158 ANNUAL KEPOKT 



farmer in the State to send to Peter M. Gideon for a hundred of 

 these trees, to put them out and in a short time the apple ques- 

 would be solved. 



Mr. Harris said one of the best seedlings he had found was the 

 so-called *'Okabena, " at Worthington, which was grown from 

 seed obtained of Mr. Gideon. It was planted in 1871 and had 

 borne several crops of fruit. It was a fall variety, but if the fruti 

 would keep till March it would be worth $2,000,000 to the State. 



Mr. Dartt. That is the kind of tree to send out. 



Mr. Pearce had seen another of these seedlings that was a 

 hundred per cent better than Transcendent and which would 

 in a few years come into market. 



President Elliot. We are gratified to have this discussion 

 come up because there are some that are doubtful as to whether 

 these experiments are of any value. But I think facts have been 

 developed which will warrant carrying along these experiments. 

 I hope whatever may be done with the fruit farm that the exper- 

 iments begun under the guidance of Mr. Gideon will be carried 

 on to final success. I hope it will be but a short time until we 

 shall have by this natural process of hybridization varieties 

 worthy of cultivation in many if not in all localities of the State. 

 We should select and plant the best seeds and continue to ex- 

 periment until we develop something that will be worthy of our 

 State. 



Capt. Blakeley. The great interest of the State in growing 

 fruit is manifest to all. All legitimate agencies should be used 

 to encourage the industry. The project to have a station for the 

 purpose of growing fruit is one that the public should appreciate 

 and these stations should be perpetuated; the wisdom of which can 

 not be questioned. The State and the country generally is to be ben- 

 efited and there should be someone who has time and the requi- 

 site knowledge who should be employed in this work and he 

 should be paid by the general public. The general public are 

 abundantly able to do that. The results will certainly be bene- 

 ficial to the State. We should realize that this must to some 

 extent be a continued effort. It is well known that in nearly all 

 nations except the United States there is some effort made of this 

 kind for the encouragement of the production of plants, forests 

 and fruits; and we have not yet risen to the intelligence that 

 some of the older countries exhibit in this respect. The govern- 

 ment should encourage the planting of trees. I had some ex- 

 perience in early days in bringing trees to this country by the 



