EXCELSIOR TRIAL STATION. 1 39 



The Okabena apple is making a good record. The tree is hardy 

 and productive, and the fruit is a good market apple which ripens 

 just at the right time to fill in between Duchess and Wealthy. 



Our Wealthy seedlings show no sign of injury because of the 

 past winter. Some of the late varieties we think will prove of value 

 to the apple interest of the northwest. 



MINNESOTA CITY TRIAL STATION. 



O. M. LORD, SUPT. 



Apples. — I have experimented with apples for more than fifty 

 years, my first effort was with lOO Michigan trees, which only lived 

 two or three years. I then tried fifty northern Illinois kinds ; they 

 all died. I then planted lOO from the seed, trees grown here ; they 

 lived much longer than the others, but the fruit was all fall and 

 summer, and much of it worthless. 



Some of the kinds I have experimented with are given below . 

 Red Astrachan, Pewaukee, Plumb's Cider, Fameuse, Walbridge, 

 Red Warrior, Cresco, twelve kinds of Russians from Tuttle ; also 

 Golden Russett, Peach, Ben Davis, Soiree, Willow Twig, Wine Sap, 

 Shockly, Kately Sweet, Utter's, St. Lawrence, Rollin's Prolific and 

 Pippin, Sops of Wine, Windsor Chief, Wrights, Bellflower. 



I have now in bearing several seedlings of the Wealthy that 

 promise very well ; also the Hibernal, Gideon's No. 6, Longfield, 

 McMahon, Duchess, Holt, Wealthy, Anisim, Kline, Early Straw- 

 berry, six Thomson's Seedlings, Northwestern Greening, Okabena, 

 University, Patten's Greening, Utter's Red and some seedlings of 

 unknown origin. I have had more and better apples from the 

 Wealthy trees than all others put together, and if I had planted none 

 but Wealthy would have been relieved of much work and some 

 money uselessly spent. 



Plums. — Plums were a large crop all over the state, and prices 

 were low, about $i.oo per bushel for the best. There has been 

 a marked change in the quality of wild plums in the last few years. 

 The Miner, the De Soto, the Cheney, etc., have given place to the 

 Surprise, the Brittlewood, the Free Silver and others of large size 

 and good quality. The plum curculio was not as prevalent as usual ; 

 no plums having been borne for two years before, it had no op- 

 portunity to increase. The gouger adapted itself to apples in the 

 absence of plums, and in some places it was quite prevalent. 



Among those varieties that made the best showing this year 

 were the Free Silver, Wittman's No. i, Surprise, Wolf, Ocheeda, 

 Wyant, Comfort, Stoddard and Gaylord. The Cheney was bitter 



