392 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



growing in the valley were badly lodged, while upon the open 

 prairie, where the farms of the country are generally located, as a 

 rule the grain stood up beautifully and there was very little of it 

 showing the effects of wind. Superintendent Bedford has paid 

 more attention to fruit raising at this station than was given to 

 the subject at Indian Head, and he has growing a large number of 

 Pyrus baccata crab apple trees, probably twelve or fifteen feet high,^ 

 and also a good many varieties of the crosses of the Pyrus baccata 

 and Pyrus malus. Most of these trees are bearing fruit, and the 

 crosses especially were of interest as showing in the growth of the 

 tree and the appearance of the fruit, in many cases, traces of the 

 varieties with which the Pyrus baccata was crossed. There were 

 crosses in bearing with the Wealthy, Duchess, Fameuse, Hibernal 

 and many other sorts. There were many instances of top-working 

 of the Pyrus baccata, and we especially noted Transcendent trees 

 of good bearing size on this stock which seemed to be entirely 

 hardy. The Transcendent, it must be understood, is not hardy in 

 this section when grown and planted in the ordinary way as with us. 

 A weakness is developing in many of these trees practically un- 

 known in Minnesota. The leaves turn yellowish, showing with this 

 light yellow color the veins of the leaves very prominently. It is 

 evidently a disease to which the trees attacked will surely succumb. 

 No cause or remedy has been found as yet for this trouble. Most 

 of these trees are growing on the bottom lands at the foot of the 

 south hill slope previously referred to, a very warm place and one 

 that would be considered with us an especially unfavorable one. 

 Well up the hillside on this same south slope is a younger or- 

 chard, containing many varieties worked on Pyrus baccata stock. 

 These trees are young, only a few years transplanted, and no final 

 test has been made as to their success. Amongst them was one 

 small tree of the Hibernal which was bearing a little fruit, a pleas- 

 ant sight to see, though there was evidence that the previous year's 

 growth had been winter-killed some. We found also a single 

 branch of the Duchess top-worked on the same stock, with some 

 apples on it. Mr. Bedford takes a large and intelligent interest in 

 this orchard experiment work, and it will be wor-th while for those 

 of our readers who are interested in this sort of thing to secure 

 the report from this station and keep in touch with what is being 

 accomplished there. The ornamental shrubs, evergreens, etc., were 

 of about the same varieties and the measure of success about the 

 same as at Indian Head. We noted especially some very beautiful 

 specimens of Tartarian honeysuckle that were full of fruit of un- 

 usual size and brilliancy of color, far exceeding anything that we 



