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0 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
GENERAL FRUITS. 
BEYOND THE FORTY-NINTH PARALLEL. 
T. FRANKLAND, STONEWALL, MANITOBA. 
As many of the members of the Minnesota Horticultural Society are 
aware, experiments with a view to practically test the hardiness of the 
Russian importations and Northwest seedlings have for the last five 
seasons of growth been conducted here. Through the cordial] co-operation 
of Profs. Porter, Green, Budd and Messrs Chas. Gibbs, Sias, Harris, Dartt, 
Barrett, Pearce, Luedloff, Peffer and others who supplied the trees and 
plants, these tests were made possible. A few remarks from me may 
therefore be of use at your annual meeting (which I am sorry I can- 
not attend) especially as part of your state is situated in the Red River 
valley. Mr. Probstfield, of Moorhead, seems to take a rather pessemistic 
view about Red River orchards, but as hein a private letter states that 
Stonewall may be a more favorable location, permit me to give a few of 
the results of experiments so far. The trees planted in the spring of 1887 
were root grafts of one and two seasons’ growth and, on high latitude 
principles, were allowed to branch as near to the graft union as possible 
—apple and other bushes are better than no trees. Trees that have been 
kindly donated with bare trunk three to five feet high have been scalded 
badly, and all have had to be decapitated to save their lives; and while a 
few of the others have shown sun scald at limb junctions their vitality 
does not seem to have been so much affected. Hay rope, gunny sack, 
evergreen, earth’ blanket, tar paper or other protection has not been 
practiced, neither have the pets been unduly stimulated to unnatural 
growth, from eight to eighteen inches each season being thought satisfac- 
tory—hence the tallest trees are not more than six feet. Shallow weeding 
and mounding up about a foot or eighteen inches is all the trouble I have 
taken in cultivating. Between the 12 feet rows the first two seasons veget- 
ables were grown,and gooseberries,currants,etc.planted in the space(12 ft.) 
between trees. The third season strawberries were planted between the 
rows and allowed to pretty well cover the ground. While the crop of straw- 
berries has not been so great as it would have been if thinned out, etc., 
the young orchard has had the advantage of being seeded down to straw- 
berries instead of red clover,which does not do well here. There has been 
some little trouble to get out rank weeds, but if these are prevented from 
seeding they can be got rid of. Situated about 20 miles from Lakes Man- 
itoba and Winnipeg the precipitation is somewhat greater than in some 
other parts of the northwest, hence in very rare instances neither at 
planting nor afterwards have I mulched the trees or used water to settle 
the roots, etc. There are about five hundred apples now in orchard rows 
and over a thousand plums (in thicket form) besides a few cherries, From, 
seed of Russian apples and pears 40 two year olds have entered the lists 
for coming seedlings, and this year north central Swedish cherry as well 
