Secretary's Corner. APPROPRIATION FOR P. M. GIDEON'S EXPERIMENT WORK.--In accordance with the resolution adopted at the late summer meeting of our society, the executive board appropriated $100.00 to assist Mr. Gideon in his work, and it was sent him later and its receipt appropriately acknowledged. The horticulturists of the northwest fully appreciate the value of Mr. Gideon's service to pomology, and we are glad to have this opportunity to show it in so practical a way, THE RUSSIAN APPLE NOMENCLATURE NEEDS UNTWISTING.-An effort is being made to secure at the next LaCrosse fair, which meets the last of August, a meeting of a joint committee from the state horticultural societies of Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota to try and secure more uniformity in the names given to Russian apples now being cultivated in the northwest. There is some probability this may be brought about. Messrs. Clarence Wedge, S. B. Green and J. S. Harris were selected to represent this society on that occasion. MORE ABOUT MUSHROOMS.--Those of our readers who are interested to continue the study of mushroons along the line suggested in the paper on this subject by Dr. Whetstone, published in the last number of this magazine, would do well to send to the U. S. Dept. of Agriculture for Bulletin No. 15, Division of Vegetable Physiology and Pathology, on "Some Edible and Poisonous Fungi." This article is well illustrated and describes in ordinary terms very clearly many of the commoner varieties of both classes of mushrooms. It will be found a convenient and safe guide if you would,'eat and live." STORE EARLY FRUIT FOR THE STATE FAIR.-Arrangements have been made, as in previous years, for placing in cold storage for exhibit at the state fair, any fruit that will not keep well under ordinary conditions at home. Shipping labels to be used for this purpose will be furnished free upon application to Secretary Latham, 207 Kasota Block, Minneapolis, and needed directions furnished. This storage will be without expense to the exhibitor, and all the fruit so stored will be delivered at the state fair early Monday morning at the opening of fair week. The free use of these facilities will greatly reduce the labor of preparation and transport of fruit to the fair, and our exhibitors should avail themselves of them. Try them and see the advantage. TAKE YOUR FRUIT TO THE STATE FAIR.-On page 42 of the 1898 Minnesota State Fair premium list will be found the fruit and flower department. Read it over carefully and see if there is not something growing on your place you can exhibit. If you show the best you have, you will be surprised to find your things are as good as other people's, and the premiums you will take will repay you well; besides, it will do you lots of good to meet for a time those interested in a common cause. Two of the older exhibitors, whose faces have been familiar at the state fair for many years have died during the past year, and many are growing old in the service. Others must come in to take their places and fill up the ranks. If you have anything in our department, bring or send-even if you never have before-and you will be cordially welcomed and find a new pleasure. $150.00 PREMIUMS FOR SWEEPSTAKES APPLE EXHIBITS AT THE STATE FAIR.-This large sum should insure a number of fine exhib. its, including every species and all the valuable seedlings growing in the state. Please note that the plan of dividing the premiums insures every exhibitor a premium. For description of this offer, see page 43, of state fair premium list. It will repay your careful perusal, especially if you live in an apple growing region. Prospective exhibitors for these premiums are requested to notify Sec'y Latham at an early day as to the number of plates likely to shown, that adequate space may be secured; otherwise there may be disappointment in this particular. A sufficient number of labels will be sent to each applicant for use on the plates, as required by the rules. TROUBLE IN the HedgGE AND WIRE FENCE COMPANY.-According to late press dispatches several suits have been begun against this company by those farmers who have bought stock in it, because they have not gone ahead, as expected, and demonstrated by planting miles of it that the system is a success, the seed furnished for this purpose proving a failure. It will be remembered that our opposition to this scheme was based upon the fact that the plant to be used, the honey locust, is not sufficiently hardy to make an enduring fence in most localities of this state. Something might be said also as to the advisability of a hedge fence at all, but this phase has not been considered. This is a good opportunity for the planters of the state to take second thoughts and note again the attitude of this society on this subject. It is probable the buckthorn or some other hedge plant might stand here for such a purpose, if you want a hedge fence, but experience has shown the honey locust to be unreliable. STORE FRUIT FOR THE WINTER MEETING.-While preparing for the state fair, do not overlook the regular show of fruit for our winter meeting, to be held the first week in December. You will do well to send all the fruit intended for exhibition on that occasion to the cold storage provided here. (Send to Secy Latham for shipping labels and directions.) This storage will cost the exhibitor nothing, and the fruit will be delivered, without cost, also, at the place of meeting. The exhibitor has only to gather and pack the fruit, take it to the express office and prepay the charges to Minneapolis, and without further expense or trouble to himself it will be delivered to him at the place of meeting. As the storage is very cold, almost to freezing, any kind of fruit not over-ripe and carefully handled and picked-even plums-should come out in good condition. A liber al premium list will be prepared to repay you for all the troubleand, besides, we want the finest show of fruit at the coming session we have ever made. Please notify the secretary of any snipments and about the number of plates. Heretofore some of the exhibitors have sent back to cold storage for the winter meeting the fruit they exhibited at the state fair. This practice is unsatisfactory in that the fruit cannot come out in good condition after so many changes and so much handling. Much better results will be obtained (and more premiums earned) by storing in separate lot for the winter meeting, and the expense and trouble to the exhibitors has been reduced to a minium that they might do this. Of course, in the case of one having no other specimens, it is sometimes absolutely necessary to exhibit the same fruit twice. STARTING PLANTS IN SODS. Lima beans, squashes and melons do nicely by starting them in sods. Take some close cropped turf from a rich pasture, cut it to fit a strawberry box and, reversing it, place it in the basket, and loosening up the soil, mix in some superphosphate or rich compost and sow the seed. The seed should be sown about six weeks before it will be safe to place the plants in the open ground. The hardening off, that is, inuring to outdoor conditions, is a very important part of spring plant management. Two weeks before the time to finally transplant, place the plants in a shallow trench out of doors, having a rim of boards high enough to secure head room for the plants. The soil taken from the trench should be banked around the rim. A tight board covering at night will protect from frost and such a cover may be cheaply made by taking dry goods boxes, cleating sides and top and bottom, so they will not fall to pieces, and sawing them off close to each end. This will give six covers which will serve for a cold frame 28 inches wide and 16 to 20 feet long, according to the size of the box, and a box will not cost more than 40 or 50c. In nights when there is no probability of frost, the covers may be left off. Thrifty growth, frequent transplanting, and careful but thorough hardening are the secrets of strong, early, tough vegetable plants. It is always desirable to put in plenty of seed, as they seem to come up much better than when sown thinly. A certain amount of heat is engendered in sprouting, which helps the temperature of the soil, and the plants are of mutual benefit in cracking the soil, just as many hands at the raising of a building makes light work for all. The most advanced plant growers do not now water upon the surface but have a shallow tank in which the flat box of plants is set until the soil is thoroughly saturated. This prevents baking and washing of the surface.-O. J. Farmer. |