1692 



SOUTH DAKOTA 



river valleys considerable fruit is grown as far north 

 as tlje Minnesota line. North of this the orchards are 

 few and far Vjetween, the country being new and grain- 

 raising, stock-raising and dairying affording more prof- 

 itable sources of income. 



In making up a list of apples for planting throughout 

 the state, it will be a safe rule not to plant any variety 

 less hardy than (.Udenburg and Wealthy, especially if 

 tlie planter desires a long-lived, fruitful orchard and 

 cannot afford to experiment. The State Horticultural 

 Society recommends the following for trial or general 

 cultivation in all of the twelve fruit districts; viz., 

 Oldenburg, Hiberual, Oharlamoff, Wealthy. 



The largest orchard in the state is in Turner county, 

 consisting of 7,000 trees on about 132 acres. This or- 

 cliard was planted in the early seventies and still yiehls 

 ]>rofital)le crops. About 4,000 of the trees are Wealthy 

 and most of the remainder Oldenburg. 



Considerable troul>le is experienced from root-killing 

 of the common apple seedling stocks. In the northern 

 part uf tlie state, api>le root-grafts root-kill every 

 winter unless deeply mulched. The winter of 1898-99 

 will long be remembered as the "root-killing" winter by 

 tlie fruit men of several northwestern states. Efforts are 

 now being nuide to remedy this trouble by testing the 

 Russian method of preventing root-killing; viz., the use 

 of the pure Silierian crab {Pi/rx.^f haccata), as a stock. 

 If the experiments are successful apple culture will be 

 practicable in both Uakotas and in a part of the Cana- 

 dian northwest. Piece root-grafting will not be a fair 

 test, as everything below ground should be Siberi.an. 

 ^See Bull. 05 of S. D. Exp. Sta., and Am. Pom. Soc. 

 Keport, 1899, p. 143.) 



Of plums, only those of the Americana type, such as 

 DeSoto, Wyant,"Wolf, Forest Garden, E-olIingstone and 

 Hawkeye, are of any value for general cultivation. 

 However, in the southern tier of counties already men- 

 tioneil the Miner does well and is much grown. Pruvits 

 Anifricti tin is indigenous throughout the state. Many 

 varieties from the native thickets are being grown by 

 the prairie settlers, and these will probably supersede 

 tlie varieties named above, which originated in Iowa, 

 Minnesota and Wisconsin. Plums rightly managed are 

 very profitable and the general interest in them is 

 increasing. The main trouljle hitherto has been the 

 tender stocks upon which tlie hardy natives have been 

 worked. Myrobolan, St. Julien, Marianna, Southern 

 Chickasaw, peaidi, and other southern stocks all winter- 

 kill, leaving the hardy top to die. Such trees are a 

 delnsion and a snare to tlie praii'ie planter, and this 

 fact is ]ie(M)ming more generally known. Trees worked 

 on Americana seedlings or trees on their own roots find 

 favor, as no troulde is then experienced from root- 

 killing. The western sand cherry {Pruims Bc.-ist'yi), a 

 native of the state, is being tested as a stock at the 

 Experiment Station at Brookings. So far the indica- 

 tions are that it will be worthy of use as a dwarf stock 

 for amateur use, the trees being dwarfed and bearing 

 fruit at an early age. It is of some promise as a dwarf 

 stock f<.)r peaidies, such tri-'es Ije-ing of suitable size for 

 convenient covering in winter oi- for growing in boxes. 



Of other rirchard fruits, pears, (.[uiuces, apricots an<l 

 peaclies tin<l no place on the S<.>uth Dakota fruit list. 

 Cherries ari' grown to a small extent in the southern 

 counties, Vmt the crop is uncertain in must parts. 



RaspV)erries can be gr(.)wn with winter protection. 

 Blackberries are not as hardy as raspberries. Straw- 

 berries are considerably grown in the southern part of 

 the state, and irrigation is foTiud profitalile, as it insures 

 a crop in dry seasons. Gr;ipes are grown to some extent 

 ill the southern iiart of tlie stiite. luit northward suffer 

 severely from win(-er-killing and ;ire not on the fruit list 

 reeonniiended for that jnirt of tlie stute. Janesville, a 

 Lnhriisrfi < ripn rill (vnlpina) hy!)rid, has lieen found 

 to lie hardier than thos(^ of the <_'i'ncord type. It is 

 jirolialile tbiit new varieties of grapes adapted to the 

 prairie northwest will be produced by plant-breeding, 

 rising the iinligenous \'ith rlpuria as a foundation. 

