160 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
crab trees look as though fire had run over them. The Tetofsky 
Charlamof, Patten’s Greening and Hibernal are in the same condi- 
tion. I never have seen my crab trees look so bad. 
A frequent examination of apple and plum blossoms during all 
their stages of growth up to the time the petals had all fallen, re- 
vealed to me no insight into the disaster that followed,and I am now 
compelled to attribute the total failure of our apple crop to the un- 
propitious weather atand during the period of pollenization and im- 
mediately after, and to the almost total inability of the bark and 
leaves of the tree to properly assimilate inorganic matter,“for as on 
the one hand very slight-changes in the conditions of life are favor- 
able to plants, on the other hand certain other changes cause ster- 
ility.’ The amount of cold that certain varieties can stand unin- 
jured in cellular structure under certain conditions is only one point 
in many which go to make up its adaptation to a certain climate. 
This was very forcibly illustrated last spring by the Transcendent 
and other crabs suffering much more than did the Oldenburg. The 
Peerless suffered much less than the Oldenburg, while the Euranda 
crab was the only crab I saw last summer bearing a heavy crop of 
fruit in this section. Whether it was in the blossom itself or the 
constitution of the tree that preserved its fruit, while the fruit of 
Duchess of Oldenburg and all other trees inits immediate vicinity 
was destroyed, I am unable to say; but it, certainly, is a case where 
natural selection has manifested itself unmistakably. I leave the 
subject of cross-fertilization to the other and abler members of this 
committee. 
In closing this very unsatisfactory report I would recomend that 
this society appropriate the sum of one hundred and fifty dollars 
annually for the next five years, to be paid to three different persons 
under proper restrictions, who will each de~ote five days during the 
blooming season of apples in taking observations and in making 
such crosses as their judgment will recommend and opportunities 
permit. This work has been too long delayed. In the opinion of 
such menas Darwin and Marshall P. Wilder itis the surest and most 
certain way to give us a large class of thoroughly acclimatized, 
high class, late keeping winter apples. Let this society prove itself 
worthy of the name it bears! The work intended must be done 
during one of the most busy seasons, viz., spring’s work, during 
which season every minute is precious. It must be done by those 
who are qualified by nature and practice. Let me call your atten- 
tion to what has already been done by cross-fertilization, with roses, 
grapes and strawberries. We do not know where the limit may be; 
we do know that it is the right and only sure road to speedy 
success. 
DISCUSSION. 
Mr. Barrett: There is one thing in this report that certainly 
commends itself to me, and it occurred to me that it would be 
a good plan to require every vice-president and such others as 
may be appointed to make reports, to take observations from 
day to day and make reports of the changes of the weather, 
