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Calendar for June.

O. M. LORD, MINNESOTA CITY.

Our hired man said this morning: "I had supposed there was no work connected with berry growing, and here we have been busy since the ground thawed out, and no let up to the work. I thought all there was to do was to stick in the plants and pick the berries, eat all you can and sell the remainder. Now June is here, and look at the coming work!" The newly set strawberry plants must be immediately cultivated, and if blossoms appear they must be pinched off. The winds have been so high that the mulching on the old bed needs adjusting between the rows. To avoid late frosts the mulching was left undisturbed, until the plants needed air and sunlight. All the dead canes of blackberries and raspberries are to be cut out and the laterals cut back a few inches, and they all need cultivating between the rows. Some of the young fruit trees do not stand upright. Now is the time to straighten them, and a few unnecessary limbs should be taken off..

There is now a prospect of large fruitage with strawberries, currants, goosberries, wild plums and crab apples. It is hoped the past winter has killed many insect pests. The curculio begins its work soon after the plums are set, and spraying for them is not as satisfactory as jarring the trees. A few hours work among the grape vines is absolutely necessary, if we expect any returns from them.

April and May were much dryer months than usual in Minnesota, but the ground has retained sufficient moisture to give everything a good start, especially weeds. Where we cannot reach all the garden stuff and young trees with a cultivator in time to destroy the small weeds, a garden rake drawn along closely to them stirs the ground and advances the plants in growth, and kills most of the weeds so as to show distinctly where the rows are when we come to cultivate and saves a good deal of labor in after cultivation. Where the weeds or grass have attained such a growth that this is not practicable, a scuffle hoe with a blade an inch and one-half wide and from eight inches to one foot in length, preferably made from an old cross cut saw blade, is one of the best tools for fast and easy work. This is also a valuable tool among the strawberry plants in cutting out weeds or grass between the hills where you do not desire to disturb the soil. It simply shaves off weeds and grass at the crowns, leaving the dirt as a blanket on the soil, which conserves the moisture while killing the weeds. It is doubtful if weeds rob the

soil of its natural fertility, but they do effectually rob the plants we would cultivate of their food and unfit the soil for their profitable growth.

Summer fallowing is still a popular method of fitting the ground for special crops, but it adds nothing to the natural fertility, and is not so valuable a process for preserving the productive capacity of the soil as keeping it covered with vegetable growth, even weeds if properly handled.

Our present methods of manuring have a tendency to perpetuate the weeds as a nuisance, but if weeds are persistently kept from going to seed in the gardens and among the trees and vines, though they make much work they are much more easily controlled.

The productive capacity of our soil is largely governed by its supply of moisture. If this is just right in quantity at the proper time, our crops are abundant. Cultivation has more influence in this direction than is generally well understood. It is not sufficient just to kill grass or weeds, but evaporation must be prevented, or the ground loses its moisture and our plants suffer. Shallow culti vation under these conditions is the best remedy.

The prices of berries last year and the disastrous winter have discouraged many small fruit growers in this vicinity. Our faith is shown by our works. Though we have ploughed up several acres, we have newly set more than have been ploughed up, considering that the lesson of last winter is worth more than its cost in teaching us what varieties to plant and what is necessary in protection to insure us against loss. These conditions have occurred about every ten years since we began fruit growing, and the one who starts first and persists is the one who will not complain of failure. Strawberries in Winona were selling last week at 5 cents per quart-southera berries, of course, but the appetite will only be sharpened by the time ours appear. If they must be shipped, there is no money in them for the grower at this price, but a home demand saves expense and makes much difference in the returns. If low prices are to continue, the cost of producing and marketing must be reduced, and the best method to do this is to compare notes and give the subject more careful attention.

THE SUCCESSFUL HANDLERS OF CAULIFLOWERS-Use houses or cellars, usually built into a sidehill, stoned, bricked or planked up on back or sides. They are then carefully boarded all over, covered with one or more thicknesses of tarred paper and finally shingled. The south side usually has several windows for light when needed. Mats are prepared to cover them. A small stove or several of them keep the temperature above freezing. Cauliflowers are dug with about six inches of dirt on roots and are packed right side up as close as possible on the floor. Shelves are often put in and packed in like manner.

WHY WE ARE LATE.-This number has been held to fix the date of the summer meeting. The July number is liable to be a little late also, on account of the time of that meeting.

