192 Wisconsin State Horticultural Society. 



glad that Wyman Elliot and others came to Mr. Gideon's rescue 

 and he was retained in his position another year, which I consider 

 he richly deserves to hold as long as he is able to continue his 

 experiments, and then he should be retired on a pension for life, 

 to be paid by the fruit growers of Minnesota, and the northwest. 

 These are my views and I wish to have them put on record. In 

 1875, I, for the first time, attended the winter meeting of this 

 society and have not missed a meeting since. I have gained much 

 valuable knowledge and formed many cherished acquaintances in 

 these gatherings. In 1876, I attended the meeting of the Minne- 

 sota State Society and the next spring set more crabs, including 

 the peer of that fruit, Whitneys No. 20. I also set more Wealthy, 

 Pewaukee, Utter and some Walbridge. In 1877, I set more No. 

 20, Wealthy, Fall Spitzenberg, Pewaukee and Walbridge, also a 

 few Carolina Eed June and Rawle's Janet. The spring of 1878, 

 I let up on crabs and set standards only, of such varieties as I 

 had found to be hardy. That fall Mr. Stickney made me a visit, 

 and the only fear he expressed was, that I would be overstocked 

 with No. 20 Crab3 ; but to-day, I would gladly trade five hundred 

 other crab trees for them, for I consider it a good crab to be over- 

 stocked with. I had about fifteen bushels of this fruit in 1880, 

 and find it sells well. In the fall of 1878, 1 made my first exhibi- 

 tion at the state fair and the first premiums I received tended to 

 encourage me, and also to impress me with my former opinion 

 that my location was good for one so far north. In 1879, I again 

 exhibited, but not with as good success, not owing to the fact that 

 my fruit was inferior but that the fruit in the eastern and southern 

 portions of the State was much better than the previous year. I 

 had about one hundred and fifty bushels of apples this year and 

 one hundred bushels in 1878. 



In the spring of 1879, I set five hundred more trees, one hun- 

 dred of the number being Norway Spruce, which are now grow- 

 ing finely. The balance were apple trees of the following vari- 

 eties: Wealthy, Willow Twig, Fameuse, Utter, McMahon's White, 

 Fall Orange, and a few of the new Russians. This brought me 

 to the winter of 1880, when, with my mistakes in fruit growing, 

 paying interest, helping others and other things beyond my con- 



