182 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
the fruit reached the largest size. Judicious thinning would prob- 
ably have been beneficial to both fruit and trees. 
In grapes, besides the older kinds, the Niagara, Brighton, Moore’s 
Diamond and Woodruff’s Red are among the very best. The Eaton 
and Moyer have not so far come up to our expectations. 
Experiments on deep and shallow setting of root grafts show 
that a medium depth, that is, the minimum about 2144 inches below 
the surface, is better than shallower or deeper, and that mulching 
is better than such watering as a farmer can give in a dry season. 
FERGUS FALLS STATION. 
F. H, FIEDLER, SUPT. 
I suppose you will be surprised to receive my report from Mon- 
tana. I have come here forthe winter. * * a As to straw- 
berries I made a report last summer. 
Raspberries. Cuthbertis the best late market and home berry 
we have. The Gregg is the largest and most productive blackcap 
I have, butrather late. The Kansasis not so good a bearer as the 
Gregg; the first pickings are good, but after the first week the 
berries become small and crumbly. The Olderis a poor bearer 
here; the berries small to medium. The Caroline borea very poor 
crop this year. The Golden Queen, King’s Seedling, Taylor, and 
Colossal did not bear. The season was so dry that there were only 
a few berries. 
Currants bore a good crop. Fay’s, Cherry,and White Grape are 
the best. 
Grapes are nearly all dead. Blackberries were acomplete failure, 
and so were gooseberries. 
The last two years were very poor seasons for experimenting, on 
account of drought, but there is no use to get discouraged about it. 
We must plant on and hope for something better. 
Iam sorry I cannot make a better report. 
EXCELSIOR STATION. 
H. M. LYMAN, SUPT. 
In making my annual report to the central station I will say there 
have been few new varieties of apples that have come into bearing 
this year with us, butat the present writing prospects are good for 
an abnndant crop another year. We have many seedlings that are 
looking finely which have not fruited yet. Most of the apples” 
raised this year at the station were from seedlings of our own 
planting, many of them hybrids of the Wealthy, Duchess and crab 
varieties. 
As regards the Russian varieties of apples which we have 
planted out, a report may be misleading, for the varieties are some- 
what mixed up,as we all know. Among the trees planted three 
years ago, one Russian was marked Romenskoe (599). As the tree 
