78 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



freezes, making- it necessary to tramp the snow around the trees, as 

 we had to in New Eng-land, so that the ground will freeze. 



All vsummer and fall fruits that will stand the winters of Minnea- 

 polis will do well here. The Duchess ripens here about three weeks 

 later than with you, and it keeps longer after picking. At several 

 points along the north shore in Minnesota and as far north as Fort 

 William in Canada, the crab apple is doing well; also at Tower and 

 Ely, on the Iron Range, which I think are the coldest points in the 

 state. We have been troubled with the fire blight on Transcendent 

 and Hislop trees but very little until last summer; the extra growth 

 that trees made last spring and the extreme heat we had, caused 

 trees that were on a southerly exposure to blight some. 



THOUGHTS ON PLUMS AND CHERRIES. 



M. E. HINKLKY, MARCUS, lA. 



That the central North is a natural plum country goes without 

 saying. The thickets scattered by all water courses throughout 

 that vast territory between the two great rivers are a sufficient proof. 



When we take the broad hint of Dame Nature and plant only the 

 American type,plum culture is an emphatic success. The trees thrive 

 on any rich soil. We sometimes say that they need the moist, alluv- 

 ial river bottoms for their best development, but experience shows 

 that, like all our native timber trees, they only need man's intelli- 

 gent care and protection to flourish in an5r good soil. Perfectly 

 hardy in tree, fruitful to an injurious extent, of var3^ing quality tor 

 all tastes and purposes, adapted to all soils, generally speaking, to 

 plant is to reap. 



Any Northern dweller possessed of a few spare rods of this old 

 world's surface hardly needs even the rudiments of horticultural 

 knowledge to raise plums. He may have them in abundance with 

 the crudest effort in every season which vxnites the necessary favor- 

 ing influences; and it is worthy of note that there is always a super- 

 abundance in the good years to average a sufficiency for the bad 

 ones. We greatly need the discovery of a sure method of keeping- 

 the fruit in a fresh state for an indefinite time. 



The number of good native plums with distinct characteristics in 

 this region is conjectured to be fully five hundred. 



Whether or not we accept Dr. Dennis' theory of prehistoric cult- 

 ure, certain it is that our plums are marvelously good. This fruit 

 as it comes to us must rank high in any list of our valuable natural 

 resources. Some of the good ones have found their way into the 

 nurseries, but the major part of them have never been "introduced;" 

 they are modestly hiding about private gardens and farm homes. 

 Of twenty varieties — all choice — in fruit, on my own grounds, if 

 asked which is the best, I should hesitate; their value is so variable 

 with the seasons that it is difficult to answer. But if asked to name 

 the ten best varieties, I could easily do so. The first list of five, be- 

 cause of size, full and regular bearing and good color, I would call: 



The Market List.— Wyant, Marcus, Wolf, Forest Garden and Rock- 

 ford. 



