SS ANNUAL REPORT. 



Mr. Smith. Does not the northern breeze that comes down 

 that northern slope through the Trempeleau Valley cause the 

 trouble. He cannot get a northeast wind. 



Mr. Gideon. We have had ours cleaned out several times 

 when the trees were set full of blossoms. On examination of the 

 fallen fruit we found the mark of the curculio on every one. 



Mr. Harris. Where this nursery is located the sun does not 

 shine on it fairly for an hour after it shines on our side of the 

 river. Some of my trees hang full of fruit till they are ready to 

 break down. 



President Smith then proceeded to deliver the annual ad- 

 dress: 



PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 



Jjadies, Gentlemen and Members of the Minnesota State Horticul- 

 tural Society: 



Twelve years have passed and gone since the present organi- 

 zation of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society and the 

 adoption of the present constitution. On Feb. 27, 1873, the 

 jSrst act was passed by our legislature giving us aid and author- 

 izing the printing of our reports. Although the nucleus from 

 which the society originated — the Fruit Growers' Association — 

 had its origin and start at the State fair in Rochester, a. d. 

 18(i6, yet from that date commences our history as a society. 



Xow, when we look back and see the condition of fruits grow- 

 ing in Minnesota at that time, we find there was scarcely fruit 

 enough grown in the whole State to make a fair display at a 

 county fair. Compare it with what was raised in 1883, accord- 

 ing to the report of the commissioner of statistics, 180,735 

 buvshels of apples, and from 200,000 to 300,000 pounds of grapes, 

 and with the thousands of bushels of strawberries, raspberries, 

 currants ; and that the quality of our fruits and berries, was of 

 the best, as none can dispute. 



The award of diplomas and medals at the Centennial Exposi- 

 tion in 1876, and the award to our society of the Wilder silver 

 medal by the American Pomological Society in 1883, at Phila- 

 delphia, will show how they were appreciated by others than 

 ourselves, as at these exhibitions we came in competition with 

 all the states in the Union, and carried off one of the only four 

 awarded, and this for display of apples and grapes. And our 



