100 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



We tried pinching off the tops of the rank scions and saved all 

 those thus treated — and they made a better and more symmetri- 

 cal top. 



A few top-worked half hardy varieties of apples, such as 

 Baldwin, Northern Spy and others, on Virginia crab, three years 

 old, have proved hard}- so far and are doing nicely. 



A lot of pyrus baccata used as stocks to graft and bud on 

 have not proved satisfactory. They made slow growth and 

 some blighted. We are not pleased with the experience so far. 

 Our seedling bed, from seed of Wolf River fertilized on Tolman 

 .Sweet, two and three years old, presents a sorry appearance. 

 Most all blighted tops that are dead show the strong characteris- 

 tics of the Tolman Sweet in their make up, while seedlings of 

 Wolf River fertilized by Tolman Sweet that have not blighted 

 show the Wolf River blood in tlieir make U]). which never blights 

 to speak of. 



SAUK RAPIDS TRIAL STATION, ANNUAL REPORT. 



MRS. JENNIE STAGER, SUPT. 



The past fruit season was not an entirely satisfactory one on 

 account of the cold, wet spring and summer. Strawberries started 

 well in the spring, but when in full bearing and nearly ripe, pre- 

 sumably from need of moisture at the roots the fall before, sud- 

 denly whole fields of them were stricken and died in a day and 

 night. Currants and gooseberry did well, although late in 

 ripening. Raspberries, both black and red, had good crops. For 

 red raspberries we depend mostly on the Turner. The Columbia 

 also gives us a good crop of large berries but not firm, therefore 

 not so good for market. We never lay our canes down. Our 

 young apple orchard gave us plenty of apples and was entirely 

 free from scab or blight; but plums, I am sorry to say, not- 

 withstanding being well sprayed, rotted badly. 



Most all of our flowering shrubs seemed to thrive even if the 

 weather was cold and wet — and were covered with bloom. With 

 the exception of some seven hundred peonies, a number of phlox 

 and some columbines received from C. S. Harrison, of York, 

 Nebraska, and a basket of greenhouse plants from Prof. S. B. 

 (ireen, nothing new wris planted this year. 



