkways or boulevards also, the primary object in most minds is to secure a drive through the most attractive scenery that is access- ible for such purpose. It is not unfrequently the case that tracts of land may exist in the immediate vicinity of a city of a very picturesque character, which owing to that very fact are not available for the purposes of residence sites, because no individual can afford the great cost of grading and draining them and constructing the reads by which they can be made accessible. In such cases the improvement of a large portion as a park, and the construction of fine roads and ornamental avenues by which it may be easily reached, confers at once such value upon the whole adjacent area that the city is more than paid for the outlay by the addition thus made to the taxable value of the improved property. The Central Park of New York affords an eminent illustration of this truth. Before its improvement by the city, it was simply a series of wild ledges, of barren rocks with intervening valleys and occasional swamps, where no man could afford to fix his residence on account of the great cost of putting even a small piece of * ground in habitable condition, and the fact that even when done there wculd be no means of access toit. The consequence was that its only inhabitants were of the poorest class of rag and coal pickers, whose wretched hovels were clustered here and there under the protecting ledges in the midst of piles of ashes, giving to the whole district such a dreary and suspicious aspect of squalor that no stranger cared. to enter its precincts. I remember well that I felt doubtful of my personal safety when I spent a day exploring it alone in 1856, when the first purchase was made of a portion of it for a park. Now to summarize the effect of the work of improve- ment of this area by the construction of the park, and making it accessible by fine roads; the whole cost of the park, for the first twenty-five years, including original purchase, construction, maintenance and interest was in round numbers $44,000,000. During this period the aggregate amount of taxes collected in the wards im- mediately adjacent to the park was ¢110,000,600. Estimating fifty millions as the utmost increase of value which could have accrued from the ordinary extension of city improvements, there would be sixty millions left, and delucting from that the cost of the park we have the handsome net profit of sixteen millions of dollars. This shows the wisdom of selecting areas for such improvements which from natural causes are almost valueless until they are thus made habitable; but it by no means proves that it is wise or desirable for the city to purchase large tracts for parks which are already so attractive as residence sites, that the land has attained a high value from the natural advantages it offers. Such tracts are not only very costly at the outset, but there is no danger whatever that they will ever be occupied for objectionable purposes. Instead of seeking only the most beautiful tracts for such use, which already possess great value from their intrinsic advantages, the aim should be to find the localities which from natural causes are avoided by the most desirable class of population, and liable from their consequent low valuation to be occupied for objectionable purposes, and by expending money in redeeming 346 : ANNUAL REPORT. and rendering them attractive confer upon them a value they could not otherwise attain. If, asin the case of the Central Park, their natural character is picturesque from its rugged and forbidding nature, the style of improvements should corres- pond, and their chief attractions will lie in the contrast they afford to the luxurious elegance of the surrounding city. But there are other natural causes which often render large areas uninhabitable or so undesirable that they are liable to become offensive districts unless prevented by timely forethought and wise provision for theirimprovement. It may be that there isdanger of malarial diseases from natural causes which can only be removed by the action of the city or perhaps the state, or it may be only that a wide area is of such monotonous character as to offer no special attraction to those whose means enable them to choose amore agreeable locality, and is therefore offered in small lots at a low price and grows into a dreary wilderness of mean or very ordinary streets which are avoided by all but those who can afford nothing better. There are miles upon miles of such streets in Chicago, lined with cheap and flimsy structures or with hideous cooking tenement houses, pregnant with disease from stagnant pools, foul gutters and filtby alleys, and apparently irredeemable from their squalor by any power short of that exercised in Paris by Napoleon, yet the mode he adopted for converting such quarters into elegant and sightly sections may teach our new and growing cities how to avoid the dreaded evil which only such arbitrary power can cure. Paris was formerly filled with narrow streets lined with low buildings. Now it is mapped out into a magnificent system of boulevards on each side of which are elegant buildings and double rows 2f trees.—When a boule- vard is to be opened through such a precinct, the property is taken by appraisement, —not only of sufficient width for the avenue, but for one or two hundred feet back from the curb-stone on each side. The avenue is then made and planted, and the land on each side re-arranged and sold in lots with proper restrictions as to the kind of buildings to be erected, und their distance from the street. It is well fur us that such arbitrary power of: eviction is impossible in our cities, but it is all the more essential that we should take such early action as may prevent the evil which can only be cured by such means. In the neighborhood of almost all cities there are more or less extensive tracts which possess no natural features to render them attractive, and although no seri- ous objection can be urged against trem, are not largely in demand for the erection of fine public or private buildings. As the city expands these areas fill up with streets and buildings so monotonous in their style that they can hardly be distinguished from one another, and though there may be nothing disreputable or offensive in their general character, the quar- ters never comes to be considered a desirable one, and can never-become a source of such rich revenue to the city treasury as might have been secured by a more judic- ious arrangement in the first place. The lack of naturally attractive features should have been supplied by intersecting the area with broad ornamental avenues, con- necting with parks of greater or less extent, so arranged and decorated with tasteful designs of trees, shrubbery, lawn and flowers as to render them attractive resorts for all coming time. The experience of old cities has amply demonstrated that the creation of such improvements, when judiciously located, never fails to give such tcne and character to a wide section of adjacent territory, that sites are eagerly | STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIBTY. 347 "sought for tne erection of fine public or private buildings and splendid shops for the display of the most costly wares. ' The whole location thus becomesan elegant and rich quarter, which but for these improvements would never have been other than a monotonous series of "streets and blocks, offering no attractions to visitors, whether citizens or strangers. “It is obvious, however, that great care is necessary in locating these areas and especially the lines of boulevards so that they may become integral portions of the thickly populated city instead of mere external pleasure drives, and this can only be attained by securing the land at an early stage of the city’s growth. Chicago affords an illustration of the danger of delay, for althongh she has arranged a more extended system of boulevards than any other city in the country, they are all at such a distance from the present thickly peopled districts that a drive of several “miles is necessary to reach the nearest of them, and many years must elapse before - they can be regarded as city avenues. They are in fact only country roads mag- _hificently arranged for driveways, with here and therea costly residence fronting upon them, but except at fashionable houses, having a deserted appearance instead of the constant throng of equipages and pedestrians which melnich the boulevards _ of Paris so attractive. ‘ The obvious importance to the new and growing towns of this section, of timely forethought and action in arranging for these future wants which can never be ‘supplied if we wait till they are felt, has led me to dwell upon the subject in the _ hope of impressing it the more forcibly upon the minds of all-who have it in their Brower to influence civic authority. No one who reflects upon it can fail to per- ceive that much of the ultimate beauty, health and welfare of every town which ever aspires to be anything more than a village must depend upon arrangements. which can only be secured by the exercise of timely and judicious forethought. And yet how rarely do we see it exercised. There is hardly a city of 100,000 inhab- -itants in the western country in which the expenditure of very large sums might. ‘not have been saved, and millions secured for the future city treasury by early attention to natural topography and adaptation to future wants in its first arrange- ‘ment. In the course of thirty years’ experience as a landscape gardener, I have so often witnessed the almost inestimable losses resulting from neglect of opportuni- “ties, the value of which was not realized till too late, that I cannot express too strongly my sense of the danger of delay, or condemn too earnestly the ‘‘penny wise and pound foolish economy”’ which can never look beyond immediate necessity and rise above the meannesses of petty trading. _ There is, however, another aspect of the question which is of, scarcely less im- portance, and is certainly of wider significance than the one I have thus far con- ‘sidered. I allude to the reservation for public use, of large areas which from ‘special, natural or other causes possess such interest to mankind at large that the prbole world has a claim upon them, asa gift from almighty power which should be held sacred from the modifications to which the greed of man might subject them. The national government has recognized this principle in the reservation of the Yellowstone Park, and the State of New York has followed suit in securing ‘Niagara Falls and a large area of the Adirondack region to be forever preserved as “public domain. Some action has been taken in the Minnesota legislature towards securing an be 348 ANNUAL REPORT. Ree area around Minnehaha Falls for a similar purpose, but thus farit has been but a feeble effort and no practical result has yet been reached. The region possesses no such features of sublimity or grandure as Niagara or the Yellowstone, but it has nevertheless a sufficient claim for consideration from various causes to render its preservation a matter of vital interest and importance. It possesses in its natural features enough of the picturesque to make it an exceed- ingly attractive feature of park scenery, and although it cannot aspire to such intrinsic elements of sublimity as Niagara, it has been invested with such poetic associations as must forever hallow its precincts with a charm which all the world will recognize. When in addition to this we consider the fact that its situation is such that it must of necessity become a central point of a very thickly peopled region, while from its-topographical character it can hardly fail, if not improved for public use, to become a disreputable quarter, and a disgrace to both the cities in its neighborhood, the only verdict that can be reached in regard to the question of its reservation, is that it has already been too long delayed. In regard to other appropriate areas for similar use it is enough to say that a State Horticultural Society could hardly discover a nobler object for energeticaction | than the seeking out and urging upon the Legislature the preservation of such tracts as may be available whose intrinsic character renders them especially inter- esting. In the wide region embracing the sources of the Father of Waters, such areas must exist whose value and interest will only increase with time and population. The following paper was then read: EVERGREENS AND THEIR USES. By A. W. 81s, Rochester. This subject is fraught with such magnitude and vital importance to all, but more especially to the pioneer séttlers on our northwestern prairies, that it almost staggers a person of human, sympathetic feelings to contemplate it; and every cold blast from the north reminds us again of the stern fact, that it should be the duty and ardent desire of every owner of a quarter section of land on the open prairie, to surround the same with a thorough shelter belt of evergreens at his earliest pos- sible opportunity, and not to forget the shelter of his buildings, stock yards, or- chard site, etc , with a closer screen, at the same time. Now what shall we use for this all important business of SHELTER BELTS? “Self preservation is the first law of nature.’’ So we will take up this part of our subject first. Did it ever occur to you how few people live up to the kind re- quirements, superior advantages and happy possibilities of the just law of .nature? How wisely, profusely and generously, do we find native evergreen nurseries — scattered all over this broad country, where fine plants can be had for almost the — cost of digging and packing, and yet how few, comparatively, ever avail themselves of the marvelous wealth stored away in these rich mines. Nature has made ample and abundant provision for all the varied wants of mankind; made it possible through united effort, and the judicious us2 of trees, to so clothe the earth with — 4 ; ul . : STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 349, rich verdure as to render the blizzard and tornado almost harmless. Said the la- 4 : j ; : mented Hodges, ‘‘trees are the prime factors in the whole business.’? Will name half a dozen varieties for shelter belts, and class them according to the best of my knowledge as to their merits for screens or wind breaks. There are many more fine sorts that might be named for this purpose, but we we do not feel at libetry to - trespass further upon the time and patience of the convention, than to just lay some of the claims of these before you, and so open the subject for discussion. Viz: 1st, Norway Spruce, (Adies Hxcelsa;) 2nd, White Pine, (Pinus Strobus;) 3rd, Red Pine, (Pinus Resinosa;) 4th, Hemlock Spruce, 7suga Canadensis;) 5th, White Spruce, (Adies Alba;) 6th, Scotch Pine, (Pinus Sylvestris;) We head the list with the Norway Spruce, first, because it is capable of resisting a stronger wind than _ either of the others, unless it is the white spruce, (and that is too small a tree to. stand at the head;) second, it has more fibrous roots, hence less loss in planting; third, it is a fine looking tree; Josiah Hooper says, ‘‘of all the hardy evergreens this. appears to be the most suitable for shelter, dense and compact in its growth, hardy to the utmost degree, and vigorous in almost every soil, it is certainly the perfection of plants for a screen. We must confess to having nothing that will compare with this in valuable tree fcr all purposes.’’ State and national pride, when not carried to excess, is noble and commendable— but truth and justice should be held in still higher reverence. And the truth com- pels me to admit that the Norway spruce has done more to protect, and adorn American houses, than any other tree. In Lapland, we are told, that it grows. within 3,100 feet of the line of perpetual snow, grows from 120 to 180 feet in height, and from three to five feet in diameter, and said to be the largest conifer in Europe. *‘Downing considers it by far the handsomest of the spruces.’’ Next in order comes. those old boon companions white and red pine. The white pine is so well known all over this country, that it is only necessary to say, that we have no natiye or foreign pine, more hardy, larger or by nature so well adapted to shelter belts as this, and as the noble red pine has stood proudly by its side in all past ages, in its native habit. We should not deem it wise to part them when called on to assume their rightful places in shelter belts to guard the lives and fortunes of the pioneer settlers on our western prairies. 4th—HEMLOCK SPRUCE. To know this tree—‘‘is to love it’’ and I hope all objections to this sylvan beauty will flee when 1t becomes generally known that it grows as far north as latitude 65. or 67 degrees, and that all it wants is partial shelter from the drying winds—hence we place it between the pines and spruces in our shelter belts. We have a speci- men about 20 feet high, that came through last winter in perfect condition. 5th—WHITE SPRUCE. It isa fact, that I think is not generally known that the Abies Alba is indigenous to. southern Minnesota. In passing through Fillmore County twenty-six years ago this winter I found a few of these native trees, some that had been transplanted into set- _ tlers yards near by are now about fifty feet high, and beautiful trees. My nearest neighbor, M. J. Hoag planted one of these native trees into his grounds in 1876, for a centennial tree. It now stands eighteen feet high, and blue as the blue-tinted sky, very dense, and perfect in every particular. 350 ANNUAL REPORT. 6th—scoTcH PINE. This is the least desirable tree of the lot, the crookedest, most open headed ,—but as it makes a rapid growth, and 1s hardy, it will do to put on the out side, to guard the finer trees of your shelter belt. Seeds of this tree in Northern Eur>pe are extremely plenty and are being shipped out by the carload, and there is danger of this tree being cultivated too extensively in this country, to the exclusion of our better native pines. FOR LUMBER. We are told that ‘pines made their appearance long before ordinary trees, in what geologists term the mesozoic age.’’ This accords with all creative wisdom, nothing made in vain, or out of season. The pines, everything considered, for all economic purposes, are doubtless the most useful plants in the whole universe. They were the first trees needed owing to their superiority over all other plants for architectural, mechanical, and perhaps I might add medical purposes. The white pine is the most remarkable tree for lumber in the northern states, and perhaps we might say in North America. Whoever saw a building of any pretentions at all; where white pine was not used in some parts of it? I mean in the north. Most people know there’s a mine of wealth in the pine family for the manufacture of the different kinds of lumber. Evergreen lumber stands unrivaled for general purposes. ORNAMENTAL HEDGEs. . We are not lacking in Minnesota for the very best material for ornamental hedg- ing. The American Arbor Vitae ( Thuja Occidentalis) and its many beautiful varieties, are unrivaled for this purpose. In damp, sheltered situations the Hemlock Spruce, ( Tsuge Canadensis) makes a beautiful hedge. Ornamental trees for extensive home grounds first, Hemlock Spruce; second, Norway Spruce; third White Spruce; fourth, Siberian Fir; fifth, American Arbor Vitz and its many choice varieties. Evergreens for grounds of quite limited extent. For this purpose we recommend nothing but the dwarfs, viz.; Thuja Globosa Arbor Vite, Thuja Compacta, Pyra- midalis, Siberian Arbor Vitae, Prostrate Juniper, Tom Thumb Arbor Vite and other hardy dwarf varieties. LEAVES. Gray says: ‘‘The actual amount of surface presented by a tree in full leaf is much larger than one would be apt to suppose. Thus the Washington Elm at ' Cambridge—a tree of no extraordinary size—was some years ago estimated to z produce a crop of seven millions of leaves, exposing a surface of 200,000 feet or — about five acres of foliage. Noticing the very long, beautiful, dark-green leaves on the Red Pine, I hada _ curiosity to know how they compared with the more common, but less desirable _ Scotch Pine, whose leaves are less than half their length. Knowing that leaves — are a most important part of a tree, and should be very carefully studied and com- 3 pared, one variety with another, in determining their relative value for shelter belts, etc., I cut a branch eight inches long from the ends of the branches of 7 these varieties and counted them, with this result: Red Pine 444 leaves, Scotch Pine 348. Showing a leaf surface of more than double in favor of the Red Pine. ; STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 351 RADIATION OF HEAT. There is no doubt but what some trees emit more heat than others, and it would be a matter of much interest to know just what varieties are the most valuable in this respect. Willa tree carrying double the amount of leaves of another have any advantage in this respect? Some twenty years ago, Andrew §. Fuller said: ‘‘The pines of our southern states furnish immense quantities of fuel, pitch, tar, resin and turpentine, and so great is the production of the last named articles, that we have exported in a single year more than a million doJlars worth, besides the vast quantities used at home.’ But we need pines in the north for fuel much more than they do in the south, and we can grow them just as readily as they can. Winters like 1884-85, when it gets intensely cold, especially on the open prairies, we need fuel that will produce in- intense heat in just the shortest possible space of time, and the different varieties of pitch pine will doit. Pinus Regida is found in nearly every state in the Union, and is one of the best for this purpose. Pinus Resinosais good. There is a pine found on the Blue Mountains of Oregon in latitude 46° that is equal to our pitch pine in resinous matter, it may prove the same. The meeting adjourned till 2 o’clock, P. mM. AFTERNOON SESSION. FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 1836. The meeting was called to order promptly at two o’clock P. M., by President Smith. Mr. Harris stepped upon the platform and said: Mr. President : I desire to ask your indulgence for a moment. About a score of years ago a little band of public spirited men joined together in laying the foundations of this Society. Its beginnings were feeble, but it has survived the dangers of its infancy and is now what we see it, a robust and vigorous youth, full of promise, and is doing more than any other organization in the State to kindle and to gratify horticultural tastes and to elevate Horticulture as a profession. It has been my happy privilege to put in some of the best energies of my life to develop the resourses of the great State of Minnesota and to improve its horticulture. I have beenin my humble way an ad- vocate of home adornment and of the supplying of the tables of our people with an abundance of fruits.and vegetables of every kind, of ~ 352 ANNUAL REPORT. surrounding the homes of our people with everything that could in any way contribute to their comfort and happiness in this life and point them to a better life to follow this. Some of my co-workers have already passed over the river to the beautiful land beyond. I still remain with you, but feel that age is beginning to creep fast upon me. I cannot always remain one of your number, but I hope that my labors may be somewhat remembered and that when you lay me to rest that you can say as you look over the few brief pages of my earthly record, ‘‘that man did not live wholly in vain, but he wrought for others, and the little spot of earth upon which he lived is better for his having lived upon it.’’ And to remind you of me when I have passed away I take pleasure to-day in present- ing you with a picture taken last week, which I think perhaps is a very correct likeness of the man whose name was first signed to the roll of membership of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society, one who has never forgotten the interests of the Society and never shrinked any duty which he was called upon.to perform, but who in sickness and in health, in poverty orin prosperity, has been with you and stood by you, whose best wishes and desire is that the State Horticultural Society may have a brighter future, that it may in its work accomplish the greatest good to the greatest number of people, and in the end con- vert our beloved Minnesota into the most desirable place of human residence upon the face of the earth. I hope that through your instru- mentalities the time may hasten when all our prairies will be dotted over with well cultivated farms and comfortable homes, when the various products raised may be ample to meet every demand and when the richest down to the humblest person may have an abundance of the most luscious of fruits, so cheap that all can afford to partake to their fill. Mr. Secretary, I place this photograph in the hands of the Society. [Applause. ] Mr. Sias. Mr. President, I stood by the side of this teacher in the day that this Society was born, and I have been a student under him ever since, I thinkit was General Lafayette, when sitting for a paint- ing, instructed the artist to ‘‘show the wrinkles and all,’ and I am glad to know that Brother Harris had his fine likeness presented to the Society in the same true-to-life way. A good man might be com- pared to a birds-eye maple, the more consentric rings it has the greater the value of the tree; and so with Brother Harris, the longer he labors in his efficient and unselfish way for the good of our Society, and for ee Ce a STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. ove the cause of horticulture throughout the whole country, the more wrinkles will he carry and all the more firmly will he be established in the hearts of every true pomologist. Some future day when our Society shall have a finejhall of their own, the likeness of the member who produced the greatest number of object lessons on the first day of our organization, and for many years after- wards, and the member who was always so kind and gentlemanly to all, ever returning good for evil, will not be the least appreciated among the many good pictures that shall grace its walls from time to time as years roll on. Mr. President, I move yoa that the Secretary be instructed to place a frame around this picture, and to present it to the Society in that shape. The motion was adopted. CORRESPONDENCE. The following communications were read by the Secretary : FROM KANSAS. GeNEvA, Kan, Dec. 24, 1885. S. D. Hillman, Secy., ete.: My dear fellow worker: Although I have never had the pleasure of meeting you, or in fact, but few of your State horticulturists, I have often wished to do so. Somehow I have never traveled that way, but hope to visit your State perhaps next summer. It has, within the last few months, become my duty, among other things, to meet with the various state societies whenever possible, and I hope it may be so that I can find it convenient to meet with your Society. I should like to know the plan or rules that govern the time and place of holding your meetings. It is my desire to get some plan carried out by which the neigh- boring states can hold their horticultural meetings in succession instead of at the same time as is often the case. At present I have a trip laid out to meet the socie- ties of Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan from Jan. 19th to Feb. 9th. The Commis- sioner of Agriculture says there is so little money in the contingent fund that we must be very economical in incurring expense. You may-not know that he has appointed me ‘‘Pomologist to the United States Department of Agriculture,”’ as a step towards establishing a Pomological division in the department which shall serve the country with the aid of the government to back it. Such a thing has never been attempted before in a national way, and it is hoped this move of the Commissioner may be seconded by the permanent establishment of the Division, together with an appropriation sufficient to carry on the work, and then better things may be looked for. H. E. Van DEman. 23 354 ANNUAL REPORT. FROM WISCONSIN. Fort ATKINSON, WIs., January 20, 1886. The program of the meeting of your State Society at hand and examined. It is a splendid one, and judging by your last year’s report will be splendidly carried out. We have the reports of most of the states and find none better, and but one or two anything near as good. We hoped to have the pleasure of meeting with you this year, but find it impossible to do so. We enclose two dollars ior which please add our names to the list of members, and if we are entitled to two reports we would be glad to get two. Wishing each and every member of the Society a happy and prosperous year we are, Very truly yours, CoE & CoNVERSE. FROM WABASHA COUNTY. PLAINVIEW, Mrinn., Jan. 4, 1886. Yours of December 31st came duly to hand. Would say that we had the hardest winter for fruit last year that we ever had here. The Duchess went through all right; the Tetofsky all killed; Ben Davis, Wealthy and Bethel were all killed. The Bethel has stood the winters for twenty-six years. Some seedlings that stood for twenty-six years went down last winter. On the Whitewater river on low ground the Duchess are all killed. If we keep planting we shall find some varie- ties that will stand the wintérs. I have a seedling thatis hardy as an oak; this is the second year of bearing. The apples are about the size of the Hyslop, are of fine flavor and show no signs of decay as yet. Yours truly, Gro. W. HaRRINGTON. FROM MURRAY COUNTY. BALATON, Minn., January 5, 1886. DEAR SIR: Your favor of December 1, last, and also program of winter meeting came to hand, and I am sorry I cannot this year attend the meeting, but hope to do so next winter, _Isend you herewith a sort of report of condition of fruit and fruit trees, etc- There is little to report upon from this county yet, as a very small proportion of the apple trees planted are old enough to be fruiting, yet I think the majority of those who have settled this county have some interest in fruit culture and with some direction and encouragement in the way of information of how to do it, they would do more than they have done. The way our farmers buy of the tree-peddlerI should — say they have a desire to raise their own fruit as well as improve their homes. It is to be regretted that those peddlers are mostly representing Ohio and Illinois nurseries and sell mostly varieties not suitable to this country. Nevertheless some of our State nurseries have become known, and better results will hereafter follow as these have, and I believe try to sell mostly such varieties as will do the best here. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 855 I feel confident that eyery farmer throughout southwestern Minnesota can raise all the fruit he needs for his family. We all need enlightenment and information hew to plant and care for it when planted; and then I think the time spent and money invested among the trees, bushes and plants will be both pleasant and profit- able. There is chance for work by our State Society in this southwestern part of the State if you can in some way reach it. Aeting on your suggestion as toa county society, I have interviewed some of those most interested, or ought to be interested, and I think we shall have a county society before the next new year. Deeming it better to do something, if ever so little, than nothing at all, we organized a society for our town on new year’s Jay and though only eight were then present and joined, we shall increase and we shall try and keep alive, at least, till we get a society for the county. Very truly yours, O. F. Norwoop. FRUIT REPORT FROM RAMSEY COUNTY. By W. E. Brimaa.u. Sr. Pau, Jan. 19, 1886. Small fruits are grown quite extensively in this vicinity. Strawberries were a full crop and were more plentiful in the market than was ever before known. The estimate of the amount sold in St. Paul market during the best of the season was thirty thousand quarts per day. Many of them came into market in bad shape and bad condition, consequently they sold at a low price. Some were sold as low as three to five cents per quart, while at the same time those in good condition and in suitable packages commanded a much higher price. If growers understood and practiced the best methods of growing and marketing fruit, they would get far better prices than at present. New quart boxes in crates, I find much more profitable than any other shape for marketing berries. The Wilson is yet the king of market berries for all purposes. The Crescent Seedling and Old Iron-Clad range next in ourmarket. The Downing does well on light soil and brings equally as good prices. : Of Raspberries, the red predominate, with Turner, Philadelphia and Cuthbert. Plums were a fullcrop this year. Our wild or native plums were all heavily loaded and we have some very choice varieties worthy of cultivation. They re- quire good cultivation and an annual dressing on the soil. f Apple trees came through the winter badly demoralized by the severe cold weather. The Duchess is still the leading variety. The standards were a light crop, being small and irregular in form and size. The Transcendent crab is yet the leading variety and is more generally grown than any other. I sold 1300 bushels of them in our markets. They were hand picked into bushel baskets and carried to market in spring wagons and sold readily, averaging me sixty cents per bushel. Another variety worthy of mention is the Early Strawberry crab. The trees bore profusely. The fruit ripens early and is very nicely flavored. 