MICHIGAN EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 



FKUITS. 



Bulletin No. 80, January, 1892. 



In 1889 the State Board of Agriculture authorized the establishment 

 of a Fruit Testing Sub-station at South Haven. The work was placed in 

 the hands of the well known horticulturist, T. T. Lyon. The enterprising 

 fruitgrowers of Van Buren county purchased and deeded to the Board, a 

 tract of five acres adjoining the land of President Lyon, for station 

 purposes. 



The results for 1889 and 1890 have been published in Bulletins 55 and 

 67. For these years we made use of the large experimental plantations of 

 President Lyon, as it was too early for any results from our own. 



The notes and observations for 1891 will be found in the following 

 report. 



The sub-station grounds are located on the shore of Lake Michigan, in 



the village of South Haven, and any one interested in fruitgrowing will 



be well repaid by visiting them. The latch string is always out. 



L. E. TAFT, 



Agricultural College, Mich., ) Horticulturist. 



Jan. 15, 1892. \ 



To Prof. L. R. Taft, Horticulturist, in charge of Experiment Station: 



Sir — I herewith submit a report of operations under your direction, at 

 the Fruit Testing Sub-station, at South Haven: 



The convenient access from the village streets to the rear of the fruit 

 plantations, during the summer and autumn of 1890, resulted in the pil- 

 fering of nearly the entire crop of grapes from plants bearing their first 

 crop of fruit The prospect of a larger crop the present season, a careful 

 observation and record of which, when at full maturity, is essential to the 

 full realization of the objects sought, with the necessity of some kind of 

 protection for this purpose, led to directions to construct an adequate 

 barbed wire fence, to serve as a barrier. 



