ANNUAL MEETING AT LEXINGTON. 275 



■was not large most of the old and a number of new faces were present. 

 The subject for discussion at this meeting was raspberries, and was 

 ■opened by Mr. A. P. Swan, a prominent fruit raiser from Yellow Creek 

 township. Mr. Swan finds the Tyler the earliest variety of raspberry 

 raised by him — hardy, the berry jet black, productive and made first 

 picking this year on the 9th of June. His Greggs are just commencing 

 to ripen. Tlie Souhegan ripens next to the Tyler — about six days later 

 — not so productive as the Tyler. Doolittle is small, so far has done 

 very little for him, ^[ammoth Cluster a good berry but superseded by 

 the Tyler an"d Souhegan. Does not consider the Gregg entirely hardy. 

 The Cuthbert, red, ripens about ten days after the Turner, is not so 

 hardy but produces a large berry and bears as well. Thinks the Tyler 

 the hardiest variety of all, and if he could have but one variety would 

 choose them. Has heretofore planted seven feet by four, in future 

 will plant closer. He presented some fine samples of the Souhegan, 

 'Tyler, Gregg and Turner, and a sample of the Doolittles, which were 



■quite small Mr. Gamble said the Gregg did the best for him last 



jear — the Hopkins this year. Thought for general planting the Gregg 

 the best variety. Considered the Turner the best red berry, and 

 thought it did best without cultivation. He also presented a fine sam- 

 ple of the Ho{)kin8 which is very productive this year. This variety is 

 hardy and needs cultivation. He has raised this variety three years 

 and this year's crop, the best, are a week earlier than the Gregg. He 

 plants raspberries eight by four with a crop of early potatoes between 



the rows the first year Mr. Davis thought it best to run a smooth 



wire along the rows and tie the bushes to the wire Mr. Smith 



of Laclede tliinks the Gregg the best raspberry. The Doolittle is 

 -always small and dry in this climate. He would plant six feet apart, 

 not touch with plow and would mulch with straw, but thought the 



same amount of ground more }>rotjtable in strawberries Mr. 



Swan thought strawberries the better crop as far as profit was con- 

 cerned Attention was called to the fact that while the straw- 

 berry market was frequently glutted the raspberry market has never 



yet been fully supplied Mt. Gamble thought raspberries fully 



as profitable a crop as strawberries Mr. Swan inquired if any 



one present had had any experience with the Shaffer raspberry • 



Mr. Gamble stated that he had raised them for two years — this year's 

 cro]) not yet ripe To vary the discussion Mr. Gamble pre- 

 sented a cucumber nineteen inches long — variety;, London Green — 

 which one member remarked, contained at least half a dozen cases of 

 cholera morbus, while another member thought it could be raised profit- 



