STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 367 



of the greatost promise, Mr. Gideon, who is salaried by the 

 State of Minnesota to conduct these experiments, claims that he 

 has, as a result of such breeding, the best apple that has been 

 produced since Adam and Eve left the garden of Eden. Mr. 

 Patten, of Charles City, whose opinion carries great weight with 

 it in horticultural circles, has assured me that he also has vari- 

 eties of the greatest promise similarly iDropagated, and others 

 are engaged in the same work, notably Mr. Peffer, of Wisconsin;; 

 ex-president Sias, of Eochester, Minnesota. Personally I have 

 great faith in these experiments being of the greatest value to 

 us, as I believe in science rather than chance; but each new sort 

 must stand the inevitable test of years to see if it proves hardy 

 of tree, impervious to blight, etc., and in the meantime we will 

 plant Duchess, Wealthy, No. 20, Transcendent, and such hardy 

 old varieties, and when these later sorts are old enough to have 

 proved their worth, we shall have the best possible trees to top 

 graft them upon. 



And now, fearing that I have concealed my ideas in the chaff of 

 unnecessary words, allow me to i3ick them out for you. It is con- 

 ceded by our successful orchardists that northern slopes are best 

 for orchards, in moderately rich soil; few varieties; no unneces- 

 sary pruning — necessary to be done in late spring or early sum- 

 mer; no heavy wind breaks, if any protection, on south or 

 west; no cultivation after July 1st, after which it is very benefi- 

 cial to mulch to protect from summer drouth and winter freez- 

 ing and thawing. 



My ai)ology for trespassing to such an extent on your time is 

 that Dakota is being deluged by a flood of worthless trees from 

 the South and East, accompanied by alleged instructions on how 

 to raise them. The venders of this stock may be honest, but 

 their business is to sell, not to raise trees. Their forte is talk- 

 ing, not in acting lies; and when the inevitable failure follows, the 

 opinion will be well nigh universal that the apple is nature's 

 forbidden fruit in this garden of Dakota, and I write this hop- 

 ing to induce some modern Adam to use the same good sense in 

 his orchard planting that he does in his other business; to first 

 find out what he wants, then deal with some firm of known reli- 

 ability to insure his getting it, then follow the teachings of those 

 who have achieved success under similar conditions of climate 

 and soil, and when, as the inevitable result, he sees his trees 

 laden with luscious fruit, there will be no tinge of reproach at- 

 tach to his satisfied comment — the woman tempted me and I 

 did plant. 



