192 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



grow so large as in other states. We shall have to plant new orchards 

 oftener, but there will be one advantage in that; young trees bear the best 

 fruit, it is larger, fairer and better colored. 



If there is one thing more than another that has been emphasized in my 

 experience and observation, it is that the best of care is necessary to suc- 

 cess, and one better not plant more than he can care for well. Thus far 

 I have said nothing as to varieties. Not that I think it unimportant 

 what we plant but it has seemed to possess us to look for something as we 

 say hardy, something like a fence post, that can stand anything, and thus 

 forgetting to bestow the care we ought on what we have. I believe much 

 progress has been made in developing hardy and good varieties, and we 

 have only just begun. Our society has had years of exceeding interest 

 and usefulness but the future has in store richer developments than we 

 have yet experienced. Some varieties we already have will stay with us, 

 notwithstanding disaster has at times overtaken them. The Duchess and 

 Wealthy, even on poor locations, have, with good care, paid well; they 

 bear young and abundantly, and as we learn better how to care for them 

 they will always be favorites and prove profitable. Some of the Russians 

 and hybrids are desirable and have come to stay, but I feel the line 

 through which our greatest good is to come is in the development of seed- 

 lings: at least everything seems to point in that direction, and why not? 

 Every apple, no matter how old the variety, at some time in its history 

 was known only as a seedling. It has been a long and tedious process to 

 sift out and save the good ones and reject the culls, but it has brought us 

 all the beautiful delicious apples with which we are familiar. And in 

 like manner must we seek for what we need to meet our wants, and we 

 shall be sure not only to find hardy kinds of good quality we know not of, 

 but later keepers than we yet have. 



How many are there in this society? How many in the state that are 

 saving seeds from hardy apples and planting them? Not many I think. 

 But let the numbers be increased as it will, when people generally under- 

 stand that from the cross-fertilization of our hardy kinds they stand a 

 good show of getting something better than they now have. Here is in- 

 teresting work for old and young, boys and girls may with a little 

 thought and care, in this way provide something valuable for 

 their future, and the old of both sexes may yet immortalize their names 

 by planting the seed from which is to grow the hardy late keeper 

 we are looking for. 



I truly think our society can do more good by stimulating this branch 

 of our work than in any other way. Give liberal premiums for new seed- 

 lings and keep a good seedling committee at work to watch for new 

 things and to collect and bring them out to our meetings and so '"keep 

 everlastingly at it;" not waiting for something to turn up, but deter- 

 mined to turn something up, and the future of orcharding in Minnesota 

 will be a pleasant and successful one. 



DISCUSSION. 

 C. H. Gordon: I would like to say. in addition to what Mr. 

 Underwood has said in regard to his hard maples, that I have a 

 piece of heavy timber where I raised ten thousand hard maples, 



