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Iowa, in trying to excel Kansas in quantity, if not in varieties 
and fine specimens, made a grand OP . ef crabs were very 
fine, the largest Hyslop being 6% inches in circumference. One 
feature of her fruit exhibit, and a very good one, was samples in 
wax Of their fruit exhibited at Chicago last year. 
Mlinois was well represented. In conversation with one of her 
fruit men we were told he had a neve process for raising orchards 
which would succeed on any prairie soil, but he was loth to impart 
information unless paid for it. Take it for what it is worth, 
everything in and about this grand show was to make money off 
the visitors. His remedy for the codling moth was to set sour 
milk in pans among his trees, placing lights over them, the moths 
being attracted by the light drop into the milk. The milk is also 
relished by the moth, each serving the other as a trap to beguile 
the insect to death. While talking with Z. M. P. King, of Wash- © 
ington, D. C., on the hardiness of trees, he being a man that had 
taken considerable interest in fruit growing, said that many trees 
grown south were equally hardy when taken north, and suggested 
that we procure scions from the mountainous regions of South 
Carolina and experiment as to hardiness, for, said he, ‘‘J know of 
some varieties that have done admirably when taken north.’’ 
California, that boasts of such wonderfully fine fruits, started 
out to make a fine exhibit; but her efforts, like her fruits, were 
not lasting. After being shipped such along distance the fruit 
soon decayed, and the third day their tables were cleared, leaving 
only the vacant boards to show conclusively that northern fruits 
were better keepers and better adapted to such exhibitions. 
Grapes were not exhibited in so large quantities. as one would 
expect, but those that were placed on exhibition were magnificent 
specimens, especially the Delaware, from J. B. Seeley, Vine Valley, 
N. Y. He had one bunch weighing ten and one-half ounces. 
J. H. Ricketts’, of Newburg, N. Y., seedling grapes were a 
wonderful collection of over sixty plates, of all flavors and shades 
of color. The exclusive right to propagate certain of these he 
has sold for $5,000. 
Though unaided by our State Legislature we were enabled, by 
the generosity of a few of our fruit growers, to make a very credit- 
able show. Had the fruits sent by our worthy President and John 
S. Harris, arrived, we should have been better prepared to cope 
with other States. As it was, the varieties on exhibition compared 
favorably with the same varieties from other localities. High 
freight and the poverty of our Society, deterred us from sending 
forward the quantity of each variety that some States exhibited. 
Our Crabs were a wonder to many ; a limb two feet long contain- 
ing fifty apples attracted universal attention. 
The want of proper information in regard to directing packages 
of fruit, was the reason your delegates failed to receive the fruits 
of Pres. Smith and brother J. 8. Harris, two of the most essential 
collections made up by our members for that occasion. 
We applied for instructions to our State Centennial Board, but 
as they were then in Philadelphia we were unable to procure the 
information we so much needed. 
MINNESOTA SLATE HORTICULTURAL society, 159 
