134 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



would lead the superficial observer to think it a bur oak, espe- 

 cially in winter, when its rugged limbs are seen to the best ad- 

 vantage. In summer it is covered with a heavy foliage, its leaves 

 being somewhat larger than those of the white elm. 



Hackberry. Dr. Britton in his new Manual adopts the view 

 that our northern forms of the hackberry consist of at least two 

 species. Celtis occidentalis ranges from Quebec to Manitoba 

 southward and has leaves smooth above. Celtis crassifolia 

 ranges from New York to South Carolina and through Ohio, 

 Illinois, Missouri and Tennessee, and its leaves are scabrous on 

 the upper side. He assigns the name hackberry to this latter 

 form and thinks that the northern form should be called Ameri- 

 can nettle tree or sugarberry. I doubt if Minnesotans will ever 

 call our native tree by these names. But whether they do or not 

 it is one of our finest lawn trees and worthy of general planting. 

 The specimens on the station grounds increase in beauty year 

 by year. No deciduous tree is more beautiful in winter, when 

 the delicate outlines of its slender branches are penciled against 

 the sky, and none of our native trees in summer cast a more 

 unbrageous shade. 



Mr. Oliver Gibbs: I want to ask a question about the hack- 

 berry. Something was said yesterday about its being a good 

 tree for bees. I would like to know whether it is as good a bee 

 tree as our linden. 



Mr. Moyer: I have never noticed that it is a good bee tree. 

 It was rather surprising to me when I heard the statement made. 

 I have not made any observations in that direction. It is not a 

 great bloomer, and it does not produce a great amount of seed, 

 and I suppose that is the reason it has not been propagated to any 

 great extent by nurserymen. 



OWATONNA TRIAL STATION. 



E. H. S. DARTT, SUPT. 



Owing to the favorable conditions that prevailed last winter 

 there was no winter-killing of trees at the station. The thousand 

 apple trees girdled last season for the fifth time were very heavily 

 laden with fruit, but unfortunately the heavy winds that swept 

 over this section this season shook off fully three-quarters of the 

 crop, and what might have been a very bountiful yield was 

 considerably reduced, but the earlier prospects were such as to 

 demonstrate beyond any question the efficacy of girdling. 



