248 St ATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. . 



solution of liver of sulphur, though largely subdued after making its appearance 

 upon currants. Frequent and shallow cultivation was given whenever the con- 

 dition of the ground made it possible, and at the close of the season strong cedar 

 posts were set up about 40 feet apart, two No. 8 galvanized wires passed through 

 them, one 2V^ feet and the other 4% feet above ground. To the lower wire the 

 canes of the Columbian Raspberry were tied with narrow bandages of cotton when 

 about 10 inches of snow were on the ground, and thus the tearing of the heavily 

 branched canes from the weight of snow will be avoided during the- coming winter. 

 The strawberry beds were extensively enlarged at the beginning of the season, 

 both with new varieties and with plants taken from the old bed. Considering 

 the muddy condition of the beds during nearly the entire season, the new plants 

 made a remarkable growth, setting a profusion of new plants and remaining 

 practically free from disease. The whole plantation was mulched with clean 

 straw after the gi'ound was covered with 8 to 10 inches of snow. Among the 

 strawberries, Excelsior has shown remarkable vitality, producing quite a few- 

 berries even though first in blossom. The flowers are perfect. They started to 

 blossom May 26. The plants are medium size but strong and bushy. The bei'rie.s 

 are medium to large size with a pleasant acid ilavor, bright scarlet, the color 

 extending through the whole berry; conical shaped and quite firm in texture. 

 The first fruit was ripe June 22 and the last was picked July 13. 



Sample was next in hardiness. The plants are tall, showy and very strong. 

 The blossom is imperfect; plants begin to blossom June 1st. The berries are larger 

 than Excelsior and broad conical shaped, mild, subacid and dark scarlet colored, 

 ihe color extending through the berry, and the texture firm. Ripened July 1 and 

 lasted until July 22. 



Among the raspberries the Columbian showed the strongest vitality and de- 

 veloped very stout and strong branched canes by the middle of the season. The 

 berries are purple in color and covered with a gray bloom, which is objectionable 

 only to those unacquainted with the quality. In form they resemble the ordinary 

 black cap varieties, though som^ewhat less flattened. Of medium texture, excellent 

 quality and very juicy. Blossoming June 21, the berries were ripe July 26 apd 

 lasted until August 22. 



The warm weather during April and May of 1902 induced an early growth 

 which while not killed by the intervening frosts, made but little headway until 

 late June. Currants began blossoming May 17. Strawberries May 18 and cherry 

 trees May 20. Subsequent late frosts as shown in Table of Temperatures were: 



May 26 — S? degrees; May 27 — 29 degrees; May 28 — 26 degrees; and June 5 — 26 

 degrees. As will be shown here, these temperatures were much lower in the neigh- 

 borhood of the small fruit plots, and as 20 degrees is commonly termed "killing 

 frost," the question may still be asked: What is killing frost as viewed from the 

 reading of instruments, when it is considered that no fruit bush, plant or tree 

 was damaged, and that the damage from the last or June frost was confined to 

 the killing of a few fruit blossoms and to the blackening of a few early sprouted 

 potato vines. Between first blossoms and first ripe fruit of strawberries there 

 may intervene 15 to 28 days v/hen the weather is favorable. With late frosts and 

 prolonged cold weather, the time may extend to as much as 37 days (see Bulletin 

 130, Michigan Experiment Station). Since 39 days intervened between the first 

 blossoming and the first ripe fruit of the earliest strawberries (Excelsior) and 

 since the two additional days may well be ascribed to the more northern latitude, 

 with its consequent cooler weather, it becomes evident that fruit ripened in spite of 

 the heavy May and June frosts. 



That the frost of May 28 was heavier than pointed out at the beginning of this 

 Bulletin, and shown in the Table of Temperatures, and that this was particularly 

 the case in the neighborhood of the small fruit plots as above stated may be evi- 

 denced from the following observations: 



As all signs during the afternoon of May 27 pointed towards a heavy frost as 

 likely to occur during the following night, an effort was made to give some slight 

 protection to the young cherry and plum trees which were then in blossom. With 

 this end in view, logs and stumps were piled up 6 to 8 feet high and 6 rods north 

 of the orchard, the piles being each 20 to 30 feet long, 4 to 6 rods apart and ex- 

 tending east and west. The instrument shelter for recording temperatures is on 

 a line even with the most southern row of cherry trees, or 22 rods south of the 

 line of log piles. Forty rods west of the nearest log pile, a self-registering mini- 

 mum thermometer was fastened to a fence post practically on a level with the 



