102 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



THE TRANSCENDENT. 



Col. J. H. Stevens: I wish to congratulate the society upon the 

 conversion of our good friend, Mr. Dartt. He even admits that he 

 made monej- off from an acre of Duchess apples, when he thought a 

 few years ago it was doubtful if we could raise apples at all; but 1 am 

 happ3^ to say that he has got his eyes open and admits that Minne- 

 sota can raise apples. 



I wish to protest against one thing he said. He said the Tran- 

 scendent was worthless. If he traveled over those broad plains and 

 vast prairies and should go into a little farm house and get one of 

 the most delicious pies he ever ate made from the Transcendent, 

 then, perhaps, he would be willing to admit that the Transcendent 

 was of some value, especially if he belongs to the class of people 

 known as epicurists. I think the horticulturists are all fond of good 

 living. The Transcendent is the poor man's tree on the prairies 

 of this country, and while it may not be as good as another apple, if 

 he could see how it was appreciated by those people in the West, he 

 would admit that it was of some account. 



Mr. Wm. Toole, of Wisconsin: Following out the line of thought 

 pointed out by our friend Dartt, if any of you have ever observed, 

 there is the effect of what we might call the rebound of the wind. 

 You have perhaps noticed that near a close wall of any kind, where 

 the wind strikes against it, the ground is in some places more bare 

 than if there had been no windbreak whatever. In that case you 

 have a very good example of the rebound of the wind, and the con- 

 ditions are much worse than if j^ou had no windbreak at all. In Mr. 

 Somerville's case he has a windbreak open enough to allow the snow 

 to drift pretty well, and the conditions are much more favorable. 



In regard to the Transcendents, we are fortunately enough situ- 

 ated so that we are not confined to the Transcendents. If 3'ou are 

 so situated that you wish to dry fruit, the Transcendent is one of 

 the frixits that really improves by drying. 



Mrs. A. A. Kennedy: I was brought up in a fruit countrj', but I 

 would rather today have the Transcendent dried than any other 

 apple I ever saw, and I believe our broad prairies would not be in- 

 habited today if it had not been for the Transcendent. When we 

 came there, there was no fruit, and we could not live without fruit; 

 we could not have it shipped to us; but the Transcendent was just 

 the tree for the prairies, and. as I said before, I do not believe the 

 prairies would have been inhabited had it not been for the Tran- 

 scendents. I hold up both hands for the Transcendent. (Applause.) 



Mr. Dartt: I do not want to get like Smith's mill so you would 

 have to tie me up (laughter); but if I have one side of the question 

 alone, 3'^ou must give me more time. I think the difficulty about 

 this question is that the advocates of the Transcendent are behind 

 the times. They have not kept up that progressive speed that our 

 friend talked about. I have progressed and he has stopped. Now, 

 the Transcendent used to be a grand good tree, it used to be very 

 productive. Twenty five years ago in Wisconsin it was a grand 

 good tree; it would grow and it would bear; but somehow since get- 

 ting into Minnesota it fails. In the first place, the tree blights so 

 badly that it is not worth planting; it is almost certain to blight so 



