THE MINNESOTA CRAB. 209 



spring, and they are very healthy trees. They bear good crops every 

 other year and a light crop the year between. The apples are fine 

 eating, and it is a good sized apple. It takes well in the mar- 

 ket and at home. It does not look much like a crab. 



Mr. A. P. Stevenson (Man.) : We have it in our orchard in 

 Manitoba with a great many other crab trees, and we find it is as 

 healthy and hardy and vigorous as any of them. It has fruited with 

 us and furnished us a very desirable little apple. 



Mr. C. E. Older : We consider it in our part of the state as one 

 of the very best. It is a nice eating apple, free from blight, a good 

 grower and simply indispensable. 



Mr. C. G. Patten (Iowa) : What is its season? 



Mr. Older : It is a little later than the Wealthy. 



Mr. Patten : From all that I have been able to learn of the Min- 

 nesota crab it is one of the most valuable of the large hybrids that we 

 have in all this northwest for experimental work in' developing 

 new and better varieties. It has a large percentage of apple in it, it 

 has hardiness, freedom from blight and general good qualities. 

 There is no question there is in this apple the cross of a distinctive 

 winter fruit, so I believe it is one of our very best. 



Mr. Andrew Wilfert : I live in this locality, and it is the only 

 tree I have on the place that blights, and as faf as I am concerned 

 I cannot recommend it. 



The President : Has it borne ? 



Mr. Wilfert: Yes, sir. 



The President: Is this the apple? (Indicating.) 



Mr. Wilfert : Yes, that is the apple. It had about three barrels 

 of apples this year, but it blighted badly. 



Mr. Wilfert : I had some Transcendent trees, and when I 

 grubbed them out I thought I had got rid of the blight, but the J\Iin- 

 nesota blights almost as bad. 



J\Ir. Frank Yahnke : Did the tree stand near the Transcendent ? 



INIr. Wilfert : Yes, sir. 



Mr. Yahnke : That's where it got it. 



Mr. U. Tanner : Is there any place where you can find a mar- 

 "ket for the Minnesota crab ? 



Mr. W. L. Taylor : The Minnesota is the most prolific bearer 

 in Meeker county, where I live. I had some this year, and you could 

 not see the body of the tree for the apples. They told me they had 

 picked eight bushels from four trees. They usually keep well, but 

 with us they did not keep well this year. It is the most valuable we 

 have in the county. 



Mr. Wm. Allen : I fruited them four or five years. They were 

 a medium sized crab apple, and the trees were very late ; the crop was 

 large, but like the gentleman over here I would like to know where 

 to find a market for them. The children would not eat them, they 

 would pick them out. 



JNIr. S. D. Richardson : That is the IMinnesota crab without 

 any doubt. We do not regard it as a first rate apple. It is all right 

 as a shipping apple. It is a first rate cider apple. It is not a good 

 apple, and we have little use for it. It is as near an annual bearer as 

 it can be. 



