106 ANNUAL REPORT. 



prairies beyond the big woods, but perhaps one reason is we have 

 never tried the variety spoken of here. I intended to get a few vines 

 of the Ancient Briton last year, but have not done so; I propose to 

 try it another year. The Turner raspberry is the only kind that I 

 grow; that does very well, and I get good crops. 



Mr. Smith. I would like to ask Mr. Fuller if black raspberries don't 

 grow there? 



Mr. Fuller. No, sir, I think not without protection. The vines 

 will winter-kill. We get a very good crop of black raspberries by 

 cutting them off to the ground in the spring, and get very nice berries 

 from the new growth. We have not practiced covering. 



Mr. Cutler. 1 have had a little experience in trying to raise black- 

 berries. Two years ago from the Ancient Briton I picked a little over 

 200 quarts, but since then have had but few berries. I have the 

 Snyders; they are very prolific, and the Stone's Hardy; last winter 

 they killed to the snow line. There were a few left below the snow 

 line that blossomed, but produced no berries. I have come to the con- 

 clusion that the only way we can grow raspberries successfully, except 

 the Turner, is by covering. Last fall I covered my Stone's Hardy, 

 according to Mr. Pearce's method. I think we can raise blackberries, 

 provided we cover and preserve them during the winter in that way. 



Mr. Saunders. I would like to inquire if anyone has had trouble 

 with the blight? In our vicinity, Chippewa and Yellow Medicine 

 Counties, we are troubled considerably with that. The fruit blossoms 

 well and sets, but when it has attained the size of a small pea, it 

 blights, so that I have lost my crop for one or two years. I have the 

 Doolittle, and some other varieties that I have cultivated with success, 

 have this year dcr.e poorly. 



Mr. Pearce. One word further on the raspberry in regard to this 

 matter of winter-killing. The Gregg raspberry will kill, I believe, 

 every winter in Minnesota; at the same time, it is the largest and best 

 we have. I am growing them; a year ago I was very successful. I 

 bank them up in the fall, from a foot to fifteen inches, in the spring 

 I cut them back to sound wood, I then take the dirt and spread that 

 around the vines. We grew last year in that way more and larger 

 fruit than we had from leaving the whole top of the vines. I cut them 

 right back to sound wood. Experts came and examined them, and all 

 agreed that it was the best method of treating them. 



In regard to this blight spoken of, that is the result of the vines 

 having too little vitality. If your vines are heavj'^ and vigorous, I 



