OVVATONNA TRIAL STATION. I43 



hardy, and a vigorous and upright grower, and the fruit is of a 

 very good quahty and a good keeper. 



Notwithstanding the severity of last winter, nearly all the seed- 

 lings at the station came out this spring (1904) without even the 

 loss of a terminal bud. This fact proves that they are hardy, but it 

 will take at least two years more to test the bearing qualities of 

 all the trees and the merits of the fruit. 



PLEASANT MOUNDS TRIAL STATION. 



J. S. PARKS, SUPT., AMBOY. 



The condition of fruit trees for going into winter is not very 

 favorable ; ground is now very dry, and trees have not made a 

 healthy growth ; they appear weak from last season's experience 

 with blight and scab, and fruit buds scarce. A few varieties of 

 apples fruited well, with nice smooth fruit, with no signs of scab — 

 and no spraying was used. More than half of the varieties of apples 

 did not bear a specimen of fruit. 



Our experience in top-working apple trees the last two years 

 was not at all encouraging except what were put on Hibernal and 

 Virginia crab. Nearly everything on Whitney No. 20, Duchess, 

 Haas, Walbridge, Saxton and a score of seedling trees have failed 

 from some cause. 



Our success with top-working plums was very satisfactory this 

 season. We got a choice lot of scions from Dewain Cook and other 

 sources, and nearly every graft grew finely. In most cases they 

 were put on small trees about four feet from the ground, expecting 

 to make the whole top of the grafted variety. 



Our two-year-old seedling apple trees from seed of Talman 

 Sweet, supposed to be fertilized by Wolf River, have blighted con- 

 siderably. The trees with a thick, large leaf, resembling the Wolf 

 River, have shown no signs of blight and have made a good growth, 

 while those resembling the Talman Sweet have nearly all died to 

 the ground. Several varieties of shrubs and trees from other 

 states are being tested as to hardiness and adaptability to our locality, 

 on which we will report hereafter. 



