56 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Annual Examination of Minnesota State Fruit-Breeding 



Farm for 1916. 



J. F. HARRISON, EXCELSIOR, S. A. STOCKWELL, MINNEAPOLIS, COMMITTEE, 



At the request of Mr. Latham, our secretary, the under- 

 signed visited the Minnesota Fruit-Breeding Station at Zumbra 

 Heights as a committee of inspection for this society on Septem- 

 ber 16, 1916. 



As is known to all of us, the past summer was one of unusual 

 severity on all kinds of fruit. We had a very wet, backward 

 spring followed by the most severe drought that ever visited this 

 section of the state. Consequently, the work at the Breeding 

 Station has been very seriously handicapped. Nevertheless 

 much has been^accomplished. 



We found that the farm consists of seventy-eight acres; 

 sixty-five acres are under cultivation and planted to various 

 kinds of fruits and berries. The remainder of the farm is used 

 for a meadow, and there is some timber still standing. There 

 could be used to very great advantage at least twenty acres more 

 of good land, and we earnestly urge the incoming State Legis- 

 lature to provide the necessary means to obtain this land while 

 it can be had for a reasonable price. We think it is not too much 

 to say that the state's investment in a fruit-breeding station will 

 repay any outlay that the state may make. 



The last legislature made an appropriation for a superin- 

 tendent's dwelling, at a cost of about $4,000 ; a steel water tank, 

 a sewer system and an additional greenhouse. The greenhouses 

 are, of course, necessary for plant breeding during the winter 

 and early spring. 



It is the practice of the superintendent to start about the 

 first of January to force the blooming of the plants he desires 

 to breed. This lengthens the season for breeding purposes very 

 materially. 



Something like 6,000 apple seedlings were planted last 

 spring for fruiting. As is known to the society, the fruits that 

 are developed at the station are sent out (for testing) to the 

 members of the society. Of course, there are a great many 

 trees and plants discarded as worthless. 



They have at the present time close to 40,000 seedlings of 

 various fruits growing on the place. 



Mr. Haralson, the superintendent, thinks he has a very 

 wonderful everbearing strawberry in Minnesota No. 1017. It 



