NORTH AMERICAN STATES 



blight is summarized in South Dakota Experiment 

 Station Bulletin No. 159, April, 1915. 



An effort has been made to improve the wild prairie 

 rose of the Canadian Northwest, and the Siberian form 

 of Rosa rugosa. Out of many seedlings, only one variety, 

 the Tetonkaha, has been disseminated. 



Floriculture is still in its early youth, there being 

 but few greenhouses in the state. The rich soil makes it 

 easy to raise large crops of vegetables, but so far, the 

 trucking interests have assumed no importance, except 

 near the larger towns. Agriculture has been extensive, 

 rather than intensive. In a state yielding heavy crops 

 of wheat and other cereals, with a soil so rich that com- 

 mercial fertilizers are not thought of and barnyard 

 manure so little considered that many farmers prefer 

 to move their barns rather than their manure heaps, 

 and with the burning of straw a common practice, 

 the hoe is rarely seen; gang- and sulky-plows, self- 

 binders and riding-cultivators are the more favored 

 implements. In the course of tune, with the increase 

 in population, will come a change in methods. Eastern 

 farmers and gardeners find that the soil and climate 

 demand decided modifications of eastern practices. 



Of conifers, the hemlock, white pine, balsam fir, 

 arbor-vitae and Norway spruce fail in the open prairie, 

 while Jack pine, bull pine, Scotch pine, northern rea 

 cedar, western white spruce, and Colorado silver or 

 blue spruce all do well in open exposure. Of deciduous 

 trees, the native species, such as ash, elm, box elder, 

 black wild cherry and hackberry, all do well. Cotton- 

 wood and willows do well on moist land. Considerable 

 loss was experienced in the earlier planting from a fail- 

 ure to recognize the fact that species covering a wide 

 geographical range vary greatly in hardiness and that 

 the local indigenous form should be planted when 

 possible. 



Many of the hardy pioneer men and women have 

 contributed to the horticultural interests of South 

 Dakota. Among these may be mentioned: Aaron Car- 

 penter, pioneer orchardist and nurseryman; H. C. 

 Warner, who tested many fruits, trees and flowers; 

 Col. C. W. Gurney, pomologist and nurseryman; and 

 A. W. Krueger, for five years president of the State 

 Horticultural Society. 



Public-service agencies for horticulture. 



The South Dakota College of Agriculture and 

 Mechanic Arts is located at Brookings, and was estab- 

 lished in 1881. There is one professor of horticulture. 



The Experiment Station is also at Brookings and is 

 in connection with the College. Of the 159 bulletins 

 published by the Station (June, 1915), forty are on 

 horticultural subjects. 



The only special school teaching horticulture in the 

 state is the College. Howeverj some horticulture is 

 taught in connection with agriculture in the public 

 schools. 



The South Dakota State Horticultural Society is 

 composed of the amateur and professional fruitmen 

 of the state, and was incorporated in 1890. By state 

 law, this Society is made the Department of Horticul- 

 ture for South Dakota. 



Extension work in horticulture is conducted by the 

 College in the form of farmers' institutes and the like. 



No inspection service is provided for in fruit-grading. 

 The Department of Entomology of the State College 

 has charge of the inspection service for nurseries. 



Statistics (Thirteenth Census). 



The approximate land area in 1910 was 49,195,520 

 acres. The land in farms was 52.9 per cent of the land 

 area, or 26,016,892 acres. Of this land in farms, the 

 improved land numbered 15,827,208 acres, the wood- 

 land 383,144 acres, and other unimproved land in 

 farms 9,806,540 acres. The total number of farms in 

 1910 was 77,644, and the average acreage a farm was 



335.1. [The total area of South Dakota is 77,615 

 square miles.] 



The leading agricultural crops of South Dakota are 

 cereals .and hay and forage. The acreage devoted to 

 the cereals increased from 6,211,223 in 1899 to 8,203,519 

 in 1909, when the production was valued at $98,953,050, 

 which was 78.8 per cent of the total value of all crops. 

