336 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Parker's, and most of them were well loaded with fruit. The situa- 

 tion is not quite so favorable as the others noted, being' on some- 

 what lower ground, but still as compared with land east of it it 

 would not be considered low. The soil there, I judge, is exceedingly- 

 favorable to fruit trees, as these trees were doing well, even standing 

 well up to the south and east sides of a windbreak, which would 

 not be considered a very favorable situation. Mr. Daj- thinks verj'^ 

 much of the Malinda apple, which keeps well with him until spring, 

 and the trees appear to be about as hardy as the Duchess and carry 

 a good crop of fruit. Some of his Malinda are amongst the oldest 

 of his trees. He intends to top-work some of the crab seedlings on 

 his place with that variety. The opinion that more non-blighting 

 crabs should be planted in our commercial orchards was empha- 

 sized here by a statement which Mr. Day made in regard to two trees 

 of the Montreal Wax, nearly a quarter of a century old, and proba- 

 blj^ twenty feet high and wide. They have borne him an aver- 

 age of ten bushels apiece every other year, which sold for a dollar 

 a bushel. 



I found very little blight in any of these orchards. With some 

 exceptions in the case of young trees, they were standing in the grass, 

 though at Mr. Parker's orchard they were fairly well mulched. The 

 difficulty of cultivating the ground with these low branching trees 

 when they reach much size is apt to bring about this state of things. 

 At Mr. Day's we found a part of the orchard occupied by the hogs, 

 and there under the trees the ground was well loosened up and 

 free from grass. He commended this practice, which seemed wise. 

 None of these places would be called exceptionabl}- good for or- 

 chard growing, but fairly so, and with suitable attention to wind- 

 breaks, a rolling country with clay subsoil and water reasonably near 

 the surface, it would seem that there might be an unlimited number 

 of such orchards scattered throughout the southern half of ou'r 

 state. 



COOKING AND PANTRY STORES. 



MRS. H. R. REEVE, LAKE CITY. 



It is said that a woman with a moderately even temper and a 

 talent for cooking can contribute more toward the health and hap- 

 piness of her family than by the possession of any other one talent. 



It seems perfectly proper to speak of cooking as a talent, for in 

 my estimation one must possess talent to succeed in that line as 

 well as in any other. One of the greatest essentials is to be a good 

 bread maker. Opinions may differ as to what constitutes good 

 bread, but all will allow that to be good it must be light and sweet, 

 that is, free from any acid tastes, ilakey and as white as the grade 

 of flour will allow. To obtain this end three things are indespensi- 

 ble, good yeast, good flour and watchful care. Flour should never 

 be used without sifting and should be kept in a cool, pure atmos- 

 phere, as it absorbs flavor and dampness. Bakers saj' that freshly 

 ground flour will not make good bread. Spring wheat flour is beat 

 for bread, cake and biscuit and winter wheat flour for pie crust. 



Too much can not be said in favor of the coarse flours, such as 

 graham and corn meal, and of the cereals for breakfast food. 



