SOCIETY OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS. 355 



Of red-suckening varieties, Turner for early, and Cuthbert 

 for late, have taken the lead. Marlboro, Hansell, Reliance, 

 Scarlet Gem, and many others, have not been satisfactory. 

 Shaffer's Colossal is a dark red berry, and propagates from 

 tips. It has been more profitable for local markets than any 

 other raspberry with us, and is rapidly growing in favor 

 throughout the country. 



Snyder, Ancient Briton and Stone's Hardy, are the best 

 blackberries, but to insure a good crop every year, they must be 

 covered in winter. Blackberries were an abundant crop through- 

 out Northern Illinois last summer, better than for a number of 

 years. The canes of many kinds of raspberries were injured 

 more than blackberries last winter. 



DISCUSSION. 



Mr. Cotta — I learned at the Wisconsin State Horticultural 

 Meeting that they are quite successful in that state with black- 

 berries. By protecting them in winter they are able to get good 

 crops. 



Mr. Minkler — I have found that dry seasons are very detri- 

 mental to the blackberry and that they need plenty of moisture. 

 If you can see they are well provided for in this respect, you will 

 get good crops. 



Mr. Rice said that he had learned that the protection of 

 a fence was a good thing for blackberries, and recommended, for 

 family use, that a row of plants set along the east or south side 

 of a fence would give good results. 



After some music, Mr. Minkler read the following paper, which 

 he preceded by a very happy and pleasant talk, urging the Society 

 to get the ladies interested in the work. Said we could not make 

 it a success without them, and that no enterprise would be a suc- 

 cess without the ladies are interested in it and take a part. 



STARVING ORCHARDS. 



BY S. G. MINKLER, OSWEGO. 



Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen : 



You ask me to write a paper and leave me to select the subject. 

 As I have a mania for orchards I will say something on that sub- 

 ject. 



Five million fruit trees are starved to death ! Now there has 

 been, and is, a great ado about iron-clads, hardy varieties, that 



