360 secretary's corner. 



The American Breeders' Association. — A preliminary notice that tiie 

 next annual meeting of this association will be held at Washington, D. C, 

 January 28th to 30th, next, is already out. The usual good and interesting 

 program is assured. Prof. W. M. Hays continues as secretary of the organi- 

 zation. There is a proposition on foot to raise the annual dues from §1.00 to 

 $2.00 and also to raise a fund of $5,000 or more to help the committees organ- 

 ize and push their work and if i)Ossible start a monthly journal, and part of 

 this amount has already been pledged. If any of our members are interested ' 

 in the special work of this organization and willing to aid in its advancement 

 they should cpmmunicate with Prof. Hays at the Department of Agriculture 

 Washington, D. C. 



Minnesota Nuts for Home Planting.— Mr. John Husser has a (Quantity 

 of walnuts, butternuts and hickory nuts ripened on trees growing on his farm 

 at Minneiska, Minn., and at the earnest solicitation of the secretary he has 

 consented to furnish them to members of the society in limited quantities 

 for home planting at fifteen cents a dozen by mail, postpaid, walnuts and 

 l)utternuts twenty five cents a peck by express not prepaid. They .should be 

 ordered promptly and planted this fall as soon as received. Mr. Husser sug- 

 gests that they should be planted where they are to stand as it is difficult to 

 transplant them, especially so when they are more than one year old. W^hile 

 they grow in most any soil they do best in ravines with y)lack .soil, but should 

 never be planted in a boggy, wet location. They fertilize best when planted 

 in clusters. It is absolutely necessary to protect the young trees from being 

 eaten by the cows. This is a rare opportunity to secure seed of hardy 

 varieties of these nut fruits, and we hope many will avail themselves of it. 



A "Course in Fruit (jrowing".— Prof. S. B. Green during the past year 

 has been occupying his spare time in preparing "A Covirse in Fruit Growing 

 for Movable Schools of Agriculture", that being the title under which a 

 pamphlet of one-hundred pages has been issued by the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture as Bulletin No. 178. The purpose of this work, which is 

 well sustained throughout, is to provide outline studies as suggestions along 

 horticultural lines for those who are conducting the farmer's institutes and 

 farmers clubs and similar exercises. Beginning with the factors that make 

 up a fruit growing section, following with cultivation and cover crops, ferti- 

 lizer re(iuireinents, etc., the general field of fruit cultivation is gone over in 

 the first eight lectures. Then follows a lecture on propagation of various 

 fruit plants, and commencing with the tenth lecture the different varieties of 

 hardy fruits adapted to the northern and middle states are taken up and 

 discussed thoroughly. While this bulletin has been prepared for a special 

 l)urpose, there is very much to be gleaned from it by anyone interested along 

 tlie lines of horticulture in this latitude. We understand that Prof. Green 

 is re-writing his book on "Amateur Fruit Growing" along the lines of this 

 course in fruit growing, and our readers may expect before long to have the 

 opportunity of securing this new edition of his practical work on that subject. 



