428 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



SOME NOTES ON VISIT TO WORLD'S FAIR, SEPT 15. 



TO OCT. 1. 



WYMAN ELLIOT, MINNEAPOLIS. 



I was exceedingly well pleased with our Minnesota fruit exhibit 

 on my arrival at Horticultural Hall at the World's Fair. When I 

 saw what we had on exhibition and compared it with the exhibits 

 from what are considered the great fruit states with the splendid 

 backing of large appropriations, taking Minnesota with $5,000 

 for installation and sustaining an exhibit for seven months and com- 

 paring it with Missouri with $28,000 for installation and $50,000 

 for furnishing fruit for show purposes, it shows a wide margin. 

 Our appropriation was not an amount sufficient to enable us to put 

 first-class help in the field to select fine fruits for exhibition pur- 

 poses. After seeing fruit that was sent forward for exhibition and 

 noting in how many instances it was not up to the standard for 

 first-class fruit, I am surprised that as good an exhibition was 

 maintained by our assistant superintendent at the fair. Apples 

 sent were often undersized, plums only medium in quality, grapes 

 fine when started, but bad packing and hard usage in handling had 

 broken the berries in nearly all bunches, and it was sometimes almost 

 impossible to pick out even one creditable plate worthy of a premium. 

 Express was in many instances paid on fruit that went into the dump 

 or was given away as the easiest method to get rid of it. I do not 

 wish to carry the idea that all of our fruit was of poor quality, for 

 there were some fine samples furnished, that had been handled and 

 picked with care and arrived in fine condition, giving credit to the 

 growers and attracting a great deal of praise. Our Wealthy were 

 highly colored and contrasted finely with University, McMahon and 

 Northwestern Greening. For inspection by the judges perfect 

 specimens were always sought out, though in many instances it was 

 hard work to get fine, suitable, even-sized fruit worthy of a pre- 

 mium. 



There has been some unjust criticism by some people of our 

 own state that have never had experience in maintaining an exhibit 

 of this character. The average visitor was very well pleased and 

 gave many expressions of praise about our exhibit and expressed 

 much astonishment that Minnesota could make so fine an exhibition 

 of apples and other fruits. 



The T. E. Perkins' seedling apples attracted considerable at- 

 tention from northern fruit growers and horticultural scientists. 

 There were 130 varieties represented, illustrating very plainly in this 

 generation of seedlings the effects of cross-pollination. Owing to 

 a hailstorm in July this exhibit was not as perfect as that shown 



