THE SOUTH HAVEN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 483 



plum crop is a certainty, and most varieties being annual bearers will make it 

 a profitable crop for market. 

 The Society returned him a vote of thanks for the valuable information. 



THE TROFITABLENESS OF SMALL FRUITS. 



South Havek, April 6, 1874. 



The subject for discussion the evening of the 6th instant, was the continua- 

 tion of the previous Monday evening's question, — the profitableness of small 

 fruits. 



Inasmuch as Messrs. Wigglesworth and Histed had the most experience in 

 small fruit culture, Mr. Wigglesworth was called upon to make some addi- 

 tional remarks to those expressed at the last meeting. He said he could grow 

 100 bushels of Triomph de Gand strawberries on an acre as easily as he could 

 200 bushels of Wilson's. The former brought twenty to twenty-five cents per 

 quart last season (instead of forty to fifty cents, which was the highest price 

 they sold at in Chicago), while his Wilson's only averaged twelve and a half 

 cents per quart. When the cost of boxes, picking, and shipping is taken out 

 it left the Triomph de Gand far ahead. This is the most conclusive argument 

 for the cultivation of choice fruit; you get a greater profit for a smaller 

 amount. Lest some might be disappointed he said Triomph de Gand and 

 Jucuuda would not succeed on light sandy soil. 



He replied that red raspberries were very profitable, and the market would 

 not be overstocked, as they could only be grown in favorable localities, where 

 they could be shipped by water. When shipped by rail they shook together 

 and spoiled in the heat at that season of the year. He thought highly of the 

 Clark raspberry ; they sold readily last year for twenty-five cents per quart, the 

 Philadelphia brought seven dollars per bushel. He would recommend the 

 Franconia and Brinckles' Orange raspberry, and the mammoth cluster black- 

 cap raspberry. Black caps yielded from 100 to 150 bushels to the acre, and 

 for $0 per case. Kittatinny blackberries yielded 100 bushels to the acre and 

 sold last season for 88 per bushel. Would recommend setting small fruits in 

 the spring, and the use of Perry's Scar in keeping down the weeds in summer. 

 Would cut out the old canes in the fall and mulch with coarse litter. Would 

 use straw or marsh grass for strawberries, covering evenly and thinly, which 

 should be separated from over the plants in the spring, leaving it as a mulch 

 nntil the fruit ripened, then removed for the purpose of cultivation. He 

 thought decayed sawdust would be a benefit, especially hard- wood sawdust: 

 wonld prefer whitewood and basswood to pine and hemlock. 



Mr. Hurlbut said he mulched with green sawdust in the spring and thought 

 it an injury. 



Ml". H. Linderman mulched with straw in the fall and left the vines to come 

 np through in the spring, with good results. It kept the fruit free from the 

 •dirt. 



Mr. Voorhees said such was his experience. 



The question was raistd whether it was a good plan for large fruit growers 

 to meddle with small fruits. 



