362 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



of fruit, excepting one at the north end, which contained the cut 

 flower exhibit, of which there was an extraordinary array, making- 

 Wednesday, the day on which they were placed on exhibition, the 

 most desirable one to visit the building. 



The Minneapolis Mycological Club made a display of 140 plates of 

 mushrooms on a part of the floral table, which they renewed from 

 day to day with fresh specimens. This was an extraordinary 

 exhibit, and was as much noticed and talked about as any other in 

 this department. The interest in this subject will evidently war- 

 rant a larger opportunity for a similar exhibit another year. 



The apples in the sweepstakes exhibit occupied the center table in 

 the north end of the hall, which was surmounted by an extra table 

 its entire length. As last year, the sweepstakes premium was large- 

 ly contributed by John W. Thomas & Co., of Minneapolis, $100 being 

 divided pro rata among the exhibitors from this source. 



The number of entries in the fruit exhibit was somewhat in excess 

 of last year, but on account of the very light crop of fruit in the 

 state, the exhibit was a little less in quantity and somewhat so in 

 quality as compared with the show in this building in 1898. But 

 when all the circumstances are considered, the display was never a 

 more creditable one to the fair management or the state horticul- 

 tural society, to whose influence the success of this department ie 

 largely due. There were shown in the competitive exhibits 2,183 

 plates of apples, 260 of grapes, 258 of plump, one of peaches and one 

 of sand cherrie?, besides some fifty jars of plums. 



Besides the apples above enumerated, there were a large number 

 of plates shown on the booth at the south end of the hall, and a very 

 interesting exhibit on the side of the hall made by the Jewell Nur- 

 sery Company, of fruit contributed by their patrons from different 

 parts of the state, each being labeled with the name and locality of 

 the grower. Aside from the commercial exhibits above referred to, 

 another very neat one by C. W. Sampson, of Eureka, occupied the 

 southwestern corner of the hall. In all. the number of plates of 

 apples shown in the hall would easily have reached the total of 

 3 500, but no account was made excepting of those contained in 

 the competitive exhibits. 



Mr. Peter Gideon, of Excelsior, made a very fine display of twenty- 

 seven plates of seedling apples from his place, and four plates of 

 peaches. His presence during two days added greatly to the inter- 

 est of his exhibit and gave his many friends an opportunity for 



greeting. 



As usual, quite a number of the members of the horticultural 

 society spent a considerable portion of the week in the hall. J. S. 

 Harris, Wm. Somerville, J. A. Howard, Ditus Day, C. W. Sampson 

 and John Nordine,— besides those connected with the management 

 —were there during the whole week. O. M. Lord, whose show of 

 plums constituted about one-fourth of the whole plum exhibit, 

 including nearly every cultivated variety raised in the state, was 

 with us excepting the last day. Wyman Elliot, D. F. Akin, A. A. 

 Bost, H. M. Lyman, R. L. Cummins, E. H. S. Dartt, Prof. S. Green 

 and Pres. W. W. Pendergast also spent some time in the hall. This 

 is by no means a complete list, as other members of the society by 



