428 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
HORTICULTURE AT THE STATE EXPERIMENT STATIONS.—A little 
idea can be gathered as to the work being done in the way of horti- 
cultural investigation and experiment at the government stations in 
this country by looking at the bare figures. There are in all fifty- 
four such stations and sixty-one persons in connection with these 
stations are giving their time exclusively to horticulture,combining 
probably, as atthe Minnesota Station, imparting instruction with 
the experimental work. There are no figures at hand to show how 
many of the 401 bulletins, aggregating 4,500,000 copies, issued by the 
stations last year were devoted to horticulture, but a considerable 
portion were so occupied. Much of the information gained is neces- 
sarily somewhat impractical of application for the actual working 
horticulturist and is paving the way for further investigation, but a 
very large share is knowledge in a shape suited for present absorp- 
tion and use. The influence of such a flood of fresh truth upon the 
horticulture of the country must be inestimable. 
MONTANA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.—We note with pleas- 
ure the organization of this society with Hon. S. M. Emery the sug- 
gestor and one of the prime movers init. Mr. Emery is well known 
to most of us as an old member of this society and for many years 
connected with the Jewell Nursery Co.; he is at present director and 
horticulturist of the Montana Experiment Station at Bozeman. 
Like other Western societies this one starts out with vigor—and es- 
pecially so in having already constructed at Stevensville a perma- 
nent exhibition hall, the property of thesociety. We expect to hear 
great things of the maturer life of so lusty an infant as this. 
NORTHWESTERN IOWA HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.—The annual 
meeting of this society is to be held at Hampton, Nov. 26 and 27,—so 
Secretary Elmer Reeves writes. We are to exchange delegates with 
them, but the names are not yet announced. 
MINNESOTA GROWN SWEET POTATOES.—Mr. J. R. Cummings, of 
the western part of Hennepin county, who is one of our life mem- 
bers, left at my house some of the sweet potatoes he has grown this 
year. He wrote an article on this subject last year and has had 
some experience in the cultivation ot this vegetable. We tested 
them by the usual process and found them of excellent quality, and, 
though not as sweet as those from the South, they were very dry 
and‘mealy and of better flavor. If such sweet potatoes can be grown 
in our latitude successfully, this industry should certainly be 
encouraged, 
SPRAYING THE ORCHARD.—The last report of the Ontario Bureau of 
Industries in referring to fruit trees quote many letters from cor- 
respondents that contain expressions like these: 
“Apple worm very bad on trees not sprayed.” 
“People are finding it pays to spray.” 
“Spraying is not common, but it is becoming more so.” 
“Where spraying was done, there were very few worms.” 
Can we draw a lesson from this? 
—— Oe. 
