STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 317 



the sudden thaw which followed immediately after, thus remarks 

 upon a kind of protection that does not protect, and another kind 

 that does : 



"In all our exposed and unprotected orchards the trees came out 

 in fine condition ; but in our protected sites, hemmed in b)' hill 

 and timber, they barely had the breath of life left in them. The 

 Duchess grew three inches the season following in the latter or- 

 chards, and twelve in the former. The Saxton was not injured on 

 either place. I do not think the cold kills the Saxton. SJtade ita 

 hody from the direct rays of the sun, and you can grow it. The 

 sun kills more trees than all other causes," 



LETTER FROM MR. PHCENIX. 



Phcenix Nursery, Delavan, Wis. \ 

 March 8, 1883. ] 



Oliver Gibbs, Jr.., Sec'y Minn. State Hort. Society. 



Dear Sir : Yours, 12th February, informing me that I was 

 elected honorary life member of your society came in my absence. 

 I am very proud of the honor conferred, and shall strive more and 

 more to serve you and the good cause of horticulture, which, 

 everywhere I go, seems to me suffering from popular indifference. 

 For two months this winter I was pretty far south, where I saw in 

 a strictly railroad section hundreds of dollars spent for strong 

 drink and tobacco, but not one cent for fruit, though easily obtain- 

 able. In view of such facts, prevailing measurably all over this 

 broad land, I am constrained to wonder that any horticulturist, 

 true to his colors, can help hating and fighting with all his might 

 these curses that rob to the very bone, homes and families, men, 

 women and children, of earth's blessed fruits and flowers and 

 books and papers and pictures and music. Strong drink and to- 

 bacco are the great barriers to the gi'owth and prosperity of Amer- 

 ican horticulture. With warmest acknowledgements and best 

 wishes, most truly, F. K. FHCENIX. 



