318 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



do measurably succeed despite the atmospheric chill, more espe- 

 cially with the indigenous and the hardier sorts of cultivated plums, 

 such as the Desota and Forest Garden. 



Raising apples and crabs does not indicate any special encourage- 

 ment, though success here and there obtains on a limited scale- 

 The general testimony, based in experience, is that the trees must 

 be planted on high and properly drained ground, protected by 

 forest trees quite distant from the orchard, just enough to stay 

 the winds and yet allow free circulation of air. The reports to me 

 are generally adverse. One of my correspondents, Mr. E. H. Bailej^ 

 Wilkins count}^ — all prairie and mostly treeless — says: "If there is a 

 good apple tree really adapted to this locality, I should like to know 

 it." Another intelligent gentleman, of Grant county — partlj' wooded 

 but largely treeless — says: "A large nuinber of crabs were planted 

 fifteen or twenty years ago and for a time bore excellent crops, but 

 they have now nearly all died out. No success has ever been at- 

 tained with larger apples. We have now a few Duchess that look 

 thriftier than anj' we had, but they have not yet stood the test of the 

 w^inter."' 



Reports from the Red River Valley are about on the same kej^ but 

 some experiments are hopeful enough to demonstrate by example 

 that apples — crabs mainly— can be raised there quite extensively, 

 when the trees coming in healthy condition and judiciously se- 

 lected are rightly managed. A lover of forest trees and fruit plants> 

 Mr, O. J. Hagen, of Hendrum, Norman county,says: "Very little at- 

 tention is paid to fruit raising in all this region." Experimenting 

 largely with choice sorts recommended, he mentions the Duchess, 

 Charlainoff, Anis, Virginia, Earlj^ Strawberry, Martha, Tonka and 

 Lieby as promising trees, and is waiting to see how the Wealthy, 

 Whitney, Red Siberian and sotne others will turn out. He main- 

 tains that the large percentage of alkali in the soil of the valley is a 

 greater hindrance to success than the cliinate and that the choice 

 of land for any fruit plant should be very select. 



Rev. O. A. Th. Solem, of Halstad, Norman county, is an ardent 

 lover of forest trees and fruit plants and has had large experience 

 and observations on these lines in his part of the Red River Valley. 

 He reports the old Houghton gooseberry as a good bearer, but too 

 small for a tame varietj^; and the Turner raspberry as very hardy 

 with him, but puckers badly and dries its berries on the cones; but 

 the Souhegan is the best black-cap raspberrj^, and the most promis- 

 ing currants in that northern belt are the Victoria, Prince Albert, 

 White and Red Dutch and Black Naples; that owing to the May 

 frost and "heavy snow earthstorms," crops of small fruits were 

 ineager and no strawberries. He also reports that his apples and crab 

 trees, the Lieb}', Charlamoff, Arctic and Tonka, especiall}-, are prom- 

 ising stock with him. 



So eager are our people to have cherries that ^oung folks rum- 

 mage all the lake and river shores for our common choke cherries. 

 The sand cherrj' adajDts itself to all our varieties of soil and, as it 

 deserves, is growing in public favor as a good berr}', but not the 

 best we ought to raise. 



