292 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



which has reacted to the benefit of the work in general. The 

 benefit of this class of work does not lie so much in the benefit 

 that will be derived in the mere winning of a small amount of 

 cash as a prize, but in the horticultural lessons that will be learned 

 in the production of an article worthy of a prize. 



Fruit growing has not as yet been developed on a very exten- 

 sive scale. The cold winters have militated against it and have 

 limited our scope to the bush, bramble, and the hardiest of tree 

 fruits. Some few pioneers and our Experimental Farms, 

 through the late Director, Dr. Saunders, who was an ardent horti- 

 culturist, have done much to arouse an interest in the growing of 

 hardy fruits in Western Canada. Dr. Saunders introduced to 

 the Experimental Farms a number of hardy apples and hardy 

 tree fruits, together with the Pyrus baccata, which has become 

 a valuable stock for grafting purposes and also a good foundation 

 stock for crosses with the hardy standard apples. These hardy 

 crosses, together with other hardy stock introduced from Siberia 

 and countries having similar climatic conditions, have been dis- 

 tributed quite generally for experimental trial. 



Some few pioneers, among the best known of whom are Mr. 

 A. P. Stevenson, Morden, Manitoba, and Mr. D. W. Buchanan, 

 late of St. Charles, Manitoba, have been responsible for the intro- 

 duction and distribution of considerable hardy material. We 

 have also been able to make use of some of the valuable Siberian 

 introductions of our friend, Professor Hansen. 



The growing of small fruits is carried on to quite an extent 

 in some favored localities. Raspberries, currants and straw- 

 berries do very fairly well when given proper care and some pro- 

 tection. Many of the better standard varieties are being tried, 

 and added to these are varieties of more recent introduction pro- 

 duced from local sources or imported from distant points. The 

 growing of fruits in a limited way gives promise in Western 

 Canada. 



One of the lines which has been of greatest profit to our 

 people is the policy of free distribution of trees to our farmers, 

 carried on by our Dominion Forestry Branch. This has now 

 been carried on for a number of years, and millions of trees have 

 been distributed in this way, free of charge, for windbreaks and 

 shelter-belts. Two Forestry Farms, one situated at Indian Head, 

 Sask., and one at Sutherland, near Saskatoon, Sask., have sup- 

 plied this material, which has been distributed for general plant- 

 ing. The system of distribution is followed up by a rigid system 



