OWATONNA TRIAL STATION. 93 



loam to black, muck soil. The location is verj'^ well adapted to 

 a work of this nature. Adjoining' the station is the grounds of the 

 home for the orphans and homeless of our state, on which there have 

 been planted 800 trees in orchard from this station. These are just 

 coming into bearing. 



To attempt any coQcise description of the many varieties under 

 trial would be impossible. There have been collected from ten 

 states and originated on this place over 1,000 varieties of grafts and 

 seedlings. The method of propagation has been by short piece 

 root, top-grafting and root-cuttings. On inquiry we learned that 

 the superintendent had not discovered that the method of propa- 

 gation influences hardiness of the trees. The theory advanced is 

 that varieties top-grafted stand better because they are up some 

 distance from the ground and escape snow line injuries; also that 

 scions of rapidly growing trees grafted into any root are likely to 

 impart elements of growth to the root and vice versa; that the 

 element of hardiness is not thus transmitted; and Bacon says: 

 "The scion overruleth the stock, and the stock is but passive and 

 giveth aliment but no motion to the graft." Here every variety is 

 treated as near alike as is possible, and their behavior in the 

 nursery is carefully noted in a record book for reference. Fertil- 

 ization is left to the work of the bees. It is estimated that nearly 

 one-fourth of the trees bore fruit this year, mostly from the effects 

 of girdling. From what I saw, I should judge that a large per- 

 centage of the seedlings in fruit were of no value, on account of 

 their small size, poor quality and propensity to blight. A few of 

 these trees, no doubt, will prove valuable acquisitions. 



The superintendent has great expectations from the use of gird- 

 ling tests, to decide whether a tree is hardy or worthy of 

 propagation; also as a means of controlling their bearing in the ofif 

 years. The quality of some of the fruit was most excellent, but I 

 failed to find an}' superior or equal to the Wealthy. The development 

 of apple raising in our state as a successful industry depends largely 

 in the future upon the experiment work done by the horticul- 

 turists and at our trial stations. What we most need is results 

 good and plenty that will give added hopes to those who have 

 been discouraged by past failures, and these can only be obtained 

 by persistent investigation, seeking for the varieties that have the 

 greatest number of valuable points recommending them for 

 cultivation. Where there are so many climatic difficulties to 

 overcome and so much ignorance about the principles governing 

 fruit culture among a large class of our rural population, it 

 requires extra effort to be made by the members of this society 

 and their co-workers at all our experiment and trial stations to 

 make this a No. 1 fruit growing state. We, as a progressive society 

 and people, should not cripple this class of needed work by 

 parsimonious appropriations for the support of intelligent effort 

 to be done in developing hardy varieties of fruit for this climate. 

 In conclusion, my individual thought is that the efforts being put 

 forth along experimental lines at the Owatonna tree station will 

 prove helpful and instructive to our horticulturists and should be 

 continued, provided detailed reports are prepared, printed and 

 distributed by bulletin and the press. 



