84 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTUffAL SOCIETY. 



EXCELSIOR TRIAL STATION. 



H. M. LYMAN, SUPT. 



There has been a fair crop of apples about here the past season 

 where the caterpillars have been kept in check by epra3'ing-, hand- 

 picking- and other ways. Where not sprayed the caterpillars took 

 everything- in sight in the apple line, unless, it naay be, in a few 

 instances where the orchard was remote from timber. I have not 

 noticed many eggs deposited in the timber this fall, so I think we 

 may reasonably expect to be nearly free from them another year. 



Trees have made a good growth and have well-ripened wood and 

 look as if they would stand a fairly hard winter's freeze. However 

 some of the very young trees have continued to grow until quite 

 late and will doubtless kill back considerably. 



I sprayed most of my trees with London purple, whicn was seem- 

 ingly verj^ beneficial in producing plump fruit, although I think it 

 would have been better to have sprayed once before the blossom 

 formed. As our orchards grow older we shall have more trouble 

 from the ravages of insects, but by judicious management we can 

 surmount all such obstacles against fruit growing. 



Of varieties I have on trial, I would place the following as quite 

 hardy: Charlamoff, Christmas, Rosa Repka, Lubsk Queen, Anisim, 

 Antinovka, Harry Kaump and Patton. 



The Lowland Raspberry is a very good early apple and will stand 

 quite a degree of cold. It is somewhat subject to blight, although 

 not as much so as the Wealthy. The Longfield, Xalinda, Utter's 

 Red and McMahon are about in the same degree for hardiness and 

 will not stand a severe cold winter; therefore, they should be top- 

 worked on hardy stocks. I have the best results in grafting them 

 on hardy Minnesota seedlings that have originated from Siberian 

 stock. 



In regard to seedlings: I find that seeds from the Wealthy apple 

 produce fruit of larger size and better quality than all others that I 

 tried, and most of them are longer keepers than the Wealthy and of 

 high quality. 



The Martha crab is rather late in coming into bearing, but verj^ 

 free from blight. Wouid it not be a good stock to graft upon? The 

 tree is an upright and fast grower. 



I have practiced girdling in the past for early bearing but find 

 that varieties which are at all subject to blight had best be left out. 

 I have never been able yet to cause the Peerless to blight by gird- 

 ling, and there are also several other varieties that are equally free 

 from it. . 



EUREKA TRIAL STATION. 



C. W. SAMPSON, SUPT. 

 Small fruits, plants and grape vines came through the winter of 

 1897-8 in excellent shape with the exception of red raspberries, which 

 were badly winter-killed where the canes were not laid down. The 

 Turner, one of our hardiest varieties, was killed to the ground. The 

 only safe way is to lay them down and cover with earth. Straw- 

 berries came out in good shape and bore a very heavy crop, owing 



