294 ANNUAL REPORT 



"What we want is a plum as good as the best of our natives, or 

 better, with a thicker skin, which will permit of shipping to differ- 

 ent points. The Bollingstone plum fruited with us, for the first 

 time, last year, and is a desirable acquisition. Drawings and a de- 

 scription of it will appear in a future bulletin. 



GRAPES. 



Our grapes came through the winter in fine shape, but after un- 

 coverirjg them we had a severe wind storm, which seriously in- 

 jured the weaker varieties. The late frost did not much injure our 

 crop. Among the varieties fruiting with us for the first time, was 

 Early Victor. This variety has sustained its reputation for early 

 and heavy bearing, early maturity, and good fruit. Its season is 

 about with that of the Janesville, but it is much sweeter. It is 

 not a variety I should recommend for the commercial vinyardist, 

 but for the amateur or farmer who wants to grow his own 

 grapes without much care, I recommend this as eon of the most 

 desirable. However, it can never take the place of the Wor- 

 den, Brighton, or Moore's Early as a table grape, where these can 

 be grown. I think it could be grown over most of our state. 

 Our specimens of Massasoit were of exceptional flavor. Our 

 standard varieties, such as Borden, Moore's Early, Brighton, Lady 

 and Agawam, ripened well. The Worden is fast proving its great 

 value. The Concords did not ripen with us. Among the new vines 

 added to our collection are Woodruff Bed, Moore's Diamond, Eaton 

 and Moyer. 



STRAWBERRIES. 



Our beds are doing well and contain most of the newer varieties. 

 I mentioned the most desirable in my article on strawberry cul- 

 ture. We have about a hundred seedlings of our own growing, 

 and it is my intention to make the raising of seedlings an import- 

 ant feature of the work. 



RASPBERRIES AND BLACKBERRIES. 



These berries have not generally done well at our station the past 

 season. Most of the raspberries have been affected by rust, which 

 together with the dry weather nearly destroyed the crop. A few 

 varieties fruited well, and among them of interest are: 



Golden Queen.— This is a yellow cuthbert, vigorous and healthy 

 in growth and prolific in fruit. Season late; canes rather stiff. 



Hansell. — Prolific, sweet, large, healthy, and early. 



Clark. — Vigorous, healthy, large, solid, of medium quality, val- 

 uable. 



Caroline. — Vigorous, productive. Fruit too soft for marketing, 

 but a good family berry. On account of its flexible, tough canes, 

 it may easily be laid down and covered. 



Our blackberries were so much injured by the dry summer that 

 they ripened scarcely any good fruit. 



SAND CHERRIES AND JUNEBERRIES. 



The juneberries, Chester Center and Osage, fruited with us the 

 past season, and appear to be valuable fruit. We have several other 



