VEGETABLES. 261 



do their work better and get to their plants at any time and in any kind of 

 weather,and the cost of heating with steam or hot water is not much more 

 than to make- them with manure. As to heating I would prefer steam 

 unless I had only one small house, then I would prefer hot water which 

 you can leave longer without attention. 



VEGETABLES. 



REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON VEGETABLES. 



BY J. ALLYN, RED WING. 



My report on vegetables will be brief, hoping the other members of the 

 committee will do better than I have done. 



The past year has been remarkable for its changes, yet the vegetable 

 crop has been a success, except onions and potatoes, lack of rain during 

 the month of July affecting these in many places. 



The planting of onions and potatoes as early as possible insures the best 

 success with us. In our locality the onion crop was nearly ruined by a 

 severe wind and sand storm, which cut and tore out the tender plants and 

 roots. It being too late to replant, we had a very small crop. 



The tomato crop, as far as earliness is concerned, was a failure on account 

 of hard rains at time of first blossoming; yet later they came on with per- 

 fect success and were remarkably fine, as late as we ever handled them. 

 The late summer rains were a special help to cabbage and celery, plainly 

 showing the natural wants of celery for its perfections. Hubbard squash, 

 with us, were good as we could wish, and kept well, as the carload we ship- 

 ped on Jan. 5 to Minneapolis proves. From what I can learn about apples in 

 this county, the yield was good, but smaller than usual fruits. It was 

 below par in quality and quantity, as a general thing, and I suppose the 

 cold, wet weather we had in May was one cause. 



CELERY ON THE PRAIRIE. 



BY SIDNEY CORP, HAMMOND. 



v In reading the last annual report I found there had been a question 

 raised whether or not celery could be raised on high prairie land. My 

 experience is that it can be. Although we may not be able to compete 

 with Kalamazoo, we can raise a plenty of good celery for home use. I will 

 send to the meeting a root of celery, such as I raised on dry grub prairie, 

 and will give my mode of raising it. I sow the seed in a box in the house, 

 about the first of March, and when the seed is up, keep it in the sun as 

 much as possible, and if it is very thick, I thin it out so that it won't 

 crowd and get spindling, and as soon as the ground is in good order for 

 planting in the spring, I make a bed and set out as many plants as I 

 want in it at about six inches apart each way, and let them grow in this 



