LA CRESCENT TRIAL STATION. 267 
Wilder, Moore’s Ruby, Red Cross and Fuller al] seem to be promising and 
are doing better this season than the Red Dutch or Prince Albert. Reports 
on other fruits will be made later, except we will state that all trees in the 
trial nursery wintered well and are making a fine, healthy growth. 
MINNESOTA CITY TRIAL STATION. 
O. M. LORD, SUPT. 
An unusual drouth has prevailed through May and wp to this time. 
Strawberries have suffered, both new plants and those in fruiting. The 
fruit is small in size and prices are low. Currants promise a good crop, and 
are now ripening. Red raspberries at this place are a failure this year. 
Black raspberries are much better than the reds. The Palmers are ready to 
pick: Gregg and Nemaha not ripe. The Conrath will be discarded. Black- 
berries where protected are a large crop; even the wild bushes are loaded 
with fruit. What few cherries are in bearing look very well. The Ostheim 
is ripening. The Wragg and Russians are still green. Apples now appear 
very promising, especially the Wealthy and Duchess. Plum trees are also 
loaded with fruit, though somewhat affected by drouth. A shower on 
Thursday (June 21) has revived them. Several varieties not grown here 
before have been grafted this spring and are doing well. Also a dozen 
apple trees of kinds that have not before been tried here. 
The ground was well supplied with moisture in the spring, so that well- 
rooted trees and plants have not been affected with drouth as much as those 
set late, though where thorough cultivation has been given it has been more 
effective than mulching. 
The season so far has been peculiar in regard to insects. The Colorado 
beetle very destructive; very few curculio; no aphides, or plant lice; and I 
have not been able to find on my place any plum pods, or pockets. This 
serves to confirm my opinion, expressed to the society heretofore, that this 
difficulty is the result of climatic conditions more than of any inherent dis- 
ease. 
PLEASANT MOUNDS TRIAL STATION. 
J. S. PARKS, SUPT. 
There is very little to report from this station. The past winter was 
quite severe on sinail fruits, but apple trees came through with small loss. 
No one variety seemed to suffer in particular. Grapes pruned and laid down 
in the fall and covered with earth were killed. Raspberries not covered 
were all killed to the ground. Strawberries not covered were killed se- 
verely, while covered ones suffered much loss. 
The prospect for fruit this season is not very flattering. Some varieties 
of apples, especially the crab varieties and some seedlings, are pretty weil 
loaded, while some of the standard varieties are lacking in that abundance 
we desired. 
Wild plums will be about one-third of a crop. Nut-bearing trees will 
have very little fruit this year. We have many bearing trees that gave us a 
bountiful crop last year, and now we are using black walnuts for fuel, after 
disposing of all we could. We have set this year—with what we had before 
