ae se 
66 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
Howard county and has a population of about 3,000. In our drives through 
the town we noticed many well kept yards and pretty hedges. 
Wednesday evening the citizens of Cresco gave a creditable entertain- 
ment, consisting of vocal and instrumental music and short speeches. 
The meetings were fairly well attended, but the farmers of the immediate 
vicinity were conspicuous by their absence. 
Prof. Green, of the state society, exhibited some interesting maps show- 
ing the elevation, rainfall, temperature etc., of different sections of the 
state, and its effect on different varieties of fruit trees; also maps showing 
the number of apple, pear, peach, cherry and plum trees grown in each 
county. 
The members from the central and southern part of the state had a sad 
story to tell of the root-killing of trees last winter. Mr. Guilford, of Du- 
buque, reported the loss of about 50,000 young trees, seedling grape vines; 
etc. Blackberries, grapes, peonies and tulips were killed. Elm seedlings 
.were so badly injured that when transplanted they failed to grow. Wild 
plums and grapes in exposed locations were badly injured. All 
plums on Myrobalan are dead and on Marianna nearly as bad. Those on 
their own roots and on Americana are generally in good condition. Vir- 
ginia stood the test the best in the nursery and Whitney next. (This was in 
Mr. Guilford’s district.) 
Elmer Reeves, of Waverly, reported the loss of nearly 70,000 young trees, 
etc. Prof. Greene estimates that nearly 700,000 trees were destroyed the past 
winter in Iowa. When the snow stayed on the ground or trees and plants 
were mulched, they were generally in good condition. E. H. S. Dartt, of 
Owatonna, and A. J. Philips, of Wisconsin, were there and poked fun at 
each other as usual. Hon. Geo. H. Van Houten gave an hour’s talk on the 
Hawaiian Islands, describing the habits of the nation, soil, climate, ete. 
C. G. Patten read a paper on root-killing. He would save seed of 
Whitney and Briar Sweet to raise seedlings, and use a piece of root two and 
one-half inches long, and scions about six or seven inches in length. Some 
talk of planting more Virginia and top-working trees. 
Iowa Falls was selected as the place for the next meeting, and C. F. 
Gardner, of Osage, was re-elected president; Elmer Reeves, of Waverly, 
vice-president; C. H. True, of: Edgewood, secretary; and G. A. Ivans, of 
Towa Falls, treasurer. 
NORTHWESTERN IOWA HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 
ANNUAL MEETING. 1899. 
JOSEPH WOOD, DELEGATE, WINDOM. 
Having been sent as a delegate’to the Northwestern Iowa Horticultural 
Society, at Spencer, Ia., I arrived the 4th of December. The next day was 
the opening of the meeting, but only a few members were present, and there 
was no work done that day till in the evening. The president and secretary 
did not arrive until the evening of the 5th. 
We had an evening session, and Prof. N. E. Hansen, of North. Dakota, 
spoke for a short time on root-killing. He was compelled to leave for Min- 
nesota to attend the horticultural society meeting in session at Minneapolis, 
and, therefore, his remarks were too brief to suit us. Mr. Hansen thought 
that after last winter’s experience the right thing to do to avoid wholesale 
root-killing during severe winters is to import Siberian crab seed, or obtain 
