302 MISSOURI STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



for such a gathering, furnishing inspiration to us in our laudable work. 



The campus and gardens contain about twenty acres and is beauti- 

 fully laid out in walks and drives — a regular object lesson. Any 

 lover of the beautiful is filled with admiration as he beholds the grace- 

 ful winding hedges and well-kept lawns. Until this recent visit I didn't 

 appreciate the value of the hemlock as an ornamental hedge plant. I 

 doubt if there is anywhere to be found a prettier evergreen hedge than 

 is here seen of the Hemlock Spruce. 



The most instructive as well as one of the most interesting exer- 

 •cises of our meeting was the address of Prof. J. L Budd, of Iowa, on 

 " Fruits of Northeast Europe." He had much to say of the cherries 

 of that country east of Moscow, which by the way must be their prin- 

 cipal fruit. From the fruit is made a sort of wine, and they have a 

 great surplus at times, since he spoke of seeing a whole train loaded 

 with cherries. The street shade trees are of cherry and the State lines 

 are marked by a row of the same tree. In one place was to be seen a 

 TOW of cherry trees 200 miles long. They have several thousand young 

 trees from that cold country on the experimental grounds at Ames, 

 Iowa, and since they stood rhe terrible cold of last winter it seems no 

 longer a question as to their perfect hardiness. 



Barnabas C. Hobbs, a veteran in horticulture, and many other good 

 ■things, added his testimony as to the value and hardiness of many of 

 the fruits grown in Russia. 



Mr. Tuttle, of Wisconsin, remarked that he remembered a few 

 years ago when people were alarmed on the question of light for 

 their houses because whales were becoming scarce. Since that 

 problem seems forever settled by coal oil and electricity, so he thinks 

 fruits will be found to meet the exigencies of a AVisconsin climate. 

 And we agreed with him perfectly when he said he didn't want to live 

 in a State where fruit could not be grown. 



New and old varieties of strawberries were discussed somewhat at 

 length. 



Crescent still held its accustomed first place as a market variety 

 and for general cultivation, but Chas. Downing, in one section (about 

 New Albany), was more generally planted than any other, it being es* 

 timated by one grower that nine-tenths of all the strawberries of that 

 region were Downing. 



The Parry and Cornelia received favorable mention. One grower 

 got doubly as much for the Mount Vernon as he obtained for Crescent, 

 since it came in later. 



Cumberland was by many considered the best companion for the 

 Crescent, while others placed Gapt. Jack and others Sharpless as sec- 

 ond best on the list. 



