FIFTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT. 07 



The plants are tied up to wires. It requires a post about 4 ft. in 

 length. It has to be put only a foot or so in tho ground, and a certain 

 grade of twine is used. 



Growing dew berries between apple trees is very profitable. We have 

 vines that are twenty or more years old that are still doing very well, 

 but of course disease troubles increase as they grow older. 



One man has made a very good guess at spraying. He noticed that 

 where he sprayed his apples, using Bordeaux and the Bordeaux falling on 

 the berries, had given much better results than lime sulphur. His 

 yields the past two seasons have produced a larger amount to the acre. 

 His fields have been affected with this black scurf, but by applications 

 of Bordeaux, he has experienced a control over the scurf. 



Anthracnosc has to be contended with. The onh^ solution to that 

 is to keep on a coat of Bordeaux at all times. We are going to get out 

 a bulletin some day telling how many sprays to make and when to make 

 them. 



Ml'. Daley then asked if there were any questions anyone would 

 like to ask. 



Question: Could the vines be mulched with straw as well as dirt? 



Answer: They could be but it is more expensive. 



Question : Is there any choice of variety? 



Answer: Only one commercial variety, the Lucretia. 



Question: How often do you cultivate? 



Answer: Just about the same as any other crop. 



Question: Where do you get the plants? 



Answer: From almost any nursery. 



Question: How do they propagate the plants? 



Answer: Mostly from tips. They tip themselves if it is wet. They 

 will grow in three months from the tips. 



IRRIGATION OF SMALL FRUITS. 



ARTHUR L. WATSON OF GRAND RAPIDS. 



Irrigation in Michigan is just in its infancy. There is a great possi- 

 bility in its future. You probably all know that there are several sys- 

 tems of irrigation, the ditch system, the overhead system, a system 

 where the water is forced through tile. Skinner's overhead system is 

 the most widely used in Michigan. This consists of overhead pipes 

 drilled about every three feet and a patent nozzle in each. It seems to 

 me that there is a great possibility in irrigation in the orchard. You 

 spend mone}^ every year for mulching, cultivating and fertilizing and 

 then sometimes the weather man does not send you rain until too late. 



In the young orchard I honestly believe the person with irrigation 

 can raise an inter crop. You can get enough out of this inter crop to 

 more than pay for your irrigation. ' 



Mr. Watson cited many instances where irrigation had proven very 

 valuable. One was as follows: I had one-quarter of an acre put into 

 tomatoes, the plants were very poor, scrawny and withering. But I 

 had 207 bushels of tomatoes from quarter acre, due to irrigation for I 

 could not have even saved the plants otherwise. 



I believe one makes 100 to 300 per cent more on irrigated crops. The 

 vines are healthier and the foliage is better. In growing everbearing 



