66 Second Annual Report 



are fond of telling about our great mineral resources. One man 

 will figure up the billions and billions of gold and silver yet to 

 be taken out of the soil. Another man speaks of the great 

 deposits of iron that will make this the ruling nation of the earth. 

 Others tell of the vast coal fields, or the great mines of copper, 

 or the extensive quarries of granite and marble, such as we have 

 in this State. In each case, the value of mineral runs into the 

 billions. But add them all together, getting a sum that no 

 human brain can comprehend, and I dare say that the sunshine 

 that falls upon this land is worth ten times as much as the whole 

 sum. We don't have to dig for it either, it comes down to 

 us without the expenditure of thought. And we can't exhaust 

 it, the people who live here a hundred years from now will find 

 the supply just as great; and they may be heating their houses, 

 driving their mills and running their trolley cars with the sun- 

 shine that we now let go to waste. 



Then let us look up and thank God for the sunshine. And 

 when we see it falling upon our fields as a heavenly benedic- 

 tion, let us remember that every shrub and tree that our hands 

 have planted and our care has fostered is coining for us that 

 sunshine into gold. 



SMALL FRUITS FOR HOME USE AND FOR MARKET. 



BY MRS. ETTA W. LE PAGE, BARRE, VT. 



Every farmer should consider it. an imperative duty to 

 provide a bountiful supply of fruit for home use. There is no 

 way in which he can produce so much value with so little 

 labor and expense, as in a garden of small fruits. If the advan- 

 tages of such a garden were fully appreciated, few farms would 

 be without one. When properly started and well cared for, it 

 is the source of more pleasure and enjoyment for the whole 

 family than any other portion of the farm. A plot of liberal 

 size should be set apart for this fruit garden. Let it be near the 

 house, and long in proportion to its width. It should be rich 

 in all the elements of plant food, especially phosphoric acid and 

 potash. Plough deeply and harrow repeatedly. Thorough 

 preparation of the soil will save much labor in caring for the 

 plants, and greatly increase the crop. In outlining briefly some 

 methods of culture, strawberries will receive the first attention, 

 as it is from them we expect the earliest returns. Mark out 

 the rows four feet apart, setting the plants from fifteen to eight- 

 een inches apart in the row. This should be done as early 

 in the spring as the ground is fit to work. Get thrifty plants 



