212 Wisconsin State Horticultural Society. 



rows, and keep well hoed the first season. As soon as the ground 

 freezes in the fall cover with marsh hay, straw or leaves, thick 

 enough to hide the plants. In the spring leave as much mulching 

 on the bed as the plants will come up through, having a good 

 healthy color. A farmer's fruit garden should be large enough 

 to furnish his table with berries at least twice a day and a supply 

 for canning, and still have berries on the vines and bushes, so 

 that the whole family and friends could go into the garden and 

 feast upon them during the best of .the season. 



Professor Henry stated that a young man, a classmate of his 

 and one who had given much time to the study of botany and 

 subjects intimately connected with horticulture, was coming in 

 the spring to give instruction in the university, and he hoped 

 that the horticulturists and agriculturists would stand by him 

 and give him a kindly welcome. 



Mr. Kellogg said that fi-iend Stone liad very plainly set forth 

 the comparative profits of small fruit culture, but he did not 

 think farmers would care to raise strawberries and other small 

 fruits largely. If they did, he thought they might practice the 

 plan of mulching given by Mr. Gibbs. It seemed plausible 

 and might be of great advantage in keeping the weeds out of 

 the beds. He thought there were some objections to it; one was 

 the labor required to put the runners under the mulch and the 

 growth of weeds in the hill itself. He would like to have Mr. 

 Gibbs give his experience more fully. 



Mr. Gibbs in response stated that it was a rather delicate mat- 

 ter to recommend any new plan or method of culture, for others 

 might try it under different conditions and fail, and then they 

 would throw blame on the one giving the advice. He had prac- 

 ticed this method of culture more or less for ten years. His 

 soil was sandy. On heavy soils the ground might be kept too 

 cool and the plants "damp off." But on sandy soil he was satis- 

 fied it would do well. The straw mulch prevents the growth of 

 the weeds. The pigeon grass is the worst weed we have, but 

 a good coat of straw will cause the seeds to rot. A few weeds 



