286 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



where left exposed. It is not unlikely that the roots had been in- 

 jured in the winter of the previous year and, consequently, made a 

 later growth that was not fully ripened. 



The crop of blackberries and grapes came on after the drouth of 

 this season was broken and was very fine. 



Our native plums are considered to be absolutely hardy, to en- 

 dure the most severe winters, and often they will stand considerable 

 frost after the fruit has formed without injury. From the obser- 

 vations that I have been able to make, the variableness of the crop 

 this season can largely be attributed to a lack of pollenization, but 

 possibly from the frost that occurred on the mornings of the 3rd and 

 4th of May, when the early varieties in warm localities were in full 

 bloom but the fruit had not been formed, and there were no insects 

 working in the bloom to assist in pollenization. The later blooming 

 varieties and other varieties in locations where they came into bloom 

 a few clays later when insects were plenty, set their fruit well and 

 matured a good crop. 



In the valleys along the Mississippi river and its tributaries there 

 were but few plums, while upon the high lands, where they came 

 into bloom a week later, the crop was abundant. I do not keep bees 

 but am inclined to the opinion that if they were kept in or near the 

 plum orchard the results would have been better, and if the season 

 of blooming could be retarded a little the crop would be more cer- 

 tain. In most seasons jarring the trees and catching the curculios 

 on sheets and destroying them would increase the quantity and qual- 

 ity of the fruit raised, but with me this season there was but little 

 fruit for them to work on. 



The growing of apples is at this time leading all other fruits 

 in interest. The bloom of the apple trees last spring exceeded that 

 of any previous year since 1884, and the set of the fruit was heavy. 

 The usual June dropping was very large, but none too large for the 

 welfare of the trees and to insure a full crop, but early varieties, and 

 especially the Duchess and Tetofsky, continued to drop during the 

 entire season until when fully ripe there were but few remaining to 

 gather. As these varieties are useful for cooking, a considerable 

 portion of them were utilized for market. The Okabena, Peerless 

 and nearly every variety of Russian origin followed suit and were 

 mostly off the trees by the 25th of August, but we succeeded in dis- 

 posing of the most of them as Duchess without hearing of any fault 

 found by our customers ; but the windfall Russians were not wanted 

 at any price and were not fit for converting into cider or vinegar, be- 

 cause they had dropped from two to four weeks before time for 

 gathering them, and while the weather was so warm that decay set 



