PRESENT STATUS OP POMOLOGY IN MINNESOTA. 331 



PRESENT STATUS OF POMOLOGY IN MINNESOTA. 



J. S. HARRIS, LA CRESCENT. 

 (A report prepared for the American Poniological Society. 



It is over forty years since the first attempts at fruit growing- were 

 made in this state. Great difficulties have been encountered, and 

 failures without number met with. It was found, at an early day, 

 that success could only, if ever, be assured after long and patient 

 trial and much experimental work, and these have been made, con- 

 ducted and continued with untiring perseverance by the pioneer 

 horticulturists, aided by the experiment and trial stations, and are 

 being crowned with a good degree of success. 



The most persistent efforts have been directed to the growing of 

 the apple. First, old and favorite varieties. were tried and proved a 

 failure, as but few of them would survive our winters long enough 

 to produce fruit. Next, varieties of Russian origin were tried, and 

 given a pretty thorough test, but only a very few of them have been 

 found to possess any great merit aside from hardiness. A few only 

 show adaptation, productiveness and quality, and the season of 

 them is largely late summer and early autumn, and few will keep 

 into the winter. Attention was next turned to the planting of vari- 

 eties of more recent northern and western origin, and the originat- 

 ing of new varieties from seed, largely crosses between Siberian, 

 Russian and the hardiest American sorts, and the result is a con- 

 siderable number of great promise are found, and in alternate years 

 fine crops of fruit are being produced. At the present time the in- 

 terest in orcharding is growing, and many large plantations are be- 

 ing made. The crop of 1898 was very large and fine, and, in addition 

 to named varieties, about five hundred varieties of unnamed seed- 

 lings were placed on exhibition at the state fair of that year. Of 

 this number about twenty-five per cent were of fine size and appear- 

 ance and some of them of very superior quality, and a few, appar- 

 ently, very long keepers. This present season the apple crop is very 

 light. Last year the trees were allowed to overbear, the last winter 

 was very severe,and the present season is unfavorable on account of 

 excessive moisture and disastrous storms, but the outlook for the 

 future is very encouraging. 



The best fruit sections, so far, are found to be the somewhat broken 

 country extending, some forty miles wide,alongthe Mississippi river, 

 up to latitude 45, the two southern tiers of counties across the state 

 and the more elevated lands in the region generally known as the 

 "Big Woods", west of the twin cities. 



The fruits most generally grown are apples, native plums, grapes 

 raspberries and strawberries. Apples are generally found to suc- 

 ceed best on clay loam or limestone soils, at an elevation of 1,000 to 

 1,200 feet above the sea level, and from 50 to 400 feet above valleys 

 along rivers and streams or smaller water courses; but some very 

 good orchards are found in the broader valleys. The native plum 

 succeeds almost everywhere. Grapes generally do the best on 

 southern slopes of bluffs and southern shores of lakes, in a sandy 

 loam soil, at an elevation of 50 to 200 feet above the water level of 



