4 Wisconsin State Horticultural Society. 



Notwithstanding past reverses, there are still many who are laboring on, 

 replacing the old trees as they fail, with hardier varieties, and are seeking to 

 secure exemption from future losses by greater care and better culture. The 

 losses incurred in the past have been severe, and there are many difficulties 

 to be met and overcome, but to those who have carefully considered the situa- 

 tion, there seems to be no real cause for discouragement. We have a soil 

 equal in variety, fertility, and natural adaptation to fruit culture to that of any 

 state in the north and west; we have a surface extremely varied in its char- 

 acter, from which thou^amis of locations can be selected with special adap- 

 tation for raising different kinds of fruit. Our climate is stimulating in its 

 effect, and under certain conditions is well adapted to promote a vigorous, 

 healthy growth and abundant fruitage. The capabilities of both soil and 

 climate are seen in the great variety and profusion of our native fruits, and 

 in the large number of orchards scattered all over the state (except in the ex- 

 treme northern portions), which are occasionally loaded with fruit, and which 

 often bear fair crops. Also among these orchards we rind instances where 

 good crops, in the fruiting years, are the rule, and failure 1he exception; and 

 in some, even tender varieties thrive, and are as vigorous and fruitful as in 

 the localities where they originated. We also find that in most of the loca- 

 tions where serious losses have been encountered, there are one or more va- 

 rieties in nearly every orchard that are doing at least moderately well, and 

 give promise, that with better culture, they will prove hardy and productive. 



When these facts are carefully considered, the difficulty seems to be not in 

 lack of capability of soil and climate, but in a want of adaptation of varieties 

 to the soil and climate, and of the means used, the wa}*s and methods prac- 

 ticed in fruit culture; au ignoring of natural adaptation and limitation, to 

 carry out personal preferences and theories. The history of fruit culture in our 

 state rnay be divided into three periods, each characterized by different motives 

 and methods. That of the early past, in which blind enthusiasm was guided 

 by personal taste and fancy; this was followed by years of blind experiment, 

 in which efforts were made to secure something better, something more hardy, 

 by testing all varieties and arriving at the good by proving what was the re- 

 verse. This in turn is giving place to a period in which the principle of ac- 

 tion is careful observation and close study of results, in orier to secure per- 

 fect adaptation of culture and variety to conditions of' soil and location. 

 This is the method by which we are endeavoring to solve the problem at 

 present. The answer, represented by the fruit product, is not the unknown 

 quantity; that lies in the terms of the equation, and when they are discovered, 

 success, we think, will be fully attained. To drop the figure, when we 

 learn the conditions in soil, location, variety and culture, which contribute 

 to the vigor and fruitfulness of the many instances of successful varieties 

 and successful orchards in our state, thousands of locations can be found 

 where the same combinations can be secured and accompanied by like re- 

 sults. We shall be able to go much farther, and by adapting variety and cul- 

 ture to soil and local conditions, will secure for nearly every township of the 



