l86 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



SO overloaded that were double in size of fruit. Undoubtedly if 

 the heavily loaded branches had been properly thinned, the size 

 of the fruit would have been much enlarged, nearly if not quite 

 doubling its commercial value. The process of thinning the 

 fruit on heavily loaded apple and plum trees should be given 

 more attention by most growers. I saw recently a statement 

 that by properly thinning one acre it produced $171.00 worth 

 more fruit than i-f this had not been done. Thinning and spray- 

 ing pays, and the quicker we all learn this the sooner we shall 

 have better success in fruit growing. 



The Malinda Apple. Since the T. E. Perkins' seedling apples 

 have been brought so prominently to our notice the question of 

 parentage on the mother side (the Malinda apple tree) has been 

 to me of considerable interest. A number of these seedlings in 

 size, shape, texture and quality of fruit, growth habit and leaves 

 of the tree indicate largely from whence they originated, the 

 Malinda type. I began investigating the origin of the Malinda 

 apple hoping I might trace its parentage and if possible discover 

 from whence its inherent prepotency was derived. The Malinda 

 apple is first mentioned in our reports, Volume 1873, page 14, in 

 a letter from Irwin W. Rollins, dated Elgin, Minn., Feb. 12, 1856. 

 Those who have access to that volume of our reports will find 

 this letter very interesting and instructive. I have recently re- 

 ceived a letter from John Q. Richardson, of El2,in, Minn., in 

 answer to a letter of inquiry about the true origin of the Malinda 

 apple, in which he says, "I was born within a mile of wliere 

 the Malinda apple originated, raised by Labon Rollins, of Top- 

 sham, Orange Co., Vt. His son, Irwin W., brought the scions to 

 Elgin, Minn., and grafted them here. I have no knowledge of 

 the seed, nor the age at which the original tree bore. That was 

 probably about sixty or seventy years ago, and I am only sev- 

 enty-five years. The tree bears young and full. I have over 

 100 set in an orchard ; ten or more are bearing. It is the best 

 variety I have both for hardiness and long keeping. A perfect 

 Malinda will keep in a cool cellar till July 4th. The period from 

 1856 to 1903 shows it to have been cultivated in Minnesota 

 over forty-seven years." Unless some new facts can be discov- 

 ered, any further research for the history and parental origin of 

 the Malinda apple will be useless. 



Score Cards. In the judging of fruits at our last state fair, 

 especially plums and seedling apples, we found considerable dif- 

 ference of opinion as to the real points of excellence. At the 

 American Pomological Society meeting recently held in Boston 



