70 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



few specimens of medium size and good quality. It seems to take 

 kindly to the Dartt and the Greenwood crabs as a top-g'raft. I have 

 girdled one of the thre| trees and expect a full crop next season. 



I have raised one little scabby peach, but have laid down and cov- 

 ered the tree,remembering that small beginnings and patient toil are 

 the forerunners of great results. 



Six thousand root grafts were planted last spring, of over three 

 hundred varieties, many of which are new seedlings of great prom- 

 ise. I have planted two wagon loads of rotten apples and apple 

 pomace, largely of Duchess and Wealthy varieties. 



I have been planting evergreen trees and apple trees, expecting to 

 sell to help pay expenses; but on account of scarcity of suitable 

 land and the trouble of selling in very small quantities, I have con- 

 cluded that it is best that I confine my labors strictly to experiment 

 work. 



We cannot test the size and quality of fruit unless it can ripen on 

 the trees, and this ripening cannot be secured where tramps and 

 hoodlums roam at will. On this account I have fenced the nursery 

 with heavy wire screen three feet wide at the bottom to keep out 

 rabbits, and four hog wires stretched tightly above to keep out the 

 two-legged hogs. The posts should be four and one-half feet high 

 and one rod apart. Strips of board, one inch by three, and four feet 

 long, should be stapled midway between the posts froin the ground 

 up to first or second wire. Then similar strips should be placed 

 three or four feet from the posts on each side and stapled from top 

 wire down to the top of the screen. It will be best to sharpen the 

 tops of the posts. Such a fence will be difficult to climb over on ac- 

 count of its instability and will cost about one dollar per rod. 



(The detailed report of the 800 orchard trees, to which Mr. Dartt refers, can he had 

 free upon application to him. It is a carefully prepared and valuable record, and we 

 regret that lack of space forbids its publication herewitli. The list is likely, as he 

 suggests, to be shorter after the next severe winter.— Secy). 



Ammonia as a Tree Wash. — Anyone who takes a careless "sniff" 

 at the hartshorn bottle can readily understand how a moderate dose 

 of ammonia will produce fatal results when designedly administered. 

 But in those very qualities (says Colmaa's Rural World) is to be 

 found the great value of ammonia in keeping orchard trees clean 

 and vigorous. What insect can possibly live to do damage to trees 

 after having received even a homoeopathic dose of ammonia? Trees 

 given a good ammonia wash once or twice a year will show in their 

 clean, shining bark and glossy leaves a high appreciation of such 

 attention, and many orchardists who have used these preparations 

 bear testimony to their substantial value in increasing the vigor of 

 the trees and the size and quality of the crop. It is comparatively 

 cheap, and its timely application to almost any orchard will be found 

 to pay handsome dividends. 



