THE ORCHARDS OF MINNESOTA. 89 



of 1S85. The trees are g-enerally in fine condition, showing excep- 

 tionally healthy trunks for that variety- and almost perfect freedom 

 from blitjht. Nine hundred bushels of apples were sold from this 

 orchard in ISUIi brin^ino;- $1.(K) per bushel ott the trees; the follow- 

 ing? season 750 bushels were sold at seventy-live cents per bushel; 

 the freeze of last Maj' ruined this season's crop. We noted one line 

 healthj' tree of the Malinda in this orchard. The orchard originally 

 covered ten acres, but part was set in low, unfit land; a fire has run 

 through a portion of it, and, having always been in the hands of a 

 tenant, it has stood in blue grass sod, utterly without nurture or 

 care. The number of old trees of this second hardy variety in per- 

 fect health is certainly surprising. 



A half mile nearer the city is an orchard covering perhaps an 

 acre, composed of Duchess, Wealthy, Minnesota and Haas, old trees 

 in almost perfect condition, standing with verj' few vacant jilaces. 

 In the outskirts of the city is a small orchard belonging to lawyer 

 Dunn, where old trees of the Wealthy are in the same fine condition 

 as in the other orchards hereabouts and also good old trees of the 

 Haas, Malinda and Perrj' Russet. 



FAIRMONT. 



After partaking of the kind hospitalitj' of friend Richardson, we 

 departed on our wheels for Fairmont, about twentj' miles distant. 

 Although we did not stop to make anj' examinations on our way, 

 we noticed that there was an unusual number of comfortable 

 orchards and gardens about the farmhouses. About a mile east 

 of Fairmont, we stopped to view the orchard of F. S. Livermore. We 

 found the trees bearing a very fine crop, having in some way 

 escaped the freeze of Maj', and the show of fine healthy 

 old trees of Tallnian Sweet, Utters, Fameuse, Walbridge 

 and Haas, besides the Duchess, Wealth^-, Whitnej^ and 

 several seedlings, was a sight that very much astonished us. Cer- 

 tainl)-, a remarkable collection of trees for this latitude. The loca- 

 tion is but slightly elevated, the slope is gently to the south, and the 

 site very closely sheltered on all sides. Everything in this section, 

 including Faribault and Martin counties, indicates that it is a natu- 

 ral orchard region, probablj' the best in the state. It is difficult to 

 determine what should make it so, as the finest orchards, while not 

 on low land, are not on particularly elevated sites and do not seem 

 to be favored b}- anj- assignable circumstances in their surround- 

 ings or care, and we seem drawn to the necessary conclusion that 

 their success must be largely due to some favorable quality of the 

 soil. 



ALBERT LEA. 



One member of the committee, S. B. Green, was much interested in 

 looking over the grounds of the other member of the coiuniittee, 

 that is. the grounds of Clarence Wedge of Albert Lea. These are 

 situated about two miles from the depot, on rather high laud, over- 

 looking a lake that is fast drying up. The fruit trees here are par- 

 ticularl3' thrifty and promising. Most of the trees of bearing size 

 have been planted about ten years, but some Duchess trees twenty 



