LA CRESCENT TRIAL STATION. 59 
Blight has been unusually severe, and few trees have escaped. The 
Hibernal, Virginia crab and Wolf River have blighted badly, and some 
blight is seen on Patten’s Greening and Peerless. The apple crop was light, 
of rather poor quality, and ripened so early that winter varieties would not 
keep well. 
All trees except those badly injured in the tops have ripened up their 
season’s growth well and are well supplied with fruit buds, but during the 
very warm weather of late October the buds have swollen considerably. 
Trees that were considerably injured in the tops are filled with immature 
shoots that are likely to be killed back during this coming winter. The 
ground at the present date is very dry about the roots, and should winter 
set in without rains or an ample covering of snow there will be great danger 
of severe root-killing. 
A few experiments of top-working on stocks of uncertain hardiness 
and blighting propensities have resulted in failure, as the trunks blight and 
winter-kill below the grafts, and the tops have shown more tendency to 
blight where put upon bad blighting kinds. 
A few experiments in girdling have not brought satisfactory results, 
and we cannot advise its practice only for the purpose of bringing seedlings 
or unknown varieties into earlier bearing, in order to get some idea of the 
quality of their fruit. The girdling is a tax or shock on the trunk or root 
of the tree below the point of girdling, and does not conduce to permanent 
fruitfulness, unless repeated about every second year, and tends to invite 
insects, blight and premature death. The fruit is hastened in maturity, 
liable to drop prematurely, and will not keep as long as fruit grown on 
healthy ungirdled trees. 
Our best raspberries this year were the Loudon and Red King, in reds; 
and the Older, in black. 
The Pomona currant is very promising, is a free grower and liberal 
fruiter. We have this year added to our collection the Wilder and Red 
Cross. 
In: gooseberries, the Houghton, Red Jacket and Pearl endured the last 
winter the best. The Downing was considerably injured, and the,Queen, 
Champion and Triumph were killed outright. 
All varieties of the native plum (P. Americana) appeared to endure the 
winter without injury, but the Oxford, Aitkin and Cheney blossomed so 
early that they were not pollenized, and the fruit nearly all turned to plum 
pockets. Among the very best and most reliable for fruit are the De Soto, 
Rollingstone, Cotterell, Wyant, Gaylord and Stoddard. 
The cherry crop was nearly a failure this year, although the trees do not 
appear to have been seriously injured. 
Nearly all yearling apple trees in the nursery were considerably dis- 
colored: also many of the two-year-olds, and the Ben Davis were killed 
down nearly to the ground. The Springdale is proving too tender for this 
climate: besides the trees are inclined to bark-burst near the surface of the 
ground. 
Present indications are that a considerable number of the newer North- 
western seedlings will prove hardy enough for planting in all favorable loca- 
tions. The Russian, Red Wine, Juicy White, Sklonka, Skrout, German, 
Sweet Pipka, 30m, 1056, 224, Holdfast, Ostrehoe and some others do not 
appear to be worthy of any further trial. 
