266 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
The afternoon of this day we spent in looking over the Thayer 
fruit farms and other fruit plantations at and around Sparta, Wis., 
now famous for its more than 500 acres of small fruits, 100 of which 
are on the Thayer farm itself. This farm is managed on business 
principles and has proved a success from the beginning, but we do 
not believe in monoplies in the fruit or any other business. It 
affords employment and helps out the living of a great number of 
people and can, probably, produce and handle the fruit cheaper 
than smaller firms, but it also tends to discourage men and women 
with small capital from engaging in the business, which in the end 
is against the large class of consumers. We favor growing the 
fruit by individuals according to their ability and facilities for do- 
ing it well and having a system of co-operation in the marketing of 
it. Owing to the extreme droughts of ’94, the plants did not make 
the usual growth or go into winter in the average condition, which 
combined with the severe frosts that occurred in May of this year 
has very much shortened the present crop, and some varieties are 
nearly a failure. However, currants and gooseberries have been an 
exceptionally fine crop. Everything is being given the most thor- 
ough cultivation. The season’s growth of plants is healthy,and the 
prospect for next year’s crop is very encouraging. 
Some of the promising things seen here are the Sparta and Herbst 
No. 2 strawberries. The Columbian and Loudon raspberries, and 
the new Queen and Red Jacket gooseberries are on trial and all 
promising. Visitors to this place receive the most cordial treat- 
ment and are shown everything of interest and are concisely told 
how everything is done, and, if at allapt scholars, are well paid for 
their visit. 
After viewing a few smaller plantations and seeing irrigation in 
practice on the two acre plantation of Mr. Wolcott, Mr. Philips, Mr. 
Sampson and myself took a night ride to Janesville, Wis. Early on 
the morning of the twelfth we were joined by L.J. Kellogg, of Ripon, 
Geo. J. Kellogg, Janesville, and Messrs. Coe and Converse, of Fort 
Atkinson, who are members of a special committee of the Wisconsin 
Horticultural Society, and at once proceeded to the fruit farm of 
F. W. Loudon to see, examine, taste and learn all we could about 
the Loudon raspberry. It is without doubt the most wonderful 
raspberry of its class (Rubus strigosus) that has been produced 
since the improvement of this valuable fruit began. It originated 
with Mr. Loudon (and bears his name) from seed of the Turner 
raspberry pollenized by the Cuthbert, and presents all of the good 
points of both parents, and some that neither of them have,ina 
marked degree. The seed was planted in 1880, and the original 
plant first fruited in 1881. The plantsare strong,vigorous and healthy, 
with an abundance of fibrous roots that enable them to endure 
droughts well and continue in bearing longer than the average 
season. It does not produce suckers as freely as most of the’ red 
varieties. The canes are shorter jointed and more stocky than the 
Cuthbert, and it appears to be more hardy, having endured sey- 
eral winters without protection and come through without injury 
when the mercury dropped to 26° and 30° below zero. The drouth 
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