STATE HORTICLTLTUEAL SOCIETY. 117 



Mr. Sias made the following written report : 



EEPOET OF SEEDLING FRUIT COMMITTEE. 



ROCHESTER DISTRICT. 



I shall speak first of what now appears to be one of the most 

 promising new seedlings in the State, viz., the Brett Seedlings of 

 Dover, Olmsted County. These seedlings were first exhibited at 

 the Southern Minnesota fair in September last, and took two 

 first premiums. Next at the State fair at Owatonna, where they 

 were entered as the best collection of seedlings, and took the first 

 premium of ten dollars. Here they had a large display of fine 

 seedlings to compete with. Mr. J. W. Hart, the present owner 

 of these seedlings, has made arrangements with me to propagate 

 them and to enter them for the prize of $1,000 in his name. Will 

 say that I made a visit to these trees for the first time in Decem- 

 ber, 1883, and again in August, 1884, at which time three of 

 them were well loaded with fruit. I next Adsited them in Sep- 

 tember last in company with J. S. Harris. These trees all appear 

 very hardy and of good quality. I took plates of each and sent 

 them to Minneapolis to be put in cold storage till time to ship to 

 New Orleans; also a plate of each for our exhibit here, but after 

 carrying them twenty miles in a wagon, and then keeping them 

 in a damp, mouldy cellar till this time, I find them now in poor 

 condition to exhibit. But we have a specimen of the wood and 

 leaf here that will doubtless prove satisfactoi-y to all. The origi- 

 nator of these fine seedlings and his noble wife celebrated their 

 golden wedding about a year ago, and will very soon pass over 

 the River. But these hardy fruits will doubtless be con- 

 tinued through their cions for hundreds of years to perpetuate 

 their memory. One is named Hart, in honor of the owner; one 

 May, in honor of Mrs. Mary Brett, who planted the seed; the 

 other Brett. We have still another that we- think especially fine 

 and probably the largest, but as this did not bear the past season 

 we concluded to wait for further developments before describing. 

 I have a letter here that I desire to go into this report, by Mr. 

 C. H. Brett himself, describing these fruits, that I will read if 

 you so wish. 



"Strong, Maine, Feb. 28, 1884. 



" Your letter to me in regard to the history of the seedling apple 

 trees on my old farm in Dover was sent to me at this place the 

 last of January, too late for your report. 



