CENTRAL TRIAL STATION, ST. ANTHONY PARK. 249 



JVfidsiiEQii^er J^epopts, 1905. 



CENTRAL TRIAL STATION, ST. ANTHONY PARK. 



PROF. S. B. GREEN, SUPT. 



This seems to be a spring in which everything is doing well, 

 and we have an unusual exemption too from injurious insects. 

 Nursery stock and fruit plants as a whole have come through the 

 past winter in good condition, and the outlook is for an exception- 

 ally good crop of apples, plums and small fruits. 



From some sections there were reports that the strawberries 

 were rather weak early in the season, but I think since the weather 

 has been so favorable that they have pretty generally picked up 

 and are now doing well. 



The ornamental plants on our campus are in a very good con- 

 dition, and there has been very little winter injury. Our snow- 

 balls, as usual, were infested this year with the aphis, and we 

 covered them with a tent and smoked them with tobacco, which 

 had an excellent effect. I think our horticulturists should be more 

 familiar with the use of tobacco smoke for destroying lice of dif- 

 ferent kinds on shrubs and trees. It is very effective and quite 

 easily managed. 



Our fruit tree and shrub seeds have started very well, and the 

 outlook is promising. 



We have raised about 1,500 potato seedlings this year, from 

 which we expect interesting results. This is a line of experi- 

 ment that is just now attracting much attention, and the object 

 of it is to determine what varieties resist to the greatest extent the 

 potato rot and blight. 



We have about fifty peony seedlings flowering at this time, 

 among which are some of considerable merit. They vary in color 

 from single deep reds with brilliant yellow stamens to light pinks — 

 many also are very double. If we did not have such a large num- 

 ber of excellent varieties in cultivation I should certainly expect 

 to name a few of them, as they appear to be worthy of cultivation. 



We are making a special point this year of the Beta grape seed- 

 lings, of which we have several hvmdred. This grape is perfectly 

 hardy and of a good enough c|uality for general farm use, although 

 not quite good enough for marketing. It is sweet enough so that 

 children and others with good appetites will eat it greedily, and 

 it is a most excellent grape for jelly. It, too. has the merit 

 of l)eing extremely productive, and it ripens early. \\'e are propa- 



