390 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



handsome and perfectly hardy shrub, bearing bright red berries, 

 with which we are not much acquainted at home. A number of 

 very interesting and successful ornamental hedges are being kept 

 up at the station. The one we noted that seemed of most value 

 was from the native hawthorn, that being very prickly, not only 

 making a handsome hedge but also an impenetrable one. One 

 very interesting hedge was grown from the cotoneaster, and there 

 was also a very fine lilac hedge. A neat hedge of the snowberry 

 enclosed the flower gardens in the front of Mr. Mackay's resi- 

 dence. In fact, nearly every variety of ornamental shrub of prob- 

 able hardiness in that region has been tested at this station and 

 enough kinds saved from the devastation of winter to sufficiently 

 adorn and beautify any home grounds or public parks. 



There is much to commend in the very complete and careful 

 way in which this station is carrying out its experiments and espe- 

 cially when it is known that its work is done, including a full line 

 of experimentation with live stock, with eighteen men, it is appar- 

 ent that the station is under excellent management. From the 

 cupola of the station barn we had a magnificent view of prairie 

 country, which in this section is highly developed. Farm lands 

 here are held at upwards of $40.00 per acre. 



Through the courtesy of Mr. H. H. Campkin, an enterprising 

 citizen of Indian Head, we were taken a long afternoon's ride 

 amongst the grain fields of that vicinity — and indeed there are no 

 other kind. The special feature of this farming which most at- 

 tracted our attention was the fact that only two crops of grain are 

 raised in three years, the third year being devoted to summer 

 fallowing the ground, which is really a process of storing the 

 rain to make better crops the following two years, a rotation made 

 absolutely necessary in a region where the fainfall is usually less 

 than one-half that of Minnesota. This summer fallowing con- 

 sists of plowing of the ground as soon as vegetation is well started 

 in the spring and the subsequent movement of the surface to kill 

 any growth that may start and keep up a dust mulch. To accom- 

 plish these ends requires several cultivations during the summer 

 with a disc harrow or other instrument. The result is the re- 

 moval of weeds from the grain fields, and as they are destroyed as 

 soon as they start to grow they have no opportunity to take up 

 and evaporate the moisture from the soil, and the entire rainfall 

 of the season of summer fallowing is practically held in storage 

 thereby for future use. 



We were loath to leave this interesting place — interesting not 

 only on account of its novelty but also from the uniform kindness 



