94 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



SAUK RAPIDS TRIAL STATION. 



MISS JENNIE STAGER, SUPT. 



We had a wonderful spring-. Every tree and fruit plant was 

 loaded with blossoms and fruit. Our usual hard spring frosts 

 deserted us, and we were happy. We have never had a larger crop 

 of strawberries, currants and gooseberries. But the worms came; 

 not the ones whose eggs were laid in our trees and bushes; those 

 were cut out and burned; but others that came in shoals from out- 

 side; and despite all our pains they did a great deal of damage to 

 the other fruits. As the evergreens and other trees and bushes 

 are full of their cocoons, we are afraid of another infliction next 

 summer. However, I think we have learned a lesson that may 

 help us if they come again. 



VIOLA TRIAL STATION. 



WILLIAM SOMERVILLE, SUPT. 



Not being able to attend the late winter meeting of the society 

 and not able to send in a report then, I felt it my duty to do so later 

 that friends who have sent me stock for experimental purposes 

 may feel I am not ungrateful. Our crop of small fruits was light, 

 but we had sufficient for home consumption. Our apple crop was 

 large but fruit small, especially the fall and winter varieties, in 

 consequence of drouth. The market for early varieties and prices 

 paid would not justify the picking and barreling of the fruit, and 

 as we always make a hog pasture of our orchard we left them in 

 all summer and fall, and as soon as the apples began to fall we 

 ceased feeding. The hogs did well on the fruit, so that this fall 

 we had a half hundred or more for the market that we did not feed 

 over 100 bushels of corn to. So, if we did not get the profit in fruit 

 we did get it in pork. Our fall and winter varieties we picked and 

 sold for sixty-five cents a bushel. 



As for my experimental work, I have had but little sent me for 

 that purpose. Professor Green, two years ago last spring, sent me 

 four plum trees. They have made a good growth, but have not 

 fruited yet. Also, last spring through him I received from Pro- 

 fessor Budd, of Ames, Iowa, nineteen varieties of Russian cherry 

 trees, that I hope in a few years to give a good account of. I also 

 received last spring from Mr. Penning, two Surprise plum trees, 

 that grew well. 



Five years ago last spring I received from Lake City Nursery 

 Company some North Star currants, that produced more fruit than 

 any other variety I have. They, also, since that time, have sent me 

 a number of different varieties of gooseberry brush that have 

 grown well and produced fine fruit; also the Aiken plum, the 

 earliest large plum I have a knowledge of. The fruit is fair quality. 

 They also sent me, five years ago, twelve trees of what they called 

 Thomson's seedlings, six different numbers. I have watched them 

 closely every year to see what eflfect the winter would have on 

 them and believe them to be much hardier in wood than the 

 Wealthy. They all fruited this year, several of them having more 



