j86 



MINNKKota HTATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



ation, Oi course the nurserymen, always honcsl and anxious to 

 please their friends, would, with ;i great flourish of skillful fin 

 dition, introduce new varieties, each candidate po sessing merits 

 thai simply pul theii pi ede< ess< u in the shade Bui oul "i tins 

 long list "i new varieties <>i today, the old Red Dutch gives the 

 iii"r, i returns and is the ideal curranl in flavor. Tin- improved 

 Kv<l I mm. h is nun li more desirable, ;is it is larger, etc. < Mil of 

 the many varieties novelties some were called I finally Bettled 

 on Red Dutch [mproved, Victoria, Red Cross, and Fay's Prolific, 

 which lasl is .ill righl foi size and Quality, making more jelly to 

 the pound than any othei variety, Imi ii should nol be classed as 

 prolific 'tis • i f a ilu r e i 1 1 tlia.1 sense 



Cultivation should be intense up to the time of picking, Alter 



picking ii is a g I plan to have a general cleaning up of the 



patch and one more cultivation, providing you attend to the clean- 

 ing up soon after pick ing 



Picking and selling currants is no fool of .1 job, and one thai 

 will imi (?) bring ou1 Christian virtues. Aside from the pleasure 

 <nic enjoys <>i seeing fruil grow and expand, each honcsl day's 

 laboi adding to the size and quantity, it is indeed humiliating 

 enough to lose youi hellebore and Bordeaux mixture, and your 

 time thai should have a real value humiliating, I say, to think 

 1h.1t aftei all youi efforts you are confronted l>y :i condition thai 

 is many times as bad as fungous diseases and curranl worms com- 

 bined The condition mentioned above is the commission man 

 in whom you consign vour fruit, the "fruits ol youi labor. I 

 .mi .1 modesl man, 10 will nol mention my experience, l>ni will 

 cite .i ladj horticulturist's experience with her currants, rhey 

 were picked, and each bunch was pi uned with scissors, and they 

 made the finesl foui rases of currants one would see in a lifetime. 

 Well, this pioneei received ten cents per ease, forty cents total, 

 and the cheering 1en1.uk thai "market was crowded today. tne 

 lady was ou1 the currants, the ease and boxes, and 48 cents pel 

 case foi picking, all save forty cents worse than wasted. Currants 

 cannol be sold foi [he highesl figure ever) <\-\\; one musl watch 



the m.nket and the days as well, is mv e\pei ienee. 



The second season after planting, manure liberallj bul nol -is 

 Bill Nye did his 1. minus farm. He advised rubber boots, dead 

 cats, etc.; bul in tins matter ever) one must be a law unto them 

 seh ' 



I will conclude by a word or two on pruning. Alter all is 

 cleaned up I take my pruning hook or shears. I commence b) 

 throwing oul old wood, etc., leaving aboul six to eighl or ten as 



