174 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



pends upon the market. I know of some towns in Minnesota where 

 red raspberries readily sold for fifteen cents per quart while in others 

 of equal size they went begging for eight and ten cents the past sea- 

 son — and the same was true of strawberries. While the crop was 

 short on account of drouth a few of our cities were overloaded, while 

 others not thirty miles distant depended on these places for their 

 berries. The last place described would be a good site for a small 

 fruit farm. 



The location of the plantation must be the second consideration. 

 I would select a well drained tract of land, varied in slopes and re- 

 tentive of moisture, but the northeast and southeast slopes seem to 

 be the most preferable. I would prefer to plant strawberries, rasp- 

 berries, blackberries, grapes, currants and gooseberries on a gentle 

 southeast slope where there is good air drainage, which will gener- 

 ally prevent frosts from nipping the blooms in spring. In a small 

 fruit farm I want a goodly proportion of hardy varieties of com- 

 mercial apples and a plum orchard of our best native sorts. The ap- 

 ples and plums I should plant on the northeast slope. 



From observation I am convinced that in order to bring about 

 best results a neighboring body of water is a fine protection for a 

 small fruit plantation. Such a location seems to favor grapes more 

 than any other fruit. You all know the effect a body of water has 

 on the surrounding country. The past season has demonstrated that 

 in order to insure success one year with another an irrigation plant is 

 a very essential addition to a small fruit farm. If near a body of 

 water, as I have mentioned, I would use a gasoline engine to pump 

 the water from the lake or river, as the case may be ; and if we should 

 not have this favored location I would put in a deep well and force 

 the water into an elevated tank by means of a good strong windmill 

 or a gasoline engine and irrigate through pipes from the tank. This 

 tank should be on the highest point of the farm. 



After selecting the location you must set to work and prepare 

 the soil. It cannot be too rich if properly cultivated. The most 

 desirable land seems to be where it has been seeded to clover for a 

 few years, and on such a piece one year's preparation will suffice. 

 After cutting the first crop of clover, which is generally done the last 

 of June, cover heavily with well rotted manure, plow at least twelve 

 inches deep, not later than September ist; then get after it with a 

 disc harrow, and drag until it is thoroughly pulverized. Plowing 

 and discing thus early in the season will give the roots of clover and 

 the manure plenty of time to decompose, and the land is solid and 

 well settled for business the following spring. I find that late fall 

 plowing or spring plowing does not prepare the ground properly for 



