156 ANNUAL REPORT 



DISCUSSION. 



President Elliot. I would like to call attention to one matter 

 referred to in the paper, the distribution of trees. I do not 

 know that the way proposed is the best for the interests of the 

 people of the State. If these experiments are worth anything 

 they are worth carrying forward to the end. If trees are dis- 

 tributed in the manner suggested, from seventy-five to ninety 

 per cent of them will never be heard from. Would it not be 

 better to send trees out after they have been fruited"? It seems 

 to me that would be a surer plan for obtaining hardy trees for 

 Minnesota. 



Mr. Harris. I understand Mr. Gideon has more of these trees 

 than he can take care of, and he wishes others to assist in carry- 

 ing on these experiments. It might not be well to send them 

 out broadcast, but it would be well to supply experimental sta- 

 tions that would make reports from time to time. 



Mr. Gideon stated he had asked advice of the regents of the 

 State University as to this matter of distributing trees and not 

 having received any had concluded to try the j)roposed plan. 

 About a hundred applications had already been sent in, a good 

 many of which were from Dakota. 



Mr. Dartt thought probably very few of these trees would 

 prove to be hardy. It might be better to test the trees thor- 

 oughly before sending them out, so there would be at least an 

 even chance for success. 



Mr. Gideon said all the tender stock had been removed from 

 his grounds, and he had something like 20,000 trees left that he 

 was sure would stand the greatest extremes. The majority would 

 not bear first-class fruit but there were few of them that would 

 not produce fruit equal to the Hyslop or Transcendent. The 

 trees could be top- worked to advantage. There were but few 

 experiment stations, and to keep them where they are would be 

 expensive. It had cost him one hundred and fifty dollars a year 

 ago to guard the State orchard, and it was useless to plant a seed- 

 ling orchard on his grounds and expect to get fruit, as people 

 would pull them before they were ripe. Trees would have to be 

 tested as to quality of fruit produced elsewhere. He thought 

 the best plan the one he had proposed, although he did not con- 

 trol the matter. If it was thought best not to distribute the 

 trees in that way he would fill the orders received from his own 

 trees. 



