GENERAL FRUITS. 135 



FRUITS IN THE RED RIVER VALLEY. 



O. J. HAGEN, HENDRUM. 



As I have read papers and reports upon the different kinds of 

 fruits and fruit trees for the North and Northwest, I see a g-ood many 

 are selected from the central and southeastern part of Russia, and a 

 few, I find, from St. Petersburg. As I am a native of Norway, I know 

 that, .to some extent, cultivated cherries and apples and raspberries, 

 both red and black, grow well there. I lived in the central part of 

 Norwa3^ Although the cliinate was milder there than in Minnesota — 

 though the winters were equally as long — they matured currants and 

 gooseberries to perfection; the}^ were never known to be injured by 

 anything: but fruit culture was not, as far as I know, carried to 

 such an extent as in some places in this country. But fruit raising 

 could be carried on more successfuUj^ there, if they only knew 

 enough to do it. 



I should like to find out if any fruits have ever been brought 

 over from there or from the northern part of Norway and Sweden. 

 Sweden is a much colder countrj^ than Norwaj^, except, it ma}^ be, a 

 few places inland. 



I ain not old in experiment with the different emergencies a 

 man is apt to come into in life. I had last summer a visit of the so- 

 called currant bug, or the four-lined leaf bug-. I have about iOO cur- 

 rants and gooseberries, with which I have had good success for the 

 last five years, till this year. Thej' showed no signs of sickness till 

 these bugs nearlj' destroj^ed them this year. I gathered hardly one 

 bushel of berries from the whole lot. They seemed not to hurt the 

 blooms so much as the leaves and the new shoots. The bushes 

 seemed to revive some after the berries were taken off, but the ber- 

 ries were small and hardl}^ worth picking. 



The Red Dutch seemed to stand the ravages the best. The Lee's 

 Prolific w-as terribly damaged, which kind has been the heaviest in 

 bearing fruit and been of rampant growth. The Fay's has not done 

 well with me; it seems to do best on rather soft and low land, as 

 does the Lee's. I also have the Victoria and Versailles, but the last 

 .nained only three j^ears old j-et. 



Last year I planted out about 250 more Victoria, 100 Red Dutch, 100 

 White Grape, 100 more Lee's Prolific, 50 Long Bunch Holland, 50 Black 

 Naples currants, and 150 Houghton and 10 Triumph gooseberries. 

 Next spring I will try a few Prince Albert and Stewart's, if I can get 

 them at one place. Smith's Improved I have had no success with 

 at all; had only one good crop from thein, and this year they were 

 mostly destroyed by these bugs. My new plantation is about one 

 and one-half miles from the old one. 



M3' Earl}^ Richmond cherries were badly hampered by the snow 

 last winter, and from freezing and thawing, so thej- did not 

 show any fruit last summer. I should like to know of anj^ other 

 hardier kinds. Of plums, I planted last year ten Desota and three 

 Forest Garden. They look fine yet, and the summer was both hot 

 and dr}-, and the whole fall was dry; thej^ had no watering, but were 

 mulched and cultivated. Fruit is scarce with xis farmers out west, 

 and one that knew how to grow berries would be better paid here 



