STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 91 



Mr. Brimhall. The best way to prolong the season of fruiting 

 is to have a part of the field mulched with marsh hay or some other 

 light material, and not take it ofi", but let the vines grow up 

 through it. When necessary to get rid of such a mulch it can be 

 safely burned off before the frost is all out of the ground. 



Mr. Mcfleury related an instance at Rochester where a crop was 

 destroyed by burning off the mulch. 



Secretary Gibbs. " That depends." An old grassy bed can be 

 burned to advantage early in the spring, or other beds when the 

 mulch is light and dry and will go in a quick blaze; but if you 

 have a mulch that will make a slow or hot fire, I would give the 

 advice that Douglas Jerrald gave to the young people about to get 

 married. " Don't." 



Mr. McHenry. Sometimes too the practice of leaving the mulch 

 on through the fruiting season will prove disastrous. I tried one 

 acre this way, out of a three acre field, and got fifty quarts from 

 the acre only. The other two yielded well. 



Mr. Grimes. I take off the mulch with a horse rake. Then hoe 

 and hand weed. After picking run the mower over the field, rake 

 off, and then go over it with light harrow. Do not mulch the 

 second winter, but harrow again in the spring. It may look as if 

 the plants are all destroyed by the harrow, but they will come on 

 and set plenty of blossoms and bear well. His experience with 

 new and high-priced sorts — say $1.00 per plant, had not been 

 favorable. He gave an amusing instance of one plant he had sent 

 for. 



Mr. Underwood. A single plant was hardly a fair test. 



Mr. Grimes. The test was satisfactory — I had enough of it. 



Mr. Cutler. Has any one had experience in hill culture? 



Mr. Brimhall. I find that old plants winter kill in hill culture. 



Mr. Pearce. It is wrong to let [plants fruit the first year. I 

 plant late and take off the buds when I am setting the plants out. 

 There is more danger and more labor from early than from late 

 planting. Only pull off the buds or blossoms, strip down the 

 roots and drop them into the hole made by the dibble. Distance 

 depends on variety. Wilsons, close; Crescents, two and one-half 

 feet. 



Mr. Cutler, I set three and one-half feet and cultivate both 



ways. 



Mr. Underwood. Many plants are killed for want of leaf prun- 



