beds.

In my paper, Vol. 1911, page 180 (Minn. Report), it should read five
bushels to the square _rod, not acre_. Who ever heard of five bushels an
acre!

_Big Yields._--You all know of Friend Wedge's 74-3/4 quarts from one
square rod of Everbearers the season of planting. I believe that can be
beaten. Let our society put a few hundred dollars in premiums for best
yield of square rod of everbearers and of June varieties, and of a
quarter of an acre; also the best product of one hill, and the best
product of one plant, and its runners fourteen months from planting. I
believe one plant of everbearers can produce a quart the season of
setting. I know of the five bushels to the square rod, and the other
fellow had four and a half bushel of Wilson.

Surprise Plum a Success.

C. A. PFEIFFER, WINONA.

I realize at the outset that I am treading on delicate ground in
undertaking to defend the Surprise plum, on account of it having been
discarded by our fruit list committee, but after seeing our young trees
producing this year their third consecutive heavy crop I feel justified
in taking exception to the action of the committee. My first experience
with the Surprise plum dates back to 1897, when Mr. O. M. Lord, of
Minnesota City, probably the best authority on the plum in the state in
his time, presented me with one tree, which at that time were being sold
at $1.00 each, and I was cautioned against giving it too much care or I
would kill the tree, and that is just what happened to it.

[Illustration: C. A. Pfeiffer, Winona.]

The following year, 1898, I bought twenty-five trees from Mr. Lord and
planted them late in March, on very sandy land on a southerly slope,
pruning the trees back almost to a stump. These trees were very slow in
getting started but made a satisfactory growth before the season was
over. They commenced to bear the third year after planting, and are
still producing good crops, but it is my more recent experience with
this variety that finally induced me to prepare this article. In the
spring of 1909, we set out 160 plum trees, on rich, black, loamy soil on
low land, nineteen of them being Surprise, the other varieties being,
according to numbers, Terry, Ocheeda, Stoddard, Hawkeye, Bursota, Wolf,
Omaha also a few Jewell, DeSoto, Forest Garden, American and Stella. The
Surprise trees bore a crop in 1913, again in 1914, and 1915, making it
to the present time not only the most productive but the