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THE MINNESOTA 
HORTICULTURIST. 
VOL. 23 OCTOBER, 1895. NO. 9. 
HORTICULTURE AT THE MINNESOTA STATE FAIR, 
1895. 
A. W. LATHAM, SECRETARY. 
The fair which has just closed was held under auspices altogether 
most favorable. Good crops throughout the state, successfully har- 
vested, and pleasant weather during the week combined to make 
this the most successful fair financially and in point of attendance 
in the history of the State Agricultural Society. 
The exhibit in which we are especially interested, that of the fruits 
and flowers, occupied, as usual, the south half of the agricultural 
building, and overflowed in its collections of greenhouse plants 
which were grouped around the central fountain. A view from the 
gallery at the south end of the hall, belonging to the Horticultural 
Society, showed this fountain in the foreground occupying the cen 
ter of the hall, backed by a lusty array of vegetables and grains 
which made up the eleven county exhibits. On either side of the 
hall were banks of flowering plants, etc., composing the exhibits of 
the florists. Inthe center of the hall the competitive fruits were ar- 
ranged on three parallel tables, with pyramidal shelvesrunning the 
length of this half of the hall. On the shelves around the booth 
before spoken of were arranged a display ofapples and grapes, and 
at either end of the booth on turn-tables were placed the pantry 
stores contributed by the ladies, while the bread and cake filled to 
overflowing the glass-covered casesin front. The tables were hand- 
somely decorated along the center, and upper, shelves with fruit 
pieces and flowering plants contributed by the floral exhibitors. 
The exact figures of the exhibit are not at hand, but in the neigh- 
borhood of two thousand plates of fruit were shown, comprising, 
perhaps, two hundred varieties of apples, forty of grapes and a 
number of varieties of plums—which were not very plentiful in this 
year’s show—three of pears and oneof peaches. The fruit shown 
was in the main very handsome in appearance and up to the maxi- 
mum in size. The number of exhibitors was about thirty, and 
included in their list all the principal exhibitors of the past years 
with the exception of R.C. Keel, of Rochester, whose absence was 
regretfully noted. Mr. J. S. Harris carried off the palm for the 
largest professional exhibit of apples,and as he has almost every- 
thing, seedling or otherwise, grown in the state, on his place, bear- 
ing or coming into bearing, it seems probable that he will continue 
to wear this highest honor indefinitely. 
