THE EASPBERRY. 33 



Professor Card — How old is your plantation ? 



Mr. Stilson — My oldest plantation would have been fifteen years 

 old this spring. I had seven acres of that planting; then two years 

 later I planted more, and two years later still more, and so on till I 

 got up to fifteen acres. Since that time it has been steadily going 

 back on me. The past five years has been such that I just got a 

 spindling growth, and this last year I didn't get a growth of over 

 eighteen inches. 



Professor Card — That is owing to the age of your plantation. 

 In New York state it doesn't pay to take over three or four crops 

 form one planting. 



Mr. Stevens — Mr. Hesser, will you explain how often your planta- 

 ation is renewed ? 



Mr. Hesser — That would be a little hard to do. A portion of it 

 was planted in 1883, then right after that, in 1884 and 1885, 1 planted 

 some more. They have borne reasonably well until the last year or 

 two. Since that time, on account of the extreme dry weather, they 

 have not made a good growth of canes and have not borne so many 

 berries, I think it is all right to let them stand ten or twelve years, if 

 they are properly cultivated, the old wood cut out, and the tops pinched 

 back. I can't help thinking that pinching is a big thing; also cutting 

 out the old wood as soon as the crop is off. 



Mr. Stevenson — I want to ask Mr. Hesser one question that I 

 have not been fully decided on myself; that is, whether or not to allow 

 all the young sprouts to grow. 



Mr. Hesser — When we cut out the old wood I tell my men, if 

 there are too many young sprouts, to cut out some of the weaker ones. 

 I leave five, six, or seven, owing to how healthy they are. 



Mr. Wilcox — I would like to ask the gentleman if there is any 

 difference in the fruiting as between rows standing in the apple rows 

 and those standing in the middles, taking the same age and conditions 

 of the canes. 



Mr. Hesser — There was not for some time. After the trees got 

 larger, of course, the plants in the tree rows began to get smaller each 

 year. My trees were ten years old when I planted ray raspberries, 

 yet when they had been there five years you could scarcely tell any 

 difference, and I am not sure but those in the tree rows bore the best. 

 Lately they have not done so well. 



