STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 249 



crops of very rich fruit It is scarcely hardy and not wholly reliable on 

 this account. 



The Elm Cily, which I have seen only at Lacon, is an early variety 

 of the same class — said to be a good, unifoiin bearer. It bore a good crop 

 this year. Fruit of high flavor. 



jEllisdale is a rich fruit, but has a rank flavor which is not generally 

 relished. 



Naomi is too tender to be of value here, except with protection. 



Among the yellow varieties, the Golden Cap seems to be the only 

 one that gives uniform satisfaction. The fruit is of fair size, rich golden 

 color, and very palatable. The Minnesota is a new yellow berry that 

 I saw on the grounds of D. B. Wicr, of Lacon. It was not bearing 

 more than half the quantity of the "Golden Cap," planted near it, 

 though Mr. W. assured me that "it beat the 'Golden Cap' last year." 



There are many other varieties that " promise well," but which should 

 be taken in homoeopathic proportions imtil their superiority over well- 

 tried varieties is fully established. A half dozen plants are suflicient to 

 test a new variety. With my present knowledge of varieties, gained by 

 an experience of twenty years in tiiis State with very many recom- 

 mended sorts, and by obsen-ations in many other fruit gardens, my 

 selection of 200 plants for family use would be 100 Philadelphia, 25 

 Doolittle, 75 AlcCormick, or Mammoth Cluster. I would also add 

 "just a few" plants of the "Golden Cap," to provide nice ornaments for 

 the berry dishes, without detracting much from the refreshing delicious- 

 ness of the contents. 



The mode of pruning above referred to, and which I ha\e found to 

 increase the size of the hemes and amount of product, is as follows: 



When the young canes have grown to be about three feet high, clip 

 them down to about two feet. If allowed to grow taller before clipping, 

 the plant will have lost valuable time, as the sap going to make the 

 destroyed cane would have been building up wood for next year's use. 

 When the buds have again pushed into shoots, clip these — both the 

 upright and side shoots — to within six or eight inches of the main 

 cane. A third clipping similar to the second may be found necessary. 

 This mode of pruning gives stifl, large, upright canes, which will hold 

 up a heavy crop of fruit, which can be gathered with less labor and 

 vexatious scratching of hands and clothing than that from rambling 

 bushes. The same kind of treatment is the best known, also, for the 

 blackberry. Canes thus pruned ripen better, and consequently endure 

 the winter better, than unpnmed ones. 



23 



