STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 285 



CONDITIONS OF PROFITABLE FRUIT CULTURE 

 IN MINNESOTA. 



[Read before the Mississippi Valley Horticultural Society, Kansas City, Mo. 



January 23, 1884.] 



By Oliver Gibbs, Jr., op Lake City. 



APPLES. 



The first condition is that the grower possess a courage tliat 

 does not quail upon the brink of any earthly woe. 



The second is that he love his trees. 



The third, that he study his subject thoroughly to learn all the 

 known laws of adaptation. 



The fourth, that he select for his main planting only the few 

 hardiest; and 



The fifth, that he keep out a liberal line of experiments, ac- 

 cording to his means, and be ready to branch out in good time. 



In regard to the first condition : No other state has been such a 

 slaughter ground of apple trees, as Minnesota. Nearly evei-y farm 

 that was opened from 1850 to 18^0, when all the southern and 

 central sections were settled up, has had a succession of orchard 

 funerals. First, eastern and southern grown trees, next western 

 trees, then Canada trees, then home grown seedlings, and lastly 

 the crabs ; all are gone, of these old plantings, but the Duchess of 

 Oldenburg and some of the crabs in general, and, in particular, 

 here and there a survivor from some other sort that is entirely un- 

 able to give any account of itself. 



Many of these 'lost trees lived to bear fruit and give prom- 

 ise of long life and profit. One farmer in my neighborhood, from 

 a small orchard of two or three hundred trees, had five hundred 

 bushels of choice apples, and was peddling them around town 

 from his wagon, like potatoes. The winter of 1872-3 froze up dry. 

 In the spring following, his Plumb Ciders, his Fameuse, his Sax- 

 tons, his Jonathans, his Golden Russets, his Talman Sweets, and 

 all that ilk, had not a live root remaining, although potatoes left 

 uudug in the fall in ground adjoining, lay through under the deep 

 snow-drifts, and came out perfect in the spring. One may think 



