Minnesora STATE HorricvuLttTurRAL SOciery. 123 
word in that neighborhood and the fruits of his deeds are a way mark of encour- 
agement to the people who will come after. This one act of a benevolent, far- 
seeing man forever settled the question of apple growing in that neighborhood | 
and as a result Winona county is now far in advance Of any other county in the 
State in the quantity of apples raised. In the spring of 1853 Samuel McPhail, 
one of the first settlers of Houston county, planted a few apple trees and started © 
a small nursery in the town of Caledonia; and although he was thought to be 
visionary the neighbors soon caught the same spirit and nearly every farmer 
planted his little orchard as soon as land could be cleared up and broken; 
but most of them were doomed to see their trees killed to the ground 
about every alternate winter, and they were then usually ready to join the 
company of no faith. A few persisted in replanting and caring for their trees, 
and were rewarded with a very encouraging degree of success. Among 
the most successful of these maybe named: Wm. F. Dunbar, of Caledonia; J. 
and C. Kline, of Union; Capt. See, of Brownsville, and J. S. Haris, of La Cres- 
cent. Unfortunately the severity of the winter of 1872-3 nearly destroyed most 
of our trees, for they generally had been selected without any regard to hardiness. 
The pioneer in tree planting in the vicinity of St. Paul and Minneapolis was L. 
M. Ford. He started a nursery of seedlings and grafts at Groveland, in 1850, 
and also imported and sold large quantities of trees. These trees from Iowa, 
Illinois and New York, did very well until the winter of 1855, when he lost 
largely. But about fifteen out of one hundred varieties came through with any 
show of life, and about two years later the remaining fifteen killed out, root and 
branch. Nothing was left but a few Siberians and Transcendent crabs, which 
were now pronounced ironclad, and from this date they began to be eagerly 
sought for and brought fever prices; as a result many planters were imposed 
upon by dishonest tree agents, who palmed off worthless trees for them. The 
same year, 1850, C. H. Oates set some apple trees on Apostle Island, in Lake 
- Superior, which survived the winters for many years and bore fruit. 
About the year 1854, Peter M. Gideon, of Excelsior, Hennepin county, zom- 
menced planting trees quite extensively and met with heavy losses, but being a 
man of unyielding disposition, as he had determined to make a thorough test he 
continned his experiments and persevered under difficulties that would have 
totally disheartened the most resolute of men. His labors were finally crowned 
with success, and he now has fine orchards of the Oldenburg and seedlings of 
his own growing that are now fruiting, and has added to our list of hardy apples 
the Wealthy, a Minnesota seedling of great beauty and fair quality, which 1s 
creating a great sensation and bids fair to soon find a place in every orchard and 
garden. There were a few others in different parts of the State who planted 
trees between the years 1850 and 1859, but we have no record of them, neither 
are we able to learn that any fruit of the Pyrus family was raised in the State 
previous to 1860, except Siberian crab, and one single specimen of Flemish Beauty 
pear, and it is probable that not one apple tree out of twenty-five planted pre- 
vious to this date had survived three winters. 
At the State Fair, held at Fort Snelling in that year, premiums were awarded 
to Mr. P. M. Nichols, of St. Paul, for display of Siberian Crabs, and to H. F. 
Matterson for pears; alsoR. Knaupheide was awarded first premium for grapes, 
the varieties being the Isabella and Catawba; and according to the Marmer and 
Gardener, then published at St. Paul, Mr. Eli Robinson, of Ninninger, Dakota 
county, had a few apples on his trees. Thesame year, 1860, J. S. Harris raised 
a few Bailey Sweet apples of great size, and also St. Lawrence. The trees 
