294 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Secretary Latham: I fully coincide with Mr. Elliot's views 

 in this matter, from observations that I have made upon this 

 subject. 



Mr. Elliot: I have given considerable attention in former 

 years to this matter of statistics in regard to fruit growing in 

 the state of Minnesota. This year I tried to post myself as 

 well as I could. I have made it a practice in years gone by to 

 go into the market and inquire of our commission men, who 

 gather up these items. I have been convinced that we ought 

 to pay more attention to this particular point. In speaking of 

 small fruits, perhaps, you do not know the amount of berry 

 boxes that are manufactured right here in our own city and 

 distributed here. We have one concern that handle over a mil- 

 lion boxes a year. Our grape industry is also increasing very 

 rapidly. Grapes are being planted not only by the hundred 

 and thousand, but by the ten acres. It is not going to be long 

 before Minnesota will take front rank as one of the fruit grow- 

 ing states of the United States. (Applause. ) 



Mr. Chandler: I have distributed baskets for between five 

 and six hundred tons of grapes from this market this year. 

 Mr. Elliot's statements in regard to berry boxes are about 

 right. There were nearly a million boxes used here last year. 



Dr. Frisselle: There is another point I want to bring out in 

 this discussion, and that is, that the man who makes the hon- 

 est package is ahead in the end. If he gets up a reputation for 

 selling good fruit alone, and for having just as good fruit in 

 the bottom of his basket or barrel as he does on top, I think it 

 pays him in the end. 



Mr. Harris: He never has to take the lowest prices. 



Mr. Harris: I saw some trees in the orchard of a friend of 

 mine that were topworked on a certain crab stock that he calls 

 the Tonka, and I saw the Anasim that we were talking about. 

 I refer to Mr. Pearce, and I know we would all like to hear 

 from him. 



Mr. Pearce: I did'nt come here prepared to say anything. I have been 

 in Minnesota since 1854. I have been a nurseryman and fruit groveer all 

 my life, and when 1 came to Minnesota I found the hardest nut I ever 

 had to crack in all my life. In 1873, I heard men say that apples vs^ould 

 never be raised in Minnesota, but I had resolution and never turned back. 

 Now, gentlemen, I have been picking up hardy trees since '73 and '74. I 

 have been working all over the state with that object in view. 



After numerous other experiments, I turned my attention to hybridiz- 

 ing. I crossed the Cherry crab with the Duchess of Oldenburg, and I 

 had remarkable success. Now, it is my candid opinion that 1 have pro- 

 duced an apple from the cross between the Cherry crab and the Duchess, 



