SUMMER MEETING. 57 



Mr. Kirchgraber — I thiuk it would be a good thing for black-cap 

 berries to mulch them heavily. It wants cool soil, and not shade, and 

 by putting on mulching 4 to 6 inches deep, you would be benefited. 



Mr. Lamm — Are you on the prairie ; 



Mr. Kirchgraber — I think there was timber there before my time. 



Mr. Hazeltine — I have some red raspberries home that 3 years ago 

 I put shavings on, and I had a very fine crop of berries. The ground 

 around them seemed mellow and nice. 



Mr. Alexander — I would like to hear from someone who has 

 mulched with waste from cane. 



The waste was well recommended. 



The Blackberry. 



There's not much in the name. But how delicious the berry! 

 And while it tickles the palate it has also strong remedial qualities and 

 can be put to many uses. For canning it is the berry, and it stands 

 unequaled for jam. It can be dried, makes an excellent wine and a 

 cordial of well-known medicinal value. The beauties of ebony and 

 black silk are far surpassed by this lustrous berry, with its cluster of 

 fihinning black ejes. To see a blackberry patch or field in full bloom — 

 what magnificence in white and green ! 



A snowfall in May ! Myriads of great flakes seem resting on the 

 sea of leaves, the white intensified by its back ground of green. It is 

 a sight worth going miles to see. And when the canes are drooping 

 with great clusters of the black diamonds then is made glad the heart 

 of man — especially the man who owns the patch ! 



No other berry plant is possessed of so many sterling qualities as 

 is the blackberry, and man does well to emulate them. How one 

 admires its sturdy growth, and the air of independence it seems to 

 possess ! Ever on the defensive its weapons are often used with tell- 

 ing effect. 



Its persistence or " stickativeness" is well known, and its faithful- 

 ness is proven by never-failing crops. Be it fair, meagre or abundant, 

 and though it suffers from neglect and maltreament, it ever strives to 

 hold up its head and bring forth its ftuit. Summer's scorching blasts, 

 and winter's icy breath fail to subdue its hardiness. It is a sure money- 

 maker and preminently the lazy man's berry, so far as culture is con- 

 cerned. True, what 1 have said does not apply to all blackberries, 

 but it does to the Snyder in our locality. There are numerous varieties 

 of the blackberry, but the Snyder combines more good qualities than 



