82 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



flat, open prairie, is doing surprisingly well, and this year the 

 larger trees in it gave a moderate crop of apples, so that perhaps 

 thirty barrels were harvested, most of them early kinds, such as 

 Borovinka, Duchess and Charlamoff. Our other orchards of bearing 

 size were also quite productive, and the outlook is that at no distant 

 day we shall have a surplus of fruit to dispose of. Our seedling 

 orchard has made very satisfactory progress, and while it is not old 

 enough to bear yet it has made verj^ satisfactory growth, and it looks 

 as though we might get very interesting results from it. Nearly 

 three acres have been planted in the new orchard, which has been 

 filled entirely with kinds of most promising hardiness. It is the 

 intention to make this a modern cocomercial orchard rather than 

 an experimental orchard. This seems advisable from the fact that 

 so few people seem to be able to interpret the vacancies which must 

 exist in an experiment orchard, but rather look upon the death of 

 trees as discouraging, yet in reality the vacancies oftimes give us 

 most valuable lessons. It is my intention to keep this orchard 

 thoroughly well cultivated. On the approach of winter all the trees 

 were laid flat on the ground and covered with soil and mulch. Such 

 position not only prevents climatic injuries but protects from mice 

 and rabbits. 



On our grounds the Hibernal and a number of other varieties of 

 trees are rather tardy about coming into bearing, and in '97 I 

 girdled a few of them with the object of hastening the fruiting 

 period, which it has done very successfully without apparent inj ury 

 to the trees. 



Our crop of plums was very light, only a few varieties fruiting 

 heavily. I was not sorry for this, though, as our trees have over- 

 borne for several years past and needed a chance to make wood, 

 which they have done the past season. 



Our vineyards have pretty well recovered from the severe winter 

 injury of two years ago and this year gave very fair crops of fruit. 

 We have planted a new vineyard in the garden, and it is the inten- 

 tion to do away with the one on the hillside opposite the Drill Hall 

 as soon as this one comes into bearing. 



I have been rather interested this year in trying to keep grapes in 

 an ordinary cellar, and have had the best success with the Lindley, 

 though the Agawam has done very well. By packing them in the 

 cellar in dry sawdust I have been able to keep them in good edible 

 condition until the latter part of February, at which time they were 

 crisp and of good flavor, with the exception that they had taken up 

 a little of the taste of the sawdust. I believe that such long keeping 

 kinds as the Agawam and Lindley, which bear very well in this sec- 

 tion, should be grown to a greater extent, for the reason that they 

 keep such a long time and are very productive. 



The crop of raspberries was remarkably good, and perhaps never 

 before did we have such an abundance as the past season. I would 

 call especial attention to the Loudon as being, in my opinion, the 

 best red raspberry for general use for the market or home. The 

 King is an early red raspberry, but scarcely earlier than the Loudon, 

 and while fully as productive early in the season it does not hold 



