74 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



and plants came out in the spring in good shape and made a good 

 growth this year. Low temperature is not the great thing to be 

 feared. Too much moisture is as bad as too Httle, both of which 

 can be largely overcome. Most of the losses are from other causes. 

 Most of the so-called tender plants and trees stand the cold better 

 than they stand neglect. Some of the trees purchased are dead or 

 nearly so before being set out, and many that are set out without 

 being trimmed in root or branch and then crowded into small holes 

 are left to grow if they can. Is it any wonder that so few trees 

 grow or soon die and men say that it does not pay to raise apples, 

 and that apples will not grow for the ordinary man? 



The fruit crop was fair on the whole. Apples were not an aver- 

 age crop and a very uneven one — some trees being heavily loaded, 

 while many had but a light crop. Some trees that have been annual 

 bearers almost failed this year. The crop was late, owing to the 

 cold and moist season and fruit was not up to the usual size. 



Reports from the Duchess, Wealthy, Patten's Greening and Hi- 

 bernal were almost without exception favorable. There is no risk in 

 planting any of these trees with fair surroundings. Most of the 

 other varieties have not been tried as long or as extensively. Re- 

 ports are favorable as to the Longfield, Antonovka, Peerless, Uni- 

 versity, Malinda, Charlamof, Okabena and other varieties. The 

 great trouble with most of the Russian varieties is blight and not 

 being long keepers. 



Blight is the great trouble to be contended with, and with no 

 known remedy except cutting of the blighted limbs. The best thing 

 to suggest is to plant only those varieties that are not subject to 

 blight and to discard blighting varieties. 



Some have become discouraged in planting grafted trees and 

 state most emphatically that the seedling is the only hope, and they 

 base their assertions upon their own experience. I think there is 

 something in it, but cannot fully agree with them, as my experience 

 does not quite agree with theirs, having lost a good many seedlings 

 by blight. 



Of the crabs, the Martha continues to be a non-productive tree, 

 although a fine, hardy tree, but of no use as a fruit bearing tree. 

 The keeping of the Martha on the fruit list of the society for so 

 long did not improve the recommendations of our society. 



The Florence, Minnesota, Virginia and Early Strawberry are re- 

 ported as proving to be good trees to plant. I think the society 

 should go very slow in placing new names on the fruit list. 



The plum crop was good. The curculio was not much in evi- 

 dence. There is little to fear from planting any of the varieties 



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