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MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



SAUK RAPIDS TRIAL STATION. 



MRS. JENNIE STAGER, SUPT. 



Our Strawberries gave us a fine crop this year. Warfield fertil- 

 ized by Bederwood still gives us the greatest amount of fruit to the 

 acre. The Clyde bore very large berries and was very prolific but 

 would only do for a near market. Brandywine was the largest 

 berry we raised ; in fact, every one who saw them was astonished 

 at their size, but they ripen very unevenly and not many to the plant ; 

 still being so large they pay us to raise them. 



Currants and gooseberries bore very poorly with the exception of 

 Pearl (a new variety with me), which gave a very good showing, 

 being quite large and having no signs of mildew on the fruit or 

 bush. Red raspberries gave us an exceedingly good crop, espe- 

 cially Turner and Columbian. Gregg, black raspberry, was quite 

 well loaded but smaller than usual. 



All of our Russian cherries, with few exceptions, winter-killed. 

 As they have lived through a number of severer winters I am at a 

 loss to know what killed them. Some of the Wragg and Homer 

 came out all right, as well as the Compass. The two former did 

 not fruit, but Compass was loaded with fruit which rotted before 

 half ripe. Somehow it seemed to be a hard winter for cherries. 



Plums were plentiful, but I was obliged to gather them before 

 quite ripe, or they rotted. As the trees had been well sprayed, why 

 did the plums rot? We had a good crop of Wealthys, some extra 

 large Antonovkas, and our Sweet Russets were very large compared 

 to what they generally are, but most of those trees that were loaded 

 with apples last year had no fruit this. They made a fine growth. 

 Although we lost about a dozen of apple and plum trees through 

 high winds, none were winter-killed. 



We had an enormous quantity of buffalo berries, which we made 

 into jelly, of a beautiful color, and in my opinion of as nice a taste 

 as currant jelly ; certainly it sold as well. And there was one great 

 advantage — we had to fight no insects, as we do on the currant ; and 

 as they are both hardy and ornamental I should advise more plant- 

 ing of them. 



Most of our flowering shrubs were literally covered with blos- 

 soms, as were also our roses. Princess Adelaide, a pink moss rose, 

 had shoots from eight to ten feet high and were covered with clus- 

 ters of large, mossy, pink roses, while a great many of the roses 

 bloomed at intervals until September. 



Pseonies made a splendid showing. At least a dozen received 

 from C. G. Harrison, of York, Nebr., and planted in the spring, 