THIS SOCIETY AND THE FOREST RESERVE BOARD.-The horticul tural society is one of the associations which is entitled to a representative on the board to be created under this new law, and some one will be selected for this purpose at the summer meeting of the society. There is work cut out for this board which will call for much self sacrifice on the part of its members, who work without compensation. Prof. S. B. Green is a member ex-officio.

HAVE YOU Received the Report for 1898?-After a long delay on the part of the printers, most of which was entirely excusable, the secretary was able, the last week in May, to send out the balance of the 1898 reports due our members. If any have not yet received a copy they are requested to notify the secretary or if living in or near Minneapolis to call at the office in person for them, as reports are not mailed to those living in the city or adjoining suburban towns. THE HILL Orchard Best.—"One thing that I am impressed with most is that trees wintered better upon this side hill orchard than than they did in the valley. Our valley orchards are full of blossoms, and most of the trees seem to have escaped without injury, but a good many of them show the effects of the winter. I do not think there has been any root killing on our place. I attribute this to the splendid rains we had in the fall that filled the ground up with moisture."-J. M. Underwood, Lake City, May 19, '99.

HAVE YOU GIVEN AWAY YOUR 1898 MAGAZINES?-The cloth bound reports are sent to our members with the understanding that they shall give away the magazines for that year, as they now have them in book form. This will give an opportunity to do missionary work for the society. Distribute them among those who are or should be interested in our work and accompany the gift with personal solicitations to unite with us. The inside page of the magazine cover contains information of special interest to new members. Read it.

THE NATIVE FRUITS OF ALASKA. "We really do get quite a variety of native fruits. Huckleberries, salmon berries, blueberries and cranberries grow around Dawson-in fact, my brother has them on his claim there. In the Atlan gold fields, about eighty miles from here, where two other brothers are interested, they have wild currants and goosberries as well as the above. If I spend the summer here, as now seems likely, I will try and take personal observations of the fruits and write you. We have established a small vegetable garden on our lot, and I will be able to tell you something of our success with it later."-A. H. Brackett, Skaguay, Alaska, May 7, '99.

SPECIAL MEETING, MINNESOTA STATE FORESTRY ASSOCIATION.— This association, though deprived by the last legislature of its an

nual appropriation for the benefit of the Forest Reserve Board which received it, is not yet by any means defunct, and will continue to be heard from during the interval prior to the next meeting of the legislature. At a special meeting held in Minneapolis May 18th, Capt. J. N. Cross, president of the association, was selected by the society to be recommended to the governor as an appointee to represent the society on the board about to be created under the new forest reserve law. This action was taken unanimously by the society, which is a well deserved compliment to Mr. Cross as the originator and zealous advocate of the bill.

A BUCKTHORN HEDGE.-This hedge, as it appears in the frontispiece, is a notable instance of the value of the buckthorn for this use in the northwest. The photograph from which the plate was made was taken about May 18th, and some time before the hedge was in full leaf, as is readily apparent from its appearance as well as that of the neighboring trees. Mr. W. W. Pendergast, on whose place the hedge is growing, and who planted it himself, says of it:

"The buckthorn hedge on the north and west side of my garden was grown from a pound of seed bought of Jas. J. H. Gregory, of Marblehead, Mass., thirty-two years ago. It was planted in a box in March, covered with earth till the seed sprouted and then sown in nursery rows, where it remained two years, when the plants were about fifteen inches high. They were then taken up and placed where they were to remain.

"The hedge is twenty-seven rods long and the plants one foot apart. It is not affected by the coldest winters or the hottest and driest summers."

The acquaintances of Mr. Pendergast will recognize him in the picture as standing in the center behind the hedge.

TIN CANS IN EARLY GARDENING.-Early gardening by means of starting plants in a hotbed and transplanting is not always attended with the greatest success on account of the growth of the plants being checked when replanted. This is caused by disturbing the roots and change of soil. This difficulty can be eliminated by the following plan. Melt the top and bottom from old tin cans. Also remove the solder from the seam, tying a cord or wire about it to keep in shape. Fill with rich soil and plant seeds which have been soaked in warm water for a day or so to insure rapid germination, and place in a warm, sunny place or hotbed. There will be ample depth of soil for the plant to make a good growth before re-setting. As soon as it is warm enough the plant can be set out in the garden. To do this make a hole in the bed large enough to set the can in. Remove the cord or wire holding the can together, spread it open and let the contents slip out into the hole. Pack the earth closely about this and your plant is replanted without changing the soil or injuring the roots in any way. The cans can be laid away for use next spring. Plants started in this way will have two or three weeks the start of others.

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