PROCEEDINGS OF THE ANNUAL MEETING 73 



So it is with small fruits. The i^ast season there was no great profit, 

 but the grower who looked iiiore after quality than (juantity, put his 

 fruit up in a tasteful and alliaclive niauucr, looking after his special 

 market, was able to make a lair profit; while the grower who shipped 

 his fruit to coniniission houses in (Jhieago, I think in nearly in every 

 case, met a loss instead of a profit. I have witnessed several ups 

 and downs during the last thirty years, in the prices of the small fruits 

 especially, but the grower who has adhered to the points made above 

 has found small fruit production a very satisfactory business for the 

 capital invested, and I have full faith in it for the future. 



DISCUSSION. 



Mr. M. L. Croy: I think this paper contains a fact that is worthy of 

 our consideration and practice, namely, that of making selection of 

 choice fruits and growing them. Six or seven years ago I thought about 

 all that was necessary in order to have a crop of strawberries was to 

 get your plants some place, bring them home, dig a hole in the ground, 

 put them down and cover them up with a little dirt, give them a little 

 attention when you had time, and when you did not, let them go, and 

 they would pay you for what trouble and expense they were to you. I 

 did not make a success of growing strawberries in that way. I read of 

 Mr. Kellogg through the papers. He was recommended to me by a 

 friend, and I dropped Mr. Kellogg a letter and he sent me his catalogue 

 of small fruits and how to grow them. I followed Mr. Kellogg's instruc- 

 tions so far as I could. I found that it paid better, and I want to say 

 that I am striving to do just as Mr. Kellogg said I should do in growing 

 fruit trees, etc. I also got some plants of Mr. Mason, a member of 

 this association. He gave me some instructions in regard to setting 

 and cultivating them, and my strawberries this past year were a suc- 

 cess, I had a fine crop. I kept them restricted, I did not allow them 

 to mat; I set them about 3| feet one way and about 14 inches the other. 

 I had some Bubachs this year with 10 in a quart measure or 14 to IG 

 berries. I sold Crescent berries for 6| cents per quart when other straw- 

 berries were only bringing 4 and 5. I had also some small berries for 

 which I only received five cents per quart. I have found this year that 

 it is the nice, large berry that commands the market, and the berry that 

 will sell under all circumstances anywhere is the large, perfect straw;- 

 berry. Also, I have found in my experience in growing the black-caps, 

 that it is not good policy to set vines too closely together. I set mine 

 8^x4^. This year I had a big crop of black-cap raspberries. I thin my 

 shoots down to about four or five in n hill, not more than five, and I 

 prune back very short, to about G or 10 inches, owing a good deal to the 

 position the limb occupies with relation to the stalk, and if it seems to 

 be firm and go up middling straight I cut it a little longer. I had from 

 GOO plants this year 110 bushels of black-cap ras])berries. I sold them 

 for four cents per quart; I paid between |75 and |100 of debts and had 

 enough left to buy a few things for the family. 



Mr. Morrill: Mr. Croy, one part of your talk brings out an idea that 

 perhaps is worth suggesting to you or to others. T hove about twenty-five 

 10 



