312 ANNUAL REPORT 



either improve them by "garden culture" or hybridization, or both. 

 Plenty of men can be found to offer fancy prizes for the biggest 

 cucumber, bean, pumpkin, or squash — but where is the noble phi- 

 lanthropist, awaiting a suitable monument, who shall offer the 

 ready stimulus, which alone can make possible, the rapid prosecu- 

 tion of the work indicated above? The work of improving our 

 native trees, shrubs, and flowers, should also be carried along with 

 the improvement of fruits as far as practicable by our experimental 

 stations. We have added several good things to our experiment 

 station the past season, but we have already taken more of your 

 time than we intended to, and must not worry your patience further. 



EXPERIMENT STATION AT FARMINGTON. 



By L. E. Day, Superintendent. 



Mr. President and Members of the Horticultural Society : 



As superintendent of the Farmington Experiment Station I have 

 been requested to make a report to the society, I will try and do so 

 although I have but little to report. 



With the exception of a few apple scions sent by our secretary, 

 Mr. Gibbs, the first year I was appointed, I have had nothing on 

 trial, only as I set out fruit for my own use. I commenced to set 

 an orchard in the year 1864, and some of the time I have had from 

 two to three hundred trees,but of the standard trees but few remain, 

 all are dead but Duchess and a few Wealthy s that have sprouted 

 from the original trees. 



Of the crabs the Transcendent, Minnesota, Hutchinson Sweet, 

 Briers, Sweet, Whitney No. 20, Maiden Blush, Powers Red and 

 some others are doing well. I would suggest to the society that 

 they appoint (in my place) Mr. James W. Pool as superintendent 

 of the Farmington experiment station as he is setting out a great 

 variety of fruits which will make his report of more value to the 

 society. 



SEEDLING AND NEW FRUITS. 



By J. S. Harris, La Crescent. 



Mr. President and Members of State Hort. Society. 



My report will be very brief. As I did not feel that the finances 

 of our society would warrant me in making extensive exploration 

 and research, I have performed my duties as much as possible by 

 correspondence, and have come to the conclusion that it is both a 

 very unsatisfactory method to rely upon, and a waste of time and 

 postage stamps. During the season of 1889, I made one trip to 

 Excelsior and Wisconsin, one to Rochester, two through Houghton 



