92 ANNUAL REPORT. 
trees are dead. Orchards in sod have done better than those 
cultivated. Orchards sowed to grain or corn did better than 
those planted to potatoes. Orchards taking free blast of north 
and west winds are better than those sheltered by belts of 
timber. The injury is mostly in the body and roots. Qon- 
siderable damage was done in the crotches of low-top trees. 
‘Twenty per cent. of our Transcendent and Hyslop crabs died 
from root killing, and consequently I think our ¢ronclads are 
very scarce, unless grafted on the Siberian ‘roots. “G 
Of pears, cherries and plums, scarce 6 per cent. are alive, 
except of the Miner plum. It has done about as well as the . 
native. 
Vernon county, Wis., comes out about 30 per cent. better 
than Houston county, Minn. The above counties are separated 
by the Mississippi river ; soil and climate as near alike as pos- 
sible. I think the difference is in the varieties planted. In 
Vernon county they planted mostly of the ¢ronclads, such as 
the first seven varieties mentioned above, while Houston 
county planted of whatever tree peddlers happened to bring 
along. 
I aay like a great many others who did not approve of 
Charles Waters’ method of cultivating orchards, viz., plowing 
between the rows and leaving full stretch of the tree’s branches 
to sod, but his orchard proves that his theory is right. It is 
the healthiest and best of over a hundred that I have seen this 
summer. 
There are three seedling apple trees in Vernon county that 
are worthy of note. One grown by C.S. Sterton, this year’s 
growth eight to twelve inches, bearing a few apples. Another 
was grown by Mr. Weitz, growth this year six to ten inches, 
bearing about five or six bushels this year. This is a splendid 
market apple. It bore its first apples the fourth year from 
seed, a half bushel the next year, and a heavy crop every year 
since, and last year ten bushels. . 
The third by Mr. Yeely, good market apple, vigorous healthy 
tree. 
REPORT OF D. F. KELLEY, NORTHFIELD. 
Regretting my inability to attend your session this week, I 
send you a brief report of the condition of my orchard since 
last winter. 
The winter made sad havoc with my seedlings, of which I 
