314 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



yice^X^residei^ts' ]^eports. 



ANNUAL MEETING, DEC. 3, 1895. 



FIRST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT. 



E. H. S. DARTT, VICE-PRESIDENT, OWATONNA. 



Mr. President and Members: 



The climatic conditions of the last j'ear (1895) have not been favor- 

 able to the production of fruit in this district. The winter of moder- 

 ate severity was followed by late spring frosts, which seemed to 

 injure fruit of all kinds, so that it is not likely that over one-fourth 

 of an average crop was harvested. Our long succession of mild 

 winters has promoted or permitted the growth of many varieties 

 not adapted to this climate and has paved the way for the selling of 

 a great many trees and plants of this class, which must ultimately 

 bring disaster and consequent discouragement to the purchasers. 

 I think it was Barnum that said in substance: "The people love to be 

 humbugged," and that Barnum was right seems to be proven by their 

 eagerness to bite at what seeins to us to be the naked hook and buy 

 boomed sorts, budded trees and model orchards of the shysters who 

 go up and down in our land seeking whom they may defraud. I see no 

 remedy for this deplorable state of things except for the people to 

 adhere strictly to the rule, never to buy from strangers and give no 

 orders to nurserymen or nursery companies unless they have a well 

 established and unsullied reputation. 



The protection of the orchard against trespassers is a matter 

 that appears to be worthy of your consideration and is of much im- 

 portance to those having orchards in close proximity to cities and 

 villages. The idea prevails to some extent that melons and apples 

 are and ought to be free plunder for boys. I have heard a man of 

 high standing say that a boy who would not steal apples would not 

 amount to much, and this same class of men frequently tell, with a 

 seeming pride and in the presence of boj'S, of their wonderful ex- 

 ploits in robbing orchards in their younger days, nearly always 

 giving as an excuse that the owner of the orchard was a stingy old 

 fellow. Thus the boys get the impression that it is no crime to steal 

 apples, provided they find a stingy old fellow to steal from, and 

 where orchards are very scarce they cannot afford to be very parti- 

 cular on this point. 



Our friend Brand has had experience in this line. He took special 

 pains to be liberal with the boys of a poor old widow; a little later 

 these same boys stole the rare specimens that he was most anxious 

 to keep. Liberalit}^ will not save an apple crop. If onlj^ boys would 

 steal, damages might be comparatively light, but they are joined by 



