SECRETARY’S CORNER. 199 
To APPLICANTS FOR PREMIUMS.—The plant premiums have now been sent 
out, and it is too late to make further applications for this spring. Those 
coming in from now on will be held for delivery in the spring of 1901. 
_A MINNESOTA BOTANICAL, SOCIETY.—Such an association was formed early 
this month by the botanists of the state, in convention assembled at the state 
university. We notice among the first list of members the names of several 
familiar to us as workers in the horticultural society. We extend to this new 
organization most cordial greeting. 
RESIGNATION OF PRoF. H. W. BREWSTER.—After twelve years service with 
the Minnesota Agricultural School, Prof. Brewster has severed his connection 
therewith, with great regret on the part of the management and all others in- 
terested. Ill] healthin the family madea change necessary. As a friend, fellow 
member and co-worker, he will carry with him the sympathy and best wishes 
of the members of our organization. 
STRINGFELLOW PLANTS TREES IN THE Sop.—Many of our readers are 
familiar with Mr. Stringfellow’s hobby of planting trees without the usual 
lateral roots or preparation of the soil He has just planted, to demonstrate 
his theory, an orchard of 3,000 fruit trees in the tough sod of a Texas prairie 
by shoving down into an inch and a half hole the main root of the tree, with 
the side roots all removed. This is a heroic test of his theory, and should go 
far to settle the point in dispute between him and other southern fruit growers, 
who stick to the good old way. 
MINNESOTA FRUIT CROP IN 1900.—The outlook for the fruit crop, as it 
appears to our contributors in the ‘‘Your Corner’’ of this number, is most en- 
couraging, as far as can be judged by present appearances—at least above 
ground. Few of these writers speak of the condition of the roots, and there 
is liable to be some trouble from this cause after this very open winter. Some 
of the grape growers at Minnetonka have found many frozen roots in their 
vineyards and fear considerable injury. Safety from this danger lies along 
the line of mulching with some suitable material. Perhaps the dust mulch 
would. be enough ordinarily. 
BULLETIN ON SAN JOSE SCALE.—The Ontario Department of Agriculture 
(Toronto, Canada) has just issued a very comprehensive bulletin on the above 
subject, treating also of other scale insects. After giving a very complete 
illustrated life history of the insect, it details the various methods of control- 
ling and exterminating it with results. Without expecting to eradicate it, it is 
evidently the belief of the writer that it can be held in check by proper inspec- 
tion and fumigation of nursery stock, destruction of badly infested stock and 
orchard trees and spraying with kerosene and water emulsion (one part of oil 
to four of water) and other preparations. 
ANOTHER ‘“‘HORTICULTURAL HAND BOook.’’—Prof. J. L. Budd, the well 
known horticulturist and for many years, until recently, in charge of the horti- 
cultural department of the Iowa Agricultural College and State Experiment 
Station, is the author of this new book. The work is not to be considered as a 
consecutive treatise, either upon general horticulture or any branch of the 
subject, but, rather as a gathering together of practical thoughts on the general 
subject covering a wide range, probably the result of his own observation 
