HortiGultwral Department I^orW^s Exposition, Nev Orleans. 10^ 



fountain in the center of the building, literally loaded with the choicest 

 fruits, gathered from more than thirty States, territories, and foreign coun- 

 tries, while of plants and trees the exhibit was even more extensive in its 

 genera, species, and variety. Beyond doubt this exhibition excelled in gen- 

 eral interest any horticultural display ever made. 



THE FRUIT DISPLAY. 



It is safe to estimate that fifty thousand plates of fruit were here exhibited 

 during the term of the Exposition. At the beginning one-half of the space 

 devoted to pomological exhibits was occupied by citrus fruits, mainly from 

 Florida, though Jamaica, Mexico, California, Louisiana and Mississippi were 

 each represented. The species represented were the citron, shaddock, grape- 

 fruit, lemon, orange and lime, while the varieties were numerous, especially 

 of the orange. To the Northern visitor this citrus fruit show had peculiar 

 interest, while to those living within the possible region of cultivation the 

 lesson must have been a valuable one. 



The remainder of the fruit tables were originally filled with apples, pears^ 

 grapes and other more hardy fruits. These were from England, the Can- 

 adas, Nebraska, California, Kansas, Iowa, Illinois, Massachusetts, Pennsylva- 

 nia, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin — California and Nebraska leading in 

 quantity, if not in quality. 



As the exhibition progressed and as specimens decayed and were removed,. 

 other and fresh collections took their places on the tables, until almost every 

 State in the Union and several foreign countries were represented. It would 

 be impossible in a brief paper like this to attempt a detailed description of 

 this mammoth fruit exhibition, and indeed it would be simple injustice 

 to enter into any comparisons where each was so deserving. It is fair, how- 

 ever, to refer to the wide range of territory represented and to the effect of 

 climate and soil on similar species and varieties which were here illustrated 

 by collections. 



England exhibited one hundred and seventy-five varieties of apples but 

 few of which were familiar to Americans. This collection was not noted 

 for its brilliancy of coloring and beauty, neither for the size of the specimens. 



The French collection embraced about fifty varieties each of apples and 

 pears. The apples as a rule were much finer and better colored than those 

 from England. The pears from France were very fine, and included a 

 number of varieties well known and quite generally cultivated in this 

 country. 



Russia's collection was small, owing to loss by decay in transit, embracing 

 some half dozen or more varieties of apples and crabs. Here, however, was 

 fairlj' illustrated that true type or "nationality" just now so prominently 

 and ent rgetically presented to our people by those indefatigable importers 

 of Russian varieties, Prof. Budd, of Iowa, and Charles Gibb, of Quebec — bril- 

 liancy of coloring and beauty of bloom. 



