THE RED RASPBERRY IN MINNESOTA. 301 
Mr. Wright: And you keep a dust mulch for them to bend into? 
The President: Why, yes, we do not have any trouble. 
Mr. Wright: I would not like to pick that kind of berries. 
The President: I did not say a dust mulch, but we cultivate very 
thoroughly. 
Mr. Pond: Don’t your berries get pretty dirty after a rain? 
The President: Wedo not have much trouble of that kind. If 
you are going to mulch the ground to keep the berries clean, that 
could be done, but I do not think the additional advantage of a trel- 
lis warrants the expense. 
Mr. Wright: Do I understand Mr. Lyons to say he keeps his back 
to three feet ? 
Mr. Lyons: The first year I top them at twenty inches, and the 
second year at three feet. 
Mr. Wright: Inthe spring when you uncover them? 
Mr. Lyons: No, in the fall whenI can cut the terminal buds off. 
The President: Do you tie up your raspberries at all? 
Mr. Lyons: No, we do not have any trellis. 
Mr. Crane: What number of canes will do best ina hill; thatis 
of red raspberries? 
Mr. Harris: About six. 
Mr. Lord: I should say it depends upon the strength of the soil. 
Mr. Harris: On the black raspberry question, we have tried 
almost everything. We took a notion that the trellis was a paying 
investment. Weare now taking the trellis down and burning the 
posts, and are using the wire for grapes. The trellis does not pay ; 
itis a nuisance allround, In regard tothe topping of the bushes 
we do that, not because we think itis better to do that, but we believe 
it is better on account of picking, just as the picking season begins. 
I do not believe that cutting backis any advantage. I cut back in 
the spring according to the condition of the plants. 
Mr. Wedge: I would like to see an expression by a show of hands 
as to how many favor the trellis. 
The President: This applies to black raspberries only. 
By a show of hands, two expressed themselves in favor of the 
trellis and thirty opposed. : 
Mr. Wright: I want to ask how many of those who do not want 
the trellis have used it and have had experience, so they know what 
they are talking about. There are not many hands going up; I see 
only six who have used the trellis and do not want it. 
Mr. T. T. Smith: I would like to ask if any one has had any 
experience with commercial fertilizers. I find that barnyard manure 
is apt to induce too late a growth. 
Mr. Jewett: Before my plantation was set out, I had it subsoiled, 
plowed about eight or ten inches deep with first plow, and then fol- 
lowed it with a subsoil plow twelve to fourteen inches below that, 
Then the ground was planked level and 250 to 300 pounds of Bradley 
fertilizer put on and the same amount of nitrate of soda, and I do 
not see how anything could grow better; they grew way beyond all 
expectation. Some of the hills were a perfect mass of plants, and I 
