HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 275 



grand ideas. It contains glowing descriptions of results with 

 seedlings, or with Eussian apples. It tells us how to conduct the 

 growing of the Sharpless strawberry and other monstrosities 

 through all the dangers that beset them. It tells us of the vast 

 profits attained in the horticultural field, of immense yields, 

 hundreds and hundreds of bushels to the acre, and of the wealth 

 that must result from engaging in any horticultural enterprise. 



Kow, gentlemen, that volume of my experience is full from 

 title page to finis, and closed, and I don't propose to open it, for 

 the reason that you can find extracts from it in all of our horti- 

 cultural reports, and the catalogues of the nurserymen are con- 

 structed from it, and you will find its influence in all our horti- 

 cultural literature. It is the volume that is most popular, as 

 well as entertaining. 



The other volume is so small that one could carry it in his 

 vest pocket, and contains a few plain words and actual facts de- 

 rived from experience. 



It has been proven by experience among all practical horti- 

 culturists that certain of our small fruits, and those of great 

 value, are peculiarly adapted to the soil and climate of Minne- 

 sota. Of these the strawberry, and raspberry, the blackberry 

 and grape, are perhaps the most important. Their culture not 

 only adds to our commercial prosperity but to the attractiveness 

 of homes and the pleasures of every day life. The demand is 

 constantly growing for this class of fruit and I think that where 

 interest is developed in the culture of small fruits it becomes a 

 centre of distribution and the demand grows much faster than 

 the increase in cultivation, and for that reason it becomes of more 

 and more importance every year. Later on I may allude 

 briefly to what it has done for the prosperity of certain localities. 



But there is one thing in reference to the culture of all our 

 fruits that I am quite sick of considering; and that is in trying to 

 use and adopt fruits whose only recommendation is their hardi- 

 ness. I have no faith in so-called hardy fruits, especially for 

 this climate, whether it be large or small, but particularly in the 

 small fruits. I have no faith in fruits that are claimed to be so 

 hardy they will support themselves without the protection 

 which every successful cultivator must give them. The most 

 tender variety of blackberries, strawberries or raspberries, will, 

 with proper care and protection, succeed better than the most 

 hardy on our lists with neglect. 



