LA CRESCENT TRIAL STATION. 53 



sian and new western varieties, many of them yet unnamed and of 

 recent origin. As fast as any varieties prove to be worthless on ac- 

 count of tendency to blight or tenderness of trees they will be taken 

 out and replaced with others, and hardy varieties bearing undesirable 

 fruit will be top-worked to better varieties. The Russian varieties, 

 Enormous, Gipsy Girl, Sklonka, Swedenser, Ostrohoe, Stupka, Sweet 

 Pipka, Sacharine, Sladanka and Red Repka. will be grubbed out the 

 coming spring, and it is not unlikely that the Yellow Transparent 

 and others of that family will have to go the same route, on account 

 of their blighting proclivities. 



In the older plantations about 150 varieties fruited this year. 

 About one-half of the bearing trees were sprayed with a solution of 

 Paris green in water, i pound of Paris green to 200 gallons of water, 

 a pound of quick lime being added to the mixture. These trees 

 were sprayed once immediately after the bloom had fallen, and a few 

 of them a second time a few days later. The result was very mark- 

 ed in the reduced number of wormy and knotty specimens at har- 

 vesting and the greater amount of perfect fruit. A few trees that 

 had been sprayed the previous year were even better than those 

 sprayed for the first time this year. A portion of the plum orchard 

 was sprayed at the same time, but showed no perceptible difference 

 in the quantity or quality of the fruit produced or in the health of 

 the trees. 



New varieties added for trial this year were Nelson, University, 

 and Lyman's Prolific, and in the nursery grafts were set of the 

 Homer No. i, Hamburg, Long John and Thayer. 



The results of the last season, through the elTects of drought 

 and the excessive early dropping of fruit, and size, color and quality, 

 do not favor as close planting as many of our people recommend 

 and practice. Had I land to spare the closest that I would plant 

 would be two rods apart each way, but I think that equally as good 

 results may be obtained by planting the trees twenty feet apart in 

 the rows and forty feet between the rows. 



Our raspberries and blackberries were not given winter protec- 

 tion. Black cap raspberries, with the exception of the Older, were 

 considerably injured, and the crop was light and poor. The Ohio 

 has done so poorly a few years past that I do not think it worthy 

 of farther planting. The Cuthbert (red) was somewhat injured, 

 but produced a very fair crop. The Loudon is still doing well, 

 and the King is very promising. Among the newer currants the 

 Moore's Ruby, Pomona and Red Cross have so far done the best. 



