STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 27 



est to us for record now. The Weaver Pluin we saw in full 

 fruitage, mainly free from the curculio's work, due no doubt to 

 spraying with arsenical poisons. 



On Tuesday, in company with Mr. Elliott, Mr. Harris and 

 Colonel Stephens, we took the train out to Lake Minnetonka, 

 where we visited the fruit farm and experimental orchards of 

 Peter M. Gideon, \Jie originator of the Wealthy apple. Here we 

 saw peach trees in the perfection of foliage and growth, bearing 

 fine specimens of fruit, and trees twelve feet in height. 

 This is accomplished by laying the tree down and covering 

 during winter with hay or fodder. Wood ashes are used about 

 the roots to keep off the borers. Claimed to have eighty 

 varieties of peaches growing on the place. Mr. Gideon said the 

 three best apples for the north were the Wealthy, Peter and 

 Excelsior, varieties originated by himself. 



In the early settlement of the country Col. Stephens, who 

 was one of our party, had discovered an unknown variety of tree 

 on a point near the upper end of the lake, which was in early 

 days used for manufacturing purposes. A section of this man- 

 ufactured Avood was sent to Mr. Barney, of Dayton, Ohio, who- 

 pronounced it Catalpa. Col. Stephens had been told that an 

 occasional stump and young tree could still be found there.. 

 It has often been questioned whether the Catalpa is ever found 

 in so high a latitude, and the Colonel desired our opinion 

 as to its genuineness. But the appearance of the country 

 has so changed that he found it impossible to locate the 

 spot. 



Every fruit farm in Minnesota, judging from the ones we 

 visited, has resolved itself into an experiment station full of 

 interrogation points, and they are bound to find fruit for their 

 part of the country, if research and effort count for anything, 

 Mr. Gideon has many hundred seedlings set out in orchard for 

 testing. 



Thus you see that others are worse off than ourselves, and we- 

 have much to be thankful for, after all, but at the same time our 

 efforts to secure a better winter apple for Illinois should be- 

 carried forward with vigor. 



These notes have spun out much longer than we intended, but 

 much has been omitted. The conclusion to be drawn from them, 

 is obvious— that the field is still open for that new apple that 

 has the quality of the Jonathan, the hardiness of the Duchess, 

 and the bearing qualities of the Ben Davis. 



In passing over the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway, 

 we were pleased to see the depots, new and tasty buildings, 

 erected to please the eye as well as for comfort, and the grounds 



Elanted with trees, flowers and foliage plants. An example we 

 ope all our railroads will soon follow. The smooth track, 



