164 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



I did a mean act or committed a sin it was a scar on my conscience 

 that would not rub out. The scars on these trees will remain for a 

 long time, and it is a question if they will not always disfigure the 

 smooth surface of the trees, though I hardly expect they will work 

 any permanent injury, but the fruit damaged by the dents and scars 

 will prematurely rot. We found the disfigured fruit depreciated in 

 value for market purposes from fifteen to twenty cents per bushel. 



The working season of 1902 on the farm and garden has been the 

 longest I have known for many years, commencing March 7, which 

 was an exceedingly warm day, and closing November 26. It has 

 also been one of unusual humidity (many times an excess of mois- 

 ture), which caused vegetation to grow very fast. The temperature 

 has been lower than the average for several seasons, and vine crops 

 did not fruit as abundantly as usual. So much moisture has also 

 furnished conditions for increasing many kinds of injurious insects. 



Roses : The last Jacqueminot rose picked from the open 

 ground November 26, on which date I went to Central Market, 

 where I found market gardeners well represented, with all kinds 

 of fall vegetables in abundance. One of the gardeners remarked 

 that this had been one of the best falls for marketing he had ever 

 known. Another, when questioned about pie-plant for winter forc- 

 ing, said he used two-year old roots and should put into his forcing 

 sheds twelve hundred this fall after they had been frozen. (It dou- 

 bles the product to freeze before storing them.) 



Strawberries in 1902 : This has been a record breaking year for 

 length of fruiting season. The weather was very propitious for 

 growth of vine and fruit. One remarkable feature has been two 

 crops of strawberries in one season ; the first was unusually fine in 

 size and quality, the second commenced to ripen Sept. i, and the last 

 berries were picked Nov. 16, a continuous time of fall fruiting of two 

 and one-half months. The fruit was not so plentiful, but the §ize was 

 equal to that grown in June. It was deficient in quality, however, 

 on account of low temperature and cloudy weather. It takes sun- 

 shine and warmth to give delicacy of flavor to this most delicious 

 fruit. 



One notable circumstance was that of the twenty-five varieties 

 we are growing only old beds of the Bederwood fruited a second 

 time. 



There has been so much rain this fall, that strawberry leaf blight 

 has developed very rapidly, and unless Bordeaux mixture is used 

 very plentifully many fruiting beds will be worthless another season. 



Cabbage: Often we have "blessings in disguise" which at the 

 time of occurrence are looked upon as real losses and hardships. This 



