8 ANNUAL REPORT. 
PREFACE. 
* 
The second annual volume of the Minnesota State Horti- 
cultural Society is herewith submitted to the friends of 
horticulture and rural adornment, and all who are interested 
in the welfare and happiness of the people of our noble State, 
and with its publication the official connection of the writer 
with the society ceases. From the time it sprang into exist- ~ 
ence the writer has been a member of the society, and has 
attended every meeting held with the exception of two, and 
during most of the time has occupied an official position, and 
it is with pleasure that he surrenders the responsibility of an 
officer, not to retire to private life, but to enter the ranks and 
join in the battle until the victory is complete. 
Of the value of this volume it may not be proper for me to 
speak. It speaks for itself to tell you that the society is 
steadily growing in numbers, influence and power for good. 
This volume contains a number of addresses and essays of 
great value, and the correspondence and reports are in my 
opinion one of its best features. The lists of fruits: adopted 
for cultivation are very complete, and fully equal—quality 
and hardiness to rule—to the lists recommended by our 
neighbors of the Wisconsin Society. 
The last (1872 and ’73) winter had severely tried many 
varieties of fruit, and we expected that many of our friends 
would be discouraged, and inclined to raise the old cry of 
“no fruit country,” but were happily disappointed, as the 
contents of this volume will show. 
It will be noticed that the men who have taken part in the 
discussions and contributed papers are with few exceptions 
the pioneers of fruit growing in this State, and many of them 
have had large experience in testing varieties in various 
localities. 
We for the first time present a list of Siberians for general 
planting. No doubt some of the varieties will be discarded in 
future years and their places filled with other and better, for 
this class of fruit is showing a capacity for improvement, but 
