126 



MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The lack of success has many causes. The soil may lack the 

 essential ingredients to support plant growth. Improper pollen dis- 

 tribution is another factor, also poor root system of the plants. I 

 have found here in the Red River Valley we need plants that take 

 firm hold of the ground, and this kind of plants will resist drouth 

 far better than those with a poor root system, as bacteria cannot 

 act as effectively in dry soil as in moist soil. The preparation of 



View in O. J. Hagen's orchard, Red River Valley. 



the ground previous to planting has much to do with making these 

 underground people to work in harmony with the planter's wishes — 

 but I feel unable to go into detail to describe this very important 

 factor. 



Today we don't find many of the old varieties of strawberries 

 catalogued twenty-five years ago. New varieties have been intro- 

 duced of superior kinds, which have taken the place of many old 

 ones of inferior sorts. But it is also feared that many have been left 

 out of the old sorts that may have been as good as many of the new 



