6 \ ANNUAL REPORT, § ° | 
g00d' to hava this sort of talk. He had ‘been trying to’ raise ares 
th 
fora number of years at Oronoco. He had read everyth ng 
had done. When they said they had failed, they were only echoi 
the voice of a thousand men. Go slow and do not recom 
Years ago he planted a large number of varieties, and thought h 
had a soft thing—he started in the nursery business. He hada 
thing, for they ¥ were too soft. He finally paid a hundred Goll te to 
grub them up. That had been the experience of many a man. The 
Society, he was free to say, had not exerted as beneficial an influ- 
ence in this State as it ought. The members were laboring under 
the suspicion of being axe-grinders. It is said that those who re- 
commend trees have a large stock on hand which they want to get 
rid of. They ought not to take anything for granted, but go slow. 
He would tell an instance of how this Society stands. A leading 
man had told him it was not worth while to join the Society. They 
were all horticulturists and gardeners, interested in palming off upon 
others their products. That was the reputation of the Society, and 
of course it carried no weight with it. 
The speaker concluded by giving his experience in apple raising 
from the years 1856 to 1861, during which time he had labored hard 
to succeed, but had resulted in a disastrous failure. 
After some further discussion of the relative merits of different 
varieties, during which some sharp things were said in reference to 
the interested motives of the champions of certain kinds of trees, a 
member remarked that this was not a body of politicians nor of axe- 
grinders. His idea was that the meeting was after the manner of a 
teacher’s institute. It got together and talked over the matter for 
the general good, and not for the purpose of misleading the people. 
REPORT OF TRUMAN M. SMITH. 
The President stated that the trees he had planted in 1861 had 
continued to grow, stand the winters, and bear fine fruit until the 
winter two years ago. What had stood through 1864, with the ther- 
mometer at 34 degrees below zero, had failed then. He has no trees 
to sell. He was supplying the St. Paul market with fruit, and he 
was interested in getting none but desirable varieties. Nurserymen 
of the Union and of the State have examined his grounds and agree 
with him that the cause of the failure of success with apples was not 
the extreme cold, but the sudden freezing early in November, before 
the sap had returned to the ground. This was what used up the 
tree. He further detailed his experience with the Duchess eight 
years ago, and concluded by saying that 1873 had vanished his hopes 
by killing trees that had withstood harder winters before. 
REPORT FROM HENNEPIN COUNTY. 
Mr. Herrick, of Minneapolis, detailed his experience, which he 
described as ‘very limited and intermittent.” He had planted 
some trees and raised a few apples. Out of a number of trees re- 
ceived from Dubuque in bad condition when planted, he had suc- 
ceeded in saving three varieties. He had planted three acres in 
