94 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



meeting at Rochester, in October 1866, all goes to prove to my mind that 

 your mission on earth is a most glorious one, and that your society should 

 be more generally patronized by the good people of Minnesota than it has 

 been in the past. You have been able, and have fairly and squarely 

 proven by many of your most trusty members, that the common apple— 

 "the king of all fruits" can be successfully grown in Minnesota. And 

 what is very important to orchardists, you have shown that apples 

 grown in Minnesota are of a better quality than those grown further 

 south in a milder climate. It has required considerable lung power, as 

 well as a small amount of capital to convince the people of Minnesota 

 that the above conclusions were actual facts, but it is worth to the state 

 all that it has cost, and vastly more. Now that this great question of 

 Minnesota fruit, is settled in our favor, it is much easier for me to tear 

 myself away from this old pet association, that has shown me so many 

 acts of kindness, and courtesies, than it otherwise would have been. We 

 recall to mind how two or three years ago R. C. Keel, of our county, pro- 

 duced about a thousand bushel of fine apples. The croakers then said 

 that it would be his last crop, and his trees would now succumb to the 

 effects of the past severe winters. Well, as good management (not luck) 

 would have it, this year he produced over 2,000 bushels of very fine fruit — 

 better indeed than most anything we could find coming from Michigan 

 or New York. Some may say, perhaps, that he will never be able to pro- 

 duce another such crop, but I can see nothing to hinder him'from beating 

 all former records, as his orchard is still young, and he is prepared to add 

 500 or 1,000 trees to it in the spring. We think it about time for croakers 

 to beat an inglorious retreat. Mr. President, you say that you expect a 

 very full meeting and one of great interest to all horticulturalists in Min- 

 nesota. I hope, and trust, that this will be fully realised, and will add 

 that your proceedings will also be of great interest to at least one member 

 in the state of Colorado who happens to be reluctantly absent. You also 

 tell me that iniatory steps will be taken looking to an exhibit of fruits at 

 the Columbian exhibition. I am glad to know this, and hope you will meet 

 with a grand success in the undertaking. Mr. President, please to excuse 

 me from performing the committee work assigned me for the past season, 

 as our time has been so completely taken up of late in moving and in get- 

 ting settled in our new home in Colorado that we really have had no time 

 to attend to it. Hoping that your sessions may all be pleasant and har- 

 monious, I remain, Yours very cordially, 



A. W. SIAS. 



J. O. Barrett: — I have a very little to say. I introduced a. 

 question laid upon the" table, which I think, perhaps, I had 

 better withdraw. It was in reference to forestry. Our people 

 who live on the open prairie are a great deal interested in rais- 

 ing forest trees, but I have an impression that forestry has 

 been somewhat neglected during this season. I see there is so 

 much on the program that it seems inadvisable to me to bring 

 up this matter, and that it may not encumber the report, I ask 

 the privilege of withdrawing those resolutions. 



Prof. Green: I think they should receive consideration, and 



