262 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



which we have grown we have not found any of special value, but 

 our seedling-s numbers thirteen and fourteen have proven so ex- 

 ceptionally hardy, and withal of such good quality, that we have 

 decided to distribute one or both of them for trial as soon as we 

 can get a sufficient stock of plants to do so. 



Several hundred crosses have been made between the An- 

 cient Briton blackberry and the dewberry-blackberry hybrids, sent 

 out by Air. N. K. Fluke a number of years ago. Our blackberries 

 came through the past winter in good condition and are now white 

 with bloom. 



Six hundred potato seedlings have been raised from seed of 

 the best kinds, and about fifty varieties of potatoes have been plant- 

 ed out. Our aim is to obtain potatoes of greater resistance to 

 disease than any now grown. We find that' potato pollen is often 

 deficient in vitality, and we wish to make a study this summer of 

 the best way of procuring potato seed. 



The land for many years used for the small fruits of the horticul- 

 tural division will now be turned over to the agricultural division, 

 and in lieti thereof the horticultural division will have about ten 

 acres of land that has recently been purchased by the University. 



At present there is not sufficient room at University Farm for 

 the plant breeding work we should like to undertake. It is hoped 

 that the next legislature can be induced to make a suitable appro- 

 priation for this purpose. 



EXCELSIOR TRIAL STATION. 



A, B. LYMAN. 8UPT. 



The fruit' crop on young trees will be a short one this season, 

 while the trees in the older orchards that did not bear last year 

 are well loaded with fruit. Trees came through the winter in good 

 condition, there being no root injury and but little damage to 

 tops; some N. W. Greening and Anisim that overbore last season 

 look rather sick but may come out all right yet with favorable 

 conditions. 



There was a loss among young nursery trees that we had not 

 met with before, one and two year olds, especially one year olds, 

 cracked at the crown, and the bark was loose. The tops above the in- 

 jury were alive, and many of them have sent up new shoots 

 above the graft and will make good trees. This injury was at 

 t'he crown, the roots and trunk below the surface are alive. We 

 had a few hundred trees in parallel rows of the same varieties that 

 were grown from buds set in the fall of 1904 on baccata stocks 



