34 HISTORY OF HORTKULTURE L\ MINNESOTA. 



is as good as the Doolittle after two or three years cultivation. They should 

 l)e planted so as to be partially shaded. After fruiting cut out old canes. 

 Hills should be three feet apart, rows six feet ai)art; three to live canes to the 

 Iiill. As the l)ranches reach out, cut oil" the ends ; keep the ground thoroughly 

 forked up. Ilis berries lasted three weeks last year, and no fruit in his garden 

 afforded him so much pleasure. Had cultivated them nine years, and they 

 had constantly grown better. 



]\[r. Stewart said there were many varieties among the wild as well as the 

 tame Kaspberries, Thought if Mr. Mott had a kind as good as the Doolittle 

 Black Cap, he had something quite Aaluable. 



^Ir. ;Mott said the varietj^ he had was not common, and people were ac- 

 customed to come to the place where he had procured them for their berries, 

 on account of their being better than the usual wild kind. 



Mr. Jackson expressed his preference for Doolittle Black Cap to all others 

 — tAvo to one. 



Messrs. Jewell and Stewart spoke well of the Philadelphia Kaspberry. 



Strmcbern'es. — The question of Strawberries w^as taken up. 



Mr. Friuk had set out Hooker's, Hovey's, aud Wilson's three years ago. 

 Could not discriminate between them now, but the berries produced on his 

 A-ines are better than either of the three originals. 



A discussion ensued, Messrs. Mott, Hamilton, JeAvell and Wood partici- 

 pating, as to the probability of the berries becoming hybridized. The balance 

 of the testimony appeared to be that thej^ would not. Messrs. Elliot and 

 Stewart endorsed the Wilson's Albany as the best market berry for Minnesota. 



Currants. — Mr, Hubbard spoke of currants. They are a hardy fniit and 

 too apt to be neglected. Currants should be thinned every year, the new 

 shoots cut away, the old ones left. Would leave one or two new sprouts to 

 a hill. The fruit is much larger when cultivated. 



Mr. Stewart planted three feet apart each way ; let them stool out and 

 lultivated with a horse plow. As the wood gets old and decayed, cut it out. 



Mr. Elliot spoke well of mulching to keep the ground moist during 

 droughts. Thought it a correct practice to thin out, leaving but two or three 

 new shoots, and also cut away a part of old stocks every year. An acre of 

 Currants would produce 8200 to .S250 per year. 



Mr. Wood was surprised not to have heard of a different manner of pruning. 

 His practice was to cut the top from every sprout, from two to four inches. 

 Covered the ground with chip manure and always had good crops. Mr. Dawes, 

 from whom he had his sy.stem, always trims low, and lets them spread out 

 ne:ir the roots. 



Mr. Elliot mentioned that the currant worm troubled them some at Min- 

 neapolis. He was accustomed to shake them off the bushes on a cloth and 

 kill them. 



Plums. — Mr. Hubbard wished U) hear about Plums. Inquired concerning 

 Miner's Seedling. 



Mr. Jewell said it was extensively planted in Grant county, Wisconsin. 

 Trees grew very large ; fruit was not entirely exempt from curculio ; thinks 



