226 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



alist and has succeeded in greatly improving the choke cherry by 

 the process of planting select seed. Among other of his productions 

 this season is a seedling ha^el nut that is greatly improved in size 

 over the common native. 



The most interesting of all the places visited was that of Mr. T. J. 

 Lightly, of Oakland, Freeborn Co. His orchard is planted upon 

 ground but slightly elevated above the surrounding prairie and 

 is pretty well sheltered by windbreaks of artificially planted tim- 

 ber. The orchard is comprised of root-grafted seedlings, ten or 

 twelve years old, 100 of which were procured of Mr. Peter M. 

 Gideon, of Excelsior, more than half of which are now living and 

 most of them looking very well, being healthy and thrifty, al- 

 though they apparently have had little attention paid to them. 

 This is the first year of their bearing fruit in any considerable 

 quantity, and twenty-four of the varieties were on exhibition at the 

 late state fair. They made a magnificent show, but when we visited 

 his place nearly three weeks later we found that several of the 

 varieties had increased considerably in size and improved greatly 

 in appearance. The greatest surprise is that in so small a number 

 of trees taken promiscuously without selection, there should be 

 found so many varieties of such beautiful appearance and desir- 

 able size and quality. The clean, thick skin and clear colors 

 indicate crosses with or descendents from the Siberian species. 

 Several of them will be described in a supplementary report; also 

 the visit at Mr. Kimball's will be noted hereafter, when we can give 

 it a more lengthy notice. 



In a visit to Henry Decker's place, in Winona Co., I found one 

 bearing tree of a good winter apple, free from blight, and a seedling 

 sweet crab of the size and general appearance of the Hyslop, but 

 apparently a much better tree, showing no blight. He has a con- 

 siderable number of the Gideon seedlings that look very promising 

 in tree, but few of them have fruited yet. 



Calling upon Mr. Bader, of Hckab, we found three or four seedling 

 trees of fine appearance, carrying fruit resembling the Utter in size 

 and appearance and flavor. Their season is so near the same that 

 their future value will depend very much upon their degree of 

 hardiness over that variety, which has the merit this year of being 

 entirely free from blight. 



The Everhard seedling, at Mound Prairie, is a good winter apple. 

 The tree is now forty year.s old and in very good condition, and as 

 high as nine barrels have been gathered from it in a single season. 

 It was slightly injured in the winter of 1884-85, but bore some fruit 

 the following season. It is not what may be termed an early bearer. 

 The first fruit of it produced for me was last year on a tree eight or 

 nine years old. Mr. Tobias Kroehler, of Mound Prairie, has a 

 seedling that in tree and fruit bears a close resemblance to the 

 Utter but is probably a later keeper, said to be twelve years old, 

 and this year bore three barrels of select apples. The Utter so often 

 nearly reproduces itself from seed that it is a valuable variety to 

 use in experimental seedling work, and there is a good prospect 

 that some one will yet originate from it a hardy tree without anj' 

 deterioration of the quality of the fruit. 



