132 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



About the 20th day of May, providing the weather is favorable, I 

 begin to transplant in the open field. At this time my plants are 

 well developed, are blooming and bearing fruit of about one-half of 

 the full grown size. It is hardly necessary to say here that the trans- 

 planting has to be done very carefully. The first thing I do before 

 starting to plant, is to saturate the the beds thoroughly with water, 

 then remove the frame, cut the soil into squares with a large knife, 

 so that one plant will stand in the center of each square. Then I 

 take a sharp spade and cut under the plants, thus making a cube 

 for each plant. These cubes with the plants are removed carefully 

 into plant boxes, holding about forty to fifty plants each. Three of 

 these boxes are placed on a bob-sled and with two horses are drawn 

 out on the field. The fall previous the ground was well plowed, and 

 immediately before planting it is plowed again, then harrowed and 

 marked out in three feet squares, which is sufficient for the Dwarf 

 Champion, which variety I principally grow. The other varieties^ 

 such as Acme, require four feet square. 



One man will dig the holes for the plants — but these holes must 

 not be any deeper than the height of one of the cubes above men- 

 tioned — another man will carefully place the plants in the hole8,and 

 a third one will finish the planting. In this way we will keep on for 

 one day. The following day we begin what I call hilling, which is 

 done by drawing the ground towards the plants with a horse culti- 

 vator. Then we follow with hoes and draw the ground around the 

 plants so as to form a cavity, sufficiently large enough to hold 

 about one-quarter pail full of water. After the plants have been 

 watered and the water absorbed by the soil, fine earth is put around 

 the plants to prevent baking. In about a week from the time of 

 planting I again cultivate with a horse, and after this the cleaning 

 and hoeing t^as to be done by hand. 



Proceeding the way as above directed, the plants are hardly inter- 

 rupted in their growth by the last transplanting. It may be neces- 

 sary to say here that the Dwarf Champion makes an exception to 

 other varieties. It is a common practice to plant tomatoes on a 

 sunny hillside or where land is not so rich, but to be successful 

 with the Dwarf Champion a richly fertilized soil is absolutely 

 necessary. By following my method I assure you that under ordi- 

 nary circumstances a good and paying crop can be secured. 



Apple Barrel Legisla.tiox. — The state vice-presidents of the 

 National Apple Shippers' Association are directed by the society to 

 prepare proper resolutions urging the enactment by their respec- 

 itve state legislatures of laws making the legal barrel for apples 

 conform to the package adopted by the association. This is 17Vs 

 in. head and 28}o in. stave, with bulge not less than 64 in. outside 

 measurement. The association also urges the necessity and fair- 

 ness of the adoption by the transportation lines of a uniform weight 

 of 150 lbs. for a barrel of apples. 



