21 



which it seems desirable to secure, if possible. One should 

 have soil which is well drained and thus easy of cultivation, 

 early in the season. This will allow you to bring the land to 

 a fine state of tilth. We have seen the Cuthbert grown on 

 This type of soil, and also on a heavy clay loam, and the 

 yields were, in comparison, always favorable to' the former. 

 Plants were of better height and strength of cane. The 

 problem of winter killing and throwing out of vines by 

 Irost was always less severe in the gravelly loams. 



Let us now turn to the consideration of varieties. This 

 is a very dangerous field upon which to give advice. My 

 own experience leads me to believe that the red raspberry is 

 more dependable and less variable in its behavior than the 

 blackberry, and yet I know that the raspberry- shows great 

 variation in diflPerent locations. 



First I should like to call attention to a new variety 

 which originated and was originally grown and tested on the 

 grounds of the New York Agricultural Experiment Station 

 at Geneva. I have had the satisfaction of seeing this variety 

 in fruit in their gardens. It has now been named and dis- 

 ."-eminated. The variety is June. It is a fine large berry of 

 red color, excellent in quality, and as you may have imag- 

 ined from the name, it is a very early sort. I think this will 

 come in just ahead and perhaps displace a variety which 

 many of us have grown, namely, the King. It is very inter- 

 esting to know^ that this variety is a production from one of 

 our Experiment Stations. Indeed, small fruit culture will 

 have reached a nne state of development in Massachusetts 

 Avhen we fruit men are strong enough to go before the ofifi- 

 cials of our Experiment Station and ask them to undertake 

 the testing of old and development of new varieties of small 

 fruits. Such a condition does not exist at present. The 

 demand for experimental work and demonstration, of course, 

 is clearly along the line of tree fruit growing. It is more 

 inviting and more people are vitally concerned. The com- 

 mercial grower can scarcely afford to take the time necessary 

 to do this plant breeding Avork. It is a very promising field. 



