COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION. 293 



will be shipped fresh at frequent intervals and will be kept in cold storage right 

 in the booth where they are on exhibition." 



{?riniieapolis Journal, June 29, 1893.) 



" JIINNESOTA'S STRAWBERRIES NEAR THE TOP. 

 vSpecial to the Journal: 



" World's Fair Grounds, June 29. — Wisconsin's strawberries are not in it com- 

 pared with those now being received from Minnesota. They are, next to the New 

 York and New Jersey strawberries, the juiciest and largest display in the entire 

 fruit section of the Horticultural building." 



(Mankato Free Press, June 30, 1S93.) 



" ?IINNESOTA AT THE FAIR. 



" In the various buildings upon the grounds, devoted to the various lines of ex- 

 hibits, Minnesota makes an exhibit which need cause no resident of the North 

 Star state to feel ashamed. As one stands before the booth occupied by Minne- 

 sota in the horticultural hall, he cannot help but be surprised at the showing 

 which the state makes in the matter of fruit. The idea which has prevailed 

 among people generally that Minnesota is not a fruit state is here dispelled, and 

 he finds about everything outside of the fruit of the southern climate here exhib- 

 ited. There is a great profusion in varieties of apples, and nowhere can finer ones 

 be raised, while small fruits and grapes in great abundance are shown. As the 

 season advances, fresh fruits of every kind will be shown. The result of our fruit 

 display is a revelation even to those interested in fruit culture." 



From this time on the record is more or less one of disappointment. 

 As far as the state of Minnesota is concerned, the season proved to be 

 probably the most unfavorable for good fruit in the history of the 

 society. 



On the 21st of June the first strawberries came to the exhibit in two 

 lots. In the record I see that both lots are marked worthless; the 

 cause of this may have been in part inexperience in packing-, but 

 was inore from the character of the season, extreme heat combined 

 with extreme drouth not only diminishing- the size of the fruit, but 

 softening it and decreasing its keeping qualities and its ability to 

 stand the rough handling of the express companies. Later ship- 

 ments of this fruit, packed in alternate layers of cotton wadding 

 (which was found the best method of sending it), came in rather bet- 

 ter condition, but the whole strawberrry season was a very discour- 

 aging one to the Minnesota exhibit, and portended an equally 

 unsatisfacfory shojv of later small fruits. The Minneapolis Journal 

 speaks at one time of our "fine strawberries" as compared with 

 those of other state exhibits around us. We had the great advan- 

 tage of exhibiting our berries in the refrigerator cases, where thej^ 

 showed better than on the open shelves, and held up well for some 

 weeks after the same varieties had disapx^eared from the neighbor- 

 ing exhibits. 



Arrangements had been perfected that would have given us a 

 bountiful supplj' of all varieties of fruits had the season been at all 

 propitious, but under the circumstances ver}^ few growers could be 

 induced to send to the great fair what they knew to be inferior and 

 really unfit to exhibit, and but for the fidelity of a few, amongst 

 whom it will be no invidious distinction to name President Under- 

 wood and Prof, S. B. Green, it would have been almost impossible 

 during the small fruit period to have kept up the exhibit with credit. 



Notwithstanding the unfortunate conditions, twenty-seven varie- 

 ties of strawberries were shown. No premium was awarded to us on 

 strawberries, nor were we entitled to one. The same remark applies 



