244 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



We had at our county fair this year some fruit on exhibition of the 

 following varieties of apples and crabs: Duchess of Oldenburg, Minnesota, 

 Transcendent, Hyslop and some smaller crabs. The Duchess of Olden- 

 burg in this section, where the soil is sandy, have without fail died after 

 bearing a good crop; Transcendents and other crabs have blighted and 

 partly died after a heavy crop, started from the roots again and com- 

 menced anew. Of the grapes, Janesville, Champion and Moore's Early 

 ripened their fruit and bore a good crop, Janesville taking the lead in 

 growth of fruit and vine on my farm. Farmers who wish to secure other 

 small fruits, such as currants and gooseberiies, should observe the follow- 

 ing rules vvithout fail: Plant no more than you can keep clean from weeds 

 the whole season, and give as much manure as you would an ordinary 

 garden crop, and you will be surprised at the result when your shrubs get 

 to be four years old. 



My wish and hope is that the society may be able to make itself more 

 known to the majority of farmers. A more liberal support from the 

 state would assist in thisi first, by having its reports more liberally dis- 

 tributed; second, by a closer connection with the experiment farm. Be 

 it remembered tliat neither the work of the experiment farm or the 

 horticultural society is known to only one or two in a hundred of the 

 farmers. If our county fairs could be so regulated that part of their 

 fees paid in by members could go into your treasury, the state in return 

 therefor to guarantee a report (bound) from the experimental station 

 and from your society, we could, I believe, awaken more interest in 

 agricultural and horticultural education. I also believe that the county 

 agricultural societies should be the medium through which seedlings and 

 new fruits should be distributed. Our county fairs, I fear, have served 

 their time of usefulness if we cannot introduce some new educational 

 features in their programs, first, by giving them the benefit of the 

 knowledge already obtained, and, second, by requiring part of the state 

 donations to be expended for essays and practical reports on practical 

 results arrived at. 



REPORT OiS GENERAL FRUITS, FIFTH CONGRESSIONAL DIS- 

 TRICT. 



B. C. YANCEY, EDINA MILLS. 



Apples were not very good in this section of the country. They blos- 

 somed very full in the spring but were struck with a blight, and the result 

 was that the apples were small and knotty. The Duchess was the best. 



The raspberries were a light crop. They were considerably winter- 

 killed. The Cuthbert generally brought the best results. Strawberries 

 were very good this year. 



The currants yielded very abundantly and were exceptionally fine in 

 quality. 



The blackberry crop was very heavy and the berries very large and fine. 

 The Ancient Briton yielded the heaviest. 



The grapes were injured considerably by mildew. The Janesville and 

 Moore's Early ripened well. The Concord ripened only fairly and the 

 Delaware did not ripen at all. 



