356 ANNUAL REPORT. 



In conclusioa allow me to say, there are fine chances for young men who take an 

 interest in fruit growing, to engage in the enterprise and with due diligence and 

 skillful hands crown their labors with success. 



FRUIT REPORT FROM HOUSTON COUNTY. 

 By J. S. Harris, La Crescent. 



The only varieties of apples in my orchard that have stood the test of the last 

 three winters without receiving any perceptible injury are the Duchess of Olden- 

 burg, Petofsky, Peach, two or three other varieties of Russians, Whitney No. 20, 

 and some of the Siberians. The McMahon White and occasionally a Wealthy show 

 but slight injury. A portion of the remaining Wealthy, St. Lawrence, Talman 

 Sweet, Plumb Cider, Haas, and occasionally an Utter, will probably recover and 

 bear fruit, but not become sound trees. All of the Russets, the Bailey Sweet, Seek- 

 nofurther, Winesap, Autumn Strawberry, Fameuse, Pewaukee, the older Red 

 Astrachan and Walbridge, are totally ruined. My experience and observation go 

 to prove that a northeast exposure is the best for an orchard site and that orchards 

 upon high and dry land are less liable to be killed in such extreme winters than 

 those situated in low valleys. 



The last winter was the most disastrous to trees of any one I have experienced 

 in a residence here of^twenty-five years. I am in no wise disheartened hy the 

 losses of last winter, but have full faith in the final success of fruit culture in Min- 

 nesota. I shall replant my orchard, using for the purpose, largely, two-year-old 

 trees of the Wealthy and McMahon White, the most promising seedlings I can 

 procure, and enough of the newer Russians to test their adaptability and ascertain 

 which of them are most desirable for cultivation in this State. 



My location is in the town of La Crescent, Houston County. 



Mr. G. W. Kellogg was liere requested to present his paper ou Small 

 Fruits for Profit. 



Mr. Kellogg. Mr. President, I don't know how many minutes you 

 design to allow me but I will try to be as brief as possible. I must 

 charge it all to my friend Elliot for getting me into this scrape. Before 

 reading what I have written I would like to say that since I left home 

 I received a communication from Hon. Norman J. Colman, the Com- 

 missioner of Agriculture, giving the names of some thirty-two kinds 

 of Russian apples of which he has been distributing cions. I received 

 a small bundle of them and two copies of this list. 



1 should like to criticise somewhat, had I time, some of the reports 

 from our Experimental Stations. One thing that I want to mention 

 is this : when you top-graft any variety on the crab it is no proper 

 trial at all; I think experiments should all be made upon root-grafts. 

 We should grow them from the ground if we want to conduce to their 

 reliability and hardiness. 



