Trees, Fruits and Flowers of Minnesota, 1916 Part 12

Mr. Brackett: I have some King raspberries, and I never covered them up in ten years. I will change that. The first year I did cover a part of my patch, at least one-half of them, and that left the other half standing, and I couldn't see any difference. Around Excelsior there are very few people that cover up the King raspberry. But the King raspberry has run out; all of the old varieties have run out. We have at our experiment station the No. 4--you can get double the amount of fruit from the No. 4 than from the King. The best way to grow the King raspberry or any other raspberry is to set them four feet apart and cultivate them. If you grow a matted row you are bound to get weeds and gra.s.s in there, you are bound to get them ridged up, but by planting in hills and cultivating each way you can keep your ground perfectly level.

As far as clipping them back my experience has been it is very hard to handle them--they will spread out. It is a big job to cover the plants and then to uncover them again. I know it is not necessary with the No.

4; that is hardy. That is what we want. Hardiness is what we want in a berry, and you have it in the No. 4.

Mr. Hall: I would like to ask you what you spray with and when you spray?

Mr. Johnson: The bordeaux mixture. I spray them early in the spring and just before they start to ripen.

Mr. Wick: With us the Loudon raspberry seems to be the coming raspberry.

Mr. Johnson: Is it doing well now?

Mr. Wick: Yes, it is doing well.

Mr. Ludlow: How many years is the planting of the King raspberry good for?

Mr. Johnson: I think it would be good for fifteen years or more if they are handled as I do it. Keep at the plant, hoeing and spraying them twice a year; trim out the old wood and keep them healthy.

The President: You take out all the old wood every year?

Mr. Johnson: Yes, sir.

Mr. Ludlow: When do you do that?

Mr. Johnson: In the fall. I figure this way, every extra cane that you grow on the plant is a waste. If I see a cane a little higher than the others I just stop it, and it throws the sap back.

Mr. Berry: Do you fertilize and how and when?

Mr. Johnson: I found I didn't need much fertilizer. I put on wood ashes and such things when I burn the tr.i.m.m.i.n.g of the berries and such things.

A Member: When do you spray?

Mr. Johnson: I generally spray in the spring after they get started and just before they are starting to ripen. I spray them sometimes when they are starting to ripen, and the berries would pick up in one day.

A Member: You mean to say you could grow them for fifteen years without fertilizing?

Mr. Johnson: Yes, sir.

KNOWLEDGE of the temperature of the pantry and cellar is important, in order that one may make improvements in conditions.

Putrefaction will start at 50, so that a pantry or closet where food is kept should have a temperature at least as low as that. Cellars where canned goods are stored should have a temperature of 32 or over. Apples are frequently stored in outside cellars, where the temperature should be kept at 31 or 32; but apples may be kept satisfactorily at 34 or 36. When stored at the higher temperatures, the fruit should be placed there soon after being picked.

Annual Report, 1915, Nevis Trial Station.

JAS. ARROWOOD, SUPT., NEVIS.

We would say that the station is in good condition; all trees and shrubbery have done well; no complaint as far as growth is concerned.

This being an off year for fruit in this section, the fruit crop in general was light, the late frost and heavy rains destroying most all, both wild and tame fruits.

The strawberries, raspberries and currants were fairly good; plums and apples were very light, except some seedlings, both apples and plums, which seemed to hold their fruit. Most all the large apples were destroyed by the freeze, such as d.u.c.h.ess, Wealthy, Greening and Hibernal. There were some of the d.u.c.h.ess seedlings that seemed to stand all kinds of freezing.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Jas. Arrowood in his trial orchard, at Nevis, in Northern Minnesota.]

Now in regard to the fruits that were sent here from Central station.

The majority are doing fairly well, especially in regard to strawberry No. 3, which is doing splendidly and points to be the coming strawberry of northern Minnesota. It is a good runner and has a large, dark foliage. Plants that we left out last winter without covering came through in splendid condition and made a heavy crop. In regard to the fruit, it is of the best quality, large and firm and a good keeper. In regard to raspberries, Nos. 1, 4 and 7 did very well, and stood the winter without laying down, and bore a good crop.

In regard to the eighteen plum trees I received three years ago, Nos. 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 12 have done very well and have made a good growth, but have had no fruit so far.

The sand cherry that was received the same year, No. 2, has done very well and bore some fruit this last year of a fair quality.

Hansen cherries are doing fairly well and bore some fruit this year.

Now in regard to plums that were received in 1914 Nos. 2, 3, 8, 10, 13, 20, have all made a good growth. What was received in 1915 have all grown.

The grapes that we received two years ago have made but little growth.

There were no grapes in this section this year; they all froze off about twice.

I received at the county fair about sixteen first prizes on apples and plums this year. We did considerable top-working, mostly on Hibernals and native seedlings, which are doing very well. Some of our seedling cherries are commencing to bear and show to be perfectly hardy. They are of the Oregon strain of sweet cherry.

In regard to gardens, they were fairly good throughout the section. Corn crop a failure.

In regard to the condition of the trees and shrubbery, this are going into their winter quarters with lots of moisture and with a large amount of fruit buds, with a good prospect for fruit next year.

DESTROYING PLANT LICE.--According to the results of experiments a 10 per cent kerosene emulsion should prove effective against the green apple aphis. The kerosene emulsion made either with 66 per cent stock, 10 per cent, or with naphtha soap and cold water, seemed to kill all the green apple aphides. The 40 per cent nicotine solution, with a dilution up to 1 to 2,000 combined with soap, were likewise effective aphidicides. The kerosene emulsions under 10 per cent were not satisfactory, neither were the soaps at the strengths tested, except that fish-oil soap, 5 to 50, killed 90 per cent of the aphides. Laundry soap, 3 to 50, was effective against the young aphides only. a.r.s.enate of lead alone, as was to be expected, had little or no effect upon the aphides. The combination of a.r.s.enate of calcium with kerosene emulsions is not a desirable one, since an insoluble calcium soap is formed, thereby releasing some free kerosene.--U.S. Dpt. of Agri.

New Fruits Originated at Minnesota Fruit-Breeding Farm.

CHAS. HARALSON, SUPT., EXCELSIOR.

The subject on which I am to talk is rather difficult to present at this time, but I will mention a few of the most promising new varieties.

[Ill.u.s.tration: The new and valuable hardy raspberry No. 4, growing at State Fruit-Breeding Farm.]

We have developed several hundred new varieties of fruit since we started fruit-breeding at the State Fruit Farm. Many of them are very promising, but it probably will take several years before we really know what we have that will be of value to the public.

We have been growing thousands of seedlings of apples, plums, grapes, raspberries, strawberries, gooseberries and currants, from which valuable varieties have been selected. All of them have been put under propagation in a small way for testing at the Fruit Farm, trial stations and many other places. Some very favorable reports from several places have been received during the last year from parties who have fruited these new creations. We also have some hybrid peach and apricot seedlings which have stood the test of the last two winters. Some of them blossomed very freely last spring, but on account of the hard freeze in May they did not set any fruit. I hope to be able to report on these another year.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Hybrid plum No. 21--at Minnesota State Fruit-Breeding Farm.]