140 HISTORY OF HORTICULTURE IN MINNESOTA. 



Mr. Smith moved tliat the Leirislature be invited to attend the meeting of 

 the Society, along with the Governor, which was unanimously agreed to, and 

 the time was then set for to-morrow evening. A committee Avas then, on 

 motion, appointed to give such invitation, consisting of Messrs. Ford, Elliot 

 and Smith. 



Mr. Hamilton remarked that the Germans in the State raised grapes in abun- 

 dance along with their children, and cheaper than did Mr. Smith. 



Mr. Smith said that grapes could not be grown in Minnesota, as you would 

 grow grass. He said that even very smart men otherwise, could not grow 

 grapes, because they would not study how to do it. Grapes must have great 

 attention in this northern climate. 



Mr. Ford wanted to know wiiat disposition was to be made of all this mat- 

 ter of to-night, whether it would be repeated to-morrow% if so, he wanted to 

 say a word about it. 



A member called on Mr. Tuttle for his view's. 



Mr. Tuttle said that according to his observation and experience, fruit 

 growing paid better than w^heat farming— that this was the case even with 

 grapes. He, himself, had five acres in grapes. His grapes last year cost him 

 very little. Most of them did well last year. There was a vineyard in his 

 neighborhood he would place against any vineyard in America for perfection. 

 The grapes were grown at Ave cents per pound, and, he repeated, they con- 

 sidered the growing of grapes more profitable than the grooving of wheat. 

 Years ago, the farmers did not like to live where they could not grow fruit, 

 but now they had found out their mistake. He had no doubt, from what he 

 had heard at this meeting, that Minnesota would do as well as Wisconsin. 

 He had grown apples for 15 years, and had never lost a crop yet from the frost. 

 As to grapes, according to the best calculation he could make, the cost of 

 growing them, aside from the boxes, was not more, even, than one cent per 

 pound. 



Mr. Smith wished to know how many vines a man could prune and lay 

 down in a day. 



Mr. Tuttle thought he could thus handle about 200 in a day. 



Mr. Smith said that, in his vineyard, they w^ould only do from 40 to 70 in a 

 single day. There was a difference in pruning. He had made his statement 

 to bring out the needful information as to the cost of culture. He had not 

 learned yet how nmch the cost of labor would be per day. He would still 

 insist that he could grow wiieat, at 80 cents per bushel, cheaper than he could 

 grow grapes at 20 cents per pound, and he could grow two pounds of straw- 

 berries cheaper than he could grow one pound of grapes. 



Mr. Ford thought that grapes ought to be grown cheaper than 20 cents i)er 

 pound; and he instanced a German, near by, who raised Concords at 15 cents, 

 and Isabellas at 10 cents per pound. He gave the figures as to his sales, and 

 reckoned the product at $700 per acre. He thought that too nmch culture 

 could be put upon both wheat and grapes, so as to make either profitless ; and 

 grapes w^ould have to be raised in a cheap way. He thought that the German 

 referred to, although some of his vines did not do well, was quite satisfied. 



