REPORT OF DELEGATE. 295 



REPORT OF DELEGATE TO ANNUAL MEETING OF NORTHERN 

 IOWA HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



BY J. S. HARRIS, LA CRESCENT, 



Manchester, la., is a beautiful young city of from two to three thous- 

 and inhabitants, situated in the midst of a tract of the most fertile and 

 best cultivated land in the state, and lies 47 miles due west of Dubuque. 

 Its clean streets, elegant business houses, commodious town hall, churches, 

 schoolhouses and other public buildings, tasty residences, with a profus- 

 ion of flowers in the windows, lawns and shade trees in abundance strike 

 the visitor favorably, and present unmistakable signs of the thrift and 

 prosperity of a people who move in the highest circles of intelligence and 

 refinement. 



Here the Northern Iowa Horticultural Society held its last meeting, 

 Dec. 16—18, last. The attendance was good, and the entire meeting 

 was both enthusiastic and profitable. Three sessions were held each day. 

 The morning session of the first day was devoted principally to receiving 

 the reports of directors, of which the society has seven. The substance of 

 the reports was that the interest taken in horticulture is least among 

 those who would be the most benefited by it, the farmers, and greatest 

 among the owners of lots and small plantations in and near villages; but 

 the interest is growing everywhere. One director reported that he now 

 found ten persons growing small fruits for home use where there was one 

 ten years ago, and yet the demand for fruit in the markets continues to 

 increase. 



Reports showed that the last strawberry crop was generally light, and 

 the quality not the best, probably owing to the unusually wet weather that 

 prevailed at the time of ripening. Of the old varieties, the Crescent 

 proved the most profitable; and of the new, the Warfield No. 2 was 

 most highly commended for its even size, beautiful appearance, good 

 shipping qualities and great productiveness. 



The raspberry crop was reported as generally short. Blackberries were 

 generally a good crop. The Snyder is the variety most grown. The Lu- 

 cretia dewberry is reported as being unprofitable to grow for market. 

 Currants and gooseberries were less than a full crop, the old Red Dutch 

 and Victoria doing the best. Plums, with a few exceptions, were a poor 

 crop; grapes, generally good. Apples, except in some unfavorable loca- 

 tions, were a good crop. In the winter of 1884-5 the old orchards over 

 northern Iowa suffered severely; many varieties were killed to the ground, 

 and nearly every variety more or less injured. Orchardists were disheart- 

 ened, and for a time neglected their trees. The Duchess and Wealthy 

 have proven the most profitable varieties. 



President J. C. Ferry's address was an interesting and well prepared 

 paper. He urged that more encouragement should be given to the grow- 

 ing of varieties from seed; and that when an apparently good variety is 

 found it should be thoroughly tested at experiment stations before being 

 thrown upon the market. 



The evening session was taken up with an address of welcome and a 

 response, and papers on decoration of home grounds, the model rural 

 home, and kindred topics, all of which were intensely interesting. 



The second and third days were filled from early morning till a late 

 hour at night with the reading of papers and the discussion of such topics 



