VIOLA TRIAL STATION. 95 



than a bushel to the tree. The fruit was large, of a good color and 

 fair quality. They hang- on the tree well, as we did not pick ours 

 till the first of October, and we have them in the cellar in good 

 condition at this date (January 6.) They also, three years ago, sent 

 me six numbers more, and they have nearly all fruited. Taking 

 them together they were the finest lot of seedling apples I ever saw- 



WINDOM TRIAL STATtON. 



DEWAIN COOK, SUPT. 



There is but little to add to the midsummer report of this station. 



The Breskovka was the first apple to ripen. The quality was good 

 for eating out of hand. This variety seems to be a good bearer, a 

 little subject to blight, but on the whole it is a most promising 

 early variety. 



The Borovinka is another apple that is doing finely. It may never 

 become very popular on account of its being nearly identical both 

 in tree and fruit to the Duchess. If there is any difference in those 

 varieties, it is that the Borovinka has the larger fruit and may be a 

 trifle later in ripening. 



The Okabena bore a fine crop again this season. It seems to be an 

 early and regular bearer, ripening between the Duchess and 

 Wealthy. Its fine appearance and excellent qualities insure its 

 being popular in this section. 



We had some blight on some of the Wealthy apple trees this 

 season for the first time. The Yellow Transparent blighted badly, 

 and I cut down and burned most of the trees. The trees, such as 

 the Whitney and Early Strawberry crab, that blighted so badly the 

 summer of 1897, were entirely free of blight the past season. 



My bearing trees of the Virginia crab were attacked by the apple 

 scab. As this has happened on several previous seasons, I have about 

 come to the conclusion that it may not be a desirable orchard tree. 

 The Briar's Sweet was affected by the scab even more than the 

 Virginia. 



The plum crop was very light and of poorer quality than usual, 

 owing in a manner to the curculio and plum gouger, which des- 

 troyed or malformed so much of the fruit — also to the drouth; and 

 almost all varieties were injured badly by the plum rot. The De 

 Soto, Wolf and Blackhawk were among those that were least afifec- 

 ted by the rot. The Wolf seems to stand the drouth better than 

 most other varieties. 



I have found by years of experience that it is a very difficult mat- 

 ter to grow evergreens, no matter how hardy, on this windy prairie 

 unless they have some kind of shelter, but with shelter — and the 

 more the better — that Scotch pine, white and Norway spruce, cedars, 

 Austrian pine and, probably, other varieties, may be grown nearly 

 as easily as the deciduous trees. 



I omitted in its place to say that the Florence crab promises to be 

 of more value for market than any other crab that I am growing. 

 The trees have shown no blight and bear heavily; the fruit is of a 

 beautiful color and just the right size for a crab. 



