34 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Where fruit is intended to be shown, the trees bearing too heavy a crop now 

 should be thinned severely, or they will not come up to the marli next sea&on . I 

 am now preparing the present crop of apples, to put up on Hertzler's plan, and 

 hope to show fifty varieties of this fruit at the exhibition next July or August of 

 this year. 



Although we always have apples until the first strawberries come in (we had 

 them this year), but this keeping them on into the next summer is of much greater 

 importance than is generally known. The only reason that this plan is not more 

 generally bought and used, is that there are so many humbugs palmed off" on the 

 people that they are suspicious. The only successful swindlers now seem to be 

 unscrupulous tree agents, and the people seem to like being humbugged. 



Some half dozen fine roses are already in bloom here, and many more will f ooq 

 be out. This makes summer bright. But the moving of my house to make room 

 for the railroad causes us considerable trouble and inconvenience. 



From latest accounts our sister Mrs. Dugan is still very ill, so her presence at 

 the meeting will be greatly missed. 



Owing to our unsettled home, and my not being quite well, it is not likely that 

 1 will be there. Wishing you all a pleasant and profitable meeting, 

 . I subscribe myself, 



Yours truly, 



S. Miller. 



Question — Mr. Gilbert recommends hill planting- : would he mulch 

 the whole of the ground ? 



Answer— Yes ; and would cultivate and hoe the vines six or eight 

 or ten times, as found necessary. We must have no muddy berries. 

 Mow the vines afier the crop, and cultivate with a double shoveL 

 Handle the straw over a rail-pen to get all the cheat out of it. Has no- 

 white grub to bother the plants. 



Mr. Menifee — Plants three rows 16 inches apart instead of matted 

 row, and likes it much better. 



President Evans — Allows no runners in his patch. Has one bed 

 four years old, and it is perfectly clean. 



Mr. Gilbert — Prepared his ground as follows : Used land that had 

 been used for garden truck t^^o years. Put 40 loads of manure from 

 an old hot-bed on three-fourths of an acre, and plowed it 18 inches 

 deep,^and after planting, cultivated it once a week. 



Mr. Murray — Prepares the ground one or two years before plant- 

 ing, and fertilizes with wood ashes. Finds the raspberry crop will be 

 short ; many patches have been plowed up. Blackberries pay well,, 

 and will ship a thousand miles. 



Dr. Green — Gregg is good, hardy ; Ohio is better ; Souhegan can't 

 be depended upon. Plants up and down hill. Plows a deep ditch and 

 then fills it up and plants over it ; plants do much better that way. 

 Hopkins good. Cuthbert pays as well as any berry he has. Turner 

 no good. Black Caps are best; Ohio best. 



