360 AJSTNUAL REPORT. 



REFOBT ON SEEDLINGS. 



Webster says: "Caution is the armor to defend us against im- 

 position and the attacks of evil." And after being most out- 

 rageously imposed upon for the last quarter of a century by people 

 palming off varieties that would not stand even 60" below zero, I 

 thought it about time to be a little more cautious, and so concluded 

 to take with me hereafter the very best counsel to be obtained in 

 the state, when looking up new seedlings. With this new 

 departure in view, last September, I invited our wofthy Presi- 

 dent, J. S. Harris, to accompany me to the township of Haverhill 

 to see some seedlings that had been highly recommended on the 

 farm of Peter Brook, but the President after examining them 

 closely for a sufficient length of time, failed to enthuse worth a cent, 

 and so we returned home sadder, and probably not much wiser, on 

 the apple question. But if not out of order here I will simply state 

 that on our way home we passed a most successful seedling hedge 

 of Buck Thorn, Ehamnus Catharticus, on the fine farm of A. 

 Welch. 



November 17th, on invitation, Mr. Wm. McHenry, of St. 

 Charles, accompanied me to examine the seedlings of Robert 

 Waldron, of Cascade, Olmsted County. He knows a good apple 

 when he sees one every time. Am sorry to say Mr. Waldron was 

 confined to his bed at the time, but he had the kindness to order 

 up a fine dish of his new seedlings from the Fameuse, and vre, as 

 well as all who saw them at the Fair at Rochester, last September, 

 pronounced them beautiful to look upon, and choice in quality; as 

 to hardiness, I think they differ but little from the Fameuse, ^90SS?6/«/ 

 they may be a little more hardy. Mr. Waldron also has, to make 

 a rough estimate, some two miles of promising young hedge of the 

 Buck Thorn Seedlings, lining the roads and lane to his pasture. 

 Last month I examined a promising new seedling on the farm of 

 Mr. Hart, of Dover Townshp. Mr. Hart was absent, and we failed 

 to learn much about it, except that the tree was hardy. We did 

 not see the fruit; we learned that it bore this last season, but the 

 fruit was all stolen. Said to be green in color, season late fall. 



Richard Porter was next invited to counsel with me on the Forster 

 seedlings. He has handled more trees than most men of our coun- 

 ty, and knows whereof he speaks. Mr. Wm. Forster residt-s in the 

 township of Orion, Olmsted County, some 18 miles from our place. 

 He is a pleasant gentleman, like all Minnesota fruit growers, and 



