364 ANNUAL REPORT 



that has been played on our people is the Enssian Mulberry. In 

 1885 we had them grow seven feet, and the next spring they 

 were dead to the ground. Last year they grew six feet, and now 

 are probably dead. 



The only fruit I have grown was on trees that were dug in the 

 fall and buried over winter. They are good for nothing but to 

 feed worms for silk culture; are a humbug as a fruit-producing 

 or an ornamental tree. 



The drought of last May, June, July, and ijart of Septem- 

 ber gave us a very poor berry crop. Strawberries, unless well 

 mulched, were very small and of inferior quality. Orescent 

 Seedling, Windsor Chief and James Vick doing the best of any 

 on our grounds. Of red raspberries Turner withstood the drought 

 best though Brandywine did well. Of blackcaps we had more 

 dead bushes than berries. Our blackberries were the best pay- 

 ing berry crop we had, as our bushes were well mulched, the dry 

 weather only made the fruit small; yet we got about two hun- 

 dred bushels to the acre. For early we had the Snyder 

 (medium), Stone's Hardy (late) and Ancient Briton. We have 

 the Wilson Junior blackberry and Lucretia dewberry growing, 

 but have not fruited them yet. There are over one hundred 

 acres in this county in strawberries, about fifty in raspberries 

 and about twenty-five in blackberries. 



EEPORT FROM WINONA COUNTY. 



By O. M. Lord, Minnesota City. 



The strawberry crop, on the whole, was considered a good one, 

 though the late ones were somewhat damaged by drought. The 

 market at all times was well supplied and jDrices averaged low. 

 Wilsons, Crescents and Downers were the leading varieties. Red 

 raspberries were plenty and generally sold at a paying price. 

 In the Winona market there was an unusual demand for Black- 

 caps. Nearly all that came to market were under size and 

 wanting in flavor, owing to drought. The early market in black- 

 berries was supi^lied by local growers, and readily sold at fifteen 

 cents, but large quantities were shipped in from Wisconsin 

 and Chicago and sold to the dealers at one dollar and fifty cents 

 per case of sixteen quarts. 



There was a fair crop of Duchess and Tetofsky apples on the 

 high or ridge land, and generally a good crop of crab apples. 



