204 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 



Col. J. H. Stevens was called upon to say something- about "The 

 Most Perfect Apple Tree of the North," a beautiful tree, planted 

 twentj^-three j^ears ago. He spoke of the great work Minnesota had 

 accomplished under very discouraging circumstances; of her many 

 attempts and failures, with once in a while a success. 



He was pained to hear that those states where they raise apples 

 alinost spontaneously^ have no exhibits at Chicago, viz: Pennsyl- 

 vania, Kentucky, and others have no displays, while Minnesota is 

 well represented. All of which goes to show that people who have 

 the hardest labor to accomplish anything are alwa3^s most success- 

 ful. New England has a hard time, but is most prosperous. So with 

 Minnesota. He thought we were going to persevere until we had 

 fruit to send out into the countr3\ 



The tree of which he was called to speak is a Duchess, planted in 

 his garden soine twent5^-three j^ears ago. He said it was a pretty 

 health}^ tree yet, showing that the Duchess is a long-lived tree. 



Mr. Wyman Elliot responded to the sentiment, "The Lessons of the 

 Season." He said: "The lessons of the season will, perhaps, teach 

 us that we do not understand all the ways of nature. We have thought 

 in the past that we knew how to do this and how to do that, but when 

 w^e come to consider what the past winter has done for manj^of us in 

 the way of injuring- our trees, etc., we find that we do not know it all. 

 Our roses were killed, and man}^ horticulturists lost their small 

 fruits. Even in the Minnetonka region, where we supposed the lake 

 was a protection, it was no better. We have manj' things ja^t to 

 learn, and we ought to pick up everything we can. Todaj^ I have 

 learned many things in regard to strawberries, that I thought I knew 

 pretty well how to treat. When I came here last August and saw how 

 thej^ were managing the strawberries after the fruiting season, I 

 questioned whether that was the best way; bxit when I come here to- 

 day and see the result, I know the methods were right, and shall re- 

 member them. Good cultivation and plenty of mulching are what 

 lead to success." 



"Vigilance, the Price of Success," was responded to b5' Mr. Wni, 

 Danforth, of Red Wing. He spoke of the work all had to go 

 through to make the twenty-four hours meet. Although a civil en- 

 gineer, he devoted some time to the cultivation of fruits, having two 

 acres each of strawberries and raspberries. According to his esti- 

 mate, a man should receive from three to five hundred dollars from 

 an acre of raspberries. He emphasized tlie importance of mulching, 

 and himself considers clover the most valuable tiling for the pur- 

 pose. "I find," he said in closing, "that in order to make a success 

 of anj'thing in the world, work is its price, or, as the president called 

 it, vigilance." 



At the conclusion of Mr. Danforth's remarks, a discussion fol- 

 lowed regarding the value of mulching, in which Mr. Brackett, who 

 had recentl}' visited Mr. Thayer's fruit farm at Sparta, Wis., referred 

 to his using red clover in mulching his rasjjberries and blackberries. 

 Mr. Brackett reported that Mr. Tlia3^er thinks marsh hay of almost 

 as much value for mulching as red clover. The reason why he 

 does not use it, is because it is not abundant in his neighborhood. 



