STATE HORTICULTUKAL SOCIETY. 93 
“maintained. We must be content to know little, for the human mind can 
grasp but little of the vast treasure that has been laid up in the storehouse 
-of knowledge; therefore, if we would become pro*cient in anything, we 
must take some particular specialty and pursue it. Yours, gentlemen, is 
Horticulture. 
Frutt Lists. 
In view of our progress as a society, let me first refer to our fruit lists, 
-~which have been revised and corrected from year to year as experience has 
“seemed to dictate, until from a very small beginning that could be relied 
upon, we are now successfully cultivating over fifty varieties of standard 
apples, saving annually thousands of dollars that would otherwise be 
expended in the importation of apples alone, to say nothing of hybrids and 
-crabs, which are perfectly at home throughout the State. Our experience 
also demonstrates the fact, that small fruits, such as grapes, currants, 
gooseberries, raspberries, strawberries, etc., can be profitably and success- 
fully cultivated. But this is not all; our attention has been given to the 
adorning of home grounds, lawns, cemeteries and tree planting upon the 
prairies, with instructions in regard to varieties suitable for different pur- 
poses, localities and soils, together with a list of hardy shrubs and flowers 
‘to adorn the immediate surroundings of home. And we find that our people 
have not been slow to act upon our suggestions and profit by our experience. 
Fruit is no longer regarded as an article of luxury on account of its ‘‘ far 
fetched and dear bought” qualities, but is justly esteemed a necessary article 
of food on account of its nutritious and health-giving qualities. It should 
be planted wherever the occupant is rich enough to own an acre of ground. 
Refinement, then, comes in with all her train, call it whatever you please, 
‘I call it taste displayed, where tree, shrub, flower and lawn combine in 
harmony to blend without the aid of ‘‘ distance to lend enchantment to the 
view.” What surer index to the cultured minds within those homes than 
here portrayed; where nature pictures by artistic hands draws out her 
-colorings and mocks the artist’s penciled skill? 
Horticulture in Waste Places. 
There is one particular subject upon which I should like to dwell, 
-and which for the want of a better name I shall call horticulture in waste 
places. A very large area of our western domain is one vast unbroken 
“treeless plain, over which the winds sweep with gathering force and storms 
hold high carnival. Congress has wisely appropriated those lands to the 
‘tree planter to make himself a home and to protect it from the cold, fierce 
winds that come out of the north, and from the heat of the summer’s sun. 
But how often does he mistake in the selection of varieties suited to the 
-climate and soil of his particular locality? How often does he find after 
many experiments and the loss of much valuable time, his labor spent 
almost in vain? Would it not be well for him to enquire what trees he will 
plant that would grow and make valuable timber and yield the quickest 
returns? Then we have other waste places, some gravelly knolls for 
“instance, which will not produce grain or grass sufficient to pay for cultiva- 
tion. The European Jarch thrives io all soils not positively wet; it is one 
-of the most rapid growing aud durable of timber trees, and I think worthy 
