96 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



which is a rank grower, a heavy bearer and seems to be reason- 

 ably hardy, I have a sample here of the fruit gathered Mon- 

 day last. This fruit was colored and nearly ripe when gathered, 

 while this was uncolored and perfectly hard. This plum will 

 ship well and ripen on the road. 



The only disease that has troubled my Burbanks so far is 

 black knot which is easy to handle in the branches, but when it 

 attacks a crotch of the tree it is not so easy, I intend to try gaso- 

 line, which I think will evaporate before doing serious damage 

 to the tree, and will at the same time be death to the fungus. 

 I have here some samples of the knot that have grown this sum- 

 mer and were removed about ten days ago. I find that in the 

 culture of currants, heavy mulching is far ahead of cultivation, 

 as this plant must have plenty of moisture and the mulch pre- 

 vents evaporation. My currants this year were very nice, 

 and I could have sold any amount of them. I sold these in 

 strawberry boxes at ten cents straight. I had no trouble to 

 dispose of cherries, and had a good crop. The best shipping 

 package for cherries is either the one-half bushel basket or 

 the grape basket. I used the grape basket, picking direct into 

 the basket. This way the fruit is not handled and looks much 

 better than if emptied into a larger basket. I had no trouble to 

 get thirty cents a basket f. o. b. Aurora. 



I believe cherries are usually put onto the market too green. 

 Should be left on tree until fully ripe. It is very hard to get 

 pickers that will do good work and not muss the fruit. The 

 looks of the fruit goes along way towards selling it. 



Strawberries winter killed badly on account of the dry win- 

 ter, and grapes killed to the ground, and mulching with straw 

 did not seem to save them. I covered some of my vines with 

 earth and they came through fairly well and are loaded with 

 fruit, I also mulched some vines heavily without laying them 

 down, but it did no good, they killed to the ground just 

 the same. 



This grape proposition is ahead of me I confess and I don't 

 know where I am at. With the peach I have not scored much 

 of a success so far, but I have some nice peaches and I believe 

 we will get them used to our climate later on. I have some 



