The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1899-12-14

covered with straw in winter for pro-
lection. Raspberries, blackberries,
currants and gooseberries are plant
ed in rows eight feet apart with
plants four feet In the row. All tender
fruits should be covered with earh for
winter protection, this includes the
grapes. blackberrles and some rasp-
berries. Small fruits can be profit
ably grown in nearly every county in.
Minnesota under protection OF ever
greens and other trees. Plumbs of
the improved native varieties are
easily grown, anywhere yielding a
good profit and most excellent fruit in
abundance. Mr.. Bush has plum or
chard of an acre which produced fifty
bushels of choice fruit the third year
after planting Plums sell readily in
large cities for $1.00 to $500 per bush
ell. No one should be without some
grown plums. In fact there seems to
be but little excuse for any farmers
family being without good supply of
apples and small fruits if he plants
good stock, giving the same intelligent
care, such as is taught by the Mime
sofa Horticultural Society This So
c1ety includes more than eight hun
dred representative fruit growers of
large experience who recommend a
fruit list adapted to this state and it's
conditions. One dollar sent to A. w.
Latham, Minneapolis, Mimi, makes
you q member and entities you to
their monthly magazine, cloth bound
report of 500 pages and much valuable
Information to the fruit grower free of
all cost. Buy nursery stock as near
home as possible, planting such va
rieties as succeed best in your locality,
Would advise all to read the horticul-
tural department of annual No. 2,
which gives much valuable informa-
ton to fruit growers in detail, such
information that cannot be given by
our reporter.
The vegetable garden is most.im.
portant part of the farm for the ladies
who best understand its value. A
system of rotation is used by which
the work of tending the garden is re-
duced to its lowest minimum, secur-
ing best results. This cannot be ex-
planned here in detail but is very prac-
tical and worthy of imitation. An
nual number eleven tells all about it
and if you did not secure this book
send twelve cents in stamps to pay
postage to Supt. o. c. Gregg, Lynd,
MINI. Every department of this book
was edited by practical farmers who
know their business and may be worth
many dollars to you in saving time
and money in securing better results.
THE POTATO AS A FIELD CROP.
This subject was presented by Mr..
Bush who comes from Olmsted county
where potatoes are grown in large
quantities, fields of several hundred
acres being grown by inividuals who
are making all kinds of money at the
business when the crop is properly
managed. Mr.. Bush speaks from ex-
perience as he has helped handle
about two hundred car loads during
the last two years and knows how they
should be grown, sorted, etc., also
which varieties are best sellers and
most profitable to growers. He stat
ed that Minnesota grown potatoes,
onions, cabbage etc. do sell for best
prices in all southern and eastern
markets on account ofsuperior quality
and excellent keeping properties, if
rightly grown and handled. The best
sellers are Ohio's and Rose for early
seed stock to be used in the extreme
south. The Burbanks and Rurals for
winter stores. These varieties or
types of the name only should be
grown in our state as field crop.
This precaution would add value to
our entire potato output. Spend no
time or money with mixed seed or new
varieties.
Soils should be thoroughly pre-
pared before planting. Glover sod is
best although any rich clean land
will grow good potatoes. Plant deep
and early. Cultivate often and shall
low with harrow and corn pillow. Do
not hill or move the soil after the po-
tatoes are we'll formed. Use corn
planter with funnel shaped pipes at
tached into which seed can be dropped
just back of the shoes, where the same
will be planted six inches deep at the
rate OF five to eight acres day. These
pipes can be fastened to the planter
frame with seed boxes attached from
which two good lively boys will work
potatoes into the pipes. Select best
potatoes for seed. Cut the same into
pieces of two or three eyes each. Car
ry surplus seed on planter in sacks.
Use four horses with steady driver.
A planter constructed in this way
costs but little, does good work, and
saves much labor. Do not dig the
potatoes until fully ripe. Use four
horse digger. the only good machine.