214 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



are subject to blight and there have been failures in planting apple 

 trees not adapted to climatic conditions. Some varieties that are 

 standard in New York, Ohio and Michigan do not flourish well here, 

 where the air is dryer and altitude greater. But other varieties 

 do well, and some trees look as though they would be long lived. 



The amount of fruit grown is only sufficient to supply the local 

 demand, and while in some parts of the eastern half of the stata 

 there are quite large commercial orchards they are not observable 

 here. But little small fruit is grown in this locality, such as straw- 

 berries, raspberries, blackberries, currants and gooseberries. Why 

 this is so is not apparent, but so far as examined it would seem that 

 they would do well. Many of the counties in southern Minnesota, 

 containing less area by five townships than this county, produce 

 much more small fruit and more apples and plums than are grown 

 here. Of course Minnesota cannot compete with Kansas in grow- 

 ing peaches, pears and apricots. One thing is certain, and that is, the 

 horticulturists of Minnesota are more enterprising and doing more 

 to benefit their state than the same class of people are doing for 

 Kansas. 



At the time of writing this, March 6, there is no frost in the 

 ground and some planting is being done of oats and corn and in 

 gardens. Soft maple trees are in bloom, the robins singing, and on 

 warm, sunny days the bees are flying out in search of pollen to feed 

 their young. Bees are wintered on their summer stands without 

 protection, and while there are some losses they are mostly in good 

 condition. No protection is given to small fruits, rose bushes and 

 other half-hardy plants and shrubs. The temperature was below- 

 zero but a few times during the winter, the lowest being five de- 

 grees below. Winter wheat is looking well. No spring wheat is 

 grown here. The market price of wheat is about ten cents a bushel 

 higher at towns in southern Minnesota than here. Alfalfa does 

 well and is cut for hay three or four times a year. But little timo- 

 thy and clover is grown. For general agricultural purposes Kan- 

 sas hardly equals and certainly does not surpass Minnesota. 



