360 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



A "NaTionai. Councii, of Horticulture"— has been perfected as an as- 

 sociation under this title, and they have issued a circular setting forth its 

 objects as follows: 



"To fraternize and concrete the horticultural interests of North America. 



"To consider the questions of public policy and administration, which are 

 so common to these organizations. 



"To act as a bureau of publicity in the interests of reliable information 

 pertaining to horticulture in its broadest sense." 



The membership is to consist of two delegates elected or appointed by 

 each national horticultural society, with nine delegates at large. We note 

 the name of Prof. S. B. Green among the first list of delegates at large. As 

 unlarstood, it is expected that delegates from this council will be in attend- 

 ance at the meetings of the various national horticultural associations, in, 

 eluding the American Pomological Society, the American Civic Associa- 

 tion, the American Breeder's Association, etc. A preliminary organization 

 for this council was effected at the World's Fair at St. Louis, last year. 



Transplanting Ladies' Slippers — Any of our native lady slipper f> 

 including the yellow and pink forms, may be quite easily transplanted at al- 

 most any time in the year if taken up with good balls of sod. When they 

 were in flower this year I transplanted about one hundred of them very sue 

 cessfully. They were taken up with balls of sod from a rather pretty meadow, 

 were carried in a wagon about sixteen miles, and yet did well. The best time 

 to move them is probably in the spring, just as they show up in good shape, 

 but as they are much more conspicuous just as they are coming into flower 

 that it is a good time to move them, provided, as stated above, they can be 

 moved with a piece of sod. I should think it perfectly safe to move them now 

 or later in the season, provided they are moved this way. If you wish to 

 shake the dirt off them, pr the dirt is liable to fall, I should do this early in 

 the spring, but to do this successfully they should be marked now, so they 

 may be found easily. The soil into which they are transplanted should be of 

 a fibrous nature and especially prepared for this purpose. I also think it 

 desirable to put them on the north side of a building or somewhere where 

 they will get a little shade — any way to avoid especially hot locations and 

 southerly slopes. PROF. SAMUEL B. GREEN 



Fruit Exhibits at the Coming State Fair. Under the management 

 of Mr. J. M. Underwood, who is this year in charge of both the departments of 

 agriculture and horticulture at the Minnesota State Fair^ there has been con- 

 siderable change made in the arrangement of exhibits in Agricultural Hall 

 and in some measure they affect the horticultural department. The change of 

 most imp:)rtance to horticulture is the construction of two new tables which 

 are to be provided with mirrors behind each one of the eight shelves which 

 constitute the table. These tables are constructed on the same plan as the 

 old ones except there is a greater distance between the shelves, the risers 

 having been increased from about three inches in the tables now in use to 

 about six inches in the new ones. These new tables, we understand, are to be 

 used to exhibit thereon the single plate entries of apples. Exhibitors of this 

 class of entries will see the necessity of being unusually careful in selecting 

 specimens that are entirely free from blemishes, as the back side of the fruit 

 exhibited on these tables will show as plainly as the front side. This innova- 

 tion is a legitimate step towards perfection. 



The addition of first and second premiums to the regular pro rata premi- 

 ums on collections of fruit should be noted, as it insures to the exhibitors 

 who receive the two highest premiums for collections $10 and $5 respec- 

 tively in addition to a share in the pro rata premium. 



A full exhibit of seedling apples is especially desired, and it will be 

 noticed that a premium is being offered this year for summer varieties of 

 seedlings that can be kept in cold storage until the fair opens if necessary. 



With the comparatively light crop of fruit and plenty of rain to give it 

 size, and an average season as to the time of maturity, it ought to make the 

 exhibit this year one of the finest that has ever been set up in the horticul- 

 tural department of the Minnesota State Fair. 



