56 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



PLUMS. 



The plum crop at Montevideo was almost a failure. A spring 

 frost shortened the crop, and much that remained was diseased and 

 bitter. 



LILACS. 



Here in western Alinnesota the lilac still maintains its reputa- 

 tion as the best flowering shrub. The lilac mildew was noted to 

 some extent, but did no serious damage. The varieties growing at 

 the station are : Syringa vulgaris and its varieties, Syringa vulgaris 

 alba, Charles XII, and single and double Russian, Syringa Persica, 

 Syringa Persica alba, Syringa Japonica, Syringa Josikaea and 

 Syringa villosa. This last species is very distinct in its habit and 

 looks more like an ash than a lilac. It blooms three or four weeks 

 after the common species and thus prolongs the lilac season. Syringa 

 Japonica is doing well but has not yet bloomed. 



OLEASTERS. 



Nothing that has been planted on the prairies of western Min- 

 nesota seems more at home than the so-called Russian olive, Elaeag- 

 nus angustifolia. It is a large shrub or small tree with beautiful 

 silvery leaves and very hardy. Its bloom is very odoriferous. At 

 Montevideo the station grounds are more than lOO rods from Win- 

 dom Institute. Last spring the Windom preceptress declared that 

 she could smell the odor of the oleaster at Windom. She had been 

 familiar with the perfume in Persia, where the tree is common, while 

 a missionary there, but had not seen an oleaster tree since she left 

 New York. On inquiry she found that the oleaster trees at the sta- 

 tion were in bloom, and that the winds had brought their fragrance 

 to her. 



Elaeagnus argentea seems to be quite common in the Red River 

 valley and in North Dakota, but so far we have failed to get it es- 

 tablished here. The last lot sent out from St. Anthony Park appear 

 to be Elaeagnus angustifolia. 



BUSH HONEYSUCKLES. 



The several varieties of Lonicera Tartarica are among the most 

 desirable border shrubs for planting in western Minnesota. The 

 flowers of the typical species are red. The white flowered form is 

 known as var. alba. According to Bailey, the form sent out by 

 Prof. Budd as Lonicera gracilis should be known as var. parviflora. 

 It has small pure white flowers. The form sent out by Prof. Budd 

 as Lonicera splendens, with large flowers of deep pink color, is var. 

 speciosa. With us it is the finest of them all and should be widely 

 planted. 



