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OWATONNA TRIAL STATION. 57 
Duchess. It is likely that many other varieties would have been 
equally productive had their location been favorable. 
I might mention forest and ornamental trees, but my paper is al- 
ready too long. I think it is well for us hobby pushers to remember 
that many of our facts and theories that seem of great value to us 
receive little or no attention from the masses of the people. We may 
safely torture a fruit tree by way of experiment clear up to the kill- 
ing point, but it is hardly prudent to torture an audience with a 
long winded harangue without pith or point. 
Mr. O. F. Brand: In speaking of Mr. Dartt’s method of gird- 
ling, I wish to mention the plan that I have adopted of bringing 
young trees into bearing, which seems to me has some advan- 
tages over his method of girdling; | have girdled some in the 
same manner he has. My plan is to take a tree from two and 
a half to three feet from the ground and take out a piece of 
bark clear around the tree, a little more than an inch wide, and 
then take a piece of crab apple bark and fit it in there; it makes 
a good union and produces the result of making the tree form 
fruit buds. It makes a good growth, and the fruit buds are all 
there now. That is all I know about it. It is going to make 
every tree fruit and blossom next spring. I think if the wood 
of the trees continues to live and you want to bring it into fruit- 
ing, with a possibility that it may be a good apple, you want 
to continue the life of the tree, you do not want to kill it by 
girdling. This process will make the tree live longer. Allthe 
wood that grows under the crab layer will be crab wood, and it 
has advantages over girdling and top-grafting. 
Mr. O. M. Lord: Would you have any preference as to the 
erab? 
Mr. Brand: I see no difference in the union. I would use a 
late keeping crab. 
Mr.J.W. Murray: I want to ask a question in connection 
with a somewhat singular experience. I have some Whitney 
apple trees, and they bear splendidly every year, but there 
‘ comes along a brown beetle, something like a common tumble- 
bug, that knocks of the whole Whitney crop. They bear every 
year, but itis of no use toraise them. These beetles come in 
thousands, like a swarm of bees, and I can count as many as a 
half to a dozen on one apple. I cannot get any apple& at all off 
the Whitney, but they do not molest the others. I should say 
that a year or two ago they did barely touch some of the others, 
but not worth mentioning, but this year they did not touch any- 
thing else but the Whitney. I would like to hear from others 
as to whether they have had the same experience. 
