The Salome Apple.

H. W. HARRISON, ROCHESTER, MINN.  SO.  MINN.  HORT.  SOCIETY.

The Salome apple is named after one of the faithful Bible characters, Salome, who was associated with Martha and Mary while our Savior was on earth and was also a witness of his crucifixion.  Thus the name alone commands respect.  It was originated in eastern Canada, and it was introduced here some twenty-five years ago by the Princeton Nursery Company of Illinois and has proven to be very hardy on different soils and locations.  It is grown in the southern tier of counties of Minnesota and as far north as New Ulm.

Like all good things it has had a hard fight to overcome its opponents.  At the time it was introduced here there were Ben Davis and other tender varieties delivered in its place in certain localities.  These not being hardy of course gave the Salome a black eye.  Nevertheless it is an apple that should be grown extensively because of its hardiness, its clean appearance and upright growth, spreading just enough to admit air and light.

Its fruit will keep in ordinary cellars until May or June.  It is medium in size and color, red streaked with green and yellow.  Flesh is yellow and sub acid.  Like all winter varieties it is slow to come in bearing but yielding heavily when it does bear, whenever other varieties do.  Let us not lose sight of this excellent fruit in our desire to produce something new and original.

How May the State University and the Horticultural Society Best Co-Operate?

GEO. E. VINCENT, PRESIDENT MINN.  STATE UNIVERSITY, MINNEAPOLIS.

Now, so far as I can understand, the only excuse for interpolating me in a program of this kind is that you are giving so much attention to technical subjects, you are working so hard, you need from time to time relief in order that you may not suffer from brain fever or any of the ailments of overstudy.  I am confident from this point of view anything I may have to say will meet that need completely.

The relationship between this society and the university strikes me as typically American.  There are two ways of doing things—­leaving public undertakings entirely to private initiative, to individuals, to voluntary groups; that is one plan.  There is another plan which consists in putting everything into the hands of the state.  Constituted authority takes charge of the whole life of the citizen’s, all the activities and enterprise are made public, state affairs.

Those are the two extremes.  The dangers of those two methods are very obvious.  Many enterprises left to private initiative will be done in haphazard fashion; there will be duplication and waste.  When the state undertakes all these enterprises it changes the whole aspect.  Public management may make for a certain efficiency, but it sooner or later undermines the initiative, the feeling of responsibility of the individual.  We are a practical people, we compromise and combine the various methods of doing things.  It is the typical American way to combine private initiative with a certain measure of state co-operation.  The work for horticulture in the state of Minnesota has been developed under exactly these conditions.