NOTES PROM AN ENTOMOLOGIST'S GARDEN. 



471 



and we were, therefore, encouraged to purchase more vines of 

 this delicious variety. 



6. Potatoes. The soil in our garden at Minnetonka, like in 

 many other localities in that region, is a medium heavy clay 

 loam, and this year we were desirous to see what varieties of 

 potatoes would do the best under these conditions. We planted 

 Irish Cobbler, Early 

 Ohio, Burbank, Rural 

 New Yorker, Green 

 Mountain and Burbank 

 Russet. All seed was 

 treated with formalde- 

 hyde before planting. A 

 fairly good yield, both as 

 regards number in a hill 

 and size of tubers, was 

 obtained from the first 

 five varieties. The Green 

 Mountain potatoes, how- 

 ever, tho large, were 

 badly cracked. The Bur- 

 bank Russet gave most 

 gratifying results, each 

 hill averaging from six 

 to eight and a surpris- 

 ingly large number of 

 big tubers. The particu- 

 larly noticeable feature 

 in connection with the 

 Russets was the fact that 

 there was no blemish of 

 any kind on the tubers. 

 They were perfect shape 

 and absolutely free from 

 any disease. It would 

 appear that this is the 

 potato "par excellence" for the clay loam at Lake Minnetonka. 

 The Irish Cobbler did not appreciably lead in early ripening over 

 the Early Ohio. A party at Excelsior has been raising a variety 

 locally known as Six Weeks potatoes (possibly a sport from 

 Early Ohio) which anticipates in ripening the latter variety by 

 three weeks. 



All potatoes in our garden were absolutely free from potato 

 beetle injury. Two, or at the most, four beetles, which were 

 observed by the writer early in the season, were immediately 

 destroyed. The unusual freedom from this pest may have been 

 due to the presence of a number of rose-breasted grosbeaks, 

 which eat this insect, but in this instance, as in other years, took 

 their pay later by attacking the green peas. The potato flea 

 beetle was kept well in check by occasional dusting of the plants 

 with air-slaked lime mixed with paris green. 



Hansen's Siberian melon. 



