104 ANNUAL REPORT. 



a failure during the whole time that he has had them, for twenty odd 

 years. 



Mr. Ford. I first commenced setting; out the wild ones. I began 

 the practice of covering them up, and I found they fruited much better. 

 In the first place I got a thousand plants of a common variety which I 

 tried for several years; they grew up immense canes, and when covered 

 they would come out all right, but I found that they did not pay very 

 well. I got a few Lawton's by accident, which a man had thrown 

 away. I have been cultivating them, about twenty years. They have 

 to be covered, but are very prolific, more so than anything T have ever 

 seen. I have about an acre and a half. I also have the Sn7der. 

 They are a very good berry, they need cultivating; are not so large as 

 the Lawton; they grow most too strong. The Lawton grows up four 

 or five feet high, is more slender, and is easily laid down; I like it for 

 that reason, and because it is the greatest bearer I have ever seen any- 

 where. 



Col. Stevens. As long as I have lived in Minnesota, I never knew 

 before that the Lawton blackberry could be ripened and grown to per- 

 fection in this State. Although I have seen Mr. Ford frequently, I 

 never knew until to-day that he had met with such extraordinary suc- 

 cess in their cultivation. I certainly feel as if we were gaining a 

 great deal by his experience, and I would like to have him state how 

 and with what he covers them, and what do you use for mulching? 



Mr, Ford, I used to use straw; for the last two years 1 have used 

 sorghum bagasse. In laying down I have a pair of buckskin mittens, 

 and I take hold of the stalk, bend them down and throw dirt over 

 them. I find the Lawton is the easiest to lay down, I just cover them 

 lightly. If they are covered half an inch deep they are all right. If 

 there is one sticks out an inch, it is killed to the ground. 



Mr. Tuttle. Blackberries are very extensively grown in the neigh- 

 borhood of Ripon, Wis, There are about sixty acres in cultivation 

 there. Mr. Hamilton is the principal grower, and has been growing 

 them, he tells me, for twelve years, and has never had a failure. His 

 manner of covering is the same as that spoken of by Mr. Pearce. With 

 a fork he digs the dirt from one side of the plant, puts his foot at the 

 base, and pushes the roots over. The root will bend very easily, 

 especially if laid down the first year; if you don't bend it over the 

 first year you will have a good deal more work to bend and cover the 

 second or "third year. A portion of mine have never been laid down 

 until this year, Mr, Hamilton tells me that two men will put down 



