HISTORY OF HORTICULTURE IN MINNESOTA. 125 



CRAB APPLES, AGAIN. 



Discussion of crabs was again taken up. 



Mr. Jewell thinks the Transcendent a very good variety. The Hyslop, 

 though " a thing of beauty" is certainly not " ajoy forever," as it is so mealy 

 and dry, and will not keep any length of time ; would plant very sparingly. 

 The Soulard will "keep forever," but is not good as a dessert apple, but 

 makes good sauce cooked with Tallman Sweet ; would plant few where stand- 

 ard apples will grow. Transcendent is not a cider crab, but makes fair cham- 

 paign cider if put up in bottles and kept for a year. In his opinion the Orange 

 Crab is the best. 



Mr. Harris said every one should plant a few crabs. lias not had good 

 success in making cider from Transcendents ; his favorites are Aiken's Win- 

 ter and Quaker Beauty ; condemns Hyslop, but would plant a few where 

 standards will not succeed well. 



All the use Mr. Keuworthy has for cral)s is for stocks for top-working, for 

 which they are well adapted. 



Truman M. Smith would not advocate planting largely. The reason good 

 cider cannot be made from Transcendents is, because the weather is too warm 

 in their season. Good vinegar can be made from the cider; such vinegar 

 made by him brought the highest price in the market. 



Mr. Harris says it requires two years to make vinegar, and cannot be done 

 successfully with a factory. 



Mr. Brand thinks that crabs should be planted to some extent in the fron- 

 tier settlements, and in localities where apples do not succeed. They bear 

 early and profusely. In setting an orchard he would plant one crab tree in 

 every twenty-live, and would plant Transcendents along the roadside, outside 

 of his orchard if he could aftbrd it. They make a good protection for an orch- 

 ard. Orange Crabs stand first as a dessert apple, and are profitable for mar- 

 keting. Meader's Russet and Meader's Winter are also good — better than 

 Transcendent and Hyslop. 



On motion, the discussion of small fruits and grapes was dispensed with. 



On motion, Mr. Truman M. Smith was appointed to prepare an essay on 

 grapes, to ))e published with these proceedings. 



VISIT OF THE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE. 



At 11.30 the Legislative Committee arrived, and after a short address of 

 welcome by the President, the committee appointed last year to visit the or- 

 chards in the various parts of the State, made a report ; which report set 

 forth that the committee had not been able to make their tour of observation 

 as extended as they wish, but had been able to obtain the following facts : 



There are eighty-nine varieties of grafted fruit of which the names are 

 known, and about thirty varieties that the names are not known ; besides 

 hundreds of seedlings, some of which are of superior quality. The trees are 

 generally healthy and bearing finely. 



