WINDOM TRIAL STATION. 269 
The Rollingstone, as is usual for it at this station, is bearing very lightly, 
and the Ocheeda, as usual, is bearing only a few specimens, which are sure 
to be badly stung. We have had very few plum pockets this summer. The 
only disease we have noticed on tree or fruit is the scab or plum rust on 
the fruit of the Rockford. This is the only variety affected. (It is the same 
at Jos. Wood’s place, six miles away.) This scab was noticeable as soon 
as the fruit could be seen. The trees are well loaded with fruit, but I have 
no plum fruit on the place, including a large number of seedlings, that 
makes as poor a showing at the present time as does the Rockford. 
RECOGNITION OF VALUABLE SEEDLINGS. 
HON. A. K. BUSH, DOVER. 
Little can be said of what has been done to encourage or reward the 
faithful horticulturist who had courage and patience to plant fruit seeds. 
Much should be said and done to stimulate the planting of seeds from such 
fruits as give promise of hardiness, vigor, quality, productiveness, etc., in 
fact, just such as we need for the cold, dry winters and extreme hot winds 
of the summer in this northwestern country. 
After spending much time and money with varieties which succeed well 
in the south and east but fail with us, we thought the hardy Russian va- 
tieties solved the question of fruit growing in this country, where the mer- 
cury will freeze in the sun’s rays during the winter and then boil if exposed 
to sunlight during the heat of our summers. Truly a country of great ex- 
tremes—where large treeless pairies are the rule. But these iron clads from 
the steppes of Russia were disappointing to fruit growers in our state. 
Now the cry goes out, ‘“Minnesota Seedlings for Minnesota,” which, in 
my opinion, is good common sense. If we stick to this text, preach it, 
teach it and pay those who produce any seedling worthy of recognition we 
shall soon have the ideal home grown fruit we so much desire; in fact, we 
have secured many of them now which are equal to the best grown in every 
‘state or country. Our native Wealthy apple scores 100 in quality wherever 
it is known. 
Now, what have we, as a horticultural society, done to encourage or re- 
ward the person who produces these worthy seedling fruits? To be sure, we 
offer a small premium at our meetings, as does the state fairs. The J. W. 
Thomas sweepstakes premium of $100 on apples did much to call out such 
fruits, but no mention was made of quality in tree or fruit, and the sour 
crab apple, which would give a hog the lockjaw, counted the same as the most 
worthy specimen on the table. While we know this premium has done 
much to call out obscure seedlings, the premium should be awarded on qual- 
ity, not quantity. 
The one thousand dollar premium offered by our horticultural society is 
in the right direction, but we have gone to the other extreme. The whole 
world in 6,000 years of its history has not produced its equal; our prize is 
simply ‘‘out-of-sight”; it is hanging too high, with a string attached, and 
that string in our hands, The whole proposition reminds me of the Yankee 
neighbors of ours back in the early 60’s, who attached an ear of corn to a 
pole which was so adjusted that it was just out of reach of his oxen onthe 
breaking plow. That fellow would do more breaking than any other in that 