356 ANNUAL REPORT. In conclusion allow me to say, there are fine chances for young men who take an interest in fruit growing, to engage in the enterprise and with due diligence and skillful hands crown their labors with success. FRUIT REPORT FROM HOUSTON COUNTY. By J. S. Harris, La Crescent. The only varieties of apples in my orchard that have stood the test of the last three winters without receiving any perceptible injury are the Duchess of Olden- burg, Tetofsky, Peach, two or three other varieties of Russians, Whitney No. 20, and some of the Siberians. The McMahon White and occasionally a Wealthy show but slight injury. A portion of the remaining Wealthy, St. Lawrence, Talman Sweet, Plumb Cider, Haas, and occasionally an Utter, will probably recover and bear fruit, but not become sound trees. All of the Russets, the Bailey Sweet, Seek- nofurther, Winesap, Autumn Strawberry, Fameuse, Pewaukee, the older Red Astrachan and Walbridge, are totally ruined. My experience and observation go to prove that a northeast exposure is the best for an orchard site and that orchards upon high and dry land are less liable to be killed in such extreme winters than those situated in low valleys. The last winter was the most disastrous to trees of any one I have experienced in a residence here of,;twenty-five years. I am in no wise disheartened by the losses of last winter, but have full faith in the final success of fruit culture in Min- nesota. I shall replant my orchard, using for the purpose, largely, two-year-old trees of the Wealthy and McMahon White, the most promising seedlings I can procure, and enough of the newer Russians to test their adaptability and ascertain which of them are most desirable for cultivation in this State. My location is in the town of La Crescent, Houston County. Mr. G. W. Kellogg was here requested to present his paper on Small Fruits for Profit. Mr. Kellogg. Mr. President, I don’t know how many minutes you design to allow me but I will try to be as brief as possible. I must charge it all to my friend Elliot for getting me into this scrape. Before reading what I have written I would like to say that since I left home I received a communication from Hon. Norman J. Colman, the Com- missioner of Agriculture, giving the names of some thirty-two kinds of Russian apples of which he has been distributing cions. I received a small bundle of them and two copies of this list. I should like to criticise somewhat, had I time, some of the reports from our Experimental Stations. One thing that I want to mention is this: when you top-graft any variety on the crab it is no proper trial at all; I think experiments should all be made upon root-grafts. We should grow them from the ground if we want to conduce to their reliability and hardiness. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 357 The Secretary assigned to me asa topic ‘‘Small Fruit for Profit,” but did not say profit fur whom, so I take for granted that farmers are the ones that read your report, and who want the profits. SMALL FRUIT FOR PROFIT. . By Gro. J. Keiuoae, Janesville, Wis. Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: Would you plant for profit? plant for the loved ones at home, health, pleasure and real good creer. Every farmer should have one acre devoted to garden and fenced so the fowls will not intrude. I would have this plat 8 x 20 rods so it could be easily worked with a horse. On one side six feet from the fence I would plant for the lst row— pieplant, currants, gooseberries and blackberries; 2d row—8 ft. x 3, early and late black raspberries; 3d row—8 ft. x 2, early, medium and late red raspberries; 4th and 5th rows—first one 6 feet from raspberries, second one 4 ft. x 2 ft. apart in rows, early, medium and late strawberries; one row I would plant with pistilate varieties, the other with perfect flowering kinds, plants 4x2 ft., and I would not let the kinds mix by running together; if my rows were not so long I would prefer to plant 2 rows of each kind and have tour rows abreast; for persons having only a single lot I would have the same varieties and quantity to suit surroundings. Let it be kept in mind that one square rod of ground has produced five bushels and over of strawberries in a single season, and one row twenty rods long set with 100 plants has given the following year over 500 quarts. I would plant one dozen grape vines on the sunny side near the fence, near the house or in an arbor. . If I could have my choice of ground would prefer a deep, rich sandy loam, under- laid with clay and limestone, slightly sloping to the south, so that no water would long remain on the surface, but whatever the soil I would plant and succeed. I would make the ground as rich as I dare for corn,—say forty loads of well rotted manure to the acre, plowed in the fall, and twenty loads more spread on the surface and well harrowed in before planting in spring; the great secret of success in small fruits of extra size, lays in properly applying good stable manure in large quantities, first, before planting and afterward by mulch to protect from drouth and to increase and continue their fertility. The blackberries and raspberries should not be stimulated to late growth, but so mulched that there need be no failure for lack of moisture in seasons of drouth. The three great needs for small fruits are rich soil well drained, clean cultivation, and plenty of water. The water may be applied successfully from reservoirs by trenches better than by hose. If you attempt this artificial watering by hose do not do it while the fruit is in bloom, and make all applications at sundown from water that has stood in the sun at least six hours. It is better to depend on mulching than artificial watering. : = a : : Procuring plants is of greater importance than preparation of ground. Such varie- 358 ANNUAL REPORT, ties as are succeeding in your vicinity on soil similar to your own, will bea success; be sure these varieties are pure, not taken from an old bed where they are all mixed up or bought of a traveling bummer who cares nothing for you only your money; get your plants from some reliable person in whom you have confidence, and if not acquainted with the kinds take his advice; giving your soil. As soon as the ground will do to harrow well have your plants on hand and set early in spring as possible, if rainy weather interrupts after plants are received, undo the bundles and dip the roots in a puddle made of soil and water, lay them in layers in earth but do not wet anything but the roots. Never water strawberries in the bundle. Set strawberries first, and the buds no deeper than level with the surface of the ground. A spade is the best tool to plant with, let the opening be deep enough to receive the roots without doubling up, but unless you have plenty of money don’t dig a hole and make a mound and set the plant and all the roots arranged about in perfect posi- tion; it won’t pay. All other plants are better set a little deeper than they stood in nursery rows. The following kinds I have never known to fail when properly treated on any soil: Currants—Red Dutch, Victoria, and White Grape. Blackberries—Snyder, Stone’s Hardy and Ancient Briton. Black Raspberries —Tyler, Souhegan and Gregg. Red Raspberries—Turner, Brandywine and Cuthbert. When you treat the suckers as weeds and destroy them or 1f you wish those that sprout but little, Phila- delphia, Purple cane and Shaffer’s Collossal, Marlboro, Superb, Hansell and many others I might name, good and good for nothing; among the six red first named you can be suited. Of Gooseberries, plant Downing, Smith’s and American Cluster. Strawberries—Crescent and Countess for bushels, Wilson and Windsor Chief for canning and long shipments; Manchester, Miner’s Great Prolific, Longfellow and Booné for size, Atlantic and Prince for quality. I will not mention aloud, Rany, Jewell, Cornelia and a host of others on which we expect to make our fortune, nor will I burden you with the one hundred varieties on which 1 have lost a fortune in the last thirty years. Of Grapes the best black are Moore’s Early, Worden and Concord; best red, Brighton and Delaware; best white, Lady and Niagara; easiest grown of any, White Elvira; best for arbor, Janesville. Now if there are any farmers who have plenty of ground, or others owning but a single lot, who would like to invest ten dollars at one hundred per cent interest, 1 et me tell you how, and the interest will be paid promptly fifteen months from the investment in that that is better than gold. Just let your good wife or boy or girl take charge of the garden; you see it is properly fenced so the chickens will not get in, you furnish the ten dollars to buy plants, and if you can buy to better advantage than they, (and all men think they can) procure the plants for them, write to or see some reliable dealer and tell him what’s up, and that you don’t want anything that won’t pay 100 per cent interest, and you want to invest only ten dollars. Keep one dollar to pay express; order 200 strawberry plants, $2.00; 100 currant cuttings, $1.00; 150 raspberry plants, $1.50; 100 blackberry plants, $2.00; pieplant, 50 cents; gooseberries, $1.00; grapes, $1.00; total, $9.00, Give the boy the team to draw all the manure he wants, og let the wife or girl have the hired man to do this work, and if you are very particular keep the account STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 359 of all time and expenses and charge it up, but mind you want to agree to take and use in the family all the fruit they can raise for five years on one quarter of an acre of this garden at a fair market price. Now my boy, with the ground properly prepared, have the plants on hand early, but not befere the ground is ready to look nicely, set immediately, cultivate and hoe every ten days, keep them clean, run the strawberries up and down the rows forming narrow beds two feet wide, pinch off the fruit stems so as to give vigor to the plants, and be sure to keep. the weeds down before they get an inch high. In November before the ground freezes, take a six-tined or spading fork and loosen about the raspberry and blackberry roots and with the foot at the ground and the fork on the top, tip the plants all one way and cover with earth; from two to five minutes will covera plant that will give you from two to ten quarts of nice fruit. The grapes cut back to one foot and cover the same. When it freezes so to bear a team, cover the strawberries with marsh hay or straw manure free from weed seed just so you cannot see the foliage, and cover well the patch and outside of the rows. In spring leave this all on, if the plants can’t get through open up a little; do not cultivate or hoe until after fruiting, hand weed what is necessary. The plants that have been bent over and protected should be uncovered as soon as frost is out, raised in position and earth pressed around them to hold them up, and a good mulch of manure given them each spring; cultivate lightly, thoroughly, but not deep. Keep this part of the fruit garden clean, and if raspberries and black- berries send up sucker-plants cut them off as weeds. When strawberries ripen, pick one-half the beds each day, keep account of each day’s pick and charge them up at what they are worth in market, but don’t com- pare them with the sour berries shipped a thousand miles. As strawberries give out, raspberrics will need picking—then will follow black- berries. As strawberries get very plenty, hold the proprietor who furnished the land and the ten dollars to his agreement, eat all you can three times a day, can all you can, and then rather than have any family trouble, buy boxes and furnish your grocer. An old plan of picking strawberries, cut from Green’s Fruit Grower is still often practiced: The strawberries blossomed and gave great promise of an abundant harvest. It seemed evident that we should not only have a supply for ourselves, but for our neighbors also. Therefore I invested $10.00 in crates and baskets, for the purpose of marketing our surplus. We did not have the least trouble in getting our berries picked. We had an old hen with a brood of ten chickens that picked every one of these strawberries. The old hen was the most successful strawberry picker I ever met, Thus I have briefly described the first season. Early in the spring after the first planting, prepare another strip for two rows of strawberries and be sure you set plants that have not mixed; these can be taken from the outside of your beds. Keep the kinds pure, and keep this new planting clean as before—and be sure to set a small bed each spring. The strawberry bed after the first crop will become weedy; cultivate, hand-weed and mow and let it remain as long as it will yield at the rate of 100 bushels per acre; then plow under, for this reason the strawberry bed should be on the outside of the other fruit, these will increase in productive- 360 ANNUAL REPORT. ness for four years when the blackberries and raspberries will yield from six to ten quarts of fruit per hill. Your currants, gooseberries and grapes will come to bear- ing the third year, and at the end of five years if you have not paid for all labor, the land, and all expenses and 100 per cent. interest, beside saving from $25.00 to $100.00 doctor bills each year, then I have missed my calling and don’t know what [. am talking about. This I consider the best way to grow small fruit for profit, and it will encourage the boy to let him have the proceeds after the family are supplied. If you want to keep the boys at home, let them have an acre and see what they can do for them- selves, you will find they will often beat the old man. Now, I presume many of you expected I would read a paper to tell these veteran fruit growers how to grow small fruit and get rich—you that raise from 106 to 1060 bushels of small fruit every year. I can’t doit; but don’t spread yourselves out too thin, and try to cover too much ground ; don’t run after all the novelties. Stick to the old paying sorts, use all the manure you can and not swamp the plants ; deep ploughing, heavy manuring largely on the surface, early spring planting, clean cul- tivation, matted rows, timely mulch, winter protection, good seasons, good pickers, good markets, good prices, and you will be happy. Grape growing has been and may be profitable to the farmer. Cut back your bearing vines to two eyes of the new wood, put them down and cover; tie them to stakes or trellises in spring, and when the blossoms appear pinch off the shoot, one or two leaves beyond the fruit. The Janesville and Oporto will pay to plant by a dead tree or arbor, and never prune. Goto these when you want sour grapes and try and be happy. i ‘ Currants and gooseberrics will pay if you give the worms for a changein diet, . White Hellebore and Paris Green. ' Again I say manure and mulch, and mulch with manure. I know not what the possibilities of strawberries are. I know of amateurs who have produced five, five and one-half, and five and three-fourths bushels to the square rod in a single season. If this can be done on one rod why not on oneacre? Why not grow 1000 bushels of strawberries, the queen of all fruits, on one acre in one year? I know of one man who reported to me of growing five busheis fypm three plants and their increase, the following year. The following are cut from Green’s Fruit grower since I left home: ‘(965 quarts of strawberries were grown upon a bed between two and three rods square, selling for $40.00. The owner in addition, sold $48.00,worth of plants from this plot. Between the rows of strawberries he had raspberries, picking eighty-five quarts which sold for $27.75, but you must not plant ten acres expecting sucha yield.”’ E. K. Frost of Chapin, Iowa, with whom I am acquainted, and can vouch for ~ the truth of statement, says : “T now have nearly all the new, highly prized varieties—twelve on trial, not fruited much yet. Lintend to select eight or ten varieties out of fifty now on hand that suit me best, and drop all others. My soil is light, prairie, sandy loam—loose subsoil of firm gray sand, yellow clay and magnesia, well underdrained with rock ten to twenty feet below. No water ever stands on surface unless ground is frozen. Season of 1884 I sold from seven-eighths of an acre 15V bushels of strawberries, . BTATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 361 besides home use. We have not been out of canned fruit in eight years—100 quarts | mowon hand. Iam 74 years old; have done all the work of fruit growing except picking ; have cleared for my labor $1,000.” Now if anything I have said or written seems improbable I will refer to the fact ‘that when a boy I was once mistaken for a little Indian; and that reminds me of the drunken white fellow who tried to conyince a squaw that they were.related. She very indignantly wanted to know ‘‘how?”’ He replied by Adam. She instantly retorted, ‘‘me glad it no higher!”’ If there is no Indian blood in me I have got nearer to the truth than the Indian hunter did who sold a deer for whiskey. He told the tavern keeper it was on the big tree down in the big meadow; he sent and found the meadow and the tree, but no deer. The Indian’s explanation was, ‘‘Pretty good for Injun, two truths to one lie.” r DISCUSSION. Prof. Porter. Mr. Chairman, there is one point in regard to mulch- ing of plants or preparing for transplanting. In my experience I have found a very good mixture in which to dip the roots to be one-half ‘common garden ground and one-half fresh cow-dung. I have found that to be the best mixture for puddling that I can use. In the first place you have the advantage of the particular fertilizer in the con- -dition that makes it ready for use forthe plant; and in the second place it is impervious to the atmosphere, and prevents the drying out of the small, fibrous roots. Mr. Smith. It will retain moisture longer than anything else you can get. Mr. Kellogg. I regret that there is so little time left us for dis- cussion. But I want to say that the executive ability of the Chair is simply wonderful, and [ think I have never yet seen in all the con- ventions I have attended so much real work crowded through in the ‘same length of time. Mr. Pearce. What do you find to be the best fertilizer of pistilate varieties ? My. Kellogg. That is very hard to answer. I use Wilson, Capt. Jack, Countess and Crescent put together; one pistilate and one stami- nate. I would say in regard to picking strawberries that I never found a person that picked 239 quarts of berries in a day, except where they picked the Countess. Mr. Hoag. What do you call the Countess; is it identical with the Downer? Mr. Kellogg. The name originated here; I don’t know where the plant originated. Downer’s Prolific is claimed to be the same as the 362 ANNUAL REPORT. Countess but I have known them to grow side and side and I find they: differ. The following paper by Mr. Whipple was then read: REPORT ON GARDENING AND SMALL FRUITS. By K. H. Waurprie, Northome. I find that Iam placed in a bad position for me to fill, that is, to give you a. report on Vegetable Gardening alone; being so far back from the large markets of St. Paul and Minneapolis and not knowing but a very little about the vegetable gardens there except the daily report of sales. My garden being altogether differ- ent from those around the cities, where each gardener selects what he wishes to grow and makes a speciality of, perhaps from three to six different kinds of vegetables and. places his whole time on those; while I have to grow all kinds that I can grow including some varieties that I have not yet seen in the Minneapolis market; also, small fruit such as strawberries, raspberries, currants, gooseberries, &c., or in other words, everything that the summer resident on Lake Minnetonka calls for. Vegetable gardens and small fruits generally around the lake were good. We had a hard battle with the common enemy of the gardener, known by the: name of the cut-worms, they being more numerous last season than ever before known. In spite of all we could do, our earliest planting of beets, parsley, lettuce, raddishes, turnips were all taken,—not one left; and out of 1,500 early cabbage we managed to save between three and four hundred. The worms are of two varieties, the old gray worm and the other being nearly black and at least one-third longer, and what seems the most singular they are nearly all full grown when they first appear; they seem to have a general concert of action as a large number make the attack at the same time. Several of the small fruit growers complained of raspberry plants failing to grow; on examination we- found the trouble to be the work of the cut-worm and cutting the new shoots about the time they were ready to break the ground, which to the blackcap means ruin, and nearly so to the red. Small fruit where not killed back too much last winter gave usa goodcrop. In red raspberries the Philadelphia, (all things considered,) were the best, Turner’s next and Cuthberts last or least, being tender and killing back the worst. Doolittle best of the black; Greggs almost a failure on account of winter killing. Grapes came out splendidly where they were taken proper care of all around the lake. : Apples were nearly a failure, trees being so badly injured the past winter that they could not produc€ fruit, excepting that variety which so many orchardists. and nurserymen have condemned and had stricken from the list of hardy fruit, because they at certain times and in certain localities were troubled with the blight, but in spite of all talk, disease and the cold winters which have played such havoc: with our orchards, my Transcendents have stood them all for the past twenty years, and last season I could not discover the first blighted leaf in the whole orchard and the trees were well loaded with fruit. The orchard to-day resembles an old-- fashioned New England orchard. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 363: Would it not be best to recommend when setting an orchard at least to set one at each corner of the orchard for landmarks, or for ornament and to give the family fruit while they are living in hopes of something better. The Secretary then read the following paper by John F’. Dayton, President of the Alamakee County Agricultural Society : AN ARGUMENT FOR THE MORE EXTENSIVE CULTIVATION OF SMALL FRUITS. By Jonn F. Dayton, Waukon, Iowa. Since the recent severe winters have demonstrated that’ the culture of winter apples in the northwest is almost futile, and the peach and pear cannot withstand the extreme cold of this section, while the cherry seems also to have abandoned us, the inquiry arises, ‘‘Upon what must we depend for our fruit supply ?”’ Fruits are now recognized, not as luxuries, but as necessities; health requires that the system of man receive the benefits of their cooling acids during the heats of summer, and in winter they are equally necessary to combine with the heavier foods of thatseason. As we are precluded from growing fruit that will keep fresh during the winter months, and as the products of regions with milder climate are expensive, and difficult to obtain except in the larger cities, most persons rely upon dried fruits or the canned products of eastern factories for their supply; in these forms fruits have lost much of their delicate flavors and many of their valuable qualities, and have not the cleanliness and healthfulness of those put up at home. While horticulturists are laboring to originate and while the earth is searched, in vain so far, for the long-keeping apple, the pear, peach and cherry that will succeed in our continental climate with its violent extremes, we are apt to over- look the fact that we can grow with ease, in any part of the north or northwest a full supply of small fruits, which, canned by the skillful housewife, will provide all the year round a sufficiency of palatable sauces, jellies and fruit acids, so that we may need no more to eat the dried apples wherein the fly hath dwelt, or break our molars upon pebbles called currants, or lacerate our throats with the sand of the desert prune. The strawberry is a fruit that grows native in localities far to the north of the boundaries of Minnesota, it is proof against the freezing of winter and may be relied upon to furnish a supply of fruit annually. True it may be said that the strawberry plant is liable to injury by the heaving of the ground under the influence of sunshine and frost, yet this does not occur unless there is thawing as well as freezing, and in northern sections there is less danger than where the winters are more open, the risk here being almost wholly: in late fall and early spring. This difficulty is obviated by a thorough mulching of the plants with some loose material, such as clean straw, prairie hay, or sorgum bagasse applied as soon as the ground freezes, letting the mulch remain on the plants in the spring until the freezing weather is over, then raking the mulch into the paths between the rows. It may also be truly said, that the strawberry is liable to injury by late frosts in 364 ANNUAL REPORT. the spring; there are several ways in which to guard against danger from this cause. First, plant varieties that bloom at different seasons, then if one is taken the other will be left ; second, leave the mulching over the plants until the danger seems passed ; third, do not plant those varieties which have proven particularly susceptible to injury from frost ; fourth, if you have done your duty in the premi- ses as heretofore directed, and your plants are uncovered and white with bloom, and you are likely to have a sharp frost, get out all the help you can and cover the plants again with the mulch as with a blanket. The mulch may remain for two or three days without harm and the danger will be over. I know that this will save a crop which will otherwise be destroyed, and if the winter’s mulch is Jeft in the paths between the rows, it isa short job for two or three men to cover an acre of plants. I think I am the first who called attention to this remedy, as I have never seen it in print until in the article prepared by me for the August, 1884, number of Vick’s magazine. There is a third difficulty to be overcome in growing strawberries, which is the drouth that sometimes arrives about fruiting time. If you have but a small bed, you can easily water it; a large plantation is much protected by the mulch between the rows and I have watered plants by the acre with a street sprinkler with much benefit. Here’ in the north we have some advantages. No insect enemies yet to devour the crop, and no rust, leaf blight or like objections to injure the plants; hence, we ought to do as well as growers anywhere and revel in the delight that all mortals feel when eating strawberries. If the ancients had our advantages, Homer and Virgil would never have sung of nectar and ambrosia, but Jupiter and the other gods upon Olympus would have been depicted as subsisting upon strawber- ries and cream, with an occasional short-cake to make the diet more substantial. In growing strawberries, use rich soil, give good culture, grow in matted rows not too wide; hill culture is not available, plant in spring, set few varieties, grow Crescent with Finch’s Prolific or Wilson for fertilizer for early; Cumberland Triumph and Miner’s Prolific for medium; Manchester, Mt. Vernon or Glendale for late, and if you desire to experiment buy a dozen of some new kind and compare with any variety named and you will probably not propagate the novelty further. RASPBERRIES. The raspberry follows the strawberry in season and is next to it in quality. It is not so universally hardy, but some varieties are almost iron-clad. In blackcaps there seems to be two families, the one more slender in growth, ripening canes and berries early; the Doolittle and its successors Souhegan, Tyler and Ohio are of this class. The other class is larger in cane and berry, later in ripening fruit and wood and is represented by the Mammoth Cluster with numerous aliases and the Gregg. The former class maturing its growth earlier, surpasses the latter in hardiness; and being of a drooping habit can be more easily covered in localities where protection is necessary. The red raspberries are of high flavor, and the Turner, I think, is by farthe hardi- est and best for the north and I deem Thwack about as hardy and a better shipper, although not as fine in quality. Cuthbert is valuable but is injured by winters like that of 1884-5. a STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIBTY. 365. e Red raspberry plants can be easily protected by weighting the tops down and turning earth upon them with a plow. Set blackcaps as closely together in the row as possible, they then support each other and do not break down, about two feet apart is the proper distance. Let the — red varieties make narrow hedge rows and cultivate or chop out the surplus suck- ers. Set raspberries in good soil, cultivate thoroughly; always have the rows run east and west; the plants are less liable to. injury from our prevalent west winds; are not so much affected by dry weather, and are better covered by drifting snows in winter, than if the rows ran north and south. Do not use any stakes or trellises. for raspberry plants, but pinch out the tips of the new growth of blackcaps when eighteen inches high and pinch back the young shoots of the reds, when they show above the foliage. I never protect raspberries or blackberries and have never had Turner, Thwack, Souhegan, Tyler or Ohio injured by winter; Gregg, Cuthbert and other red varieties not named were partially hurt last winter; and gave but a half crop in 1885. In blackberries, Snyder is superior to any other variety in hardiness, and bears some berries every year, with a full crop generally in alternate seasons. It suckers less than any other variety and hence is vafuable for the garden. Taylor’s Prolific is next to Snyder in hardiness and later in season, but is not as reliable. Do not give blackberry plants any fall cultivation; after they begin to show the berries, stop cultivating until the following spring. if autumn growth is encour- aged, it is tender and will not withstand the winter; let the wood ripen early and the canes are much hardier. There is another class of small fruits which is perfectly hardy, which does not. receive the attention that it deserves, viz.: the currant. If given good soil and culture and heavily mulched during the heat of summer, a crop is almost certain. The only enemy is the currant worm and this is easily subdued without any injury to plants or fruit by the use of powdered White Hellebore either mixed with flour or combined with water. In varieties, use Cherry and Victoria, red kinds; White Grape and Lee’s Prolific (Black,) and if you have plenty of money try Fay’s Prolific, but don’t be disap- pointed, if you find that this much lauded variety only produces eurrants. Goose- berries are also easily grown and require similar treatment to currants, except that they are subject to mildew in some localities, for which a mulch of soft coal ashes. Ihave found to be the cheapest and best remedy. The American varieties are preferable to foreign kinds. With the fact that so extensive a field is open to every one having even a small garden, can there be any excuse for not growing a sufficient supply of fruit? The time spent by an ordinary family in grumbling about the climate and the high prices of fruits, will be sufficient, if expended in caring for a fruit garden, to give an ample allowance. Then the luxury of fresh fruit, the aroma, the delicate flavor, of that just picked from the home garden, which has not been touched or profaned by foreign hands, is ample compensation for any extra labor, and is something that stands as a reward, not otherwise obtainable, for well doing. 366 ANNUAL REPORT, Let us then unite in preaching this new Evangel, for in so doing we shall benefit the health, morals and happiness of the whole community. i Mr. Harris moved that Mr. Pearce be requested to read at this time his paper on Orchard Management. Adopted. Following is the paper of Mr. Pearce: FRUIT TREES AND THEIR ADAPTATION TO SOIL. By M. Pearce, Minneapolis. Growing apples in Minnesota, has been and is at the present time a difficult ques- tion to solve. To place each variety on the soil and location to which it is naturally adapted will take time and years to fully determine. The loss of fruit trees is largely due to a want of this important knowledge. The terrible destruction of fruit trees4ast winter, viewed from the proper stand- point, should not prevent the re-setting of many or all of the old varieties. It did not require inspiration or a prophetic eye to tell us, late in the fall of 1884, that most of the fruit trees were doomed. On the first of January we wrote for the winter’s meeting, page 409 of the report of 1885, as follows: ‘The winter has been the hardest on fruit trees we have had for twelve years, and when the facts are known, a sad lamentation will be heard in the west and northwest and all parts of the ccuntry.’