THE HORTICULTURAL NEEDS OF THE MINNESOTA FARMER. 1 25 



Every farmer in this great state ought to be a member of the 

 State Horticultural Society, and when this end is reached every 

 farmer will have at least fruit of his own growing in abundance, and 

 the home beautifully surrounded with ornamental trees and shrubs. 



The man who tills the soil is entitled to the best the soil pro- 

 duces. Why then should he not have the luxuries of fresh, home 

 grown fruits and vegetables, for which his city cousin pays large 

 sums — and then is sometimes unable to obtain them — while the farm- 

 er can have them with a little work, as well as he has his fresh butter, 

 milk and eggs? 



There is no farmer in Minnesota who has not a location for an 

 orchard, whether he is situated on the prairie or in the valley. It 

 is generally understood that an eastern or northern slope is de- 

 sirable, but, however, any land where corn can be grown can be used 

 for an orchard. 



On the prairie a shelter belt is necessary. Last winter I saw an 

 orchard of 500 trees on the prairie which was in a finer condition 

 than I ever saw any other orchard in the west. It had a shelter 

 belt of willows and evergreens on the south side', and in the center 

 of the shelter belt the house and farm buildings were located. It 

 was a beautiful home, and when I asked the owner where he learned 

 all this he answered "at the State Horticultural Society." When 

 every farmer has the needed information about fruit growing, the 

 expression that the farmer can buy his fruit cheaper than he can 

 grow it will not be any more heard. 



The value of fruit on the farm is not as small as often it is 

 thought to be. For an ordinary family on the farm it takes about 

 fifty bushels of apples, fifty crates of strawberries, twenty-five of 

 raspberries, ten crates of currants, five crates of gooseberries, be- 

 sides bushels of plums and cherries. If these have to be bought it 

 will cost from $175 to $200. But these can all be grown on one 

 acre. Who can say that it does not pay the farmer to grow his 

 own fruit. 



How to do it? you ask : After the orchard site is selected 

 (which should be near the home if possible) prepare the soil as 

 well as for a garden. Lay out half for apple trees, 20x20 feet apart, 

 and for plums and cherries the rows should be twenty feet apart 

 and the trees in the rows ten feet apart. The small fruits can be 

 grown between the rows. Plant the small fruits so that all can 

 be worked with a single horse plow and horse hoe, and you will find 

 that it is not such hard work after all to grow the fruits for a 

 family. As long as the trees are small vegetables can be grown be- 



