330 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Prof. Green : I want to answer the question that has been asked 

 as to how far north grapes can be grown. I have eaten some very 

 nice Delaware grapes on the shores of the lake near Aitkin. I was 

 going to say something as regards diseases of the Delaware. I 

 think we have more trouble with the mildew than with anything 

 else. I think that is the reason why the Delaware has not been 

 a success for the past two years. The remedy is that we must 

 spray with Bordeaux mixture. In regard to this winter-killing, I 

 want to take issue with Mr. Murray on that. If he remembers, the 

 vines that grew in sod that year did not winter-kill. The vine- 

 yard he speaks of was loaded with weeds, it was simply covered 

 with weeds. I think if you would ask Mr. Dewain Cook he would 

 tell you that they kill almost every winter until they are mulched. 

 We had a winter when the ground was bare, and we had just such 

 conditions around Lake Minnetonka as Mr. Cook has in south- 

 western Minnesota. 



TOP-GRAFTING THE APPLE. 



SETH H. KENNEY, WATERVILLE. 



I began over forty years ago to try to get an orchard. I need 

 not tell the older members of this society of my failures. We all 

 have had them. I lost two orchards by root-killing. I did some top- 

 working m.ore than twenty years ago on crab stock. The trees re- 

 main today good, healthy bearing trees. One was a Pewaukee, not 

 considered very hardy on its own roots ; it was grafted eighteen inches 

 above ground, and the graft has outgrown the crab stump, but it 

 has borne large crops of fine fruit. The other was Transcendent top- 

 worked with Whitney crab — in this way it never has sufifered with 

 blight. These trees led to top-working the Pewaukee on \^irginia 

 crab about five years ago with success. 



Three years ago I set thirty-one two-year-old trees of Missing 

 Link, and I cut i.ooo grafts and grafted on crab trees. This third 

 vear miny of the grafts bore apples, so that I gathered three bushels. 

 Here I had a good opportunity to see that a variety that did not suc- 

 ceed as an orchard tree was hardy enough to do well grafted on crab. 

 The apples were of uniform size and have the name of keeping one 

 year or more. A great many of the grafts did not bear last fall, so an- 

 other season I look for quite a bountiful yield. I made a great mis- 

 take in cutting off too much top the first year, which forced the 

 grafts to such a degree that many of the limbs blighted some. Since 

 the first experience I have whip-grafted in the top of the trees as 

 much as possible, and if any of the grafts fail no injury comes to 

 the tree. The three bushels this fall is the result of top-working on 

 crab stock. 



