STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 129 



From here we go to Mr. Cutler's farm at Sumter. He is mak- 

 ing a success with small fruits. Crescent strawberry fertilized 

 with Wilson and Gleudale is proving the most profitable. Where 

 the soil is not too rich they hold up well for shipping to points 

 twelve to fifteen hours distant by mail. The Turner raspberry 

 is doing well; Cuthbert is very promising. Stone's Hardy black- 

 berry is not proving satisfactory. Mr. Crandall and others of 

 his neighbors are succeeding well with grapes and small fruit. 



IN BL.UE EARTH COUNTY. 



August 13th, at Mankato. — We visit Mankato and spend the 

 day in visiting gardens, vineyards, etc. 



Hon. Daniel Buck has a large garden devoted almost exclu- 

 sively to the growing of small fruits in which he engages with 

 enthusiasm and is meeting with gratifying success. His favorite 

 fruit is the grape and he is experimenting upon and has under 

 cultivation thirty-three varieties. His vineyard is one of the 

 best we have ever seen in the State, and most of the vines were 

 carrying a heavy crop of fruit which was just beginning to color. 

 The vines are generally vigorous and the foliage healthy. A 

 careful examination does not reveal any appearance of mildew 

 upon the leaves or rot on the fruit. The varieties most exten- 

 sively grown are the Delaware, Concord and four or five of the 

 best Eogers Hybrids, and for trial all of the most noted of the 

 newer varieties: Agawam (Eogers"]. 5j were loaded to their full- 

 est capacity with the largest and best clusters we have ever seen 

 that variety produce. Another variety, probably Barry (i!^"o. 

 43), is surpassing the Concord in fruiting and has the advantage 

 of being a few days earlier in ripening. Brighton is carrying an 

 immense crop and strikes us as proving to be one of the most 

 valuable grapes for this State. Pocklington and Moore's Early 

 are not fruiting as heavily but the vines are reasonably vigorous 

 and the fruit is superb. Mr. Buck expresses the opinion that 

 we should give more attention to the production of seedling 

 fruits and believes it is probable we may, by continuously plant- 

 ing seeds of home-grown plants, originate a variety of grapes as 

 large and vigorous as the Concord and earlier than the Cham- 

 pion or Moore's Early. One or two such varieties would prove a 

 bonanza to the originator and make successful grape culture 

 possible for every owner of land in the Xorthwest. He has 

 several hundred plants started from seeds of his earliest varie- 

 ties now well started: one of them, three years old, is carrying 

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