MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 101 
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I never miss what fruit the birds take from my grounds, and they are 
welcome, thrice welcome to the little pittance they claim, and have so 
— nobly lad, I believe the same birds come back to me every year, and 
seem glad to find the place, for scarce have the snows of winter gone be- 
fore I hear the familiar greeting song, and then with cheerful hop from 
branch to branch, and tree to tree, down in the furrows, along the fence, 
and tbrough the grounds, gathering up the seeds of noxious weeds, and 
swarms of insects yet in embryo, they still pursue, and watch and work, 
as with a will, the summer through, asking nothing in return except a lit- 
tle fruit for dessert; just that and nothing more: God clothes them. 
J. T. GRIMEs. 
DISCUSSION. 
Mr. Harris :—Feel modest about speaking on this subject. Good 
fruit is easy to raise, but farmers hardly know how it tastes. If 
they did they would raise more of it. The Doolittle is the most 
commonly cultivated, and the black caps are the most profitable. 
We fruit growers do not wish to monopolize the cultivation of fruits. 
We want the farmers to grow fruit and the nurserymen will sell them 
the plants. The Seneca will yet take the place of the Doolittle. 
Davison’s Thornless is hardier than the Doolittle and would culti- 
vate a few for early. Red berries, however, sell better than black 
in the market. 
Mr. Pearce :—I consider the raspberry the most important fruit 
crop of the State. I cultivate only for family use. (The speaker 
here described his fruit farm of about half an acre.) I manure with 
soap factory sediment and this makes the.n produce wonderfully. 
Some pines on one side cause the snow to lodge and cover up the 
vines. Mr. Cook cultivates two rows of corn and two rows of rasp- 
berries alternately throughout the field; the cornstocks hold the 
snow which protects the vines. 
Yields. 
Mr. Smith :—The best yield I have heard of is that of Mr. Boxell, 
whose Philadelphia yielded at the rate of 2,800 quarts per acre, and 
the Kirtland at the rate of 1,600 quarts per acre. He sold at whole- 
sale at an average of about 25 cents per quart. He intends putting 
out ten acres of raspberries. He grows the Philadelphia, Seneca, 
Doolittle, Kirtland, and Turner. He is a grower aiso of onions; 
sometimes raises 3,000 bushels, but generally about 1,500 bushels. 
Mr. Bunnell :—The farmers at large are becoming more interested 
in setting raspberries. They should be well cultivated in garden 
