264 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
HOW THE BADGERS GROW FRUIT. 
F. G. GOULD, EXCELSIOR. 
In the early spring Mr. Chas A.Sampson, of Eureka, and I decided 
to go into Wisconsin to inspect the methods of the fruit growers 
there and see how they handle their business and also to examine 
any new sorts of especial merit, the much praised Loudon raspberry 
being the principal one, which we desired to inspect in the fruiting 
season. We met Mr. A. J. Philips, secretary of the Wisconsin State 
Horticultural Society, at the summer meeting of our society and 
informed him of our intention to visit some of the fruit growers in 
his state, also of our desire to see the Loudon raspberry at the most 
favorable season. A few days before the Fourth of July, Mr. Philips 
notified us that the twelfth was the date decided upon as the most 
favorable to inspect this plant in fruit. We found Mr. Philips at 
his home in West Salem, Wis. Mr. J. S. Harris was there, having 
preceded us by one train. 
Mr. Philips was around early in the morning, to take the 
party out to his farm and orchard six miles north of town. Our 
way lay through well-tilled farms. Large fields of grain, and grain 
of magnificent growth, bordered our way. The last mile was a con- 
tinuous ascending grade,averaging six feet tothe hundred. On the 
summit, which is comparatively level, is located Mr. Philips’ farm 
of 300 acres, near the center of which is his fifteen acre apple orchard, 
A portion of this orchard is planted along the borders of the 
farm roads, where it has a perfect exposure to sun and air. 
The elevation above the surrounding country is 300 feet, more or 
less. Most of the trees in this orchard have been topworked, budded 
or grafted, on the Virginia crab. The larger trees, including 
Wealthy,,. McMahon White and many other sorts are carrying a 
heavy crop of fruit. These trees, excepting the Whitney and the 
Oldenburg, draw their sustenance up through four to six feet of 
Virginia crab stock, or trunk. Mr. Philips believes this crab stock 
tends to earlier and greater productiveness and also imparts a 
more robust habit to less hardy sorts. This orchard is carrying a 
splendid crop of apples. 
This topworking of the apple is fairly well tested here, and result : 
is convincing that itis a valuable improvement upon the common 
methods. 
We next visited the Thayer fruit farm at Sparta, where our party 
were nicely entertained by the Messrs. Tobey and Herbst. I must 
not omit the ladies, Mrs. Thayer and Mrs. Tobey, who participate 
in the management of this, the largest and best equipped small 
fruit farm in the Northwest. 
We devoted one-half day to the inspection of the various fruits 
and other things ofinterest. Strawberries are planted by a machine 
at the rate of four acres per day and about 6,000 plants to the acre. 
The principal fruits grown are strawberries, raspberries, blackber- 
ries and gooseberries. The drought of last year, together with the 
absence of the snow protection, left the plants at the beginning of 
this season in a weak condition, and the fruit crop this year is com- 
. paratively light. 
