226 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



FRUIT BLOSSOMS, REPORT FOR 1895. 



L. R. MOYER, MONTEVIDEO. 



At Montevideo we had an early spring-. The mercury showed 

 a temperature of 73° on April 3d, 74° on April ith and 76° on April 

 5th. On April 20th, the thermometer showed 80°. The next morning- 

 the thermometer showed 1° below freezing point and the morning 

 after 3° below. 



Buffalo berries were in full bloom on the 17th, and the amelanch- 

 iers soon afterward. The buffalo berries proved to be all stami- 

 nate. There being no pistillate trees to receive the fertilizing pollen, 

 we are unable to say whether the frost injured them or not. The 

 Juneberry blossoms were uninjured, so we conclude that they are 

 frost proof. 



The next day after this severe freeze, the luercury had risen to 83° 

 again, and plums and sand cherries began to blooiu. On April 30th, 

 the mercury was at 83° again, and some bloom began to show on 

 the apple trees. The warm weather continued uninterruptedly 

 until the morning of May 11th, when the mercury again touched 32°. 

 The two following mornings, the thermometer showed 31°, and the 

 frost was very severe. 



On May 20th the mercury fell to 30°, and the resulting frost swept 

 away all the gardens and most of the fruit. Never before in the 

 history of western Minnesota was the display of fruit blossoms 

 more gorgeous and promising. But the flowers came too early, and 

 the frost came too late. There was very little fruit. 



New Currants and Old.— For nearly fifteen years the New York 

 Experiment Station at Geneva has made a specialty of testing cur- 

 rants and now has growing thirty-seven cultivated varieties and three 

 wild kinds, exclusive of station seedlings. Bulletin 95 describes 

 these and also discusses their comparative value as shown by the 

 average yield of the varieties in full bearing during the past three 

 years. Prince Albert, a red currant, was the most productive of all 

 the kinds tested, having an average yield for three years of 9 pounds 

 per bush, London Red, Victoria, Cherry and Fay following in the 

 order named. For jam. Cherry is preferred, but for jelly. Fay and 

 Prince Albert. White Dutch was the most productive white variety, 

 averaging 6 pounds per bush, and Prince of Wales the best bearer 

 of the black kinds, averaging 5}y^ pounds. Individual varieties in 

 the different classes var}^ much in productiveness, but the most pro- 

 ductive black currants do not equal in yield the most productive 

 red or white kinds. It is estimated that on account of their being 

 less productive, one would need to realize !}{> to 2 cents more per 

 pound for the black as a class than for the red or white currants. 

 The bulletin also describes the propagation and culture of the cur- 

 rant. Bone meal and muriate of potash seems to make the best 

 fertilizer for the currant bush, with a little nitrogen. 



