48 ANNUAL REPORT 



One other topic that might receive mention is our relation to 

 the State Society. This, it seems, should be the most amicable. 

 A large majority of our present membership have never belonged 

 to the State Society. 



It is x)0ssible that a few may join our society in preference to 

 the State Society in order to get the report at half price, but with 

 its liberal appropriations from the state, that society is not 

 greatly in need of a few paltry ^membership fees, but is in need 

 of a deeper interest in horticultural matters among the people 

 of the state, and that interest the Southern Minnesota Horticul- 

 tural Society proposes to do its level best to arouse. We believe 

 the more local and sectional societies we get, the more interest- 

 ing and profitable the state meetings and state reports will 

 become. 



The secretary's report closed with his resignation. As he lives 

 at a place quite remote and has his mind occupied by subjects 

 foreign to horticulture, he believed that some member actively 

 engaged in horticulture should be secretary. His resignation 

 was accepted and a vote of thanks was passed for the ability dis- 

 played and the disinterested manner in which he had served the 

 society. 



The treasurer's report was read and accepted. This report 

 showed that $31.40 had been received during the year, and there 

 was a balance of $9.15 in the treasury. 



A paper from S. D. Hillman was read and ordered placed on 

 file for publication. This paper called out considerable dis- 

 cussion. 



Mr. Hillman had planted an orchard on his farm in Olmsted 

 county, but had sold the farm before the trees had begun to bear. 

 The man who bought it pulled up the trees and threw them 

 away, saying that he would "raise" his apples from his wheat bin. 

 But time showed that he made more of a failure in wheat raising 

 than did his neighbors in apple raising; and that he might have 

 made money if he had allowed the trees to stand. 



It was stated now, beyond all doubt, plenty of apples could be 

 raised in Southern Minnesota. A large crop was gathered the 

 past season. Give the proper soil and a suitable location and 

 good cultivation and a crop of apples is -almost a certainty. 



The Duchess and Tetofsky will repay liberal manuring. A 

 half load to each tree is not too much. 



Mr. Gaylord set out a Duchess by the side of a large manure 

 pile and he got more apples from it than from the best two in his 

 orchard. 