? The truth of this statement has been realized by thousands to their great loss and sorrow. To expliin why this occurred as it did and to throw what light we can on the subject we may to some extent here refer to the nature of fruit trees. It is just as essential in order to preserve the health and life of fruit trees by the storing up of food for winter’s use, when the roots are not active, as it is for the ox or horse. During the growing season all the nourishment, or food, taken up by the roots goes into growth, or fruit, except what is used to keep the trees in a normal condi- tion. The sap cells that contain the winter’s food are the completion of the season’s growth. At first they contain moisture and gas, which if the fall is favor- able are soon displaced with starch. By examining the twigs or new wood when this change has taken place you will find them stiff and hard and in condition for winter. Had the latter part of the fall of 1884 been favorable for fruit trees they would not have killed. The ground was moist, with plenty of rainfall, temperature ran up for several days to sixty-five and seventy degrees, growing heat; the starch in fruit trees in all warm localities, by heat and carbon, was changed to sugar; sap, excited the roots to action, new growth commenced, the bark loosened, buds swelled, and thousands of fruit trees were in bloom on the 20th of October, not only in Minne- sota, but over the whole west as well as in other parts of the country. For once in my life to grow apples in Minnesota my faith weakened; [ never looked for spring in October. A severe winter followed, and the destruction of fruit trees in Minne- EE STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 367 ‘sota, lowa, Wisconsin, Illinois and other parts of the country, was far the greatest ever before known. The record of the past winter and its disastrous results are before us, and all that intend to plant fruit trees in the future should study the subject well, it contains a volume of unwritten, useful information on horticulture that is now in the reach of every intelligent and observing mind. One of the many topics it presents for close observation, where we can learn a valuable lesson that will be useful in the future, is by examining the condition of fruit trees on all kinds of soil, location and elevation, wich and without protection. During the last summer we made this a special business and found such a marked difference in the condition of the same vari-ties of trees, on different soils and locations, that we believe we are now able to select a soil and location on which fruit trees will not kill, taking last winter as atest to judge from. In all cases where the Wealthy came through last winter in perfect condition, there is the best assurance it will stand future test winters. In pursuing our examination of soils and locations we found hundreds of Duchess and Wealthy killed, on other soils and locations slightly injured, and on other soils and locations in perfect condition, having made a good growth and fruited last season. If certain soils and locations will preserve the good condition and life of fruit trees it should be a special duty of all apple growers to be well posted on so important a subject. Why fruit trees so often fail in Minnesota is with me a sub- ject of much interest, and a matter of close observation for years. I am convinced that drouth and heat, at a time when they are injurious to fruit trees, is the prin- cipal cause of the destruction of our orchards. We stated that during the growing season all nourishment went to growth, fruit and the perserving of the normal condilion of the trees, against the various drying elements, heat, windand air. In time of drouth growth ceases, the fruit dreps and all nowishment is used to preserve the health and life of the trees; and if the drouth becomes severe, as it often does on some soils and locations, the leaves droop and hang motionless, as is often observed in other plants, indicating lick of mositure from the roots; and when very severe no dew falls; in such cases trees are deprived of all nourishment both from soil and air; when in such condition trees will survive but a few days, not longer perhaps than animals when deprived of food and drink. This important fact should never be lost sight of. Trees from whatever cause deprived of their natural protection are the victims of the surround- ing destroying elements. We will now call your attention to another cause which, in our opinion, has injured and killed more fruit trees than all other causes put together. In another part of this paper we stated that when the growth of the tree is over for the season a]l the nourishment goes to the formation of starch, which is stored principally in the cells of the inside bark and buds. This starch is a reserve to be used when there is no action from the roots. If it was not so no deciduous tree could survive the mildest winter. They still have the same destroying elements to resist; nature has wisely provided them with the same protection when the roots are not active as when they are. During the time the roots of the trees are not active, when the leaves are off, late in the fall and winter, the change of stored up food is more rapid at times than 368 ANNUAL REPORT. others, when:the temperature goes down it diminishes, when it goes up it. increases, and when up to growing heat is very rapid; and if the heat continues for a length of time the whole of the stored food or starch is changed to sugar, or sap. This was the case in all warm localities in the fall of 1884 and a new growth was. the natural result. In Minnesota there are but few falls when this does not occur to a greater or less extent, on all warm locations, surrounded with timber or heavy windbrakes, with trees planted close together, or in all places where the air and free circulation of the wind are obstructed. The rapid depletion of stored up food from high temperature lite in the fall is the greatest of uli destroyers of fruit trees in Minnesota. Trees that ripen their wood the earliest on warm soil are most liable to be injured. The Tetofsky and Yellow Transparent are trees of this class and I have no doubt but many of the new Russian varieties would do much better further north than here, if planted on low land or on quick soil. High, cool, clay land is the best place forall fruit trees. in Minnesota. Good protection should be given on the south and in no other place. The winter of 1884 and 1885 has left sign-boards all over the west and northwest in the shape of dead apple trees; they are found on all low land, in vaileys sur- rounded with hills, or timber, on the level prairie and many other places where the industrious grower spared neither money or labor to shut out the wiods from hisorchard. There are thousands of acres of land in Minnesota, on high ground, covered in many places with black oak, or Jack oak trees, or brush, too poor fur the majority of farmer’s to grow their wheat and corn. In such soil the Wealthy stood last winter without any injury. Fruit trees on the north side of buildings or timber belts are seldom injured. We stated that high land, with a free circulation of cool air is the proper place for all fruit trees that are planted in Minnesota. On sucha place all our leading varieties may be planted and expected to do well. But for general planting on all quick, warm soils, we should select varieties that continue longer in growing, and I know of no varieties that fills the bill better than the Wealthy, Duchess, Beeches Sweet and Whitney No. 20. The Tetofsky, Transparent and all other Russian varieties that ripen their wood very early will fail in a few years. As we said at the start it is absolutely necessary to know the nature of the trees you plant, and plant them on the soil and location to which they are naturally adapted. Secretary Hillman called attention to a number of fruit reports from the counties of Winona, Wabasha, Dodge, and Murray, which on motion of Mr. Cutler were ordered placed on file for publication. FRUIT RAISING IN WINONA COUNTY. By M. Knapp, Winona. Having been engaged in fruit culture for many years, I will attempt to answer some of your questions, hoping that my experience may be a help in building up a system which will materially enhance the culture of fruit in the northwest. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 869 lam one of the first to raise strawberries for the Winona market, and have raised them continuously with varied success, having always found a ready home market until within the last ten years, since which time many have been shipped here on the Chicago & Northwestern, as well as to Minneapolis, St. Paul and Stillwater. I plant in a rich loam with a gravelly sub-soil, and find this to be the best, though they ripema little later than in a sandy soil. My farm is favorably located for irri- gation, and formerly I irrigated the plants every year during the dryest season, al- lowing water to flow over the bed gently until the soil was thoroughly moistened. This would improve the size of the berry and extend the harvest; but taking the Jabor and everything into consideration I found there was no profit in it, and have discontinued it for some years. Have used ashes and horse manure for fertilizers, the latter being much the bet- ter, the former seeming to promote the growth of the white clover, which soon covers the ground; the latter, however, shelters the grubworm, which is very de- structive to the plant. I have had good success by turning under a rank growth of clover and, later in the season, a heavy growth of corn which had been sowed broad-cast and attained a height of four or five feet, thus making a very rich soil, and yielding several bounteous harvests. The first variety of strawberry I raised was the Wilson’s Albany, and have had them continuously since and found them to be more profitable than any other va- riety. Have tried the Jocunda, which did not do well in this soil, the berries grow- ing to an enormous size, but the crop being very light. Have also tried the Charles Downing, Crescent Seedling, Manchester, and many other varieties; the Crescent being a good bearer, but if not picked every alternate day the berry will become soft and unfit for transportation. The Manchester are somewhat similar in these respects, while they hold out well for only one or two good pickings. In regard to protection in the winter have tried various methods; among which have allowed the weeds to grow profusely so as to cover the plants at the time of early frost, but find that this gives the weeds an early start in the following spring leaving the plants weak and unproductive. Have also sown oats broadcast later in the season with the same object in view and with similar results. But have found, after many experiments, that if the bed be kept quite clear of weeds, that a light covering of loose straw, sufficiently heavy to protect the plant from the sudden and severe changes of the weather is the best. In regard to grapes would say, that I have from three to five acres under culti- vation. I started in with the Isabella and Catawba, and later with the Concord and Delaware, which have been the principal market grape. Have experimented with many different varieties, having at times from twenty to twenty-five kinds, with the following results : The Lindley blossoms profusely but berries fall off, and if the season be moist, they will mildew. The Agawam has a large but loose bunch, a taste disagreeable to some; strong, rank grower, ripening a little later than the Concord and subject to mildew in un- favorable seasons. Massasoit is somewhat similar to the Lindley. Lady, a white grape, light bearer and ripens a little later than the Hartford 24 370 ANNUAL REPORT. The Hartford Prolific is productive and ripens early, but the bunch is loose and the berries fall off very soon after ripening. The Brighton, Clinton, Diana, Alvira, Iona and Martha need no special mention as none of them have proved to be what was at first claimed for them. The Moore’s Early isa rank grower, yielding a very large berry of excellent flavor, ripening rather early ; light bearer. The Janesville is very good for the early market, being a strong grower, a heavy bearer, small and compact bunches though not of rich flavor. The Champion, the earliest grape I have, isin every respect equal to the Janes- ville but of a richer fiavor, and will supplant the Janesville in a few yxars. The standard varieties, the Delaware and Concord, are too well known to need further mention here. The Delaware have yielded poorly for the last three or four years, probably on account of the vines being too old, and the conditions being otherwise unfavorable. For the last few years the cut-worm has done much damage on the sandy soils, destroying at least half the crop. They seem to do their work in the night, re- maining carefully hidden during the daytime. Will try several experiments during the year in which I hope to destroy or stop the depredations of the worm. The birds are also very destructive to the sweetest varieties, the robin, thrush, oriole and other small species being particularly destructive to the Delaware and the jay to the Concord. They do more damage some years than others, and one must watch them with a gun. These birds are also injurious to the red raspberries, sometimes doing considerable damage and requiring careful watching. As to my experience with raspberries, can say that I have raised red raspberries many years with good success ; have experimented with several kinds of black raspberries, and though yielding a fair crop, found it unprofitable to keep them and have not had any for several years. In all my experience with different varie- ties of raspberries I find that they do better with me by covering them in the winter and always feel amply repaid for my trouble. I plant them early in the spring ina rich soil and cultivate, hoe and trim them carefully for two or three years until the bush has attained its full vigor and strength, when I cut out all superfluous canes leaving but six or eight to the bush, pinning them down and covering them with earth for the winter. Now is the best time to fertilize them which also serves as an additional covering. I find that the Philadelphia, though yielding abundantly, ripens its fruit during a very short period, and after one or two pickings will all be gone. The Herstine also yields quite abundantly—a very large and beautiful berry, but the crop is too uncertain as they are not hardy enough to resist our severe Minnesota winters. Have also for years cultivated several of the common varieties, although none of them possess any. great merit, they will do to supply the early market until the larger and better varieties, which ripen later, supplant them. I have for many years cultivated the Turner and am yearly setting out additional plants at the expense of other varieties. The Turner is a rank grower, hardy and productive, the berry is large and one of the best market berries we have, though a few days later than the other varieties. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Syal I am now experimenting with the Cuthbert, which promises to bea very good berry, in many respects equal if not superior to the Turner. I have adopted a process of irrigation which I find very valuable; the water is handy and can be utilized with little trouble and expense. FRUIT IN WABASHA COUNTY. Mr. Herman Dietrele, of Wabasha, informs us that he has been experimenting with fruit for several years past with considerable success, more especially with grapes and strawberries. Mr. Dietrele has resided in Wabasha some twenty-four years and about six years ‘ago began the cultivation of grapes, purchasing a quantity of the Concord,. Dela- ware and a new variety, said to be a seedling of the Concord, called Pocklington. This variety was recommended as being hardy, and the vines have made a good growth; but as it has not yet fruited he does not recommend it. He experimented with Janesville three years, but discarded it as worthless, as being of poor quality, and on account of its dropping its fruit. Martha, a white variety, has succeeded well and seems to be very hardy. He says he has had the greatest success with the Champion and Hartford, the former being fully two weeks earlier than the Concord, not so large and attractive, but producing good, solid bunches and fine table fruit; the vines were obtained in Missouri. The Hartford is very productive and early. The first crop from a single vine yielded eleven pounds of fruit. In 1883 he raised a fine crop but it was destroyed by an early frost. The past season the crop ripened well with the exception of the Delaware and the yield was very ‘satisfactory. He obtained from Los Angelos, California, a number of plants of the Black Hamburg and a fine white grape, but found them entirely worthless in this climate. Mr. Dietrele’s experience with the Clinton is ofinterest. Soonafter setting these vines he noticed the leaves were affected by a peculiar disease, which upon close examination he decided to be a malady known as Phylloxeria. *The leaves are covered with white spots which change to a flesh color and soon drop to the ground. Examination with a glass shows the cause of the disease to be that of an insect which, after destroying the leaves attacks the roots of the plants. He applied Napthaline freely to the vines and succeeded effectually in eradicating the malady. He says he has found the culture of grapes quite remunerative. He has been growing strawberries to some extent, the Sharpless being his favorite variety; also has Charles Downing and Miner’s Prolific. The Crescent require fer- tilization and soon become mixed with other varieties. Hefavors mulching heavily with well-rotted manure; planting in rows, cultivating well, and renewing the beds once in four years. Of raspberries he raises Philadelphia, Turner, Purple Cane and Cuthbert, the first mentioned being hardiest and best. His exposure is to the north and he does not cover the canes. He has also grown apples to some extent, succeeding best with Duchess and Wealthy, for standard fruit and the Orange Crab, asa hybrid variety. Other vari- eties of crabs he considers of little value on account of blight. He has a large grove of native plums which bear bountiful crops of fruit. 372 ANNUAL REPORT. REPORT FROM DODGE COUNTY. By W. F. Hiuuman, Kasson. In answer to your inquiries, I would say in the first place, that I am not a hortieulturist, but was a half-farmer once. Years ago I believe there were two nurseries in this county, one located near Kasson, since removed, and one near Concord village. Some fiye years since I bought the last apple trees from the Concord nursery that the proprietor could sell ({ do not think of his name) before shipping to Dakota, and most of the trees that I bought and took goed care of have since died. There is no telling when another nursery will be established in Dodge County. For a small county—eighteen miles east and west, twenty-four north and south— . Dodge County furnishes quite a variation, either in respect to conditions favorable to fruit culture or general farming. The northern portion was largely occupied with heavy timber, and consequently has a dry, rich soil. It was settled at an early date in the history of this State, partly owing no doubt, to its nearness to the Mississippi River markets before the building of railroads, and has been and will no doubt continue to be thickly settled. These and other conditions render this portion of the county much preferable to the southern and southwestern portion of the county, which is more level, wet and bleak, and is not so well adapted to fruit raising. I need not inform you that though Minnesota can never rank with California or Michigan in fruit raising, on account of less favorable climate, yet there are hardy varieties of apples which will succeed well with us, especially crab apples, some of which almost rival the standard sorts in flavor and other good qualities, together with almost all kinds of smal! fruits, such as strawberries, raspberries, currants, and the like. The early settlers have given too little attention to these things, for it is well known that we can produce both fruits and vegetables here of more delicious qualiti¢s than the corresponding sorts can be grown in a southern climate, The finest fruits can be produced here which the market affords. No doubt horticulture will be developed within a few years to come to an extent that will surprise all but the most sanguine. Home grown apples have been selling in our local markets at $1 per bushel for Duchess and seventy-five cents for crabs. But when standard winter apples can be brought from Michigan by the carload and retailed at $2.50 per barrel, as is the case in our county this year, our farmers of only average intelligence will con- clude with respect to fruit raising, that they can get such apples cheaper for years to come by purchasing than by raising them. Where one farmer is too lazy to succeed at anything, (and such cases are not rare,) ten farmers try to cultivate too many acres, or they are too negligent or ignorant, in that particular respect, to reasonably expect much success in horticultural operations. John Clark, Kasson, is a successful raiser of raspberries for the local markets. A. P. Rose, Mantorville, always has a number one garden and is a good authority on strawberries. Hon. E. W. Westcott, West Concord, is also a successful hor- ticulturist. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 373 FRUIT REPORT FROM MURRAY COUNTY. By O. F. Norwoop, Balaton. There are probably not over two hundred apple trees in this county, exclusive of the crabs that have come into bearing as yet; but those that are old enough bore a good crop, especially Duchess and Wealthy. Not many of the latter bearing yet. The Transcendent with us have bornea zood crop the last three years. Trees of this variety, fifteen years old, have shown no blight here yet. Raspberries a good crop though a little under average size. This was probably caused by lack of moisture, no rain having fallen for three weeks previous to the ripening of the crop. The Gregg, we think a splendid raspberry for this country. This and Turney about equally hardy with us; both have stood the winters without protection, except last winter they suffered slightly. Souhegan not hardy. Red currants were a good crop, but not as good as in 1884. Gooseberries, (Downings,) have generally been plenty, but this year the bushes were infested with worms, nearly an inch long and resembling the cabbage worm. These pests made their appearance here this year for the first time, but in several places, and there was very little fruit. Native plums planted in the garden were loaded with fruit, and with proper care they are a fair crop most every year. Strawberries, a big crop, especially Crescents. Grapes: we have fruited only the Concord and Clinton. ~ Concords a small crop and of poor quality; the two previous years we had a nice show of fruit on these vines. Had a fair crop from the Clinton. We think we gave the Concord vines insufficient covering, which was the cause of failure this year. I have made inquiries throughout this county and find no injury to apple trees from the severe weather of last winter, which is encouraging to us here, when we consider the damage done to orchards in other parts of the State more favorably located than ours. The following paper was then read by J. T. Grimes. CONIFEROUS TREES OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. {THEIR VALUE AND ADAPTATION TO THE TREELESS PRAIRIES OF THE NORTHWEST. By D. S. Grimes, Denver, Col. For stately grandeur in form, and beauty in eolor, the Evergreens of the Rocky Mountains are unsurpassed and stand as worthy compani)n landscape pictures to the grand scenic surroundings of their Alpine nativity; the canons and lofty snow- clad peaks of the Great Continental divide —the Switzerland of America. The natural beauty, symmetrical form, location in altitude and in latitude, to- gether with the conditions prerequisite for extreme hardiness, and the rapidity of growth of some of the most desirable varieties, pre-eminently fit them to grace the lawns of refined homes, and especially for wind breaks and timber culture, should receive a hearty recognition. From my long residence in Colorado and extensive knowledge of the Rocky 3874 ANNUAL REPORT. Mountain forests and from observation and practical experience with the Conifers of this elevated region, am fully convinced that the varieties of evergreens best suited to endure the climatic conditions of the aril plains and prairies of the new west, must come from the Rocky Mountains. ,From experience we find they readily adapt themselves to the greatest extremes of atmospheric changes where- ever introduced. The intelligent and progressive p2ople of Minnesota, as well as those of her sister prairie states, must admit that the most effectual and durable barrier against the storms that sweep over the country will be found in extensive tree planting. But the planting of trees for shelter and wind breaks is but a small part of the value of such work. It is a singular fact that while the lumber commerce of the world is largely sup- plied from coniferous forests, aside from our parks and lawns, very little attention or importance is attached to the planting and cultivation of this valuable class of trees. In this progressive age of prairie settling where homes are to be made, the plant- ing of suitable varieties of coniferous trees for timber and shelter should be encouraged as a matter of the first importance. Failure in successfully growing evergreens, often has its origin in the adaptation of varieties and for local causes of which the atmosphere is one of the most im- portant. On account of the aridity of the air both summer and winter, the Missouri slope west of Kansas City and north of Omaha is not adapted to the class of evergreens commonly planted in a more humid climate farther east. On the other hand, the natural aridity of the atmospnere and the extreme degrees of cold that frequently sweep over the Rocky Mountains, have created varieties of forest trees suitable by acclimation and adaptation toa wide expanse of country extending as far east as this peculiar influence exists. Not only are the Rocky Mountain Conifera well adapted to these arid and arctic influences which characterize their native surroundings, but in the moist atmos- phere of the Atlantic coast and in Europe they seem to flourish with equal health and vigor. Of the score or more varieties of evergreens seen growing in various localities on the Rocky Mountains we call attention to only a few of the most beautiful and valuable; introducing in their behalf the testimony of men well and favorably known in horticultural pursuits. The Abies Douglasii (Douglas Spruce) heads the list as the coming evergreen for the prairies. Rapid in growth, beautiful in form and color, wood durable and valuable, its soft foliage and flexible branches enabling the tree to safely resist a heavy weight of snow or strong wind. By judicious pruning and clipping, they can be made to grow in any form desired and are equally well adapted for orna- ment and usefulness. Downing says in his description of the pinetuni at Dropmore: ‘‘Perhaps the finest tree in this extensive collection is the Douglas Spruce. It is sixty-two feet high, and has grown to this altitude in twenty-one years from seed. It resembles most the Norway Spruce, as one occasionally sees the finest form of that tree, having that graceful downward sweep of the branches, and feathering out quite down to STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 375 the turf, but it is altogether more airy in form, and of a richer and darker green color. At this size it is the symbol of stately elegance.’’ The late Prof. F. B. Hough, Chief of Forestry Division, United States Department of Agriculture says: “The Douglas Fir (Abies Douglasii) is incomparably the finest of the firs, surpass- ing them all in size and equalling the best in value asa timber tree, and is found to withstand the drouth better than most conifers, while it equals or surpasses most of them in growth.’’ Thomas Meehan in his valuable ‘‘Gardener’s Monthly”’ in speaking of it, says: ‘‘Raised from Colorado seed, this fine tree has proved itself perfectly hardy in the very low temperature and severe winds of the north- western prairies,and in eastern Massachussetts where it has stood entirely uninjured during the last sixteen years, although plants raised from seed from the Pacific coast are quite tender and unable to endure our winters.’? Robert Douglas of Waukegan, IIl., the most extensive grower of evergreens in the world, having fully tested seeds planted in his grounds from California and Colorado, says that ‘‘trees from seed collected in California proved not hardy, while trees produced from seed of the same species, collected by Prof. Parry, from trees on the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, were perfectly hardy.” Abies Menziesii.— According to De Engleman, the Colorado Menziesii is Picea Pungens, and not the Menziesii of California. This tree commonly called the “Blue” or ‘‘Silver spruce’”’ of the Rocky Mountains, must be seen to fully appreciate its faultless beauty. They are, however, rare, and seldom met with. They are found growing at from 7,500 to 9,000 feet altitude, in rich, moist, alluvial soil, at the foot of the mountain, near a stream of water. On account of their peculiar glaceous color and symmetrical form, they are much sought for. In Denver they take the lead of all others. Referring again to the ‘‘Gardener’s Monthly’? Mr. Meehan says, ‘‘It was a good winter (1879) to test the point made by Professor Sargent that Abies Menziesii of Colorado is much better adapted to endure eastern winters than a Menziesii of the Pacific coast. We (Meehan) examined recently some specimens in Germantown that had been through the winter side by side, and found all the Pacific plants with their leaves off, while the Colorado specimens had not a leaf injured.” The Colorado form is known in nurseries as Abies Menziesii Parryana, we suppose named in honor of Dr. Parry the celebrated American botanist, who years ago collected and distributed to professional growers seeds of the Rocky Mountain Conifer.’’ This species, says Thomas Meehan, has been tested at various times on our northwestern prairies, enduring a temperature of 30° below zero without injury, and also very extensively near Boston where it has stood out entirely uninjured during the last sixteen years. This is not only one of.the hardiest, but the most beautiful of all spruces. In April 1860, John F. Baldwin of Oltey, Iowa, dug some Menzis spruce out of the snow up on the Rocky Mountains. When dug they were less than two feet high. They were packed in hay, nothing better to be obtained and hauled across the plains in a wagon to Iowa, being over a month on the way. In Mr. Baldwin’s report to Prof. Sargent in 1880 he says, ‘‘these trees are now twenty-five feet high, and are very hardy, having withstood the most severe winters without being the least killed back.’’ He considers them as hardy and beautiful as any tree found in the country. 376 ANNUAL REPORT. About seven miles north of Oceola, lowa, are seen two beautiful specimens of the Blue Spruce. These trees were also brought in a wagon all the way from Pike’s Peak by a gold mining adventurer in 1860. The man becoming tired of hauling them, sold out to a farmer who succeeded in raising two of them. In planting, a quantity of stones was mixed with the soil around one of them. This tree had made double the growth of the other. The Pungens or Blue Spruce in Colorado shows a marked tendency to sport, both in the color of the leaves and the growing habit of the literal branches. While the foliage of some trees exhibit a full, 1ich, glaceous blue, both above and below, making them conspicuous objects as far as the tree can be seen, others in the same group, take on different degrees of color, from a tinge of silvery blue above, to a dark green beneath. The natural order of the branches are 1igid and fan-shaped, drooping in regulir folds one above the other. But in many trees of mature growth are seen great numbers of flexible branches from six inches to a foot in length, hanging pendulant from beneath these folds, waving with the least bit of air that stirs. This peculiar weeping habit contrasting so strangely with the general stiff and Stationary character of the tree, does not appear in younger trees, neither is it confined to any shade of color in the foliage. So regular is the arrangement of the over-lapping branches of this rare and beautiful Spruce, that often times when caught in drenching showers of rain, we have found secure shelter under the -‘blue forest banners of the Rockies.’’ In point of stately elegance and grandeur it stands a fitting representative and often reaches a height of eighty feet. The cones are borne sparingly on the side branches, but on the top or apex, they cluster in such quantities as to almost hide the leaves, where they hang pendulant for two years. This head decoration of light-brown cones covering a few-feet only of the extreme top, makes a fine setting off to the gay colors below. Asa hardy, rapid growing ornamental evergreen, the Blue Spruce of Colorado has no superior. Abies Hnglemann. (Engleman Spruce.) In hardiness, this Spruce isa true ‘‘iron-clad,’’ having withstood the severe climate of St. Petersburg, Russia. It is also a tree of high altitudes, growing up to ‘‘timber line’’ on northern exposures. ‘The best specimens however, are found at an elevation of about 9,000 feet, along side Picea Pungens and Abies Grandis. The leaves are short and thickly set on slender branches, of a dark-green color, with a small stiipe of white above and below. These lines of white stomata are not so plain in a specimen seedling grown and — sent us by Robert Dougiis, as they are generally seen in their natural habitation on the mountains. This apparent difference may be caused more from altitude and climate than from any difference in species. All trees and plants found growing in Culorado exhibit a much lighter color in leaf and bark, than the same varieties grown in lower altitudes. The wood of the Engleman Spruce is soft, white and valuable for timber, and for ornamental purposes, we plice it in the front as a companion picture beside the Menziesii. Abies Grandi; (Great Silver Fir). Of all the new and rare conifer that it has been STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Bye our pleasure to test, not one excels this in our estimation. We have grown it in the open air for ten years, and entirely unprotected, it has withstood the most severe cold and intense heat with equal unvarying success. “Our oldest specimen is the admiration of everyone who sees it, and is a living proof of its availibility to our cultivators in the Middle States. As to protection during the winter it has not needed the slightest.”” (Hoop’s Book of Evergreens.) For stately grandeur and form of growth the Abies Grandis, as we see it in its Sub-Alpine to Alpine home onthe great Continental Divide of the Rocky Moun- tains, is the true ornamental type of a perfect tree. Erect, straight and smooth as an arrow; leaves silvery green; branches fan-shaped, spreading in regular folds or layers one above the other; the lower branches pendulant the upper ones ascend- ing, the wood soft and white and free from resin. The appearance of the Great Silver Fir, with its flexible branches gracefully Waving in the breeze, forms a marked contrast with its rigid, natural neighbor, Pious Pondurosa. This species of evergreen seems to thrive best in a cool, moist, rich, porous soil. In many instances we observed, where the lower branches had been pressed to the ground by the heavy weight of snow, they had taken root and formed new trees, ala Bunyan. From this we infer that propagation from layers and cuttings would he easy. Although Nuttall, Douglas and other celebrated botanists, have located this ex- -ceedingly lovely tree on the Pacific coast, from Northern California to British America, and we too have seen lirge forests of it, on Mount Ranier near Puget Sound. We have also found it growing on the head waters of Boulder Creek, near Cariboo and even up to timber line, at 12,000 feet above the sea—an altitude higher than most of the clouds that float over the Eastern States. PINES. Pious Contorti—Twisted branched Pine. Contrary to what the name would seem to imply the Contorti is a slender, ‘straight, rapid growing tree. The branches are numerous, slender, twisted, thickly © covered with leaves, two inches long and two ina sheath. The color of the leaves is a pale green, rather pleasing to the eye. As an ornamental tree it is quite pretty when small, but in its natural element, inclined to grow tall and slender. The wood is white, light and strong. The first settlers of Colorado fenced their farms with the poles and built their -cabias from the larger trees. They are found growing thickly on northern expos- ures along the mountain slopes and extending up to the highest elevations. While this species of pine is of but little value for lumber, it is valuable for railroad ties, telegraph poles and mining timbers. Pinus Pondurosa—heavy wooded pine. The leaves of this Pine are a very dark green, nine to ten inches in length; three in a sheath. The branches of P. Pondurosa are more open and scattering than the P. Contorti, yet as an ornamental tree, especially in a collection where the brightest and deepest shades of color are artistically arranged in landscape architecture this tree would 378 ANNUAL REPORT. | fill an important place. It is as hardy as any tree that grows, and for lumber th most valuable pine found growing on the Rocky Mountains. The timber is heavy and durable, and not liable to warp. Extensive forests of this valuable timber commonly called Yellow pine in Colo- rado, are found growing from 8,000 to 10,000 feet altitude, on dry elevated table lands, that are common to those higher mountain regions. Prof. H. W. Sargent in his supplement to ‘‘Downing’s Landscape Gardening,’’ speaking of the P. Pondurosa says: ‘‘It is the hardiest of all pines, not excepting our native White pine, and the fastest grower. We have a tree eighteen feet high, raised from the seed in seven years; gigantic in every sense of theword. The new shoots are two or three times as thick as those of the white pine and the same with the buds. The annual growth of the leading shoots, exceed a yard in length.” Our experience with this pine in the Denver Nurseries fully corroborates Prof. Sargent’s record. Not only is it a rapid grower but the wood is durable. We know of posts planted in Colorado soil twenty years ago, apparently as sound as when. first set in the ground. In their native mountain forests, where the seeds have dropped along those old abandoned trails or road ways, or in anyway are covered, even with the poorest soil, leaves, or stone, they germinate and throw up a rapid growth. Where a fast growing and valuable variety of timber is the object desired in timber culture, we know of no tree so well suited to the Northwest as this heavy wooded pine of the Rocky Mountains. Before concluding our remarks on this interesting and valuable class of trees, we think our work would be incomplete, without adding the testimony of the late lamented Dr. John A. Warder in one of his valuable papers on forestry, written during his official term as President of the American Forestry Association. He says: “The spruces of the Rocky Mountains though still comparitively rare- deserve a share of your attention, especially the Picea Pungens formerly called the P. Menziesii, the silver spruce of those mountains; the Picea Englemani and the Abies Donglasi.’’ All these tiees are very beautiful; but you must be warned not to import them from Europe. Look to the Rocky Mountains themselves and not to the Pacific Coast as the original supply of these trees, Mr. Cutler presented the following paper: NOTES ON FORESTRY. By M. Curier, Sumter. Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen:— The subject of forestry is one which I feel myself incompetent to properly handle. It is one demanding the greatest consideration by the people and law-makers of our whole country. Our noble forests are rapidly pissing away before the merci- less power of the axman’s hand. And where, in the memory of the writer, a large part of Western New York was covered with the monarchs of the forest, to-day it is nearly as barren as the prairies of the west. Drouths and floods are ef common occurrence, fences have nearly disappeared, and most of the fuel supply is obtained from the coal mines of Pennsylvania. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 379 But this destruction is not confined to the east; fifteen years ago the country from Lake Calhoun to Glencoe was an almost unbroken forest. To-day, the whole surface is dotted with farm houses and clearings. When I came to Glencoe the prairie west of there seemed a dreary waste, with here and there a solitary house, looming up against the horizon, like a ship at sea. The wild deer roamed over the prairie and through the forest. One small cotton- wood grove at New Auburn was the only one in sight. The wonderful change that has been wrought is best illastrated by the exclamation of an acquaintance, when, on a beautiful May morning, he says: ‘‘Where will you find a more beauti- ful land than this? Whichever way the eyes turn, beautiful groves and nice farms. are seen.’’ This fact slightly compensates for the destruction that has taken place; but there has not been a tree set where there should have been a hundred. If there is one place more than another where the benefit of tree-planting is. felt, it is on the prairie west of the Big Woods. As the oasis to the weary, hungry and thirsty traveller on the sands of Sahara, or the harbor to the tempest-tossed mariner, so is the grove of cottonwood and willow to the dweller on the prairie. He knows that although the winds may how] and blow at the rate of sixty miles an heur, peace and quit reign in its shelter. Methinks that if one of our prominent members, who states in a recent number of Farm, Stock and Home that the cotton- wood and willow were not worth mentioning, and who expressed his surprise that farmers continued to plant them, recommending larch and maple instead, was to stand on the west side of a grove of these despised trees, with the wind blowing a gale and the thermometer at forty degrees below, he would hasten to their shelter and exclaim with Brother Sias, ‘‘God bless the cottonwood and willow.”’ Most of our farmers are poor when they settle on the prairies, often many miles from timber; maple and larch trees cost money, whilz cuttings of the others may be had for the asking. Again, the rapid growth of these afford shelter and protection before the others hardly commence to grow. But think not that [ have aught to say against the larch and maple; the first has been my admiration from youth up, owing to its tall and graceful form. It reminds me of the days of 1860, when the tallest specimen in my father’s swamp, in connection with a noble white ash furn- ished by one of our neighbors, was made to bear the name of Lincoln, and helped to kindle the fires of patriotism in the hearts of the p2ople. That this variety will succeed on our prairie soil has been proven by my neighbors, who have fine speci- mens growing in their yards. In connection with the trees named I would recommend planting different kinds of walouts for nuts and timber. The importance of forest trees to the man that. has the courage to attempt the growing of fruit on our prairies was fully demon- strated last spring. Small fruits on the east side of groves being in good condition while those on the west side, exposed to the winds, were badly injured. And now fellow members let us by examp!e and word in every possible way en- courage the planting of forest and ornamental trees, knowing that although we may not reap the full benefit, our children will bless us for so doing. Let us together take our stand, To stay the wily axman’s hand, And make of this a fertile land Instead of one of drifting sand. 380 ANNUAL REPORT. The following paper was placed on file for publication: THE TRANSCENDENT CRAB. By C. L. Smira, Minneapolis. After twenty -five years of trial in Minnesota, the season of 1885 found the Trans- cendent ahead of all other sorts in the State. There was probably a hundred times as many Transcendents grown in the State the past year as of any other variety. Each year some new variety is brought out as better than the Transcendent, but somehow these never find their way into market. At Glencoe, last fall, I saw the Transcendents brought into the market by the wagon load; there were also a very few bushels of Duchess, but very few of anything else. Now the farmers in that vicinity have undoubtedly paid out dollars for other varieties where they have cents for Transccndents. I look forward to the time when our markets shall be filled with choice apples and pears grown in our State, but until our experimental stations and professional horticulturists can show a better record than at present, would it not be good policy for every farmer in the State, who has not already got them, to plant out at least a dozen Transcendents. I know they sometimes blight, put, on the whole, they have proven the best of anything we have yet found. The fruit is not equal to the Wealthy or Autumn Strawberry, but they are, oh! so much better than nothing. I would not advise anybody to stop with the Transcendent for Ihave hopes of something better, but I would advise every planter to begin with Transcendents, and take care of them until they have something better. The extreme hardiness of the tree, the readiness with which it recovers from an injury, makes it a very desirable tree for the farmer to plant. The ready market and good prices found for the fruit in the towns of western Minnesota and Dakota, shows that there are many people living there who have an appetite for it. Any surplus fruit will find a ready and profitable market for years to come. For canning it is very fine; dried it makes good pies or sauce; it also makes an excellent apple butter. Still striving for something more excellent let us give a little more care and attention to this much abused and slighted fruit. It passed through the severe winter of 1884—5 almost unscathed; it can be profitably grown on any farm in the State, and every farmer ought to raise all that his family can use. What a pity some of the farmers who have neither strawberries, raspberries, currants or grapes, could not have had the good sense to invest in Transcen- dents at twenty or twenty-five cents each, instead of Fameuse, Northern Spy and Maiden Blush, budded on ‘‘French crab stock, at only a dollar, apiece.’? There is no humbug about the Transcendent, therefore few farmers want to buy it, and few slick talkers are trying to sell it. Mr. Smith announced that the next annual meeting of the State Forestry Association would be held at the State University commenc- ing the third Tuesday in March, and invited the members of the So- ciety to be present at the meeting, so far as possible. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 3881 HORTICULTURE ON THE STATE UNIVERSITY FARM.* By Pror. Epwarp D. Porrer, Minneapolis. Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Horticultural Society: Before beginning my remarks upon the department of horticulture at the University Farm, perhaps it might not be out of place to give a short outline of the University in all its branches, and that necessitates a brief review of its organ- ization and work. The University of Mianesota, like every other institution that aspires to bea university in fact as well as in name, is made up of a group of colleges or separate institutions, each having a specified object, each distinct from the other, but all arranged under one general management, and coliectively known as the University of Minnesota. In its ultimate design, it embraces the departments of literature, science, the arts, law, medicine, theology and agriculture. Our State is new, its. institutions are allin a formative condition. It was impossible in this State to create at once an agricultural college fully equipped, law and medical colleges, and all the other departments of a complete university, and have them spring forth perfect and complete lixe Minerva from the head of Jove, but the develop- ment must necessarily be slow and gradual. The finances of the State of Minne- sota, and the wants of the State did not warrant the establishment of all these different depirtments at once. The Board of Regents wisely began at the founda- tion, and organized the academic department, commencing with what might be termed a high school. This was the nucleus around which in time they hoped to build up as grand a university as any in the lind. After this came the establish- ment of the classical department, then came the departments of literature and science, and these came al ng, one following the other so rapidly that in the course of five years the full organization of an ordinary college was obtained. This work was carried on step by step, keeping distinctly in view the ultimate organization of a complete university. At a very early stage in the organization of the university, it became necessary, in order to meet the demands of the farmers of the State, and in accordance with the provision of appropriating public lands for the organization of a college of agriculture and the mechanic arts, the act of con- gress, to organize the college of agriculture, but I may say that the organization of this college was in advance of public sentiment and demands. The people of the country did not require it, because they had not been educated to see the necessity of it, but its organization was forced, and like all hot-bed growths, the progress has been slower than it should be and would be, were the conditions more favor- able. But the college of agriculture of the State of Minnesota was established as contemplated by the act of congress, and was organized by the Board of Regents as authorized by the legislature of the State. This college of agriculture is made up of two depirtments, in reality; the theoretical and the practical. Agriculture, for its successful prosecution and in its scientific researches, makes demands upon every department of human knowl- edge. There is no trade, business or occupation followed by the human race that *The address of Prof. Porter was delivered extemporaneously before the Society on Thursday after- noon, and appears at this place on account of a delay in returning the manuscript to the Secretary, after its revision. 382 ANNUAL REPORT, requires as well disciplined, as well cultivated a mind, as the prosecution of agriculture. I know that is contrary to the generally received idea, that if there was a dull, stupid boy in the family, all he was good for was to make a farmer, but if there was a bright boy you must make hima lawyer. But I make the statement without fear of contradiction, that it requires ten-fold more brains and more education and more skill to make a successful farmer than it does to make a lawyer, physician, clergyman or merchant. I don’t know of a department of labor that demands more diversified information than agriculture. The farmer must not only have a thorough knowledge of the work in itself, he should also understand the underlying principles upon which his labor is based. There is not a single field of human knowledge from which agri- culture does not demand a contribution. Let us see in what respect this applies to the farmers of Minnesota, In the first place, for a successful prosecution of his business and calling, the farmer should be familiar with the soil; its cultivation is one of his labors, and it is utterly impos- sible for him to become acquainted with its characteristics, composition and requirements, its adaptability to one kind of fruit or another, to grains, vegetables or stock, without first becoming familiar with the principles of chemistry, mineral- ogy and geology. Has the University of Minnesota made any provision for the student in these departments ?—It has the finest geological museum in the northwest; its chemical laboratory is fully equipped with the most improved and complete apparatus, and is under the charge of a competent corps of professors. There is most ample pro- vision for instruction in all these departments. The intelligent farmer should possess a thorough knowledge of plants—their structure, both general and minute,—their habits, adaptability to varied soils, meth- ods of germination, growth and fruiting, and their relative economic value. The science of botany is peculiarily necessary to the agriculturist, and in how far can the University supply this need? It has a laboratory wherein each student uses his own compound microscope,and with his eyes corroborates what he learns in his text books; he sees the cells of the plant, their arrangement into various tissues, their different uses in the several parts—leaf, stem and root. He examines also the fun- gus growths which prey on our field crops—hecomes familiar with the methods of the potato fungus, the ergot of wheat and rye, the corn smut, etc. He is enabled thus to study and investigate the whole realm of plant life from the minute bacteria to the fruiting apple tree. In other departments of science he obtains facts equally valuable and necessary, for the farmer must learn the laws of the elements that are continually at work, modifying and controlling the things with which he labors. He should familiarize himself with the effects of light and heat and electricity, of storms, ice and snow, of heat and cold, and in all these branches of learning the University offers him great advantages both as to excellent apparatus and skilled instructors. There are between twenty and thirty professors who are men devoted to their specialities, and they offer the amplest provision for the investigation of these necessary adjuncts to farming. So much in general for the equipment of the University. Now as to what pro- vision is made for the Department of Agriculture. The student who comes to the STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 383 University of Minnesota enters his name in the department he prefers. If he enters the school of agriculture he will go into the classes of physics, botany, chemistry, etc., with all the others, whether in the classical, scientific or his own department. All the students receive the same advantages. If the boy wants to study civil engineering he goes into the classes in mathematics with all the others. In this way economy in teaching is secured, the work being accomplished thus instead of having, for instance, as many professors in mathematics as there are departments. ‘Of course one man can just as well instruct fifty students as five. The specific work belonging to the Department of Agriculture is divided into two parts, the theoretical and the practical. When I took charge of this department of the State University, and looked over the field, I found not only in Minnesota but in many other states of the uni- *, the appliances were furnished, but the boys to avail themselves of the appliances were not there. Minnesota is not alone in this respect. Yale College that has an organ. ization of over a hundred years, and has sent out its graduates all over the face of the earth, with its splendid equipment and provision for collegiate instruction, has graduated but six students in agriculture since 1864; but while the University of Minnesota has not a very large class of young men that have enrolled their names in the college of agriculture, among the 300 or more students in the university, over one-half come from the farm, and it is the farmers’ sons and the farmers’ daughters who are receiving the benefits of this institution. Upon taking charge of the department of agriculture, I found one of the very first things necessary was to furnish the means for giving students a practical knowledge of agriculture in all its branches, and that is the work that has occupied my time and attention for the past four years. The methods of instruction in all depart- ments have materially changed within the past half century. For instance, in the department of chemistry, look what a wonderful change has been wrought in every detail. I can remember hearing my father say that all the chemistry he got in his college course was from a few pages in the back part of the old treatises on natural philosophy; he never saw a single quart of oxygen or hydrogen made. After studying chemistry in that way, a student knew nothing about it; even when I had my first lessons in that science I remember very little of it except sitting thirty feet away from the laboratory table, and seeing the professor perform these experiments. That is all we got of chemistry twenty-five or thirty years ago. Now, the student enters the laboratory, performs all these experiments with the elements, and then compounds, ete , and becomes thoroughly familiar with every detail of the labora- tory. Now, there isn’t a well organized institution in the United States that pretends to teach chemistry in any other way. At the University practical chemistry is taught in this manner. Every student is obliged to take up the analysis of com- pounds, and thoroughly familiarize himself with every element and with all the details of every experiment, so that when he has got through he knows something about it. That is the mode of teaching chemistry to-day. It is educating the mind and educating the hand and developing his powers of observation, and calling out his judgment; it is educating, it isn’t stuffing. The same method is adopted in the department of engineering. The science of engineering is taught by familiarizing the student with the work- shop and the field. He selects his materials, puts up the structure, runs his line of ¢ 3884 ANNUAL REPORT. railroad, and makes his computations of elevation, embankment, masonry and superstructure, as though in actual construction, so that when he leaves the school he is prepared to enter upon the practice of his profession. Our object is to make this farm the work-shop of the College of Agriculture, and to give a practical illustration of the subjects taught in the class-room, such as- the student of chemistry may get in the laboratory, so that when we talk about soils and the adaptability of certain crops to particular soils, the student comes out there and sees a practical illustration under his own eye. He has read about clay and sand and loam, and his season’s work on the farm with their soils makes him practically familiar with their properties. This method of reaching these practical results is going to be of great service to the agriculture of this State; but we haven’t the number of students that the State should send us; we are ready to furnish the instruction and the appliances if you will only furnish the boys. . On the first day of May we expect the students in our department to come out to the farm, and we will give them good, comfortable quarters, plenty to eat and plenty to drink, anda plenty todo. At five o’clock the bell will ring for them to get up, dress, feed the stock, clean the stables, harness the horses and milk the cows; at half—past six breakfast is ready; at seven every man and every team is. ready for the field. There are no books except for reference and recreation. The text-books have all been left down at the University. The student wants his dinner, I claim, about twelve o’clock; it will take him fifteen minutes to get into the house, take off his soiled overalls, put on something else and get ready for dinner; the dinner bell will ring at a quarter after twelve, and the boy will go to work at one o’clock. We stop work in the summer at six; have supper a quarter past six. That has been our custom for two years past. On the first day of October his work ceases at the farm. After that date we do not ex- pect him te do any more work in the field that year. The young man lays down the shovel and the hoe and takes off his cowhide boots and puts on his dress suit, and he goes into the class-room of the university. He is now a theoretical student. There he will have access to the laboratory, the work-shop and foundry, the muse- um and libraries, and receive instruction irom a corps of instructors who will en— deavor to do their duty and give him all the theoretical knowledge that is possible, and in the spring he will be ready to go back and take a dose of the practical again. How are we going to train students in practical horticulture? Well, when the students come to the farm I propose to place one band in the horticultural work, and I expect to familiarize them with all the details of planting, care and cultivation that can be given in the line of horticulture; others will learn how to clean the stables, how to feed the horses, put the harness on, and know when the horse is harnessed rightly, and taught the use and care of farm implements and farm machinery. Another set of these boys will be detailed to stock farming; they will milk the cows, take care of the milk, clean the animals and take care of the stables and be made acquainted with the breeding and rearing of all kinds of domestic animals. In that way each one will be familiarized with all the details of every department of farm work; they will be changed off from oae kind of work to another so that in the course of the season the young man will have a thorough drilling under the best instructed in all departments. We expect to grow on that farm every variety of fruit and flower and grain and % STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 885 grass, that can be grown in the soil and climate of Minnesota, and all the breeds of domestic animals of value to our State. That is what we expect todo. In many lines of work we have already made a beginning. I[ suppose you remember the fine exhibit Minnesota made at New Orleans, at the World’s Exposition. — I may state that nineteen-twentieths of that agricultural exhibit was raised on the experimental farm, and every single article that was put on exhibition at the last State fair under my charge was raised on that farm, and its exhibit there of grain, grasses and vegetables I can duplicate fifty times to-day by going to the stacks and bins and taking it out; so that we congratulate ourselves that we are doing some work in that line. Now you ask what are we doing for Horticulture on the Experimental Farm? We have made a beginning. Our vineyard is planted on a hillside with an eastern exposure. It contains the following varieties: Agawam, Brighton, Concord, Delaware, Empire State, Goethe, Hartford Prolific, Iona, Ive’s Seedling, Janesville, Lady, Lindley, Martha, Merrimac, Moore’s Early, Niagara, Pocklington, Prentiss, Salem, Wilder, Worden. Of these the Niagara and Empire State were planted last year. The Niagara made splendid canes. Of the Empire State but six lived of the ten set. Excepting the Concord, there were but ten vines planted of each variety, the object being to test their relative merits, under identical conditions of exposure, soil, culture and pruning. All have grown well but lona—which has been discarded. A little fruit has been borne the past season, but next year will bring, I hope, a good crop. With apples a fair start has been made. I have been in correspondence with Prof. Budd ever since his return from Russia and learned from him the best results of his work. You know that the object of Prof. Budd and Mr. Gibb in going to Russia was not alone to secure new varieties. Their primary motive was to cor- rect the nomenclature of the Washington importations—these had been received from many sources and had been duplicated under different names; the whole list was in confusion, and the visit of these distinguished horticulturists has resulted in a thorough revision and correction of that tangled work. Their visit was of great value also in determining the behavior of these trees in their own home; not among the least of its results, let us hope, was the additional varieties they discovered and imported. Besides fifty-eight varieties, one, and small two-year old trees, [ secured from Professor Budd almost an entire duplicate of his extensive collection of Russian apples, numbering about two hundred and twenty-five varieties. These latter were grafts made late in March, from cions that were cut from the trees at the time the grafts were made. That is to say, we found io Prof. Budd’s collection about 225 varieties that, after the severe winter of 1884-5, and after being grafted so late as the last days of March, were yet of such vitality that but one variety in the whole list was lost—and of that variety but three grafts were secured. This we regarded as a remarkable indication of hardiness. From three to one hundred grafts were obtained of each variety—averaging not more than twenty of a kind. These were planted in a sheltered situation and given thorough cultivation till about the middle of July, after which they received no cultivation save an occasional ‘‘scalping’’ of winds. 25 386 ANNUAL REPORT. For the experimental orchard, however, I chose the most open situation and what I regard as the most difficult place for tree growth on the farm. It is our intention to test these varieties thoroughly, and I feel confident that the trees that survive five winters in our exposed experimental orchard, can be relied upon for all Minne- sota points of equal latitude. For comparison of hardiness, I planted two rows of Duchess in the same orchard. All received moderate cultivation, the twenty-four feet space being planted with potatoes, and only two trees of the two hundred planted died; the others made a good growth. You will doubtless remember, how- ever, that the latter part of the summer was excellent growing weather, so that, despite lack of cultivation at that time, the trees continued to grow, instead of pre- paring for winter, hence many of them went into winter quarters with soft shoots, and these will probably suffer. As rapidly as any trees in the orchard die, their places will be filled with other varieties from the nursery, and thus I hope soon to thin out the weaklings and present to you a list of the fittest, which will survive. The orchard is planted twenty-four feet each way; such of the Russians as they continue to grow shall have ample room to reach their full development. I also received from Prof. Budd nine varieties of Russian pears, all of which were set in orchard, part in the experimental orchard, and the others in the more sheltered fruiting orchard, which consists of well known varieties of plums, apples and crabs, planted on a northeast slope, in new timber soil. There arealso on the farm a number of young conifers and deciduous timber trees. Seedlings secured from Robt. Douglas & Co., of Illinois last spring. These have in the main, done well. On account of the great press of work the young evergreens, from two to four inches high, were merely mulched with straw, instead of being shaded. The result almost justified a continuation of the plan. White pine, white and Norway spruce and balsam fir did as well as with shade, but red pine (P. resinosa) and Austrian pine were almost complete failures. In small fruits, we have a good beginning in raspberries and about a dozen varieties of the strawberry. In all our work with trees and fruits great care is taken to keep the varieties properly labeled; this becomes of supreme importance, and requires vigilance where the number or sorts is so great, and the number of trees so few as they are at present. I have a firm hope that in the long list already secured, to which additions will be made every year, something absolutely hardy will be found. Ifa single sort of the entire number should prove good in fruit, late in season and hardier than our hardiest, it will more than repay all outlay and expense, though all the rest prove failures. In additiou to the above lines of work with fruit, we have grown during the past season for illustration and experiment, every vaiiety of garden vegetable adapted to the soi] and climate of Minnesota, embracing varieties of potatoes, corn, beans, peas, celery, cabbage, cauliflower, carrot, cucumber, lettuce, melons, okra, onions, parsley, parsnips, salsify, spinach, etc., etc. Besides this work in horticulture, we have carried on all the operations of general farming and have made a commencement with stock, and the dairy. We have fine representations of Short Horns, Holsteins and Jerseys in cattle, Berkshires, Poland Chinas and Durocs in swine, Shropshire Downs in sheep, and expect to add to these breeds as soon as funds are available for this purpose. Yat tar) o> fi be Ls Wry ee Ay, heute he ify Re) ee, of a 1 OO AR eS CORO RRR, Nanna aM STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 387 But not to detain you longer I here extend a most cordial invitation to the Horticultural Society to hold its next Summer Meeting at the Experimental Farm, when the members and their friends can have an opportunity of seeing for them- selves what we are doing for the farmers and horticulturists of Minnesota. *LIST OF FRUITS GROWING ON THE UNIVERSITY EXPERIMENTAL FARM, SEASON OF 8 HILLSIDE ORCHARD, —_ 4h APPLES, Native. ¥ 10. Whitney No. 29, 10. Orange Crab, 10. Strawberry, oa 39. Wealthy, 10. Beechs Sweet, 10. Minnesota, j P 39. Duchess, 5. Perce’s Seedling, 5. Giant Swaar. nes 10. Tetofsky, 5. Rolling Pippin, 5. Ponas. Be APPLES, RUSSIAN, Selected list. ‘a Aport, Orient. 187, Glass Green. , Karly Sweet—Vor. 200. Renz Little Turnip apple. ; Arkaa—203—W. ; 232. Haw Pipka. ~ Antounooka—236 W.—26. M. 277. Warsaw. i Borovinka, 282. Woronech’s. Sobrin Kosteiana. 284. Kremer’s Glassy. English Pippin. . 286. Kremer’s Seedling. Genchevka. 316. Red Queen. Green Sugar. Lee SOM La Large Borsdorfer. 365. Ananasnu, it Plodovitka. 206. Czars Thorn. Rubets Native. 252. Aport—O’Porto Apple—23. M. . Serinka-Riga. 262. Charlamoff. A Yellow Transparent. 375. . 3. M—277. Lead apple. 382. Russian Green Apple. iy 18. M. Anisomooka. 402. Borsdorf. Sa 4. M. Slikleanka. 407. Blaekwood—53: M. Wag 20. M 447, Reinetee Kuiski. 410. [.ittle Seedling. ie 22. M. Colville Krasnui. . 413. Cross Apple—15. M. mrs: Day Oriel. 442. Yellow Calville. it 56. Vor. 447. Queen of Kiew. ee 21, Vor. : 457. Klineff’s Apple. vi 257. Arabskoe Vor. 469. Grandmother’s Apple—6. M. : 105. Russian Gravenstein. 477. Christ’s Birth Apple—161. M. tai: 508 169. Green Sweeting. 599. Romenskoi—Omensk—11. M. i 177. Green Streaked. 984, Anis Kurski. i 185. Anisette Anisowka. 934. 1,277. ys *The list of trees, etc., reported at the summer meeting as having been set at the State Experimental Farm, is included in the list herewith presented. 388 ANNUAL REPORT. RUSSIAN PEARS. 16 Oriel; 17, Vor. (on Pirus Ari1); 102, Vor; 702, Vor; 27, Riza; 342, 347, 358, 391, 396, 439. Of the Russian varieties we have about 2,500 root-grafts growinz, of twenty-two of the most promising. PLUMS. Russian. Rollingstone. De Soto. Forest Garden. Weaver. Fay’s Prolific. Stewart’s Seedling. Red Dutch. Houghton’s American Seedling. Concord. Niagara. Janesville. Delaware. Pocklington. Prentiss. Lady. Martha. Moore’s Early. Empire State. Crescent. Countess. Chas. Downing. Capt. Jack. Glendale. Tron Clad. James Vick. RUSSIAN MULBERRY. RUSSIAN PLUMS. RASPBERRIES. Turner. Cuthbert. Superb. Gregg. Golden Cup. Doolittle Blackcap. CURRANTS. White Dutch. White Grape. Black Naples. GOOSEBERRIES. Chas. Downing. GRAPES. Brighton. Ives Seedling. Goethe. Hartford Prolific. Salem, Rogers 53 or 22. Worden. Wilder, Rogers No. 4. Merrimac, Rogers No. 19. Lindley, Rogers No. 9. Agawam, Rogers No. 15. Iona. BLACKBERRIES. STRAWBERRIES. Jersey Queen. Manchester. Minnetonka Chief. Green Prolific. Wilson. 3 Windsor Chief. Rays Prolific. oe STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 389 RECAPITULATION. Apples, 67 varieties: Pears, 11; Plums, 5; Currants, 6; Gooseberries, 2; Grapes, 21; Raspberries, 6; Blackberries, 1; Strawberries, 14; Mulberry, 1. Total 133 varieties . LIST OF STOCK GROWING IN THE NURSERY OF THE EXPERIMENTAL FARM OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, PLANTED IN SPRING 1885. 2500 Root Grafted Russian apples. 500 European Larch. 560 Potted Grape Vines. 100 American Larch. 2000 White Willow. 30 Catalpa Speciosa. 500 White Pine. 100 European Mountain Ash. 500 Austrian Pine. 500 White Ash. 500 Scotch Pine. 500 Green Ash. 500 Red Pine. 100 Black Walnuts. 500 Mountain Pine. 100 Wild Cherry. 500 White Spruce. 1000 Box Elder. 500 Norway Spruce. 200 Norway Maple. 24 Colorado, or Blue Spruce. 10 Salix Napolemis. 