ured six and one-fourth inches in circumference. In 1896 the old strawberry bed gave larger yields from the different varieties and the data is given in the table for that year. A new bed was planted in 1896 of which an illustration is given.

An estimate of the cost and profit from an acre of strawberries at Sheridan for 1896 may be of interest. The thirtyone varieties which gave yields large enough to be recorded produced an average of 6,920 quarts per acre. The prices ranged from 10 to 15 cents per quart. Taking the lowest price, all varieties, good, bad, and indifferent, would have an average value of $692 per acre. The superintendent's esti mate of the cost of raising an acre of strawberries is $93. We think this would set out a new acre to the very best plants every year, allowing $4 per thousand for the plants.

Three cents per quart would be a liberal estimate of the cost of picking, boxing, crating, and hauling to market, or a total of $208.60 per acre. These figures would give the lowest probable profit. A few of the better varieties would give much better yields, and we have allowed a liberal amount for expense.

Average value per acre of crop from thirty-one varieties at 10 cents per quart..

..$692.00

Total cost, including picking, setting out new beds each year, etc

Net profit per acre..

Strawberries, Sheridan, 1896.

301.60 $390.40

*On account of the very poor stand of these varieties, the yields were not computed

FRUIT GROWERS IN SHERIDAN COUNTY.

So many farmers in Sheridan county are raising small fruits in their gardens that we do not attempt to give a complete list of names. There are some small orchards in the valleys of the Tongue river, Little and Big Goose, Prairie Dog and Piney creeks, from which we have been unable to obtain reports. We learn that Mr. Duval of Dayton has a producing orchard on Wolf creek. Arthur H. Senff of Kearney, Johnson county, has an orchard of apples, plums, and cherries. Thomas Connolly of Big Red and Dell M. Ray of Banner, are raising apples. M. L. Sawin of Sheridan has raised fruits for a number of years for the Sheridan and Buffalo markets. The letters given below, with accompanying illustrations, explain themselves.

Letter from G. W. Barlow, Sheridan, Sheridan County.

"I have delayed answering your letter, hoping to give you a detailed description of some Sheridan county apple orchards, gathered from personal inspection, but so far I have not been able to get away from my work to visit the different people who are growing apples in this county. That they do grow and produce abundantly is a well demonstrated fact, and in such range of varieties as to insure with reasonable care a supply of choice fruit the year around. With the first summer apples brought into Sheridan that were raised in this county this year there were also brought samples of good apples grown last year and kept till August of this year. Of the varieties grown, I can recall hav ing seen Wealthy, Ben Davis, Pewaukee, Hibernal, Red Astrachan, Duchess, Tetofsky, Yellow Transparent, Gideon, Moscow, Alexander; Crabs-Transcendent, Hyslop, Whit ney, Gen. Grant, Yellow Siberian, and other varieties of standards, the names of which I do not now recall.

"The future of apple growing in northern Wyoming appears to be fully as promising as the early history of northern Colorado was in '72 or even later. I see the same

conditions prevail to a great extent, and I hear the same prophecies as to the ultimate success of the business as 1 did there. Everyone who has seen Colorado lately knows that well up to its northern line apples are growing and producing large crops. We will do as well here in a few years, and I think an important point in this connection is to grow our own trees here in the country where we wish to plant them. They are then used to our climatic conditions, altitude, irrigation, etc., and are free from disease and not injured by long shipments. We have a good start in that direction now and will soon grow all our own trees. With proper selection of varieties, plenty of water, good na tive grown trees and good care, we can grow all the apples we want and some for other people.

"Small fruits all do well here, strawberries and rasp berries especially. There were at least 10,000 boxes of strawberries sold and shipped at Sheridan this season. There are few people who raise raspberries for market, owing to the trouble of covering in winter. I know of one block of red raspberries of an acre and a half that yielded 2.000 boxes in 1896 and this year (1897) about 4,000 boxes.

"The Dwarf Rocky Mountain Cherry (Prunus Bessei) I have grown here for five years. It has never failed to produce fruit abundantly; it is never protected in winter and never winter kills; comes into bearing at two or three years of age and bears every year. The fruit ripens in August, from the middle to the last of the month, and will hang to the bushes till loosened by frost. The yield varies somewhat in different plants and in different seasons. I have picked twelve quarts from a three-year-old bush, but I have made no estimate as to the yield per acre. I set them eight or ten feet apart and like the plan of putting one plant between apple trees where the latter are about 18 or 20 feet apart. I think it would be a safe estimate to figure eight quarts per plant, set eight by ten feet to the acre.