60 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
ANNUAL MEETING, 1898, SOUTHERN MINNESOTA "ah 
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
CLARENCE WEDGE, ALBERT LEA. 
The meeting of the Southern Minnesota Horticultural Society, in 
joint session with the Fillmore County Horticultural Society, at the 
city of Austin, Jan. 13th and 14th, was a very perfect success in every 
way. The weather was propitious, visiting horticulturists numer- | 
ous and the locai attendance the largest of any horticultural meet- 
ing we everattended. From seventy-five to one hundred interested 
people were on hand at each session, and the fact that the member- | 
ship increased from fifty-three for last year to eighty-one at the 
close of the meeting tells the story of a growing interest in horticul- 
ture most eloquently. 
In the absence of the president of the Fillmore County Society, 
Pres. J.C. Hawkins held the chair throughout the meeting. His 
opening address was filled with words of encouragement and cheer 
for the workers along our line; and it would be an injustice to the 
commonly expressed sentiment of the members if we did not men- 
tion the fact that the success of the meeting was largely due to the 
energy, tact and good judgment of our worthy president. 
Following this address, Edson Gaylord, of Nora Springs, reada 
paper on “The Apple Orchard” which made the sparks fly here and 
there. He hit the Russians hard and stunning blows; said that we 
have no use for any of them except as stocks on which to top-work 
the choice tender varieties, and turned around and spoiled the 
smiles of the seedling men by saying that there was not a seedling 
of established value for our section in the whole list. He bases his 
hope for future orcharding on a wise selection of site, careful train- 
ing of tree and a judicious selection of stocks on which to work the 
choice old-line varieties. 
Mr. Belden’s talk on the “Management of Currants and Goose- 
berries” followed. He emphasized the certainty of this fruit in our 
climate and its great usefulness in the household economy when 
so cared for as to bring out its best size and quality. In hisown 
practice he uses stable manure very freely, forking in that which is 
well rotted and using the coarse manure asa mulch. He has four 
different patches, in varying exposures, and finds it an advant- 
age to have them so arranged as while those in one exposure may 
be injured by frosts or drouth, another will be exempt, and thusa 
partial crop is assured. The white currant is a favorite for all uses 
and as easily grown as the red. He has largely controlled the mil- 
dew on gooseberries by mulching freely. 
The afternoon session was opened by a paper on “Evergreens for 
Minnesota” by J. A. Jenson, Rose Creek. He has observed that the e 
evergreen is always a failure in blue grass and quack grass, but re- 
sponds as readily to good cultivation as a crop of corn. He puts 
Black Hills spruce at the head of the list for hardiness; Scotch 
pine next; Douglas spruce not a success with him; red cedar seems 
to need protection as a young tree. Discussion brought out the 
fact that the white pine is very variable in this section, being re- 
