MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 149 
and are doing finely this summer. I have not seen or heard of a 
case of blight this summer, the cold, backward season being the 
cause I think. Take a very wet, warm spell in summer and the 
blight develope rapidly. 
f insects I would say that I sold my neighbor a lot of trees, 
which after being set out started nicely until last week he noticed 
they showed such a lot of dead leaves and limbs that they must be 
dying, so he called my attention to it, and we gave the orchard a 
critical examination, but could not find anything until about the 
last tree, on which we found a large green beetle, (similar to the 
one spoken of on page 119, Report 1866-73, of S. H. Society,) eat- 
ing away on the underside of a limbina bud. The habit of this 
insect is to eat only at the base of the bud, and does not eat the 
leaf. The insect, on being found, drops to the ground as if it were 
dead, like the Colorado potato bug. 
Of small fruits I can say that the prospects are good for a large 
crop. Mr. H. B. Waterman, Harvey Pike, Mrs. S. Pike and O. M. 
Lord, of Minnesota City, in this county, are large growers of rasp- 
berries. They prefer Doolittle’s Blackcap to any other for profit, 
as it is very hardy; they are trying Davison’s Thornless for early. 
The Mammoth Cluster is very large and nice, but winter kills some 
winters. I have tried all the above and like them. Mr. Eckerts, 
near Winona, likes the Seneca Blackcap best. The best way to 
train the respberry is to prune them back when they attain to two 
and a half or three feet in height. ‘This makes the plant throw out 
a large iot of short limbs which give a large crop the next season 
and does away with the trellis. 
Of strawberries, Mr. John Hart, of this place, is the largest grower. 
His main plant is the Wilson Albany. He has a fine lot of straw- 
berry seedlings of his own raising, some of them very promising. 
My own experience has been with the Welcome, (very early,) Agri- 
culturist, Wilson’s Albany and Welcome, best culture being the 
bed system kept free of weeds; mulch in winter with chaff. From 
what little I have seen of the Prouty Seedling Strawberry I think it 
best of all. The Kent is best to stand weeds and grass, the Albany 
the poorest. The Emperor, Banus Mammoth, Leming’ s White, and 
Nicanor proved worthless ; the Colfax is a very sour berry, rather 
small but a very heavy bearer. 
Of currants we find that the Black Naples, Red Dutch and White 
Grape are the best. Set plants 4x4 or 5 feet and mulch heavy with 
manure every spring and we have good crops of nice fruit,—and 
this applies to the gooseberry as well. I only have the Houghton 
which does not mildew. 
Hoping you may have a good meeting, I remain yours. 
W. K. Batss. 
