62 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



We have nothing- new to report in native plums; the crop was light 

 and poor and no new varieties fruited. Desotas have done the 

 best. The spring bloom on all varieties was heavy, but the weather 

 conditions prevailing at the time seemed to be unfavorable for pol- 

 lenization. 



Our older apple orchards matured much more fruit than we antic- 

 ipated, and had it not been a year of general over-production, low 

 prices and limited consumption, would have paid very well. The 

 trees that were so badly affected with spur blight have generally re- 

 cuperated to a considerable extent and were fairly well foliated at 

 the end of the season. The younger trees in the experiment orchard 

 proper carried but little fruit, although we had some specimens of 

 more than two hundred varieties, inchading Russian seedlings and 

 Siberian hybrids. The trees have generally made a fine growth and 

 present a thrifty appearance and have been comparatively free from 

 blight, except a few varieties of Russians. In the fifty-eight named va- 

 rieties and a few seedlings and unknown varieties set in 1890, a list of 

 most of which is found on page 201, May number of the magazine for 

 1896, the following have blighted so badly that the trees are not 

 worth preserving or giving further trial, viz: Sweet Pipka, Stepka, 

 Saccharine, Skladanka, all Russians. Other varieties that have 

 blighted about the same as the "Wealthy are Skrout German, Noble 

 Red Streak, Nos. 515, 1056, 2, 3, Ostrohoe and Arabscoe. Trees set 

 later have been virtually free from blight. The twig blight is a 

 great puzzle to us. Varieties that in the past have been very exempt 

 have this year blighted the worst, while the Yellow Transparent, 

 Longfield, Ostrekoff and some others of the worst blighters have 

 been almost exempt from it. There are a few Russian varieties that 

 blight badly and under almost any and all conditions are tardy 

 and shy bearers, producing fruit that is of only medium quality, 

 that had better be discarded as fast as they are found out, but va- 

 rieties that fruit liberally and produce fruit of desirable quality 

 should be given further trial, unless they prove to be very bad 

 blighters or too tender in tree to endure our climate. 



We have planted a considerable number of trees of the McMahon 

 White apple. In sheltered locations it is a bad blighter. It should 

 only be planted in rather cool situations and where it will not suffer 

 from drouth. Hibernal has also blighted more or less under simi- 

 lar conditions, and the Peerless has shown that it is not blight 

 proof. 



The new plantation of orchard made last spring (two hundred and 

 fifty or more trees) is so far promising well. Not a single tree has 

 failed to live and make as good a growth as is usually expected the 

 second season after planting, and about all of them appear to have 

 ripened up their wood well. Adjoining this on the same slope we 

 have cleared off the forest and had holes dug for an additional two 

 hundred trees to be planted next spring. Our nursery experiment 

 with plums, using seedling sand cherries as stocks, is proving sat- 

 isfactory with such varieties as will unite on that stock. 



