270 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



possible now to make diagnoses of diseases of man with 

 a certainty and positiveness that were impossible a few 

 years ago, and as the art of prevention in such diseases 

 as diphtheria and smallpox by means of vaccination and other 

 wise has greatly improved, so an equally great advance has been 

 made in the knowledge and prevention of diseases of animals. Black 

 leg and other diseases for which it was formerly thought nothing 

 could be done can now be prevented with great certainty. Texas 

 fever has interfered greatly with cattle trafBc, but this problem is' 

 almost solved. It has been found the disease is possible only in the 

 presence of a certain tick. The cure for this is to give the southern 

 cattle some treatment before they leave the south that will kill the 

 tick. The only difficulty is to find sorhething that will kill every 

 tick without injuring the cattle. But work is progressing along 

 this line. A serious proposition with cows is milk fever. We now 

 have a treatment that will cure 96 or 97 per cent of such cases. 

 Five years ago we would not have thought of treating the disease. 

 We are getting on positive ground in the diagnosing, prevention 

 and treatment of diseases of animals. 



Prof. Thos. Shaw, of the live stock department, in response to the 

 president's call, said he should talk on horticulture, not because he 

 knew much about the subject, but because he knew so little and 

 wanted to learn something about it. He first paid a compliment to 

 the horticultural society, expressing his surprise to learn of its near- 

 ly 1,000 members and of its first rank in size of all kindred societies 

 of the country. He gave warning that he should study its methods 

 with a view to make the Live Stock Association, of which he was 

 an interested member, its rival in membership. Prof. Shaw's talk 

 was bright and breezy, and hinged about three questions which he 

 propounded as follows : 



Recounting his own failure in getting a crop of strawberries 

 from a most thrifty looking bed because he had planted varieties 

 that were not self-fertilizing, he asked : First, ''Ought not persons 

 who are sending out strawberry plants to the farmers to send out 

 only self-fertilizing varieties. If a professor fails in his attempts 

 at strawberry culture what can you expect of the average farmer?" 

 Second, "Would it not be better to plant red raspberries close to- 

 gether in wide rows so that they would catch the snow and be thus 

 protected in winter, rather than in the regular way of planting wide 

 apart with the purpose of burying them in winter? The average 

 farmer will not grow these berries if he must lay them down and 

 cover with earth to protect the vines. If this can be avoided he 