500 Balsam Fir. 10 Salix Argentea. 10 Abies Concolan. 10 No. 123, Russian Willow. 200 Hemlock Spina. 10 No. 31, Russia Willow-Riza. 24 Douglas Spina. 10 Russian Poplar. 500 American Arbor Vite. 500 Russian Mulberry. RECAPITULATION. Artichokes, 1 variety; Asparagus, 1; Beans, 24; Beats, 14; Brusseles Sprouts, 1; Brocoli, 3; Cabbage, 7; Carrots, 8; Cauliflower, 2; Celery, 6; Corn, 26; Cucum- - bers, 9; Kohl Rai, 2; Lettuce, 7; Melons, 22; Nastertium, 2; Okra, 3; Onions, 14; Parsley, 2; Parsnips, 4; Peas, 22; Potatoes, 362; Radishes, 7; Rhubarb, 2; Salsify, 1; Spinach, 4; Squash, 8; Tomato, 5; Turnips, 6; Rutabagas; Herbs, 12. Total, 593 varieties.* FINAL RESOLUTIONS. Mr. Harris, from the committee on Final Resolutions, presented the following report. The committee on Final Resolutions woald respectfully report: That the thanks of the Minnesota ° State Horticultural Society are due and are hereby tendered to the citizens of Minneapolis, for the generous offer of hospitality and the liberal entertainment they have given us at their homes and at the Nicollet House, thereby making our sojourn in their beautiful city both pleasant and agreeable. To the various railroads leading to this city for rebates from their regular fare, to delegates and members in attendance. To the editors of the daily papers of Minneapolis and St. Paul for the many cheering words they have spoken for this Society in the past, and to the gentlemanly representatives of the Press who have honored this meeting with their presence and so ably and correctly reported the same. Also to our retiring President Truman M. Smith, Secretary S. D. Hillman, and the Executive Com=- mittee for the prudent and economical manner in which they have managed the financial and other affairs of the Society during the past year. *NoTE.—For lack of space the complete list, in extenso, of vegetables and cereals is omitted here. 390 ~. ANNUAL REPORT. Also to the delegates in attendance from State Societies of lowa and Wisconsin for the assistance and encouragement they huve so ably rendered us at the present meeting. J.S. HARRIs, A. W. Stas, G. W. FULLER, Committee. Mr. Pearce moved a vote of thanks to the proprietors of the Ingle- wood Springs for supplying the Society during its session with pure and healthful spring water, which motion was adopted. IN MEMORIAM. REPORT OF THE OBITUARY COMMITTEE. To the Horticultural Society of the State of Minnesota: Mr. PRESIDENT AND GENTLEMEN:—Your committee have to report with much sorrow and regret, the death during the past year of D. W. Humphrey, of Faribault, one of our most respected, honored and useful members, ard a man of great merit and worth. Honest and faithful in every walk of life, lending a willing, helping hand in the cause of humanity, he was universally respected by a wide and extended acquaintance. Mr. Humphrey was a son of the late Dr. Levi Humphrey, and was born April 23, 1826, in the town of Southwick, Mass. He came to Minnesota as early as 1855. In the spring of 1857 he was married to a most estimable lady, in Suffield, Conn., and his married life was a happy and eventfal one. Mr. Humphrey contributed much during his lifetime to all that woald elevate and better the condition of mankind. He was an earnest and efticient worker in all that appertained to horticulture. A member of a Christian church, his sympathies extended to all classes of people. He wus anxious for the welfare ofall. We feel that not only this Society, but the State at large has met with a great loss in his death. Your committee in conclusion would report the following resolutions fur your consideration: Resolved. That the State Horticultural Society of Minnesota learn with much regret the death of D. W. Humphrey, late of Faribault, in this State, which sad event occurred at his residence in that city on the 13th of October last. Resolved. That this Society extends to the widow and family of our Jate associate our most heartfelt sympathies in their sorrow and afiliction. Cou. J. H. STEVENS, A. W. Stas, S. D. HILtM AN, Committee. The resolutions were adopted and ordered placed on file. DELEGATES TO WISCONSIN. On motion of Mr. Harris, Truman M. Smith was appointed a dele- gate to the meeting of the Wisconsin Horticultural Society, at Madison, commencing Feb. 2, 1886. On motion of Secretary Hillman, J. 8. Harris was also named as a delegate to that meeting. President Smith. I wish to express my thanks to the Society for this mark of confidence; and, before we adjourn, I feel that I would eo hike the indulgence of the Society for a moment to say a word as to the future status of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society. Prof. Porter’s remarks very forcibly called to my mind some facts which some of the members present may know to be true. When he was describing the advantages and resources of our State agricultural col- lege at the university and university farm, and the chances for boys to learn, the paraphernalia for studying the whole thing out, it called to mind the time when I[ was first appointed by this Society to visit the State University, and to make a report upon their proceedings there. Gentlemen, you would be astonished when I tell you the facts. I went there some thirteen or fourteen years ago. The professor was instuct- ing a class in botany by lines drawn upon the blackboard; Col. D. A. Robertson was the professor. He called upon me for a little speech. I told them I didn’t know how to commence; I found myself in a very awkward dilemma; | felt that I was about the only green thing about the institution. I felt that I might make a very proper ‘‘subject’’ for’ the study of botany. [laughter] Look at the contrast to-day; observe the change in our society! And who has helped to bring about some of the marked changes and has stood shoulder to shoulder with his part of the work to keep alive the interest and advance the progress of the Society? Wyman Elliot of Minneapolis, the one whom you have chosen to act as your President for the coming year. I[ feel that with his energy, his perseverence, his knowledge of horticulture, -as your President, with the help of able assistants, he will been abled to accomplish much for the cause of horticulture. But, gentleman, if you expect him to take this Society upon his shoulders and carry it alone you will be disappointed. Let every member give him that aid and encouragement that he has always given to the State Horticul- tural Society and then you will make a grand success of your efforts in the future. ; Mr. Gould. Before President Smith leaves the chair I want to move a vote of thanks to our late President for his earnest efforts and the faithful and able manner in which he has discharged the duties of the position. The motion was adopted. Mr. Harris. I wish to endorse what President Smith has said in behalf of Wyman Elliot, for I believe he has not exaggerated his work for the Society, in the least. And if I have been enabled to do any- thing for the Society in the past it has been very largely due to the assistance he has given me. ae” | ee A rte Sauer sees Ys OAD 2 ee ys Og" ah», DA ay oS SB AR ae A a teem, CO Mane ST rene eee rae STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 391 ° ie — 7 ¢ +" a}. ee", Uf ae o. ae i pe tae bo OD Ge a oe L NM : : ojoz ADs Lee | . \ ares 392 ANNUAL REPORT. President Smith. I wish to say further that during the time I have had the pleasure of being your presiding officer I have not been able to serve you so faithfully as I could wish. What little land I occupy has been taxed to an enormous extent by the city and Board of Public Works. To illustrate, from five acres I have been working and using as my means of support I have had to pay twelve hundred dollars of taxes for city assessments, etc., consequently I have not given the time to the Society that I otherwise might havedone. This is my only excuse. My heart has been with the Minnesota State Horticultural Society; I have been ready and willing so far as my means and health would permit to work for its success. Secretary Hillman said that he desired, before the final adjournment of the meeting, to say a word by way of acknowledgement for the mark of favor and confidence on the part of the Society, in re-electing him to the position of Secretary, which was all the more gratifying to him, being done while he was necessarily in attendance, at Winona, as a witness in an important railway suit. He hoped in the future as in the past to receive the cordial support and encouragement of the members of the Society in the discharge of the duties of the responsible position, and promised to cheerfully work for the advancement of the interests of the Society, so far as he might be able so to do. Mr. Kellogg. On behalf of the delegates from the Wisconsin State Horticultural Society, I wish to say that we have been received most kindly, and most generously entertained, for which we desire to return our sincere thanks. We are very glad that you have appointed to-day two of your number to attend our next annual meeting at Madison. I tell you it takes the hair right off up here—these winter breezes— and that’s what makes you so smart. [Laughter.] Sometimes it is said that it is the women that take the hair from some men’s heads. I never had my cheeks frozen until this morning; the hair hasn’t come off yet, but I don’t know but it will. In such a country it takes men that can get up in the morning and ‘‘get,’’ to raise fruit; down our way we can raise apples on dead trees. [Laughter.] I can show you a specimen of that kind. We shall have a one-horse affair at Madison; we don’t expect to do as well as you. We meet with the State Agri- cultural Society, and this year our joint convention terminates with a two days’ session of horticulture. But we will give you a most cordial welcome and reception. Mr. Harris moved that the salaries of officers be fixed for the ensuing year the same as last, to-wit: of the President, $25; of the Secretary, ," ' SS, ee =) ays. Taelre ve 7% — Y ik. co oy Tykes A ( ’ 4 f afb” } ve A } aa is 7 : ; ASS & STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. ; 3893 ‘ $400; of the Treasurer, $25, and of the Librarian, $10. The motion was adopted. Mr. Ditus Day was requested to state how the fair in Rice county was held successfully without horse-racing. Mr. Day said he would ask Mr. Harris, who was present at the fair, to give the information asked for. Mr. Harris. I can only say, Mr. President, that I attended the fair at Farmington and I think it was the best county fair [ ever attended. The exhibits were first-class, the attendance good and everything went off pleasant and cheerful. Nobody got tired of it. One of the causes of their being able to keep the people there was that they provided for their entertainment. They had several speakers there who gave short addresses. Gov. Hubbard presided and while the fair was going on instead of being disturbed with horse-racing the people*had an oppor- tunity to get some instruction. There is no reason why similar fairs may not be made a success all over the State. No premiums were offered for racing, and everybody knew there would be no prizes for fast horses. The result was that the premiums awarded for vegetables, etc., were promptly paid. Exhibitors brought their products in large quantities and: went home with their money in their pockets. President Smith. The great state of New York holds her fairs with- out any horse-racing or any premiums on fast horses and has followed that plan for several years, and with as much success J] think as any state in the Union. Mr. Day. I may state that while they got their premiums on the vegetables last year it has not been the case when we had horse-racing. REMARKS OF 8. M. OWEN. Mr. S. M. Owen, editor of Farm, Stock and Home, being present was called upon to address the Society and came forward and said: Mr. Owen. Mr. President, if this was a base ball match I would eall ‘‘foul.’”’ I don’t know what I have done that I should be submitted to an ordeal of this kind, simply because I happen to be connected with an agricultural, and to a certain extent, at least, a horticultural paper. I don’t know what good I can do you, unless it is to let the light of my countenance shine upon you for a few moments. I am quite sure I can give you no lessons in practical horticulture that will do you any good, or add to the sum of your usefulness or morality. It — has been a good many years since I did anything in practical horti- AY OO se \ Aer es ee tee Ad! ee ee kt hl” OY i i é aK ? % * 4 Wo. whch ays oar ae , nh 4 i ~ ey * 394 aan ; ANNUAL REPORT. culture, raising horticultural products of any kind, and then my most successful efforts were when the owner wasn’t looking. [Laughter.} I have heard a good deal of discussion here about the ‘‘hardiness’” of fruit, especially apples. I remember in my youth I used to be pelted by apples that were “‘hard’’ enough to satisfy me, and ought to satisfy the ambition of a Minnesota winter. [Laughter.] I think I could suggest to you some improvement in raising water-melons, for instance; I remember when I used to aid in raising a big crop in a small portion of a single evening—vines andall. [Renewed laughter. ]} I have been a silent listener to your discussions during the sessions of this meeting; I hoped I would be allowed to remain a listener. This convention has suggested the thought to me that our civilization commenced at the wrong end. It seems that we are just arriving at a point where we should have commenced a thousand years ago. Civi- lization and science began by studying the heavens, measuring and analyzing the stars, and even trying to penetrate the mysteries of the future, hundreds of years before they began to study the wonders and capabilities of the despised clods at our feet. You gentleman are beginning to do that. You are beginning to learn the basis of the earth we live upon. In fact, the philosophers, the logicians, the mor- alists, the artists and the poets that are doing the world the most good to-day are found in the ranks of just such men as yourselves. This is not ‘‘taffy,’”’ gentlemen, and no boquets are expected. Even now, if you gentleman here were long-haired, hollow-cheeked and dispeptic, and were discussing abstruse questions about the ‘‘thinness of the whereas”; or if a man is unable to contain himself; is he too large or too small?—or some other philosophical subject, this hall would be full of people, sitting and listening to your ‘‘great wisdom.” But you are here discussing questions of vital importance and practical value, and yet you are hardly deemed worthy of an audience of a single per- son, aside from those who are interested in your work. For ages past much that has passed for genius of the noblest kind has been employed in painting mythological gods and saints, trying to discover something of the unknown world, or speculating on ques- tions of no practical value; but you, gentlemen, are the logicians of the hardy tree; you are the philosophers of an apple that will stand the winters of Minnesota; you are the moralists of the beautiful and the good—the good to the taste and the beautiful to the eye—you are the poets of the flower and the fruit; as such I address you, and regard- ing you as such I cannot tresspass on your time longer. I bid you good evening. [Applause.] Ny STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 395 THE NEXT ANNUAL MERTING. On motion of Mr. Harris the place of holding the next annual meet- ing was fixed at the State Capitol, St. Paul, commencing the third Tuesday in January next. Prof. Porter. Mr. President, I would like at this stage of the pro- ceedings of this meeting to call up a matter for a little consultation and action, if possible. It is well known that the State Amber Cane Association is a child of the State Horticultural Society; that a few years ago they were in the same house and fed at the same table, but. in the course of time with increasing growth the boy felt himself a little bigger than the ‘‘dady’’ and he wanted to set up for himself. This Society kept it, as it were, in lead strings for awhile and extended its fostering care. But the Amber cane industry for two or three years. past, owing to circumstances entirely beyond control, the existing low prices of syrups, unfavorable seasons, etc., has had a damper thrown over it and we have not been able, out of a membership of some 250, perhaps, to secure the attendance at our meetings that we ought to have. I find in looking over our list of membership that nearly all our members are also members of the Horticultural Society. They want to attend both meetings, but do not feel like taking a second week to goto both meetings. Itisimpossible to carry on the operations. of these two societies at thesame time. What I would suggest is that we might get a day out of the week that the State Horticultural Society meets for our meeting, and, if necessary, have a meeting of five days’ session for both societies. Or, I would suggest that time might be saved by accepting papers presented by their titles and placing them on file for publication. As papers areread here they do not do atenth of the good that one gets from sitting down and carefully reading them at his leisure. Nearly two-thirds of the time of this meeting has been taken up with the reading and listening to these papers, although I will say in this connection that of the six meetings of this Society which I have had the pleasure of attending that I consider this by far the best of the six—and I consider the papers that have been presented here by far the ablest papers we have ever had presented before any meeting of the State Horticultural Society. President Smith. A four or five days’ meeting is the most that we could get. It seems to me it might be arranged if the Amber Cane Association could get through with its work in half a day. Prof. Porter. I think it would be better if we could getaday. We hardly get warmed up in half a day. 396 \ ANNUAL REPORT. Mr. Elliot. I have been thinking of the matter somewhat, that per- haps we might “sandwich” in the Amber Cane meeting by taking half a day for the Amber Cane Association, with perhaps an evening ses- sion. Some of their work could be done by having committees appointed to arrange their work, and our committees could do the same way. Mr. Smith moved that the Society hold a five days’ session instead of four. Mr. Barrett. Allow me a suggestion. I come about three hundred miles on the Manitoba road and I could not attend the entire session. But I speak only for that part of the State. Mr. Ditus Day moved to amend the motion by leaving the matter under consideration with the executive committees of the two societies, the motion was adopted. Mr. Elliot. Mr. President and fellow members: For the honor you have conferred upon me in electing me as your President for the ensu- ing year I would return my grateful thanks. I do not know whether I shall be able to conduct your meetings as ably, present and dis- patch the business of the Society as readily as Brother Smith has done, but if you will give me your assistance I will try to assist the members of the Society in carrying on the work successfully. When I came to this State I was a mere boy. I have grown up here in Minnesota and have devoted a portion of my time to horticulture. It hasalways been my pride to assist whenever I could in that direction. I feel grateful for this honor which you have conferred upon me and shall try to do’ the best Icantoserveyou. Thestanding committees will be appointed and announced hereafter. On motion the meeting then adjourned sine die. Pg SU 4 ea a “ Sana 0 Jka ¥ ’ A "> | ; i . . STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 397 DECRETARY’S PORTFOLIO, DEFERRED PAPERS, REPORTS, NOTES, EXTRACTS, ETC. IntTRODUcTORY NoTE BY THE SECRETARY. The space which necessarily has been given to the routine report of the Society’s transactions, to the discussions had at its annual meetings, and to the publication of all the varied information there presented, has greatly limited the number of the pages which otherwise would be available for the insertion of editiorial clipings, extracts and certain items of more or less importance, which very naturally and properly, perhaps, should find a place in this department of the work. We here would call attention to the numerous papers read, and to the interesting reports presented, concerning horticultural work, as set forth in foregoing pages. We do not doubt the officers and mem- bers of the Society will feel both pride and satisfaction at the interest taken upon the part of those who have so generously contributed, and thus have shown their willingness to aid in the advancement of the worthy cause ofthe Society. Those who peruse the pages thus devoted to the various subjects treated, will find we trust some indications of the zeal and the progressive spirit that animates the earnest workers in our ranks in this and other states. The topics treated may embrace a wider scope, or range, perhaps, than usual; but still, we think, not more than cirzumstances fully justify. The quite phenomenal experience of horticulturists within the year, has surely called for sober thought, and has made necessary deep investigation, to find if possible the cause of certain changes which have taken place, in order to elicit information with regard to best and wisest means and methods to be used, to profit by the many lessons learned. One pleasing feature which we may refer to here—as characteristic of the present volume—is the elucidation of such newer facts and 398 . ANNUAL REPORT. figures, theories and plans, as have been found of value, gained by most recent observations, experiments and actual tests, that have been made by those who take an active interest in the cause of horti- cultural work and experimentation. Discussion has been had of timely topics. Results to be thereby obtained, and the conditions of success, are outlined here in language clear and plain. This setting forth of proper methods to be used is certainly to be commended. Fruit growers seem determined to pursue their work in spite of dire disasters of the past, until some means may be obtained whereby the noxious insects, fruit diseases and such climatic influences, as hereto- fore have proven so destructive, nay be, perchance, quite overcome. No doubt much interest will be felt upon the part of some regarding certain novel theories which are herein advanced. If real progress is thereby promoted the object had in view will be, we trust, subserved; for it should be the constant aim to obviate the difficulties in the way of that success which is alone attainable by persevering effort and by patient toil. To winnow out the chaff and treasure up the golden grain should be the object sought by all. ———EEE, MEETING OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, A meeting of the Executive Committee was held at St. Paul, March 11, 1886. Tliere were present at the meeting of the Executive Committee, President Elliott, Treasurer Grimes and Messrs. Harris, Pearce and Smith of the Executive Committee. In the absence of committeeman Underwood, 8. M. Emery, of Lake City, was elected as member of the Executive Committee, pro tem. By vote, S. M. Emery was elected secretary of the meeting. The expenses of Truman M. Smith, $18.15 and of J. S. Harris, $8.50, delegates to the winter meeting of the Wisconsin Horticultural Society, were allowed. It was decided to request the consolidation of the divisions G, H, andjl, of the premium list of the State Agricultural Society, the same to be under the management of the Horticultural Society and to request the Agricultural Society to appropriate the sum of $2,000 for premiums, to disburse for the three divisions. Division ‘‘G’’ relates to fruits and flowers; division ‘‘H’’ to vegetables, and division ‘‘I”’ to sugar, syrup, and honey, bread and domestic pantry stores. my thet ay pS a Rw En cee TN eh” a et el y fa a ; = ; ’ ‘ in 2 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 399 REPORT OF DELEGATES TO WISCONSIN. To the Secretary of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society : The undersigned would respectfully report that we accepted the appointment as delegates to attend the annual meetings of the Wis- consin State Horticultural and Agricultural Societies, held at Madison, Feb. 1, to 5th, 1886, and availed ourselves of the privileges afforded by attending the same. The meetings of both societies were held in rooms of the capitol building, were well attended by representative men from different sections of the state and conducted in a manner that was both interest- ing and profitable to all who were so fortunate as to be present. We being horticulturists, of course the horticultural meeting received the most of our attention. The program of the first day, made the business for Monday evening miscellaneous and informal, and the time was largely taken up in greeting the members as they arrived, unpacking and arrang- ing articles for exhibition. The business of Tuesday was opened with the report of the Secretary, in which he spoke of the advisability of establishing horticultural experimental stations for the purpose of originating new varieties of fruits adapted to general cultivation in the state, getting thorough tests of their value and hardiness under different conditions before recommending them for extensive planting, and also for conducting investigation of the various insects and fungoid enemies that are becoming so damaging to orchards and gardens, to ascertain more practical remedies, these stations to be under the supervision of com- petent men selected by the society. Following this came reports from the members of the committee of observation. The general tenor of these reports was that the winter of 1884-5 was most damaging to orchard and nursery trees, including most of those varieties that had been called iron-clad, that was ever experienced in Wisconsin. Mr. J. C. Plum, of Milton, read an elaborate paper favoring the division of the state into fruit districts, the division lines to conform to the peculiar geological and climatic characteristics pertaining to the various sections of the state. He also advocated the issuing of fruit lists showing the most suitable kinds for growing in the several districts. The matter of dividing a state into districts, maping them out and recording in each section, the character of the soil and formations with relative advantages they possess, the: prox- imity to bodies of water or timber, and elevation, is a good one as it 400 pins ANNUAL REPORT. enables the horticultural society to do particular work for each dis- trict without neglecting the best interests of others, and as soon as practical a committee should be appointed to make a careful survey of our State and arrange it into suitable districts. The question of experimental stations was discussed at considerable length and favored by all the members present, and resulted in the adoption of a resolu- tion requiring the president to appoint a committee to take action looking to the establishment of such stations. The annual address of President J. M. Smith was an interesting document in which he, in his free and lucid manner, spoke of the grand display of orchard fruits made by the society at the New Orleans Exposition last winter, and the joyous feelings of the horticulturists over their successful competition with the states of the northwest, which made them ‘‘proud of their state and hopeful that a new and prosperous era was dawning upon those engaged in horticultural pursuits.”” When spring opened the joy was turned to sorrow by the great disaster that had befallen their state and the whole northwest, the complaint of dead and dying trees was almost universal, and the question is everywhere asked ‘‘What shall we do?”’ ‘“‘We want some- thing better’’ He said, All are anxious and hope that we have some- thing better in store for us; that we are upon the dawn of a better day. I cannot but believe that between the many varieties of new Russians and new seedlings we shall find at least a few varieties that will endure our most severe winters with impunity, yet the experience of many years bids us be careful what we recommend.”’ He further said, ‘‘You are doubtless aware that tree peddlers are already selling so-called Russians in all directions. Would it not be well to insert in our fruit lists a word of warning or some resolution in this respect that might be of benefit to those who wil) look with unusual interest for our next volume of transactions? While many of us firmly believe and all of us hope that we have some valuable varieties as well as perfectly hardy ones, none of us expect them all to be of permanent ~ lasting value.’’ He also spoke a good word for the Manchestor straw- berry, which will carry with it great weight as he is a strawberry grower of large experience and in whom the people have confidence. Before the adjournment of this session Professor T. J. Burrell of Champaine University, Ill., was introduced to the audience and gave a very interesting talk on ‘“‘bacteriafand fungoids.’’ He is a pleasant speaker and is considered as the best known authority on “‘bacteria.”’ He has spent much time in conducting microscopic investigating of — Reyes we a as - . ry Ps ; ‘ Tea mae ae STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 401 the blight that has of late years proved so destructive to western orchards and proves that it is a living organism of very low type, _ that it is capable of reproducing and multiplying itself ad infinitum where surroundings are favorable, and showed very plainly how it worked in the organism of the growing plant, and stated that no perfect preventive had yet been discovered. He also gave an able address on the apple tree before the Agricultural convention with blackboard illustrations showing the circulation of the sap, how cells - and tissue are formed and the additional layers of wood are made—and explained the probable cause of winter-killing. He attributes much of the injury to summer’s drouth and seemed to favor moist locations for orchard sites. The evening session of this day was passed over in order to allow the members to be present at the opening of the agricultural conven- tion in the assembly chamber and to listen to the annual address of Presi. dent A. A. Arnold. His address was earnest, pointed and practical; he spoke like a man that was proud of his state and his calling, and con- gratulated the societies taking part in this convention, in the grand work of education that was going on, making agriculture the most sure way to wealth and the most laudable of all pursuits, and further said the state had adopted a wise policy in causing to be published for free distribution among the farmers, 13,000 volumes of about 1,000 pages, containing the cream of the work of all of the state societies, in addition to furnishing the horticultural society, dairymen’s association and experimental farm a liberal quoto of their own transactions bound separately. : Wednesday, Feb. 3., was an interesting day with the horticulturists; papers on our Russian fruits were read by A. G. Tuttle, H. H. Howlett andGeo. P. Peffer, and followed by an animated discussion of their mer- its. If we rightly understand the sentiments of the Wisconsin horti- culturists on the Russians, they do not expect them to meet all of the future wants of this country, but believe the coniing apple is to be a seedling of this country, perhaps of Russian parentage, or a cross with our native sorts. Considerable time was devoted tothe revision of the fruit lists, discussing crab apples, how to work and grow trees, select- ing of varieties as parents for seedlings, etc., in all of which we were interested but it would make our report too lengthy to more than allude to them. This day virtually closed the work of the horticultural society. The Iowa horticultural society was represented there by two 26 402 fic ANNUAL REPORT. of her most prominent members, C. G. Patten of Charles City and C. L. Watrous of Des Moines, and the Illinois Society by Professor T. G. Burrell of Champagne, and J. V. Cotte, all of them gentlemen whose acquaintance it waSa pleasure to make. Thursday, the 4th, was by far the most interesting day of the agricultural convention and the audience was larye and attentive. One of the pleasing features of the day was the great number of ladies in the audience and, another the intensely interesting papers by Mrs. Dr. Juliette Severence of Milwaukee; subject, Farmer’s Wives. Mrs. Ida E. Tilson, West Salem, Home Adornment, and the Education of our Girls, by Mrs. Vie H. Campbell, Evansville. The exhibition of fruits although hardly up to other years was very fine and numbered about 553 plates, among them about sixty varieties of apples, twenty-two of grapes, three of pears and a collection of cranberries, in six or seven very distinct varieties, by S. and A. C. Mills, of Madison, several of these were cultivated and have been greatly improved through a careful selection of plants for setting, and we understand that a part of them were seedlings; for size and beauty they excelled anything of the kind we had before seen, and shows plainly that this hardy and valuable fruit responds liberally to cultiva- tion and should engage more of our attention than it has heretofore received. The Messrs. Mills have promised to give us a paper and make an exhibit at our next winter meeting. ‘The varieties of applesupon exhibition showed very plainly that there are sections in Wisconsin where the trees did not suffer as severely in the Jast winter as in Minne- sota. There were among them several new seedlings of extra quality and good appearance, but from what we were able to learn of their parentage, we can hardly expect that any of them will be of value to us, yet they encourage us in the belief that the originating of new varieties by selection of seed is a move in the right direction. We were disappointed in not finding a collection of new Russians in the exhibit. In conclusion we will say that we believe these annual conventions of the Wisconsin farmers are placing the Wisconsin agricultural . society into a position far in advance of ours. We may and we intend to beat them in the management of our State fairs, but they are beat- ing us in the dissemination of knowledge among the people, and encouraging a sentiment favoring better homes, better farms and better educated men aud women to manage them. We regret that ~ our farmers cannot enjoy the benefits of such conventions, and that our STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 403 legislature has not been educated to that point where they could realize something of the benefits that would flow to our people by granting a little encouragement in the way of state aid to farmers’ institutions and agricultural conventions. Our thanks are due to the officers and members of the Wisconsin society for the cordial welcome extended us, and the hospitality and kindly attentions that wade our visit in Madison both pleasant and profitable, and to our own Minnesota Society for honoring us as her delegates upon this occasion. We hope that we have received henefits that shall enable us to become more useful members, and that we have formed valuable acquaintances who will leud us their aid in developing tie fruit resources of the great northwest. Again we thank the officers and members of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society for the honor conferred upon us, and the privilege afforded us of meeting upon their own stamping ground, those old veterans of Wisconsin horticulture, Smith, Peffer, Tuttle, Kellogg, Plumb and a score of others, and last,{but not least, Hatch the ‘“‘young America” of the society. TruMAN M. Situ, J. S. Harris, Delegates. St. Paul, Minn , February, 1886. LOCAL SOCIETIES. The following reports from local horticultural societies are herewith presented : GERMAN AGRICULTURAL AND HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF RAMSEY COUNTY. S. D. Hillman, Secretary etc.: At your request I will send you a list of the officers of the Ramsey County German Agricultural and Horticultural Society, as follows, to-wit: President—Adam Bohland. Vice President— Alex. Knuze. Secretary—Louis Edlefsen. Financial Secretary—Ernest Veuzke. Treasurer—Aug. Giesmann. Executive Committee—Charles Bunde, Wm. Muller and John Lorenz. ° ae “we 8. eA 8 eae Ga 2 a eee Lar e \ yo TE. “Uae 404 ANNUAL REPORT. The society has about fifty members, meets on the third Saturday in each month at Turner hall, St. Paul, where papers on various sub- ~ jects pertaining to agriculture and horticulture, are read and discussed. Yours very truly, ADAM BOHLAND. LAKESIDE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. ORGANIZATION AND PROCEEDINGS. March 25.