30 HISTORY OF HORTICULTURE IN MINNE^SOTA. 



Mr. Hubbard called for the reading of Col. Rol)ertso]i's Address. It was 

 read by the Secretary. 



Mr. Harkuess thought it well to look at home for hardy varieties. If he 

 had hopes of Legislative aid, would favor the phm of seuding abroad ; yet he 

 thought that good varieties of fall aud wiuter apples could be raised here. 

 He had been through different parts of the State, and knew that hundreds of 

 bushels of apples had been raised last year. He thought the object of this 

 society was to encourage raising our native fruits, not discourage it. There 

 are five or six varieties which can be raised in various localities. Some 

 gentlemen had said fruit could not be raised outside the bluff. Emit is raised 

 in the south part of Goodhue county, in Waseca, in Blue Earth, in Rice and 

 other counties. He would favor asking the Legislature to appropriate several 

 hundred dollars to be expended in premiums for the encouragement of rais- 

 ing seedling varieties. There are seedlings in several parts of the State 

 which are valuable, and would probably be brought into notice bj'^ this course. 

 Mr. A. C. Hamilton, of Winona, said that his experience warrants the belief, 

 that there are kinds in Wisconsin and Minnesota which are hardy. He had 

 seen apples in some soils near the river prove a failure, while others do well on 

 the same farm. It seemed to him that we should give a chance to native 

 varieties. Among those which he considered suited to our climate, he would 

 mention the Duchess of Oldenburg, Fameuse, Red Astrachan, Perry Russet, 

 Tetofsky, aud the Crabs, which give a variety of fall and winter fruit. The 

 Fameuse keeps till the middle of January ; the Perry Russet till June. With 

 these and the Duchess of Oldenburg for a summer apple, we have a variety 

 which will afford fruit the j^ear round. When we go through the country 

 how few of our farmers do we see who have the small fruits. If the Association 

 would encourage the growth of these, it would accomplish a good deal. 



Mr. Dorrance, of East Prairie, Rice Co., said that nine years ago last March, 

 he sent for 900 apple trees. The nurserjmian sent him 2,000. He could not 

 give the names, for he was not acquainted with varieties. He had kept cat- 

 tle, sheep and hogs out of his orchard ; had lived in Southern Wisconsin and 

 set out trees three times before he could make them live ; he did not consider 

 his selection of fruit good ; he had Red aud Green Sweetings ; could recom- 

 mend the Green Sweeting as hardj' ; Pippins are not so. He had one bearing 

 tree which came labelled Seek-no-further ; supposed it to be such. Some of 

 his trees bore in three and some in four years. His soil was a sandy clay. 

 He had 64 bearing trees ; did not think any tree grower should be discour- 

 aged; he had reports in circulation every year, that Dorrance would not 

 raise any more apples, but he knows no good reason for them. He would not 

 trim trees ; trimming kiUs them. 



Mr. Hubbard referred to the statement of Mr. Dorrance that he has a clay 

 soil. According to his experience, that was the best soil. But unfortunately 

 for Minnesota we have little of it. He had resided in Wisconsin for many 

 years, and found that the best orchards were on clay soils or heavy soils. He 

 had been back to Wisconsin four times, and had always been astonished to 

 find their soils so poor compared with ours. He should be astonished if he 