 Hay and forage increased in acreage from 2,287,875 in 

 1899 to 3,435,656 in 1909, when the production was 

 valued at $15,243,664. In 1909, from 518,566 acres, there 

 were harvested 4,759,794 bushels of flaxseed, valued at 

 $7,001,717. The value of the forest products of the 

 farms in 1909 was $257,126, as compared with $106,284 

 in 1899. 



Horticultural crops grown in South Dakota are 

 fruits and nuts, small-fruits, potatoes and vegetables, 

 and flowers, plants, and nursery products. The value of 

 the fruits and nuts produced in 1909 was $215,639, as 

 compared with $31,964, in 1899. Small-fruits increased 

 in acreage from 161 in 1899 to 419 in 1909, when the 

 production was 401,295 quarts, valued at $47,263. The 

 total acreage of potatoes and other vegetables in 1909 

 was 65,209, and their value, $3,001,574. Excluding 

 potatoes, the acreage of other vegetables increased 

 from 7,954 in 1899 to 15,150 in 1909, when the pro- 

 duction was valued at $1,033,163. Flowers, plants, and 

 nursery products increased in acreage from 211 in 1899 

 to 418 in 1909, when the value of the production was 

 $120,835. 



The total quantity of orchard fruits produced in 

 1909 was 229,907 bushels, valued at $209,339. Apples 

 contributed about five-sixths of this quantity, plums 

 and prunes most of the remainder. The production of 

 apples in 1909 was 191,784 bushels, valued at $158,729. 

 The number of apple trees of bearing age in 1910 num- 

 bered 274,862; those not of bearing age, 460,547. The 

 plum and prune trees of bearing age in 1910 numbered 

 268,268, and those not of bearing age, 172,186. The 

 production in 1909 was 31,748 bushels, valued at 

 $36,872. Cherry trees of bearing age in 1910 num- 

 bered 51,613; those not of bearing age, 76,293. The 

 production in 1909 was 5,924 bushels, valued at 

 $12,981. Other orchard-fruits produced in 1909 were 

 162 bushels of pears, valued at $447; 148 bushels of 

 peaches and nectarines, valued at $167; and 120 bushels 

 of mulberries, valued at $123. The value of the apricots 

 and quinces was of little or no importance. 



The production of grapes in 1909 was 144,634 pounds, 

 valued at $4,789. The grape-vines of bearing age in 

 1909 numbered 38,647; those not of bearing age, 

 46,891. 



The production of nuts in 1909 was 73,715 pounds, 

 valued at $1,511. The only important nut in South 

 Dakota in 1909 was the black walnut, the production 

 of this alone being 72,659 pounds, valued at $1,490. 



Of the small-fruits grown in South Dakota, straw- 

 berries are the most important, with raspberries and 

 loganberries ranking next. The acreage of strawberries 

 increased from 62 in 1899 to 226 in 1909, when the pro- 

 duction was 238,164 quarts, valued at $26,764. Rasp- 

 berries increased in acreage from 21 in 1899 to 66 in 

 1909, when the production was 60,285 quarts, valued 

 at $8,703. Currants increased in acreage from 38 in 

 1899 to 67 in 1909, when the production was 52,951 

 quarts, valued at $6,021. Gooseberries increased in 

 acreage from 25 hi 1899 to 55 in 1909, when the produc- 

 tion was 43,408 quarts, valued at $4,926. Other small- 

 fruits produced in 1909 were 6,058 quarts of black- 

 berries and dewberries, valued at $809; and 288 quarts 

 of cranberries, valued at $25. 



The acreage of potatoes increased from 33,567 in 

 1899 to 50,052 in 1909, when the production was 

 3,441,692 bushels, valued at $1,967,550. The more 

 important of the other vegetables produced were: 175 

 acres of cabbage, valued at $13,759; 104 acres of onions, 

 valued at $13,133; 579 acres of sweet corn, valued at 



