HOETICULTUEAL SOCIETY. 425 



I think any person who attended the state fair last fall could 

 not help being convinced that there are as nice apples raised in 

 Minnesota and Wisconsin as are generally exhibited at any of the 

 fairs in the eastern states. 



I would not discourage the raising of seedlings. I believe it 

 should be encouraged by state aid and be conducted at the ex- 

 perimental stations. The tendency with seedlings is to retrograde, 

 and it may take as long a time to get them acclimated to the 

 drying winds of Minnesota as it did to make the change from 

 China to Eussia. 



Experience has taught us that one generation will not do it 

 and as life is so short we naturally want to plant trees that there 

 is some certainty of raising fruit from. Most of the nursery- 

 men have them in stock — then let us start in by getting the 

 right kind of trees and raised in Minnesota if possible and from 

 a responsible nurseryman, and I am sure we will meet with suc- 

 cess. 



When we look back over the past twenty-four years, we see 

 that our advancement has been slow except in hybrids, though I 

 think when we get those new Eussians reduced to twenty-five or 

 thirty varieties, to include summer, autumn and winter, we shall 

 have such fruit in Minnesota as we have been seeking after for 

 these many years. Let me say again, that I would encourage 

 the raising of seedlings, and in time they may succeed, but it is 

 too long for farmers to wait. We want apples now, and with 

 the experience nurserymen have already had with these new va- 

 rieties they should be able to recommend to the farmer what he 

 wants. 



LOCATION. 



Now, as we have the trees, next is location. A northern slope 

 is generally recommended, though I believe there is more in the 

 trees than there is in the location. A clay subsoil is desirable. 

 There is an orchard in this vicinity that is on a very abrupt 

 southern slope, so much so as to nearly protect it from the north 

 and west winds, besides being surrounded with evergreens — that 

 of Mr. Frank Whiton. He raises more tender varieties than we 

 do on a northern slope. So it is my opinion that this matter' of 

 location is a mere excuse for nurserymen when they sell a lot of 

 trees to a farmer and most of them die. When he complains 

 they say your location is a poor one. So much for location. 



Vol. IV— 54. 



