STATE HOETICULTURAL SOCIETY. 343 



could have no object in jumping at conclusions. And from the fact 

 that we have heretofore grown in this vicinity grafted and seedling 

 apples and other fruits that have not succeeded in other parts of the 

 State, it is generally conceded that this location is most favorable for 

 fruits not entirely hardy. Add to this the fact that the last few 

 winters have not been considered test winters, and we conclude that 

 when trees winter-kill to the ground here, they are not well adapted 

 to general cultivation when exposed to greater risk. 



SMALL FKUITS. 



The protracted drouth materially interfered with some of the work 

 in small fruits, and very little was accomplished. One row of Stone's 

 Hardy blackberry was set next to a row of Ancient Briton for the pur- 

 pose of comparison. Also a row of Cook's Windom Dewberry by the 

 side of a row of Lucretia for the same purpose. 



Of grapes lona, Worden, Moore's Early, Empire State, Massasoit, 

 Lindley and Wilder have been added to the list. The only strawberries 

 set for trial are Crawford's No. 6 and the Jessie. 



EXPERIMENTAL WORK. 



In regard to the work of experiment stations a superintendent of one 

 of the Iowa stations writes me there is a good deal of burlesque about 

 some of them. Query: May the same criticism, or even a more defin- 

 ite one, be applied to ours? If our critic should base his remarks upon 

 what we have not done, I fear he would have a wide field of labor. If, 

 however, he should carefully consider the difficulties under which we 

 labor, the subject would be placed in a different light. A very few of 

 these difficulties may here be stated as an apology, or excuse, for light 

 work and meager reports. So far as I am acquinted with the expori- 

 menters, not one can devote his whole time and attention to the work, 

 and if he could, the results are always doubtful, and the money value 

 thereof (to himself) more than doubtful. We have no organized means 

 of obtaining seeds, plants and trees to experiment with, but have been 

 wholly dependent, so far, on our own resources. We have had no 

 clearly defined system of work, of instruction, nor advice; and the 

 only intimation I have seen as to what is expected of as was in a late 

 number of The Farmer. In noticing the call for the annual meeting, 

 it said: "Above all, those present will expect to hear detailed reports 

 of operations at the experiment stations." 



In appointing these stations it was understood that the Society de- 



