STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 261 



four feet apart, on ground that had been well manured, back- 

 furrowed in ridges sixteen feet wide, and well harrowed to give 

 surface drainage, were doing finely. 



About Detroit, in Becker County, small fruits and the Trans- 

 cendent crab seemed to be doing well. This is a timbered county 

 and from an examination of the soil and the fruits growing there 

 I am satisfied it is well adapted to the production of all kinds of 

 small fruits; however, there is very little grown there at pres- 

 ent; the county has been deluged with hybrids, said to be better 

 and hardier than the Transcendent, which appear to be either 

 dead or dying. I visited one farm where fifty such trees had 

 been planted; only three were alive; four Transcendents in the 

 same field, four years from planting, were clean, sound, healthy 

 trees and loaded with fruit. Where Red Dutch currants had 

 been planted they were doing well, but as near as I could learn 

 most of those who had purchased currants had invested in Fay's 

 Prolific at a dollar apiece and the returns had been so small 

 they were disgusted with the business. 



In Otter Tail County the situation was much the same, al- 

 though I found more here who had been successful owing to the 

 fact that many of them had bought better trees and plants. 

 Transcendent, Duchess, Beech er's Sweet, Hyslop, "Whitney and 

 Wealthy are in many instances bearing well. 



Geo. F. Cowing, of Fergus Falls, had some very fine grape 

 vines that were loaded with fruit; the varieties were Delaware 

 and Concord. He had three trees of Weaver plum that were 

 loaded the heaviest with jjlums of any trees I ever saw. The 

 trees were sound and healthy, having made a vigorous growth 

 each year since planted^ M. T, Duncan and John Bock have 

 both been quite successful with small fruits. 



The soil through a large part of this county is quite loose and 

 freezes very dry in winter. Heavy mulching for currants and 

 raspberries seems to be the best guard against the effects of 

 winter drought. Turner raspberries without winter protection 

 would live but would not bear enough to pay. I visited one 

 farm where they had an abundance of currants and raspberries 

 in bearing for several years, the only cultivation given being a 

 liberal mulch of straw each fall. We had raspberry shortcake 

 for dinner, and on discussing the cost learned that they regarded 

 it as almost nothing; only half a mile from there, the next day 

 we had a prune pie; not quite so nice, but much more expen- 

 sive, as the prunes were imported, costing ten cents a pound, 



