JEFFERS TRIAL STATION. 4 277 



Jeffers Trial Station. 



DEWAIN COOK, SUPT. 



June 12, 1917. — New varieties of fruits planted on our trial 

 grounds the spring of 1917 were seventeen varieties of grapes, 

 No. 1 to No. 17, sent here by Mr. Charles Haralson, also straw- 

 berry No. 935 from the same source. In plums we received 

 scions from Mr. A. B. Dennis, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, which are 

 now growing nicely, viz., Wilson, Mammoth and two other un- 

 named varieties all full blooded Japanese and said to be the 

 largest varieties of plum grown. We also received from Prof. 

 N. E. Hansen two trees each of his new sand plums, the Kiowa 

 and the Cree. These two varieties are said to ripen their fruit 

 after all of our standard varieties. In this part of Minnesota we 

 need some varieties that ripen later than those usually grown.. 



The past winter was one of unusual severity. Snow came in 

 December and stayed on all winter. Drifts ten to fifteen feet 

 high in our orchards was not uncommon. Many nursery trees 

 and low headed plum trees were broken down by the settling 

 snow and thus destroyed. 



The season up to date has been cold and backward, with a 

 great amount of rain and cold east winds. There was little sun- 

 shine during the blooming period of the plum and still less sun- 

 shine during the apple blooming period. 



As to the prospect of fruit, strawberries Minn. No. 3 and 

 Minn. No. 1017 are looking very fine and promise a big crop. 

 Varieties of grapes from our State Farm have proven somewhat 

 disappointing. They were all pruned last fall and laid on the 

 ground but not covered, except they were covered by snowdrifts 

 several feet deep nearly all winter. Yet No. 1 killed badly, Nos. 

 2 and 3 are nearly dead, No. 4 fair, Nos. 5 and 7 good, No. 6 

 killed some, No. 8 pretty good. 



As for the prospect for plums, the Japanese hybrids may 

 save the day, my one tree of Rockford plum may bear a crop, but 

 otherwise I have not noticed any variety of native American 

 varieties that promises to bear more than a few specimens to the 

 tree, but the Japanese hybrid plums as a class give promise of a 

 good crop. Stella, B. A. Q., Emerald, Omaha and most of the 

 varieties originating at our Minnesota Fruit-Breeding Farm look 

 specially promising for a fine crop of plums, thus again demon- 

 strating the ability of this class of plums to set a crop of fruit 

 under adverse conditions. 



We cannot as yet know what to expect from the sand cherry 

 hybrid plums, but do not expect very much from them this season. 

 The blossoms have not dropped yet. The Compass cherry bloom 

 has been destroyed by the brown rot, and the other sand cherry 

 hybrid varieties seem to some extent to be doing the same thing. 



The Wealthy apple, also the N. W. Greening, Malinda and 

 some others, in spite of the big crop of 1916, blossomed very 

 full, and we have hopes of getting a crop of apples of these vari- 

 eties, but we can tell better a little later on. 



