J^xpepiii)ei7t ^ tations, 



MIDSUMMER REPORTS, 1896. 



MINNESOTA STATE EXPERIMENT STATION, 

 ST. ANTHONY PARK. 



PROF. S. B. GREEN, SUPT. I 



In the natural order of thing's the horticulturist looks over stock 

 in the spring- to see how it has come through the winter, and this 

 point is probably the best one for me to begin with on this midsum- 

 mer report. 



In this section the hardier varieties of apples, cherries, plums, 

 currants, gooseberries, raspberries, strawberries and decidous trees 

 came through the winter in good shape. The Forest Garden plum 

 trees of all ages were somewhat injured, while the Desota, Rolling- 

 stone, Wolf, Cheney, Weaver and most others of the American class 

 were not injured at all. The new plums. Wilder and Charles Down- 

 ing, were killed to the ground. The tenderer varieties of strawberries 

 and raspberries were quite a little injured, while such well known 

 sorts as Crescent, Bederwood and Haverland have generall)- started 

 well, though evidently somewhat weak when spring opened. Grapes 

 suffered badlj' in manj- locations, and most varieties lost their sur- 

 face roots. Our vines are making a very g-ood growth, and bid fair 

 to recover this year from the severe freeze of May 1st last year. 



Many coniferous evergreens were seriously injured. The Scotch 

 and white pine and balsam in exposed situations often losing 

 branches or being killed out. The few Austrian pines on our 

 grounds are looking better than the Scotch at this time, though in 

 former years not appearing nearly so hardj'. The Douglas spruce 

 is doing well here, and of the many specimens on our grounds it is 

 difficult to find any that are injured in the least, even in ver}' severe 

 situations. Bull pine and jack pine show no injury, while Norway 

 pine was not injured, except in very exposed places. The Colorado 

 blue spruce and the white spruce were not injured in the least, and 

 Norway spruce very little. Some of our yearling black walnut seed- 

 lings were killed out, and the Catalpa was killed to the ground. 



All our fruit plants except grapes blossomed full, but plums 

 cherries and gooseberries have not generally set much fruit. The 

 Cheney plum, however, is full of fruit. Apples, raspberries and 

 blackberries promise better than usual, while strawberries are 

 nearly a complete failure, the only variety filling out well being an 

 unnamed seedling of our own, which has fruited for the first time. 

 Our cherries, including Wragg, Ostheim and most of the Russian 



