6 



land should be thoroughly prepared before setting, remember- 

 ing that we are planting a fairly permanent crop. It should be 

 well plowed and finely harrowed, never setting on newly turned 

 sod land, witch grass sod, or on land on which water stands. 



In preparing the land a good coat of manure should be 

 plowed under, and for subsequent fertilization we must depend 

 on commercial fertilizers and cover crops. The matter of fer- 

 tilization is one of the most difficult problems to give recom- 

 mendations on, owing to various conditions of soil, etc., so that 

 only a few general suggestions may be offered. In general, 

 nitrogen or nitrogenous fertilizers should be used very lightly 

 on these fruits. The use of nitrogen and the amounts to use 

 must depend almost entirely on the vigor and growth of the 

 plantation. If there is a lack of growth, or the color of foliage 

 is poor, nitrogen should be used, but if plants are healthy, 

 vigorous and making a good yearly growth, use nitrogen spar- 

 ingly. The use of an excessive amount of nitrogen gives a very 

 heavy rank growth which is detrimental to the production of 

 fine fruit. A light yearly application of phosphoric acid and 

 potash will, I believe, prove to be of considerable value. Cul- • 

 tivation, however, is of more importance than the heavy use of 

 fertilizers. 



The use of lime on very acid soils seems to be of some value 

 for red raspberries, but blackcaps are not usually benefited, and 

 blackberries may be injured. 



Now let us consider the very important subject of varieties. 

 Here, we find, is a most difficult problem to select from a cata- 

 logue varieties which may prove to be adapted to our section, 

 more especially since most of the nurseries are located outside 

 of the State, and, to complicate the situation still more, we 

 find that many new varieties of reds and purple canes have been 

 introduced in late years. These as yet have not been tested to 

 any great extent, either by growers or our experiment station, 

 so that I believe the best indication in the choice of varieties 

 is to find what varieties are now proving to be a success in 

 your section. Plant those and also try a few of the new varie- 

 ties in a small way. In the case of the blackberry we do not 

 find as many new varieties. 



Some of the good varieties of these fruits are as follows: — 



