THE MINNESOTA HORTICULTURIST. VOL. 27. OCTOBER, 1899. No. 10. HORTICULTURE AT THE MINNESOTA STATE FAIR, SEPTEMBER, 1899. A. W. LATHAM, SEC'Y. The fortieth annual Minnesota State Fair proved to be the best attended and most successful event of the kind that has yet taken place in our state. Good weather and good times throughout the state resulted in an attendance on a par with the extent and character of the exhibits, which in all departments were of more than usual excellence. As to Horticultural Hall, its appearance was a source of satisfaction to the management and was evidently appreciated by the visitors. For the benefit of those who were unable to attend this brief description has been prepared. The hall was decorated with green and white bunting, reaching across from post to post, over the wide central space, the whole length of the hall, relieving in a pleasing and restful way the bare, open rafter space above, with its unpainted wood color. Festoons of evergreen rope were suspended lengthwise of the hall between the posts and coiled around the piping used in lighting the hall with acetylene gas. Decorations of everg een boughs, contributed by Mr. Underwood, were used upon the upper portion of the posts and in making arches over the windows entirely around the hall. The two longer sides of the hall, as usual, were banked up with a grand display of florists' plants, with the exception of a space on one side occupied by the seed exhibit of L. L. May & Co., of St. Paul, and on the other side a similar exhibit from Northrup, King & Co., of Minneapolis. Both of these exhibits were interesting and attracted much attention. At the south end of the hall the horticultural society booth was decorated with evergreens and native fruits, while at the opposite end the Jewell Nursery Co., of Lake City, had prepared a very attractive display with lofty cones veneered with apples on either side and shelving in the center covered with plates of apples and other fruits. Something over twenty barrels of apples were used in this display. The fountain in the center of the hall was decorated with festoons of evergreen wreathing, while stone work was placed in the basin to furnish hiding places for the gold and silver fish which were sporting through its waters. The three long tables running lengthwise through the center of the hall were occupied, as usual, by displays of fruit, excepting one at the north end, which contained the cut flower exhibit, of which there was an extraordinary array, making Wednesday, the day on which they were placed on exhibition, the most desirable one to visit the building. The Minneapolis Mycological Club made a display of 140 plates of mushrooms on a part of the floral table, which they renewed from day to day with fresh specimens. This was an extraordinary exhibit, and was as much noticed and talked about as any other in this department. The interest in this subject will evidently warrant a larger opportunity for a similar exhibit another year. The apples in the sweepstakes exhibit occupied the center table in the north end of the hall, which was surmounted by an extra table its entire length. As last year, the sweepstakes premium was large. ly contributed by John W. Thomas & Co., of Minneapolis, $100 being divided pro rata among the exhibitors from this source. The number of entries in the fruit exhibit was somewhat in excess of last year, but on account of the very light crop of fruit in the state, the exhibit was a little less in quantity and somewhat so in quality as compared with the show in this building in 1898. But when all the circumstances are considered, the display was never a more creditable one to the fair management or the state horticultural society, to whose influence the success of this department is largely due. There were shown in the competitive exhibits 2,183 plates of apples, 260 of grapes, 258 of plums, one of peaches and one of sand cherries, besides some fifty jars of plums. Besides the apples above enumerated, there were a large number of plates shown on the booth at the south end of the hall, and a very interesting exhibit on the side of the hall made by the Jewell Nursery Company, of fruit contributed by their patrons from different parts of the state, each being labeled with the name and locality of the grower. Aside from the commercial exhibits above referred to, another very neat one by C. W. Sampson, of Eureka, occupied the southwestern corner of the hall. In all, the number of plates of apples shown in the hall would easily have reached the total of 3,500, but no account was made excepting of those contained in the competitive exhibits. Mr. Peter Gideon, of Excelsior, made a very fine display of twentyseven plates of seedling apples from his place, and four plates of peaches. His presence during two days added greatly to the interest of his exhibit and gave his many friends an opportunity for greeting. As usual, quite a number of the members of the horticultural society spent a considerable portion of the week in the hall. J. S. Harris, Wm. Somerville, J. A. Howard, Ditus Day, C. W. Sampson and John Nordine,-besides those connected with the management -were there during the whole week. O. M. Lord, whose show of plums constituted about one-fourth of the whole plum exhibit, including nearly every cultivated variety raised in the state, was with us excepting the last day. Wyman Elliot, D. F. Akin, A. A. Bost, H. M. Lyman, R. L. Cummins, E. H. S. Dartt, Prof. S. Green and Pres. W. W. Pendergast also spent some time in the hall. This is by no means a complete list, as other members of the society by the score were there for a time, longer or shorter, and it was an opportunity for reunion under most pleasurable circumstances. The display of apples made by E. H. S. Dartt, from the Owatonna trial station, deserves special mention. There were about 150 plates in the collection, the larger part of them being seedlings from the experiment nursery, many of which were bearing for the first time and of which the quality had not been tested until they were put on exhibition there. Mr. Dartt spent two days testing them, with other enthusiasts, and making selections of those especially worthy for future trial. The management were fortunate in having the presence during the entire week of Mr. George J. Kellogg, of Janesville, Wis., who acted as judge of grapes. At the suggestion of the writer, Mr. Kellogg made some friendly criticisms on this department, which appear in another place in this magazine, and our readers will do well to give them attention, as coming from one who has had much experience in this line. Mr. A. J. Philips, secretary of the Wisconsin Horticultural Society, was there by request, and conjointly with Prof. Green judged the apples. At the request of the management Mr. Philips had prepared an exhibit of Wisconsin seedlings. Aside from this display all the fruit in the hall was grown within the state of Minnesota. A list of the Wisconsin seedlings shown in this exhibit follows: 12 to 24 oz. Oct. to Jan.... The florists, as usual, came to the help of this department and willingly provided all the decorations that were asked for. Besides their competitive displays, referred to, they filled the urns about the fountain and decorated the fruit tables with palms and a great variety of cut flowers. While comparatively little is said about this |