264 ANNUAL REPORT 



One of the finest groves of Scotch pine and European larch I 

 have seen in the State was to be seen in the village of Morris. 



At Browns Valley J. O. Barrett has made a fine start in the 

 way of small fruit and timber seedlings and I hope we shall have 

 a report from him. 



Our honored friend, G. W. Fuller, of Litchfield, certainly has 

 the most complete collection of trees, in the best condition of any 

 that I found west of Minneapolis. 



At Foster, on the east side of Big Stone Lake, Irving Mathews 

 has a fine collection of small fruit, also Transcendents are doing 

 well. I suppose Col. Stevens would not forgive me if I neglected 

 to say that he also has several Catalpas that have proven hardy 

 and are growing nicely. 



I believe the seedling fruit committee have visited a large part 

 of the State, but I would like to mention S. O. Taggart, of Cot- 

 tonwood County, who from an investment of $14 in root grafts 

 and Scotch pine seedlings, 1,000 of each, 8 years ago, tias 

 to-day 970 Scotch pines, 10 to 30 feet high, and a bearing orchard 

 of 400 trees, mostly Duchess and Wealthy. His trees were planted 

 on deep, rich, black soil, with clay subsoil, slightly sloping to 

 the south; ground kept free from weeds by shallow cultivation, 

 early in the season. Trees did not injure two years ago. He 

 had sold young trees to his neighbors for more than enough to 

 pay all the expense incurred. 



While at Pipestone I spent two days and nights with Job White- 

 head who took a tree claim near the Indian pipestone quarry 

 eight years ago; he has ten acres of fine timber, willow, ash^ 

 box elder, maple and cottonwood. He has raspberries, cur- 

 rants, blackberries and strawberries. Mr. Hoag, of Rochester, 

 had given him one of our reports for 1885 and I found he had 

 been an apt scholar; his raspberries and blackberries were cov- 

 ered with dirt and straw, his strawberries were grown in matted 

 rows, properly mulched, and he was so full of enthusiasm about 

 fruit growing that he wants to plant ten acres of berries this 

 year. 



Mr. Harris, Mr. Pearce and myself spent two very pleasant 

 and profitable days with the Dakota Horticultural Society at 

 Sioux Falls, but Mr. Harris has already reported this meeting 

 very fully. 



Princeton, Mille Lacs County, is a point which I think has not 

 been heard from yet. They have a soil and location very favor- 

 able to successful fruit growing, but little has been done as yet. 



