^^Sn^all jFriiits. 



SMALL FRUITS. 



M. W. COOK, ROCHESTER. 



Eighteen hundred and ninety-three will long- be remembered as 

 an eventful year. All lines of business have suffered: commercial 

 and agricultural, inainly from two causes; commercial from polit- 

 ical changes and agricultural from atmospheric influence. The 

 majority of the former not being satisfied with doing well enough, 

 hoped to do better, but like the dog in the fable let go of the reality 

 in grasping for a shadow ; results, loss and failure. Moral, let 

 well enough alone. The agriculturists and horticulturists suffered 

 from atmospheric changes over which they had no control. Failures 

 in both lines have been alinost world-wide. Let us all learn wisdom 

 from past experience, and thoughtfully take a retrospective view 

 of what we each have done in our line, and try to find a remedy for 

 its defects. 



You asked me to report on small fruits. The past season has 

 been rather a discouraging one, and one finds it hard to make good 

 out of evil, consequently my report is in keeping with the results 

 of the year — a partial failure. 



Rochester is becoming quite a fruit center, not less than one 

 hundred acres of strawberries, raspberries and blackberries being 

 grown in and about the city ; and there is a growing interest in 

 that line here and in the adjacent towns, Oronoco, Douglass, St 

 Charles, Kasson, Pine Island, Pleasant Grove and Chatfield, all 

 within a radius of twenty-five iniles. In each place are those grow- 

 ing frviits for the market. 



My place is located in the southeastern part of the citA^ joining 

 on the north the Southern Minnesota Fair grounds. I annually 

 pick from eight to ten acres of strawberries (setting each year from 

 three to five acres exclusively for plants), seven acres of black- 

 berries and ten acres of raspberries. I have the land ready to set in 

 the spring for eight acres of red and black raspberries and ten acres 

 of strawberries, thereby indicating my faith in the business,notwith- 

 standing this year's partial failure. 



Strawberries came through the winter in fine shape. Vines 

 never looked better in early spring, and continued to do so up to 

 blossoming time. It rained almost continuously up to that time. 

 Eight acres on low ground were for a time almost completely covered 

 with water. When it stopped raining it stopped for good, except a 

 few showers in fruiting time. Owing to so much rain in the spring 

 and dry, hot weather afterward, the ground became hard and dry, 

 although my own was heavily mulched. Notwithstanding all the 



