20 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



Queen and Windsor Chief were very handsome plates, and 

 seemed quite popular with the growers. 



It was very much the desire of the committee to attend the 

 rose and strawberry show held by horticulturists at Lacon in 

 June ; and excited by the display made at the State Fair by the 

 Lacon fruit growers, we fully intended attending their Septem- 

 ber meeting. It is with regret we are unable to give any report 

 of these meetings, more than to say that they were reported as 

 being eminently successful, and carried on with some of the old 

 vigor for which that region was noted. 



It was deemed advisable for the committee to go outside its 

 territory for some observations, and now while the northern 

 apples are attracting so much attention it was decided to make 

 there the base of observation, and we have the following report 

 to make of such a trip : 



NOTES ON WISCONSIN AND MINNESOTA TRIP. 



BY HENRY M. DUNLAP. 



The question for new hardy fruits for central and northern 

 Illinois is one of leading importance at this time, especially the 

 question of the adoption and value of the Russian fruits to this 

 State. Knowing that the same questions had agitated the minds 

 of fruit growers in the more northern States for a longer period, 

 and in a more marked degree, it was thought to be a wise policy 

 to see what had been accomplished there before we undertook 

 the questions in our own experiment stations. Early in August, 

 therefore, Secretary A. C. Hammond and myself started out for 

 a trip through Wisconsin and Minnesota, being aided in the 

 undertaking by railroad passes in Wisconsin over the Milwaukee 

 & St. Paul and Northwestern lines. The notes of this trip I now 

 present to you, together with the opinions of leading fruit grow- 

 ers that we met in our travels. 



Arriving in Milwaukee on the morning of August 7th, after a 

 night's journey on the boat from Chicago, we took an early train 

 out to Wauwatosa, some five miles distance from the city. At 

 the depot we were met by Mr. J. S. Stickney, one of the veteran 

 horticulturists of the State. Mr. Stickney, in his carriage, 

 drove us into the country, where we inspected a number of apple 

 orchards and small fruit plantations. Some of the orchards bore 

 good crops of fruit, and the varieties were mostly Duchess and 

 Wealthy. In the older orchards were also Alexander, Snow and 

 English Russett. 



Utter's Red, of which we saw fine specimens on the trees, Mr. 

 Stickney says, is fine fruit for family orchards, but of little value 

 commercially. 



