STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 239 



that would apply in this localit3\ One Minneapolis gentleman speaks 

 of us out west as if we were as much advanced in these methods as you 

 are here. We don't claim to be behind the times otherwise, I guess 

 we are abreast, but in this matter I do not think we are. But we have 

 to contend with those terrible winds where a man can hardljj stand up, 

 and yet is obliged to work and travel. Doubtless that accounts for the 

 fact that a great many of our people do not make these things a mat- 

 ter of study; and while they are not indifferent to these things they do 

 not study to understand what they ought to do, and they fail, in a 

 measure. We have made a success in growing the boxelder and the 

 white elm. We are succeeding to a limited degree, with the Norway 

 Spruce and Scotch Pine; the Austrian Pine is a failure. I can give 

 very few instances, indeed, where they have succeeded at all. One of 

 my neighbors living in the vicinity of the town had quite a variety of 

 evergreens. He set out a large quantity of them; I think about a 

 quarter of them are alive. Last summer a gentleman representing 

 some eastern nursery was through our locality with a large quan- 

 tity of evergreens, beseeching our citizens to buy. They did buy. 

 They asked me my opinion. Said I "They have got to die." And my 

 prophecy proved true. There is just one solitary tree that is still 

 alive, which may possibly live through the winter. The Hackberry 

 is a perfect failure with us. 



Mr. Smith. Perhaps it is better to substitute White Pine for Scotch 

 Pine. But in making a success or a failure of these things it is a good 

 deal in the man. Mr. Elliott, won't you please tell us that story of 

 your trip to Duluth for evergreens; tell us how many you got, how 

 long it took, how you handled them, and how long they lived? 



Mr. Elliott. I have told it so many times it has got to be an old 

 story. I think it was thirteen years ago, I started from here on the 

 29th day of May, and went to Duluth. The way I happened to go 

 there was, the jear before I went up there and while wandering around 

 i saw a nice chance back of the bluff for getting a few Arbor Vitae. 

 Also I noticed a swamp, at Moose Lake station, where there was any 

 amount of spruce. I was also acquainted with a man at Superior 

 City, that had dug some trees and shipped them, and there was a 

 swamp of white spruce near there. I started on the 29th of May, 

 in the night, got to Duluth the next morning about six o'clock and 

 went to the hotel. Breakfast was not ready, and I thought I would 

 take a little stroll up on the bluff". After a little I went back and 

 inquired where I could hire a man; I found a man to help me, and we 



