erry. Of the thousands of
everbearing seedlings selections had been made of about 100 which were
fine looking plants, well cultivated and free from disease.
We were then shown some hundreds of wild peach seedlings, seedlings of
Burbank plums, thousands of hybrid plums of all ages, and a plat of
thousands of plum seedlings which will be disposed of to nurserymen this
fall and bring a nice income to the state; also wild pears from
Manchuria with good prospects of being hardy and free from blight.
We saw a number of nice plum trees, of which the superintendent told us
the fruit would color before ripening and would stand long shipments,
which so far promise well. Several hundred Beta grape seedlings probably
even more hardy than the parent, many crosses in roses which if judged
by the foliage must be seen in bloom to be appreciated, seedlings of
Compass cherry crossed with apricot; Compass cherry crossed with
nectarines; seedling currants, over 2,000 from which to select the best.
Over a hundred commercial varieties of apples from East and West, and
over 200 varieties of peaches from China and Manchuria, walnuts,
butternuts and many dwarf apple trees on Paradise stocks, which fruit
early. A good field of corn in shock, for feed for the horses. The old
orchard on the place when bought, which had been top-worked to some
extent, looked healthy everywhere. The farm seemed to be free from
noxious woods, free from pocket gophers or moles and well cultivated, we
thought, for the small number of men employed. Machinery and tools were
well housed. We were also pleased to be shown through the new home of
the superintendent, not yet occupied, which seemed to be complete in all
its appointments.
We think the state has a great asset in the farm and recommend that as
far as possible members of this society visit it during the coming
summer and that the society use its influence with the Board of Regents
that more land be procured as soon as possible in order that trial
plants may remain longer to more definitely prove their worth and that a
greater work may be done for the state. We notice in a report made just
six years before, viz., October 12, 1909, by Brothers Wedge, Underwood
and the then president of the society, Prof. Green, that even runnerless
everbearing strawberries were represented and that they had the usual
pleasure of picking strawberry blossoms in October. Had they been with
us they would have had a large dish of No
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