310 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



habitants. Then club workers have become more helpful, 

 schools more practical ; private citizens have worked with each 

 other — the whole town was interested by a public competition 

 with a money prize for each ward. 



The year of 1903 has been the best of all for home stock 

 planted ; northern grown trees have supplanted the painted fruit 

 blossoms of eastern fame. At a summer fair held in this county 

 there was a creditable exhibit of the city apples and a tent of 

 fruit grown in the state sent by the enterprise of a state nurs- 

 ery had crowds of visitors and did us much good. The sale of 

 stock booked for spring is the largest on record ; acres of land 

 have been cleared and planted with trees ; the Normal School ad- 

 dition has changed part of a forest into a park. The brick, mor- 

 ter, stone and timber improvements have wearied us by their 

 monotony; the hardness from the distribution of much money 

 has been so reflected upon our people that we ourselves have 

 been in danger of losing the simple life that you and I love or we 

 would not be here. 



But a new era has dawned ; our own planted trees are now big 

 enough to shade us as we sit and think of the future when some 

 portion of our twenty-five miles of water front will be adorned 

 by a glittering stone building with a roof garden, where the 

 public of this most western port may bathe their bodies and re- 

 fresh themselves like the Romans o*f old. 



Notes from an accompanying letter from H. Cleveland, of 

 Duluth, under date of Oct. 21, 1903, are appended: 



"In my journeying about Duluth I have found many isolated 

 fruit trees in bearing, such as Duchess apples, maturing perfectly 

 about Sept. 20 ; crab apples, of endless varieties and full bearers ; 

 Early Richmond and Morello cherries ; and several kinds of plums 

 that annually repeat their gifts generously ; and currants, red, white 

 and black, of many varieties ; gooseberries the same, as well as rasp- 

 berries of the three varieties, red, purple, black and a few Antwerps. 



"There is no doubt of the capacity of soil and climate as to rais- 

 ing many varieties of apples, all of the varieties of small fruits. 

 Several varieties of pears also will do well here. Quinces, plums 

 and also several of the grapes, as I will demonstrate in a practical 

 manner next bearing season. There are several large plantings of 

 strawberries that will come into bearing in 1904. 



"I find an enlightened interest manifested generally in the com- 

 munity for home culture of fruit, and a widespread desire for home 

 improvements to grounds, etc." 



Mrs, Ida B. Thompson : Our park commissioners have done a 

 good work this year and have set apart some of the most beautiful 

 parts of Duluth to be adorned. They have done good work and 