—Secretary’s minutes of organization and subsequent pro- ceedings of the Lakeside Horticultural Society, with headquarters at Brown’s Valley, Minnesota. First meeting was called to order by J. O. Barrett. On motion, J. O. Barrett was elected temporary chairman and A. S. Crossfield, secretary. Upon motion of D. L. Roach, seconded by J. G. Todd, and carried, the chairman was authorized to appoint a committee of three, of whom the chairman should be chairman, to draft a constitution for the soci- — ety, and who should report at next meeting. Pursuant thereto the chairman appointed J. S. Harris, H. C. Bart- lett and J. G. Todd. Upon motion the meeting then adjourned to meet at three o’clock on the 26th of March, 1886. March 26.—Pursuant to adjournment, the meeting was called to order at 3 p. m., by the chairman. The first business was the report of the committee on constitution. The president and ex-officio chairman of committee reported, and the constitution was then circulated for signature among the peo- ple present and twenty-six names were subscribed, as members of the society. The members thus appearing then went into regular session and on motion of E. F. Crawford, seconded by H. L. Mills, the meeting authorized the chairman to appoint a committee of three who should report to the meeting as soon as possible the names of persons who should act as president, vice president, secretary and treasurer of the society until the next election of officers. Pursuant to such authority the chairman appointed to act as such committee, E. F. Crawford, H. L. Mills and J. Robinson. The committee reported as follows, viz.: STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 405 President—J. O. Barrett. Vice President—D. lL. Roach. Secretary—A. 8. Crossfield. Treasurer—Jos. Branch. On motion, the temporary secretary was authorized to cast the unanimous ballot of the meeting for these persons as officers of the society. The ballot was so cast. The society then went into regular session with all the officers and many others present. On motion, the president was authorized to appoint a committee of three, of which the president should be chairman, to draw up and present at the next meeting certain rules and regulations to be adopted as by-laws of the society. The president then stated more fully the object of the society, and was followed by J. 8. Harris, of the State Horticultural Society, who gave a very instructive talk on the subjects of forestry and horticul- ture. His long experience in the rigorous climate of Minnesota gave his remarks great weight, and aroused a good feeling and friendly dis- . cussion which was participated in by many present, to the benefit of all. Moved by H. L. Mills, seconded by J. G. Todd, that the name of this society be the Inter-Lake Horticultural Society. Amendment was offered by A. S. Crossfield that the word Inter-Lake be stricken out and Lakeside substituted. E. F. Crawford offered an amendment sub- stituting Brown’s Valley, but upon being shown that this name appeared exclusive, it was withdrawn. The amendment was accepted and the motion given to the meeting and carried. On motion of E. F. Crawford, the meeting was then adjourned to meet at 2 o’clock on the 27th of March, 1886. March 27.—Pursuant to adjournment, the society met and was called to order by the president, all of the officers present. The society then resolved itself into a committee of the whole for the discussion of ways and means, and as a result of such discussion it was decided that upon Arbor day this society should make a great effort to set out trees about all the public buildings, and along the streets of the villege, in its territory. Mr. Campfield spoke of the great benefit to schools. A. S. Cross- field thought the children likely to destroy the trees. J. G. Todd sug- gested the remedy, by suggesting that the children assist in setting out the trees and so have an interest in them. This solved the diffi- 406.0 ANNUAL REPORT. culty ina moment. A.S. Crossfield made a motion, seconded by J. G. Todd, and carried by acclamation, that every school child in this section of the country who would send his or her name to the secre- tary would become an honorary member of the society, and that a com- mittee of one be appointed by the president in each school district now represented in this society or which might hereafter be represented, which committee should endeavor to obtain the co-operation of the teachers in each district and appoint assistants to decorate the school grounds by setting out trees thereon on Arbor Day. Committees were appointed as follows in this county: District No. 6, David Burton; No.4, Geo. Christian; No. 35, James Layden; No. 5, A. Paul, Sr.; No. 3, Geo. M. McLain; No. 2, D. L. Roach; No. 22, A. 8S. Crossfield: No. 7, C C. Mills. In Big Stone county: District No. 15, J. Robinson; district of Beardsley, Jos. Branch. On motion it was then unanimously voted that an executive com- mittee of five, of which the president should be chairman, should be appointed, which should confer with the local committees and have power to call meetings by publication of notice. After further discussion by Dr. Marshall, Messrs. Todd, Campfield, Christian, Burton and others, motion was made by W. K. Weaver, seconded by J. G. Todd, and carried, that the secretary be ordered to furnish a copy of the minutes of this society to the press. Upon motion the meeting then adjourned until called to meet by the executive committee. A. S. CrossFIELD, Secretary. McLEOD COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. GLENCOE, MINN., June 7, 1886. S. D. Hillman, Secretary, etc., Inclosed find clipping from the Giencoe Register of March 4th, con- taining an account of our first meeting, which was held Saturday, Feb. 27, 1886. We organized with eleven members, and now number twenty-five. Have held three meetings since we organized. Find it a little hard to get the members together, but intend to make it so interesting that they cannot stay away from a single meeting. Would like to send a fuller report, but am too busy at present. Yours Respectfully, H, J. Corson, Secretary. ae eine eo ROG ih te we ee” ot » 4 7} * a S vs) s aoe “ wae ae Rogie y..4 bed , ’ 4 a ;" pe : We x ah ipa “ AY ha U STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. . 407 In reporting the proceedings of the first meeting above referred to the Glencoe Register, says: The first regular meeting of the McLeod county horticultural soci- ety was held at the court house hall last Saturday. The society organ- ized by electing the following list of officers: President—Milon Cutler, Sumter. Vice President—Wm. Getchell, Glencoe. Secretary—H. I. Corson, Glencoe. Treasurer—J. Nobles, Glencoe. Executive Committee—Carl Hagan, Sumter; Dr. Benjamin, Hutch- inson, and Jacob Koons of Penn. Mr. Pearce of Minneapolis, addressed the meeting upon the subject of the best varieties and the best methods of cultivating small fruits, such as strawberries, raspberries and blackberries, giving his own experience in handling the different varieties. There was but a small number of the farmers present, not over twenty, as it was a bad day, but all those who were present expressed themselves as having been richly paid for their time and trouble in getting there. We predict that the horticultural society will become a useful, as well as credit- able institution. The president gave each of the members present a copy of the annual report of the State Horticultural Society. After adopting a constitution and by-laws for the government of the society, it adjourned to meet at Armory hall on the last Tuesday in March. MINNESOTA VALLEY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. GRANITE Fatis, Minn., March 1, 1886. S. D. Hillman, Secretary, etc. Books received all right, just in season for our meeting. Please accept the thanks of Minnesota Valley horticultural society, for the same, | Our adjourned meeting occured to-day and was a grand success. We try to make the social element an enjoyable feature of our meet- ings. We had a basket dinner in the hall which was enjoyed by all. The subjects discussed were as follows: Spring Care of Small Fruit Plants, Planting of Fruit Trees, Ornamentation of School Grounds, Streets and Highways, followed by a miscellanous conference on gen- eral horticultural topics. The discussions were lively and interesting. Following the discus- sion of Ornamentation a resolution was passed that each member "A082 os ) ANNUAL REPORT. plant or cause to be planted one or more trees on the highway or some other public place, and report such action at the next meeting of the society. In addition to this action a committee was appointed in each town where we have a membership to bring this matter before the town meetings and thus secure united action of all citizens in the matter so far as possible. We are to have a record of all trees planted this year by our mem- bers and this reported to the society at the next meeting—this to embrace fruit, forest and ornamental trees. We are getting in good working order and are securing new mem- bers right along. We hope to be able to report some good work by this society at the next annual meeting of the State Society. Yours truly, O. E. SAUNDERS, President. CORRESPONDENCE. Kiew, Russra, Dec. 28, 1885. S. D. Hillman, Secretary, ete. Having read in the transactions of the American horticultural soci- ety that your Society has received several medals for grapes, at the New Orleans World’s Exposition, and knowing Minnesota as a State with severe winters—like our Russian—I take the liberty to ask you to have the kindness to inform me of the manner of cultivating the grapes in Minnesota, and to name me papers containing information about this interesting subject. Be so good as to name me also the apples, pears and other fruits of American extraction that grow in Minnesota, and which in your opinion would be worthy to be propagated in Russia. If you want some information, or seeds, or plants from Russia, please to write me and I shall make my best endeavor to serve you. Yours with great respect, G. DoprELMAIR. On replying to the above the following was received: Sr. PetersspurG, Russia, Feb. 28, 1886. S. D. Hillman, Secretary, ete. Much obliged for your favor of the 14th of February, and the valu- able information that you have had the kindness to give me about the growing of grapes in Minnesota, the growers of Russian apples, ete. on STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 409 With Mr. Tuttle I am already in correspondence and Mr. Sias’ name as a nurseryman is known to me from Mr. Gibb’s work upon Russian apples, and the transactions of American horticultural convention that Mr. Rogers was so friendly to send me. I have read the program of your winter meeting and the papers to be read. Your transactions or reports must be very interesting and instructive and I will be very thankful to you if you will send me copies. I have taken the liberty to mail you some seeds of cabbages, cucum- bers, rutabagoes and onions that grow in open air in Petersburg 60° N. L., and some watermelon seed that must be sown under glass and transplanted with earth; they grow with us under 45-50° N. L., in the open air. If you wish some other seeds please write and I will be happy to furnish you with them. With great respect, yours, G. DoPpPpELMAIR. The seeds referred to were received by the Secretary March 30th and sent to Prof. Porter at the Experimental Farm, to be tested there. Among the list of seeds are two varieties from the Crimea, one of — Turkish origin and one from Astreakan. Subsequently the following was received: KiEew, Russta, May 17, 1886. S. D, Hillman, Secretary, etc. Returned after an abscense of some months to Kiew. I have found your highly esteemed letters and the copy of your annual report. For these favors, please receive my cordial thanks. I will send to Prof. Porter, cions of our apples, next fall, for your experimental farm. Please give me some indications about your climate to be of assist- ance to me possibly in selecting cions, from varieties grown under similar conditions and regions of your own. If I am rightly informed you have cold winters and dry summers and with great changes of temperature in twenty-four hours. I think our country has some- what similar conditions. Would Prof. Porter be pleased to receive original seeds of Pirus Malus bassota or P. M. frunifolio? [can send him some. With great respect, yours, G. DoppELMAIR. Aue? hae « OP ee oe We ie veare ses * Ss iM) ( ior Bs i Sia Waar oa Mae: , \ , r Q 3 are a) 410 - ANNUAL REPORT. o FROM ESMOND, DAKOTA. F. G. Dewey, of Esmond, in renewing his membership for 1886 writes : Our section where we are located was only settled three years ago, although a few settlers were here north of us four years ago and it has been settled there five to seven years; therefore our knowledge of horticulture is limited, as we have been in the business only three years. Apple trees being very young here have produced hardly any fruit in this section. Crabs and the varieties known as “‘iron-clads’” are doing fairly well. Plums and cherries are quite unknown. Goose- berries, currants and strawberries are doing splendidly here and will grow fair crops; also Turner raspberry and Gregg (where covered); grapes and Snyder blackberry has been nearly a failure here, FROM BURLEIGH COUNTY, DAKOTA. Emil J. Claussen of Bismarck, under date of May 29, 1886, writes: The percentage of growing fruit trees is less each year, but I am not discouraged as yet. From all indications we need hardier roots to graft on than we have had so far, for this latitude andlongitude. The extremes and peculiarieties of this climate are beyond belief to one not a resident. Ihave a grafted Russian plum which has set a few plums this spring, no apple blossoms as yet; small fruit does well with proper care. We clip the following from the Minneapolis Weekly Tribune, under date of Dec. 10, 1885, from the pen of Mr. Gideon of Excelsior: FRUIT OUTLOOK FOR THE NORTHWEST. By Prerer M. Gipeon, Excelsior. Perhaps a few items on the apple question would be of interest to some of your readers, seeing the extent of last winter's ruin is now fully developed. In traveling through Wisconsin, Iowa and southern Minnesota, it was sickening to behold the ruin of orchards, and but few live trees that showed health. In all my journeying the best, and I might say the only good show of live trees, was at C. G. Patten’s, Charles City, — Iowa. With great care he has been growing new seedlings, and with grand success. Trees strong in growth and as perfect in health as if they had never seen a winter, and with death or dying of old ironclads STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 411 all around them. His grounds teem with Russians; only three or four varieties showed health, and not half so large of same age as the new seediings, and but few samples of fruit on any of the Russians, whilst the seedlings bore so profusely that some of them had to be propped up. Central Iowa and the whole northwest owe him a debt of thanks and they should not be slow to bestaw the adequate reward. Certainly he is worthy of patronage; he has a finestock of trees, and is a fair and honorable dealer. We, too, have a fine showing of new seedlings that went through the last winter, and gave a fair crop the fall just past. So fine that I was awarded a silver medal for my exhibition at the American Pomo- logical meeting at Grand Rapids, Michigan, in September. Surely the ruin is a damper on orchardists, but they should not have in mind that fact, that the old ironclads had to suecumh. We have other new ones that withstood the wreck—the hardest winter ever known in America, and the like may not occur again in the next 100 years, if ever. And even an approach to the last winter is not likely to occur inside of ten or fourteen years, which gives the planter that sets immediately an almost certain assurance of arich harvest of many years of fruit, whether he sets the old iron-clads (the Wealthy and Duchess) or the more hardy new ones. Any of which will give a lar- ger profit per acre in ten years—count from day of planting—than any farm crop that can be grown. It is folly for anyone to yield up such luxuries at one rebuff, the like of which never occurred before and not likely to again very soon. I consider the Wealthy and Duchess safe to plant and too good to cast aside, though we have others of equal worth and hardier of later origin. \ And now that we have a good collection that withstood the last win- ter with but little damage, and in season from Aug. 1 till March, and that collection yearly growing larger, none need despair of the future apple crop in the northwest. The ruin of trees is not confined to the northwest alone, but in a wide belt and stretching southeast to Colum- bus, O., and how much further I am not informed. Yet no one in Ohio, Indiana or [llinois doubts his ability to grow fruit there, and will reset and grow with profit the same varieties that were just killed out, and with our more hardy varieties our chances are full better than theirs. But some may query as to why the last winter was harder on trees than other winters of as great extremes of cold? Our theory is, that a iA as (ent eee. it Pen iN’) ¥ 4192 * ANNUAL REPORT. ~» warm current of air came from the southwest late in the fall that started the sap so that trees in warm soils and situations were in | bloom—ours were just opening their bloom buds when winter set in, consequently any tree that could not stand to be hard froze in full sap flow, had to die. On cold stiff clay soil trees suffered least. And in further proof of our theory of dead trees, is the fact that throughout Michigan and on northeast exposure trees came through all right, whilst the same varieties were killed in states further south, where the extreme of cold is not so great. Therefore, I say to one and all, take courage, reset and go ahead, the ordeal is past. PRUNING OF THE GRAPE. By Jesse B. Rogers, Milburn, New Jersey. The following extracts are from a lecture by Mr. Rogers, Milburn, N.J., given at the request of grape raisers and fruit growers in attend- ance upon the second annual fair of the Hennepin County Horti- cultural Society, at Market Hall, Minneapolis, on the evening of the 23rd of September, 1885, reported by the Secretary. Brother Horticulturists of Minnesota: When, on the 14th day of September, 1883, the committee on native fruits in awarding the Wilder silver medal, reported to the American Pomological Society, then in session in Philadelphia, in these words: ““‘We award the Wilder silver u.edal to the Minnesota State Horti- cultural Society for an exhibition of apples and grapes,’’ Minnesota tock her place among the states of this Union as a recognized horti- cultural power. Many of the delegates of your sister states for the first time had their attention called to Minnesota as a horticultural state. [ was among that number, and IJ resolved for one to visit the spot whereon those grapes were grown. That I have done, and I have seen the place which Minnesota should always hold sacred in her horticultural annals. This evening I intended to say something concerning the pruning of the grape vine. * * You take a pair of iron shears in your hand and go into your vineyard. Unless the mind and the eye control the muscles of your hand you might just as well send asteam engine or a mowing machine among your vines to perform your work. My first point will be that you must educate your mind. The first great requisite is tu perform more than one half of your labor in pruning the grape at your desk or table by informing yourselves concerning the scientific culture of _ the grape vine; when you do that, books become secondary, mind primary. When at Minnetonka, the other day, the complaint was universal: *‘We can’t get fruit eyes, especially in the Concords.”’ You all know the small terminal hud which puts forth in spring; every eye or bud of the grape is of the nature of that terminal bud. The spaces between buds are called internodes; the spot where the bud appears is called a node. A small protuberance appears, with a sharp end; that, if you will watch it for awhile, will give you the form of the wood-bud of the grape. So long asa rapid growth continues, no formation takes place except that of the wood-bud. Ifa too long growth is permitted, so many buds form, that nature is unable to modify or change by storing up the nutriment in the plant, or in that bud, to make it a» fruited bud; so that, upon young vines, growers do not see fruit eyes when they are six or seven feet above ground; and why? Because of the rapid growth. Buds of the grape may be divided into three classes: the wood-bud, the forcing fruit-bud, and the fruit-bud proper. Once know the dis- _ tinction between these, and the pruning of the grape becomes a matter merely of the counting of the fruit-buds which, you wish to have remain upon the plant. Now, how is this change effected in practical grape growing? A bud appears at the node; that bud pushes; another bud appears in the © axle of the leaf. A slight protuberance forms there, a leaf follows, and a wood-bud forms right in its stalk at the axle of the cane; that is where the bud forms which is always a wood-bud. If you allow nature to assume its sway, thousands of buds will form in a year, and as nature only wishes to perpetuate its species, the fruit-bud will form at indefinite places, so that in pruning you haye to follow nature. When your vine makes a sufficient growth, you can check it without forcing this bud which forms in the axle, simply forcing the bud into a lateral, and a bud forms underneath. If you pinch it too close this bud will again break, and then you have lost from a month to six weeks in the formation of your fruit-bud; continue that process the summer through, and you have no fruit-buds at all. If, however, you pinch the end and force a lateral, your budremains. Now allow this lateral to grow and extend in length; pinch it there again, and a bud forms underneath each of these leaves, which in process of time changes by becoming larger at the base, more round and less pointed, After STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. — ALS Ue . 414 tha ANNUAL REPORT. awhile it forms what is known in grape culture as a forcing fruit-bud. A forcing fruit-bud is one which is unfolded by taking undue nourish- ment from the vine at the expense of its vitality. Protect the same bud jonger, its sharp apex disappears and it becomes a full fruit-bud. Have yon never noticed at the axle the large number of wood-buds lying in there? That is nothing more than nature storing up too much vitality; so that if you have too large a ffuit-bud you are run- ning to the same extreme as too small, by having in the summer, - three, four, or five shoots pushing from the same bud. It may be asked if in some cases a fruit-bud does not produce fruit? I answer, yes. There is also another bud which appears, called an “fadventurous’”’ bud, which will sometimes produce fruit, although the bud is imperceptible to the grower in the spring. An adventurous bud is one that appears in an unexpected place; for instance, on an old cane you will find a shoot pushing from a place where you do not see a bud; that is called an adventurous bud. It is produced by too severe pruning. A wood-bud may sometimes produce fruit, but it is done at too great an expense of the stored up vitality of the vine. Thus summer pruning in its first results is the ecntrol by man of the nature and place of the fruit-bud. When you once become acquainted with the form of these three buds, pruning becomes a matter under your own control. You must have an educated mind, a quick eye, anda hand that never acts unless you ask yourself, ‘‘Why dol do ~ what I am doing?”’ When vou prune the first time, reduce your vine from two to three eyes. I recommend this that the root of the vine may never become your master, but that you may become its master; so it is necessary to prune from the very first. We start then, in the second season, with two or three eyes. Itis better to allow the second season two canes to grow, so that if anything happens to the one you have the other to fall back upon. After careful pruning at the end of the season, the question comes, ‘‘ What form am I going to allow my vine to grow in?’’ On that question depends all after culture. Probably for the first three or four years some difficulty may be found in the controlling of a fruit-eye. When you prune at the end of the second season, prune one cane, if you wish to and can get a fruit-eye within a reasonable distance; if it be a new variety, or if you are in haste to see what your soil will produce, you may allow two or three bunches of grapes to grow, remembering, however, that now comes the time in which you must bend all your energies to keep your fruit-eyes STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIBTY. where you want them. In pruning for a fruiting vine the best ex- perience in the state of New Jersey has demonstrated that never more than twelve fruit-eyes should at any time be allowed to grow upon a fruiting vine, no matter what its age may be. You may say twelve fruiting vines is a small number; but the result of that number is an average bunch of grapes weighing three-quarters of a pound to the bunch. To-day the largest bunch of grapes which you had on ex- hibition weighed thirteen ounces anda half; that is nothing more than what a vine should produce with scientific culture on fully two- thirds of the bunches it produces. Last year many bunches of grapes were grown in New Jersey weighing one and three-quarter pounds. From the second year onward your maxim should be, produce the finest fruit possible and protect your fruit-eyes. That is the main-stay of the grape culturists. The question will arise whether to fruit upon new wood or upon old canes pruned to the so-called spur system. This question is easily answered when you once understand the nature of ycur fruit eyes. There,are three prevailing lengths of pruning. The first is represented by the Concord family. With the Concord family I think it unsafe to run an old cane to the spur system for a long period. If I were to assign a reason, it is that the old cane becomes so hard, and so fully matures its eyes as to cause nature to spend a great deal of force in the spring bursting its buds which should be used in the development of the shoot itself. It has been found, therefore, that it is best, on the Concord, to use longer spurs of new wood. So you have to leave many more eyes on your canes than you wish. It is found, as a rule, with the Delaware, that it is better on longer fruited canes, if you trim from an old cane, to Jleave at least six or eight eyes on every spur that you make, and then select the shoot at the proper times. There is another class of grapes, the Diana, and most of Rogers’ hybrids, that do better on very long old arms. In a conversation I had with Charles Downing, he said that the best Diana he had ever seen was fruited on an old arm fifty feet long; and on the Hudson river where they raise many of the hybrids, they find that long arms always give them a lar- ger bunch and a better grape. We now come to summer pruning. The eye bursts, and as I have shown, it is a compound eye, a large eye and an eye by the side of it. If the primary eye bursts first, a cold spell would check the growth and the shoot by its side bursts, then comes the question of which shvot tc save. Asarule, if the cold weather continues long, the bunch on the . w oat | » Ls R 4 y ¥ oe Sa Wes m * x" xe Peete # og : “ % ‘ WM 4 , + ; , « " 5 eee 2-7 416 ANNUAL REPORT. first shoot becomes weakened and never produces as fine a bunch of grapes as the secondary eye; so that the careful cultivator waits until about the time the buds burst. A grape vine never bleeds after three leaves are formed; before that time if you break a cane it will bleed. You may ask how many leaves you shall have beyond the last bunch of grapes. My answer to that is, it is something like the formula to a patent manure—you must be your own judge; according to the vigor of your vine and the experience had with the variety you are growing. Your grapes run to compactness. This may be due to pruning too long in the summer, or by not enough organic manure in your soil to give vitality to the vine. If it is caused by the latter, the sooner the practice of dumping the manure of this city into the Mississippi river ceases, the sooner you will have finer clusters of grapes. After you get to where you do not care to have a fruit-eye form you may remove the surplus growth there just as much as you please, because that part of the vine is nothing more than a weed to you, and you don’t want to grow any more weeds than you can help. Another important point in this country is that of earliness in the maturity of your fruit. Nature compels you to take the first requisites toward earliness, that is, pruning sooner after the fall of the leaf. The European authorities and experimental stations have proven without doubt, and it has been demonstrated also by the American grower, that the sooner you prune after the fall of the leaf the earlier your vine bursts in the spring. Hence, in a climate where. you are compelled to prune early and cover your vines, if you are in a place where late frosts prevail, don’t uncover your vines before you are com- pelled to in the spring. The nearer the surface of the ground you can put your fruit and avoid dirt, the quicker it will come to maturity in the fall. Another thing which I see practiced here is, too late disturbance of the soil. Wein Jersey find that even in our winters we cannot dis- turb our soil within six weeks before the ripening of the fruit, unless it is done at the expense of the fruit-bud the next winter; so that in all fruit culture it is a question when to stop cultivating. ‘To be sue- cessful in raising the peach or grape, culture must stop sufficiently early to allow the bud to harden. While on the experimental farm Prof. Porter called my attention to the fact that he had stopped cultivating except to just cut the weeds with a hoe around the Russian trees. I said to him, ‘‘I suppose you do that to ripen your wood?” He said, ‘‘Yes, sir, Ido; and the question STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 417 we have got to solve is, how can we cultivate deeply and save our buds. I have almost arrived at the conclusion that when cultivation stops with the hoe, about the middle of June, to cultivate longer is dangerous to the bud the following winter, should we have a hard one.”’ You have foes to your grapes. The fact cannot be disguised that mildew and rot are among you. At least two species of rot and one of mildew I have seen. That is one of the penalties that every fruit grower has to contend with in the raising of fruit. It need not dis- courage you; many have contended with it before. I wish I was able to give aremedy forit; [am not. If you want to see it in its beauty and in its destructiveness, visit New Jersey. You have a very encouraging prospect. Your prices are two to three times what ours are on the Concord, and nearly double on the Delaware. With this standing in view, let the mildew and rot deter no man from planting grape or any other fruit. Any man that is deterred from raising sufficient fruit for his own family because of the terrors he has to contend with, is a coward. The whole question of fruit culture resolves into that of the cultivator becoming complete master of his vine ortree. If you will take the poorer land and fertil- ize it as it is best, I think you will have the greatest success. DISCUSSION. Mr. Pearce inquired if he considered it best to allow fruit eyes to form on the latterals. Mr. Rogers. Yes, and no; the whole secret is to get just as short a cane as you can, or just as long a cane with the eyes close together. If you allow ten or twelve fruit eyes to form on the latteral, you have many places to choose from; and if your cane gets very long, it is better to fruit on the latteral than on the cane. Mr. N. H. Emmons. Allow me to inquire: Take new vines that have grown ten or twelve feet the first year, how far back would you cut them for the winter? Mr. Rogers. Two or three eyes, sir. Mr. Emmons. From the ground? Mr. Rogers. From the ground. You have got to have good roots to maintain your vines. It isa mistaken idea to fruit a vine too much until it becomes established the second year; make two prunings of it; you will save time in the future if you do. I may say that in planting an extra one-year-old vine, it is as good if not better, than the two- 27 418 ; ANNUAL REPORT. year-old vine from the cutting. It makes some eighteen inches of growth the first year, and as a general thing it will have better roots and in a better compass than a two-year-old. Mr. Busse. I would like to ask: Is it best to leave one or two canes to the plant at the end of the second year? Which would pro- duce the best and most fruit, to have one or two? Mr. Rogers. I never allow a vine to fruit much the second year. It makes no difference proyided you leave about an equality of eyes when fruiting on each cane. There may be some advantages in leav- ing only one cane in layering. Bear in mind never, on a bearing cane, leave surplus canes. Mr. Emmons. How late do you recommend continuing your sum- mer pruning in the season? Mr. Rogers. That is a difficult question to answer. Mildew asa general thing, appears on the younger shoots; is more apt to attack them than the older shoots, and it is a question that only experience can demonstrate; no rule can be laid down. I should continue it until I was sure that I would save and form my fruit-eyes. Andif I found that too much strength was going from the vine into the bunch, then it is a question whether itis not better to risk a little sagteee Experience must be the guide. Mr. Pearce. In New Jersey do you grow from cuttings or layers? or, in other words, which is considered the best? Mr. Rogers. We grow mostly from cuttings, unless it is some variety difficult to propagate from cuttings. Mr. Pearce. Is there any marked difference between cuttings and those raised from a single eye in hot-houses? Mr. Rogers. I don’t think there is, provided the eye be mature and perfectly ripe; but in the new varieties grown from new wood there is a marked difference. If you have a cutting that has three or four eyes, cut off the roots below the lower eye and you hayeit. I am told that bone dust does you no good; but if I were going to grow grapes here, I should go into its use experimentally, and should use bones from which glue is made—from which all the ammonia has been removed and only phosphoric acid is present. As a general rule all bone dust that contains ammonia is detrimental to fruits. ‘The nature of bone-dust is to ripen the wood early. If used in too large quantities it contracts the wood-cell so that the sap will not circulate, hastens early maturity, and the fruit will remain ofa small size, mature early and drop off. STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 419 Mr. Grimes. What do you think of common wood ashes and lime as a fertilizer for grapes? Mr. Rogers. I think you have lime enough in your soil here with- out anything added. Wood ashes, as a general thing, add vigor to the growth. Ifyou want to experiment with them at all, do it very gradually and with very few, and do not use too many ashes. I once tried half a bushel to thirty vines, planted in a row, six feet apart. The peduncle became so weak it wouldn’t support itself, and my grapes dropped from the vine. The vines made an extraordinary growth the first year, and the next [ had a very fine crop of fruit. If you experi- ment with wood ashes, take a few vines and put on different quantities and notice results. If applied too heavily it will require a careful system of summer pruning, as it excites the growth too late. Its first effect is to make the crop earlier, although its latter effect is to show itself in early ripening about the second year. Mr. Harris. You advise not to cover the vines until early winter sets in? Mr. Rogers. That isthe rule. If you cover the vine, never cover while there is any danger of the rotting of the bud by warm weather taking place, and don’t let the cane become soaked with water. Never permit water to stand and ice to form around the collar of a plant, for it is almost sure to kill any vine or any truit tree—it stops the circulation. Mr. Roberts. Would it be advisable, in setting vines, to put bones and old leather under them, and would that be of any benefit? Mr. Rogers. Do you mean in amateur culture or commercial? Mr. Roberts. In either. Mr. Rogers. In commercial practice it will be well to experiment, if it don’t cost too much for labor. To make a trench, take large ones and pave the entire bottom, and on top of that put some bone- dust. Thatisdonea great deal. One of the most successful amateurs I know of digs down two and a half feet deep, paves with bones, and on top of that puts about ten or fifteen pounds of bone-dust mixed with earth. He raises the finest grapes I know of, but the expense is too great.in commercial culture. Mr. Harris inquired if burning a vineyard would not destroy the insects, and if it would not be well to plant again at a distance of half a mile to avoid the mildew? Mr. Rogers. I don’t think a distance of half a mile would be suffi- cient, for experiments in New Jersey have shown {that mildew will . 490 ANNUAL REPORT. travel half a mile; but I do not think you should grow a vine ten years, especially the Concords, for the older the vine the later the fruit matures. It will make a difference of about ten days. Mr. Harris. Do you know cf any remedy for the blue beetle or the curculio? Mr. Rogers. At our agricultural society meeting, Prof. Riley was present, and the question came up of getting rid of the blue beetle that burrows into your bud in spring and eats it all out. He recom- mended, what I had found to be true, that a Clinton, which is about the earliest vine there, be planted; the insects would collect on the Clintons, and then poison could be applied and soon the vineyard would be very nearly rid of the pests. AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. The twentieth session of the American Pomological Society was held in the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Sept. 9 to 11, 1885. An excel- lent and concisely arranged report of the proceedings appears in the transactions of the Indiana horticultural society, prepared by Prof. J. Troop, of Purdue University, which, for lack of space for a more extended notice, is inserted here: At the opening session Secretary Beal announced that the President, Marshall P. Wilder, of Boston, could not be present for reasons expressed in the following note: ‘“‘Gentlemen of the American Pomological Society: ‘‘T still live, and would most gladly be with you on this occasion, but as discretion is the better part of valor, | am compelled by the advice of friends of our cause not to take the risk of so longa journey, and the consequent fatigue of our session, but to reserve my health and strength in tke hope that you will come to me at Boston, in 1887, when we may consult personally again on the great interests which our society has in charge.” It may be of interest to some to know that this veteran Pomologist is now over 87 years of age. Patrick Barry, of Rochester, N. Y., was chosen President pro tem. After a few well-chosen words of welcome from Mr. Lyon, president of the Michigan horticultural society, the chairman introduced Dr. J. B. Angell, of the Michigan University, who delivered a very inter- esting address, in which he cordially welcomed the society to the state. In the course of his remarks he said: STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 491 “The memory of most of us easily runs back to the time when few or no cultivated strawberries were to be found anywhere in the land, and now your reports easily enumerate, I suppose, 400 or 500 varieties. Substantially the same statement can be made concerning the grape. Similar if not equal progress has been made with other fruits. I sup- pose the value of the fruit crop of the United States in a good year must approach $100,000,000. And the increase in the quantity has hardly beeu more remarkable than the improvement in quality.”’ After this address the committee on credentials reported the list of delegates present, the number being unusually large, including most of the leading pomologists of America. Next came the usual discussion as to where the next meeting should be held. J.B. Moore, of Massachusetts, offered Boston, in behalf of the Massachusetts horticultural society. He urged that the place be accepted in order that, if his life be spared, the venerable president might be in attendance. It was so decided. The following officers were then elected for the next two years: President, Marshall P. Wilder, of Boston; First Vice-President, Pat- rick Barry, of Rochester, N. Y.; Treasurer, Benjamin G. Smith, of Cambridge, Mass.; Secretary, Chas. W. Garfield, of Grand Rapids, Mich. At this point a telegram was ordered sent to President Wilder, notifying him of his re-election as President of the society, to which he replied as follows: ‘‘All right; goahead. I accept the presidency. God bless the old Pomologieal.’’ The next business of importance was the reading of the address of President Wilder, by ex-Secretary Beal. Init he says: It is thirty- seven years since the society was organized. His resignations as Presi- dent has always been declined, and a special officer having been selected in his place when absent, he regarded such action as a testi- nionial of regard for past deeds rather than for anything he could now do. He alludes at Jength, and very fittingly, to the society’s mission, to what it set out todo, and what it has so well accomplished. He alludes tenderly and affectionately to the death of Charles Downing, according him a high place in history. In the list of the society’s accomplish- ments, he enumerates a higher standard of excellence in judging, educa- tion of taste, discouraging cultivation of inferior sorts, more than 600 varieties having been discarded; a uniform system of rules for judg- ing; reform in nomenclature and many other things. He again urges “fa sytem of nomenclature pure and plain in its diction, pertinent and proper in its application,’’ and asks the nurserymen to aid in this reform by revising their catalogues. Speaking of improvements by 492 ANNUAL REPORT, cross-fertilization, he asks for a pear ‘‘with the richness of the Seckel, form and size of the Bosc, and vigor and productiveness of the Bous- sock.”? Again he urges the injunction ‘‘Plant the most mature and perfect seeds of the most hardy, vigorous and valuable varieties; as a shorter process, insuring more certain and happy results, cross and hybridize our finest kinds for still greater excellence. Goon! Goon! while you live, and when we are gone, others will rise up to chant our old song :— Plant the best seeds of all your best fruit, Good fruits to raise that some lands may suit; Fruits which shall live their blessings to shed, On millions of souls when you shall be dead. Plant! plant your best seeds—no longer doubt That beautiful fruits you may create; Fruits which, perchance, your name may enshrine, Inemblems of life and beauty to shine.”’ In conclusion he adds: ‘‘Fruits are the overflow of nature’s bounty, gems from the skies, which are dropped down to beautify the earth, charm the sight, gratify the taste, and minister to the enjoyment of life; and the more we realize this, the more shall we appreciate the Divine goodness to us, and the duty of providing them for others.” The subject of new fruits was then taken up, and apples being the first called, Mr. Green, of New York, asked about Yellow Transpar- ent. Mr. P. M. Gideon, of Minnesota, said it was of Russian origin, and about as hardy as Oldenburg, although last winter proved too much for it. Several members spoke well of it as an early apple, which was two weeks earlier than the Red Astrachan. Mr. Chase wanted the Dickenson apple to go on the list starred for Pennsylvania. It was a seedling of the Yellow Bellflower, and similar to it in quality. The Shannon apple was thought by many to be especially adapted to the soil and climate of Arkansas. Mr. Lyon said it was of poor quality, but good to sell. The Cellena was said to be of Polish origin, and about as hardy as Fameuse. The Glast apple was considered by Mr. Auger, of Connecticut, as being delicious for baking and a fine fruit generally. Mr. Gibb said the Thaler was considered an early market fruit in Nova Scotia, ripening in July much like Yellow Transparent. Mr. Lyon asked about Wolf River, a seedling shown at New Orleans. Mr. Gideon said it proved tender in Minnesota. Prof. Budd thought it was 80 per cent. hardier than Fameuse. Mr. Gideon said the hardi- est apples, before last winter, were the Oldenburg and Wealthy; but jast winter killed these also. He said the more crab we can get into our seedlings the hardier they are. In response to an inquiry regard- STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 493 . ing the Excelsior and Gideon crabs, he said that both varieties orig- inated with him from seed of a small crab. From five hundred seed- lings of Excelsior only twenty proved hardy. The Salome apple was well spoken of by several members. The Northwestern Greening was not hardy, otherwise a promising variety. Mr. Gipson, of Colorado, asked about Lon apple. Mr. Gideon, of Minnesota, replied that the Lon apple originated on his farm. It is very early and succeeds well in the south, as well as where he lives. It would drive any other apple out of the market; one of the hardiest trees and of excellent quality. The Missouri Geneting was well spoken of for the east. The Ohio Greening was said to do better in Michigan than the Rhode Island Greening. Commissioner Colman spoke of Wright’s Genet, which he had been instrumental in bringing to notice. It resembles Rawle’s Genet, but was a much larger tree. Brof. Budd spoke of one of the Russian apples which, he thought, should have more general notice. The name translated into English was Longfield. It was hardier than Fameuse, larger than the Jonathan, yellow, and about the size of the Missouri Geneting. Mr. Barry remarked that the Fameuse was good enough for anybody. He said: ‘‘Up in the Adirondack region they can grow nothing else. The trees are loaded.’’ Mr. Gibb of Quebec, considered Whitney’s No. 20 the best of the crab class. Mr. Gideon considered it several removes from the Siberian crab species. It had but very little crab blood in it. Early Strawberry was favorably men- tioned. Mr. Woodward, of the Rural New Yorker, thought every family should have at least one tree of the genuine crab; there is nothing to compare with it in the apple line for making jellies. This closed the discussion on apples, and at the evening session the society listened to an illustrated lecture on ‘‘The Injurious Fungi in relation to the Diseases of Plants,’’ by Prof. C. E. Bessey, of Nebraska. He stated that the only remedy for this fungus was the knife. The dis- eased portion must be cut off, whether it be a leaf, limb, tree, or whole orchard. At the morning session of the second day Prof. J. C. Arthur of the New York Experiment Station read a paper on the same subject; he however confined his remarks more especially to pear blight. The paper was well received, but the audience was left in ignorance con- cerning the most important point, viz., a remedy for the disease. In speaking of protection from frost, Prof. Lazenby, of Ohio, said, that in his tests with muiched and bare ground, he had invariably found a difference of from 3 to 5 degrees in favor of the bare ground. The 494 ANNUAL REPORT. mulch prevents the absorption of heat by day, and radiations by night. Mr. Morill, of Michigan, preferred to mulch nevertheless, because it paid in dollars and cents. Mr. L. B. Pierce, of Ohio, then read a a paper on ‘‘How to conduct State and Local Horticultural Societies.”’ The paper was so full of good sound suggestions that I may perhaps be pardoned for giving a few of them here. He said: ‘‘Exhibits of fruits, flowers and vegetables at each meeting should be encouraged, as they are valuable object lessons, fixing knowledge of varieties, and correcting erroneous ideas. State horticultural societies were repre- sentative bodies, and the social feature had to be abandoned to a great extent. In times past these organizations had devoted themselves largely to introducing and encouraging new fruits and to reports of the seasons, known as ad interim reports from officers. This work is not as necessary as formerly, owing to the large number of fruits now known and the disposition of originators to push them into notice. State. societies should have the backing of the legislature with liberal appropriations and they should be aggressive in their work, pushing it by the personal work of the secretary, who should be paid sufficient salary to enable him to devote his whole time to the work. There were thousands who knew neither the delights of using or of growing the finest fruits and flowers, and these should be reached by the estab- lishment of local societies. The work that a live state horticultural society with one or more efficient lozal societies in each county can do in the lines that I have briefly indicated is great, and sooner or later will have to be done.’’ Mr. L. A. Goodman, of Missouri, gave some ‘‘Lessons from the World’s Fair.’’ Mr. Lyon, of Michigan, followed with a short paper on ‘‘Nomenelature of Fruits.’’ The subject was ably handled and the paper full of good suggestions. Mr. Gibb, of Quebec, spoke on ‘‘Nomenclature of Russian Fruits,’’ and said that in Minnesota the Lieby was coming into notice on account of its hardi- ness. A resolution was adopted to the effect that before these Russian apples are placed in the society’s catalogue a committee should be appointed to revise the list and the names. A lengthy discussion followed Prof. Lazenby’s paper on the ‘‘Influ- ence of pollen on the size, form, color and flavor of fruits.” Mr. Ful- ler, of New Jersey, favored the theory, while Mr. Williams, of the same state, as strongly opposed it. Dr. Hexamer, of New York, said: ‘‘No matter what scientific men say about these things, that it can not be, because it is against all principles of science, I consider the theory highly probable, and I know that such influences do occur.’’ STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 495 After Mr. C. A. Green, of New York, had read his paper on ‘‘The Hardiness of Plants,’’ the discussion of strawberries was begun by Mr. Williams of New Jersey, and Parker Earle, of Illinois, was asked the name of the best strawberries grown by him. He said: “I con- sider the Crescent best of all. I fail with almost all other kinds.”’ Commissioner Colman asked, ‘‘Why is Crescent better than the Wil- son?” Mr. Karle replied, ‘‘That it was because he could grow it and so get it to put into market, which he could not do with the Wilson on account of the rust; this did not effect the Crescent in the least. Then, again, the Tarnished Plant Bug prevented the successful culture of most other varieties.’”” Mr. Morrill, of Michigan,said: ‘‘Down on the lake shore we use Crescent for early on light soil, and Sharpless for late on heavy soil.’’ Dr. Hape, of Georgia, and Engle, of Penn- sylvania, preferred the Sharpless. Blackberries came up next for dis- - cussion. Stone’s Hardy was said to be hardier than the Snyder, but too small for market. Ancient Briton was very successful at Ripon, Wis. Mr. Johnston, of New York, said that as a rule the hardy blackberries are small. Mr. Green said the Evergreen blackberry was of no value. Several members reported the Early Harvest as winter- killing badly. Mr. Munson said it belonged strictly to the south, and, with Brunton as a companion, both succeeded well, producing from 5,000 to 6,000 quarts per acre. Mr. Campbell, of Ohio, said the Lucre- tia dewberry was as good as anything he had tasted in the way of a blackberry, but it must be entirely ripe. Mr. Scott thought that Tay- lor’s Prolific was better in quality than the Snyder; but Mr. Lyon could see but very little difference between them. A valuable paper on blackberrries by Mr. Cowing of Indiana, was read. Raspberries came next and Caroline was asked about. Mr. Green and Mr. Rogers considered it an excellent berry but too soft for mar- ket. There was a great deal of discussion concerning the Shaffer. It was generally considered, however, to be an excellent berry for can- ning or cooking, but the color was against it. Mr. Morrill asked about the Nemaha. Mr. Green and Mr. Scott found it hardier and better than the Gregg. The Marlboro received much praise with regard to productiveness and earliness; the quality however, was only fair. Mr. Engle thought the Rancocas had come to stay. Dr. Hex- amer said it ripened its entire crop in from eight to ten days. Mr. Hobbs said that Crimson Beauty was a strong grower, hardy, of beauti- ful color, better than Hansell or Marlboro, while Mr. Green never could get a perfect berry from it, after four years cultivation. At the 496 ANNUAL REPORT. close of the afternoon session of the second day, Mr. Campbell, of Ohio, read a paper on ‘‘American Grapes Forty Years Ago.’’ Said he, ‘Catawba, Isabelle and Clinton, were about the only varieties we had. “Mr. Downing names only about one hundred and sixty varieties in his catalogue. In 1880 the Mississippi Valley society had two hundred and forty-nine distinct varieties on exhibition. Now, we probably have over three hundred in cultivation, and still they come. But improvement in character and quality has not kept pace with the increase in number of varieties. In quality very little advance has — been made since the Delaware. We have mildew of foliage, rotting of fruit and tenderness of vine in winter. Perhaps these obstacles will be entirely overcome in the future. What is wanted is a vigorous vine that will resist attacks of mildew, endure a temperature of 40° below zero in winter, and 100° above in summer. Hardiness, healthy. foliage, and good quality are now the desired points in grapes. There is a tendency to too many new varieties. Many are most unworthy, but advance has been made and still further improvements may be expected in the future.’’ The evening session was given up to an illustrated lecture on ‘‘Econ- omic Entomology,’’ by Prof. Cook, of Michigan. At the morning session of the last day, after the usual amount of routine business had been disposed of, Commissioner Colman, of Washington, addressed the society, after which came a paper on ‘‘American Grapes,” by T. V. Munson, of Texas. This paper was among the ablest presented during the sessions. The subject was treated from a scientific stand- point, showing the characteristics and adaptabilities of the different species of-grapes. A discussion of some of the newer grapes was then taken up. Mr. Rogers, of New Jersey, spoke of the lronclad grape, and said that it was worthless; and Mr. Hubbard, of New York, said that it was a worthless wild fox grape, and good for nothing. Mr. Lyman, of Virginia, had grown the Wyoming red for years and pro- nounced it very good. Several other members spoke favorably of it. The Niagara was pronounced good, free from mildew and rot, and as hardy as the Concord. Mr. Barry, of New York, thought the Empire State was a guod variety. Mr. Campbell said it was fine flavored and remarkable for healthy foliage. Several members had grown the Ulster Prolific, and pronounced it one of the best. Mr. Smith, of Massachusetts, spoke favorably of the Hayes, as did STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 427 Mr. Manning and Mr. Campbell. Mr. Hubbard, of New York, spoke of the Centennial as having a small berry, but large cluster and good quality. Mr. Campbell said it was not hardy, Amber Queen did weli with Mr. Hubbard for awhile, but not so good now. Victoria was well sooken of for New York. The Triumph was said to be very promising in the south. Eldorado received no words of praise. ‘‘Not worthy of cultivation,’’ was the general verdict. The Highland rcts badly. Vergennes was said to be very promising; good reports con cerning it were made from many states. Early Victor was praised by several members as being a strong, healthy grower, inclined to over- bear; but Mr. Munson said it was not profitable in Texas on account of the rot. Jefferson was generally condemned as being toolate. Mr. Woodward said: ‘‘We can get it ripe only about once in ten years.” Moore’s Early received only words of praise from every section of the country. Lady Washington was spoken very highly of for the south, but too late for New York. Prentiss was too tender and mildewed badly. Worden was spoken very highly of for both north and south. Prof. Budd thought it was the best black grape we have in the west. A. E. Wordon entered the room during the discussion and invited the pomologists to take a drive at 1 o’clock Pp. mM. out to the Munson & Knapp fruit farms, located about two miles north of thecity. Private citizens generously offered the use of their carriages for the purpose. A committee, composed of Mr. Munson, of Texas; Auger, of Connec- ticut, and Uber, of Virginia, was appointed to compare the Worden and Concord grapes for the purpose of determining which is best in regard to time of ripening, size, etc. Continuing the discussion, Mr. Green thought the Duchess was one of the finest grapes of recent introduction, to which several members replied, ‘‘Yes, when we can get it.”’ The Pocklington was said to be a strong grower, but subject to rot. Woodruff Red was a good market grape, but quality rather poor. The Eaton grape was mentioned by Mr. Manning as having a large, showy bunch, and quality good. At the last afternoon session papers were read as follows: W. I. Chamberlain of Ohio on ‘‘Needs‘and methods of gathering fruit statis- tics;’’ ‘‘Packing and Shipping,’ by Parker Earle, of Illinois; ‘Fruits of the Northwest,’’ by Peter M. Gideon, of Minnesota; ‘Insects Injurious to Fruits, and Remedies,’’ by Prof. Lazenby, of Ohio; ‘‘Hard Problemsin Pomology,”’ by Prof. Budd, of lowa. Among other things he said, ‘‘I am in favor of establishing experiment sta- tions in every state and in various parts of each state in which new 498 ANNUAL REPORT. fruits shall be tested under the charge of the state societies.’’ Mr. Auger heartily endorsed this plan, and offered a resolution to the effect that each state society or board of agriculture be urged to employ a certain number of experts to try all new fruits that shall be submitted to them for growth and test, whose duty it shall be to report the result in each case. The resolution was adopted. The last paper was by Mr. E. T. Field, of New Jersey, on ‘‘The Cocoanut, its uses, and how and where to grow it.”” The committee sent to the Munson & Knapp farm to compare the Worden and Concord grapesreported. The Wor- den was considered the better, taking all things into consideration. The collection of fruit was large and very fine. The committee reported nearly 2,200 plates on exhibition, of which Michigan fur- nished 1,000; Ohio 114; Missourri211; Ellwanger & Barry, of Roches- ter, N. Y., 140; Benj. G. Smith, Cambridge, Mass. 61; Henry M. Engle & Son of Marietta, Pa. 61; and Prof. L. H. Bailey, jr., Lansing, Mich., 75, besides several other smaller lots. The committee awarded the Wilder gold medal to Marshall P. Wilder for his collection of 100 varieties of pears. The last evening session consisted of short speeches from about twenty of the most prominent members, after which the society adjourned to meet in Boston in 1857. HORTICULTURAL LEGISLATION. Chas. W. Garfield, the efficient secretary of the Michigan state horticultural society for many years past, has compiled some interest- ing facts relative to the legislation of the different states and provinces, from which we take the following extracts. In his introductory he says: ‘‘In performing the duties which have devolved upon me since my first election to the office of secretary of the Michigan horticultural society, and in shaping the policy of the society, I have often ques- tioned what other societies have done under similar conditions. In seeking the information desired, I have always found the secretaries of sister societies ready to render any assistance in their power, and oftentimes at a personal sacrifice they have furnished the data sought. It occurred to me during the last year that inasmuch as the matter of securing special legislation in the interests of horticulture and forestry was occupying the attention of societies and individuals in various states about us to a considerable extent, it might be profitable to in- STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 429 quire just what attention had been given by the law-makers of the land to questions that effect these interests.’’ With regard to legislation in California the report shows that an act was passed in 1880, entitled “‘An act for the promotion of the viticultural industries of the state,’’ in which the governor is author- ized to appoint a board of nine commissioners, who are required ‘‘to. meet semi-annually and to consult and to adopt such measures as may best promote the progress of the viticultural industries of the state.’” The sum of $10,000 a year for ten years was placed at the disposal of the board, whose duty it is made to look after the grape interests of the state in the greatest detail; especially with regard to the matter of diseases and insect pests. The law gives them power under certain restrictions, to seize upon and destroy infected vines that might cause contagion, imposes fines for transporting diseased vines or fruit, etc. In 1883 a state board of horticulture was created, providing for an inspector of fruit pests, and the sum of $5,000 per year was provided to carry out the provisions of the act. In 1885 the legislature of California passed an act in the interests of horticulture which provides, among other things, that: “Tt shall be the duty of every owner, possessor or occupier of an or- chard, nursery or land where fruit trees are grown within this state, to disinfect all fruit trees grown on such land infested with any in- sect or insects, or the germs thereof, or infested by any contagious disease known to be injurious to fruit or fruit trees, before the re- moval of the same from such premises for sale, gift, distribution or transportation. It shall be the duty of the owner, lessee or occu- pier of any orchard within the State, to gather all fruit infested by the insects known as the codling moth, peach moth, red spider, plum weevil, and kindred noxious insects, their larve or pupe, which has fallen from the tree or trees, as often as once a week and dispose of or destroy the same in such a manner as to effectually destroy all such insects, their Jarve or pupx.”’ ‘It is further provided that: ‘‘All fruit trees infested by any insect or insects their germs, larve or pup, or infected by disease known to be injurious to fruit or fruit trees, and liable to spread contagion, must be cleaned or disinfected before the first day of April, 1885, and on or before the the first day of April of every succeeding year thereafter.”’ Secretary Webb, in commenting upon the legislation referred to, says: 430 ANNUAL REPORT. ‘“My opinion is that all laws for the protection of the orchardist against the ravages of insects should be plain and simple in construc- tion, and reasonable and not unnecessarily harsh in their application. The first and indispensible consideration, is a liberal appropriation of money by the state, and the creating of a board of commissioners— their actual traveling and incidental expenses to be borne by the state. This board shall be selected on account of their superior knowledge and experience in horticulture, and the appointing power in the selec- tion of its members should by all means ignore party politics. The duties of the secretary of a useful and efficient board of horticulture such as every fruit growing state should have, will be so large and ex- tensive as to require not a mere clerk but a first class man, and his compensation should be sufficient to pay him well for his time. The same as regards the office of the chief horticultural officer, who should devote his entire time and attention to the duties of his office, chiefly in the fields, giving instruction in the mode and manner of planting, pruning, cultivation, etc. In our state the secretary receives $150.00 per month and the latter officer $200.00 and all his traveling expenses are paid by the state. The last appropriation by our legislature was ten thousand dollars per year for the state board of horticulture; fif- teen thousand dollars per year for the state board of viticulture; also viticultural, experimental, scientific and analytical work, including apparatus and suitable accomodations for the same, under joint con- trol of the board of regents and the state university and the board of state viticultural commissioners, five thousand dollars per year. [ have not a doubt but for every dollar our state has expended in aid of these interests there has been returned in an increase of taxable property, more than it would have been without such appropriations, more than twenty dollars for every one expended by the state. Secretary Clark of the Colorado state horticultural society, after referring briefly to legislation in that state, says: In my opinion the subject of fruit culture and tree culture should receive from our legislature special attention. Our supply of natural timber, never very large and limited in variety, will soon be exhausted and unless replaced by artificial growth, a heavy drain will eventually be nade on the finances of the people to supply timber for mechanical uses. The question of the influence of forest trees on the water supply for irrigation comes in here, and is one of vast importance. The influ- ence of forests on the evaporation and precipitation of moisture is not as generally understood as it should be, and facts bearing on this whole ¢ STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 431 subject should be brought before our law makers. Fruit culture calls for amore intelligent recognition by our legislatures. A liberal policy in this direction would hasten, by many years, the development of the fruit-growing interest, and save to the people of the state millions of dollars which will be sent abroad for fruits which can be raised here. Colorado possesses a greater variety of soil and climate than any other state in the union, and her possibilities are not yet understood even by our most intelligent people. Hence more light is what we need to show our law makers the direction in which they can best promote the interests of the people. In Georgia a state horticultural society was organized as early as 1858, which is still in existence with a large membership and governed by a code of rules which have resulted in giving the greatest impetus to fruit culture. Itis stated that ‘‘Its annual sessions and exhibitions are increasing in usefulness, and it is conceded that in no state has such a variety of pomological products ever been brought together.”’ In Illinois the state horticultural society was incorporated in 1857, and reorganized by an enactment in 1874. It was largely through the influence of the leading spirits in this society that the state provided for a state entomologist, and by liberal appropriations secured the services of Walsh, LeBaron, Thomas, and Forbes, specialists, who have added so largely to the general infor- mation concerning the habits of injurious insects and means for their destruction. No state has done more efficient work for horticulture than Illinois in supporting the work in this field. The society took the initiative step which finally resulted in the establishment by the state of the industrial university, from which institution the horti- culture of [llinois has received efficient aid. The society in that state has a regular apportionment of $2,000 per annum. The horticulturists of the state are awake to their interests and are moving fora fully equipped and carefully managed experi- mental station. In Indiana a state society was incorporated under a general act of the assembly in 1875 and a place provided at the capitol for a museum and library. The annual appropriation is about $400. The Lowa legislature in 1872 passed a law with reference to the work of the state horticultural society, making it the duty of the society to encourage the formation of local societies in the interests of fruit- growing and tree planting; providing for an annual report of the secretary to be made to the governor; arranging for the publication 432 ANNUAL REPORT. of the transactions of the society by the state; and their distribution by the state and the society, and providing an annual appropriation of $1,000. Previous to 1879 there were printed 3,000 of the reports of the state horticultural society. Since that date an additional two thous- and has been authorized. Later on, there is an enactment which compels school districts to set out and protect not less than twelve trees on the grounds about the school building, and directs the county superintendent of schools to see that the law is enforced. The legis- lature with perfect unanimity, gave the society a museum and an office large and convenient apartments on the main floor of the build- ing, with a store room directly beneath in the basement, of sufficient size to accommodate quite large meetings of the society. In Kansas a state horticultural society was organized in 1867 with twenty-five members, which has steadily increased in members and influence until the present time, when it has about 175 annual members. Secretary Brackett writes: ‘‘The law passed at the session of the last legislature was quite liberal as it apprepriated a sufficient sum of money to cover the expenses of publishing an edition of eight thousand copies of our annual report, and six thousand copies of a forestry manual for each of the next two years. The policy of our state legislatures since 1873 has been to en- courage a rapid and extensive development of the horticultural re- sources of the State by disseminating among the people a most thor- vughly practical knowledge of successful methods of culture and of varieties of fruit adapted to our climate and soil, as a heavy immigra- tion has been attracted to and induced to settle by the displays of pro- ducts in eastern states—a class of lovers of fine fruit, but which was ignorant of the peculiarities existing in this state. The results have been gratifying. We have at this date over 20,000,000 forest trees, under successful culture, and about 150,000 acres of artificially planted forest trees, and the work of extension is heavier than at any previous date. This can be truthfully said to be the fruit of wise and intelli- gent legislation.’’ , Secretary Boardman of the Maine state pomological society reports that ‘‘the $500 appropriated annually is spent to the best advantage in encouraging pomology and horticulture. Our state assumes the expense of publishing our reports, which in some past years have con- tained matter of great value to our orchardists.”’ The Massachusetts horticultural society, organized in 1829, the STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 433 wealthiest organization of the kind in the world, has never received any aid through state legislation. Its annual gratuities in the way of premiums have been large, and its influence upon the progress of hor- ticulture iu this country has been greater than that of any other society. The Massachusetts board of agriculture, organized under state law and well supported by annual appropriations, has given hor- ticultural matters their full share of attention. The state gives a bounty not to exceed $600 per annum, to societies in the interests of agriculture. The following enactment exempting property, of socie- ties organized in the interests of horticulture from taxation, was passed in 1884: Such portions of real estate and public buildings be- longing to incorporated horticultural societies as are used for their offices, libraries and exhibitions, shall be exempt from taxation. In Michigan a liberal provision is made for the printing and distribution of the annual reports of the state horticultural society. The following is the text of the section under which the reports are printed and distributed: The secretary of the state horti- cultural society shall make a report annually, similar in character to that of the secretary of the state board of agriculture, but covering the subject of horticulture; eight thousand four hundred copies of said report to be printed and bound in like manner as the report of the secretary of the state board of agriculture. Six thousand copies shall be placed at the disposal of the state horticultural society, which shall be distributed in like manner as the report of the secretary of . the state board of agriculture, giving preference to horticultural and pomological societies and fruit growers, wherever such may exist within the state, and the remaining copies shall be disposed of in the same manner as the joint documents. MINNESOTA, In 1877 the legislature provided a penalty for trespassing by hunt- ers with dogs. There was also a law enacted for punishing those who willfully entered upon premises and injured trees or growing crops. In 1873 the legislature provided for the printing of a limited number of the transactions of the state horticultural society annually and in 1881 the law was amended so as to appropriate a sum not ex- ceeding $750 annually for the publication of the state horticultural report, and $1,000 for incidental expenses of the state horticultural society. Under the provisions of this act 5,000 copies of the report of ee society were authorized, 1,000 of which number were to be 434 ANNUAL REPORT. bound in cloth to be used in making the customary exchanges, supply- ing one copy to every library and scientific institution, and the bal- ance to the society. In 1883 the law was so amended as to provide for the publication of 3,500 copies of transactions, limiting the size to 500 pages. In i878 the legislature made an appropriation of $2,000 for the purchase of an experimental fruit farm, also provided $1,000 for Mr. Peter M. Gideon to use in developing and managing it. This appropriation is still continued. In 1881 the timber act was passed, which gave a bounty of three dollars per acre for six years to persons who would plant and maintain in thrifty condition 2,700 trees per acre, of any timber variety except black locust. The enactment also provides for a bounty of two dollars per year for each half mile of highway trees planted and maintained in thrifty condition for six years, the trees to be eight feet apart; cuttings and seed planting al- lowed under the act, but in such cases the first year is not counted. In 1883 there was an appropriation of $5,000 to be employed in forest planting, editing and distributing literature in the interests of forestry, protection of forests, etc. In Missouri the reports of the state horticultural society (organized in 1859) were printed by the state after 1863. The report, until recently, was issued as a part of the report of the state board of agriculture. Since 1879 the horticultural report has been issued as a separate document. For some years the state horticultural society has received an annual appropriation of $1,250. In Nebraska in 1873 the legislature voted an annual appropriation of $1,000 in aid of the work of the state horticultural society, and its reports have been published at the expense of the state. For the year previous, the appropriation was $2,000. In New York liberal appropriations have been made from time to time in the interest of horticulture. The organization of an agri- cultura! experiment station and the annual outlay of $20,000 is largely in the interests of horticulture. The experiments heretofore con- ducted have already proven of great value. The Ohio state pomological society, organized in 1847, was reorgan- ized as the state horticultural in 1867, and by legislative enactment the proceedings were published by the state in the volume issued by the board of agriculture, An appropriation of $300 per year was made by the same legislature for the use of the soviety in the prosecu- tion of its work; and two years thereafter it was raised to $500 per annum, and again in 1883 raised to $1,000. The publication of the state horticultural reports with the volume of the board of agriculture STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 435 gives a wide distribution to the transactions of the horticultural society - at no expense to that organization. The transactions of the Pennsylvania fruit growers’ association are published by the state in its volumes of agriculture. In Vermont a state board of agriculture was established in 187i with an annual appropriation of $3,500. Among the duties prescribed in the act of establishment, is that the board shall investigate horti- cultural matters and make recommendations concerning the art. In Wisconsin a law was enacted for the encouragement of the planting of timber belts, providing for a bounty of two dollars per acre, upon the certificate of the assessor. Also an act for the regula- tion of the sale of cranberries. The state horticultural society was incorporated in 1871. The following year 2,000 copies of its reports were printed, $150 being allowed for illustrations. In 1878 the number of volumes was in- creased to 3,000, with an appropriation of $500 for the general purposes of the society. In 1879 the society was reorganized, made a state institution and — the secretary required to report to the governor. The reports were limited to 350 pages and to 3,500 copies. In 1883 the number of volumes in separate binding was limited to 500, while 11,500 were bound with other state reports to be distributed by the agricultural society. In 1885 a volume of 500 pages was authorized with an appro- priation to the society of $1,000 per annum for two years. Mr. Plumb, of Milton, Wisconsin, writes: The legislation in the interests of horticulture most needed in our state is a law establishing experimental stations; and for horticulture more than any other industry we have. Not one alone, but several located in the five or more climatical and geological districts of our state; these to be under the superintendence of the central station, but in the care of good, thorough, intelligent men or women, and all managed on a uniform plan. Theadvantage of such a system would be, Ist, to settle many now unsettled problems in tree and fruit grow- ing for the state at large and for each division of the state, and much more satisfactorily than private enterprise can do it. 2nd, it would not only give direction to private enterprise but would give assurance and safety init. No other state in the union has a greater variety of natural conditions, and therefore none so needy in this direction. Experimental stations should be in our state, adjuncts to an agricul- tural college,—which in time our state will have, when our farmers are educated up to their real needs in this line. GENELRALINDERS A PAGE A Complete Farmer’s Garden, J.\S. Harris. ..\.. <<... << os «lel cleiceislsiatl aetna 314 Action on President’s Annual Address ............ aiale sce ee atershefatstntatentats 138, 287 Adornment of School Grounds, Mrs. C. O. Van Cleve............ee ever veees - 289 Address of Welcome— Gal TET A SteVENG s/s ioe siainne bras abla eee were spoon Profs By. Di Re@rte rs jn. 6 s 0's 0.0 «6/010 nie 0/6 © s o.0/0'0;.0\0 10,05 /ele/e)y «lore tetet hata a 93 . Aesthetic Keatures of Horticulture, H. H. Young ...............+0+- HSRC CS uiGr 226 Agricultural Society— Off CeTS Of os he Mets Gee sie SRR Soy seins ehaisbalels 6/eie' eros ole.o)iul > ole: ole [aintete tae an 7 Offering Premiums .......0sceseessensecnees sescences sos ene pleas - 139, 179 Alderman, Mrs. L. A., Fruit Culture in Southern Dakota... ...........+..e0-- 293 Amber Cane Association— Joint Meeting with Society... 6.0... cee scene cstv eies secere «sale cltniaemem SOS Meeting of. asec i osiaciee sein elas alece Siehe wale» eletalamemterots "ats ccc tam 16 faelelehdiste's 326 American Pomological Society— Nicotine OL) |. vas oactume weak ee ce s bedgeetinlnsls + +s ac « cael 420 TRELCTEEH CO. 50.010 jinn. s siaisls 00% chai 50 ole seis aden on oe» 0 n'sioce tne 98, 139, 411 Annual Address— ACtIOMOM ie ee hE ene sks Fi ietes ci oisrepareateleteless » «4. sa eee 138, 287 Pres.) Truman Wh Smithy hi. seies'cere ajefchetetefaliotes s!e' ols /s,0] «vei eaten i/o se Cpaieteieieteears 138 Annual Meeting, Place and Time: Of} 4.0.1.) etauiers « © +» <6) vin 'elelelsiee ee 395 Annual Members, 1886....... es aleroiciers x. else ele Bisib\elcic.s ss oon cisteleleh anne Sreupister= 10 Annual Reports— Secretary's Report ..........00 coop ummeieneveccecs cone nea ei alee 56, 240 Secretary's Financial Report... 2.5 csssuccccs scec see mets enn Steet 200 Treasurer’s Financial) Reports sic one cle cetetitas > + 1's wels bas cle die leleteetaananaae 256 INDEX. 437 Apples— NN GAT |. wis, «ale aie wie a clk sain = Bq iyi ee Metin aia Gajsinin an's)5 aininsiaeaia tne Discussions on.........+ piaiafainyoi cc's wainiatelo isiptetrs 69, 99, 124, 144, 152, 160, 171, 199 BRM TR COURS Slalnnic ts sie ieee. | ins'cin-s-o'dlelsm aid Amine kine! vv-0\e onesie 158, 244 Ben! GULOS nicare aralatcns 0 o's’ v0.9 sale erqss vvn-ac0'e 0 ere fore aa nat einee 32, 68, 163, 169, 244 BreeDITESUVE Se ECE COINIIIEN CLEC oy 0\ arco: ‘a: 0) o'eysictere ootaie o/e/0 mlevel ofepaTsiatniniey chai eyo,4 a/elqtelere 199 Gra ERD s COPINION. . . 2 s0.0.0 0-005 odes vee aaeeneeiad es ne aeeis elayels 253 COMMUN HME PETTING s y6c.cis 0.0 vss 0 @ocle tee’ velcane etaaier sie sreperetebtaievctals sisiey cities 78, 338 B Bates, S., Letter from............... Seal wasenn WAS aman tte dg Gua a eee oa waiasy 161 Sarrett, 0) bropressive Primaries.........000 sscccees aha vayanavaeietaied var hala hess 184 ETT oe 8.5 ras 5. nix: -'e wie 6 aaa 0-0 Ol Ge uate wines CEE ROR 82, 398 Blackheart........... ge aed NSS APE AE die tales | OT IPE NW yl 67, 151, 170 Blackberries — MEETS RETIINCS OLA. cc sis «oss aoe lelgs Koad dv lelceine sw aee woes ek gen tie 130, 308 MREMEIIRAEE SNC ch Care's aes sis sus weyd sss wes he Date Sponecgocbonanage 62, 100, 308 Bleeding of Apple Trees, Dr. T. H. Hoskins.......... wadbotop’ ladiodon Guon-dcios 151 MPEG ici xcs css oe Stigeie ta rete aratate we cvcrelcia) shen stialseiey ave lhe: siuhetn apare miat 106, 118, 124, 128 PaO KORMISCATNG). cicis< ctes s ccaceeccece Steccleteaie.s:s shalavarsravetelare. eseccuatolhererenevetateres 130, 205 Sere Er. IRE DOre On Hrutity ici ons ccc ce sc aececineweleaequuts evliele eens 355 SE CELGDOTLCON FTUib ios ecccs nese vsseed cneeeecames cen pecseasaenars 326 Budd, Prof. J. L.— Endorsement of...........0. aVaratvel o}ctaley atcie’e siieretcleleisiatersistcteiu taratevateterarete aA yece 49 JL BATARHE SEG CUTT GA eae ee Naratetel tai aicAai elas, oemtctorstoastanetstets 32, 72 HEM PRTaCHES (MMIC LCE ets cleo) ol alals’ cie'aiv' else) svelelal a aeiuieielele osha ele Aa ree be isle) sth aqetaohdcebietsters 71, 80 C Cy 0 SS é atgiaAreceitauare S ettarwe erat terete Cert & eat ote 21, 84 Perea MIGCLLCT LOM... 0c. os ...c14 2. senise diele's.c a eine alelersGuaeans autele .. 410 Climate, Forestry and Horticulture, Prof. D. R. McGinnis........... sh afer sveratagets 221 Rrewenma. te... Parks and ParkwayS. oss. + .seic view scales ale elders slaahale ake 344 OP i aneeElOm oN se | COMMENGEM s oa\. io < «ose sss vis sitle eleteietolerb slelolatreleteiebewbinvee sz 49 Committee— MME EIR tcia Patina tiv) os!s s,s ac ovie:8.0's. as vi epiwrata etal minlh vise eraltaralcie sis wm of a.8 174 Award of Premiums .......... Ba otooNeT mabeinlarsh crater tereieledste) eiecss 27, 78, 90, 338 aaa EINEM SREY LET aye oo <5 0 09 8 are10 css /sharcieas ye! iol choy ealehapstelni faye'a/e/o.e,.<)sr eye mye abe . 288 SEUNG Sieestetele eich victalaiai ot se «'s « aes 010) aiale/olarepe¥aiefe(ofaretetuatenteleretch GAdcnedoeacoce 257 Fruit, Flowers and Vegetables........ svalvleretaicteretmialersbatetete a SOMOROA OOO LL 27, 90 COTTG! 5 ogo Gtigpoonaoodor Evaletsje ajetle creerlaiets a5 JOuc Jasbse aooeauod boudseoocc 92 MPIRIALIVOE. occ ecdeln ds eccecse o o°at seiarevatarererntale eaettis a « aide) ae Ral dala WIS; 139 INOTHERCIAGIIIG 1.) talc claleledcicicte'aie's overt slate ctaletevars Disteevehetcle’s cle aleias araterlate BO) sspepis. RRRRIR PEI as = 7 olatatalePalciae'e 0 0:6 wae s 3 Savers ieieoeaers tare Slaveseisia‘e) <\elelele o|s\ellofeiatalais 90, 390 President’s Address.....ceeseseses 5 elerse Oiecal eM Ne Teta site) vasa steve ove odees@ loss 250 Resolutions ...... no SOB BBEROB OLA 0ac.0c scams oace openod c ebiatereist deere 28, 90 438 INDEX. Congratulatory Telegrams.........+++se0 wince cers cies sees «mes ki—anns sees Me Coniferous Trees of Rocky Mountains, D. 8. Grimes...........e04 Suiainiiess° OFS Constitution and By-Laws .......... eioiiinia ap a'sir'o\ e'stelets rT 3 els Correspondence— BATES. ieic's'cisice's are vis aval accle\o'ataildlaceueealstatatate savers ete!» 8 0 0% oo totais seswne (261 PEOLI Li. Budd a iceittss ds cle ss atete eae ailetate-s fo 's/s5¢oke nn hie hae 6 oe OB, 02 Emil J. Claussen....... sins sob hase Mata seh Yard sia ka (a, aa oto alse eke ee 410 WOO GSGi| CONVETSEs)aroretsaiciela/alelslohetalstelelatste nieteveleels sietele'a,0. isi e¥etaus = aaa sist piace ODE iS: DRUG SH coicicy 0 fn nie ist ate Paeeteae ai somal sei cals 2 ote bn ap eget. 156, 14 (Ee DEW asondoo haoodanipacdanoosAnaanon ne sie ole, o\n:« "sweets ete ea 410 (Gia IDyopoy ahr Men ooo oO bcoCUs dion DOO node cHa0nGr sale, efoto o'is\e(eie eis ste lerni a taem aera 405 Win: POrster \jcc.cgwoisis sais sis .0 cjeiaia sales pistanete sine a lele yee ec vee OL DAS. Grimes tecteciciiers AdubpoouC oon bmo add Damar cosa) wales ately acm isneenne 157 Attorney: General Habu... © oon selects ia is ctoteintereta o hip fatal als hoje terete eta 254 Cy am ttn oi. cioe oisi0'e 6 « aiejeie'n) 010 a)0 Je alelcioiele aie atnys /efelelonelafelatt tat aaa 31 GW PEL arrIn COM. cess aie.c «voice seis eisases eee oie pisie le Acie eeecn ee cictavelavaaivatoiats 354 BN Ti EMG GEN 8S Ps icibs. a e's « actale's elareve\eidls n'a o: san)e-oghelp piel ieee Ai Qo 30 Saris eo William Gee DUG oc. ier «soe ce ci co alsisie wos 0 uo orm ole ose ely )n)atelelaten a aaa 284 OL WSANOT WOO) siise's i 's:0 0) + cisions efojc:0!e's 1s oie 10) o/nre! oucjeye ole ale ote) eee 57, 354 Wri Trelease’..... 2), ..5:0,0.0'6) nie em 0 oe «als oie 5 va sige emis aes 3 fo a\ e nleleeaiare aie enn INS (CoM Min Hoo moe UOR GOOD Udo SpOSdtodsoonobanGadusc onc eee ei 31 1st Jha Wenit Disa oagoeedn GudumdddoononOdG Adah oacco: aieho(e laopstalatet teats oe» 353 Cranberry Culture; A. G. Tuttle jc... sae lense Soxele cee ctarena o'3 ola) slatetepinertey= 339 Crandall, Ethan, Report on Fruit ..... ait a..ei0iei0, 8 ce le retele 701 oterelei ee ame sot eiatorr a bis ares Cross-breeding of Plants, Geo. P. Peffer.............. oiave shelaiets sistent eieiate 142 Cultivation of Small Fruits, John F. Dayton ........ eer 363 (CAH, Boog cee cddoac HonoboodobU dors UF opaudne Psieyers niaieie geet ea thet ersiely ates 358 Cutler, Milon— Notes on Forestry.....sccdssceescvcssanen vie plains W's oe sole oninlpiinn ae 378 Humbugs in Horticulture........ sgogdac BSD CUGROMMOD GCC Oo sccc > safe PANG Report as Vice-President. .........seeeeceercesecsees o-s.9 (ols Saar eae s 192 OUP WIOLINSS 0s. isie e viele a eleieilefele cieleleicce ere a/e eh taletetie Rete = 6 ate settee BAOCOLAT 362 Cuzner, E. A., Report as Librarian..........seeecsereeccencseesecees Aes bscicic 258 Dartt, E. H. S.— Preparing Orchards for Winter. .......seceeeseeeeees ee 157 Letter frome... ...: « Jaca cg ates soli here cise sie. 010.0 o's 0.0.0 else Mates tenn 156 Report as Vice President. .......cceeecccecesescesvcce aces i dalejop siete oa 0 Dayton, John F., Cultivation of Small Fruits.....-........45 dete) dj Skohetesaiepattetsl 363 Delegates to WISCONSIN. ...... ccc ccerccesensvsesesesres bo cine ievelatenieeaeete 390, 399 Dewey, F. G., Letter from.......ceeccee cece cere es rececencncecesecsenees 410, 371 Dietrele, H., Raising Fruit in Wabasha Co.... 2.0 cess cece eens eeneee oie a sytem. Diseases) Of Planters isis. «> » winless ale cvs hemelntalte oS CUBS Ae oc sescee D2, 20D, 219 INDEX. 439 Discussion— PD DICS ccc cvcwsslecs cis scccccevl |) ssa samen ere vesececeseenes 69, 98 ATE ID ELI'LOS syaisislel bieiste) elele:s c\ es acs: ore eleie)eiere)a's p.sfetclbeteheleintel oleic ss \eia\ee ofa vivinials's's 62 MT TAGOS Nr tcracfersi cia ctaleeicicial s,s vss ele lelelece’ eit brs farbferetayeteMebetetsvere) o.p.0's o'ne ei Giel Parelahers 259 PPPEIUIN GE case wesc paubcnse csve pecccueneres s0ee ccmemsiviviaivincsses 71, 80, 182, 199 SUMEMIEae! So cswae deer coos ccsencccceseseps un tealv H@Geeminneececnewne 133, 271 PE TIROUINIES. Foils cs ccs ccc v svc e ainenia ods? 0's Gp AMV MRATOREIE HY bie 0.8) s aver pieie wis 395 Local Societies.............. aa ul ald Sei as 0 Wie la,clocg. aie eatee TPA MMR RtalelsPeva s'e! arate sietelele 249 PRET TM PP TOMUNMIIS. 00. ie oe clcece vese scans dee epsmamsindesiecernenacres 175 SUMMER iciiosis's nce ass cee bees coda cre ges gnc s el seleWilela Reel sss en > 152, 417 TIOBTOCUMME Cir cs ee see tees vee et veces eunsseuvwceesnnan® Sd POD OEE 65, 100 SMISSTMUIMBENGUNLESS Noe isis e aise sis os eds chy cd eh advee sorter Jveeete eka Pete DL fda! boo PAUPTEUMIMBESETTUA Sata (e cle xis vie cc's o alee es vee cibleseielsecieseieie ats Er aroheynievor Meterst 37, 62, 361 TO TSURUEMMTETINO TILE DOLLS: a/6 cic sic.0.6 ss sie co noise 60 tole weie balers 10) 6 sieluiarejateyes) este e) ebataleiets 113 Dodge County, Report on Fruit, W. F. Hillman ........00..ccceeeeeveeneccee 372 IEEE TCULCTS LLOMML, v.62 2's sone sie oie s eisinve es e\islelos au) sspears v olaiotemnin (aie 408 Doughty, Samuel, Grape Growing in Minnesota..........esees cece eeee ences 263 URN MIMRS PONE ESETTYc\0 o's so 2.0. vies alee oe 'eis ne nee - as sins @ vie/s wavslaiein piel olvw tivlnieins emis sae 128 E PNG OEO NM OTICETS,. a0 « sales c.c\eivie & 6 alecajele c/ele aieiere elsyeratsheseiete #)¢ srolsre e]aividig'si ele {etelejetal« 281 Elliot, Wyman— Chaweranslerislative Committee. . 0... .cccsseedun ceaserncccseyeasenmens 288 Committee on President’s AUAress...5....c0 cece cece sen scence cieseons 138, 287 Rem OLS EST UGS ss, oic's a’ 's.vvnisa.0 vim n)dia old olalevew adel oje nie a bs sioceiyexal aint 21, 87 Pntomologist’s Report, Prof. N. H. Winchell... 20.5.5 60500 ccs eee eees ce a OPA 296 remand their, Uses, A. W. Sias 2.2625 ss. secsisicises vos enue ojelsin cn ote 348 Executive Committee Meetings..........0..seeeeee graders lal stale ahogaea nae 82, 398 Sree PIIEINIGE: DCCLIN GE. . 0.00. 5c cose vss vais esl esncawssebiicnncedeim elie aie 26 Experimental Farm of State University...0...05..0cccscccesc cence sees 49, 74, 381 PIXPSLIMEDtAL SUALIONS. «050.0002 cceccesceeses Bpoeioe s SGaauneLobges soon, 2G ole) F Farm, Stock and Home, Selections from........ eye Wave elevate eictethn eueiate a inieral haat 81, 251 HUET EVEROMDLOMS JeValetouscioys ss «adele ange, aieiays (s-avejs) stale elebsuntierelalersoievee ace 80, 389 PME COMOGTITM TS TVET OLE OL / o:4°s eis: ofe arene ove 40s) wiiobeusedaialele: rersla: 9 @ i016 oreie ek wet yoOIG Financial Condition of Society........... elie ralelstebaterolateneisteeryoeechaversts fe avsisve 138, 259 SME ELONOTEOM FTUIt.. 0.4. cccicles mae ob cunwierigieiaip eins cipviecencs seesaw 161 Pier ne Mera eu] CANS Tlata. cis cai co 610 oe) eleveie'e aisle slave crete lait 5 ccciee we edie 43, 47, 335 Fruit Culture in Southern Dakota, Mrs. L. A. Alderman.. Settee ence e eee ees 293 Fruit District Reports— BENTAUV ERIN.) LOCHESTCE aie'e, ois ov ass ofed'e ans sl eleytieistevaleietesg-olvie's's +e ses aielele ela sintereye 189 EMBERS ATEE! CLV ATOM Asis o\a.e s, 0:0 o-c/eieislho acoladeepetenetereted rics) s,0:0 osofe!els| oheralelevaiateserene 190 Ville (CORI RATS THe). ieee ReReeL ca Coton Oc 0.30 CREE RIED oer Age 191 MIC AR CEG LCs MIX COLSTON Gy fiiicie-s « ajelsie, ayelelers:snalauetteeee ters. cie 0.0. s/s Syeueteletsfaaapents 194 sR CLE PEG MGIC « . . s+ a:a/s sie). oie NOR Stags s,s «e's 1, dares ntay aynyayairadm vn eee 197 440 INDEX. Fruit for Farmers’ Families, O. M: Lords... . iscsi... .1as+s00<05 5c 332 Fruit in Missouri..... ns o-0'9 Wa hllnloly ale pubvarte pie ele’ oc-ahtleiacdo #12 » yuppie eel aan 33 Mrait ist. “RevISuOmol... ./.sisiss sc.» ecnemlerstoTe & cic SfoMtiel«\o.0 = evo) 2/p\icle ee eee aan 90 MTG Dee MseOTS : 1. vs cislo.cg visa Tacks 6 siu/d ARMM ai 2\c » «ASS 98, 166, 172, 182 BEULL|StAt SUB ye, lie 06 a iecescis eine g sie ee 4.0 we 00 Cave R RIED creo 10 vo teehee 242 Fuller, Geo. W.— Reportsjon Fruits: 22:3. 2.0022. ss deeds jeailelegitys . a +s sla 197, 328 Response to Address of Welcome. ..:. 222.20 0c00ss0++0+000 + meen 94 NEMS WISCARES oo 5) /6 oy a hao bins Cte vey ane Bile ett ate eco ecke oe 52, 205, 213 Gaylord, Edson— Delegate from Towa... 0s sce ss vies aue saws a-gee't v's alelbents teen 115 Honorary Member, five years. ..:..s0ssecd soe oc've bees 0a teehee 124 Orcharding in the: Northwest. . 2. 60. 200.602 dee on 0's slid hele ee 115 Gibbs, Jr., Oliver, Remarks by........ Cec cecececesace sens dbase em 42, 73 Gideon, Peter M.— Fruit Outlook for the Northwest. ..<% .sdscss: «, ooo ee 58, 140, 357, 363 H Hamilton, C. H.— Remarks on’ ‘Blackberries. «:... 22 ...05 samapines +++ soo dom tenet 308 Small (Fruits. 00 2) so. vie oc eas Melerele mM © © =o 5 0 0 0 teen te 58 Harrington,.G:/W., heport on Fruit: . «...acmaeea +). - + >» ee A poii-.2 - 354 INDEX. 441 Harris; J. 8.— MEIN” RRCSOIINLTNNS<, » cee ccc oe ale sie ceria alcic civ olleMurgialesie +401, o0.6 «eae nnr 90, 389 OamiGrapes: ...s'..- Oe) SBS en Serrtitice oi: Seine se vip» 6 «bet Dba le Committee on Seedling Fruits ........ccee cece ce er eens cence een eens 174, 319 Complete Farmer’s Garden...........secseneeeeecereenees Yee Meee 314 Delegate to Wisconsin. ...........ccceescencccnercccscetecesnseeses 390, 399 Districting the State.........-seesesees aves» cle oc dhaileve se AVte meme Eanee ©'sto\calo cyiprogs 288 Presenting Photograph ........cccsesececseeen sss: oeneae censor eses cece 351 PME TICONEMMOMEN PUL Gr sale \cia \ vleie seis «2 cto ee once ote) ces's velelaleleeletarsieieiers 68, 323, 356 needling Committee Report ..-........cccececncccnncccn soeetseses sees ne 158 Hennepin County Horticultural Society........... cece escent cece een eee cees 109 Hillman, W. F., Report on Fruit in Dodge County............+.+00.: yeeeees 372 Hillman, S. D.— RPMI DE EUIL: TLCOSs . 55: vie sieeve wie sieve» shale ula, Pialsleis' olb'e Gola eye ate © nie tp 65 IRE IEY LTO TOP OPTLO]O: iu secnsvseusees --- 109 Lakeside Horticultural Society............+- coenees wero oe McLeod County Horticultural Society. .......cseceeeee cesene vee op ote aihawe 406 Minnesota Valley Horticultural Society.........-+. safe setae apices bed onli any Olmsted County Horticultural Society. ...... ccecceses-ceccseececs coove LID Lord, 0. M.— Hxperimental Station Heport ..... 0.2200 cencenvrccee scan sen aamisineniemimee 327 Fruit for Farmers’ Families............. opisjseeln des 000 aids 00st 332 FREPONE OD ATUL... «aise sletuls wiale o)-'s o\c/s ee cia + 000 claro, «fatale 322 Luedloff, Charles, Report on Fruit .............-ece0e. we'e ole ciel ieeteiene o sianz tetarere 169 M McGinnis, Prof. Di R.,; Paper by .).. <.'2.00csadeeess 0 «0s. 5am 221 McHenry, Wm., Blackberry Culture... .iss.aep-+---...- sxe See lelt, Meetings of Executive Committee: -.......:.cdeupese+ »'- » «ss acts eeeenn 82, 398 Memorial Resolutions....... S/ave's /aha's Stele cel etePMMeMsotie|= +) se siatetenate ssveicjesiie aegis 390 Membership of Society: <. 005 ...0/s sicoce ole cle Mntptele © > ++ ooh 6 atten oslo AAP Mendenhall, R.J., Useful Insects. «. 01.00 cctmwens +++ +00 ses eee oe» 305 INDEX. 443 Minneapolis Tribune— Fruit Outlook for the Northwest, Pp. ME GIGS OU etetetaieieicis.a sss o'o'ltsle'e ste Cato LO MCPPOGIOUY IREPOLG os koi see oes wep aewlnee te site meMtie rig 't ae ote «teak wet 251 Missouri Fruit Report......... ‘os 0b Gini), ‘ais als mate: ae aintaete Rtalsece. ss doe snap sees 33. Murray County, Reports from...........-sceesccceccsercseten voccse OF, BUS, Sic N SCABUIEC LEMP MERCDOLG [LOM .., 5. c)0/s « o sie'a'sis.0 5, po e/e a/a/e(o/sreselalblataeiiaceiteinels|sie els/>\0'e de LOD: MarwOOUs Crees) NEPOTtS fTOM.. .... .cseeecccrecccsosns dha eis Gotaiaeter cient = 57, 354, 373 INotessonsalannilice: Prof. O.. W Oestl und’. cis0o ciciesieis s 6 islet lgysis ciate nels oiele)s ole 298, O Officers— MMEDPEMG PY ICAI, LOGO) «s/s\e1c o-0)e.s ce cicle)ssifialeavelecic cicie eles cleres as pateicierets Bowtie! Plennepin County Society . 2... .0. ccc ccc ces cnc ssecneseredeastlesvawstse 110 Minnesota Valley Horticultural Society... ....6. ceccccccncce secstecccecs 112 Olmsted County Society.............. dain las seid) prainreteie seer statehatatels fa sinhoanra= 110 TEMMBEYPCOUDLY SOCIETY co.00. ccere cle ceccs ssshoveven sean PA reprise 403 Olmsted County Horticultural Society.......c.cccescccsseces seeees seseseee 110 MOC MEMS Gis cicisicis aicle sae sisie a islewia See sie ete ave statate Mtarchepetelayereret siehis Oe a 215 Orchards, Exposed Situations........... ai Fea pals eee Fae siphon oreealae eee «- 99, 102 Orcharding in the Northwest..... arancvalcteteVaiers piesa Haysleletadercvetateteye/ a etateraiarsTelatel sketereieve 115 Ornamentation of Homes, J. M. Underwood ...... Uae tase SS ialeaeea aeons 340 Pepe LCMIATEKS, DY... cc cecvcccccasccucedc cvensstasinamesels eees seteretanate 393. P. Papers— Aesthetic Features of Horticulture, Ee Et MO mm ge aint 35) sles niall sealers hal elll 226 A Few Common Apple Fungi, Prof. Wm. Trelease ....,...ccseseceeeceee 52. Paaemneery, Culture, Wim. McHenry \... 06450 :sicss 6's west slopiveeisly sales emis 130 Bleeding of Apple Trees, Dr. T. H. Hoskins............seseseeeeess 151, ‘157 Climate, Forestry and Horticulture, Prof. D. R. McGinnis............... 221 Wompiere Farmer's Garden, J. §.: Harriss t cae. ccc bey cc sence cise ieyeisis 314 Coniferous Trees of the Rocky Mountains, D. 8. Grimes............-..+. 373 Crops-preedincofublants, Geo. P. Pefiers(< sdaiscler ici sie oes vole e ceieeieis = 142 Cultivation and Adornment of School Grounds, Mrs. C. O. Van Cleve..... 289 Sulavation Of Small Fruits, John FP. Dayton, «ccs cece evs. ocinccemesdsecen® 363 Mntomelogist’s Report, Prof. N. H. Winchell. of. ..5... 6 ccc caceue ceoee 296 Pmerereens andstnerm Wises, A. W. SlaSi.cisc:cleasitnetiee: vere oe siniecielssiw eit eile 348 Fruit Culture in Southern Dakota, Mrs. L. A. Alderman..............+-- 293 Fruit Outlook for the Northwest, P. M. Gideon............cescececsccees 410 Eruition Harmers? Mamilies, O. M. Lords ccc. sc0ceecce seepogododar 332 Fruit Trees and their Adaptation to Soil, M. Pearce ..... ..ssewseseee eo. 366 Fungous Diseases of Plants, Prof. A. B. Seymour........ ccceseecceee Sa ZB: 444 INDEX. Papers— Gardening and Small Fruits, K. H. Whipple............... os 2 ane BO Grape Culture, Silas Wilson. i.0.¢¢00...0d@ee+ vee vleeu ten ateueists ate 132 Grape Growing at Minnetonka, A. W. Latham.........:-.«s» ssse eeaneneeeeee Grape Growing in Minnesota, Samuel Doughty..........+.000% aps) ogee 263 Humbugs in Horticulture, WM. Cutler, a. . fegecs cs 0 » + <= see «a's w'e.0 oe loa Landscape Gardening, C. L. Smith........ Nee iolo o% WR oon occ .. 230 Notes:on Forestry, M. Cutler...... 200. cccegens ecole ++++s/5 sen 378 Notes‘on Plant Lice, Prof. O. Wi. Ocstland?.0. . 2s. .... seman PE CITE Seite 298 Orcharding in the Northwest, Edson Gaylord..........+..ee0ceeeeseeeees 115 Ornamentation of Homes, J. M. Underwood...:......... 02>. sess see 340 Outlookfor Pruit, Ac (W. Biss e.c)le ortetcccverestaiars cele otetsla eens sie eee iets eee 67 Practical Suggestions for Horticulturists, Col. J. H. Stevens.............. 95 Preparing Orchard for Winter, E. H.’S. Dartt.......:. J. 100 on «ess aie 157 Progressive Primaries, J. O. Barrett ic so cic sos» v0s-s.0s seo seg eee 184 Pruning of the Grape, J. B. Rogers..........00. Ma io oas ya 412 Russian Apples, A. W. SiaS..0i. ccs ecce dese es 5 +00 + esl eee Alyn Be 163 Selection of Sites for Parks and Parkways, H. W. 8. Cleveland............ 344 Small Bruits, ©. AH. Hamilton .\iescos cccesss sees uses nen ows eee 58 Small Hruit for:Profit,,Geo. J. Kelloge: 7. 0c... 2. wu sews sleet teeter 357 Some Suggestions on Orcharding, A. G. Tuttle.......0+ «s0seees secs aennie 164 Strawberry Culture, M. Pearce...... .0ccesee cneeesenaaas y= oe aisle 35 The New Agriculture, Wm. G. Le Duc. ...%...'. .2<«.s0sciaealenene ABE Ae 284 The Transcendent ‘Crab, C. Ta.;Smith.:.\. 3). 2. «1 «=, oe ycisic eUDeMMmEMae ccs a cacesen rete. 26. DRIER OCCU a feaindviesc's woarss cca amen Rakin UMMM Ta 8) os vated Bieteiere aie “ 89 MU MIMMEICOEUN RE orc sss ss eves s consad acne aneteanemaaciese etn 21. 85. SeeeeeereeeEeuarios J. O. DaITett. .....csccecccse seemeadeccusaveivcnnees 184 MPR MEIED 1 TCOS, ClCe soccis ccc ccscccurcscusuauvedons PMc ae «2 ececee 99; 131 Rs oes sv sie oc ws 5 04s sis 0 ooh be MENU LOSER RBIs oes sian ee hee 152, Pruning the Grape, Lecture by J. B. Rogers. .........0.2se000 Dretchatele!shuiereciveie ines (4 lies Q Pee preeEin Frilits. . 266.50. 0666. ssc0ce ceaccedeccifelveibaees 143, 149, 173. ES 20s oa ol a wie'a =! a'e o'er d’ele a slase's'v'ele’a Weare Ge Sa rohew bevels BBta tae 182, 278. R Meee er 21s, IMOPOLL Ad SCCTELATY «+. ascscucne lees sees sFoucncethecideed 111 Raspberries— RN AIL he. co .8'57 ips a0) v/a.» RES Ha 518) Maines ES BE eae Blea eR TALE emis 65, 100: Reemesiey TECOMMENKE ...0.... 0.000 ccd sess Salata eet telsts open 60, 358, 364 Teamemeei@rddress Of Welcome........scee.sccsssececs se ves coleves ceme 28, 94 Report— MEME ES sella face's, nha 9! a%a.w =1s)a,0 mwa jerale’ ahate plntalvin\atal nielevstale'e 01s ied g pte 258, 288. I si foya fos a6) 61 ja. alSini «ob: nl mysja'e,, 4 0\0:6)/0 mjsiinsnte 30, 32, 68, 169, 319, 368 TRV Tug STEN s Gn eae eB OUD SD OEE OORn OOD batidc Danese OOtts accd c 296 SMITE MOGUINICY 2 i 0he.0 5 cee eaoie-o shave, ome nares ed esa w ale as cada nee de meeee 169: RR UIT P rece) cier0 3 co's a score « sigsetal ovebavctectere oye letoleater char = aie'e 21, 2°s eR A 258 WG HATEIRSUNGEC CICS) 101-02 s,s) sass! = o's" o,01s lacey atebstevayeiole iste ai yet aialtvs allevelareve tev erelaietl 109, 249, 403. MMEMMEMETIO NL chiki area's |. cajelelehgaa (+ 0} o s.0:0. 4 shs's atele, ole twig walalelaise/ainele. «0