396 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The large uuaiber of seedling- apples deserve special meution. 

 About two hundred varieties were shown, including crabs and hy- 

 brids. Those to which awards were made for winter apples will be 

 shown again at our coming winter meeting before the final award 

 is made, and a further test will be made as to their comparative 

 and positive merits. 



The grape display was rather a light one, both as to number of 

 plates and size and appearance of the bunch, but the judge, Mr. J. 

 B. Rogers, an expert from New Jersey, commended them very 

 highly. About three hundred plates were exhibited. 



The show of plums was a representative one and included nearly 

 every variety now propagated and a large number of valuable seed- 

 lings. 



The only pears shown were by Mr. J. S. Harris. 



A perusal of the accompanj'ing premium list will be of interest to 

 those who like to know who are growing our fruit and what part of 

 the state is sending in the best specimens. 



A larger proportion than usual of the exhibitors were sending 

 their fruit to the fair for the first tiiue, and it is very much to be 

 hoped that they received sufficient encouragement and advantage in 

 so doing to assure their becoming regular exhibitors. 



Too many send their products and trust to others to arrange 

 them. This should in every possible case be avoided. First, it is 

 very unlikely that the exhibit can be as well arranged by another to 

 secure satisfactory premiums, and, second, the principal benefit of 

 the fair to fruit exhibitors come from actual contact and conference 

 with the many prominent growers who are there. 



As usual, some came who had made no entries and some were 

 necessarily disappointed. 



A little preliminary planning in preparation for the fair will pre- 

 vent such disappointment, save much valuable time in putting up 

 the display and increase the probabilities of success. More care in 

 the selection of specimens and in arranging them on the tables will 

 be found time well spent in the case of many exhibitors at our fairs. 

 Then, more of the work of preparation should be done at home. To 

 gather eight specimens of the variety desired to show, four for the 

 collection and four for the single plate, wrap them in paper and 

 throw haphazard with other varieties into a barrel and trust to luck 

 to get them out and together again at the fair, is laying out a tedious 

 job indeed. How much easier and quicker to secure beforehand a 

 supply of paper bags and put into each bag four specimens of a 

 kind, properly wrapped, packing the collective exhibit in a box 

 by itself and the other exhibits by themselves. This method of pre- 

 paration takes no longer than the very common "hit and miss" plan 

 which is so vexatious and tedious. 



The florists as usual occupied the space allotted to them and con- 

 tributed willingly to the decoration of the fruit tables. We cannot 

 spare the flowers, and a judicious mixture of the various products 

 of our art gives pleasing results. 



The fruit and flower exhibit as a whole emphasizes strongly the ne- 

 cessity of more elbow-room to keep pace with the development of 



