EXPERIMENT STATIONS. Lia 
pruning are in progress. Especial interest centers around the adap- 
tation of the drooping system of pruning vines that are laid down 
on the ground in winter. 
Raspberries. Raspberries were a fair crop only, the yield being 
considerably lessened by the dry weather in July. On account of 
the adverse season, the cane rust (anthracnose) and the disease com- 
monly known as “leaf curl” were unusually destructive and in some 
sections of the state seriously lessened or destroyedthe crop. Some 
varieties are much more subject to these diseases than others, and 
few, if any, kinds are entirely exempt from them. Cane rust is 
probably always present in a small way in raspberry plantations, 
but in average seasons vigorous plants are able to resist the disease 
and mature a crop of fruit, while in very dry seasons the plants can- 
not perfect the fruit, the wood for next year and the disease, and, as 
a consequence, the fruit is the part that is especially liable to suffer. 
A peculiar trait of this disease is that it does not seem to affect the 
vigor of growth of the young canes, but injures the crop just when 
itis ripening. Experiments are in progress at the station in com- 
batting these diseases, and these seem to have been quite successful 
in preventing the cane rust (anthracnose). 
The varieties that are most reliable, are: Red (suckering kinds),— 
Turner, Marlboro and Cuthbert. Blackcap kinds,—Older, Nemaha, 
Ohio and Souhegan. 
These varieties are on trial besides a large number of seedlings. 
Of these seedlings, several are now being propagated for further 
trial and are very promising. 
Strawberries. The strawberry crop this year has been generally 
a poor one on account of the late spring frosts when the plants 
were in blossom and the severe drouth, which commenced to be in- 
jurious when the crop was about one-third grown. At this experi- 
ment station, the crop has been fairly good. I attribute our success 
to the fact that our beds are on retentive soil, well cultivated, and, 
also, to the fact that the mulch was kept over the plants until as 
late as practicable. Our beds were not in flower until after the 
damaging late frosts, and the spaces between the rows and around 
the plants being heavily mulched were protected from the sun and 
rapid evaporation. 
Our beds that produced their second and third crop were much 
* more productive than the new beds.~ I account for this from the 
fact that last season being very dry, the newly set plants did not 
perfect their fruit beds so well as the older and more vigorous 
plants of the old beds. But I would not wish to be understood as 
advocating the retention of old beds, except where they are mowed 
over and renewed by plowing and manuring according to the well 
known practice of this station. 
Of new varieties, there is little to report, none of them having 
done better than the best of the older varieties. The most promis- 
ing kinds for general planting are Warfield, Haverland and Crescent 
of the pistillate, and Bederwood, Parker Earle and Enhance of the 
bi-sexual class. The best early berry here is the Warfield, the best 
late one the Parker Earle. The new kinds worthy of special men- 
tion are the Swindle, Edgar Queen and Leader. These fruited in beds 
