The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1924-05-15

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ton in the United States devoted to
horticultural work. AS the fiscal year
has about four months to run, the
1924 membership seems likely to be
several hundreds in excess of 1000.
Forty-four Minnesotans located all
the way from southern counties to
the northern boundary line have en-
tered the plum orchard contest start
ed by the executive board of the
state horticultural society. Premiums
aggregaing $3.50 are offered for the
best half acre plum orchards to be
set out in 1924 and judged in July,
1923. The contest will follow the
general rules and plan of the acre
apple orchard contest which culmi-
mated in 1921.
University Nursing Short Course
Observation-Disclosures for the short
course in home nursing now being
held every Wednesday at University
Farm surpass in number those of any
previous short course of the kind,
even the course given by the Uni
versity the year of the influenza
plague. One hundred twenty-seven
course. Several others who sought
to register since the course was
launched could not be received for
the lack of instructors and facilities.
However, Miss Hally j. Fisher, who
is in general charge of the work,
says a second course will be given in
October and November of the pres
ent year.
The present course has attracted
attention outside the state as well as
in Minnesota. North Dakota has ask
ed for particulars of the instruction
and work given with the purpose in
view of some day establishing a SINH
lar program of work in that state.
The Minnesota course consists of
seven lessons on as many succeeding
Wednesdays, the class being divided
into three sections, one meeting
Wednesday forenoons and the other
two Wednesday afternoons. The fin
at lesson will be given May %.
q
Minne.ota. Studies Nebraska Pine
Pest-Dr. S. A. Graham of Univer-
sity Farm, collaboration with the Bur
eau of Entomology, U. S. D. A., in
charge of forest insect investigation
in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michi-
gan, has just returned from north
central Nebraska where, on assign
ment by the federal bureau, he in
vestigated the destruction wrought
by the topmoth in pine plantations.
The tipmoth dimes off the tips of
the young pines. Occasionally trees
are killed by it, but the chief damage
to date is that trees under attack are
checked in growth, losing five or six
years of normal development. AS the
moth is increasing it is feared that if
control measures are not found the
pine plantations, designed to reclaim a
vast sand hill country in Nebraska,
will be heavily damaged.
According to DIR. Graham, the tip
moth is prevalent in the lake states,
but as its natural parasites are also
here in force it has not been known
to do serious injury. The moth was
first reported in Nebraska in 1909
and is believed to have been intro
duced there in shipments of forest
pulled pine stock from Minnesota,
Wisconsin and other states. The
obvious method of control for Ne
braska to adopt, says DR.. Graham, is
to introduce the parasites which have
kept the tipmoth in subsection in
other localities. The department at
Washington will be fully advised as
to the situation and will take meas
ures, no doubt, to save the Nebraska
pine.
Give Apple Trees First Time
Over Now-The center bud of the
flower cluster on the apple trees is
beginning to show pink in some locali-
ties in Minnesota and the first of the
three or four annual sprayings recon-
mended by horticulturists of the uni
versity should be given the trees now.
The second spraying is due when most
of the blossoms are gone and the
third spraying two or three weeks
later. The spray mixture best suited
to Minnesota conditions, says A. G.
Ruggles, university station entomolo-
gist, is combination of powdered
arsenate of lead, one and one-half
pounds, and five quarts Of liquid
e-sulphur to so gallons of water.
If plant lice appear on the tender