LA CRESCENT TRIAL STATION. 303 



LA CRESCENT TRIAL STATION. 



FRANK I. HARRIS, SUPT. 



After another exceptionally mild winter it was somewhat sur- 

 prising to find both grape vines and raspberry bushes badly injured, 

 but this is again attributed to a late fall growth and immature wood. 

 No injury was observed in the orchard except that blossom buds 

 were killed on peach trees. Never in the history of the station was 

 there so good a prospect for a full crop of fruit and seldom has the 

 realization been more disappointing, except in the case of straw- 

 berries. Plums blossomed profusely, but scarcely any fruit set and 

 but little of that remains, and that little is of poor quality. A bo- 

 nanza crop of apples was looked for after last year's failure, and 

 the outlook never was brighter at blooming time, but continued 

 cold and wet weather caused more than three-fourths the crop to 

 drop soon after setting, and the remainder are liable to become 

 cooked on the trees for the want of foliage protection, caused by 

 blight, which never was so universal, both as to number of trees and 

 varieties affected. While the outlook is not as flattering as hoped 

 for a good stand remains on some varieties, and the quality is a great 

 improvement on last year's grade. This is largely attributed to a 

 liberal use of the spray pump, and the results would undoubtedly 

 have been more manifest under different weather conditions. To 

 use the spray pump every day for two weeks and allow it to rain 

 every night is not a good combination for best results. 



As if to make amends for damage sustained in the orchard, 

 nature did her best in the strawberry patch, and the result was a 

 good crop of this luscious fruit. While on some new beds the yield 

 and quality were inferior, on the two-year-old beds the yield was 

 enormous in some instances. The market was also in prime con- 

 dition, and the man who had a bearing bed reaped a just reward 

 for his toil. As usual, Warfield proved the best money maker and 

 Bederwood the most profitable pollenizer, but good results were ob- 

 tained with the Splendid, Clyde and Brandywine. Rough Rider 

 proved disappointing as to yield, but in quality and firmness good. 

 Among the best of the newer varieties that have come to my no- 

 tice I would mention the Livingston, a staminate variety, said to 

 be as prolific as the Warfield, and I can personally testify to the 

 merits of its fruit, which is good every way. 



Winter protection of raspberry canes is not practiced at this 

 station, and, as a result, the crop was a meager affair. Cuthberts 

 suffered most, but Loudon was also badly injured. The black caps 

 were somewhat better but altogether a slim crop. The Columbian 



