; THE MINNESOTA 
HORTICULTURIST. 
VOL. 26. JUNE, 1898. No. 6. 
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Vice- President's eports, 
1897. 
(Made at the Annual Meeting, Dec., 1897.) 
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VICE-PRESIDENT’S REPORT, FIRST CONG. DIST. 
E. H. S. DARTT, OWATONNA. 
Mr. President: In regard to the first district, so far as I know the 
fruit crop has averaged very light. In raspberries and strawberries 
at our place, there has been about one-half a crop; I have not inves- 
tigated the apple crop, but in our vicinity I do not think the crop 
was more than one-tenth. There was one peculiarity in regard to 
the apple crop, the success went in streaks. Some orchards seemed 
to have a fair yield, while others produced, you might say, nothing. 
The trees that produced apples were on the highest ground and 
where they seemed to be exposed most to a free circulation of air. 
I noticed particularly a tree in my locality that stood on the top of 
the bank of a ravine; it was about fifty feet to the top, and that tree 
was exposed to the west wind. It hung full; there were more apples 
on it than on any other tree I saw during its season. I think from 
that we can jndge that a free circulation of air is absolutely neces- 
sary. I think the man whose orchard produced the most apples, 
' according to the number of trees, was Mr. Buffum. He has the 
highest ground; his orchard is on the highest ground I know of in 
that section of country, and he had quite a fair crop. 
In regard to the advance in horticulture, it seems to meit israther 
slow. Peopleare planting a good many trees, and with the advan- 
_ tages of the present tree peddler we might suppose there would be 
some progress, and perhaps there is, but it seems to me that the 
greatest discouragement we have to contend with is the very 
thorough manner in which the country is canvassed for the sale of 
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