Winter Meeting;. i>69 



'is 



plant needs room enough so the sun can shine upon every leaf an^l 

 furnish the plant with the force which enables it to take its food 

 from the air, which furnishes ninety-five per cent, of the solid sub- 

 stance in the plant. Did you ever think of the wdsdom of God when 

 he made only one part carbonic acid in twenty-five thousand parts 

 of the air? The leaf takes this carbonic acid from the air on the under 

 side and combines it with the soil elements to form the tissues of the 

 plant. The leaf is hung- upon a long" stem so that it is easily kept in 

 continual motion, thus coming in contact with the largest possible 

 amount of air. In ^lichigan some of us mulch our plants in the 

 wmter, but I notice there that nobody mulches along the lake shore. 



Question : How do they keep the dirt off them? 



3.1r. Kellogg. — They don't keep it ofif. Thev eat dirt and all. In 

 the v.'ide matted rows you allow one leaf to grow under another and 

 the sun can't shine on it. The plant can not do anything without 

 sunshine. You should have the greatest possible amount of leaf sur- 

 face exposed to the sun. The top of a narrow hedge row is half 

 round, thus giving fifty per cent, more surface than the same space 

 covered with a flat top like it is in a wide row. In the summer the 

 sun rises in the far northeast and swings around south to the far 

 northwest, shining on every side of trees' and plants. If the sun 

 shone only on the south ever}^ tree would turn its leaves in that 

 direction. In Michigan some men put a light cover on the plants and 

 leave the ground bare between the rows. They cultivate between the 

 rows in the spring, but never cultivate when in bloom. 



We spray the first year. We have found disparene a good thing. 

 In using Paris green put four ounces with the lime for a barrel of 

 spray and pour hot water upon the mixture. This prevents the Paris 

 green from injuring the very sensitive young strawberry leaves. We 

 have no damage from disparene, but Paris .green is rank poison an.! 

 gets in its work quicker. If you should ever come to Michigan come 

 to our house and breal< bread with us. Let me thank you for yoiu- 

 kindness and generous greeting. 



THREE BEST VARIETIES OF R.\SPBERRIES. 



(H. S. AVayman. Princeton, ]\Io.) 



A certain tree planter in making up liis list of varieties selected 

 one-half the number Ben Da^ is. After looking over the catalogue of 

 varieties he concluded to plant one-half the remainder Ben Davis. 

 Then after careful deliberation he decided to finish with Ben Davis. 



