300 ILLINOIS STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Dr. Hull — I have not sufficiently tested that matter to answer posi- 

 tively, but I have every reason to believe that this treatment will produce 

 the earliest fruit. 



Captain Stewart is always ready with his suggestions on small fruits, 

 and he gave directions about cultivating the strawberry. Now was the 

 time to attend to this matter. The fruiting season is over, the pickers 

 have tramped the ground hard, and unless cultivation is attended to now 

 the ground on most of our soils will dry out and crack, and in the end 

 destroy the beds. On loose soils this may not be the result, and cultiva- 

 tion might be safely deferred till fall. But my advice is to cultivate now; 

 remove the mulch, cultivate, and then replace it, for there is a day of 

 reckoning coming. We are having our rains now, but I expect to see, by 

 the twentieth of this month, dry weather set in that will try the strawberry 

 plantations, unless attended to. He stated that we had had an unusually 

 long picking season this year — about twenty-five days — while our usual 

 season is scarcely over twelve days. The price of strawberries has been 

 lower this year than ever before. 



Dr. Long asked what varieties brought the best prices. 



Captain Stewart — The Downing was the most productive, and paid 

 me the best. 



Captain Hollister — If a man should come to you and ask you what 

 strawberry to plant for profit, what would you say ? 



Captain Stewart — I would say the Charles Downing. 



On further cross-examination Mr. Stewart owned that the question- 

 ers had him in a tight fix. For himself he would take the Downing in 

 preference to the Wilson, and he thought all careful cultivators would say 

 so, too ; but the Wilson will stand more abuse, and is, after all, the " lazy 

 man's " strawberry. 



The discussion on raspberries was unsatisfactory to your reporter. 

 Every one seemed anxious to learn something as to the best varieties, etc. , 

 but no one was able to communicate all the knowledge desired. 



Captain Hollister had been five years trying to get a stand of the 

 Kirtland, and had not succeeded. 



Dr. Hull had discarded it years ago, yet it was a favorite with some. 

 He showed a branch of the Turner raspberry that showed full of fruit, 

 and of good size. This variety was a strong grower, and he thought the 

 smaller canes should be saved for fruiting. He also showed a beetle that 

 was very active on its legs, and was a great friend of the horticulturist. 

 It was especially useful in the strawberry beds in destroying the grub. A 



