Meeting of Northern Fruit Growers. 159 



over almost the whole state and wiped out the crop. We remember 

 that strawberries in Nebraska were at least a partial failure. 



There was a sharp discussion over the cause. Some said the 

 ground was dry in the fall and winter, and so the plants were badly- 

 damaged. Some said they were so enfeebled that though they could 

 put out leaves and bloom, as soon as the strain of fruit bearing came 

 on they were unequal to the task and so succumbed. 



Professor Hansen of the South Dakota Agricultural College, one 

 of the brainiest men we have and one of the most patient investigators, 

 laid the axe vigorously at the root of the tree and told the cause of 

 all the trouble. He said: , , 



"The strawberries you are raising have too weak constitutions. 

 The parents of our present strawberries came from South'America and 

 they are too tender and you will always have trouble with them. I do 

 not want a strawberry that I have to mulch. I throw away thousands 

 that show the least weakening. I want a plant that will stand out in 

 the open in Dakota, where there is no snow on the ground and it is 40 

 degrees below zero. You couldn't do anything with eastern or southern 

 apples and you will always have trouble with the present race of straw- 

 berries." 



The Keynote of Success. 



The professor then gave an outline of his experiments. He had 

 gathered wild strawberries whenever he could find them in the north- 

 west, and was crossing them with the hardiest tame ones, saving all 

 that could endure the test and rejecting all that were too tender. 

 Luther Burbank is quoted as saying: "You must build up a horti- 

 culture in your own location and develop what you havo and here is 

 the keynote of success." 



Professor Hansen is doing wonders with the sand cherry. He is 

 gathering wild raspberries from Manitoba and the Black Hills, raising 

 seedlings from that that are hardy. He rejects everything that kills 

 back in winter. 



By the way, the professor will visit the Nebraska Horticultural 

 Society at the annual meeting in Lincoln and will also address the 

 Forestry Society Thursday afternoon. He will tell us about forestry 

 in Europe and America. The professor is doing a grand work for 

 forestry and horticulture in the northwest. 



