Vekmont State Horticultural Society 26 



them. Suppose we take up some of the subjects in which cer- 

 tain results have been accompHshed : Currants — One man in 

 whom I was interested, who had a small farm left him, and 

 nothing to do with, and knowing little about horticulture, set 

 out one acre of currant bushes, raised 6000 quarts of currants 

 which sold for $480 the fourth year. Strawberries — If there is 

 a possibility of raising 7000 quarts to an acre we ought not to 

 be satisfied with raising less than 2000 or 3000 quarts. Ten cents 

 is not an unreasonable price to charge and if you raise 3500 

 quarts to the acre that will give you $350. 



I get only a small sum for running the practical horticultural 

 work at our college. Our sales, however, have been pretty 

 nearly $3000 for the one department. We are putting a little 

 commercial value into it. 



Take early cabbage. We start them early in the spring in 

 beds in the green house ; put them into cold frames to harden oiT 

 and set about 7200 on a single acre. These cabbages will vary 

 in weight, — the Early Spring, one of the best varieties, will 

 average something near 4 to 5^ pounds. We sold our entire 

 crop at 3 cents a pound. This is so early a vegetable that we 

 can clear the ground in time for another crop. We are rather 

 far north, but some seasons we do very well with muskmelons. 

 V/e can plant 1452 per acre (5 x 6 ft.) and the small Rocky 

 Fords will average, under good culture, 10 fruit to the hill, 

 which at 4 cents each gives us $580. 



Sweet corn, especially along the beaches where there are 

 many clam bakes, is a profitable crop. We plant about 1620 

 hills to the acre ; it doesn't require much attention, except good 

 preparation of the ground, and at 8 cents a dozen will bring us 

 $129 per acre. 



Then there is the growing of onions, and 600 bushels per 

 acre is not an uncommon yield. 



There is a man at Laconia, N. H., who raises lettuce, two 

 crops in the summer, on the same land. His patches were 60 

 feet long and 6 feet wide. He sold the product at the rate of 

 $1850 an acre. That seems like a fairy tale, but his crop brought 

 him only 2 cents a head and he sells it for the summer trade at 

 Lake Winnepesaukee. 



Then there is the plum tree. You know how many plums 

 you can get off one tree, — the new Japanese kinds, for in- 

 stance, — one and a half bushels is not a large crop; they will 

 average higher than that; at $1.50 a bushel they will bring $382 

 an acre ; and it doesn't cost much to spray and jar them. That 

 is a part of the plum industry ; if you don't know about the black 

 knot and curculio and are not going to keep them ofif, then don't 

 try to grow plums. 



