108 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Sauk Rapids Trial Station in 1916. 



MRE. JENNIE STAGER, SUPT. 



The spring started propitiously. The pussy willows bloomed, 

 and our hearts sang with the birds in the hope of a plenteous 

 harvest of fruit. The plum trees were loaded with blossoms, 

 other fruit buds were coming on, and the air was filled with 

 the fragance exhaled from the opening flowers. Then, un- 

 heralded, came a strong north wind which stilled during the 

 night, and when we looked for our blossoms in the morning they 

 were gone with our hopes. But for some unaccountable rea- 

 son our apple orchard escaped, thereby giving a good amount 

 of fruit. 



All of the raspberries sent from the Central Experiment 

 Farm bore well. Number six and number seven had excep- 

 tionally large fruit. There were a few berries on the everbear- 

 ing ones sent last spring but not enough to judge what they 

 will amount to. 



Strawberries did fairly well. I planted last spring six 

 new kinds that are highly extolled in the nursery books and, as 

 we had good growing weather, have a fine, clean bed of plants, 

 and I am hoping some may prove extra good. The two-year-old 

 everbearers were better at raising plants than berries, but 

 the young plants taken from that bed and planted last spring 

 showed plenty of fine, large berries in the fall. 



Of currants and gooseberries, we had a small crop. One 

 small plum tree about as tall as myself, sent from the Experi- 

 ment Farm two years ago, had six plums on as large as a crab 

 apple, and of good flavor, and seemed proud of her exploit. 



Of vegetables here, potatoes did quite well. Cabbage and 

 cauliflower poor, Lima and some other beans did not get ripe. 

 Tomatoes were large. At our fair I had a plate of Mansfield 

 tree tomatoes that weighed two pounds and over, each speci- 

 men. Also some of Livingston's that weighed as much. 



Roses were plentiful. I took first premium on Black's 

 gladioli, of which I had a perfectly gorgeous bed, and alto- 

 gether we had nothing to complain of. 



1915 Bird Count in Northwest. — One hundred and twenty-four pairs 

 of birds nest and raise their families on the average farm of 108 acres in 

 the northeastern states, according to estimates based upon the second 

 annual bird count conducted by the Biological Survey of the U. S. Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture. — U. S. Dept. of Agri. 



