30 



MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Of all fruits the grapes have done the best. There were no 

 frosts during May and June like last year, and the vines though 

 kept back by cool weather finally came out strong for a full crop. 

 The only disadvantage for doing their best was the short season 

 for ripening their fruit well. Being about three weeks later than 

 normal years, only the earliest varieties came to maturity. Late 

 sorts such as the Concord never got ripe. The Concord too was 



*i3 





il'lii 



Scotch pine forest fifteen years old — at Collegeville. 



affected by mildew and produced very little fruit. All others did 

 well ; we gathered some five bushels of tame grapes. But the best 

 bearing vine which ripened its fruit was the Alpha. It was just 

 loaded with fine clusters of grapes. In the line of fruits we never 

 saw a more beautiful sight than this vine. On one nine year old 

 vine we counted eighty bunches. They were a surprise and an 

 admiration to all visitors who had a chance to see them. We 

 gathered ten bushels of grapes from the Alpha vines. The Alpha 

 vines should be pruned every fall, otherwise bunches and berries 

 would stay considerably smaller. That the Alpha is a hardy vine 

 is shown by the fact that it was bearing this year at Thief River 

 Falls, about 350 miles northwest of St. Paul. 



