40 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



REPORT ON SMALL FRUITS. 



BY ARTHUR PATTKRSON, KIRK8VILLE, MO. 



It is practically impossible for me to attend the meeting in person, on account 

 of the rush of worlt at home, having been delayed by the excessive rain-fall for 

 several weeks past. I always enjoy the coming together of horticulturists and to 

 hear the experience, the successes and failures of others that would otherwise, 

 perhaps, require several years to find out. However much disappointed I am by 

 not being with you in person, you can rest assured that I am with you in heart and 

 mind, and the best that I can do is to send in a meager report on the small fruit in 

 our section. 



Our main crop of the small fruits is the blackberry, of which we use the Sny- 

 der altogether; having been quite successful with this variety, we have been slow 

 to change to any other. They are in very fine condition at time of writing, coming 

 out in the spring perfectly sound to the tip. They are now white with blossom, 

 and promise a full crop, and in fact they have never yet missed a single year in 

 bearing a full crop. The new growth is topped at about three and a half feet, 

 which compels it to throw out laterals or branches from the main stem, and these 

 are cut off' at about twelve to sixteen inches from the main stalk the next spring 

 before the growth commences. The fruit is borne on these branches, and they 

 help to form a miniature tree by which the product of the plant is about doubled. 

 It is important to top the new growth as soon after it attains the height of three 

 and a half feet as possible, in order to give the laterals time to form and mature 

 .sufiiciently to withstand the following winter. 



It is also important to give thorough cultivation throughout the growing 

 season. Should a continued drouth set in, the blackberries should be cultivated 

 once a week, which will give a full crop of.nice berries in spite of the drouth. All 

 our bearing blackberries are in a 15-year old orchard where the trees are only 25 

 feet apart ; hence they are pretty well shaded, but as they have borne some enor- 

 mous crops, it is to be supposed that they do well in the shade ; at any rate, we 

 nearly always have better and larger berries than neighbors whose berries are in 

 the open . 



We are using three varieties of black raspberries, namely : Ohio, M. Cluter 

 and Gregg, which have a succession of ripening giving greater ease in disposing 

 of the crop. All these varieties passed the winter well and promise a fair crop 

 of fruit. 



The Shaffer's Colossal is by far the largest raspberry and is enormously pro- 

 ductive. It winter-kills some every year but the deid partis cut out in the spring, 

 and a full crop is the usual outcome. It is not, however, a good shipping berry, 

 as it is too soft, and it is not admired by some for canning purposes because of its 

 breaking up on being cooked. It is relished by all for dessert to be eaten fresh. 



The strawberries promise only a fair crop. Formerly the Crescent held the 

 leading place on our farm, but it is very unsatisfactory on account of the berries 

 being so small at the close of the season. In planting one-half acre last spring 

 we used the Bubach instead of the Crescent, using the Cumberland and Louise to 

 fertilize with. A neighbor plants the Louise quite extensively, but they winter- 

 killed quite badly last winter. 



Cherries were mostly sound to the tip, except those planted on low or rather 

 wet ground, which winter-killed badly. The same trees looked all right last fall, 

 but many are dead this spring. I think I am safe in saying that it is absolutely 



