STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 133 



shows that the trunk and axils of the branches do not show 

 signs of injary from the severity of our winters. There are no 

 blight patches in the crotches, and the wounds made in pruning 

 do not indicate an advanced stage of blackheart. The distance 

 from the ground to the lower branches is five or more feet; the 

 bark is clean and healthy; foliage large, thick and resembles the 

 Duchess. The tree is standing in a strong blue-grass sod, and 

 in such a position that heavy rains would run off, instead of 

 penetrating to the roots, and there is much reasonableness in the 

 opinion of a neighbor that the injury to the top was occasioned 

 by excessive drought. It has not fruited this year, but has 

 thrown a new growth of from twenty to thirty inches with no 

 signs of blight. Further search showed that all orchards in this 

 vicinity were more or less severely injured by the late hard win- 

 ters, but not as much so as in some other portions of the State. 

 We find the Wealthy bearing fairly well, but all the older trees 

 are unsound. 



IN CARVER COUNTY. 



Upon the ninth of September the full commission met at the 

 farm of Charles Luedloflf, in Carver County. 



Carver County is one of the "Big Woods" counties, one of the 

 richest in the State, and is one of the best fruit regions in the 

 Northwest. In 1884 there were over 20,000 apple trees in the 

 county, producing liberally. It was the superb fruit of this county 

 that made it possible for our State Horticultural Society to make 

 so fine an exhibit at the meeting of the American Pomological 

 Society, at Philadelphia, in 1883, where our apples were awarded 

 the highest prize (the Wilder medal), in competition with every 

 other state in the Union. 



Mr. L. is a thrifty G-erman, entertains broad and progressive 

 ideas, is a most genial host, well versed in American and Ger- 

 man agricultural and horticultural literature of the day, and one 

 of the most enthusiastic experimentalists and horticulturists we 

 ever met, and has unbounded faith in the future production of 

 fruit in this State. He is the manager of one of our horticultural 

 experimental stations, and is conducting experiments on a more 

 extensive scale than any other experimentalist in the State. He 

 has, at considerable expense and trouble, gathered together 

 about all seedlings that have gained notoriety in the Northwest, 

 and also has under trial about one hundred varieties of Russian 

 apples, and other fruits, many of which promise to succeed well 



