HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 105 



DISCUSSION. 



President Elliot: Now the point that Brother Barrett wanted 

 to bring out was in regard to geological formation. The lowest 

 formation that he speaks of there, is a sort of clay and shell forma- 

 tion, and he says that at Etna it is 30 feet deep. There are such 

 formations in this state, geologists call them loess formations. 

 After I read that article it set me to thinking about what we had 

 been doing in this direction. Now what called my attention to this 

 particular point was this: A few years ago I started out with a 

 brother-in-law of mine to find a suitable place for a market garden. 

 We traveled all over Minneapolis for a radius of five miles to see 

 where we could locate the best. We took a spade along with us so 

 as to make the best of it; we didn't make any boy's play of it; we 

 went at it as though we meant business and we kept travelling 

 from one place to another, and after awhile we struck a piece of 

 ground and found on that (a piece of 40 acres) different varieties 

 of soil. I said, "You stick a peg here." The consequence was 

 he did so and it was one of the most successful gardens there was 

 any where around the city. The foundation was laid before he 

 went there. He had the stock to draw from, and that is the point 

 I wish to make in regard to this man. Now, he had something 

 there to build on. The reason why we have had so many failures 

 in Minnesota, is on account of bad location, bad soil — 

 Mr. Barrett: Bad management. 

 President Elliot: That is it. 



Dr. Erisselle: I would like to ask the President what sort of 

 soil he means by shell loam. 



President Elliot: We have right close to Minneapolis, a bed of 

 shell formation of marine shells, some of it yellowish and some 

 bluish. 



Mr. Latham then announced that there was a basket picnic for 

 the members of the society and their guests to be held tomorrow, 

 and arrangements had been made for the boys from the Univer- 

 sity Farm School to come up and attend the convention. 



President Elliot. I would say that I suppose I am to blame for 

 this invitation which has been extended to the boys at the school. 

 Last year we had our meeting at Minneapolis, we extended an in- 

 vitation to them to come over and visit us one day, and they were 

 very much entertained, they said. This year I corresponded with 

 Professor Pendergast about it, and he said he would inquire and see 

 how many of the boys would come. He reported that there would 

 be about fifty who would like to come out here one day and see the 



