60 State Horticultural Society. 



three feet in the row. In an ordinary season they come together. 

 Take a hoe and chop out a path. Mulch with straw when can get it, 

 and when cannot, use anything — leaves and dirt, also cornstalks. 

 In business eight years and never failed. Have sandy loam, very 

 deep soil. Frost didn't hurt our bottom land as bad as on upland 

 this year. They had just begun to bloom on the bottom land, being 

 late fruit. On upland were earlier sorts; they had large berries 

 formed and the frost hurt them badly, but didn't hurt those on 

 low land. The latter was surrounded by timber, which may have 

 protected them somewhat. Generally plant com in the berry patch. 

 Cannot cultivate crop very long, only with a hoe, as runners shut 

 off the plowing. 



Mr. Sinnock — What about fruit on the two Ben Davis apple 

 trees in this bottom? 



Mr. Bledsoe — When I moved out, fourteen years ago, there 

 were eleven trees, set out in odd places w^here I couldn't plow. 

 They were twelve to fifteen years old then, and had never been 

 trimmed. Have gathered a good crop from them every year; one 

 year over two hundred bushels off of the eleven trees. Put out 

 1,000 to 1,200 trees there. The frost hurt the apple crop on the 

 ground, but did not hurt the berries. 



Mr. Baxter — By all means use roller to firm the ground and 

 harrow to loosen the top soil. 



Secretary Goodman — There is a great deal of difference in 

 methods of packing and shipping. This has much to do with the 

 condition in which fruit reaches market. Some growers' fruit 

 almost invariably reaches market in good condition, while some 

 just the other way. I love to grow the fruit, but rather dislike the 

 business part of handling and marketing. Would be glad to divide 

 with some one doing it — I to grow the fruit and they to market it. 

 Mr. Richardson packed over two hundred crates per acre from 

 his planting, and received around $1.80. Will briefly state that in 

 picking berries, either for car loads or express, there should be 

 certain rules for packing. The best way is to have printed rules 

 covering points of color, size, how to pick, etc. Remember that 

 the least possible handling is best. It is a very bad plan to repack. 

 When the cells on the fruit are once broken, the fruit soon deteri- 

 orates. It is necessary that the field foreman understands his busi- 

 ness and enforces these rules. Sometimes the inspector will drive 

 over the fields of the different growers, and, together with the 

 foreman, goes among the hands, and, without special criticism, 

 v/ill point out the mistakes being made. The three most important 



