238 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
Bad Luck in the Red River Valley—My trees stood the winter better 
than I expected after the wrecking they got last August 10th, but with the 
warm, dry winds and drouth of this spring leaves began fading away and 
blossoms wilted, and those trees that showed some vigor were destroyed 
under a “cataract of wood splitters and post hole borers,” called hail, on 
Sunday the 13th inst. Out of over 200 plum trees not a single tree is alive. 
Currants, gooseberries and sand cherries are all dead—old and young trees. 
all alike. The Crandall currant is one of the strongest to stand a good whip- 
ping, and some of the crabs and apples stand also a good deal, such as 
Lieby, Charlottenthaler, Hibernal, Patten’s Greening, Virginia, Greenwood, 
Arctic, Florence, Striped Anis and Early Strawberry.—Ole J. Hagen, 
Hendrum, Minn.,May 22. 
NOTES ON MAY HORTICULTURIST. 
Mr. Patten strikes the key note of top-working when he quotes the 
words of Wilder, and when he says owing to expense this work should be 
done by experiment stations—I often wish they were liberal enough to give 
more attention to it. 
I have some lessons in my orchard this season that are worth miles of 
travel to a fruit grower to see, and I had some started at Wausau, which 
were they carried out and reported on properly would be very valuable. 
One tree, at home, in particular, I call New Wealthy. It grew ina Wealthy 
row, and to all appearance is a Wealthy. One scientific man says it is a 
sport of the Wealthy. Still the fruit is different, and if anything is hand- 
somer than the Wealthy. But I cannot say as to quality as it only bore five 
apples the first year, and they were stolen at the La Crosse fair, and last 
year it bore about one dozen, which were stolen from the tree; but I will 
watch it close this year. It top-works wonderfully on the Hibernal, one tree 
of which was girdled by mice last winter. I have it preserved to show if I go 
to fairs or winter meetings this year. 
I dislike to criticise Uncle Dartt when he is not present to talk back, 
but he says, page 168, that we can just as well grow a stock hardy enough as 
to top-graft. Now hardiness is not all we are after. Some of our hardiest 
trees are lacking in vigor, and vigor and strength to grow a top and produce 
fruit is what I am after. Obstructing the sap of the Virginia does not make 
the Wealthy bear earlier, but working Wealthy on Virginia certainly makes 
it bear more years. 
I am glad you published the beautiful picture of Dartt’s pond, and that 
you called it a park. At your meeting I called it a dam, and that sounded 
rough. The picture looks natural, though the bathers were not in when I~ 
was there in December last—but the houses and rafts were there. My 
imagination says that if the artist had extended the view one inch farther to 
the left that Dartt could have been seen sitting in his buggy with old John 
hitched to it, or sitting in his big chair, giving orders and wishing he was 
younger so he could build more dams. 
Am glad Prof. Green had a chance and has improved it to go to Europe 
—only wish he had taken me with him. I believe it would have been money 
well invested, at least for me. Before I stop I must say that I admired your 
cut of the home of Mrs. Bonniwell. It is to me an evidence of kindness in 
that family in arranging the group for .the artist gave the faithful 
dog such a prominent place, and I can almost hear the old lady tell him to 
keep still. Her biography is interesting and worthy the place you so kindly 
gave it—A. J. Philips, West Salem, Wis. 
