ANNUAL WINTER MEETING. 103 
publican convention to be held this season for the nomination of a presi- 
dent of the United States. In takinya retrospective view of the society’s 
work, I’m forced to the conclusion that Col. Robertson (or we might say 
his prophetic theories as given to us 1n 1866) deserves more than a passing 
notice. He said it was ‘‘the rays of the sun that does the mischief to our 
fruit trees,” and backed up the assertion with a scientific discourse that 
was unanswerable. The Colonel was president of this society for 1866 and 
1867 and I remember that he spent a large share of his time while in conven- 
tion trying to impress the fact upon us that we should look to Russia for 
hardy fruit trees adapted to our peculiar climatic conditions. 
The best orchards in Minnesota at the present day are those that con- » 
tain the greater number of Russian varieties. And these same varieties 
in Colorado—six thousand feet above sea level—are still more successful 
than in Minnesota. The extreme heat is not so great in Colorado as in 
Minnesota, but we have more of it, and if a tree happens to have a thick 
leaf, like our native cactus that thrives so well on the arid plains, we 
shall not reject it on that account. We know what sun scald means 
here, and prefer the bush form for fruit trees. After what I have said in 
favor of the Russians, do not suppose me so ‘‘aggrieved and pugnacious”’ 
that I can see no good in other species. 
I will now ask a few questions, and you can do as you please about an- 
swering. Was it not the agitation of a good cause by the first president 
of this society twenty-five years ago that resulted in the scattering of 
almost numberless varieties of Russian trees, shrubs, and choice fruits 
all over the United States and Canada? Was it not Peter M. Gideon, the 
Dr. Van Mons of Lake Minnetonka, who did ‘‘sow, resow and sow per- 
petually,” till his good works were as apparent in the great southwest as 
at his homeinthe northwest? ‘Wasitnot A W. Latham, John S. Harris 
and a few other weil known ‘‘vine dressers” of Minnesota who took three 
prizes out of the five offered at the World’s Fair at New Orleans? Did 
not Oliver Gibbs, Jr., bring you a Wilder medal from the great Centennial 
Exhibition at Philadelphia? Did not John S. Harris obtain for the 
society another Wilder medal from the American Pomological Society 
at their last meeting at Washington, D. C.? Is not C. W. Gordon, of 
Long Lake, the Minnesota champion of the dwarf or bush form for fruit 
orchards, as practiced on the great steppes of Russia so successfully? We 
believe Mr. Gordon has struck the cheapest and best way of guarding his 
trees against sun scald, that ruins so large a per cent of trees headed in 
the old eastern style, so catch on to his bark and he will run you sa fe 
into port. Messrs. Barrett and Harris are making praiseworthy efforts 
to resurrect the Forestry Association. What move could be more im- 
portant to the state? What did Minnesota know about twelve story 
blocks with elevatcrs leading to flower gardens at the top twenty-five 
years ago? 
Before leaving Minnesota we got up a small collection of cabinet photo- 
graphs of some of the leading horticulturists of the northwest, among 
which is the modest looking face of Ex-Pres. R. J. Mendenhall, of Min- 
neapolis. Mr. M. represents the aesthetic side of horticulture, and we 
are always reminded of flowers when we look upon his face. The cult ure 
and discussion of flowers has been too much neglected in our society. 
