104 ANNUAL REPORT 



smooth disasters over. I grafted last spring one hundred of the 

 last named variety, and sent ten of the young trees together with 

 ten each of my two seedlings I spoke of, to my friend Sias, to be 

 tested in Minnesota, and if they prove of value they will be an ac- 

 quisition to our list, if not, they will not be sold ; but I shall still 

 cultivate them, as I am satisfied they will be profitable for me, as they 

 are all good keepers and a fair quality of fruit. I found no time 

 in the fall of '81 to attend any fairs, only our own county, where 

 I made a good show of apples. Since November of that year I 

 have attended personally to ray orchard and nursery and have 

 been a close oKserver, and have spent some time in visiting other 

 orchards and nurseries. I gave my trees the best care in 1882 

 that they ever received and they amply repaid me for the tT-ouble. 

 My fruit while on the trees was a sight worth going some distance 

 to see. Crabs that were loaded were Whitneys No. 20, Trans- 

 cendent, Hyslop, Minnesota, Orange, Conical and Early Straw- 

 berry; of apples. Wealthy, Duchess, Fameuse, Haas, Walbridge, 

 Pewaukee, Atwood, Alexander, Wolf River, Fall Orange, Tallman 

 Sweet, Fall Stripe, Price's Sweet, Plum Cider, Uttter, St. Law- 

 rence, and both ray seedlings, all bore full crops and many were 

 loaded too heavy for the trees. Had many others that bore some 

 apples. 



I attended your State Fair with a show of apples. Next week 

 after I attended our County Fair witli a better lot, next attended 

 the Jackson County Fair, and last of all, Oct. 5th, a month after 

 your State Fair, I made the best show of the season at Monroe 

 County Fair as apples had grown larger, and were colored and much 

 better than at any previous fairs. At all these places I received a 

 fair share of the premiums, and enjoyed visiting and comparing 

 notes with other fruit growers very ranch. It is my candid opinion 

 that there is no business that men become more attached to, and 

 the love for the business increases faster, than that of the fruit 

 grower in this climate where such persistent effort is required. 

 Trees went into winter in good shape the past fall, cold weather 

 came on gradual, trees ripened their wood nicely, and shed their 

 leaves early. And even should we have a severe winter, I have no 

 fears of injury to our hardy varieties. In '72, when the mercury 

 went below zero early in Noveraber, was the time that thinned out 

 our tender kinds, and set nurserymen and orchardists to looking 

 about them for something better. Which I think on the whole, was 

 a good thing, though hard for some to bear. Like many other 

 growers, I had a large proportion of fall apples, which I was obliged 



