■256 ANNUAL REPORT 



The Trial Orchard has been started with about one hundred 

 trees, nearly two-thirds of which are mostly common varieties and 

 one-third hybrids set with a view of using them for stocks for 

 top grafting. Ten varieties of plums are on trial as follows: 

 Patton's Xative, Eockford, De Soto, Forest Garden, Speer, White 

 Nicholas, Wolf, Black Prunes Owatonna and Eollingstone. The 

 Speer plum looks best among those that have grown two seasons 

 and White Nicholas and Black Prune look the poorest. All 

 ithese and several other varieties will be placed in orchard next 

 season and Russian cherries and pears will likely receive atten- 

 tion. Owing to the many discouragements in regard to orchard- 

 ing in our state, I have regarded the ajDple question as para- 

 mount to all others and have given it a large share of my study 

 and labor. And while there appears no reason for a change in 

 this respect, yet forest and ornamental trees must receive more 

 attention in the future. 



The Evergreen List contains the following: White Pinej, Scotch 

 Pine, Austrian Pine,Corsican Pine, Dwarf Mountain Pine,Norway 

 Spruce, White Spruce, Douglas Spruce, Colorado Blue Spruce, 

 Hemlock Spruce, Balsam Fir, Siberian Fir, American Arbor- 

 vit£e (White Cedar), Golden Arborvitee, Pyramidal Arborvitse, 

 Little Gem Arborvitte, Silver Tipped Arbor vitse, Siberian Arbor- 

 vitse, Eed Cedar and Common Juniper. The Douglas Spruce 

 was injured at the snow line but is likely to rocover. Golden 

 ArborvitiB is apparently as hardy as the American. 



Ifi Deciduous Trees we have on trial, W hite Ash, Black Cherry, 

 White Elm, English Elm, Scotch Elm, Hackberry, European Alder, 

 Hard Maple, Weir's Cut-leaved Maple, European White Birch, 

 Purple-leaved Birch, European Larch, Eussian Mulberry, Down- 

 ing' s Mulberry, Catalpa, Butternut, Black Walnut, Horse Chest- 

 nut, Sweet Chestnut, Wisconsin Weeping Willow, Eed Willow 

 and ten varieties of Eussian Poplars and Willows designated as 

 follows: Populas Petrovsky, 23 Eiga, 40 Eiga, Populus Laurifplia, 

 Salix Acutifolia, 122 Vor, 123 Vor, 127 Vor, Populus Cetinensis 

 and Populus Fantaga. I have grown some of the Catalpas from 

 seed and though last winter was the coldest we have ever seen, 

 yet the Catalpa stood bravely up and started within a few inches 

 of the tips and one blossomed. We will plant more seeds. 

 The Eussian Mulberry frequently kills to the snow line but some 

 of them stood a little above last winter, and we have hopes that 

 it will finally succeed, especially if grown from seeds in our own 

 state. The fruit is said to be so poor that it has no market 

 value- 



