Waupaca Count y Horticultural Society. 267 



After an excellent picnic dinner, came the reading of papers, 

 prepared for the occasion. 



Treasurer Mathews told us what he knew about " Grape Rais- 

 ing." It was well written and contained many sensible hints. 



He was followed by 0. A. Rich, with a paper on " Small 

 Fruits." Mr. R. has had some experience in raising small fruits. 

 His suggestions were practical, and much that he told us might 

 be remembered with advantage. But we should hardly deem it 

 advisable to set out small fruit among apple trees, especially 

 strawberries. That course has never been a success with us. He 

 says : " We commenced to pick well-ripened fruit on the 15th of 

 June, and since that time till the last day of August we have had 

 fruits of the various kinds for our use, constantly, and we, with 

 our friends that have called upon us, have enjoyed them very 

 much." How delicious, and yet how cheaply procured. Speak- 

 ing of the blackberry he says : " You all have noticed the large 

 crowds that make long journeys in pursuit of this delicious berry, 

 whenever there is a crop of wild ones, and you have noticed, too, 

 the return of those pickers, and their fruit. Truly it is blackberry 

 jam. Old meat barrels, musty wash tubs, wash boilers, water pails, 

 milk pails, filled with sticks, dirt, dust, worms, leaves, fruit seeds 

 and beautiful berries, all in a state of vinous fermentation; and 

 the pickers ! how can I well describe them, as they come from the 

 berry bushes, with lacerated hands and limbs, with not only a 

 'thorn in the flesh,' but their flesh full of thorns, and their gar- 

 ments nearly destroyed, and precious time nearly as good as lost 

 in pursuit of that which could be had at your own home, in your 

 own garden, with less labor, inconvenience and expense." We 

 think the foregoing not overdrawn, for we have seen just such 

 things, and tried them. 



Dr. Brainard next read a paper on raising cane, and making our 

 own sugar — telling us how to do it and how not to do it. 



The committee on list of grapes ripening before September 15, 

 recommended Hartford Prolific, Janesville, Champion, Northern 

 Muscadine, Delaware, Adirondack, Allen's Hybrid, Wilder, Wor- 

 den, Delaware, Belvidere, Brighton. 



By vote the executive committee were authorized to call a 



