A strawberry crop is very uncertain in this section of the state,and I have not had very good success with the exception of two years, those of 1893 and 1897. In the year of 1893 I raised 2,100 quarts from less than one-half an acre; in the year 1897 I raised 8,000 quarts from two and one-fourth acres; both years on new land. My land is high and clay soil. I plant in rows four feet apart, fifteen inches apart in the row. In setting out plants I use a spading fork. I prefer a fork instead of a spade, because a spade leaves too smooth a surface and packs the soil on both sides. I insert the fork in the ground the full length, and push it forward while another puts the plant in. He holds the plant in place while I press my foot firmly on the roots just below the crown. Soon after setting I commence hoeing and cultivating as often as every week or ten days. When the rows commence matting I hoe them just the same. I loosen the dirt among the plants and leave not an inch of ground unworked. Fifteen inches is wide enough to let the rows spread. I never thin them out, and I never do much weeding by hand, it does not pay. I do all the work with a hoe and cultivator. If my strawberry bed gets too grassy, I plow it up and set anew; it can be done cheaper. I do not wait for weeds to grow; I never allow them to get started. I plant one row of staminate to two rows of pistillate. I have had the best success with the Bederwood and Lovett for the staminate, and the Warfield and Crescent for pistillate. The Bederwood and Warfield together have done the best with me. If there is a prospect of a frost I do nothing to prevent it from hurting the strawberries. I tried a few times to keep off the frost with smoke, but it did no good. After picking I mow the bed and burn it over, then plow a back furrow between the rows, then drag it lengthwise, then crosswise until it is very smooth; then after the plants begin to show above the soil, I commence hoeing and cultivating the same as I do new plants. RURAL CEMETERIES. FRANK H. NUTTER, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT, MINNEAPOLIS. From the very dawn of history the spot where loved ones have been laid away has been a sacred one to those who still lived, and whether it be some Westminister Abbey, the resting place of the wise and great, or some secluded nook where "the rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep," it has been the shrine of some loving pilgrim, Many of the most celebrated relics of the arcient world, as the Egyptian Pyramids or the " Taj Mahal" of India, have come down to us as the tombs and monuments of the royal builders or their families, whose names it has thus been sought to perpetuate. Whether, however, the attempt be made by means of a magnificent tomb or monument, or by an humble headstone, to commemorate those who have left us, the lapse of time and the forgetfulness and neglect of those who remain too often involves the whole in a ruin which appeals most pathetically to the observer. If the saying of Franklin be true, that by the condition of the cemetery we may judge of the civilization of the neighborhood, many a village and town must be well sunk in barbarism. It is encouraging to note a decided awakening in the public mind in this direction, and the question of the improving of old cemeteries and the laying out of new ones is often discussed, and the ladies' organizations in not a few of the smaller cities and towns are doing valiant work in this direction. The "modern cemetery," as that expression is now understood, is of comparatively recent date and, also, of American origin. The most celebrated examples of this class, as Mt. Auburn, Greenwood and Spring Grove, are situated near large cities, and for some time it was thought necessary for the successful maintenance of a cemetery that it should be located at some center of population and wealth; but this has proven false, and many a country town or village now boasts of its small but attractive cemetery, and while, of course, it may not exhibit the extravagance of monumental art, too much of it falsely so-called, that is found in the large cemeteries, still its quiet shades and modest adornment, if properly cared for, will be to a person of real taste and discernment far preferable to the more gaudy settings of the others. In recognition of this demand the legislatures of most of the states have taken special action in regard to the organization and the management of cemetery associations and the safeguarding of the funds devoted to "perpetual care," which last may be called the supreme factor in the modern cemetery. A careful study of the principles of these laws is the first thing to be entered into if the organizing of an association is contemplated. It having been decided to proceed with the project, the next thing, of course, is the selection of the site, which will involve questions of area and adaptability to burial purposes; and while a picturesque location is desirable, that natural beauty and retirement may characterize the cemetery, it must not be overlooked that there are also principles of ordinary business prudence to be regarded, and the cost of both construction and maintenance, and the proportion of the whole tract which is suitable for burial purposes, from which the income must be derived, should receive careful consideration. The so-called "lawn_method" of laying out the cemetery is that which is now followed, almost without exception, and even in the larger and older cemeteries, which were originally platted in a more artificial and gardenesque