IMPROVEMENT WORK OF CIVIC LEAGUE OF ST. PAUL. 299 



Mr. A. G. Long : I live at Lake Alinnetonka. which has been 

 termed the Lake Como of America, and where of all places it would 

 seem, with its wonderful natural beauties, that the improvement 

 and beautifying- sentiment should flourish. A little less than a year 

 ago I asked Mr. Loring to come out and give us a practical talk 

 along the line of improvement, which he did, illustrating it with 

 lantern slides, and it was the means of organizing an improvement 

 association, but in the community the sentiment is as dead as though 

 it had never been heard of. It is absolutely impossible to have an 

 attendance of more than a half dozen at each meeting, and the work 

 the organization is trying to accomplish is even ridiculed and 

 laughed at by some of the best citizens. We have been told here to- 

 day what we ought to accomplish with an improvement association, 

 and the suggestions are all very good, but first of all we want to 

 know how to get a community interested, how to create a sentiment 

 in favor of improvement. \\'hen we have found that out the rest 

 will be easil}- attainable. 



Mr. Frank Yahnke : Get the ladies interested. 



Mr. Long: Tell us how. 



Pres. Pendergast : You must have this association work up a 

 sentiment for improvement. Set about it in the right way, stir up 

 an enthusiasm, and you will accomplish something by and by. The 

 trouble is with my friend at Lake Minnetonka that he expects to ac- 

 complish too much at once. He should feel like the neighbor's boy 

 who lived beside me in New Hampshire. One day the boy said to 

 his father, "Pa, I have looked out for my winter's cap; I caught a 

 musquash today." "Yes," said his father, "that will make you a 

 good cap, but where is your musquash?" "\\>11," said he, "I 

 didn't quite get him today, but I am going to have him tomorrow." 

 (Laughter.) And so if he cannot have this thing done today he 

 will have it done tomorrow if he keeps right on. 



GROWING STRAWBERRY PLANTS FOR RE-SETTING. 



E. F. PECK, AUSTIN. 



To obtain the best results, the soil should be thoroughly sub- 

 dued the year before planting, and this can best be done by a hoed 

 crop. If the ground has been enriched by a plentiful application of 

 manure from the cow stable, a crop of sweet corn will not seriously 

 detract from its fertility, and the weeds can better be kept under 

 subjection than with any other crop, being planted late in May and 

 maturing as early as the last of July, when all weeds that escape the 

 cultivator can be destroyed. The corn stubble can easily be gotten 

 rid of by straddling the row with a team and a sharp plow cutting 

 oflf just below the surface of the ground, when the next plowing will 

 carry it to the bottom of the furrow. This should be done early in 

 September to the depth of at least eight inches. 



This method requires twice plowing in the spring, but tillage 

 adds fertility, and a thorough pulverizing and fining of the soil to 



