140 ANNUAL KEPORT 



County. We liave seen the fruit but not the tree, and can not 

 visit it in time to report at the present meeting. Our observa- 

 tions of Eussians lead us to believe that out of the many- 

 hundreds of varieties being introduced, we may get a score or so 

 that will be hardy enough for the whole region called the 

 Northwest, and we doubt very much if the quality and pro-» 

 ductiveness of one-half of this number will prove satisfactory to 

 our people, and not more than four or five will fill the bill as long 

 keepers. We have reason to believe that seedlings from these, 

 and especially crosses with our best varieties, will result in 

 giving to our State in the neat future an ample list of adapted 

 varieties of the very finest quality. We think it a duty our 

 Society owes to the i^eople, to have their Russians tested as 

 speedily as possible, and disseminate information as fast as 

 obtained, so that our planters may be warned against the plant- 

 ing extensively of such varieties as will prove entirely unsatis- 

 factory. Every possible encouragement should be given to 

 the production of new varieties from seed — for from this source 

 only can we look for the coming apples of Minnesota. 



REPORT O^ SEEDLING FRUITS. 

 By A. W. Slas, Rochester. 



Mr. Chairman: Mr. Fuller and myself made a visit to the 

 farm of John Robinson, in the township of Viola, on the seventh 

 day of September last. Mr. Robinson is one of Viola's most 

 prosperous farmers, and like the most of our leading agricultur- 

 ists, has an eye for good fruit. He cultivates many of our most 

 popular varieties of the apple, and has quite a show of orna- 

 mental trees. But our object in calling your attention to this 

 particular place was owing to the fact that he was among the 

 first to experiment with the De Soto plum. When they were 

 first introduced into this State he purchased six trees, for which 

 he paid one dollar each, and it proved money well invested. 

 When we saw these trees they were heavily loaded with perfect 

 fruit,- and ripe at that time (September 7th). There appeared 

 to be just about the requisite amount of shade, and a rich, loose 

 soil about the trees, making it an excellent place for the pits that 

 yearly dropped about the trees to take root and soon come into 

 bearing. He informed us that a dealer in trees had instructed 



