462 ANNUAL REPORT 



The vicissitudes of the past season have been many, and ex- 

 hibited in various ways. In our own state the farmers' prospects, 

 have been blasted by drought in one part and blighted by floods 

 and heat in others. Jack frost ruined the corn crop of one and 

 the grape crop of another. Still, with all these calamities, there 

 will probably be little suffering in our state for lack of food or 

 clothing, and we should feel thankful for what we have. 



While crab apples and plums were nearly a failure in our 

 county vegetables were fine, and there are probably more nice 

 potatoes stored in the cellars of McLeod county than ever before. 



From observation we believe there are many more failures 

 than successes in strawberry culture. While we had a fair crop 

 of fine berries (harvesting over 3,000 quarts for about an acre), 

 we saw fine looking beds that produced only a few seedy buttons, 

 and they were Crescents, one of the most productive kinds 

 grown. The cause of failure was that no staminate or perfect, 

 blossoming kinds were set with them. 



BLACKBERRIES. 



My experience the past two years has convinced me that this- 

 fruit can be grown in our county with as much certainty as any 

 other croj). I obtained my first crop of Ancient Britons this 

 season amounting to about two hundred and twenty-five quarts 

 and 'am fully convinced that the stories our Wisconsin friends 

 have told us of their productiveness are true. Although I have 

 seen acres of blackberries growing in a wild state I never saw 

 bushes more heavily laden or of finer looking berries. A. G. 

 Tuttle, of Baraboo, Wis., claims to have grown at the rate of 

 6,000 quarts per acre. Chas. H. Hamilton, of Ripou, Wis., is the 

 leading grower of the Northwest having several acres under 

 cultivation. See his valuable paper in the reports for 1886. 



STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



To those interested in horticulture no better investment can 

 be made than to join this society and attend its meetings. For 

 the first time I attended the last summer meeting at the state 

 experimental farm last June, and I do not believe finer straw- 

 berries were ever exhibited. Of the new kinds, Kramer's Seed- 

 ling, Lyon's Seedling, Jessie, and Bubach were very fine, and we 

 think no one will make a mistake in investing in a few plants of, 



