

"We have been looking- forward to a good crop of strawberries; 

 but, alas, our hopes are blasted. A complete failure or nearly so, 

 anyway, and what there is, very inferior. Raspberries about one- 

 half crop; blackberries look very good. 



"Minnesota City, Minn.. June 9, 1896. H. M. PlERCE." 



''The prospects for apples is the best we ever had. The Duchess 

 that bore so heavily last year are loaded again this year. There will 

 be lots of crabs of all kinds. Wealthy, about half a crop. Lots of 

 strawberries, but raspberries killed back badly. 



"Hammond, Minn., June 8, 1896. J. A. Howard." 



"The fruit outlook in this vicinity is so and so. Apples promise 

 to yield a fair crop if nothing intervenes. The plums are a failure, 

 owing to a hard windstorm that raged at the time the flowers were 

 forming. There are also a whole lot of plum pockets on the trees. 

 Blackberries, raspberries and strawberries will yield an ordinary 

 crop while currants and gooseberries are failures. Most of the 

 flowering shrubs, such as the snowball weigelia, rosea, spirea 

 Bumalda, spirea van Houtii, Philadelphus, and hydrangea 

 paniculata grandiilora stood the winter unprotected without being 

 the least winter killed. 



"Hader, Minn.. June 15, 189«i. Lars J. GjEMSE." 



"Will any one tell me how to can asparagus successfully? It is 

 done at factories, but, with the best of rubbers and other prepara- 

 tions, I fail; hence, think some substance must be added, as in the 

 case of sweet corn. 



"Neighbors who tried it last year recommended a new waj- of can- 

 ning pieplant. My can is nearly three weeks old, and perfect so far. 



"Peel the pieplant, cut in half inch pieces, pack in a cold can with 

 a hammer handle, or some stick with a Hat end. Set in a pail of 

 cold water deep enough so the water will How over the top of the 

 can. Wait for the bubble.*" of air to come up through, or hasten 

 them by running a tablespoon handle into can; remove the can 

 from the water when the former seems quite free from bubbles, and 

 screw the head on immediately. It is designed especially for pies, 

 which, of course, will be like summer ones. 



"West Salem, Wis.. June It), 1890. Ida E. Tilsox." 



