HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 121 



When this inap is finished it will show, for instance, the northern 

 line where the Duchess can be successfully grown. We hope to 

 find in those Russians a dozen or more varieties yet that are as 

 hardy as the Duchess — we want to find something hardier than the 

 Duchess, something that will thrive. We also want to find where 

 strawberries and crab apples can be grown; and on a map of that 

 kind it will be shown where such things as that succeed and a 

 stranger coming into the state and wishing to locate where he can 

 grow certain things, by looking at that map can locate in the best 

 place. 



Dr. Perkins said that when he was a boy living on the borders of 

 the Genesee Valley, in New York, it was then the great fruit pro- 

 ducing belt of this country. Since then, it has been extended far- 

 ther and farther. It was formerly in the southern part of this state 

 but it has now gone farther north and west. Clover has followed. 

 When he came to this state it was almost impossible to raise clover. 

 The clover belt has followed the wheat. Now the question is: is not 

 the fruit bearing belt following the wheat belt and is it not impos- 

 sible to define a belt that will remain very long? I can remember 

 a little awhile ago in Minnesota they told us that we couldn't grow 

 anything but crabs; and I guess you will all bear me out in that; 

 but now by the look of the table here in front of us, and our fairs 

 and what we have seen here today, we can grow apples. Now, 

 isn't fruit doing just the same thing that the wheat and clover belt 

 has been doing? 



Mr. Barrett. It seems to me the Doctor has got the right hold 

 of this thing. Now here is a gentleman from Manitoba, a Mr. 

 Frankland, a member of our Society who was here last year, who 

 assures us that in that locality up to 4Q\ degrees he is making 

 quite a success and he believes from what experience he has 

 had, that he will make better success with the Russians than we 

 are doing here. 



Mr. Pearce. Mr. President, I don't exactly favor that method. 

 Last season I advocated experiment stations in every county in 

 the state, and I do today. If an individual would take hold of a 

 station of that kind and test all the varieties, I think it would give 

 more general satisfaction than any other system. From a county 

 that has only twenty-five or forty or fifty farmers in it, we 

 don't get a general return. Take it again where almost every 

 farmer is making an effort to raise fruit, if you could see their 

 reports you would think it was a tremendous place for apples. 

 Take it in Fillmore county; let a report come from every man that 

 is raising apples there, and you would say, why, it is beating the 



