Secretary's Corner.

THE ORIGINATOR OF THE Roger's GRAPES DEAD. — Edward S. Rogers died at his home in Peabody, Mass., March 30th. He originated the many varieties of grapes known as Roger's Hybrids, many of them of great excellence. The Agawam, Massasoit, Lindley and some others are well known and very popular in our state. He is said to have been the second man to artificially hybridize the grape. THE FOREST RESERVE LAW.-Several pages are occupied in this number with the law just enacted by our legislature creating a forestry board in this state. This law was the conception, as we are informed, of Capt. J. N. Cross, of Minneapolis, and while others assisted in framing it and worked earnestly in its interest, the credit of its final enactment largely belongs to him. The board provided for in this law will doubtless be organized at once. society will have one representative thereon.

Our

MONTANA HAS A NEW SCALE LAW.-Montana has just created a State Board of Horticulture, whose sole duty seems to be to keep insects injurious to plants out of the state. The law is a regular ironclad and if executed efficiently should keep the orchards and nurseries of the state clean. It should be operative, too, as it gives its secretary $1,000 per year, and $5.00 per day to inspectors, with a necessary appropriation to foot the bills. The fruit industry in Montana must be thriving. We note the familiar name of S. M. Emery as a member of the board.

LIFE CERTIFICATES READY FOR DISTRIBUTION.-Certificates for the life members of this society are now ready for distribution. They are printed on light cardboard and can be sent safely by mail enclosed in a stiff pasteboard roll, or they can be sent by express in a neat frame for immediate hanging on the wall, if desired. Arrangements have been made for putting them in such a frame at an expense of only sixty cents, including packing for shipment, wire for hanging, etc. The frame is of oak, with a gold band within. It is not a wide frame, but sufficiently so for the size of the certificate Kindly notify the secretary whether you will have it framed or not' and if framed enclose the expense.

INJURY TO MINNESOTA FRUIT THE PAST WINTER.-Reports received to date do not indicate any extensive injury to hardy fruits in our state from the extraordinarily cold weather of the past winter. Varieties of apple and plum trees not classed as "hardy" in our state have come out of the winter in very bad shape, but there is comparatively little of this class of stock been set here late years. Pears are largely dead and plums other than natives. Small fruits not

well covered are seriously injured,as a rule, though there are exceptions to this. Probably few growers of this class of fruit leave them without winter protection, and after this experience there will be fewer who will.

Some growers report apparent injury to fruit buds on hardy trees, and the crop may be shortened on this account.

On the whole the growers in Minnesota have suffered less, we believe, than those in the fruit sections further south. This severe winter has empathized caution in selection of varieties and care and has thinned out our seedlings some. We needed it, undoubtedly.

TIMELY WORDS FROM THE WOMENS'S AUXILIARY.-The Women's Auxiliary would suggest that the different "Improvement Clubs," throughout the state, make a strenuous effort to have the "Do and Don't" cards introduced into their schools. Ask the teachers to use one or more of the topics thereon as a subject for composition work. All the papers written, from all the grades, should be turned over to a committee of ladies from the club, who will select a half dozen or more of the best ones and have them read before a regular meeting of the club. This will be an incentive to the children to do their best. At the beginning of the next school year make arrangements to have an "experience meeting," for the schools, at which the children will take for a topic their experience in trying to carry out the requirements of the card.

If the boys and girls of the present day can be brought up to "Do and Don't" according to its teachings, we may rest assured that the next generation will be ready to take more advanced steps.

Apply to Mrs. J. H. Lewis, Hastings, Minn., who will furnish the "Do and Don't" cards.

ANNA B. UNDERWOOD,

Secretary Women's Auxiliary.

THE SOCIETY'S NEW PRINTING LAW.-As it is printed in this issue, it speaks for itself. It provides for printing the same number of reports that have been printed late years and apppropriates "in perpetuam" a sufficient sum to pay for their printing at present prices. The bill was introduced by Hon. A. K. Bush, a member of the house as well as a zealous member of this society, and received his careful attention until it finally became a law, after running the legislative gauntlet for the best part of the session and passing the senate near its close. The passage of this bill developed a host of friends for the horticultural society in and out of the legislature— in fact, there was no apparent opposition. In the house no one voted against it, though the press reports four votes against in the senate, which report has not yet been verified. Much personal work was done in its interest by our president, and the other officers and the general membership lent their assistance most generously as asked for. It was not a bill easy of enactment, as it carried a deficiency appropriation, something the average legislator very much dis likes, and its practically unanimous passage speaks volumes for the standing of the society. In taking up the work anew on this permanent basis, it is our duty and aim to make it of still larger service in contributing to the public good.

RESIDENCE OF W. W. PENDERGAST, PRES. MINN. STATE HORT. SOCIETY, HUTCHINSON, MINN. Buckthorn hedge in the foreground. (See Secretary's Corner.)

THE MINNESOTA

HORTICULTURIST.

VOL. 27.

JUNE, 1899.

No. 6.

CULTIVATION OF THE SQUASH IN THE
FAMILY GARDEN.

J. S. JERABEK, SILVER LAKE.

At the outset I wish to call your attention to two things. First, when writing this paper I had in mind the soil and the climate of my neighborhood. The soil is a clay loam, the subsoil yellow clay averaging about twelve feet in depth, and the bottom blue clay. Although we are in the same latitude as this city (Minneapolis), our wheat crops mature on an average one week later. For the gourd family crop the difference is greater. Second and most important is this: I did not write near all I wanted to, because I have not learned the art of saying much in few words. We should select high ground and winds if we have such a spot on our place. ured corners of our garden will do very well. the best manured spot is, because we can raise much nicer and heavier crops of squashes in very rich soil.

sheltered from cold One of the best manThe reason why I say

Last winter I visited my friend near Hopkins, and he showed me a nice lot of large Hubbard squashes which he had raised. I asked: "How do you raise such nice Hubbard squashes? I can raise nice Marbleheads, Orange Marrow and other kinds, but Hubbards I cannot raise."

He replied: "Use plenty of good manure, and you will succeed.' He gave me seed, of which I planted one hill on a well manured spot, and the result was eighteen nice squashes, while before I used to raise on an average about three scrubby Hubbards to a hill.

It is advisable to plant the few hills which we need quite early in the season, at about the same time we plant our potatoes for early crop, as it is easier to protect the plants from late frosts, if they should happen to come, by covering them with wooden boxes, than it is to defend the small plants from the attacks of the striped beetle. The winter varieties need all of the sunshine we can give them in order to be well ripened before the first frost, which quite often ends their growing period.

Generally we cannot depend upon raising a good crop of other vegetables with squashes on the same soil in the same season, ex