SOUTHERN MINN. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 459 



loamy soil; aveuue trees should stand not less than thirtj^ feet apart; 

 difficult to secure a vigorous growth without a mulch of some kind. 

 Mr. Jurgenson would not plant roses in a verj" prominent posi- 

 tion, as they are so uusightlj- with their winter cover. Some of the 

 trees and shrubs highlj' recommended in the discussion following 

 were the red pine, white spruce, balsam fir, if properlj" grown from 

 northern seed; also the hackberr}' and white fringe. 



Wednesday Morning Session. 



The session was opened b5^ a carefull}- illustrated and instructive 

 talk on how to prune the grape bj' C. R. Ransom, who is known as 

 one of the most careful and practical grape growers in this section. 

 He said that allowing a j'oung vine to overbear was likely to be xery 

 disastrous. A two-year vine had with him borne over thirtj^ clusters 

 and thereby been rendered almost worthless for several 5-ears; this 

 year his crop from fourteen square rods was just one ton of fruit, or 

 a 3'ield of about eleven tons per acre. His vinej'ard is on a steep 

 southeast hillside; soil a mixture of sand and j^ellow clay. 



Geo. Gardner has several vines that produce very large crops; he 

 does not practice pruning at all, believes in ''letting nature take its 

 course;" has one vine of Rogers No. 15 (Agawam) that this season 

 produced just 100 pounds of grapes. The vine is kept up from the 

 ground on a sort of horizontal trellis of stakes and twine; the vine 

 covers rather less than one square rod of ground. He is inclined to 

 assist nature a little in several waj's, covers with earth to protect 

 against our unnatural!}- cold weather, and uses a hoe and a natural 

 man at the handle to eliminate unnaturally aggressive weeds. Peter 

 Clausen thinks that too late summer pruning will injure the vine- 

 Worden is one of his best varieties. 



SECRETARY'S REPORT. 



The secretarj-'s report showed a past membership of thirt}- and 

 a balance in the treasury of the societ}' of $15.70. 



The following officers were chosen for the ensuing 5-ear: - 



President F. W. Kimball Austin. 



Vice-President Geo. H. Prescott Albert Lea. 



Secretary Clarence Wedge Albert Lea. 



Executive Com. C. L. Hill Albert Lea. 



Executive Coin A. J. French Austin. 



The next meeting of the societj- is to be held in Austin. 



Wednesday Afternoon Session. 

 At the last session the discussion seemed to turn to the varieties 

 of apples best adapted to the needs of southern Minnesota. Mr. 

 Mitchell being called on for his list put Hibernal at the head and said 

 that he considered it the best apple in this country to plant in this 

 latitude; he places the Duchess next and is in doubt what to place 

 following. C. G. Patten placed Duchess at the head with Patten's 

 Greening,. Hibernal, Good Peasant, Wealth}^ and Charlamof follow- 

 ing. Mr. Ga3-lord put Hibernal at the head with Duchess. Malinda, 

 Utters and Wealth}- following, the two latter to be top-worked on 

 Hibernal. S. D. Richardson would onlj- name Duchess, Wealth}- 

 and Minnesota. C. F. Gardner's list was Duchess, Tetofskj-, Patten's 



