198 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



the rate of 1,500 bushels per acre. The Winesap apple has yielded at 

 the rate of 1,000 bushels per acre. From plats of the Duchess of Olden- 

 burg sales have been made at the rate of more than $600 per acre. The 

 Utter, the Wealthy, the Duchess, the Cooper's Early White all have yielded 

 large crops and have been found very profitable. The Wealthy are this 

 season yielding at the rate of more than 1,000 bushels per acre. The 

 Rawle's Janet promises this season to yield a larger crop than in 1907. 

 The Ben Davis, the Winesap and the Missouri Pippin have set full crop. 



The yield of the orchard in 1909 will be about 1,000 barrels of Rawle's 

 Janet, 500 barrels of Winesap, 800 barrels of Ben Davis, 500 barrels of 

 Missouri Pippin, 300 barrels of Utter's Red, 1,000 barrels of Wealthy, with 

 more or less of other varieties, aggregating perhaps 13,000 to 16,000 

 bushels. 



This orchard has been continually cultivated for thirty-seven years. 

 During the winters of 1906-7 and 1907-8 about 3,000,000 pounds of manure 

 were applied to the orchards and vineyards. In the last six years prob- 

 ably 1,000 loads of straw have been hauled in to use to mulch the row 

 to the width of perhaps eight feet. The middles receive, as above stated, 

 continuous cultivation. 



Small Fruit Plantations. 



There are five plantations of blackberries and raspberries. Since the 

 blackberry and raspberry never bloom until very late they are not 

 caught by the spring freeze. This idea stimulated increase planting and 

 the plantations have been increased by the planting of about 10,000 plants 

 in the spring of 1909. Annual heavy straw mulching takes the place of 

 cultivation. 



Some hundreds of trees have been planted in the plum orchards and 

 many varieties have been tested. Among the more promising we note 

 the Bei-TV'ood. This variety was originated by the late Theodore Williams 

 of Benson, Neb. This plum is a seedling of the Burbank and Brittlewood, 

 the American Brittlewood giving increased hardihood, and the other 

 parent giving size and quality. This variety is doing remarkably well 

 this season over the entire state, clear up to the Wyoming line. 



At the time of our visit Early Harvest, Red June, Sweet June, Yellow 

 Transparent, Duchess, Cooper's Early White, Kirkbridge White and Sax- 

 ton had already been marketed. Varieties next to run are the Day, Maiden 

 Blush, Wealthy and Gravenstein. These will be followed by leading 

 winter varieties — Grimes' Golden, Missouri Pippin, Winesap, Ben Davis 

 and Rawle's Janet. All these varieties and many more are bearing 

 abundantly and many trees are over-laden. 



This orchard was established in 1871 by E. F. Stephens, who came to 

 Crete direct from his old New England farm home in the state of 

 Maine, with the intention of engaging in commercial orcharding. Be- 

 fore selecting the location Mr. Stephens visited the late ex-Governor 

 Furnas, who in the '70s was one of the most prominent orchardists in 



