480 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Legal Sizes of Containers for Fruits and Vegetables. — Under the 

 authority of the Federal law known as the standard container act, the Sec- 

 retary of Agriculture has just issued the regulations fixing the tolerances 

 which will govern in the administration of that act. The act goes into effect 

 on November 1, 1917. 



It prescribes three standard sizes of baskets for grapes and other 

 fruits and vegetables — two quarts, four quarts, and twelve quarts — and 

 fixes the dimensions for each; it establishes the dry half pint, dry pint, dry 

 quart, and multiples of the dry quart as standards for containers for small 

 fruits, berries, and vegetables, and fixes their capacity in cubic inches. On 

 and after November 1, 1917, it is unlawful to manufacture or sell for ship- 

 ment or to ship in interstate commerce, either empty or filled, baskets or 

 containers that do not conform to the requirements set forth in the law. 



Have You Received the 1916 Report?— As a member of the society 

 for 1917 you are entitled to a bound volume of the 1916 report, containing 

 the magazines and other matter issued that year, provided you have dis- 

 tributed the magazines for the year 1916. The state can not afford to give 

 a member for his personal use and keeping both the magazine and the 

 annual volume. If you have not received this volume and wish to have it, 

 please address the secretary as above, and if you are willing to send ten 

 cents to pay the cost of mailing, it will be appreciated, as the expense of get- 

 ting out this volume these high-priced years exceeds the state appropriation 

 for that purpose. Members of auxiliary socieities must in every case send 

 postage to secure the volume. 



"Do Birds Return Year After Year to the Same Nesting Places?" 

 — I can corroborate your statement by personal observation. We had a big 

 martin box inhabited by a dozen families. One of the birds had a defective 

 wing. He was noticed for several years flying around the box. Also, next to 

 the martin hox was a bluebird box, and when the latter got defective a new 

 one was put on the same pole during the winter. When the bluebirds came 

 back it was noticed that the male who came first lighted on the martin box, 

 but was afraid of the new bluebird box. It took several hours before he 

 dared to enter. It was interesting to watch how he made numerous ap- 

 proaches to the new box, while the old martin hox was known to him and 

 he alighted on that as an old acquantance. 



Years ago I listened to a lecture by a well-known German ornithologist. 

 He also claimed that migratory birds return to the same nesting places. 

 He cited as an illustration that while living in the country as a child, they 

 noticed a songbird with an impediment in his voice. The children nicknamed 

 him the "bungler" and heard him around their home for years. Besides it 

 seems only natural that they should do so, — don't we all feel most at home 

 there where we are acquainted, and return where we find a welcome. All 

 creation acts on similar lines. — Otto Kueffner, St. Paul. 



The Loring Seedling Plum Prize. — At last the one hundred dollar 

 prize Mr. Chas. M. Loring placed in our hands nearly ten years ago has 

 been awarded. A seedling plum has been found that the judges have de- 

 cided is worthy to receive this prize. This plum tree is growing at Lons- 

 dale, Minnesota, in Rice County. Mr. John P. Vikla, to whom the prize has 

 been awarded, does not own the place upon which the original tree is grow- 

 ing, but is the authorized representative of the owner, the place where the 

 original tree is standing being within two or three miles of Lonsdale. The 

 fruit is of extraordinary size, well colored, firm-fleshed, and of excellent 

 flavor, although not a free-stone, which is to be regretted, but in other 

 respects it came up well towards the ideal of the awarding committee, which 

 in this case consisted of J. M. Underwood, Chas. Haralson, and Prof. LeRoy 

 Cady. Prof. Cady alone examined the tree and other top-worked and 

 nursery grown trees propagated from it, and his report as to the hardiness 

 and productiveness of the variety was satisfactory to the committee, and 

 upon this the awarding of one hundred dollars was made. This fund has 

 been in the hands of the Executive Board so long that there has accumu- 

 lated considerable interest, which we understand Mr. Loring wishes to have 

 applied on some other prizes to be offered later. 



