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.  Arsenate of lead alone, as was to be expected, had little or no effect upon the aphides.  The combination of arsenate 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.

[Illustration:  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.

[Illustration:  Hybrid plum No. 21—­at Minnesota State Fruit-Breeding Farm.]

The results of breeding strawberries have given us one everbearing and one June-bearing variety, which have been tested in many places throughout the state.  The June-bearing variety has been introduced as Minnesota No. 3.  The berries are almost identical with Senator Dunlap in color and shape, but somewhat larger and, I think, more productive.  The plants are equal to Dunlap in hardiness, or more so, a stronger plant, and a good plant-maker.  The fruiting season is about a week earlier than Dunlap.  It is a firm berry and stands shipping a long distance.  My belief is that this variety will make one of the best commercial berries for the Northwest.