secretary's corner. 483 



Fruit for the Annuai. Meeting. — A considerable quantity of fruit has 

 been placed in cold storage here for exhibition at the annual meeting. This 

 fruit will all be delivered at the place of meeting the forenoon of the day pre- 

 vious to the meeting, and exhibitors are urged to be present on the afternoon 

 of that day and set up their fruit, so that when the meeting opens undivided 

 attention may be given to it instead of so much time, as occasionally happens, 

 oeing spent in the fruit room during the hours of the opening session. A large 

 exhibit of seedlings is looked for. Every member should certainly contribute 

 something towards this fruit exhibit. It is in a large sense an index of the 

 success of the work of the society. 



Come to the Annual Meeting— This Means You! — If you have been 

 there before you won't need urging, and we shall surely see you. If you have 

 never attended, by all means make this j^our opportunity and see what a feast 

 is spread for you of the things you especially like. You have a right to a 

 winter holiday and so have the other members of your family, as far as they 

 can get away from home. Why shouldn't the dweller in the country enjoy a 

 holiday in the city as well as those in the city go into the country? Don't fail 

 to be with us when the meeting opens and stay to the end! 



A Chair of Forestry for the Minnesota State University. — A 

 movement is on foot for the endowment for a Chair of Forestry in the Univer- 

 sity of Minnesota, and it is proposed to raise a fund of $50, COO for this purpose, 

 which would give an annual income of $2,500 in its support. There is much 

 to be said in favor of this movement, which has been inaguurated at this time 

 probabl}^ on account of a similar effort to raise $150,000 for the endowment of 

 a Chair of F'orestry in Yale College The endowment of a Chair of Forestry 

 here would undoubtedly result in a general improvement of forestry conditions 

 in the state. There is a woeful lack of general information on this subject, 

 which a forestry chair at the university would do nmch to overcome. The 

 Minnesota University is especially well located for this purpose, as the pine 

 forests just north of us are within easy reach of those who are receiving in- 

 struction in forestry, where practical application may be made of such instruc- 

 tion. The owners of pine lands themselves would receive large and special 

 benefit from this. 



Semi-Centennial of the Illinois State Horticultural Society. 

 — This thriving society of a sister state, having organized in December, 1856, 

 is preparing a suitable program for the coming annual meeting, which is to 

 partake largely of the nature of a celebration of the close of its fiftieth year. The 

 meeting will be held in Champaign, 111., December 12-15. A number of papers 

 from the older members will be devoted to the history of the society and 

 biographies of its early members. As usual, however, the program will consist 

 of vital topics of the present day. that are always crowding on the practical 

 horticulturist for solution. Who from Minnesota will visit with the Illinois 

 horticulturists at their coming annual meeting ? The secretary would be glad 

 to know of any with such purpose. 



Some Valuable Newer Varieties. — Mr. J. A. Howard, of Hammond, 

 in speaking of his apple crop this year refers to two new varieties as follows: 

 "The Fosberg and Hutchins are two apples that should be better known. The 

 Fosberg comes betv^een the Duchess and Okabena, just when we need an 

 apple to take the place of the Duchess. It is a seedling of the Duchess, looks 

 like it, and will sell for it. It bears early and heavily and does not scab or 

 blight and is as hardy as the Patten's Greening. The Hutchins is a larger 

 apple, hardy, and keeps well. It does not blight." 



