ANNUAL WINTER MEETING. 113 
Mr. McKillip: Ido not consider myself one of the old mem- 
bers of the society, and so I did not expect to be called upon to 
say anything. But there is one thing that I will say in refer- 
ence to apple raising. Ido not know that I ever saw it men- 
tioned in the proceedings of any society. When I taught school 
in 1864, I was told of a man by the name of Stevens who had an 
orchard and raised some fruit. In the fall of 1864, when I was 
going along the road to Fort Snelling with a party of friends, 
we noticed what appeared to be some apples growing on trees 
there, and those trees seemed to be pretty large. Now, Iam 
aware that this is a Grand Army hall, and being an old soldier 
myself I will be very careful what I say as all old soldiers al- 
ways are. (Laughter.) But Iwill call upon Mr. Day, who is 
in my neighborhood, to say whether or not there was a man by 
the name of Stevens raising apples in that country in 1864. 
Mr. Day: Yes, Mr. Stevens did raise apples before ’64. I 
also raised apples myself about the same time, but the trees 
have now passed away. 
Mr. Harris: There were a number of apples raised, but not 
shown at the State Fair, previous to 1866. In 1860 there were 
pears, etc., raised. The first apples I had on my place were in 
1860, and I believe there were a few raised before that. 
President Underwood: We would like to hear a few words 
from Mr. C. L. Smith. 
Mr. Smith: I will say that the first horticultural society 
that I ever joined and paid my dollar for membership in was 
the Minnesota State Fruit Growers Association, at Rochester, 
in 1866. The next year I met with them under the steps of the 
amphitheatre. That year I made an exhibit of fruit and among 
other things was awarded a premium of eight dollars on grapes, 
that I have never received. (Laughter). 
Mr. Harris: And it is very likely that you never will. 
(Laughter). 
Mr. Smith: I went west then, out on the prairies in Faribault 
county. There were a few trees at the east end of the lake but 
none in sight at the west. I began tree planting on the prairie, 
but a good frost winter-killed them. I came down to Albert Lea 
and there I made another venture—another mark. The mark 
is there yet, and it is one that I am not ashamed of. Then fail- 
ing health and business matters led me to go further north and 
I went to the city of Faribault and made a little mark there. I 
could see some of that mark as I came down on the train yes- 
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