2GG TKANSACTIONS OF THE HORTICULTUKAL 



seems to be a vigorous grower and free from disease. Mr. 0. B. Ga- 

 lusha and Mr. Matthew Crawford advised us to grow that in prefer- 

 ence to anything else, but I understand that Mr. H. K. Vickroy, who 

 has about three acres of it, wishes he didn't have it. 



CULTURE OF SMALL FRUIT. 

 BY H. K. VICKROY, NORMAL. 



Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: 



What I have to say on the culture of small fruits will not be 

 new to most of you, if to any one, as 1 know you have practiced, 

 methods equally as good, if not better, than mine. What we want 

 to know is, how tj grow maximum crops at a minimum expense. 

 One thing we all know, and that is, there is too much poor fruit 

 grown and put upon the market. To remedy this, reduce our acre- 

 age one-half and increase the yield at least one hundred-fold, by giv- 

 ing better preparation of the land, thorough cultivation, more care in 

 gathering and marketing the fruit, which will give more money and 

 satisfaction to the grower, dealer and consumer. 



If I were giving instructions to beginners in small fruit grow- 

 ing, I might possibly say something that would benefit them, but 

 to intelligent and wide awake fruit-growers, I hardly know what 

 to say that would be of any value. 



Possibly there are some in this audience who are anticipating 

 engaging in small fruit-growing and have had no experience. To 

 those I will say that the preparation of the lands for the reception of 

 the plants is of vital importance, for upon this depends success or 

 failure. Where the land is not naturally well drained, it should be 

 by tile-draining. The ground should be pulverized to a depth of 

 from twelve to fifteen inches by plowing and sub-soiling, enriched 

 with good barn-yard manure, if not already so, to produce one hun- 

 dred bushels of corn per acre. 



For strawberries, I think it is better to apply the manure on6 

 year previous to planting, unless the manure is very fine and well 

 rotted. For blackberries and raspberries the manure can be applied 

 after planting. Our best blackberries have been produced on high 

 and poor ground, enriched with good yard manure after planting. 



The ground should be cultivated thoroughly and often, and 

 the first season deeply in the early part, gradually working shallower 

 towards the end of the season. We cultivate blackberries and rasp- 

 berries until the middle of July, sometimes later; strawberries, to the 

 first of November. 



One-horse turning-plow after the first year, for cultivating black- 

 berries and raspberries, have given us the best satisfaction. We 

 plow about two to three inches deep once a week, throwing the fur- 

 rows to and from the plants alternately. 



