162 HISTORY OF HORTICULTURE IN MINNESOTA. 



These results have not been aehieved by men clainiin^ abilities, pre- 

 eminent among their fellows, but by persistent persevering effort in the 

 face of almost daily diseouragements, which would have discouraged thou- 

 sands less sanguine or less enthusiastic : just as success in life is not so much 

 due to great talents or rare genius, as to a strong undeviating purpose. 



The man that never failed, never lived, and probably never Avill, All suc- 

 cess is a series of efforts in which are mingled more or less failures. The 

 mountain is apt to overshadow the hill, but the hill is a reality nevertheless. 



If we fail now and then, we should not be discouraged, but bear in mind 

 that it is only the part and experience of every successful man. and that the 

 most successful men often have the most failures. 



In this connection let me refer you to the effect of protracted nursing upon 

 our commonly cultivated fruits and plants, for our gardens are full of won- 

 derful vegetable transformations. 



The large and juicy carrot is only the woody, spindling root of the wild 

 caiTot luxuriously fed. 



Onr cabbages, cauliflowers, and turnips, in all their varieties, spring from 

 one or more species of Brassica, which in their natural state have poor, woody, 

 bitter stems and leaves, and useless, spindle shaped roots. 



Our cultivated potato, with all its varieties, springs from the tiny and bitter 

 root of the wild potato, which has its native home on the sea shore of Chili. 



Our apples, pears, plums, grapes, and other prized fruits, all spring from 

 well-known wild, and little esteemed progenitors. 



The plum originated from a variety of the sloe, a small shrub or shrubby 

 tree, three or four feet high, and a native of Southern Russia, and the Cau- 

 casus. 



The wild pear, found over nearly the entire continent of Europe, and from 

 whence spring our beautiful and delicious fruit, is small, sour, and unfit to 

 eat. 



The apricot, as found in its wild state in Persia, is a small, round, pale, yel- 

 low fruit, sub-acid in flavor — in its improved state being fully three times as 

 large and sweet. 



And who would recognize in the hundred varieties of beautiful apples the 

 worthless, acid crab ? 



Yet these are the simple results of long cultivation, and an aggregation of 

 practical experience, extending in some cases over a long period of years. 



And now, gentlemen, what this Association desires is, that the dearly pur- 

 cliased experience of their members may be made useful to thousands who 

 are deterred from attempting the cultivation of fruit by difficulties, resulting 

 mainly from a want of accurate knowledge, by giving them the requisite in- 

 formation in such plain and practical manner as to be readily understood. 



The advantage the new cultivators will have over the first growers is that 

 they will have instructions to fall back upon ; instructions which are safe to 

 follow, because practical experiments, extending over a period of j-ears, haye 

 taught what is to be done and what is to be avoided. 



I trust, gentlemen, you will give this project the favorable consideration its 



