HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 279 



I would like to say with reference to cranberries, since that 

 was taken up this forenoon for a few minutes, that in an extended 

 experience in their cultivation without overflowing, I do not 

 hesitate at all to pronounce it a decided success, for the reason 

 that they are usually grown on land that is of very little value. 

 They require very little attention; you go to very little expense 

 except to wait. And if you secure a crop once in ten years, it 

 will pay for all expense, the value of the land and a good profit 

 besides. But you will not have to wait that length of time to 

 secure a crop. You will get one much oftener than that. The 

 insect that was alluded to is simply a species of the codling moth 

 and easily destroyed. Our climate is perhaps no worse than 

 that of Northern "Wisconsin for raising cranberries, and they 

 only succeed in northern localities, thriving well wild in Alaska. 



Now, gentlemen, there is one fertilizer that everyone that is en- 

 gaged in small fruit culture should use and that extensively, and 

 that is a judicious mixture of brains and elbow grease. And it 

 must be used in the field, and manufactured on the spot. It 

 has that peculiarity that it is of little value without it is applied 

 in the field, and applied every day and every hour in the day, 

 from five o'clock in the morning until nine at night during the 

 growing season; in this way it is as efBicacious as a patent medi- 

 cine; it will develop the plants and kill the weeds, it will keep 

 the ground loose and clean and destroy the insects and worms, 

 in short will make a success, when everything else will fail. Try 

 it. 



Mr. Urie said he had nine acres of strawberries at one time in 

 Illinois; it was a mistake to say they could be profitably grown 

 at four cents a quart. It could not be done; no matter how large 

 the crop, they could not be handled at that price when cost of 

 picking, expressage, etc., were considered. 



Mr. Wilcox said he meant four cents net in the field. 



Mr. Pearse said it was a great error to suppose that everybody 

 would succeed in raising strawberries. The enemies of the 

 strawberry were now almost beyond control, at least for the 

 ordinary grower. The ability to succeed depends upon one's skill 

 and judgment, to hold in check the enemies ready to devour the 

 plants as fast as they grow. The leaves becomes diseased; they 

 become covered with spores that grow and feed upon the plants. 

 These spores send out roots and poison the structure of the 

 leaves. For the last few years he had been experimenting some- 

 what and had adopted a new system. He set his strawberries in 



