DECEMBER MEETING. 271 



and setting, 1275; berry and currant plants and setting, $290; cultivation first 

 year, $50; second year, $G0; straw for nuilching, 6!l2 ; interest and taxes, 

 $210, or a total of fl,'J01). The receipts the lir-st year were: Berries, $90; 

 vegetables, $100; berry plants, $50; second year, — berries, $304; vegetables, 

 $22U ; currant and berry plants, $390, (jr a total of $1,220, leaving the expenses 

 thus far about $080 more than the receipts, which another year will more than 

 clear. Tiie coniniittcc very willingly awarded a di})lonia to this plantation. 



A EIIUIT GAUDEjS' OF 11. 1'.. CHAPMAN, 



Heading, Hillsdale county. This place consists of about two acres in the vil- 

 lage named above. To !)egin with, the soil is naturally excellent, and it has 

 been kept in good condition. The i)lace contains about 80 pear trees of 30 

 varieties, a few apple trees, peach trees, apricots, currants, gooseberries, rasp- 

 berries, strawberries, grapes. Among tiieso was a large assortment of vegeta- 

 bles, — sweet corn, potatoes, cabbages, cauliflower, turnips, l)eans, peas, pop- 

 corn, celery, cucumbers, niuskmelons, watermelons, tomatoes, sage, asparagus, 

 horseradish, sweetpotatoes, squashes, etc. The trees and shrubs generally 

 looked in good health; the vegetables were well grown. How much better 

 many of our best farmers would live, and how much more attractive home 

 would be to all the family, if each had a good garden well supplied with such a 

 variety of products. Mr. Chapman understands how to keep a garden clean 

 iu the easiest way : that is to hoe or rake, or cultivate the ground in some way, 

 once a week, or oftener. The ground was all occupied with something. 



The committee had their attention called to one plat of ra'^pberrics that bore 

 such large crops that they thought it worthy of an award. It was a plantation 

 of Philadelphias of an acre and a half, belonging to Keynolds & 'i'racy, at 

 Old Mission, planted in the spaces of a young apple orchard, the plants two 

 and three years old, and set 3 by feet. At the time the committee were 

 thei'e, at a very moderate estimate, there were 150 bushels of fruit on the 

 bushes. This piece had received the first two years just cultivation enough to 

 keep it clean ; this year it had not been touched. Such large canes and fruit 

 I never sa\v elsewiiere. Several rows had small logs laid alone; each side, and 

 the mtention was to fill the space between with leaf mould from the forest, but 

 this had not yet been done. The logs alone seemed to add to the size of the 

 fruit, probably acting somewhat as a mulch. There was one drawback to the 

 value of this plat. They have no near market for all the fruit. It was planted 

 intending to dry it, but this did not prove profitable, so much of it is wasted. 

 That country is noted for tlie quantities of very fine wild red raspberries which 

 grow there. 



It is to be hoped that some profitable means of disposing of this fruit may be 

 found, for that region seems to be the home of the red raspberry. 



MICHIGAN" NUESEEIES. 



At Kalamazoo, the committee spent a day looking over tiie nur.--ery stock of 

 L. G. Bragg & Co., and we were very agreeably surprised at the condition of it. 

 Block after block of apple?, as fine as could be grown, not less than 75,000 ready 

 to send out this fall and next spring, with the desirable sorts in an unusually 

 large proportion, all healthy, and of good size. The same can be said of the 

 cherries, pears, and peach. Of evergreens they have a large stock, especially 

 of varieties and sizes suitable to plant for screens. They are themselves using 

 a good many for this purpose to protect their stock in' the winter. The 

 orname. lal departmoit is. well supplied, embracing a good variety of the hardy 



