Trees, Fruits and Flowers of Minnesota, 1916. Various

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      Mr. Sauter: I was over to the Anoka county fair; it was the first part of September, and all the other plums weren't ripe, all the stuff they had in was green. But all the Surprise were ripe, so that certainly must be an early ripener.

      Mr. Pfeiffer: Not especially early.

      Mr. Hall: I was certainly glad to hear Mr. Pfeiffer so ably defend the Surprise plum. The Surprise plum was the only one I got any good from. The DeSoto, Wolf and Stoddard and all those, the brown rot got them, but the Surprise plum had perfect fruit. I am surprised that it has a black eye from the society.

      Mr. Pfeiffer: Your location is where?

      Mr. Hall: Sibley County.

      Mr. Kellogg: Thirteen years ago I set out a root graft that made about five feet of growth and just as quick as it got big enough to bear it was loaded with Surprise plums, but since then it hasn't been worth a cent.

      Mr. Miller: If Mr. Pfeiffer had been in my orchard he could not have given us a better description of it than he did, of the Surprise plum. I set it out about fifteen years ago. I think I paid sixty cents for those seedlings, they stood about three and one-half feet. I never had brown rot in them. When I set them out I put them with other varieties and set them so the inside ones would fertilize the outside ones. Afterwards I set these on the east side of the orchard, where they got protection from the west wind. They have borne almost every year, and this year they are the only ones we had a crop on.

      Pres. Cashman: I think we get as near to agreeing on this question as on most others. It is suggested that we find out how many have had success and how many have had failures with the Surprise plum. All those who have been successful in raising Surprise plums will please raise their hands. (Certain hands raised.) Now, hands down. Those who have been unsuccessful will please raise their right hands. (Other hands raised.) It seems there were more successes than failures.

      A Member: It has been mentioned that the frost this year killed the plum crop. I noticed in my orchard previous to that frost when we had a snow storm, I noticed that the blossoms dried up and fell from the trees before that hard frost. I think the question of success or failure with the Surprise, as with other plums, is sort of comparative. I don't know of any plum of the Americana type that we have a success with every year any more than any other. So it is relative. I would like to ask if anyone had the same experience with the blossoms drying and falling off the trees before that frost.

      Mr. Crawford: Perhaps the gentleman will recall the fact we had two nights in succession of quite severe frost. The first night it was almost a freeze, and the second we had the snow storm which is given credit for the plum failure.

      Mr. Anderson: The gentleman who read the paper, he is from Winona, where he has a very much better location for any kind of fruit than the general run of the state. The other gentleman is from Illinois. Now, this good location near Winona and the temperature down in Illinois, does that favor the Surprise plum, and has it anything to do with their success and our failure?

      Pres. Cashman: We will have to leave that to the audience.

      Mr. S. D. Richardson: Down in Winnebago I got three trees from the originator of the Surprise plum, and while I was at the nursery I never saw any plums, but I propagated some from there and a man in our town has some Surprise plums from it, and since I left the nursery I think the man has had some plums from them. I got them from Mr. Penning when they were first originated, but they never bore plums for me. I had no other plums around there. Perhaps if they need pollen from other plums they didn't get it, and this man that has had the first success with them he had other plums near them. Perhaps that is the secret. The tree is hardy and good, and if you can get a crop of plums by having something else to fertilize them, the Surprise plum is all right.

      Pres. Cashman: I think Mr. Richardson has struck the keynote to a certain extent, we must put them near another variety to pollenize them.

Northeast Demonstration Farm and Station.

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W. J. THOMPSON, SUPT., DULUTH.

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      Last May the Station orchard was set out, the same consisting of about 516 apple trees with a fringe of cherries and plums. The apples consisted of year old stock (purchased the year preceding and set in nursery rows) and included these six varieties: Duchess, Patten's Greening, Okabena, Wealthy, Hibernal, Anisim. Good growth was made the past season and the stock went into winter quarters in good shape. However, 20 per cent died, the loss being in this order: Wealthy, Anisim, Hibernal, Pattens' Greening—Okabena and Duchess were tied for smallest loss. In addition to the above, we made a considerable planting of small fruits, principally currants and gooseberries, together with a limited quantity of blackberries and raspberries. Twelve varieties of strawberries were set out, each including 100 plants. All made a splendid growth this season. An interesting test is under way in the dynamiting work. Alternate trees have been set in blasted holes, a stick about one and one-half inches long being sufficient to make a hole three feet in diameter and perhaps twenty inches in depth. It is yet too early to measure the results of this work, but owing to the nature of the subsoil in this region, we are looking for splendid results. With regard to the stock secured from the Fruit Farm, we have not been uniformly successful. Much of the stock seems to be weak and dies readily from some cause unknown to us. Next season we should be able to render a more complete report, as our work will then be fairly started.

Annual Report, 1915, West Concord Trial Station.

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FRED COWLES, SUPT., WEST CONCORD.

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       Fred Cowles at home.

      Of the new varieties of plums that I received from the Fruit-Breeding Farm most all have done well. The only one that has borne is No. 21. This one had two plums on last season, and several this. They were a medium size red plum, very good flavor, and seem to come into bearing very young. No. 17 is a very thrifty grower, but when it bears that will tell what it is worth. Hansen's plums are doing well, but we believe they are more adapted to a better drained soil than we have here, as we are on a heavy prairie soil. But these varieties are very thrifty and bear so young.

      The grapes have all stood the winter with no protection and have not killed back any. We expect some fruit next season.

      The raspberries that we received have all done well. No. 4 seems to take the lead for flavor and is a good grower.

      Notwithstanding the cold season our strawberry crop was very good, and we are much impressed with No. 3, it is so strong and healthy; it is just the plant for the farmer, as it will thrive under most any condition. I believe it will fight its way with the weeds and come out ahead.

      We reported very favorably on the Heritage when it was in bloom, but it does not set enough fruit to pay for its space. The berries СКАЧАТЬ