FOURTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 



129 



tainly shoukl be pretty nearly rigid, but the other two can 

 give some, so that the box will be somewhat adjustable. 



The President: I think we shall have to close this dis- 

 cussion on the box question now and take up the next one 

 that is called for. 



A'O. 10: "Is there any use atteiiipiiiig to grozc cJierries for 

 market in this State'/" 



The President: Are there any cherry men in the hall? 

 Particularly, is there a man in the hall who has grown any 

 sweet cherries, or even planted them, and made a success of 

 them in the last ten or fifteen years, or who has attempted to 

 grow any for market? I may say that I have been utterly 

 unable to find a man who has planted any cherries for market 

 in this State at all. This cherry question is one which comes 

 to us very often over at the college. People want to know 

 what is being done about cherries ; what cherries to plant in 

 the State. And that is about the only answer I can give 

 them. I have not seen any planted, and I do not know of an 

 orchard, and know of no young trees that have been brought 

 forward successfully. I hear of some old ones occasionally. 

 I presume there are some growers, but, on the whole, cherries 

 have not done very well in Connecticut, and especially sweet 

 cherries. In our trial orchard at the college we have got a 

 number of varieties, but the most of them that have done 

 anything have been sour cherries. T think, with the single 

 exception of the Windsor, there is not one of them that has 

 given us any fruit. Sour cherries have grown quite readily, 

 and do reasonably well. 



Mr. Cross : I believe it is utterly no use for anyone in 

 this country to try to grow cherries until the statute laws are 

 changed to some extent, so that we can protect our property 

 from the birds. The robins come in and get them before we 

 can get out in the morning, and they are at it until after we 

 go to bed at night. That is the complaint all over the Hudson 

 valley. The laws are so stringent that we can not kill the 

 birds, and the people, rather than take a chance, as a general 

 thing, are letting the fruit go. I don't think that is quite 

 right. The robins are increasing at an alarming rate all 

 through our section, and they are the most damaging thing 



