SEEDLINGS AND NEW FRUITS FOR 1897. 225 



August 10th and 11th we spent at the Owatonna Experiment 

 Station, managed by E. H. S. Dartt. Here we found over 800 varieties 

 of seedlings, root-grafted trees, that range from three to six or 

 seven years old, standing in nursery rows. The scions used were very 

 largely from seedlings originated on the station that had not fruited 

 before the grafts were made, and from the most promising look- 

 ing seedlings picked up in various parts of the state and generally 

 such as had never borne fruit. In order to induce earlier bearing, 

 that the quality of the fruit might be learned sooner and that 

 those entirely without merit might be discarded and the ground 

 sooner cleared to make room for further tests, Mr. Dartt has adopted 

 the practice of girdling a portion of each variety as they stand in 

 the nursery rows. The practice is to be commended for this pur- 

 pose, on account of the saving of time, labor and room, but I do not 

 think it will prove practical in general orcharding, except that 

 where immediate fruiting is desired trees might be set at one-half 

 or even one-fourth the regulation distance and all girdled except 

 those designed for the permanent orchard, to be removed when the 

 room is needed or the others come into natural bearing. Chiefly as 

 a result of this practice, about 100 varieties have borne fruit this 

 year, but owing to the earliness of our visit and a heavy wind storm 

 the day before having blown off the greater portion of the fruit, we 

 are not able to determine or even anticipate their merits, as no later 

 fruits were secured. Atnong those that I note as most promising 

 are Dartt's seedlings F. T., D. F., E. D., C. N. and D. H. No. 3, and A. 

 H. Seedling F. T. is a fine tree; fruit about medium size, flavor sweet, 

 and I think will be a good keeper. Seedling A. H. is a good and fair 

 apple of about medium size, that will probably keep well. D. H. No. 

 3 is a strong, healthy tree, bearing a fruit that may be valuable for 

 the table. D. F. is a good tree; fruit may keep well but is too small 

 for profit. Seedling C. N. is an extra good tree. The Fuller seedling, 

 Baldwin, was bearing well, but the fruit is rather low in quality. 

 The Mills seedling was bearing heavily and the fruit hanging on 

 well. Judging from what I saw at this station, Mr. Dartt is in a fair 

 way to bring out varieties that will be of great value for planting 

 in the extreme northern limit of successful orcharding in this and 

 adjoining states. 



On August 7th I visited the place of H. Knudson, at Springfield, 

 where I had an opportunity of examining his new hybrid cherry, 

 the Compass, and comparing the fruit, wood and foliage with 

 samples grown by Clarence Wedge, of Albert Lea, from scions 

 furnished him by C. W. H. Heideman, of New Ulm. I should judge 

 the trees and fruit to be identically the same variety. A description 

 of the fruit is given on page 341 in the report of 1895 and a history 

 of its origin on page 341 of magazine for August, 1896. The tree is 

 undoubtedly a hybrid between the sand cherry (P. pumila) and the 

 Miner plum, of the Prunus hortulana family. The tree is vigorous 

 and healthy and from its origin, doubtless hardy. It promises to 

 be an earl3' and profuse bearer of fruit that will be desirable on ac- 

 count of its season of ripening, quality and beauty of appearance, 

 and the tree bids fair to become useful for ornamental planting on 

 lawns and small grounds. Mr. Knudson is a natural experiment- 



