192 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



tionecl to show why we do not come up to the standard of fruit 

 raising in some other places. It is surely not altogether be- 

 cause we do not plant trees enough, neither is it because there 

 is no demand for fruit, or that people do not cultivate a taste 

 for the same. 



We have in Minden a wholesale fruit man, Mr. Ben. Johnson, 

 who informs me that he has some years bought and shipped to 

 Minden as high as 105 car loads of apples alone in a single year, 

 in addition to many car loads of all other kinds of fruit in its sea- 

 son. Some one must buy and consume all this. I do not wish 

 to be understood, however, that all of this is consumed at home, 

 as his shipments extend all along the different lines of road 

 west. 



The demand is very rapidly increasing from year to year, and 

 a plenty of room for the home grower. 



I have so far said but little in regard to the progress of fruit 

 culture in this county and the counties lying adjacent to this, 

 and do not wish to be understood to mean that we do not grow 

 fruit to some extent. Kearney county contains no large com- 

 mercial orchards, but contains many small family orchards, 

 consisting largely of apple, cherry, plum and peaches. 



Within the last few days we have visited and had reports from 

 quite a number in this immediate vicinity, who are engaged to 

 some extent in growing fruit. 



G. A. Strand, a typical farmer and stock raiser living three 

 miles north-west of Minden, and a horticulturist as well, with 

 a beautiful farm home, surrounded with beautiful flowers, ever- 

 greens, shrubs and shade trees, reports about one-hundred apple 

 trees planted in 1886, largely Ben Davis, Wine Saps, Genetan, 

 Wealthys and Duchess. Trees all in fine condition at the 

 present time, and entirely free from twig blight, which we trust 

 has run its course here. 



Mr. Strand reports a very light crop of apples this year, but 

 other years has produced fairly well, especially the Ben Davis, 

 Duchess and Wealthy. His cherry orchard, mostly Early Rich- 

 mond and Montmorency, produced a crop of fine cherries, mar- 

 keting from 130 to 150 bushels. English Morello all killed. 

 Mr. J. T. Kelly ten miles east of Minden planted twenty acres 



