PROPOSED FRUlT-liREEDING EXPERIMENT STATION. 65 



THE PROPOSED FRUIT-BREEDING EXPERIMENT 

 STATION. 



A. W. LATHAM, SECY. 



The Minnesota State Horticultural Society will, at this session 

 of the legislature, ask an appropriation foi a farm to be used in 

 breeding and testing fruit. Such a farm i^ greatly needed to place 

 the state horticultural work in a satisfactory condition. The officers 

 of this society point with pride to the development of fruit growing 

 in Minnesota, in a commercial as well as in a small way about rural 

 homes. The great interest taken in this subject, and the progress 

 made, is shown by the magnificent displays of fruit n.ade at the an- 

 nual fairs of the State Agricultural Society and tht- meetings of the 

 State Horticultural Society. 



The State Horticultural Society has encouraged and is encourag- 

 ing the raising of seedling fruits by its members anc' others, offer- 

 ing liberal prizes for desirable productions in this line. It has also 

 distributed seedling plants at various times. As a result of all this 

 work there are thousands of seedlings now of bearing age which 

 need to be carefully tested under competent supervision. Besides 

 this object in asking for a fruit farm, we think that the most pro- 

 gress in fruit growing in this state is to come from raising thousands 

 of seedlings from our most valuable cultivate! sorts, and we want 

 a farm where this work can be carried on in a systematic and in- 

 telligent way and to a finish. 



University Farm at St. Anthony Park would naturally be looked 

 to as the place for such work, but not enough land there is available 

 for this purpose, nor is it suitable. Furthermore, in the neighbor- 

 hood of University Farm land is worth $500 or more per acre, and 

 there is so much trespass that it is difficiilt to ripen fruit there. 

 Suitable land for this purpose can be obtained at $100 or less per 

 acre. Such a fruit farm should be located at some point easily 

 accessible from University Farm and be under the general direc- 

 tion of the horticulturist of that experiment station. At University 

 Farm there are now over 15,000 seedling apples and seedlings of 

 other fruits for which there is no room, and many of these must be 

 thrown away unless additional land is furnished the coming year. 



The legislature of 1878 provided a fruit farm which was at one 

 time in charge of the late Peter M. Gideon, w^ho originated the 

 Wealthy, Peter and other apples. This farm v/as sold a few years 



