3838 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
THE ORCHARDS OF MINNETONKA. 
NOTES BY A. W. LATHAM, SECY. 
In the past week, in company with some friends of horticulture, I 
have taken two short trips about the fruit region of Lake Minne- 
tonka. The observations made prove very encouraging for the 
prospects of apple growing in that section. 
The first place visited was that of Mr. M. Pearce, who occupies ten 
acres about one mile from the east shore of the lake. This place is 
not in what is considered the apple belt of the lake, as his soil,while 
ofarich sandy joam, has a somewhat gravelly subsoil. However, 
Mr. Pearce is enough of an enthusiast to overcome in large measure 
the natural defects of his location, and, for the number of years he 
has occupied the tract, he has considerable of interest to show. 
Mr. F. G. Gould of Excelsior and Mr. A. H. Brackett of the north 
shore made up the party at this place. We founda few dozen peach 
trees of several varieties, six to nine feet high, looking very healthy. 
They had borne some fruit this year, which had already been gath- 
ered and sent to cold storage for exhibition at our winter meeting. 
Mr. Pearce seemed full of confidence in his ability to grow peaches, 
and his warm soil is as well adapted as any for that purpose. He 
has also a few healthy specimens of the Ostheim cherry, about the 
Same size as the peach trees. The birds largely gather the fruit 
for him. 
Mr. Pearce has two plats of this year’s planting of strawberries 
and raspberries, including a number of the standard and newer 
varieties. These varieties were so equally vigorous and healthy 
that it seemed impossible to discriminate between them, as far as 
appearance goes, as to which are best adapted tohis location. They 
had evidently received the best of care. 
The objects of most interest at this place are the fruit trees which 
have been double-worked. In his case “double-worked” means the 
grafting of the variety which he desires to grow on the stock of 
either a Virginia crab or the Tonka, which latter is a seedling of his 
own. There werea lot of the Lieby anda few of the Wealthy and 
some other varieties worked on the branches of Virginia crab trees 
which appeared very healthy and promising. They were bearing 
some fruit. 
In the nursery there was quite a block of one-year old trees, and 
some two-year, also, which had been double-worked in the root graft; 
that is,an ordinary root graft was first made witha scionof Virginia 
or Tonka and then the variety which he desired to propagate had 
been grafted into the Virginia or Tonka scion, all done at the time 
of making the root graft,—thus placing two or three inches of crab 
wood between the root and the scion which was intended to make 
the tree. This is evidently anew departure in the making of root 
grafts, and the results will be watched with interest. The yearling 
and two-years old trees from this system of grafting are evidently 
of more vigorous growth than those of the ordinary root grafts 
standing alongside. The experiment so far promises well. 
The next place visited was in the clay belt, or what more properly 
might be called the apple belt, the place of Mr. George H. Smith at 
