l88 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



A pyramidalis arbor vitae, at least fifteen feet high, stood just 

 back of Mr. Underwood's home, in Lake City. It was under the 

 shelter of a large elm tree. It was killed, while not one hundred 

 feet away were three other splendid specimens of the pyramidalis 

 arbor vitae in the open which were apparently uninjured. Di- 

 agonally across from this place of meeting, last summer I saw an 

 arbor vitae six inches in diameter and about ten feet high complete- 

 ly seared, while on another street not far away was a smaller spec- 

 imen in good condition. 



From these peculiarities noted, we arrive at the following con- 

 clusions : The more we study into nature, the less we are able to 

 account for her peculiarities — we are bewildered. Trees are like 

 men — disease here and there fastens upon the healthiest of the tribe 

 — tomorrow they are gone. Gradually science is learning how to 

 successfully handle some of the diseases which affect mankind and 

 is also furnishing us with preventives, but in the art of horticul- 

 ture we have scarce made a beginning. We do not even know the 

 cause, or the preventive, or the remedy, for many of the diseases 

 to which vegetation is subject. Spraying is doing much, but the 

 field is still open for a wide range of investigation. We commend 

 the work that is being done by botanists, experiment stations and 

 horticulturists, and we can only hope that as time goes on practi- 

 cal remedies and preventives will be found for all the ills to which 

 flesh and trees are heir. 



Prof. Waldron (N. D.) : I would say that a large number of 

 Cottonwood were nearly killed, and the black walnut did not suffer 

 at all. 



Mr. Smith: Is not that unusual? 



Prof. Waldron : O, yes. 



The President: Were they affected by rust the past summer? 



Prof. Waldron: Not badly. 



The President: Were they injured the previous winter? 



Prof. Waldron : Not so much. 



Mr. Smith : How do you account for it? 



Prof. Waldron : These cottonwoods grew very rapidly ; I could 

 not account for it in any other way. 



The President: How large were they? 



Prof. Waldron : I had some back of my house six inches 

 through, and some trees on our station grounds killed that were 

 cut back the year before and made a rapid growth. They were 

 not winter-killed, as I could see. 



Mr. Smith : How were the roots ? 



Prof. Waldron : They were all right. Among the apple trees 

 the Hibernal was more affected than any other variety. The wood 

 of the Hibernal turned black. Thev are unsuccessful on account of 



