212 - ANNUAL REPORT 



very good condition, showing marks of great hardiness, but 

 some of them are subject to blight; do not think the fruit of more 

 than three or four of them will be of sufficient value to warrant 

 their propagation. I have arranged with S. D. Richardson & 

 Son, of Winnebago City, to look after them and to give them a 

 trial. 



After the adjournment of the summer meeting of our Society, 

 in company with President Elliot I visited the grounds of Wm. 

 Lyons, near Minneapolis, for the purpose of examining a seed- 

 ling strawbefry which he has since named Martha. The plants 

 of this variety are strong growers, with healthy foliage and upon 

 his grounds, very fruitful. The fruit is somewhat larger than 

 Wilson or Crescent, of a bright deep red color, which extends 

 through the berry. The berry is of uniform and pleasing shape, 

 sprightly flavor, firm flesh and will probably keep longer and 

 ship much better than most other varieties. As the plants ap- 

 peared to be carrying full as many berries and were of consider- 

 ably larger size than the Crescent, I should estimate the yield to 

 be considerably above that popular variety and that in picking 

 it would have twenty per cent in its favor. The flower is pistil- 

 ate or imperfectly stamiuate and most seasons would require the 

 presence of a strong staminate variety near by. It is a week or 

 "more later than the Crescent; Glendale and May King are prob- 

 ably the best varieties to use as a fertilizer. It is the only vari- 

 ety Mr. Lyons considered worth retaining out of a batch of seed- 

 lings from some twenty cases of berries that spoiled on his hands 

 a number of years since. 



I have kept close watch of a new seedling strawberry origi- 

 nated by Mr. Kramer, of La Crescent, known as Early Princess. 

 As grown by him it is the most wonderful variety that has ever 

 come under my observation. The plants last year were strong 

 and vigorous, and the foliage remarkably free from rust and 

 blight. In productiveness it also surpassed every other variety 

 heretofore known. The fruit runs from large to very large. 

 The color is clear, deep red ; shape round and very uniform. 

 The fruiting stems are long and strong, and carry the fruit well 

 up until near maturity, when the enormous weight of the berries 

 bears them down. The quality is as good as any of the produc- 

 tive varieties, and I think will suit the taste of the million on 

 account of lack of acidity. At the summer meeting of the South- 

 ern Minnesota Horticultural Society, this variety was awarded 

 first premium for single quart of largest berries, over the Jessie 



