EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 18f> 



among- the trees, there is very little progress to report in the direc- 

 tion of finding out the more valuable varieties of the long list on 

 trial. 



With the view of testing the value of Pyrus arbutifolia as a stock 

 to dwarf the apple, several buds of Anisim were inserted in thein 

 the past season. They have takeji perfectly. 



THE PEAR. 



Two trees of Kurskaya (392), which blighted nearly to death the 

 season of 1892, finished by bark-blighting in a girdle about the 

 trunk. The live branches were full of blossotns, and it was with 

 considerable regret that we threw the fine large trees on the brush 

 pile. We have this variety top-worked on Hibernal, two years, which 

 has so far made a smooth, even growth and union. 



THE PLUM. 



The Desota and Forest Garden fruited well, but were affected in 

 both leaf and fruit by a fungus similar to the scab which injured 

 the apple in the season of '92. The variety called Communia, re- 

 ceived from Ames, la,, winterkilled to the ground, but has sprouted 

 true froin below the surface, and is a very vigorous sort. 



We tried cellar-grafting several varieties of plum upon about 1000 

 stalks of one-year sand cherry. Although grafted at the same tiine, 

 they showed much difference in their adaptibility to the stalk. No 

 variety made a really good stand, but the Desota and Cheney did 

 fairly well, while the Rockford and Rollingstone were nearly a 

 failure. However, buds of Rockford, put in last August on sand 

 cherry, took on almost every stalk. 



Several plants were set of the so-called improved dwarf Rocky 

 Mountain cherry. They appear to be rather more slender in habit 

 of growth than our sand cherry. They bud freely upon the native 

 plum. 



THE CHERRY. 



We have little to report upon our cherry orchard, except that the 

 rabbits seem especially fond of the little trees, biting the twigs and 

 girdling the trees as early as the month of August, even when sur- 

 rounded by nursery apple trees, that were untouched. 



THE GRAPE. 



We have had a steady increase of the black rot among us up to the 

 present season, and find that we shall have to spray or give up our 

 vineyard. Moore's Early gave us the best crop yet received from 

 that variety, the result, no doubt, of the longer pruning we have 

 adopted for that variety. 



ORNAMENTAL TREES AND SHRUBS. 



Acer Ginnala, dwarf maple, appears to be sufficiently hardy, but 

 its foliage has been unhealthy the past two seasons, inclined to be 

 wrinkled and drawn at the edges of the leaves. 



Spirea Douglass! winterkilled to the ground, but sprouted again 

 very strongly. 



