190 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAI, SOCIETY 
That the horticultural spirit is very real throughout the state is shown 
by the fact that the Minnesota State Horticultural Society counts upward 
of 3,500 on its membership roll. Beset by the problems attendant upon 
poorly adapted varieties, lack of hardiness, trying winters and short ex- 
treme summers, Minnesotans have not lost the spirit of the pioneers and 
are meeting the problems with optimism and determination. Every fruit 
grower is an experimentalist, and, taking the cue from the magnificent fruit 
breeding farm maintained by the State Agricultural College on the south- 
western shore of Lake Minnetonka, is producing hardier varieties and test- 
ing tender ones with a vim that means nothing less than the solution of the 
problems in the near future. Experience is showing each year that hoirtt. 
cultural practices as well as horticultural varieties have to be adapted to 
the local conditions in Minnesota. 
The Outstanding Problem. 
The outstanding problem in fruit growing in Minnesota lies herein: 
Most of the adapted apple varieties are of the summer or fall type. Winter 
varieties that possess sufficient hardiness lack either quality or productive- 
ness or both. The late and occasionally fickle springs put possibly a little 
more risk into commercial fruit growing than is found in a few more favored 
regions. This is true not alone of the apple, but of other fruits as welk 
These things being true, the large yields of apples are of those varieties 
for which the demand is restricted by lack of storage or shipping quality. 
Because of the uncertainty of yearly crops equal to the supply the handlers 
of fruits in the larger cities of the state regularly depend upon outside 
sources for their offerings of fruit. In times of large production in the state, 
the local grower is frequently discriminated against because, as say the 
market men: “We have to buy from our regular consignors at such times 
in order to keep our connection in time of need.” 
Conditions in 1911. 
During the year 1911 an exceptionally heavy crop of apples was pro- 
duced in all parts of the apple growing sections of Minnesota. From growers 
in all sections reports poured into the State Agricultural College to this 
effect: “We can’t sell our apples : They are lying in the orchards rotting 
on the ground: There are no markets.” 
Investigations revealed the truth of these reports. The Twin Cities, 
Duluth, the Iron Range towns and the northwestern towns of the state, with 
a consuming capacity able to use all this fruit at a good price were being 
poorly supplied with apples shipped in from Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Wiscon- 
sin, Michigan and New York. The varieties in many instances were the 
same as those which were going to waste in our orchards. 
Growers Complain. 
When the State Horticultural Society held its annual meeting at Min- 
neapolis in December, 1911, there was a general spirit of complaint in the 
