STATE HOETICULTUBAL SOCIETY. 131 



hearers, perhaps, tliat have traveled more miles the past year than I have, having 

 visited one field of seven acres, and having sought practical information on this 

 subject from every available source. 



We are deprived of raising many of the most lucious of the larger fruits, and 

 even apples, in many localities are a failure, as I could show you orchards in this 

 vicinity where even the Duchess was killed last winter. And yet I have now on 

 my table a catalogue containing testimonials reading like this; permit me to copy 

 one : 



"The Stone's Hardy Blackberry came through last winter without injury, with- 

 out protection, although the mercury was forty degrees below zero several times. 

 It is evidently an iron-clad." 



This catalogue has two pages of such testimonials. Now, this man has a large 

 patch and should have picked one bushel to the picking, and he told me he only 

 picked one box at a time, (and yet they need no protection;) further his berry patch 

 is very favorably situated, being surrounded by a willow hedge, also plum thicket, 

 and other trees among the bushes, so that the snow piled in there nearly to the 

 tree tops, yet he says this is "no protection." He only had a few berries. 



But to my subject. Stone's Hardy is the best adapted to protection of any of 

 the high bush varieties though there may be some of the dewberry family that 

 might do well. It is a very rank grower yet it has a slender stalk, throwing its 

 vigor more into side branches; it does not grow tall, and yet gives more fruiting 

 wood than any other variety, which accounts for the immense crops of fruit pro- 

 duced. Hence it can be laid down for protection without breaking but few bushes. 



The Snyder is also a vigorous grower sending out one very coarse, tall stalk with 

 but few side branches, which accounts for its light yield of fruit. 



The Ancient Briton, which has so much said in its favor by growers, is much 

 like the Snyder in its growth, but has more side branches, hence it has more than 

 double the amount of fruiting wood, but it breaks very badly in covering. I also 

 have other varieties but do not consider them worthy of notice here. 



MODE OF CULTIVATION. ' 



I would prepare my ground by manuring heavily and thorough cultivation; then 

 mark the rows eight feet apart. After the row has become established, or has been 

 set two years, I would have the row one foot wide, and if I could would have a 

 double row ©r have one bush to every six inches of space in the row; and thus the 

 plants will stand one foot apart. It is best to keep the suckers down if you want 

 choice fruit, this is easily done with a horse and cultivator. We often hear of 

 blackberry patches that blossom full but the fruit dries away. We have had no 

 such trouble with our mode of culture. As soon as the young bushes get eighteen 

 to twenty-four inches high pinch off the tops of the plants and pull out where they 

 grow too thick; this should be kept up for one month at least, or until about the 

 time the berries begin to ripen. 



PROTECTION. 



As we have plenty of bagasse at hand and are glad to get rid of it we take a 

 wagon with hay-rack on, putting on a long neckyoke. Load our wagon and drive 

 astride the row and the wagon will bend the bushes all one way. One man on the 

 wagon forks the bagasse off on the bushes; one man on the ground with a pitch- 



