PROCEEDINGS OF THE WINTER MEETING. 35 



Q. Do you advise setting the black-caps? A, No, sir, I wouldn't advise 

 anything. 1 can simply tell you what I am doing. It is a bad plan to 

 advise. Among red raspberries, I am favorably impressed with the new 

 Loudon; it made a wonderful showing with me. I see the N. Y. experi- 

 ment station says it must have a rich, moist soil — that is, Loudon. When 

 it is at home, on the grounds of Mr. Loudon, at Janesville, Wis., it is on 

 a rich ridge, which is underlaid with gravel and very dry. 



Mr. Gebhart: I have plants of Kansas and Conrath growing side by 

 side, one year old, and Kansas is considerably the better grower, though 

 I have a neighbor who says he has fruited Conrath and he does not think 

 it much superior. I don't see how Conrath can have any larger berries 

 or produce any more in a given piece of ground than Kansas has done in 

 this country. I have had 1,500 quarts to the acre, on one-year plants. 



Mr. Morrill: I think my year-old plants of Conrath exceeded that. I 

 had a thousand plants, and they netted |110 in Chicago. 



GROWING THE RASPBERRY. 

 BY MK. C. J. CONRATH OF ANN AEBOK. 



Perhaps, to you large and prosperous peach-growers of Oceana county, 

 the raspberry seems insignificant. However, some of you may be inter- 

 ested and others may begin to think. 



It seems that to some the raspberry is closely related to the hazel bush 

 or to milk-weed, and, not thriving under similar conditions where the 

 hazel or milk-weed would, is discarded as unprofitable. Can anything be 

 sadder, when the poor bush was so willing to respond to even limited 

 cultivation? The thought that the bushes can not realize pain, or know 

 their friends (contrary to Mr. Kellogg) is really a blessing. Imagine the 

 suffering and the endless hungering throughout the fields of the country, 

 were they conscious! Imagine yourself rooted to the ground in speech- 

 less terror, with enemies sapping the very life-blood from your system, 

 and your whole being parched and dry. It is well, I say, that they know 

 it not. 



It is very gratifying, however, that others have made a success of 

 raspberry culture. Around the larger cities, especially, has this class 

 of fruit been remunerative. My own trials and experiences have been 

 very satisfactory. Unless circumstances and locality are favorable (and 

 I mean by this the market and help in harvesting the fruit) I should not 

 advi=5e planting a large acreage. Many mistakes are made in this line, 

 and men become discouraged by failures. 



From eight to fifteen acres of small fruits, well selected, makes about 

 as much of a plantation as one n>an needs, and can handle successfully. I 

 speak here of growers living near small towns. Near larger cities the 

 acreage may be increased accordingly. 



In regard to land, any good corn land will produce good crops of 

 raspberries with proper care. I prefer a field that has been cropped the 



