282 ANNUAL REPOET, 



The past season has hem a favorable one for both strawberries 

 and raspberries, and at very good figures too. I cannot tell how 

 many there are engaged in raising berries. I find in looking over 

 my book of sales for the past season, my first sale of strawberries 

 was June 20th, and strawberries continued until raspberries began 

 to ripen. The last sale of raspberries was Aug. 24:th, making the 

 season of berries over two months. 



I cultivate the raspberries the first season after setting, and 

 after that I mulch heavily with bagasse from my cane mill, so that 

 they do not need the hoe. 



I have a patch of Philadelphia Red that have fruited eight 

 seasons, with a full crop the last season, and shall let them stand 

 until they fail to pay. 



KNIGHT H. WHIPPLE. 



Northome, Jan. 15. 1884. 



APPLES OF WINONA COUNTY. 



By 0. M. Lord, op Minnnesota City. 



The Horticultural Report of 1873 gave a flattering statement of 

 fruit prospects for Winona county, which at that time was not 

 considered as exaggerated; but with the experience of the last ten 

 years with apples, the statements made in that report seem almost 

 incredible. Many of the orchards which had done so well up to 

 that time and which gave such fine promise for the future, do not 

 now exist. 



According to the statistics made by the assessors for the year 

 1879, the number of apple trees in the county was 65,000; the 

 number in bearing about 25,000, and the number of bushels pro- 

 duced about 8,000. These statistics are not wholly reliable as they 

 are found not to correspond from year to year. For instance, two 

 years later, or for 1881, the number reported was 41,308; a decrease 

 of 21,000; while the number of bearing trees are 21,481, a decrease 

 of only about 4,000. The number of bushels is not given for that 

 year. For the year 1882 the reports show an increase of 2,000 in 

 number of trees, but a decrease of 1,000 in bearing trees, Avhile the 

 number of bushels is 18,716. Though these discrepances occur, 



