234 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



ble pollen producing varieties now in the market for my own soil for early 

 and for late. 



Wilson is getting feeble in its old age, in many locations, by lack of care 

 and culture, and with rust and disease; it is almost a failure. 



Sharpless is very uncertain and almost worthless; Cumberland is too 

 soft, except for home use and near market; Chas Downing is the same 

 and badly addicted to rust; Capt. Jack (late) is one of the best old varie- 

 ties when it does not rust; Piper may be retained for pollen, but the fruit 

 is small; Vick is about in the same fix with perhaps more rust; Mt. Ver- 

 non is one of the best late berries; Gandy is claimed by many as the best 

 late variety, not as productive as we want for a late berry; Jessie, while 

 quite sensitive to cold nights and northeast winds while in bloom, is the 

 best large berry of years standing we have ever planted that is perfect in 

 the blossom. 



Countess, we thought, when we met it years ago on our visit to your 

 summer meeting, was the foundation of our fortune, for we had never 

 known any variety where the best picker could pick 180 quarts in ten 

 hours before. We planted it on old ground and on new forest soil, and 

 after some years of success, but no fortune, we have discarded it on ac- 

 count of rust and failure. 



Burt may possibly be a seedling of Capt. Jack, and not identical; it does 

 not seem to rust so badly. Plants direct from Miss Burt herself are said 

 to be "Capt. Jack." 



Parker Early is commanding a good deal of attention; it is vigorous, 

 early, firm, perfect in bloom, promising and "exceeding 100 other varie- 

 ties" on some grounds, "fruiting at the rate of 15,000 quarts per acre, two 

 years on the same bed." 



Warfield No. 1 promises to be a mate to No. 2; it is a very fine grower 

 and being perfect in bloom, and as Mr. Warfield writes me it is equally 

 productive as No. 2, we have great hope of its general adaptation. 



Michael's Early is claimed to be "two weeks earlier than anything else," 

 a persistent bearer, firm, and is exceedingly satisfactory South with us, 

 from last spring's setting of 1,000 plants, it proves the most vigorous 

 grower of anything we ever handled, healthy in foliage, perfect in bloom, 

 good size and quality, firm enough to ship, and if it shall be as productive 

 North as South, it will be our best early perfect flowering kind; South it 

 is in bearing two months. 



The above fourteen or fifteen varieties are all perfect in the flower and 

 will do for any pistillates of their season. We shall keep nosing about 

 among the new varieties until we find the ideal berry that will produce 

 from 500 to 1 ,000 bushels per acre. 



Pistillates. Crescent stands at the head of all the old varieties for dol. 

 lars and cents on all soils and locations, but it lacks firmness on rich soils 

 and in wet seasons. Warfield No. 2 after three years trial we place at the 

 head of the newer varieties as the best shipper, and every other point 

 satisfactory; early and productive to a fault. Bubach No. 5, first for size, 

 productiveness and near market; Haverland is nearly equal in everything 

 but size; Eureka, late, combines productiveness, size, beauty, quality and 

 "after three years trial not a word of complaint." F. T. Lyons, Michigan, 

 says: "Nothing in 100 varieties excels the Eureka." Great Pacific is claimed 

 to be "five times as productive as Bubach No. 5." We hope this may 



