STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 89> 
summer the best crop for many years, so far as apples and small fruit. We 
have with us a few hundred of the hardiest varieties of apples and crabs,. 
which we intend to try here, and hope to be able to report to you in some 
future day the result. The pro-pects are good here, for wherever we found 
a bush or shrub here we found the native plum, raspberry and strawberries. 
Speaking of strawberries, I noticed in your last report that some member 
wished to know what our Minnesota strawberry was a seedling from. I 
would say that several years ago we picked the largest berries from a patch 
containing twenty varieties, took a few seed from each, dried them in the 
usual way and sowed them, from which we raised a great variety of berries. 
All were worthless except two varieties. The Minnesota Seedling is the 
best of those two. We will leave that variety to your members; as for 
ourselves we think it is one of the best varieties grown. 
Yours respectfully, 
JOHN HART. 
LETTER FROM J. C. KRAMER. 
The fourth letter was from J. C. Kramer, of La Crescent, and 
referred to his seedling grape, as follows : 
La CRESCENT, Minn., Jan. 18, 1880. 
Gentlemen of the State Horticultural Society: 
Herewith I send you for examination a small box of my new seedling grapes,. 
which I call the Beauty of Minnesota. Those sent you have been kept in 
sawdust until three weeks ago, since which time they have lain in an open 
box. I have some in the same condition that were packed in old straw. 
By good care in packing the fruit will keep until spring. While I cannot. 
be with you, please give the fruit a careful examination and report. Should 
any of you wish to buy plants, send for circular to my address. 
Respectfully yours, 
JOHN C. KRAMER. 
The Secretary stated that he had some other letters containing 
points that would involve discussion, and if it were the pleasure 
of the society to defer them to some other time he would not read. 
them then. 
Mr. Harris. I move that they be deferred till to-morrow, and 
take the place of Mr. Hodges’ paper. The motion was seconded 
and carried. 
PREMIUMS AT FAIRS—DISCUSSION. 
Mr. Gould. Have noticed that there was considerable complaint 
about the small premiums and the small nwmber of them on fruits. 
vat the last fair of the Agricultural and Mechanical Society. There 
were more and larger premiums offered for flowers than there 
were for fruits. This seemed wrong to me, but it was none of my 
