140 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



ANNUAL MEETING, 1902, WISCONSIN STATE HORTI- 

 CULTURAL SOCIETY. 



[Held at Madison, Feb. 3, 4, 5 and 6, 1902.] 

 WYMAN ELI.IOT, DELEGATE. 



The meeting was held in a large room in the Capitol building, 

 fruit exhibits at one end, containing 130 plates, the extent of the 

 exhibit, by nine exhibitors, Northwestern Greening and Wolf River 

 leading for size and appearance. A few seedlings were on exhibi- 

 tion, none of special merit commercially. 



Meeting called to order at 10 a. m. Invocation and a few well 

 chosen words from the president was followed by appointment of 

 committees. Then the topics were taken up in this order: 



First. "Strawberries," by J. J. Ihrig, ( )shkosh, was full of prac- 

 tical and helpful suggestions to the growers of this delicious fruit. 

 The most experienced and best growers lay great stress on the 

 thorough preparation of the land, subsoiling, using two years for 

 the best preparation of soil, preferring to use old, well decomposed 

 fertilizers, two years in succession, cultivated with potatoes or 

 corn, keeping the land very free from weeds. Planting with none 

 but the very best plants ; always spring set, discouraging summer 

 and fall setting. Use no plants from beds that have once fruited; 

 cultivate as soon as plants are set and keep it up each week through 

 the season. More people fail from lack of thorough shallow culti- 

 vation than from any other one cause. Winter mulching very es- 

 sential for best success. Some advocated removal of mulch in 

 spring and cultivating very shallow, then placing the mulch back- 

 between the rows; others had good results from mulching and no 

 spring cultivation. Either plan was practical under certain con- 

 ditions. Distance apart of the rows and the plants in the rows 

 somewhat varied, some preferring y/ 2 to 5 feet apart and the plants 

 18 inches to 30 inches in the row. Some advocated narrow hedge 

 rows, others wide, matted rows, but for raising the finest specimen 

 fruit the hill system was advisable. One thought mulching and 

 cultivation of heavy soils required different methods from light 

 sandv soil. Cutting first runners in moist season was best; but in 

 a dry, drouthy season not advisable. In picking, some preferred 

 women and girls, others men and boys. This is a mere matter of 

 choice, owing to which can be obtained to best advantage. 



The next paper was by J. L. Herbst, Sparta, on "Picking Small 

 Fruit." Growers give too little attention to this part of this busi- 

 ness. To get best prices, the fruit must always be put in new 

 boxes, in clean, neat packages. Use picking stands with not more 



