420 



A DISCOVERY OF THE FIRST IMPORTANCE TO GARDENERS. 



plum thickets, and some of these produce fruit of the 

 finest quality. Two years ago I received from G. J. 

 Millette of Hughes county a peck of small red plums. 

 They were picked August loth. The fruit was pleasant 

 flavored, but not particularly good to eat from the hand. 

 As a cooking plum, however, I have neven seen its 

 equal. Mr. Millette has a yellow sort that he esteems 

 very highly. Both were found in native groves on the 

 Missouri river bottom lands. I have no doubt that as 

 our wild plums are studied, selections of peculiar value 

 for the west, where the early frosts are so destructive 

 to this fruit, will be found. 



The sand cherry {Prunus pumila) is another native 

 Dakota fruit which is destined to prove valuable. The 

 plant grows in the bush form, standing low. The fruit 

 is produced in small clusters at each leaf. The little 

 trees or bushes are covered with the black or greenish 

 yellow fruit, which matures just after the currant. I 

 have never seen any sand cherries that were good to 

 eat from the hand, but I have been assured by reliable 

 men who are familiar with them where they grow wild, 

 that good fruit can be found, the quality varying great- 

 ly. As the species is very hardy, it is to be hoped it 

 may prove useful for crossing with cultivated sorts, in- 

 creasing their hardiness. 



The Buffalo berry {S/u-pherdia argentea) is a beauti- 

 ful native tree found in the coteaus of the state west 

 of the Sioux Valley. It grows to a height of ten to 

 twelve feet ; its silvery foliage and coral berries, which 

 are almost sessile and almost cover the branches, make 

 it an object of great beauty in September and October. 

 The fruit is small, and gathering it is a tedious operation, 

 from which one is usually relieved by the birds. It is 

 rather sour to the taste, but makes a delicious jelly. 

 The trees are dioecious, and must be planted in groups 

 to secure fruit. 



Of the cultivated small fruits, the strawberry is suc- 



cessfully grown wherever there is moisture enough to 

 produce a crop. The Turner raspberry is largely 

 grown, and some other red sorts are cultivated. The 

 black caps are not generally successful. The currant 

 and gooseberry are hardy and productive throughout 

 the state. Houghton seems to be the favorite variety 

 of gooseberry. The new Industry does not succeed 

 and Chas. Downing is not quite hardy. Grapes are 

 grown successfully in the southern counties of the state, 

 and there are a few planters, having peculiarly favora- 

 ble situations, that succeed with them in other locali- 

 ties, but generally speaking they have thus far proven 

 a failure. 



South Dakota produces the finest vegetables I have 

 ever seen. Not only the various roots and seeds, but 

 celery, cauliflower, and other vegetables difficult to 

 cultivate are produced in great abundance and of the 

 highest quality. The display of garden vegetables 

 from Yankton county at the last Sioux City corn palace, 

 would have reflected credit on the best truck farm coun- 

 ty in New Jersey. 



South Dakota is a new state, and some of its citizens 

 seem to imagine that it is having more than its share of 

 the ills that are incident to babyhood; but when the 

 trials through which the other western states have pass- 

 ed are recalled, it is safe to affirm that our state has suf- 

 fered no more than its fellows. Surely a state that can 

 show such beginnings in horticulture as are apparent on 

 every hand in South Dakota, must be considered as 

 having almost passed the pioneer stage. Many of the 

 complaints of drouth that have been circulated through- 

 out the country are undoubtedly due to poor tillage. 

 Having passed the age of infancy, a better agriculture 

 will do for the greater part of our state, what irrigation 

 must be relied upon to do for a restricted area. 



Charles A. Keffer. 

 South Dakota Agricultural College. 



A DISCOVERY OF THE FIRST IMPORTANCE TO FRUIT GROW- 

 ERS AND GARDENERS IN GENERAL. 



HOW TO DESTROY THE ROSE- BUG OR ROSE 



THOUSANDS of vineyards are being devas- 

 tated at this time by the hitherto invincible 

 rose-chafer, which has defied every known 

 insecticide not harmful to the foliage. Its 

 increase during the past few years has been so ra- 

 pid that discouraged farmers in many sections are 



CHAFER IN AN ECONOMICAL, PRACTICAL WAY. 



destroying the vines and devoting their lands to 

 other crops. The discovery, a detailed account of 

 which is presented below, was made by the editor 

 of The Ru7-al New- l'(7r/Jrr recently, to whom the hor- 

 ticultural public is already indebted for much val- 

 uable experimental work. 



