STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 233 



Relieve the cause in most cases was in not understanding the nature 

 And wants of the plant they cultivated. The difficulty I believe is 

 this. Many varieties are pistillate; some varieties are weak in pollen, 

 but when properly managed are exceedingly productive. 



It is essential to success with most varieties of the dewberry that 

 we understand the various causes of imperfect fruit, and when we 

 have learned this, and the remedy, we have learned the art of success- 

 ful dewberry culture, as well as of many other varieties of small 

 fruits. 



To begin with I should select the best variety I could find, and 

 plant on rich soil, in rows five feet apart and about two feet in the 

 row, giving thorough cultivation the first two or three seasons. As a 

 rule they make but small growth the first seasou; the next season, if 

 the conditions are favorable, they will often make an immense growth 

 of cane, the condition desired for propagating by layering; but as you 

 value your fruit crop do not do it; it is a heavy draft on the vine, 

 causing a late growth and poorly developed fruit buds, and a corres- 

 ponding tendency to imperfect fruit the following season. 



Again give your plants some kind of winter protection, if only 

 snow; they are as easily protected by mulching as the strawberry. 

 If the canes are much injured by the winter or otherwise we can 

 hardly expect them to produce an abundance of pollen, or to perfect 

 a large crop of fruit. 



Again the rapid and excessive growth of canes, caused by rich soil 

 and much cultivation, is not its normal condition, and is unfavorable 

 to the production of perfect fruit. 



Pinching back the new growth and cutting all the suckers out, 

 ■will produce extra fine fruit, but with the grower for the market I 

 hardly think it will pay. High culture should end where it ceases to 

 be profitable. 



When the dewberry begins to bear well the new canes grow less 

 rapidly, are hardier, have stronger fruit buds and consequently better 

 fruit the next season. I allow the vines to mat in the row and cut 

 out but few suckers. It needs in some respects about the same man- 

 agement as the strawberry. It has this diJference, it takes the dew- 

 berry two years to get ready for a crop but it will continue profitable 

 in the same patch for many years. 



The conditions of success are: Good varieties, good soil, thorough 

 ■cultivation of young plants, keeping free from all weeds, and winter 

 protection. Always remembering that anything that weakens the 

 vitality of the plant must be avoided. 



