STATE HOETICULTinaAL SOCIETY. 167 



Mr. Pearce did not know of any better plan than the one sug- 

 gested and thought the trees would prove entirely hardy, and 

 was in entire sympathy with the plan. 



Mr. Cutler thought the number of trees sent out should be 

 limited. 



Mr. Gideon. The number is limited to one hundred. 



Mr. Sias approved the plan of Mr. Gideon for distributing the 

 new seedlings, and thought the experiment stations should assist 

 also. That was what they were for and he knew of no place to 

 obtain trees more worthy of a fair trial. The test winters had 

 helped to cull out tender varieties. If one in a hundred proved 

 to be hardy it would prove a valuable acquisition. 



Mr. Brand thought the best way to find out whether these trees 

 were worth anything was to put them in the hands of persons 

 who would take care of them. 



President Elliot. "We have sixteen experiment stations. 



Mr. Dartt. Mr. President, I have had a good deal of experi- 

 ence with seedlings. I have raised a large number of crab seed- 

 lings and not one of the lot has proved of any value. They made 

 pretty trees but the large majority blighted. There is no objec- 

 tion to sending out these trees for experiment if it is understood 

 that probably not more than one in a thousand will be of any 

 value. The more one takes the worse he will be off, and the 

 effect is likely to be discouraging to the fruit interests of the 

 State. 



Col. Stevens. Mr. President, I do hope this project of Mr. 

 Gideon's for the distribution of those seedling trees will be ap- 

 proved, and that we shall not be frightened by Mr. Dartt' s 

 melancholy ways. I have visited his orchard and I found he 

 was very successful in growing good apples, and if he can grow 

 them why can not others? It looks to me as though the proposi- 

 tion of Mr. Gideon was most desirable and the most feasible 

 method for placing these trees in the hands of the people. I 

 have no doubt m iny of them will prove valuable. Mr. Gideon 

 has some forty or fifty kinds besides the Wealthy, none of them 

 much inferior to that variety and many of them are superior. 



Mr. Dartt. I do not desire to discourage but to advance fruit 

 growing; and I only wish to refer to the "whistling" of these 

 gentlemen last winter to keep their courage up at the meeting. 



Mi\ P3irc3 thought if oae trea in fifty proved valuable it Wiis 

 worth more than all the expanse required, and hoped no one 

 would throw cold water on this scheme. He would advise every 



