254 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
west will hailfrom Minnesota. It must be along keeper,as large and good 
as, or better in quality than the Wealthy, as hardy as the Oldenburg, and 
vie in beauty with the fresh, clear complexioned, rosy cheeked, fairest 
maiden of the North Star State—a fruit fit for the gods. 
Every laudable means should be used to hasten its advent. It should 
not be left alone to individual enterprise or to a committe of this State 
Horticultural Society, unless our legislature should place more money at 
our disposal to bring it out. Its advent will be a boon to the state 
and nation, and it seems to me to be of sufficient importance to warrant 
us in asking of the Secretary of Agriculture the appointment of a special 
agent of the U. S. Division of Pomology for the State of Minnesota. I 
would recomniend that this society memorialize Secretary Rusk and ask 
for the appointment of such an agent, the same to be a practical fruit 
grower of long experience, in harmony with the horticultural societies 
and experiment stations of this and adjoining states. 
We should be allowed to select the man—not a man whose influence 
would count something in politics—not a broken-down nurseryman, or 
professional horticulturist who is out of a job, because he has made a 
wretched failure of every one he has undertaken; butone from among our 
soundest and most practical horticulturists, who has had a broad experi- 
ence and made a successin biisiness. One who is thoroughly imbued with 
the spirit of progressive horticulture, and is earnestly desirous of ad- 
vancing the interest of all fruit growers and fruit consumers, a leader in 
horticulture. The appointment would be no advantage to the man. Finan- 
cially he is better off without it. We should get him appointed and then 
stick by him as the Irish stuck by Parnell. 
FRUIT PROSPECTS AT LAKE MINNETONKA. 
DR. M. M. FRISSELLE, EXCELSIOR. 
(Read at the Summer Meeting.) 
The winter of 1890-91, though mild comparatively, was not in regard to ~ 
some of the small fruits as favorable as many were led to believe. Though 
strawberries generally came through in fair condition, raspberries were, 
in many cases, badly winter-killed. The Turner, though considered iron- 
clad, was, in one or two instances that I have noticed, completely de- 
stroyed. In one case where the Cuthbert was laid down but not com- 
pletely covered they were much injured, many of the canes dying after 
they were in partial leaf. 
The strawberry crop has been better both in quality and quantity than 
in 1890, though the dry weather in May came near ruining it; but the 
timely and abundant rains did wonders in bringing forward a very fair 
amount of this delicious fruit. Sofar as I have been able to learn, black- 
berries are promising well, but the amount cultivated I believe falls far 
short of the demand. Currants are abundant, the crop being proba- 
