244 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



JUNEBERRIES. 



Juneberries were a good crop, but. the birds being- especiall}' fond 

 of them it is quite impossible to raise them on a small scale without 

 covering the bushes at fruiting time with netting. The Dwarf Suc- 

 cess variet}^ seems to be the most productive vr<riety j'et found. 



SAND CHERRIES. 



Sand cherries are fruiting abundantl3-, both on old plants and 

 many young seedlings. 



VEGETABLES. 



Ill the line of vegetables variety tests are being made with onions, 

 tomatoes, sweet corn, dwarf lima and other garden and field beans. 

 Special attention is being given to potatoes, and one acre is devoted 

 to this purpose. Forty varieties of them are on trial and a large 

 number of experiments are being made to determine the best 

 method of preventing the blight and scab of potatoes. These potato 

 experiments with varieties, and to some extent with fungicides, are 

 being duplicated at Bethel, in Anoka count}'. It is believed that bj'' 

 this repetition in a representative potato district that the results 

 will be much more reliable and valuable to the potato growers of 

 the state than if only carried on at this station. 



SPECIAL REPORT ON STRAWBERRIES. 



The strawberrj'^ crop this year has been generally a poor one on 

 account of the late spring frosts when the plants were in blossom 

 and the severe drouth which commenced to be injurious when the 

 crop was about one-third grown. At this experiment station the 

 crop has been fairly good. I at|ribute our success to the fact that the 

 beds are on a retentive soil well cultivated and, also, to the fact that 

 the mulch was kept over the plants until as late as practicable. Our 

 beds were not in flower until after the damaginglate frosts, and the 

 space between the rows and around the plants being heavily mulched 

 were protected froin the sun and rapid evaporation. 



Our beds that produced their second and third crop were much 

 more productive than the new beds. I account for this from the 

 fact that last season being verj^ drj- the newly set plants did not 

 perfect their fruit buds so well as the older and inore vigorous 

 plants of the old beds. But I would not wish to be understood as 

 advocating the retention of old beds except where thej' are mowed 

 over and renewed by plowing and manuring according to the well 

 known practice of this station. By following the practice outlined 

 above, we have not failed to secure at least a fair crop anj' j-ear for 

 four years at this station. 



Of new varieties there is little to report, none of them having done 

 better than the best of the older varieties. The most promising 

 kinds for general planting are Warfield, Haverland and Crescent of 

 the pistillate and Bederwood, Parker Karle and Enhance of the bi- 

 sexual class.* The best earl}' berry here is the Warfield, the best 



♦Special iiu'iition should he made of the Bederwood, which, though a little soft 

 and rather liyht in color, is probaI>ly the most productive and satisfactory of aiij' 

 known variety for plantintc with tlie pistillate kinds. 



