322 ANNUAL REPORT 



and currants were well formed, when they were not only frosted 

 but frozen. This together with the extreme drouth following 

 made strawberries nearly an entire failure. Raspberries blossom- 

 ed again, so we had about one-fourth of a crop of raspberries, as 

 well as gooseberries and currants. In a few places, raspberries 

 escaped and also grapes. On Lake Minnie Bell, Capt. Montford 

 iiad a fine crop of grapes. 



The only apples grown to amount to anything, were the Trans- 

 cendents. One man in the northern part of Meeker county, sold 

 nearly one hundred bushels. His orchard is in the timber and was 

 set about twenty years ago; other varieties set at the same time, 

 were Hyslop, Duchess and some others, but all have failed. 



REPORT FROM MURRAY COUNTY, MINN. 

 M. F. Nonfood. Balaton. 



The year 1889 was a very dry season in Murray county, as has 

 been the case the last three years, and fruits were not up to the av- 

 erage in this vicinity. 



Of apples, crabs are the only ones in bearing and the Transcendent 

 has been considered the hardiest, and in 1887 and 1888 they bore 

 heavy crops, but in '88 they showed signs of blight and in '89 they 

 blighted to such an extent as to seriously affect the crop, which was 

 next to nothing. This blight may be accouuted for by the orchard 

 being located on the sunny side of a dense grove of large cotton- 

 wood trees, with also one row close by on east, south and west. 

 Two years ago, we received 17 Russiau apple trees; these were 

 from Minnesota Experiment (Station; 1 planted them in another 

 place. They seem to be hardy, do not winter kill and have made 

 a growth of from 12 to 18 inches each summer. They have been 

 cultivated and kept clean the same as if in a corn field. 



Of raspberries we have the Turner, Gregg andCuthbert and also 

 some natives. In productiveness the Turner is the best and is har- 

 dier even than the native. The crop and size of berries of all 

 these have been affected to some extent by the drouth the past two 

 seasons. Currants and gooseberries do not seem to mind the 

 drouth much and have yielded a good crop. Strawberries were 

 poor in old or grass bound beds, but a patch set out in 1888 and 

 kept thoroughly clean yielded a large crop of delicious berries but 

 did not continue in bearing as long as usual. 



Grapes, of which we have mostly Concords, stared out for an 

 immense crop but the continued drouth caused some of the fruit to 

 shrink and be of poorer quality. 



We mulch heavily with coarse manure or old hay and find it of 

 .great value in dry seasons especially for small fruits. 



