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Secretary's ^ori^er, 



Are You — saving fruit for the coming annual meeting of this society — on 

 Dec. 5 to 8 ? See premium list on last page of this number. 



About the "Minnetonka" Apple— Those who bought trees for the Min- 

 netonka find it to be identical with the Longfield. My neighbor bought six 

 trees about ten years ago and not one lived long enough to bear an apple. 



Frank Yahnke Winona. 



An Extra Early Plum.— On the 10th day of August Mr. C. M. Jensen, 

 a member of our society shawed good sized wild plums grown in the woods 

 near his home, three miles east of Albert Lea, and the fruit was at that time 

 over ripe. The tree will be closely watched another season. — L. P. H. Highby. 



Georgia State Horticultural Society. — A report of the annual meet- 

 ing of this society, held September 5 and 6, appears in this issue. 

 Our readers will be especially interested in this report as it is from the pen 

 of Prof. Mackintosh, a life member of our society and for many years one of 

 its strong wot king members. 



About the "Minnetonka" Apple. — "I have visited a few farms where 

 'Minnetonkas' are grown. I sold a few and have planted them myself. The 

 apple sold here as 'Mianetonka' is an apple like the 'Gideon,' if not the same. 

 Tree very hardy, upright grower, quality excellent for pies and cooking. I 

 have also the 'Minnetonka' which bear the nicest 'Wealthy' apples for eating. 

 The fruit does not resemble the nice pictures shown by sellers of that tree." 

 Anton Wilwerding, Freeport. 



Seedling Plums. — An excellent seedling plum was received in the secre- 

 tary's ofl&ce on September 11 from C. A. Sargent, Red Wing, and entered in 

 competition for the Loring prize. It is a peach colored plum, a little short of 

 1>^ inches, the required size, a freestone, peeling readily, of firm flesh and 

 excellent flavor. On the same day specimens of five seedling plums were 

 received from C. G. Patten, Charles City, Iowa. One dark peach colored 

 specimen, marked No. 5, was a fruit of superior richness. The other plums 

 were a dark red color, all of good quality and probably freestones, and no as- 

 tringency about any of the lot. They varied in size from about 1^ inches to 

 1)^ inches and were taken together a remarkably fine lot of seedlings. So 

 far none of this last lot have been entered for the prize. 



Cherry Grafted on Plum. — Prof. N. E. Hansen in a recent letter, 

 speaking of the possibility of grafting cherries on plum, says: "In visiting 

 H. A. Terry, of Crescent City, Iowa, the originator of the Hawkeye plum, in 

 1896, I remember his showing me some Early Richmond trees which had 

 been worked some fifteen years before on hardy plum and were still in good 

 condition. In northern Iowa some years ago I remember there were some 

 cherry trees reported as doing well top-worked on hardy plum until twisted 

 off by a severe windstorm. The trouble in top-grafting the cherry on hardy 

 plum is the bark binding at the place of union, the grafting operation tend- 

 ing to dry up the bark, which comes off in strips around the tree. When the 

 time comes for the deposit of new wood this dried, non-elastic ring will not 

 give way and causes strangulation. Nurserymen prevent this by slitting the 

 bark in several places with a sharp knife, cutting just through the bark. 

 This is called "cutting the corset strings" in the nursery. The same trouble 

 is experienced with other kinds of top-grafting, especially in dry seasons." 



