The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-05-15

OF These Exhfbtts-Fruits Are to
BE Given Opportunities That
Have Not Hitherto Been Ac-
corded. Ae
The market gardeners and farmers who
pay special attention to their gardens will
be gratified to note the very liberal In
crease with has been made in the pre-
miums offered by the state agricultural
society for the next fair. The list has
been most thoroughly revised and. al
though the exhibition must be held again
this year, at considerable disadvantage, in
the old pool room under the grand stand.
1t ought to be a record breaker If pre-
miums mean anything.
This increase In premiums and the Inn
proved classification cannot fail to at
tract a larger and more complete exhibit,
in both garden and field crops. In the
collections of vegetables the premiums
have been considerably increased, as well
as new ones added. In the farmers
class the premiums for single varieties
have been run up from SAT In '9S to $132
in 1899. This has been done mainly by
third, for nearly all the we'll known va
rieties. For instance, in '98 there was one
premium on watermelons. This year
there are five. In '9S there was one
premium on nuskmelons. This year there
are six, and the varieties named are Mil
ler's Cream, or Usage; Hackensack, Cali
fornia Citron, White Melted Japan. Rocky
ford and Emerald Gem, all favorites in
Minnesota markets. In 1898 in potatoes
there was one premium on searlies and
one on late in the farmers class. This
year there are premiums on twelve va
rieties and another for best OF any other
variety not named. These changes ought
the bring out fine exhibit of vegetables.
In field crops corresponding increase
in the number of premiums has been
made, . and Supt. Gordon requests
all exhibitors Of grain to show bunch of
ten heads with name of variety attached,
in order to enable him to make up an at
tractive exhibit of grains by varieties in
the form of heads, as well as in the grain
itself.
In corn four premiums are offered and
the list Of varieties numbers five, includ-
ing Minnesota No. Is, a sort originated
at the experiment station. To the winner
of the first premium on each of these
lots the experiment station offers special
premium Of one and half bushels of No.
1e3 wheat. On fax the station adds to
the societys premiums a first premium of
two and half bushels Minnesota No 1853
wheat and q second premium Of one
buShel of Minnesota No. IL corn. These
special premiums given by the state ex-
perimental station are new features and
will greatly add to the interest of the
contests on grains and will, at the same
time, familiarize both exhibitors and Wis
itors with the varieties of grain that have
been developed already by the very re-
markable series Of experiments that are
now going on at the station in crossing
grains and producing new and stronger
varieties of higher quality and greater
productiveness. Not much noise has been
made thus far about these experiments,
but the results promise to be of immense
value to the farmers of Minnesota
= y
1t was unfortunate that the state legis-
lature did not make sufficient appropria-
ton to enable the society to build a per-
manent place for the exhibit of agricul-
tural products. There Is no interest in
the state that surpasses that in the prod
ucts of the soil. Many visitors of other
states imagine that our season Is too
short for the production of many luxuries
of the garden. and are surprised at what
they see of garden products, just as they
are when they enter the horticultural hall
and look at the grand display of fruits
grown in climate which they supposed
was beyond the fruit belt. where the
farmer would always be compelled to sell
wheat and buy his apples
Supt. Gordon is planning to make the
best of his old quarters, and does not
propose that visitors shall pass by
his department because it is not located
in more conspicuous building or well
located to attract attention