style, the later additions are being laid out in this way. Briefly described, the "lawn method" is as follows: All footpaths of gravel are omitted, except under very special and unusual circumstances; the drives are so located as to follow, as far as possible, the natural topography of the ground, and to enclose" sections" of such size as to be of convenient access in every part; these sections are subdivided into lots of the desired dimensions, each lot having a frontage on the drive or on an alley or path crossing the section; the alleys, however, being kept on a grade with the lots and sodded, so that the entire section shall be to the eye a lawn; the corners of the lots to be designated by markers of some indestructible material set flush with the ground, and all the demarkation by means of fences, curbs or graded borders to be strictly forbidden. While this may seem, to those accustomed to the old-fashioned "burying grounds," a wide departure, there are still a few other rules which, if enforced, as they may be where the community is sufficiently educated artistically to appreciate their reasonableness, will add much to the beauty of the grounds. Briefly set forth they are: First-But one monument or piece of statuary to be set on each lot. Second-No foot stones to be used and each grave to be designated by one stone marker of modest dimensions firmly set on a proper foundation at the head or, better yet, set horizontally and flush with the surface of the lawn. Third-No mounds to be raised over the graves, but all to be finished to the general level of the ground. Other rules governing the constructions of tombs and foundations for monuments and markers, and the planting or removing of trees, shrubs and flowers, and other details of the work, will in practice be found necessary. While this may seem to those accustomed to the ordinary haphazard methods to involve a needless amount of red-tape and dictation on the part of those in charge of the cemetery, they are all founded on good and sufficient reasons, and when inspecting a cemetery conducted on these lines, with the numerous unoccupied corners and fractional lots left in the platting, ornamented with flowering shrubs and plants, and bordered with tastefully arranged and neatly cared-for plantations of native trees and shrubs, we may well believe that it was of some such spot the poet spoke when he said: "Be my last rest from life's alarms Not in the thundering surges of the seas; POINTS FOR THE AMATEUR ORCHARDIST. J. B. MITChell, cresCO, IOWA. (Southern Minnesota Horticultural Society.) To start right in planting an orchard, the first thing to do after having got your ground in good condition, as for corn, is to get the right kinds of trees to plant and get them in the best possible condition and handle and care for them as things of life. You can not do better than to get your trees of the nearest nursery, getting such kinds as you find doing well near where the orchard is to be planted, and those kinds to be found in your home nurseries. Your success in horticulture is to your home nurseryman's best interest, and you must give him credit for ordinary intelligence. You must know that his study is to find and test kinds best adapted to his climate and soil. He is in a position to know of all new varieties as they are brought forward, and able to judge and select for trial such as have merit, and what he can not furnish it is quite safe to conclude you do not want. When transient tree men, from distant states, offer you new or old sorts at fancy prices and tell you that your home nursery is a "one horse" concern and does not have these kinds, remember "talk is cheap," and the more he talks the cheaper it gets, and that now you are close to the danger line; that if his plausable story and smooth tongue induce you to give him your order for one of his "model (?) orchards" or his wonderful trees, he has indeed caught a "sucker," and the day for yourself and children to pick fruit from your own tree and vine has been postponed for another trial. Barnum said the American people liked humbug. This apparent trait of the people is in a large measure responsible for the slow progress made in horticulture in the northwest. But the dawn is breaking in the North Star state. The fair prairies of southern Minnesota have already demonstrated their capability of producing as fine and high colored apples as are grown on the American continent-and the American continent beats the world. This success has not been attained by planting eastern or southern varieties of the apple. It has been accomplished by planting the hardy northern sorts that are to be found in most northwestern nurseries. The number of very valuable kinds for planting here is not large but is quite sufficient and on the increase. There are some seedlings from Minnesota and northern Iowa worthy of your attention, but you should only plant largely of the few kinds that you find doing best near you. The two most promising of these, I will venture to say, are Duchess of Oldenburg and Hibernal (or Lieby). These seem to do well in nearly all northern localities, regardless of conditions except good cultivation and care. The Wealthy is a Minnesota product. It is a fine apple and a good tree in some localities but sun scalds and blights in others, and should only be planted on high ground open and sloping to the north, a position which is found best for all apple trees. In my experience I have not found any of the old American apples hardy enough in tree to recommend for general planting in this |