14 TRANSACTION S OF THE ILLINOIS 



too late for our location, for we have to ship north. Thej 7 are in 

 .good shape when the Snyder is going out. My location is on the 

 Mississippi river, on the second bottom. After I get my plants 

 out I give them thorough cultivation for two years, and I then 

 seed down to red clover. Cut the clover about the time the ber- 

 ries begin to ripen, and leave on the ground for mulch. 



Mr. Shank — I am growing fifteen acres of berries. My black- 

 berries are principally Snyder. I cultivate until they begin to 

 bend to the ground. I advocate thorough cultivation for both 

 blackberries and raspberries. 



Mr. Jackson — I plant differently. I plant the first two rows 

 about seven and a half feet apart, and the next row about ten feet 

 from the second, so that I can go anywhere in my plantation with 

 •a team, for hauling in mulch or anything of the kind. I have not 

 had so much experience as the last gentleman, but I had enough 

 in berries to lose money this year. I do not think any absolute 

 rules can be laid down for cultivating and pruning, but I cut the 

 Snyder back to eighteen inches the first cutting, and never prune 

 more than twice. 



President Dunlap — Have any ©f the members experimented 

 with the Ancient Briton ? I saw some very fine ones in "Wiscon- 

 sin this summer, and was highly pleased with them. 



Mr. McKinney — As to the Ancient Briton, I have had some ex- 

 perience with it. 'It is occasionally very productive. It is larger 

 than the Snyder — nearly as large as the Kittaninny. But the 

 profit in growing it would hardly be worth working for. I do 

 not think it productive enough from year to year. Once in a 

 while it bears well and then fails almost entirely. 



Mr. Humphrey — I have raised the Ancient Briton a good many 

 years and my experience is such that I intend to keep raising it, 

 but not largely. It is too soft to ship, but it is a fmost luscious 

 berry. I keep, therefore, a few rows and re-set them every few 

 years. I got my first stock from Mr. Stickney, who used to have 

 a nursery in this place. I raise it for home use, but not to ship. 

 I doubt its being as productive as the Snyder, though mine 

 have done very well. But it is an awful vine. I sometimes think 

 that it will scratch a man before he gets to it. It is perhaps, a 

 week or ten days later than the Snyder. 



