EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 175 



FERGUS FALLS EXPERIMENT STATION. 



F. H. FIEDI^ER, SUPT. 



The past season was a disastrous one for the horticulturist, aswell 

 as for the farmer, starting- very late and dry the fore part of the sum- 

 mer. On the eighth of July came a thunder shower, accompanied 

 by a terrible hail storm. Another hail storm came a few days later, 

 and then dry for a month. On the nineteenth of August came 

 another hail storm, followed by excessive rain up to date. 



Crops were all poor. The grape vines had all the new g-rowth 

 knocked off by the hail, raspberries and blackberries are damaged 

 to some extent, and apple trees lost many branches. The outlook 

 for 1894 is not the best. 



RASPBERRIES. 



Gladstone. A worthless variety. Berries very small, dull red, 

 turning brown when over-ripe. Not productive. Hardy. 



Golden Queen. Has never borne a berry with me yet. Rather 

 tender. Have had it at the station three years. 



Wineberry. Worthless; very unproductive; berries sinall, sour. 

 Hardy, with protection. 



Thomson's ProliRc. Quite early; not very productive; berries 

 good size; hardy. 



frogress. Bore an immense number of berries, but they are too 

 small. Season early; very stocky; hardy. 



Kansas. Not so good as I thought last year. After the first pick- 

 ing, the berries become small and soft, and, therefore, not liked in 

 the market. Good home berry and hardy. 



Cromwell. Berries medium to small; good bearer; hardy. Not so 

 g-ood as Kansas. 



Philadelphia. Bore a profusion of sinall, crumbly berries. Will 

 not grow it any long^er. Not profitable here on my soil. 



Turner. Berries too small; good bearer; hard3^ 



Caroline. Bore an immense crop of fine berries of good flavor. 

 Not popular in the markets; still it sells better than the natives. 

 Hardy, but pays to cover in winter. The best yielder with me this 

 year. 



Cuthhert. The best red; berries late, large, of good flavor. A good 

 market variety and hardy as any with protection. 



Gregg. Very good; berries very large and firm. The best seller in 

 our markets of all the raspberries. Yields good. 



Ada. A very promising variety. Berries much like the Gregg, 

 but ripen a week earlier and continue in bearing a few days longer. 

 Hardy. 



Older. Not productive. Berries large but often imperfect; season 

 same as Gregg; canes of a trailing habit; hardy. 



N. B. — When I say a raspberry is hardy, I mean WITH PROTEC- 

 TION. 



CURRANTS. 



Crandall. Bloomed profusely, but did not bear; same as last year. 

 Cherry. An old standby. Good sized berries and productive. 



