468 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
As I see you have often debated the question of the best varieties, I 
may say thatI find the Crescent, with Capt. Jack as a fertilizer, and 
the Warfield, with Michael’s Early or Warfield, have up to the 
present been the best varieties with me. . 
With the larger fruits we have notas yethad any success. On the 
Dominion experimental farms, here and at Indian Head, more than 
500 of the hardiest known varieties (including seedlings of northern 
origin and Russian importation-:) of apples, crab apples, pears, 
plums and cherries, have been planted during the past ten years, 
but not one of them has been found hardy enough for successful 
cultivation here. 
Recent plantings of young seedling plum trees of northern origin 
are more promising, and there is reason to hope, at the present time, 
that in a few more years we may be able to add the plum to our list 
of cultivable fruits. One thing is certain; the fact that wild plums 
and wild cherries are found growing in many districts around us 
proves that the plum belt extends even this far north, and that there 
is work here for the horticulturist to persevere in its improvement. 
Where the plum will grow, there is room to hope that we may yet 
find some new varieties of apples and hybrids which will prove 
successful in our soil and climate. The writer has watched the 
trees carefully for many years and is of the opinion that itisas 
much a question of soil and situation as of the hardiness of the 
variety, and is inclined to question whether itis really the intense 
frost that kills the wood. We would be glad to get an expression of 
opinion from some of your members who have had experience on 
the subject. I have several hundred young trees of the best 
varieties grown in Minnesota, planted in between shelter belts of | 
hedges of box elder, and am watching anxiously to see what 
measure of success will be attained with them. 
There are several wild fruits, such as sand cherry, buffalo berry 
and wild grapes, which are being brought into cultivation here. 
These are very hardy and may prove useful, but it remains to be 
seen whether they will be of sufficient value to repay any great 
amount of trouble being expended upon them. fe 
This is a brief review of the experience we have had here so far 
with the cultivation of fruits,and I send you this trusting that it 
may prove of interest to the members of your society, and that we 
may be able to obtain from your experience and information that 
which may help us to further progress. 
With thecultivation of torest and ornamental trees and shrubbery, 
we have had a greater measure of success, having now a long list 
of, suitable hardy varieties to select from. With your permission, I 
would be glad at some future time of an opportunity to tell you 
what kinds and varieties of trees, etc.,are doing the best with us 
here in the far north. 
Squashes and pumpkins may be kept in any dry airy place until 
freezing weather, and then putin the cellar. Onrofthe best meth- 
ods of preserving squashes for winter use is to give them a coat 
of varnish, Many are familar with the process of varnishing eggs 
to preserve them; squashes treated in the same way will keep all 
winter. Handle squashes carefully; ifthey are bruised or the stems 
broken they will rapidly decay. 
