358 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Membership in the American Breeders' Association. — Referring to 

 the article appearing in this number as to the "Aims and Membership of the 

 American Breeding Association" by Hon. W. M. Hays, formerly of the 

 Minnesota Experiment Station and at present Assistant Secretary of Agricul- 

 ture, our readers will be interested to know that the Minnesota State Horti- 

 cultural Society has taken out a membership in the association referred to, 

 having paid the required fee of |;20. 00, for which it is understood that this 

 membership is to run twenty-five years, making its expiration in the year 

 1930. 



Death of Mrs. A. W. Bias. The Punta Gorda Herald, of Florida, an- 

 nounces the death, on July 23, of the wife of Mr. A. W. Sias, one of the old- 

 est life members of this society and now for many years a resident of 

 southwestern Florida, at Harbor View. Mr. Sias and family removed to 

 Florida from Minnesota twelve years ago, where they have since resided.. He 

 was for many years a nurseryman in Rochester in this state, a faithful and 

 most earnest member of this society, and the work that he did for the Min- 

 nesota Horticultural Society in that early day did much to place it on the en- 

 during basis which it now occupies. The sympathy of our members go out 

 to Mr. Sias in his affliction. 



Two OF Our Ex-Secretaries.— Oliver Gibbs, long time member of our 

 society, former secretary and now well along in the seventies, materially re- 

 covered his health from a couple of winters and summers spent on the eastern 

 coast of Florida, where he has enjoyed himself much growing a lot of fruits 

 and vegetables that are beyond the capacity of Minnesota horticulturists. 

 Mr Gibbs is at this time at his home in Prescott, Wisconsin, and is likely to 

 stay north until after the coming annual meeting of our society, at which 

 time we expect to greet him in person. 



Charles Y. Lacy, secretary of this society for five years, from 1875, to 

 1879 inclusive, now of Long Beach, California, dropped into the office unex- 

 pectedly a short time since, and for an hour we renewed old acquaintance. 

 Side whiskers and some of the changes which come with maturity made it 

 necessary to ask for an introduction at the outset, but pleasant converse soon 

 brought back to recollection this old time member and strenuous co-worker 

 of thirty years ago, and we were immensely glad to meet him. Mr. Lacy is 

 still in the prime of life and we hope to retain his name on our honorary life 

 list for many years yet. 



Fruits in North Dakota. — It is six years since we planted large apples, 

 and about fifteen years since we planted crabs. They have all done well with 

 us. We have had large apples for the last three years, as some of the Hiber- 

 nals started to bear when they were three j'ears old. It is the hardiest of all 

 apples for the north. Duchess, Charlamofif, Yellow Sweet, Tetofsky, Patten's 

 Greening — I have all of those named bearing fruit. We have about three 

 hundred trees growing and are planting more this spring. Of plum trees, the 

 Forest Garden is good. De Soto don't get ripe here nor others that I have 

 tried. Of crabs, Whitney, Briar Sweet, Minnesota, Transcendent, Martha, 

 Virginia are some that I have. Of raspberries, we have Turner, Black Hills 

 and Cuthbert. These don't have to be laid down and covered as they are 

 hardy enough without. As to cold, well, we are in North Dakota, the coldest 

 state in the United States. Gets down to forty sometimes. Thirty-eight was 

 the coldest last winter. We have timber on the north and west of us. Have 

 been here twenty-six years in April. Wm. Hurtt, Hoople, Walsh Co., N. D: 



