276 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



PLEASANT MOUNDS TRIAL STATION 



J. S. PARKS, SUPT., AMBOY. 



This Station came through the past winter without the loss of 

 a bud or hmb. I never saw trees or plants in better shape for a 

 crop of fruit, and apple trees especially are now set for the heaviest 

 crop ever seen on our trees. There are no signs of spur blight or 

 other trouble. 



A few plum trees are a little shy — the Aitken and a few others 

 that blossomed earliest got a little frost and will not bear a full 

 crop. 



Currants and gooseberries are late and may be a light crop. 



Strawberries are late but never gave better promise of a bounti- 

 ful yield — no insect enemies so far on plants. 



We have just used the last of our Baldwin apples raised last 

 season, top-worked on Virginia crab. We expect some choice fruit 

 this season top-worked on Hibernal and Virginia crab. 



We saw a new enemy among our apples this morning, June 19. 

 Two big crow blackbirds were in a Duchess tree picking and swal- 

 lowing apples as a robin would cherries. Who has seen or known 

 of this before? 



WEST CONCORD TRIAL STATION. 



FRED COWLES, SUPT. 



The spring of 1907 will go down in history as an unusual sea- 

 son. In March we had a few summer days but, fortunately, not 

 enough to start growth. Then April and May were cold with just 

 enough moisture to make the soil favorable for planting. The 

 leaves did not start until the middle of May, so we were not crowded 

 as last year. Everything wintered well. Nothing root-killed, and 

 but few things killed back in the nursery. 



As to the prospects of fruit this year I will commence with the 

 strawberry, as that is the first fruit to ripen. The prospects now 

 are for a good crop, altho it will be very late. I doubt if we shall 

 pick any fruit to speak of before the Fourth of July. Where the 

 plants were not covered well they root-killed but where covered 

 look very well. Columbian raspberries that were not covered 

 killed back some, but Older stood well unprotected. King stood 

 the winter well. Gooseberries and currants are full of fruit, altho 

 the clusters of currants are not full on accopnt of a frost while in 

 blossom. 



The prospects for apples are very good, as most varieties are 

 well filled with bloom. Patten's Greening is unusually full in my 



