32 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
them will come too late to be enjoyed by those who so richly deserve them. 
It is ever thus, “No man can be pronounced happy while he lives.” Mr 
Gideon was, however, an exception to the general rule. He lived to a ripe 
age and was permitted to see that his work was appreciated. 
TRIBUTE TO PETER M. GIDEON. 
O. F. BRAND, FARIBAULT. 
When I first saw the program of this meeting, I was undecided about at- 
tending, but when I saw that a part of it was to be devoted to the commemo- 
ration of my old friend Gideon, I said I would go up, for I wanted to say 
something myself, because if there was ever a man in the United States whom 
I respected and honored it was Peter M. Gideon. I have known him since 
about 1868, and in those early days irom 1869-70 and 1873 up to 1875 I was 
very familiar with him, and I looked up to him as a prophet. I used to love 
to visit him and talk with him and receive instruction from him. I looked 
upon him as a person who belonged to the world, and as I took a panoramic 
view of the world I recognized Peter M. Gideon as towering away above 
the commonplace, a high mountain peak in horticulture, and I felt that I 
wanted to come up here and say a word in his honor. 
I want to say a word to the young men. In 1871-73, after the apple trees 
had all been killed in Minnesota, I visited all the orchards in the fruit grow- 
ing sections of the state and saw the destruction that had been wrought. In 
November I went up to Mr. Gideon’s place. I arrived there on a Friday 
noon, and found he was away from home. I was told he would be home 
soon, and waited until his return. When he came home he said I must 
remain with him until Monday. I was there from Friday until Monday, and 
had a great feast. He told me all about his early troubles. I want to relate 
a little of that history, Mr. President, so that the younger people may know 
what it cost Mr. Gideon to do what he did in the world. He said he had 
planted two bushels of apple seed, and they had been killed out. He was 
struggling out there as a pioneer; he had come up here for his health; he 
had no money; his trees had-all been killed, and he said he had but one 
suit of clothes and they were patched so one could hardly recognize the 
original suit. As he was pondering over the situation as to what he could 
do to raise apples, an invisible being came to him and told him to write to 
a certain address in the state of Maine for apple seeds. He wrote to that 
address, and in the course of a few weeks he received a reply from a gen- 
tleman who said his letter had beew handed to him by his son, and stated 
that he had sent him a package of crab apple seeds. In the course of time 
he received the package of crab apple seeds and planted them, and from that 
lot of séed sprung the Wealthy apple. You will note the persistency with 
which he followed out that one idea, notwithstanding his reduced circum- 
stances, in striving to accomplish what he deemed to be for the best interests 
of humanity. There was no money in it for him. The matter was so man- 
aged that he could get but very little money for producing the tree which 
produced those apples. He was not a good manager in many respects. His 
mind did not run to making money. His mind was set on producing some- 
thing good and valuable for humanity, and he accomplished it. I want the 
young people and all the people to understand and appreciate that it is a 
hard road to work for humanity, but it pays. There is a satisfaction in it 
