278 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



the original stock killed back much worse than grafts cut from 

 nursery trees, and they show a marked difference in habit of growth. 

 Many nursery trees of the Grimes' Golden and the Roxbury Russet 

 killed to the ground, and few of them are vigorous and healthy. 



Strawberries. This is the only crop upon which we are able to 

 give a full report at this date. At this station the plants wintered 

 well. The crop prospect was somewhat damaged by the frosts of 

 May 31 and June 1, aud again by the extreme heat between June 13 

 and IG, but the final outcome is the largest and best crop produced 

 in many years. The experience this year is that the pistillate varie- 

 ties are not as susceptible to injury from frost as the bi-sexual, and 

 that the best and most perfect pollenization takes place where two 

 or more varieties are used, and that one-half, or not more than three- 

 fifths, of the plantation should be pistillate. For convenience of 

 keeping fruit separate in picking, I would recommend starting the 

 patch, first, one row of bi-sexual, next two, or at most three, rows of 

 pistillate; then two rows of bi-sexual, each of a different variety; and 

 so on through, finishing with a row of bi-sexual on the outside. Of 

 bi-sexual varieties the Bederwood stands at the head for productive- 

 ness and is equal to any other as a strong pollenizer. The Rio has 

 this season proved very satisfactory, but I think is not equal to the 

 Brandywine. The Brandywine has come in with the Warfield. The 

 plant is thrifty, vigorous and healthy. It is productive, and the 

 fruit is large, of good quality and appearance. The Van Deman 

 gave us some fine early fruit, but is not productive enough for a 

 market berr3^ The Enhance is a good pollenizer but not a good 

 fruiter. Gandy would be a good late berry if it were twice as pro- 

 ductive. The Lovett has been next to the Bederwood in fruitful- 

 ness, and a perfect pollenizer for the Warfield. The berries are 

 large.dark red and of good quality,but hardly equal to Rio and Bran- 

 dywine in appearance. I have planted the Splendid for trial. A few 

 plants allowed to carry fruit would indicate that it is a valuable 

 variety. Of pistillate varieties, I have not found anything that 

 promises to be more valuable than the Warfield, Crescent and Hav- 

 erland. The Marshall is lars:e and looks well, but it is not product- 

 ive enough or a good keeper. The Greenville and Eureka were too 

 soft for market. The Timbrel is a good home berry but not fit for 

 market. 



Blackcap raspberries promise hardly a half crop, owing to injury 

 bj^ frost. The Palmer was the most seriously injured, and the 

 Nemaha the least. The red varieties so far do not show any serious 

 injur}^ 



Currants are not doing well. Some kind of a blight has struck 

 them, causing the leaves to turn brown and drop off. The old Red 

 Dutch is most seriously affected, and the Long Bunch Holland and 

 Prince Albert the least. 



A little experience with southern grown trees is proving unsatis- 

 factory. When planted, three years since, they were large, fine look- 

 ing, said to be two-year old trees, from 5 to 7 feet high. They have 

 not increased very much in size since, and are a lousy, wormy, black- 

 hearted lot and, from appearance, not true to name. 



