44 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



backs ; in fact, it has come to be said that everything good has its 

 out. Now, if b}' skill, if by attention to the matter, under careful, 

 deliberate operations, guided by judgment, we can cancel the outs 

 and retain the good qualities, or if we can displace some of the ob- 

 jectionable features with still oiher good qualities, we certainly can 

 accomplish some good. 



Horticulturists are quite enthusiastic over the improvement of 

 small fruits, principally by cross-fertilization. This is especially 

 true in regard to the strawberry, which has been multiplied almost 

 indefinitely. We have a great many enthusiastic horticulturists who 

 are at work on this problem of cross-fertilization, for themselves. 

 In flowers great progress has been made ; the florists have multi- 

 plied results to a far greater extent than has been the case with small 

 fruits. But these efforts have not been confined wholly to small 

 fruits and flowers. There are efforts going on at the present time 

 in the direction of the apple. The most marked example of this 

 that we have are the efforts of that distinguished horticulturist, Mr. 

 Peter M. Gideon, of Excelsior, Minnesota, who has been for sev- 

 eral years at work upon this problem of the originating of new 

 varieties of apples, with a view, particularly, that he may produce 

 something which shall be better adapted to the northern belt of the 

 fruit growing section of our country. His work certainly is a com- 

 mendable one when we take into consideration that there is a belt 

 across this continent, that is north of the natural fruit growing sec- 

 tion of this temperate zone. This extensive belt has been, up to 

 within a very recent period almost excluded from the privilege of 

 gi'owing palatable fruit for its own use, and has been obliged to pur- 

 chase its supplies from abroad or go without this important luxury. 

 Hence efforts are being directed toward the growing of fruits com- 

 bining the desirable qualities for this belt. The first of all of course, 

 is hardiness. It is a fact that our most delicious fruits are, as a rule, 

 somewhat tender in their habits and cannot be grown far north. 

 Now the effort is being made to combine hardiness with fine quali- 

 ties, and this Mr. Gideon is engaged in that work. Such is his suc- 

 cess in this line of work and so enthusiastic is he that still greater 

 results will be accomplished, that he has been put on a salarj' by the 

 State of Minnesota, and is now under employment by that State in 

 propagating, through cross-fertilization, new varieties of apples, with 

 a view to supply the wants of that section which has been hereto- 

 fore excluded from the privilege. While he has not yet published 



