SUMMER MEETING. 61 



lands are always subject to frosts that destroy the blossoms. While any rich 

 land that I have seen is desirable, friable clay loam is apt to be the most fer- 

 tile naturally, hence, upon such soil the largest crops are usually grown; but 

 such soil being natural grass soil, and more tenacious, requires more labor. 



T. T. Lyon: There is no difficulty in transplanting growing plants of the 

 red varieties, if it is done with as much care as one would take with cabbage. 



E. H. Scott: In setting the growing plants it is better not to nip off the 

 tops. I set two acres of Marlboros this spring, with complete success. 



PROPAGATION OF THE DIFFERENT SPECIES. 



Pres. Lyon read the following notes : 



The European species of raspberry — Idaeus — and the American Red — stri- 

 gosus — are, in most respects, very similar ; and this similarity extends even to 

 the manner of propagation. 



Like all other classes of plants, the mode of propagation for the origination 

 of new varieties is by growing plants from the seed ; but, assuming that this is 

 not the matter to be now discussed, we proceed to consider modes of propaga- 

 tion for the increase or continuation of a variety. 



The varieties of these two classes spontaneously multiply by pushing up 

 sprouts from the roots, which most varieties do very abundantly ; and this is 

 the process more generally relied on for increasing them. 



This process has a decided tendency to diminish the vigor of the plant as 

 well as to lessen the product of fruit ; and, withal, it is not sufficiently rapid 

 for propagation on the scale often required for commercial purposes. In such 

 case resort is had to short cuttings of the roots, which may be either started in 

 boxes of earth, hastened by a little bottom heat, or planted out at once, each 

 cutting of two or three inches in length becoming a distinct plant. 



Occidentalis, which includes our native blackcap, whether black, purple, 

 orange or white, refuses to propagate by either suckers or root cuttings; but, 

 instead, is increased by burying the tips of the current year's shoots, which 

 readily take root during the latter part of the growing season, each tip becom- 

 ing a young plant for the next season's planting. In fact, each tip, after 

 rooting, may be divided into as many parts as it has buds, and each bud, with 

 roots attached, will become a plant in due time. 



There is also a limited intermediate class of raspberries, of which the Caro- 

 line is an illustration, which may be more or less readily propagated by both suck- 

 ering and tip-rooting. These are, very commonly, assumed to be hybrids between 

 occidentalis on the one hand, and either Ida?us or strigosus on the other. So 

 far as we are aware, however, all are accidental seedlings ; so that analogy 

 affords the only evidence of the supposed hybridization. 



It is, however, tiue, as might reasonably be expected in case of a hybrid, 

 that this capacity for dual modes of propagation is, in all cases, attended by a 

 greater or less reluctance to yield to either process. 



VARIETIES TO SELL. 



On this point a note was read from Dr. F. M. Hexamer of New York city: 

 You ask me " What varieties of raspberries to sell ? " Those that the buyers 

 want the most, of course. It is of no use to try to force anything on the market 

 that the people do not want. Find out what your customers want, and then 



