The early leaders of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society (MSHS) also helped to establish the University of Minnesota Fruit Breeding program in 1878 when the Minnesota legislature appropriated $2,000 to purchase a piece of land for an experiment station and $1,000 a year to cover operations. The first superintendent of the station was Peter Gideon. The land was located near his farm in Excelsior. When Peter Gideon retired, this fruit breeding location was abandoned.

By 1907, the legislature acquired new land and built a new Fruit Breeding Farm (now known as the Horticultural Research Center) about 30 miles south of the Twin Cities. Later in the 20th century this land would be incorporated into the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. During the early 1900s University of Minnesota horticulturists taught on the St. Paul campus and traveled to the Fruit Breeding Farm by streetcar.

Fruit breeding continued throughout the 20th century, with the appointment of Charles Haralson as the Program’s first Superintendent. Haralson was honored in 1923 when the Haralson apple was introduced and named after him. Work continued to develop more winter hardy fruits and wine grapes. Recent apple introductions have included the SweeTango, the Frostbite, Zestar!, Snowsweet, and perhaps one of the most popular apples of recent history — the Honeycrisp. These more recent apples are all descendants of earlier breeding efforts, and together they make Minnesota an apple success story.

The following issues from The Minnesota Horticulturist feature articles and reports on the state’s fruit-breeding farm. Click on the images to access the full copies:

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