92 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Newer varieties doing- well and fruiting- heavily, were: Acker's 

 Duchess, fruit above medium size, yellow and red striped, mild acid 

 tiavor, season, late September. Stubb's Iron Clad, medium size, 

 g-reenish-yellow with light blush on sun-side, mild acid, fair qual- 

 ity, season probably early October. Mills' seedling, medium size, 

 red striped, fair quality, probable season December; tree productive, 

 blights some. Patten's Russet — not a russet but said to be a seed- 

 ling of Perry Russet — medium to large size, good quality, season 

 later than Duchess, tree vigorous, healthy and productive. Patten's 

 Greening, fruit medium to large, good quality, season early Octo- 

 ber, hardy tree, medium vigorous, resists blight well and is very 

 productive. 



Northwestern Greening is doing well. 



Yearly's Winter looked to be promising, — about as hardy as 

 Wealthy and said to be a good keeper. 



Phoenix Duchess No. 49 is a good tree, fruit medium size and good 

 appearance but of indifferent flavor; season October. 



A seedling of Duchess crossed with Rawle's Jann,ett is a fine and 

 promising tree. I did not secure samples of the fruit. 



Gideon's October scabs badly here, but the apple propagated 

 under the name of Gideon (the true Gideon) is an apple of fine 

 appearance and good quality; season earlj^ September. 



But few notes were taken on the Russians, although it was noticed 

 that many of them blighted very badly, and others are shy bearers. 

 The best noted were Duchess, Hibernal, Charlamotf, Cross, Anisim 

 and Longfield. 



Hundreds of seedlings have been brought into early bearing by 

 the process of girdling, but, in our estimation, the season of ripening, 

 and quality, size and appearance of the fruit of fully one-half of 

 them is against their being named, described or kept on trial, and 

 we suggest that at their next fruiting a competent committee be 

 appointed to assist Mr. Dartt in weeding out the unworthy. 



As an orchardist and nurseryman Mr. Dartt has had large experi- 

 ence and shown himself to be fully competent to manage the station, 

 and his management appears to be entirely satisfactory to the 

 authorities over him, and he is entitled to such aid and encourage- 

 ment from the State Horticultural Sdciet}' as they are able to give 

 him. 



THE OWATONNA TRIAL STATION AT SHORT 

 RANGE. 



WYMAN ELLIOT, MINNEAPOLIS. 



In company with several horticultural friends we visited E. H. 

 S. Dartt, superintendent of the Owatonna tree station, that we might 

 get a glimpse of his methods of tree propagation and girdling at 

 short range. W^e found the work had been faithfully performed along 

 modern experimental lines, and there were several hundred apple 

 and crab trees fully laden with fruit, some very good but more 

 without size, quality, or worth}' of propagation. There was much 

 at this tree station that would interest and instruct the ordinary 

 layman in horticulture and which appeared to be of future value. 



The station was started in the spring of 1887, with an area of five 

 acres of prairie land, somewhat variable in character, from clay 



