PREFACE. 



Three years ago I published "Amateur Fruit Growing" 

 as a help in my class room work in the School of Agriculture. 

 It has been very useful for this purpose, and has also been 

 very favorably received by the horticulturists of this section 

 of the country. Such encouragement has led me to publish 

 this book, which is prepared primarily for the School of 

 Agriculture of the University of Minnesota, but which I hope, 

 will prove a practical Manual for the vegetable growers of 

 the Northern Mississippi Valley. This large section has, as 

 yet, very few agricultural books adapted to its peculiar con- 

 ditions, and too often the methods and varieties recommended 

 in books written in the Eastern States are not fitted for the 

 existing conditions of this section. In preparing this book I 

 have had the kind assistance of many of my friends and my 

 thanks are especially due to Dr. Otto Lugger for his assist- 

 ance in revising the chapter on Entomology; to Professor 

 Harry Snyder for help in revising the chapter on Manures, 

 and to Major A. G. Wilcox for many useful suggestions. 

 Mr. R. S. Mackintosh, my assistant in the Division of Horti- 

 culture of the Experiment Station, has given me much help in 

 preparing the photographs for the half-tone illustrations. 

 To all these parties I wish to extend my hearty thanks. 



This book is written for the latitude of St. Paul and 

 Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the dates here given are such as 

 experience has shown best in that section. 



Most of the illustrations used are original. D. Landreth 

 & Sons, the well-known seedsmen of Philadelphia, have 

 kindly given me the three half-tone illustrations numbered 57, 

 60 and 93. The other figures are from various sources. 



A. * 2 0p E«rv of 



