STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. ‘ 107 
LETTER OF HON. P. BARRY. 
ROcHESTFR, N. Y., Jan. 9, 1880. 
Chas. Y. Lacy, Esq., Minneapolis, Minn — 
My Dear Sir: Your esteemed favor of 24th ult. came duly to hand, also 
the volumes of Transactions, for which I am greatly obliged. Your society 
is doing a good work for your State in collecting and publishing the results 
of so much experimental fruit culture and general horticulture. 
How valuable these books to new settlers in your State and others 
possessing similar soil and climate. 
I see you have agreed upon two apples for general cultivation— Duchess: 
and Wealthy. Even this is valuable progress. 
He who produces an abundance of these will not be very badly off for 
apples; and you will soon add others. 
The Russians, though not meeting our expectations, cannot fail to contri- 
bute to your list of hardy sorts. 
' I observe that but little has been done with pears. I would take the 
liberty of suggesting that pear seedlings be planted for experiment—say by 
the 100 or 1,000—in nursery rows, two or three feet apart in the row, and. 
let them grow several.years without being budded or grafted. The hardy 
ones will survive; those not hardy will die. In this way hardy stocks may 
be got for your Flemish Beauties, Onondagas, and other hardy sorts. 
This might fail, but the experiment would not cost much. It is easy to 
protect the roots by mulching, but you want a hardy trunk. 
I do not know but that every reasonable effort has already been made to 
grow pears; still I think if I were living there 1 would have pears. Many of” 
our fine plums are very hardy, enduring perfectly the climate of Maine and 
lower Canada, where the mercury falls as low as with you. It will not be 
many years until we shall hear of your culture of the peach, pear, aud other: 
fruit too delicate for the open air, in cheap glass structures. Even here, 
where we have a tolerable peach country, we fruit all our peach and 
Nectarines in tubs under glass. 
On the 28 inst. our society will hold its 25th annual meeting. 
We fiatter ourselves we have done some good to our country, and our 
meetings have been pleasant annual reunions—a sort of holiday that we all 
enjoy. We have now a large force of working members and are better 
equipped than ever before. I will send you Transactions. 
With best wishes for yourself and your excellent society, I remain, 
Truly yours, 
P. BARRY. 
LETTER FROM DR. HATCH. 
MINNEAPOIAS, MINN., Jan. 15, 1880. 
Prof. Lacy— 
Dear Sir: Your note and slip contained were received to-day. In reply 
I will say that I am glad to say a word in the defence of the ‘‘ Sapsuckers.’> 
It is a libelous name, and if it were not for its having been embalmed by 
that venerab’e ancestor, Aunt Iquity, I would be in favor of petitioning the 
