EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 283 



lull crop. Blackberries were killed the blossom) by frost. The Russian 

 pears gave me a good show for a crop for next year; also the Russian plum 

 looks good for a crop, but right here I have to mention that the Russian 

 plum will not live long enough if top grafted on our native plum stock as 

 the cells don't fit, so they unite, not well, the graft growing thicker; I 

 think they will do better by root graft with long scions, so that tbe scions 

 may produce later trees or roots. Later in the fall I planted some large 

 plum trees (top grafted with our best natives) and on them I found on 

 the roots two inches below the surface a worm like the apple borer about 

 one inch long, £ inch thick, cream white, with a brown hat. This worm 

 was boring two to three inches long and i inch wide, deep into the bark. 

 After this bad show I went to my two year old plum trees (roots grafted), 

 by examination I found there the same worm as above stated only smaller, 

 though it was always on the grafting place. The damage was uot great at 

 present, but I think this worm will do more damage when he gets larger. 

 The frost did not allow me to look all over my plum trees for this pest, so 

 a further examination must'be made next spring. 



REPORT FROM NEW ULM EXPERIMENT STATION. 

 By C. W. H. Heideman, Supt. 



For the past ten years the writer has devoted some considerable time 

 in experimentation with the native wild fruits found so abundantly in 

 this vicinity along the Cottonwood and Minnesota river valleys, taking 

 them from their native habitat, and submitting them to improved care 

 and cultivation, and raising hundreds of seedlings with a view of ultimate 

 improvement. My grounds now contain representatives of all the native 

 fruits of this vicinity, together with varieties from Dakota and Montana; 

 also many of the standard cultivated fruits adapted to cold climates. 

 The reports which I have to offer are based on actual observation here, 

 covering a period of several years, and not from catalogue claims or de- 

 scriptions. As this is my first report, I am afraid the failures of the past 

 ten years, if recorded would receive more prominence than the successes, 

 because of inexperience and an uncontrollable desire to test everything 

 new that is offered. 



The past season has been unusually favorable for all kinds of fruits. 

 Native fruits were especially abundant. 



The experimentation undertaken at this station is mostly the raising 

 of seedlings, at first by selection, and only undertaken with a definite 

 plan of procedure within the last few years, consequently many of them 

 cannot be reported upon for several years. The improvement of our 

 native plums has been, and will continue to be, my special work. 



PLUMS. 



I know of no fruits adapted to our climate which give greater promise 

 of general success than our Prunus Americanus. When we take into con- 

 sideration the origin of such fruits as the apple, pear, peach, grape, etc., 

 etc., and the many years devoted to their improvement, it is surprising 

 that so few attempts have been made towards the improvement of a fruit 

 so generally distributed and capable of withstanding the severest clim- 

 ates. Nature unaided has almost alone accomplished the high state of 



