IOWA ST ATE HORT. SOCIETY. 471 



edge. Many who are trying' to replace their old orchards do not 

 have the courage to begin in a new place, but make the inistake of 

 planting here and there in the sod of the old orchard, and ineet with 

 nothing but discourageinent and defeat. This is too true, not only 

 in Iowa but in our own state, and with other as well as orchard 

 fruits. It is unwise and unprofitable. The true policy is to make 

 new plantings on new grounds as soon as the old ones become un- 

 profitable, using- for the purpose only young and healthy trees and 

 plants of the best varieties, and giving them intelligent care. 



In a discussion on strawberries several gentlemen spoke very 

 highly of the Bederwood as being one of the most promising- of the 

 newer varieties, it proving one of the most healthy gTowers and pro- 

 ductive varieties; also, as being one of the most valuable pollenizers 

 for the VVarfield, Crescent, Bubuch and some others; and with some 

 growers, last season, it led all others in yield of fruit, with Warfield, 

 Crescent, Bubuch and Capt. Jack but little behind. 



The merits of the Japanese wineberry were discussed, and the con- 

 clusion seemed to be that it was utterly worthless for cultivation in 

 Iowa, except as a curiosity. It is siinply a small, poor raspberry 

 with a husk, and is not hardy, yet nurserymen continue to sell it 

 as a wonderful frvait, and the people buy and plant it. 



In the afternoon, J. C. Ferris, of Hampton, read a paper on the sub- 

 ject of "Commercial Orcharding in Northern Iowa," in which he 

 took the ground that there was no more profitable branch of farm- 

 ing than raising apples. One prime cause of failure was that so 

 many orchards were planted with varieties that had no business 

 there, and on unsuitable sites and soils, and were never cared for. 

 The requisites for a successful orchard are elevated sites, clay soils, 

 honest nurseryinen and intelligent orchardists. 



M. J. Graham, of Adel, followed with a paper upon the same sub- 

 ject, and gave much excellent advice to those who intend to go into 

 the business, and referred them to the reports of the society as one 

 of the best sources for gaining information. He spoke as one hav- 

 ing full confidence in the fruit-producing capacity of the state. 



The evening session was devoted largely to the president's address 

 and papers by lady members. President F. A. Coll man in his ad- 

 dress reviewed the discouragements of the past year that had every- 

 where obstructed the waj^, alluded to the almost total failure of fruit 

 in many sections, and the very general shortage everywhere, little 

 more than a half crop being harvested in the most favored locality. 

 Yet, he said, "never in the history of our state — if in the history of 

 our country — was there a table loaded with a hundred bixshels of 

 more highly colored apples than was shown on ours at the late 

 World's Fair, and thousands of visitors were surprised to find that 

 the j^oung state of Iowa was at the head of the great fruit states of 

 Ainerica." He said that a record kept in alphabetical order showed 

 in their exhibit 372 named varieties of apples, 30 unknown and seed- 

 lings, and 25 crabs. This to him was an alarming state of things- 

 The tree men had done their people a great injustice in propagating 

 and selling such numbers of varieties as were unprofitable to 

 plant. They were no longer in the experimental stage, but it was an 

 established fact that with adapted varieties they could grow better 



