Hansen's hybrids have mostly set some fruit, but not freely. The Hanska, Toka, Opata and Wohanka are among those varieties making the best showing of fruit.
While in a general way we consider the rains during the blooming period responsible for the almost failure of the 1916 plum crop, but, to be a little more specific, the blight of the plum bloom, or rather the brown rot fungus, was more generally prevalent and more generally destructive than at any previous season. As for the fungous disease known as plum pocket, we have not seen one this season. It has been entirely absent.
As for spraying to control the brown rot fungus, we have and are doing the best we know. With the exception of about twenty-five large plum trees that we have made into a hog pasture and could not get at very well with our gasoline spraying outfit, we sprayed about all our plum trees (and other fruit trees as well) twice before blooming, once just as the fruit buds began to swell and again just before they bloomed, with lime-sulphur solution. We are now spraying the third time, adding arsenate of lead to the lime-sulphur.
Of grapes sent me from our State Fruit-Breeding Farm all varieties are looking fine. The Beta we gave no winter protection, but all of the others we covered with strawy manure. We did this as all the other varieties winter-killed the first winter after planting, and we did not like to take any chances with them.
Minn. No. 3 strawberry is doing itself proud. We consider it the best all round variety we have ever grown and are planting almost exclusively on our own farm.
The everbearing Minn. 1017 continues to hold place as first best. We set out some 400 plants of this variety this spring, and they are making runners freely. Judging from last season, we expect a large crop of fine fruit from them next September, as well as a great quantity of new plants.
Apples are in a very satisfactory condition. I need to say but little about varieties. All kinds of bearing size bloomed full, and most kinds have set full of fruit. Of such kinds as Okabena, Duchess and Wealthy, it looks as though practically every blossom turned into an apple.
We received several seedling apple trees from Mr. Chas. Haralson, of the State Fruit-Breeding Farm. They were all set out, and all are growing.