GENERAL FRUITS. 141 



Prof. Green: No, it is not necessary; it depends upon the 

 varieties. We use about one-third staminates. 



Mr . Wilcox : The main obj ection to that plan is that you can- 

 not take up perfect plants. 



Mr. Toole (Wisconsin) : Is it not a better plan, perhaps, to 

 raise plants for plants'? 



Mr. Brackett: That is the way they do at the Thayer fruit 

 farms. 



GENERAL FRUITS. 

 SECOND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT. 



J. S. PARKS, PLEASANT MOUXDS. 



The past j-ear has been a very poor one for fruits, especially ap- 

 ples, in this district; but in all other things the horticultural out- 

 loc5k is very encouraging-. The growth of fruit trees is exceptionally 

 good and healthj', and at this time fruit buds are plenty and sound 

 and promise favorably for a good crop of blossoms, and with favor- 

 able spring weather another bountiful crop of fruit. The past sea- 

 son all fruit trees have been very free from blight and all diseases 

 of tree and plant, and no insect pests have appeared. The great crop 

 of fruit of 1892 gave our people to understand the possibilities of 

 fruit raising, and the past season has been a very encouraging one 

 for the nurseryman. More orders and larger ones were taken in our 

 district than for many years previous. One agent for a state nursery 

 sold in my own neighborhood $97 worth in one day, while a local 

 dealer sold as many more during the season. 



The light crop of apples the past season was generally supposed 

 to be because of the very heavy crop of the previous year, but some 

 orchards in our vicinity would seem to disprove that theory. In my 

 own case, what apples I had were on trees out of any shelter from 

 surrounding timber or groves, while those sheltered bore no fruit. 

 A neighbor of mine has fifteen or twentj^ trees entirely unprotected, 

 that bore a heavj- crop of apples both of the last two years. Other 

 cases near me were to the same effect, where trees standing out on the 

 prairie with no protection raised the past season good crops of fruit, 

 while those protected bore very light or none at all. How can this 

 be accounted for? I have great hope for the future fruit prosperity 

 in our state. We shall need wise and judicious planting, as well as 

 careful culture and care of the trees and soil. Plant liberally and 

 continually and we shall succeed. 



I would not advise planting many varieties and onlj' of the most 

 hard}' and tried sorts raised in the vicinitj^, for what might do well 

 in one part of the state, or even in the county, might not do well with 

 others. I speak from experience, having tried over 300 standard 

 and 100 hj^brid varieties, besides several thousand seedlings, and 

 found very few to be entirely sound and reliable; although the last 

 few years varieties have flourished that appeared to be entirely 

 worthless in earlier years. Small fruits of all kinds, except cur- 



