136 HISTORY OK HORTICULTURE IN MINNESOTA. 



very successful with it. He also spoke highly of the Coucord. His soil was 

 clay with a limestone subsoil, or basis. His vines would generally set more 

 fruit than they would ripen. The best fruit upon which to educate the peo- 

 ple, as was suggested b}^ Mr. Smith, was the Transcendent Crab, until they 

 could raise something better. He had grown, in a single season, 1,500 pounds 

 of grapes. The best variety of raspberry was, in his opinion, the Seneca. 



Col. Stevens asked Mr. Gould for his experience about mulching. 



Mr. Gould said that last year he lost about 1,000 trees on a southern slope, 

 and he had never practiced mulching. If he could have four inches of snow 

 that was the best thing of all. Last winter was his first bad experience in 

 root killing. 



Mr. Smith instanced some nursery man in Vermont, wiio had had extraor- 

 dinary success with orchards by grafting altogether on crabs, his trees sell- 

 ing for ."51.00 each, where others brought only 2.5 cents. He mentioned this 

 for the benefit of the Society. 



Mr. Ford asked for something more specific about mulching, and hoped the 

 idea advanced by Mr. Gould would not go out. 



Col. Stevens said that the trouble had appeared always with the roots, not 

 the limbs of the trees, and his experience had been that trees not mulched 

 died, and those mulched did not. On sand.v soil it was constantly his expe- 

 rience that mulching was needful. 



Mr. Chas. H. Clark said mulching was an atl vantage in keeping the frost 

 back in the ground, and preventing the tree from coming forward too soon, 

 thus helping it ; and that trees most exposed and on highest grounds were 

 hardiest. 



Mr. Lowell was called on for a verbal report. 



Mr. H. E. Lowell said his experience was that grafts should be put upon 

 hardy seedlings, on trees of native growth: they would stand the climate 

 when no others would. He commenced the culture of fruit some 18 years 

 since, and had tried trees from ail parts of the count ry. and hr believed in 

 nuilching until the tree was thf)roughly established. 



The next report was from Mr. Mark T. Berry, as follows : 



I liave the loUowing kinds of apples and crabs that are bearing: 



Transcendent, Hyslop, Montreal Beauty, Soulard, Lady Crab and Transparent. 



Of standards that blossomed, and a part of them fruited the past season. T have the follow- 

 ing kinds: 



Duchess. Fameuse, Haas. Ben Davis, Perry Rnsset and Wine Sap. 



I also have some of the following kinds on trial: they are from one to eight years old. 1 

 have had them from one to five years: 



Red Astrachan, Red Romanite, Kirkbridge White. Jonathan. Bennni, Tallnian Sweet, 

 Wagoner. Grimes' Golden, Keswick Codlin. Alexander, Bellflower, Fourth of .July, Red June, 

 English Golden Russet, Early Harvest, Limber Twig, Sweet June, Fulton. Fall Orange, Sweet 

 Romanite, Calvert, Tetofsky, Stark, Blue Pearniain and Walbridge. 



Of the kinds that I have had the longest iiine, 1 would recommend the Haas, Ben Davis. 

 Fameuse, Perry Russet. Red Astrachan, and Calvert, as proving the hardiest. I now have 

 about 1*20 of them set out. and over IGO Transcendents\tnd Hyslops in bearing, besides the 

 small crabs. 



Of plums, I have some very good seedlings. 



Cherries— Early Richmond, Morello and Carnation in bearing. 



(.Currants have done very well. 



