228 . ANNUAL REPORT 



EEPOET FROM SECOND DISTRICT. 



By Vice President Alfred Terry, of Slay ton. 



January 21, 1890. 



The season of 1889 has been, in Southwestern Minnesota, so far 

 as horticulture is concerned, a varied one — with little snow and a 

 dry soil during the previous winter, heavy mulching was necessary 

 and those fruit growers who had neglected it lost considerable fruit. 

 March was a spring month; by April many small fruits were bud- 

 ding. May was cold and a few severe frosts killed raspberries that 

 had not been cared for as before mentioned. Currants, too, suf- 

 fered much and grape blossoms were entirely destroyed except 

 where they were blanketed. The first mulberry blossoms (which 

 makes the best fruit) were all killed. We cannot urge upon our 

 people too much, the necessity of heavy winter mulching. Put it 

 on when the ground is frozen, and if possible, before snow comes; 

 put it on thick and wide, that the frost may be kept in the ground 

 longer in the spring. We have magnificent summers for fruit and 

 flowers but we must keep the plants dormant till the frosts are 

 over. The few rain showers which we had during the growing sea- 

 son were all local rains; and in consequence gardens varied, some 

 producing as luscious fruit as ever, while in others the fruit had 

 lost the rich juiciness which makes it so palatable. 



Reports come in from my district of indifferent crops of all kinds 

 and at Windom, where there is a gravel subsoil, of entire failure. 

 On the other hand, I have had very good success with most small 

 fruits, thanks to the mulching spoken of before. Our new mem- 

 ber, Mr. James Taylor, succeeds well generally, and did so this 

 year with the exception of raspberries, the late frosts in the spring 

 killing them in the bud. I have the Russian Apricot thriving well 

 in my orchard; they have seen three winters there and no part of 

 them have frozen back. 



A great deal of practical religion and a little horticultural patch 

 on every farm in Minnesota would make this state such a veritable 

 Eden that all nations would call us blessed. 



REPORT FROM THIRD DISTRICT. 



By Vice President M. Cutler of Sumter. 



Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: 



The past season has been quite discouraging to the horticultur- 

 ists of the third district. Last winter was so mild that spring 

 opened with all kinds of fruit trees and plants, except Turner rasp- 

 berries, in a promising condition, and so they remained until the 

 close of May when several heavy frosts nearly — and in some cases 

 entirely — ruined our prospects. To go over the strawberry and 