 Toward this end about 5,000 wild grape seedlings were 

 grown by the Experiment Station at Brookings in 1900, 

 and this work of ])laut-breeding is being conducted on 

 a large senle. 



n\er -JT, 0(1(1 seedlings of various native fruits were 



SOUTHERNWOOD 



raised at this station in 1899-1900. The wild fruits are 

 being crossed with tame whenever possible, but the 

 main reliance is placed upon pure selection, acting 

 upon the theory that "excess of food causes varia- 

 tion." The following native species have been taken 

 in hand in this plant-breeding work: sand cherry, choke 

 cherry, pin cherry, black currant, golden currant, goose- 

 berry, buffalo berry, grape, hazelnut, high bush cran- 

 berry, Juneberry, plum, red raspberry, black raspberry, 

 strawberry. The work with cultivated fruits is mainly 

 with the apple, an attempt being made to c<mibine the 

 hardiness of the Russian sorts with the long-keeping 

 capacity of the best American winter varieties. Several 

 Siberian fruits have also been taken in hand. These 

 were picked up by the writer in 1897-98 when sent on a 

 ten months' tour of exploration in eastern Europe and 

 western and central Asia by U. S. Secretary of Agri- 

 culture Hon. James Wilson. The state Legislature in 

 March, 1901, granted an appropriation of $10,000 for a 

 "plant-breeding building," for improved facilities in the 

 breeding of horticultural and agricultural plants. 



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

 arborvitje and Norway spruce fail on the open prairie, 

 while Jack pine, I'ull pine, Scotch pine, northern red 

 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, elni. box eider, Jdack 

 wild cherry and hackberry, all do well. Ci.>ttonwood and 

 willows do well on moist land, (.'onsiderable loss was 

 experienced in the earlier ]>lanting from a failure to 

 recognize the fact that species covering a wide geo- 

 graphical range vary greatly in harrliiiess and that the 

 local indigenous focni should be planted when possi- 

 ble. 



Floriculture is still in its infancy, there being very 

 few greenhouses in the state. The rich soil makes it 

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

 trucking interests have assumed no importance, ex- 

 cept near the larger towns. Agriculture has been exten- 

 sive, rather than intensive. In a state yielding heavy 

 crops of wheat and other cereals, with a soil so rich 

 that commercial fertilizers are not thought of and barn- 

 yard 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 prac- 

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

 binders and riding cultivators are the more favored 

 implements. In the course of time, 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. 

 The list of hardy trees and shrubs would be much 

 longer were it not for the fact that the severest freezing 

 often comes when the ground is bare. 



The State Agricultural College at Brookings is a 

 flourishing institution, the annual attendance being 

 about five hundred. The United States Experiment 

 Station is in connection with the college and is busy 

 with the problems presented in a new state. Farmers' 

 institutes and home reading courses are provided to 

 help in the dissemination of agricultural knowledge. 



The South Dakota State Horticultural Society is com- 

 posed of the amateur and professional fruitmen of the 

 state and is an earnest body of workers striving to 

 solve the problems presented to prairie horticulturists. 

 Xo state appropriation has been granted hitherto, so that 

 the proceedings at present are published from time to 

 time in the agricultural press of the state. The twelfth 

 annual meeting was held at Sioux Falls, January 22-24, 

 1901. 



The dry climate is very salubrious, and many people 

 suffering from poor health in wanner and moister 

 sections find relief here. ]s;. E. Hansen. 



SOUTHERNWOOD (Artenn.^iit .l^-ro^rnnuj;, which see 

 for botanical account) is a European herb, aromatic, 

 much liranched, woody-stemmed, rather tender, per- 

 ennial, :i-5 ft. tall, with pale green or grayish often 

 variegated leaves, small yellowish flowers and minute 

 seeds. Fig. ^lifiT. It is occasionally found in family 

 gardens, whr-re it is grown from seed (or more often 

 from its easily rooted cuttings, which are most readily 

 obtained in ea)'l>' summer) for its jileasant taste and 



