142 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
able it to devote at least one full day of three sessions to the apple ques- 
tion at its next winter meeting. 
Improvements—Cut worms.—The permanent improvements of the year 
are the erection of a small building 12 x 18 feet for workshop and storage 
at a cost of $75,and the obtaining of a water supply by laying pipes from 
the standpipe, or reservoir of state school, at an expense to the station, 
including hose, of $61.55. Fully two-thirds of the total expense was 
borne by the state school board. This water supply, which is sufficient 
-for irrigation in a very small way, willbe of great advantage. I had been 
fighting cut worms in the rows of growing apple seedlings unsuccessfully. 
Had tried the placing of little bunches of green branches of trees along 
the rows, but few worms sought shelter under them. When the ground 
is wet they seek surface shelter, but when it is dry worms Seem to prefer 
burrowing in the ground and are hard to find. A little bank of earth was 
raised on each side of seed rows and water was turned on. This brought 
many worms to the surface and I have reason to think some were 
drowned. 
Surplus Stock—On the 25th of April, 1891, a box was shipped, without 
charge, to the St. Cloud Reformatory, containing 60 fruit, shade and 
ornamental trees,and a similar box, omiting fruit trees, was sent to the 
State Fair grounds. There are now many trees that could be spared for 
state institutions and experiment stations, and though no improve- 
ments of consequence are now needed, and purchase of additional stock 
may be dispensed with, yet the amount of labor required increases each 
year with the increase of stock, and if the additional expense of digging, 
packing and shipping trees is incurred, the $200 per annum now allowed 
for all expenses (except salary) will be inadequate. 
Last Report—One thousand copies of my last report were printed at an 
expense of $10. Some of these were sent out by mail but most of them 
were distributed by Mr. Somerville at the Farmers’ Institute. Supt. 
Gregg and Mr. Somerville expressed the opinion that I could not use 
$10 to better advantage than to procure another thousand copies for such 
distribution, which was done. 
Thanks are due to the following persons for contributions of trees and 
shrubs: Jewell Nursery Company, Lake City; C. W. H. Heideman, New 
Ulm; Silas Hillman, Kasson; Andrew Peterson, Waconia; A. Gates, 
Berlin; S. D. Richardson, Winnebago City. 
We are under especial obligations to A. W.Sias, of Pueblo, Col., for 
recent favors and for past liberal contributions. 
E. H. S. DARTT. 
RUSSIAN APPLES. 
A. PETERSON. 
WACONTA, MINN., Dec. 15. ’91. 
My record will mostly be about Russian apples, as I have tried Over a 
hundred varieties of them. In the first place I will tell about the hard- 
iest and those that blight very little. I begin with the Christmas apple, 
which I call a very hardy tree; the tree don’t blight; it is now eighteen 
years old. A few years ago it was sun scalded because the tree was lean- 
