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204 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
VICE-PRESIDENT’S REPORT, FIFTH CONG. DIST. 
JOHN H. STEVENS, MINNEAPOLIS. 
The past year has been propitious to fruit growing in Hennepin 
county, particularly in small fruits, such as blackberries, raspber- 
ries, gooseberries andcurrants. Thereis not much profit at present : 
in growing small fruit,as you have to compete with the southern 7 
fruit growers, who supply our markets at greatly reduced prices. ; 
The apple product was fair, but not large. I am indebted to ‘ 
several persons for choice specimens of the apple, especially to Mr. 
Cummins, of Eden Prairie, who sent me Winona Chief, or Utter i 
Red, Wealthy and seedlings of superior quality and of much merit. g 
The latter, through Prof. Green, are placed on exhibition. I earn- 
estly recommend them to the attention of Mr. Harris, to report upon | 
their excellence and long-keeping qualities. ; 
The product of the grape was abundant, the Concord and Dela- . 
ware still leading in profit to other varieties. The vicinity of “aan 
Minnetonka is favorably adapted to this fruit, and more than thirty z- 
varieties have been there profitably and successfully raised. Evi- 
dently this section will prove the future home of this fruit. 
The wild plum was plentiful. The tame sorts, not as yet being 
very extensively cultivated. Hope they will be in the near future. 
The new hybrid between the prunus pumila of the old botanist, 
or prunus bessey! of the new botanist, and some of our plums—has 
not been generally cultivated in this county. We hope it will prove 
of value in the plum line. We have much to expect in the future 
from the general system of hybridizing, and in this connexion, in 7 
my humble way, I wish to express the great satisfaction I have in 
witnessing the great benefit the experiment farm and Prof. Green, 
at the head of the horticultural department, are to the fruit growers 
of Minnesota. 
VICE-PRESIDENT’S REPORT, SIXTH CONG. DIST. 
MRS. JENNIE STAGER, SAUK RAPIDS. 
We have been very much pleased this past summer with having 
a much larger amount of fruit than we had any reason to expect. 
The frequent rains of spring helped the strawberry crop, and we, as 
well as our neighbors, had an enormous crop for the amount of 
plants we have. Currents, gooseberries, raspberries, apples and 
plums surprised us in the same agreeable way. 
Allofthe plants sent by Prof. Green are alive and grew finely 
with the exception of one Harrison’s Peach,aplum. A great many 
of the plum trees sent me from the experiment station a few years 
ago fruited this year, but I will reserve my opinion for another 
year’s fruiting. In our section of the state the harvest of this year 
has quite encouraged usin the planting of fruit. At the State Re 
formatory, also, more fruit planting was done by Superintendent 
Houlton this last spring (1897) than for several years past. 
