140 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
Such in brief is an outline of my work in the experiment station during 
the past year. Other duties occupy much of my time; I give instruction 
in horticulture and botany in the Farm School and instruction in horti- 
culture in the University Agricultural ‘College course. The laying out 
and care of the school grounds I also have charge of. 
In closing, I wish to thank the members of this society for their uni- 
form courtesy and kindness, and the cordial support they have given me 
while in pursuit of my duties. 
REPORT OF E. H.S. DARTT, SUPERINTENDENT OF OWA- 
TONNA TREE STATION. 
Mr. President and Members: 
Another mild winter and average summer has passed and all half hardy 
trees have done well, yet the Ohio acanthus, American sycamore, catalpa 
tulip tree and the kind of Russian mulberry that I have are killing down et 
even in mild winters. 
There are now growing in nursery about 13,000 trees, of which about 
10,000 are apples, crab apples, cherries, plums and pears, comprising 
about 500 varieties: and 2,000 are evergreen trees, over twenty varieties, 
and about 1,000 forest and ornamental trees and shrubs, estimated at 100 
varities; 1,000 marking stakes are now in use. Most of these trees are 
closely planted in nursery rows, and much thinning out and transplant- 
ing should be done. The fruit trees are of so many varieties, and of such 
uncertain value, that it is not advisable to sell any of them; besides, some 
have been received under restrictions. 
SEEDLING APPLE TREES. 
No test of a seedling apple tree is complete until it has had a fair trial 
as a grafted orchard tree. 
On this account I am grafting a large number of new seedlings that 
have not yet borne fruit. Most of our trees that fail are killed by drouth 
of summer, or by freezing dry in winter, and since rank growers resist 
drouth best,and severe cold just as well, I am selecting largely of this 
class for further trial by grafting. Six trees of one kind (Seed. C) have 
made an average growth of 3 feet 8 inches from terminal bud the past 
season. Many others are of rank growth and fine appearance. 
About 4,000 root grafts, of about 200 varieties, will be made this 
winter, for planting in spring. Of these about 20 varieties will be Russian, 
100 new station seedlings, and the remainder the most valuable seedlings 
gathered from cold sections. Pedigree stock is accumulating, there being 
many promising seedlings from the most noted seedling and Russian 
varieties. 
The orchard, which now contains 500 trees, is doing fairly well. There 
are 140 varieties of apples, about equally divided between seedlings and 
Russians, 15 varieties of native plums, 5 of cherries, and 3 of pears. Of 
the 120 trees to be added in the spring nearly all will be seedling apples. 
