380 State Horticultural Society. 



three will do. Put tliem in as nearly straight as posible, in regular order 

 a few inches apart and press the earth firmly down. 



If all these directions are carried out carefully you may make from 

 twenty-five to two hundred plants to the hill, owing to age of plantation 

 and variety, some multiplying much faster than others. The chief ob- 

 ject of the propagator should be to grow good, strong plants of pure 

 stock that will be worth $15 per thousand (and cheap at that) rather than 

 to cater to the demand for cheap plants at $5 per thousand, that are too 

 dear at any price. We have bought them at from $25 down to $5 per 

 thousand, and the cheapest by far we ever got were those that cost us $25 

 per thousand. Why? Because they were strong, vigorous plants and 

 perfectly pure. All grew oft" finely, fruited abundantly and made us 

 money. At present the trade is so demoralized by the sale of low priced, 

 mean, sickly plants of an endless mixture of varieties that it is almost im- 

 possible to buy a thousand good, strong, healthy plants free from mixture 

 of any given variety, even from the most honest and reliable nurserymen. 



]Sr. F. Murray, 



Oregon, Mo. 



SUCCESSFUL CULTURE OF GOOSEBERRIES. 



Gooseberries do best on a clay soil which has been made rich by a 

 liberal application of well-rotted manure. The soil on the timber bluff 

 lands along the Des Moines river are just right, but even our rich land 

 is not fertile enough to produce heavy crops. - 1 find that few fertilizers 

 surpass barnyard manure. I have also used as a mulch well-rotted straw, 

 wood and coal ashes, leaves, vines and anything that could be gathered up. 



After selecting the location I prepare my land by plowing and pul- 

 verizing thoroughly. I then mark out rows six feet apart, using great 

 care to have them perfectly straight. With two horses and a large plow 

 I furrow out and set my plants six feet apart in the furrow. The plants 

 can then be cultivated each way. To some this distance may seem great, 

 but I find from experience that it is much the best, as there is plenty of 

 room for cultivation and the application of fertilizers. The space be- 

 tween the bushes can be utilized for growing beans, cucumbers, musk- 

 melons, dwarf tomatoes and the like, as the vines remain green a long 



