ANNUAL MEETING, SOUTHERN MINN. HORT. SOCIETY. 61 
ported by some as their best evergreen, with fine trees sixty feet in 
hei,xht, and by others a failure, from the nursery to the brush pile. 
J. S. Harris suggested a way of watering trees by pouring water 
into holes made with a crowbar within a few feet of the trees. This 
method is economical of water, as it rapidly reaches the roots of 
the trees and suffers less loss by evaporation. Mr, Harris men- 
tioned the jack pine and ponderosa pine among his list of valuable 
evergreens, and said that white spruce should be found on every 
farm in the state. 
Wm. Somerville, of Viola, gave the society an interesting talk on 
“Evergreens.” He would discard the arbor vitae as unreliable and 
thinks the Scotch pine will live with the least moisture in the soil 
of all evergreens; while pine is a failure on the prairies, considers 
an evergreen windbreak very desirable about an orchard; finds 
that they do not sap the ground as do the cottonwood and willow; 
picks his finest apples for the fair on the trees next to his wind- 
break rather than in the centre of the orchard. Dartt, of Owatonna, 
don’t like to hear the balsam fir praised, and don’t place much 
stress on an orchard windbreak. 
Mrs. M. D. McConnell gave an interesting resume of her experi- 
ence with small fruits, and gained the cordial good will of the so- 
ciety by taking the most prominent part of all of the ladies present. 
S. F. Leonard, of Washington, lost all his Wealthy and Haas in the 
hard winter of ’84-5, but is still planting; derives an annual income 
of $50 to $125 from some thirty to forty of the older trees in his 
orchard; finds the Hibernal nearly as easy to propagate by layering 
as the currant. 
A specimen of a root-grafted Hibernal was here shown by S. D. 
Richardson, of Winnebago City. It was seven years from the graft 
and had its main roots from the cion, so that it was practically an 
own-rooted tree. When split open to the spot where the original 
union with stock and cion was made, it was found to be slightly 
discolored but was entirely overgrown with healthy white wood. 
Mr. Dartt suggested that where good thrifty sprouts came up where 
a good variety has died, if above the graft they should be saved, as 
they will make bearing trees quicker than new nursery trees planted 
in their places, 
J. B. Greenlee, of Chatfield, has found a direct deal with the nurs- 
ery a very satisfactory way of getting nursery stock. Robert Park- 
hill has a tender placein his heart for that noblest work of God, an 
honest tree agent, and believes in starving out the dishonest agent 
by spreading the work of our society. Would have the elements of 
horticulture taught in our public schools. 
The Grand Army Hall was filled as full as could be comfortably 
seated in the evening, and the session was made delightful by song 
and recitation interspersed among the more solid features of the 
meeting. Afteragreeting and welcome by the mayor of Austin and 
a response by one of the members, Jonathan Freeman read a valua- 
‘ble paper on “The Moral Influence of Horticulture,” which was 
followed by interesting papers on the garden and home surround- | 
ings, by several ladies of Austin. 
