100 ANNUAL REPORT 



On returning to Wiudom we stopped for an hour at the place of Joe 

 Wood, distant about four or five miles from the above named place. 

 He is quite enthusiastic on the fruit question, and showed us some 

 promising seedling varieties of raspberries, gooseberries and grapes of 

 his own raising; also a tree of the Russian mulberry bearing fruit as 

 large as the Ancient Briton blackberr}'. 



We noticed that forestry plantations and windbreaks are receiving 

 considerable attention among the Mennonites in this county, as well as 

 other parties who design to make this their permanent home, that 

 they are doing fairly well, niaking a good season's growth, except in 

 some instances where they have received serious damage from insects. 



The willow worm and cottonwood tree beetle are increasing at an 

 alarming extent, and it does seem that if our legislature felt any in- 

 terest in the future welfare of the people of this iState they would take 

 some steps towards making investigations in this matter. Your 

 committee suggest that our Society petition the Department of Agri- 

 culture at Washington to give this matter their early attention. 



IN RICE County. 



On the fourteenth of October Mr. Sias and myself paid a visit to 

 the Peerless apple tree, standing on the farm of J. G. Miller, of Rice 

 county, about eleven miles southeast of Faribault. We learn that the 

 tree is seventeen years old, and was raised from seed of the Duchess 

 of Oldenburgh, saved from fruit raised upon a farm about one mile 

 west of where the tree now stands. In the orchard from which the seed 

 was taken there was growing in proximity to the Duchess, bearing 

 trees of the Golden Russet and Talmaii Sweet. The Peerless proved 

 to be the hardiest and best of a batch of seedlings raised by Mr. Mil- 

 ler, eight of which fruited and specimens of the fruit were exhibited 

 at the State Fair about ten years since. 1 remember at that time I 

 was favorably impressed with the appearanse of these seedlings, and 

 pronounced most of them of a quality suiDcrior to the Duchess, and 

 thought some of them would prove better keepers. There are now 

 but three ol these seedling trees left. Two of them do not appear to 

 be as hardy as the Peerless, and are but little if any better in quality, 

 or later in season, than the Duchess. 



The Peerless has successfully endured three of the most trying win- 

 ters known in Minnesota, and is still in very good condition, but per- 

 haps not quite up to the Duchess of the same age, although it is a 

 larger tree. It has lived to see two generations of what are termed 

 " Iron Clads," including the Wealthy, totally annihilated, and Mr. 



