226 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



not insects and birds. And here let me say that even sacking- is not 

 safe from poultry unless pretty high from the ground, as my chickens 

 would jump two feet high, tear open the paper sacks and eat the 

 grapes. The fact is, chickens and fruit are antagonistic. My hens will 

 tly up in the mulberry and cherry trees and feast on the fruit. Last 

 summer I saw six hens on a Eussian mulberry tree at one time. This 

 was no loss, as they are not good ; but then they tried it on the Downing- 

 Ever-bearing. They must be kept separate. 



Those who plant orchard and other fruits with the idea that grow- 

 ing fruit is an easy and simple affair will meet with disappointment, 

 for it has come to be a very difficult thing, unless constant vigilance is 

 exercised. 



Thorough cultivation, I believe, is one of the essentials. Even 

 pear-trees shall get it with me hereafter, for I find that the sod idea 

 won't hold good. By thorough cultivation and not allowing any weeds 

 or rubbish to accumulate in fence corners, scraping the rough bark 

 off the trunks of the trees, and giving them a wash of some alkaline 

 matter, most of the injurious insects can be got rid of. 



When trees are overloaded, the fruit should be thinned out before 

 half grown, thus saving the trees, and getting larger and better fruit. 



Fall planting of strawberries: Unt few advocate this, and justly 

 80, because it is not always properly done, and then not well covered 

 for the winter, when of course failure will follow. 



About the middle of this month, November, I set out over 1000 

 plants in the best possible style, and in two days after (they getting a 

 good rain the meantime) they were carefully covered, so as not to be 

 hurt by alternate freezing and thawing. 



So much work done for the spring when everything has to go with 

 a rush in a gardener's grounds. 



As most of these plants were taken up with earth to their roots, I 

 may expect considerable fruit on them without injury to them. 



S. Miller. 



CO-OPEKATION. 



In any locality, in commencing the fruit business, co-operation is 

 an important item in making it a success. The better plan of going 

 into the fruit business is to grow into it : that is, for each beginner to 

 commence on a small scale at tirst, and then increase as success and 

 experience warrant. For this reason co-operation is rather of more 



