HISTORY OF HORTICULTURE IN ^MINNESOTA. 139 



his grapes properlj^, iu that space of ground. He would defy auy mau to take 

 up and lay down his vines at a less cost than ten hours work on a grape vine. 



Mr. O. F. Brand submitted a verbal report of his experience in various 

 lines of fruit culture, but often spoke too indistinctly to be heard by the re- 

 porter in a hall acknowledged to be badly calculated for speakers. 



Mr. Ford discussed at some length the •' killing of trees on the south side,"' 

 thereof giving his experience, particularly with the Mountain Ash, which, 

 procured from the neighborhood of Lake Superior, had proved with him a 

 failure. 



Mr. Hamilton said that the Germans had a simple and etfective way of deal- 

 ing with this difficulty : that they placed slabs against the trees to protect 

 them from the too hot sun. He could not aft'ord to wind them elaborately 

 with bands of hay or straw, but slabs were cheap enough. A man of his 

 acquaintance protected them w ith heaps of earth, but sometimes they were 

 killed by the hot sun of March. He believed in mulching after the ground 

 was frozen. 



Mr. Tuttle Jjelieved that trees were killed by the heat of Summer; 

 that the trees flattened and contracted on the south side, whilst the 

 growth elsewhere went on. He believed in putting up the board in Simimer ; 

 that then the mischief was done. This was the view of the case and the 

 practice in Georgia and South Carolina. He believed in low-topped trees, as 

 a protection to the body of the tree. He had experimented in the case of a 

 tree injured by the sun, and cured it of incipient decay Ijy putting up a board, 

 and he believed that the mischief was mostly done in Summer. He l)elieved 

 thoroughly in low trees. 



Messrs. Smith and Hamilton were inclined to endorse Mr. Tuttie's views 

 on the subject. 



Mr. Ford expressed himself perplexed by contrary opinions expressed 

 by gentlemen. 



Mr. Tuttle believed little in old theories concerning the killing of trees by 

 frost, but he thought one tree would stand a degree of cold that readily killed 

 another. He could not believe in the rupture of the sap vessel in the way 

 popularly believed, but he thought no one could tell exactly how a tree was 

 killed. 



Mr. Cook made a verbal report concerning his experience in fruit growing. 

 He had about live acres in crab apples. He had fruiteid the following varieties : 

 Duchess of Oldenburg. Soloman's Sweet, Golden Russet, Saxton, Fameuse, 

 Sweet Pear, which appeared hardy enough, and had about three bushels of 

 the Duchess. Some of the trees had been set seven years. Raised 20 to 2.5 

 bushels of apples. He had one Flemish Beauty pear tree, Ave years old, 

 growing finely. He had cultivated four kinds of grapes this season, and all 

 seemed to do well. Also several varieties of raspberries. 



Mr. Elliot moved an adjournment to 10 o'clock to-morrow, pending which 

 motion, Mr. Hamilton suggested that a committee on the new constitution 

 and by-law^s be appointed, and after considerable debate, Mr. Elliot, Mr. 

 Willey ahd Mr. Brand were appointed said committee, 



